Vehicle system

Abstract

To obtain a vehicle system which enables a seated occupant to operate an operation part that is displayed on a display, regardless of a seat position of a vehicle seat.SOLUTION: A vehicle system includes: a vehicle seat which enables change of a seat position; a center console 22 that extends in a vehicle front-rear direction; a display 23 that is provided on an upper face 22A of the center console 22; and a display control unit that is configured to cause the display 23 to display an operation part 28 capable of operating a vehicle electronic device and change a display position of the operation part 28 so that the display position follows a change of the seat position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle system for a vehicle equipped with a center console. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle equipped with a center console in which a touch panel for operating vehicle electronic devices is mounted on the front side of the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-212682 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, the development of autonomous driving technology for vehicles has progressed, and vehicle seats that allow a long slide distance in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle have been provided so that occupants can sit in a relaxed position during autonomous driving. However, as described in Patent Document 1, the touch panel provided on the center console is provided at a position corresponding to operation at a seating position where the vehicle can be driven, so there is a possibility that the occupant's hands cannot reach the touch panel when the vehicle seat is slid toward the rear of the vehicle to a position where a relaxed position can be achieved.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle system that allows a seated person to operate an operating unit displayed on a display unit regardless of the seat position of the vehicle seat. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle system of the present invention described in claim 1 comprises a vehicle seat whose seat position can be changed, a center console extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, a display unit provided on an upper surface of the center console, and a display control unit that displays an operating unit capable of operating vehicle electronic devices on the display unit and causes the display position of the operating unit to follow changes in the seat position.

[0007] In the vehicle system according to the present invention described in claim 1, the display control unit displays an operation unit capable of operating vehicle electronic devices on a display unit provided on an upper surface of the center console, and changes the display position of the operation unit to follow a change in the seat position of the vehicle seat. Therefore, even if the seat position of the vehicle seat is changed, the display position of the operation unit on the display unit is changed to follow the change, so that the seat occupant can operate the operation unit displayed on the display unit regardless of the seat position of the vehicle seat.

[0008] The vehicle system according to the present invention recited in claim 2 has the configuration recited in claim 1, wherein the seat position is changed by changing the seat position in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0009] In the vehicle system of the present invention described in claim 2, the seat position is changed by changing the seat position in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. Therefore, when the seat position of the vehicle seat in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle is changed, the display position of the operating unit on the display unit can be changed in response to the change in seat position.

[0010] A vehicle system according to the present invention recited in claim 3 is the configuration recited in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the seat position is changed by changing the posture of the seat.

[0011] In the vehicle system of the present invention described in claim 3, the seat position is changed by changing the seat posture, so when the seat posture of the vehicle seat is changed, the display position of the operating unit on the display unit can be changed in response to the change in seat posture.

[0012] A vehicle system according to the present invention described in claim 4 is the same as or similar to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the display unit is provided over the entire upper surface of the center console.

[0013] In the vehicle system of the present invention described in claim 4, the display unit is provided across the entire upper surface of the center console, so that the amount of movement of the display position of the operating unit on the display unit can be made greater, and it can accommodate larger changes in the seat position.

[0014] The vehicle system of the present invention described in claim 5 has the configuration described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the vehicle seat is provided with an armrest, and the operating unit is arranged on the upper surface of the center console in a position that can be operated with the fingers of an occupant when the occupant rests their arm on the armrest.

[0015] In the vehicle system of the present invention as described in claim 5, the operating unit is positioned on the upper surface of the center console in a position that can be operated with the occupant's fingers when the occupant rests their arm on the armrest, so that the occupant can operate the operating unit with their arm resting on the armrest. Effect of the Invention

[0016] As described above, the vehicle system according to the present invention has the excellent effect of allowing a seated person to operate an operating unit displayed on a display unit regardless of the seat position of the vehicle seat. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view showing a portion of the vehicle in FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a front view showing a main part of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the seat front side. [Figure 4]4 is a plan view showing the main part of the seat as seen from above in FIG. 3. FIG. [Diagram 5] 2 is a side view showing a main part of the vehicle in FIG. 1 as viewed from the left side of the seat. [Figure 6] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] 11 is a plan view showing a change in the display position of the operation unit on the display unit. FIG. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart showing a series of processes performed by a control unit of the vehicle system according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] A vehicle system 10 including a vehicle 10A according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. In the following description, when the front-rear, left-right, top-bottom directions are used, they refer to the front-rear, left-right, top-bottom directions of the vehicle 10A. Also, the arrow FR shown in each figure indicates the forward direction, the arrow UP indicates the upward direction, the arrow RH indicates the rightward direction, and the arrow LH indicates the leftward direction, respectively. In the following description, when the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions are simply used, they refer to the front-rear direction of the vehicle, the up-down direction of the vehicle, and the left-right direction when facing forward, unless otherwise specified.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle system 10 of the present embodiment includes a vehicle 10A and a control unit 100 serving as a display control unit.

[0020] (Vehicle 10A Configuration) The vehicle 10A includes a driver's seat 16 and a passenger seat 18 formed of vehicle seats 12 on which passengers in the vehicle interior 14 sit, and a rear seat 20 formed of a vehicle seat 13. In the vehicle 10A of this embodiment, as an example, the steering wheel 15 is disposed on the left side of the vehicle interior 14, the driver's seat 16 is disposed on the left side of the vehicle interior 14, and the passenger seat 18 is disposed on the right side of the driver's seat 16. In addition, a center console 22 is provided between the driver's seat 16 and the passenger seat 18, and a dashboard 24 is provided in front of the driver's seat 16 and the passenger seat 18.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, the center console 22 has an upper surface 22A located above the seating surface of the seat cushion 12A for an occupant, which will be described later. As shown in FIG. 1, the center console 22 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the upper surface 22A is provided with, as an example, two cup holders 25 and an operation unit 28 capable of operating various vehicle electronic devices (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 10A. Examples of the vehicle electronic devices include a car navigation system, an audio system, and a control device for controlling the operation of the vehicle 10A. In this embodiment, as an example, the operation unit 28 is displayed on a display unit 23 formed of a touch panel type liquid crystal screen, and the display unit 23 is provided over the entire upper surface 22A of the center console 22. That is, the entire area of ​​the upper surface 22A of the center console 22, except for the inside of the cup holder 25, is formed of a liquid crystal screen.

[0022] The rear seat 20 is provided behind the driver's seat 16 and the passenger seat 18, and the vehicle seat 13 constituting the rear seat 20 is, for example, a bench-type seat that can seat three passengers. Note that the vehicle seat 13 is not limited to a bench-type seat, and an independent vehicle seat 12 may be provided.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the vehicle seat 12 constituting the driver's seat 16 and the passenger seat 18 includes a seat cushion 12A on which an occupant sits, and a seat back 12B connected to the rear end of the seat cushion 12A and capable of supporting the occupant's back. A headrest 12C capable of supporting the occupant's head is provided at the upper end of the seat back 12B. The vehicle seat 12 also includes an armrest 30 on the center console 22 side. Note that, in each of the drawings, as an example, an embodiment in which the armrest 30 is provided only on the center console 22 side is shown, but an armrest may also be provided on the outer side in the vehicle width direction.

[0024] The seat cushion 12A includes a frame that forms the skeleton of the seat cushion 12A, a cushion material made of urethane foam, and a cloth or leather covering material that covers the surface of the cushion material. The vehicle seat 12 is provided with a seat slide portion 40 that allows the seat cushion 12A to slide in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0025] The seat slide section 40 includes a seat rail (not shown) fastened to a floor of the vehicle 10A, and an upper rail to which the vehicle seat 12 is attached and slidable relative to the seat rail. The seat rail and the upper rail are configured as a pair of left and right rails extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The seat slide section 40 also includes a transmission shaft (not shown) suspended between the pair of left and right rails of the upper rail, and a slide motor 42 that rotates the transmission shaft, and the rotational drive of the slide motor 42 is controlled by the control unit 100. The vehicle seat 12 attached to the upper rail slides in the vehicle longitudinal direction (arrow X) based on the driving force of the slide motor 42 transmitted via the transmission shaft.

[0026] In this embodiment, a position sensor (not shown) is provided to detect the position of the vehicle seat 12 in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the position sensor is a rotary encoder that detects the rotational position of the output shaft of the slide motor 42. This position sensor detects the rotational position of the output shaft of the slide motor 42, thereby indirectly detecting the amount of sliding of the vehicle seat 12 in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The position sensor outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the rotational position of the output shaft of the slide motor 42, i.e., the amount of sliding of the vehicle seat 12.

[0027] Although not shown, the vehicle seat 12 may be provided with a lift device that raises and lowers the seat cushion 12A in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

[0028] The seat back 12B is configured to include a frame that forms the skeleton of the seat back 12B, a cushioning material made of urethane foam, and a cloth or leather covering material that covers the surface of the cushioning material. The seat back 12B is equipped with a reclining unit 50 that rotates the seat back 12B in the front-rear direction of the vehicle around the lower end of the seat back 12B.

[0029] The reclining unit 50 includes an axle 52. The central axis of the axle 52 is aligned in the vehicle width direction, and a portion of the frame of the seat cushion 12A on the vehicle rear side and a portion of the frame of the seat back 12B on the vehicle lower side are mechanically connected by the axle 52. The reclining unit 50 also includes a reclining motor 54, and the rotational drive of the reclining motor 54 is controlled by the control unit 100.

[0030] The reclining motor 54 is provided, for example, on the seat cushion 12A. The output shaft of the reclining motor 54 is connected, for example, to a gear train (not shown) serving as a reduction gear or a driving force transmission device provided on the shaft portion 52. The seat back 12B is rotated around the shaft portion 52 by the driving force of the reclining motor 54. As a result, the seat back 12B rotates around the shaft portion 52 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle (the direction of the arrow M in FIG. 1).

[0031] In this embodiment, a posture sensor (not shown) is provided to detect the reclining angle of the seat back 12B of the vehicle seat 12, i.e., the posture of the seat back 12B. The posture sensor is, for example, a rotary encoder that detects the rotational position of the output shaft of the reclining motor 54. As described above, the seat back 12B is rotated in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle by the driving force of the reclining motor 54. Therefore, the rotational angle of the seat back 12B in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, i.e., the posture, can be indirectly detected by detecting the rotational position of the output shaft of the reclining motor 54. The posture sensor outputs an electric signal corresponding to the rotational position of the output shaft of the reclining motor 54, i.e., the rotational angle (posture) of the seat back 12B.

[0032] In this embodiment, as an example, the seat position is changed by sliding the seat cushion 12A in the front-rear direction of the vehicle using the seat slide portion 40 to change the seat position.

[0033] The headrest 12C is provided at the end of the seat back 12B on the upper side of the seat. The headrest 12C includes a cushioning material made of urethane foam and a fabric or leather covering material that covers the surface of the cushioning material.

[0034] As an example, the armrest 30 is configured to include a frame that forms the skeleton of the armrest 30, a cushioning material made of urethane foam, and a fabric or leather covering material that covers the surface of the cushioning material. The armrest 30 may be covered around the frame with a molding that is a design part made of resin or the like.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 3, the armrest 30 is formed, for example, in an inverted L-shape when viewed from the front side of the seat. A lower end 32 of the armrest 30 extends from the side of the center console 22 side of the seat cushion 12A toward the upper surface 22A of the center console 22. An upper end 34 of the armrest 30 extends substantially horizontally from the upper end of the lower end 32 toward the center console 22 side, and is disposed so that at least a portion of it overlaps the upper surface 22A of the center console 22 in a plan view, as shown in Fig. 4.

[0036] In this embodiment, as an example, upper ends 34 of the driver's seat 16 and the passenger seat 18 are arranged so as to overlap approximately ¼ of the upper surface 22A of the center console 22 in the vehicle width direction, and are arranged so as to expose the cup holder 25. Also, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, the operating unit 28 is arranged at a position that can be operated by the occupant's finger F when the occupant rests his / her arm on the armrest 30.

[0037] Also, as an example, the armrest 30 is formed integrally with the seat cushion 12A. Specifically, for example, a frame forming the skeleton of the armrest 30 is formed by extending from a frame forming the skeleton of the seat cushion 12A.

[0038] 5, the armrest 30 is disposed at a height position that allows the occupant to operate the operating unit 28 with his / her finger F while the occupant rests his / her arm on the upper end 34 of the armrest 30. In this embodiment, the armrest 30 is integrally formed with the seat cushion 12A, and therefore, when the vehicle seat 12 is moved in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction by the seat sliding portion 40 as described above, the armrest 30 is also moved in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction together with the seat cushion 12A.

[0039] 5, the armrest 30 is movable along the upper surface 22A of the center console 22 in the vehicle front-rear direction, and is moved, for example, from the position of the armrest 30 shown by the solid line to the position of the armrest 30 shown by the dashed line by moving backward with the movement of the vehicle seat 12. Note that in this embodiment, in order to enable the armrest 30 to move smoothly along the upper surface 22A of the center console 22, a gap is provided between the upper surface 22A of the center console 22 and the underside of the upper end portion 34 of the armrest 30 to such an extent that the occupant can hold the operating unit 28 at a height position where the operating unit 28 can be operated with the finger F while resting the arm on the upper end portion 34 of the armrest 30.

[0040] (Configuration of control unit 100) The control unit 100 of the present embodiment controls the overall running of the vehicle 10A, as well as vehicle electronic devices such as a car navigation system, an audio system, and a control device that controls the operation of the vehicle 10A. The control unit 100 also functions as a display control unit that controls the display of the display unit 23.

[0041] The control unit 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit: Processor) 100A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 100B, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 100C, a storage 100D, a communication interface (communication I / F) 100E, and an input / output interface (input / output I / F) 100F for communicating with external devices. The CPU 100A, the ROM 100B, the RAM 100C, the storage 100D, the communication I / F 100E, and the input / output I / F 100F are connected to each other via a bus 100G so as to be able to communicate with each other. The input / output I / F 100F is also connected to the display unit 23, the seat sliding unit 40, the reclining unit 50, and the like.

[0042] The CPU 100A is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls the rotational drive of the slide motor 42 of the seat sliding portion 40 and the reclining motor 54 of the reclining portion 50, as well as the display of the display portion 23. That is, the CPU 100A reads out a control program from the ROM 100B or the storage 100D based on a signal from the seat sliding portion 40, and executes the control program using the RAM 100C as a working area to control the display of the display portion 23.

[0043] Specifically, as an example, the vehicle seat 12 is moved from a seat position of a driving posture during manual driving shown in the left diagram of Fig. 7 to a seat position of a relaxed posture shown in the right diagram of Fig. 7 slid toward the rear of the vehicle by the seat slide part 40. Here, in this embodiment, since the armrest 30 is formed integrally with the seat cushion 12A, when the vehicle seat 12 is slid, the armrest 30 is also slid by the same amount.

[0044] In this case, the control unit 100 derives the sliding amount based on the electrical signal corresponding to the sliding amount of the vehicle seat 12 output from the seat sliding unit 40. Then, the control unit 100 moves the display position of the operation unit 28 on the display unit 23 toward the rear of the vehicle by an amount equal to the derived sliding amount, as shown in the right diagram of FIG.

[0045] Conversely, assume that the vehicle seat 12 is moved from the seat position of the relaxed posture shown in the right diagram of Fig. 7 to the seat position of the driving posture during manual driving shown in the left diagram of Fig. 7, slid toward the front of the vehicle by the seat sliding portion 40. In this case as well, the control portion 100 derives the sliding amount based on the electrical signal corresponding to the sliding amount of the vehicle seat 12 output from the seat sliding portion 40, and moves and displays the display position of the operation portion 28 on the display portion 23 toward the front of the vehicle by the same amount as the derived sliding amount, as shown in the left diagram of Fig. 7.

[0046] In this manner, the control unit 100 causes the display position of the operation unit 28 on the display unit 23 to follow the change in the seat position of the vehicle seat 12.

[0047] Next, the flow of the display control process by the control unit 100 of the vehicle system 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 8. In the vehicle system 10 according to this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8, the control unit 100 determines in step S11 whether the seat position of the vehicle seat 12 has been changed based on an output signal from the seat sliding unit 40.

[0048] If it is determined in step S11 that the seat position has been changed (step S11; YES), the control unit 100 changes the display position of the operation unit 28 on the display unit 23 by an amount equal to the sliding amount of the vehicle seat 12, as described above.

[0049] Next, in step S13, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the vehicle system 10 has been stopped. Specifically, as an example, the control unit 100 determines that the vehicle system 10 has been stopped when the engine of the vehicle 10A is stopped, etc.

[0050] If it is determined in step S13 that the vehicle system 10 has been stopped (step S13; YES), the control unit 100 ends all processing.

[0051] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S11 that the seat position has not been changed (step S11; NO), and if it is determined in step S13 that the vehicle system 10 has not been stopped (step S13; NO), the control unit 100 transitions the processing to step S11 and performs the processing from step S11 onwards.

[0052] (Action and effect) Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0053] In the vehicle system 10 according to this embodiment, the control unit 100 as a display control unit displays an operation unit 28 capable of operating vehicle electronic devices on the display unit 23 provided on the upper surface 22A of the center console 22, and causes the display position of the operation unit 28 to follow a change in the seat position of the vehicle seat 12. Therefore, even if the seat position of the vehicle seat 12 is changed, the display position of the operation unit 28 on the display unit 23 is changed following the change, so that the seat occupant can operate the operation unit 28 displayed on the display unit 23 regardless of the seat position of the vehicle seat 12.

[0054] Furthermore, in the vehicle system 10 according to this embodiment, the seat position is changed by changing the seat position of the vehicle seat 12 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, so when the seat position of the vehicle seat 12 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle is changed, the display position of the operation unit 28 on the display unit 23 can be changed in accordance with the change in seat position.

[0055] Furthermore, in the vehicle system 10 according to this embodiment, the display unit 23 is provided across the entire upper surface 22A of the center console 22, so that the amount of movement of the display position of the operation unit 28 on the display unit 23 can be increased, and the system can accommodate larger changes in the seat position.

[0056] In addition, in the vehicle system 10 according to this embodiment, the operating unit 28 is positioned on the upper surface 22A of the center console 22 at a position that can be operated with the occupant's finger F while the occupant is resting his / her arm on the armrest 30, so that the occupant can operate the operating unit 28 while resting his / her arm on the armrest 30.

[0057] (Supplementary information regarding this embodiment) In the above embodiment, the display unit 23 is provided over the entire upper surface 22A of the center console 22, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the display unit 23 may be provided on the vehicle front side or vehicle rear side of the upper surface 22A of the center console 22. In this case, a cup holder 25, a storage compartment 26, etc. may be provided in an area of ​​the upper surface 22A of the center console 22 where the display unit 23 is not provided.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the armrest 30 is formed integrally with the seat cushion 12A, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the armrest 30 may be formed separately. In this case, the armrest 30 and the seat cushion 12A are joined by a known fastening method. The armrest 30 may be connected to the seat back 12B instead of the seat cushion 12A, or the armrest 30 may be independent without being connected to either the seat cushion 12A or the seat back 12B. The armrest 30 may not be provided in the vehicle system 10 of this embodiment.

[0059] When the armrest 30 is connected to the seat back 12B, the control unit 100 derives the sliding amount of the armrest 30 based on an electrical signal corresponding to the rotation angle (posture) of the seat back 12B output from the reclining unit 50. Specifically, the position of the armrest 30 relative to the rotation angle (posture) of the seat back 12B is detected in advance, and the sliding amount of the position of the armrest 30 is derived based on the amount of change in the posture of the seat back 12B. Then, the control unit 100 changes the display position of the operation unit 28 on the display unit 23 in accordance with the derived sliding amount.

[0060] In this way, when the seat position is changed by changing the seat posture, when the seat posture of the vehicle seat 12 is changed, the display position of the operation unit 28 on the display unit 23 can be changed in accordance with the change in the seat posture.

[0061] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above, and it is of course possible to implement the present invention in various other modified forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 10 Vehicle Systems 12 Vehicle seats 12A Seat cushion 22 Center console 22A Top 23 Display section 28 Control section 30 Armrest 100 Control unit (display control unit)

Claims

1. A vehicle seat capable of changing seat positions; A center console extending in a front-rear direction of the vehicle; A display unit provided on an upper surface of the center console; a display control unit that causes the display unit to display an operation unit capable of operating a vehicle electronic device and causes a display position of the operation unit to follow a change in the seat position; A vehicle system comprising:

2. 2. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the seat position is changed by changing a seat position in a front-rear direction of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the seat position is changed by changing the seat posture.

4. The vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit is provided over an entire upper surface of the center console.

5. The vehicle seat includes an armrest, 2. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit is disposed on an upper surface of the center console at a position that allows an occupant to operate the operation unit with his / her fingers while resting his / her arm on the armrest.

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