Operating apparatus

Abstract

To make it possible to improve visibility of an operation device and to suppress mal-operation of the operating apparatus.SOLUTION: An operating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has a touch-type operation screen 10 provided on an upper portion of a substrate 30 and having an operation guide 11 of a predetermined shape corresponding to an operation target, and a light emitting part 40 for irradiating the operation panel with light from an inner surface side of the operation panel provided at the substrate so as to face the substrate. The operation guide 11 is formed of a transparent member and has a shielding surface 51 on an outer surface of a predetermined edge portion. The light emitting part 40 is provided at the position of the front surface side of the operation panel 10 and corresponding to the edge portion of the operation guide 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a touch-type operating device mounted on a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] As an operating device for operating equipment mounted on a vehicle, a touch-type operating device is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The operating device shown in Patent Document 1 is arranged, for example, on an armrest provided on a door of a seat and is configured to be able to operate the opening and closing of a vehicle window. Specifically, the operating device shown in Patent Document 1 has a linear operating portion formed on a touch-type operation panel, and is configured to accept an opening and closing operation of the window by performing a touch operation such as moving a finger along the linear shape of the operating portion.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, since the above-described operating device only has a linear portion that is touched on the operation panel, there is room for improvement in that its visibility is low and there is a risk of unintended operations being performed.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to solve the problem that the visibility of the operating device is low and there is a risk of unintended operations being performed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An operating device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a touch-type operation panel provided on the upper part of a substrate and having an operation guide of a predetermined shape corresponding to an operation target formed thereon, A light emitting unit provided on the substrate and irradiating the operation panel from the inner surface side of the operation panel facing the substrate. The operation guide is formed of a transparent member, and a shielding surface is formed on the outer surface of a predetermined end portion. The light emitting unit is provided at a position on the inner surface side of the operation panel corresponding to the end portion of the operation guide. It has such a configuration.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure configured as described above, it is possible to improve the visibility of the operating device and suppress unintended operations.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] <Embodiment 1> The first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings may be relevant to any of the embodiments.

[0010] [Configuration] The operating device in the present disclosure is mainly for opening and closing the window of an automobile, which is a vehicle. For example, it is arranged on the armrest provided on the door of the seat. In particular, the operating device in the present embodiment is arranged on the armrest provided on the driver's door, and the operator, who is the driver, can open and close the windows of the four seats (driver's seat, front passenger seat, rear seat behind the driver, rear seat behind the front passenger). However, the operating device of the present invention is not necessarily limited to being provided on the driver's door, and it may be provided at any location inside the vehicle, not limited to other seat doors or doors. Further, the operating device of the present invention is not necessarily limited to opening and closing the four windows, and it may be configured to be able to open and close one or other numbers of windows. Furthermore, the operating device of the present invention is not limited to operating the window, and it may be used to operate any equipment of the vehicle. That is, the operating device of the present invention may receive an operation on the operating device as described below as an operation command for equipment different from the window, and control the equipment according to such an operation command.

[0011] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are diagrams showing the appearance of the operation surface constituting the operating device in the present embodiment. In particular, FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the operation surface of the operating device, and FIG. 2 shows a plan view as seen from above. In FIG. 2, it is assumed that the upward direction is the front of the vehicle, the downward direction is the rear of the vehicle, and the left-right direction is the width direction of the vehicle. Therefore, the driver's seat window is located to the right of the operating device, the front passenger seat window is located to the left, the rear seat behind the driver is located in the upper right rear, and the rear seat behind the front passenger is located in the upper left rear.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, the operating device includes an operation panel 10 having a substantially rectangular shape (a touch-type operation panel). The operation panel 10 is formed, for example, on a touch-type operation surface using the capacitance method, and is configured to detect the position (touch location) on the operation surface that is contacted (touched) by a touch operation with the operator's finger. However, the operation panel 10 is not limited to being configured by the capacitance method, and any configuration that can detect a touch operation of an operation object such as a finger on the operation surface may be used.

[0013] Specifically, the surface of the operation panel 10 is formed in an overall planar shape, and convex operation parts (operation guides) 11 to 14 are formed in part. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each of the operation parts 11 to 14 is formed in a linear shape with a predetermined length protruding convexly from the surface of the operation panel 10. Further, each of the operation parts 11 to 14 is not necessarily limited to being formed in a linear shape, and may be formed by a convex part having a predetermined outer shape.

[0014] The operation parts 11 to 14 are composed of four linear parts. Among these, a pair of two linear operation parts 11 and 12 located on the front side of the vehicle (the first operation guide pair) are arranged in parallel so that their longitudinal directions are substantially parallel, and correspond to the windows on the front side of the vehicle. That is, the operation part 11 located on the front right side of the vehicle and extending in the front-rear direction forms the driver's seat window operation part 11 corresponding to the driver's seat window W1, and the operation part 12 located on the front left side of the vehicle and extending in the front-rear direction forms the passenger seat window operation part 12 corresponding to the passenger seat window W2.

[0015] Further, with respect to the pair of two operation parts 11 and 12 located on the front side of the vehicle described above, at a position on the rear side of the vehicle in the extension direction of the longitudinal direction of the operation parts 11 and 12, two linear operation parts 13 and 14 extending further along the extension direction of the longitudinal direction of the operation parts 11 and 12 are arranged. A pair of these two linear operation parts 13 and 14 (the second operation guide pair) are arranged in parallel so that their longitudinal directions are substantially parallel, and correspond to the windows on the rear side of the vehicle. That is, the operation part 13 located on the rear right side of the vehicle and extending in the front-rear direction forms the rear seat window operation part 13 corresponding to the rear seat window W3 of the driver's seat, and the operation part 14 located on the rear left side of the vehicle and extending in the front-rear direction forms the rear seat window operation part 14 corresponding to the rear seat window W4 of the passenger seat.

[0016] As described above, each of the operation units 11 to 14 is formed at a different position on the surface of the operation panel 10, and different vehicle equipment items are associated with each of the operation units 11 to 14. Further, the relative formation positions of the operation units 11 to 14 on the surface of the operation panel 10 correspond to the relative positional relationships of the respective windows with which they are associated. Note that the arrangement of the operation units 11 to 14 described above is an example, and they may be formed in any arrangement on the operation panel 10. Also, the above-described equipment items corresponding to the operation units 11 to 14 are an example, and any equipment item may be set as the operation target.

[0017] Then, the operation panel 10 receives the touch operations input by the operator as different operation commands according to the touch positions and the contents of the touch operations. That is, the operation panel 10 detects whether the operation from the touch position is an operation on each of the operation units 11 to 14 or an operation on a location different from each of the operation units 11 to 14, and receives an operation command according to the operation unit 11 to 14 that is the operation target and its operation content. At this time, the operation panel 10 is equipped with a detection unit for detecting the touch operation on the operation panel 10, and such a detection unit receives an operation command according to the position and content of the touch operation on the operation panel 10. Then, the operation panel 10 notifies the operation command received to the control device 20 mounted on the vehicle, and such a control device 20 controls the operations of each window and door according to the received operation command. Here, the block diagram of FIG. 3 shows an outline of the configuration provided in the vehicle to control the operations of each window and door by the touch operation input to the operation panel 10. Note that the control device 20 may function as an operation device in cooperation with the operation panel 10, and function to detect the position and content of the touch operation input to the operation panel 10 and receive an operation command according to such a touch operation.

[0018] Here, further, regarding the configurations of the operation units 11 to 14 of the operation panel 10 in the present embodiment, mainly with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, an explanation will be given. FIGS. 4 and 5 are cross-sectional views taken along the line A-A in FIG. 2, showing a cross-sectional view of the driver's seat window operation unit 11. In the following, as an example of the configurations of the operation units 11 to 14, the driver's seat window operation unit 11 will be described, but the other operation units 12, 13, and 14 have the same configurations.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 4, the operation panel 10 is provided above the substrate 30. Specifically, the operation panel 10 is provided spaced apart from the substrate 30 above the substrate 30. And between the substrate 30, which is the back side with respect to the operation surface of the operation panel 10, a detection unit such as a sensor sheet 10a for detecting capacitance is provided. Thus, an operation command corresponding to the position and content of the touch operation on the part of the operation unit 11 of the operation panel 10 and other parts detected by the sensor sheet 10a is received, and the received operation command is notified to the control device 20.

[0020] And the operation panel 10 in the present embodiment is composed of a transparent member such as resin, and the part of the operation unit 11 is also composed of a transparent member. On the other hand, on the outer surface which is the operation surface side of the operation panel 10, except for a part of the operation unit 11 as will be described later, a shielding surface 51 for shielding light is formed. Specifically, the outer surface of the operation panel 10 is painted entirely black except for the parts of the operation units 11 to 14, and the shielding surface 51 is formed by such painting. Also, the surface sides of the parts near both ends in the longitudinal direction of each of the operation units 11 to 14 of the operation panel 10 are also painted black to form the shielding surface 51. Thereby, for example, a black shielding surface 51 is formed at locations other than the part shown in gray in FIG. 6 on the outer surface of the operation panel 10, that is, at locations other than the region near the center in the longitudinal direction of each of the operation units 11 to 14. Note that the shielding surface 51 is not limited to being formed by black painting, and may be formed by pasting a black sheet, or may be formed by any method. Also, the color of the shielding surface 51 is not limited to black, and may be any color.

[0021] Further, the substrate 30 located on the inner side of the operation panel 10 is provided with a light-emitting part such as an LED 40 that irradiates the operation panel 10 from the inner surface side of the operation panel 10 facing the substrate 30. Specifically, the LED 40 is arranged corresponding to the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the operation part 11 which is linear. Therefore, in a top view as shown in FIG. 2, it is difficult to visually recognize the LED 40 and the aesthetic appearance of the device is not impaired. Also, in the example of FIG. 4, the LED 40 is arranged at a position corresponding to one end located on the front side of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction of the operation part 11. However, the LED 40 may be arranged corresponding to the end portion located on the rear side of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction of the operation part 11, or may be arranged corresponding to both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the operation part 11 respectively. Note that the LED 40 is an example of the light-emitting part, and a light-emitting part having a configuration different from that of the LED 40 may be arranged.

[0022] Also, a reflecting surface 52 for reflecting light is formed between the outer surface at the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the operation part 11 and the above-described shielding surface 51. In particular, the reflecting surface 52 is formed at the end portion corresponding to the portion where the LED 40 is arranged in the longitudinal direction of the operation part 11. At this time, the reflecting surface 52 is formed by painting with a color having a high reflectance, for example, silver or white. For this reason, for example, on the outer surface of the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the operation part 11 corresponding to the arrangement position of the LED 40, first, the reflecting surface 52 by painting such as white is formed, and further on the reflecting surface 52, the shielding surface 51 by painting such as black is formed. That is, the reflecting surface 52 and the shielding surface 51 are laminated in order on the outer surface of the end portion of the operation part 11 which is a transparent member. Note that the reflecting surface 52 is not necessarily limited to being formed by painting, and may be formed by any method such as attaching a sheet. Also, the color of the reflecting surface 52 is not limited to silver or white, and may be any color.

[0023] Here, since the outer surface of the end portion of the operation unit 11 where the reflecting surface 52 is formed is formed as a convex curved surface facing outward, when viewed from the inner side, it is formed as a concave curved surface. Therefore, the reflecting surface 52 is formed as a concave curved surface when viewed from the inner side of the operation unit 11. And since an LED 40 for irradiating light from the inner surface side of the operation unit 11 is provided on the inner side of the reflecting surface 52, the light from such an LED 40 passes through the operation unit 11 which is a transparent member and is incident on the reflecting surface 52, and is reflected by the reflecting surface 52. At this time, since the reflecting surface 52 is formed as a concave curved surface as described above, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 5, the light irradiated from the LED 40 is reflected from the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the operation unit 11 toward the central direction at the reflecting surface 52. Then, the light from the LED 40 passes through the inside of the operation unit 11 which is a transparent member and is irradiated outward from the outer surface at a location where the shielding surface 51 is not formed, and as a result, the visibility can be improved, and further, the light of the LED 40 can be efficiently reflected by the reflecting surface 52 to suppress unevenness in illumination. Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, inside the operation unit 11, the light repeatedly reflects and passes through at the boundary surface forming the outer shape of the operation unit 11. In addition, in FIG. 5, the display of the hatching showing the cross section of the operation panel 10 is omitted.

[0024] Also, on the inner surface side at the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the convex operation portion 11, a concave portion 11a is formed. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the central portion located between both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the operation portion 11 has an inner surface side recessed toward the outer surface side, and the wall thickness from the outer surface is formed thinner than that of both end portions. And on the inner surface of the concave portion 11a, a light diffusing portion for diffusing light is formed. For example, the inner surface of the concave portion 11a is subjected to serration processing or a serration-processed sheet is attached thereto, whereby the light diffusing portion is formed. Thereby, the light transmitted through the inside of the operation portion 11 as described above is reflected to the outer surface side on the inner surface at the central region portion in the longitudinal direction of the operation portion, and unevenness in luminance can be suppressed. Note that the light diffusing portion in the concave portion 11a is not limited to being formed by the above-described serration processing, and may be formed by any method. Further, the inner surface of the concave portion 11a may be formed as a flat surface, and light may be reflected by the boundary surface formed by such a flat surface.

[0025] Also, on the inner surface side at the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the operation portion 11, a shielding portion 10b for shielding light from the outside to the inside is provided. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, on the outer surface of the central region portion located between both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the operation portion 11, the above-described shielding surface 51 is not formed, and the shielding portion 10b is provided so as to cover the inside of such a region. For example, the shielding portion 10b is formed of a black sheet or the like and is disposed on the inner surface side of the operation panel 10 located between the substrate 30. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the internal structure from being visually recognized by the operator from the outer surface side of the central region portion in the longitudinal direction of the operation portion 11 where the shielding surface 51 is not formed on the outer surface. Note that the shielding portion 10b is not limited to being formed of a black sheet, and may be formed in any configuration and color.

[0026] As described above, as shown in FIG. 5, in the operating device according to the present embodiment, the light emitted from the LED 40 near the end of the operation unit 11 passes through the inside of the operation unit 11 which is a transparent member, and is emitted to the outside from near the center of the operation unit 11 whose outer surface is not shielded. Thereby, an operator who operates the operating device can easily visually recognize the lit operation unit 11 and can perform a more reliable operation on the operation unit 11. For example, when the operation unit 11 is formed in a linear shape, as shown by the gray portions in FIG. 6, the central region in the longitudinal direction of each of the operation units 11 to 14 can be made to emit light, and an operation appropriate to the shape of the operation unit 11, such as a touch operation along the linear shape, can be performed.

[0027] Note that, in the above, the case where the operation unit 11 has a linear shape with a predetermined length is exemplified, but the above-described configuration can also be applied to the case of an operation unit 11 having a shape that is not linear. For example, the above-described LED 40, shielding surface 51, and reflecting surface 52 may be provided corresponding to the edge portion of the outer shape of the operation unit 11.

[0028] <Supplementary Note> Some or all of the above-described embodiments may also be described as follows in the supplementary note. Hereinafter, the outline of the operating device in the present invention will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to the following configuration. (Supplementary Note 1) A touch-type operation panel provided on the upper part of a substrate and having an operation guide formed in a predetermined shape corresponding to an operation target, A light emitting unit provided on the substrate and irradiating the operation panel from the inner surface side of the operation panel facing the substrate, The operation guide is formed of a transparent member, and a shielding surface is formed on the outer surface at a predetermined end portion, The light emitting unit is provided at a position on the inner surface side of the operation panel corresponding to the end portion of the operation guide, Operating device. (Supplementary Note 2) The operating device according to Supplementary Note 1, The operation guide is formed to have a predetermined length, and the shielding surface is formed on the outer surface of the end portion in the longitudinal direction. Light irradiated by the light emitting unit from the inner surface side of the operation panel is configured to pass through the inside of the operation guide, which is a transparent member, and be irradiated to the outside from the outer surface of a location different from the end portion of the operation guide. Operating device. (Appendix 3) The operating device according to Appendix 1, A reflecting surface is formed between the outer surface at the end portion of the operation guide and the shielding surface. Operating device. (Appendix 4) The operating device according to Appendix 3, The reflecting surface formed at the end portion of the operation guide is configured to reflect the light irradiated from the inner surface side of the operation panel in the central direction inside the operation guide. Operating device. (Appendix 5) The operating device according to Appendix 1, The operation guide is formed in a convex shape protruding from the surface of the operation panel, and the inner surface side of a location different from the end portion is formed in a concave shape. A light diffusion portion is provided at the concave portion of the operation guide. Operating device. (Appendix 6) The operating device according to Appendix 1, A shielding portion is provided on the inner surface side of a location different from the end portion of the operation guide. Operating device.

[0029] As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the above embodiments and the like. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0030] 10 Operation panel 10a Sensor sheet 10b Shielding part 11 Driver's seat window operation part 11a Concave part 12 Passenger seat window operation part 13 Rear seat window operation part for driver's seat 14 Rear seat window operation part for passenger seat 20 Control device 30 Substrate 40 LED 51 Shielding surface 52 Reflecting surface W1 Driver's seat window W2 Passenger seat window W3 Rear seat window for driver's seat W4 Rear seat window for passenger seat

Claims

1. A touch operation panel provided on the upper part of a substrate, with an operation guide of a predetermined shape corresponding to an operation target formed thereon, and a light emitting part provided on the substrate and irradiating the operation panel from the inner surface side of the operation panel facing the substrate, wherein the operation guide is formed of a transparent member, and a shielding surface is formed on the outer surface at a predetermined end portion, and the light emitting part is provided at a position on the inner surface side of the operation panel corresponding to the end portion of the operation guide. An operating device.

2. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the operation guide is formed to have a predetermined length, and the shielding surface is formed on the outer surface at the end portion in the longitudinal direction, and the light irradiated from the inner surface side of the operation panel by the light emitting part is configured to pass through the inside of the operation guide which is a transparent member and be irradiated to the outside from the outer surface at a location different from the end portion of the operation guide. An operating device.

3. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein a reflecting surface is formed between the outer surface and the shielding surface at the end portion of the operation guide. An operating device.

4. The operating device according to claim 3, wherein the reflecting surface formed at the end portion of the operation guide is configured to reflect the light irradiated from the inner surface side of the operation panel in the central direction inside the operation guide. An operating device.

5. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the operation guide is formed in a convex shape protruding from the surface of the operation panel, and the inner surface side at a location different from the end portion is formed in a concave shape, and a light diffusing part is provided at the concave portion of the operation guide. An operating device.

6. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein a shielding part is provided on the inner surface side at a location different from the end portion of the operation guide. An operating device.

Images