Driver interface device of vehicle

Abstract

To provide a driver interface device 10 of a vehicle 1 that can suppress driving operation by a driver from being disordered during operation of a commander switch 12.SOLUTION: A driver interface device 10 of a vehicle 1, which comprises a display part 11 that displays a presentation screen 200 that is presented to a driver in the vehicle 1 and a commander switch 12 that receives operation by the driver to the presentation screen 200, further comprises operation speed calculating means (a rotational displacement sensor 12c and an ECU 18) that calculate operation speed of the commander switch 12 operated by the driver, and display control means (the ECU 18) that when a response-waiting time Tr elapses after the commander switch 12 receives operation by the driver, changes the presentation screen 200 to a response screen 201 responding to the operation by the driver. When the operation speed calculated by the operation speed calculating means is below 200 deg / s, the display control means extends the response waiting time Tr by extended hours.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driver interface device for a vehicle that accepts an operation by a driver on a presentation screen displayed on a display unit of the vehicle, for example, and displays a response screen to the driver's operation on the display unit. [Background technology]

[0002] In vehicles such as automobiles, a driver interface device is known that includes, for example, a display unit (liquid crystal monitor) provided on the instrument panel and a screen operation reception unit (commander) provided on the center console between the driver's seat and the passenger seat (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] More specifically, Patent Document 1 displays a presentation screen to be presented to the driver on a display unit, accepts the driver's operations on the presentation screen in a screen operation acceptance unit, and displays a response screen corresponding to the accepted operations on the display unit.

[0004] Recently, in such vehicles, the types of screens displayed on the display unit have become more diverse, such as audio operation screens, navigation operation screens, air conditioning operation screens, and vehicle information screens showing the vehicle's status, and drivers may need to operate the screen operation reception unit while driving the vehicle.

[0005] Therefore, in Patent Document 1, an operation reaction force is applied to the screen operation acceptance section so as to give the driver a sense of moderation, thereby making it easier to operate the screen operation acceptance section while driving. Incidentally, when it is detected that the screen operation reception unit has been operated by a driver while driving, the response waiting time before starting to change the presented screen to a response screen is often set to a predetermined length of time.

[0006] However, as a result of various experiments and verifications conducted by the applicant, it was found that the response waiting time that a driver feels is optimal varies depending on the operation speed of the screen operation acceptance unit. As a result, some drivers may feel that the timing of the response screen display is significantly different from their own prediction.

[0007] In this case, when a driver operates the screen operation reception unit while driving, the driver's attention is likely to be directed to operating the screen operation reception unit or checking the display unit, which could result in unconscious disruption of driving operations such as accelerator operation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6481699 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a driver interface device for a vehicle that can suppress disruption of the driver's driving operation while operating a screen operation reception unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention provides a driver interface device for a vehicle, comprising: a display unit that displays a presentation screen to be presented to a driver of the vehicle; and a screen operation reception unit that is provided separately from the display unit and that receives operations by the driver on the presentation screen displayed on the display unit, the device comprising: an operation speed calculation means that calculates the operation speed of the screen operation reception unit operated by the driver; and a display control means that, when a predetermined response waiting time has elapsed since the screen operation reception unit received the driver's operation, changes the presentation screen displayed on the display unit to a response screen that corresponds to the driver's operation, and is characterized in that, when the operation speed calculated by the operation speed calculation means is equal to or less than an operation speed threshold, the display control means extends the response waiting time by a predetermined extension time.

[0011] The above-mentioned presentation screens include operation screens for in-vehicle equipment such as audio, navigation, and air conditioning, vehicle information screens showing vehicle speed and vehicle status, and menu screens for transitioning to operation screens for in-vehicle equipment or vehicle information screens.

[0012] The display unit refers to a display unit provided on an instrument panel, a display unit provided on a meter panel, or the like. The screen operation reception unit refers to, for example, a rotary type screen operation reception unit, a joystick type screen operation reception unit, a touchpad type screen operation reception unit, or a button type screen operation reception unit.

[0013] The response screen refers to, for example, a screen to which the cursor has moved within the presentation screen, or a screen with a different configuration from the presentation screen. Changing to the response screen means starting the transition from the presentation screen to the response screen, or completing the display of the response screen in response to the driver's operation. The response waiting time is a time period of 0 ms or more. Note that the response waiting time does not include response delays due to various information processing.

[0014] According to this invention, by calculating the operation speed of the screen operation acceptance section operated by the driver, the driver's habits regarding operation of the screen operation acceptance section can be known as the operation speed of the screen operation acceptance section.

[0015] Furthermore, the applicant has conducted various experiments and verified that the response waiting time that a driver feels is optimal tends to be longer for drivers with a slower operation speed of the screen operation reception section compared to drivers with a standard operation speed.

[0016] Therefore, when the operation speed of the screen operation reception unit is below the operation speed threshold, the response waiting time is extended by a predetermined extension time, so that the vehicle's driver interface device can change the presented screen at a timing close to the driver's prediction.

[0017] In other words, the driver interface device of the vehicle can change the presented screen at a display timing that feels optimal for each driver who operates the screen operation reception unit at different speeds.

[0018] This allows the vehicle's driver interface device to prevent the driver from feeling uncomfortable with the timing of displaying the response screen in response to operations on the screen operation reception unit, thereby allowing the driver's attention to be focused on operating the vehicle.

[0019] Therefore, the driver interface device of the vehicle can suppress disturbances in the driver's driving operation while operating the screen operation reception section, thereby stabilizing the vehicle behavior. Furthermore, by stabilizing the vehicle behavior, the driver interface device of the vehicle can give the driver the feeling that he is operating the vehicle as he wishes.

[0020] As an aspect of the present invention, the operation speed calculation means may be configured to calculate a moving average value of the operation speed of the screen operation reception unit, and the display control means may be configured to extend the response waiting time by a predetermined extension time when the moving average value of the operation speed is equal to or less than the operation speed threshold value. According to this configuration, the response waiting time is extended based on the operation speed with reduced variation, so the presented screen can be changed with more stable display timing.

[0021] In another aspect of the present invention, the vehicle may be provided with a vehicle speed calculation means for calculating the vehicle speed, and the display control means may be configured to extend the response waiting time by a predetermined extension time when the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a vehicle speed threshold indicating a low speed range and the operation speed is equal to or less than the operation speed threshold.

[0022] The vehicle speed threshold is, for example, a slow speed or a low speed such as 30 km / h. According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress disruptions in the driver's driving operations while operating the screen operation reception unit, for example, at low speeds such as the vehicle speed when traveling on residential roads or congested sections.

[0023] As a result, the vehicle's driver interface device stabilizes vehicle behavior even when the driver operates the screen operation reception unit while driving at low speeds, giving the driver time to check the surrounding conditions, for example.

[0024] As another aspect of the present invention, the extension time may be a time length of 100 ms or more and 150 ms or less. According to this configuration, the response waiting time can be extended to a length of time suitable for a driver with a slow operating speed, thereby further reducing disruptions to the driver's driving operations while operating the screen operation acceptance section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0025] The present invention can provide a driver interface device for a vehicle that can prevent the driver from being disturbed in driving operations while operating a screen operation reception unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the appearance of the driver interface device as seen from inside the vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a driver interface device. [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the ECU in response to the operation of the commander switch. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams illustrating an example of a presentation screen and a response screen. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a response waiting time. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of a selection process. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the relationship between the response standby time and the accelerator jerk. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a driver interface device 10 of a vehicle 1 that suppresses disturbances in the driver's driving operation while the commander switch 12 is being rotated will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 shows a front view of the driver interface device 10 as seen from inside the vehicle 1, and FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the driver interface device 10. As shown in FIG.

[0028] First, as shown in FIG. 1, the interior of vehicle 1 is equipped with an instrument panel 2 extending in the vehicle width direction (reference numerals omitted), a center console 3 extending from approximately the center of the instrument panel 2 in the vehicle width direction toward the rear of the vehicle, and a driver's seat 4 and a passenger seat 5 arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction on either side of the center console 3.

[0029] Furthermore, inside the vehicle 1, a steering wheel 6 that is operated by the driver is disposed in front of the driver's seat 4. Spokes (reference numerals omitted) extending to the left and right of the steering wheel 6 are provided with a left-side operation switch 6a and a right-side operation switch 6b that accept various operations by the driver.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1, the driver interface device 10 of such a vehicle 1 includes a display unit 11 provided at approximately the center of the instrument panel 2 in the vehicle width direction, and a cylindrical commander switch 12 provided on the top surface of the center console 3. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the driver interface device 10 is equipped with an accelerator pedal 13, the details of which are not shown, and a vehicle speed sensor 14 for detecting the speed of the vehicle 1.

[0031] In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the driver interface device 10 includes a navigation unit 15, an audio unit 16, and an air conditioning unit 17, which are on-board equipment of the vehicle 1, and an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as "ECU") 18 that controls the operation of these units.

[0032] More specifically, the display unit 11 is configured with, for example, a liquid crystal display, and has the function of displaying various information based on control signals from the ECU 18 to a passenger such as a driver seated in the driver's seat 4.

[0033] The commander switch 12 is a switch configured to be able to accept operations in different input directions, and has a function of accepting an input operation by the driver and a function of outputting an operation signal corresponding to the input operation to the ECU 18. The commander switch 12 has three input directions: a depression direction along an axis center substantially parallel to the vehicle vertical direction; a tilt direction relative to the axis center; and a rotation direction around the axis center as the rotation axis.

[0034] Specifically, the commander switch 12 is equipped with a push button mechanism (not shown) that descends when pressed by the driver and applies a reaction force to the driver against the pressing operation, and a pressing detection sensor 12a (see FIG. 2) that is provided in the push button mechanism and detects the pressing operation by the driver.

[0035] Furthermore, the commander switch 12 is tilted by a tilting operation by the driver and is equipped with a tilting mechanism (not shown) that applies a reaction force to the driver in response to the tilting operation, and a tilt displacement sensor 12b (see Figure 2) that is provided in the tilting mechanism and detects the amount of displacement of the commander switch 12 in the tilting direction.

[0036] In addition, the commander switch 12 is rotated by a rotation operation by the driver and is equipped with a rotation mechanism (not shown) that applies a reaction force to the rotation operation, and a rotation displacement sensor 12c (see Figure 2) that is provided in the rotation mechanism and detects the amount of displacement of the commander switch 12 in the rotation direction.

[0037] The reaction force to the rotation operation is set to gradually increase from the start of rotation to give the driver a sense of gradual control, and to reach a maximum at a division angle obtained by dividing 360 degrees by a predetermined rotation angle.

[0038] The accelerator pedal 13 is, for example, an organ-type pedal unit, and has a function of receiving, at its tread surface, a depression operation by the driver to adjust the vehicle speed. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, accelerator pedal 13 is equipped with accelerator opening sensor 13a that detects the amount of displacement of the pedal surface due to the driver's operation as the depression amount and outputs the detected depression amount to ECU 18 as an accelerator opening signal.

[0039] The vehicle speed sensor 14 also has a function of detecting the rotation speed of a drive shaft connected to the wheels, for example, and a function of outputting the detected rotation speed to the ECU 18 as a rotation speed signal. Although not shown in detail, the navigation unit 15 is a global navigation satellite system (GNSS). It consists of a GNSS antenna that receives GNSS signals from the Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and the navigation unit itself that processes various information based on the GNSS signals.

[0040] Examples of global navigation satellite systems include the Global Positioning System and the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System. satellite system).

[0041] This navigation unit 15 has the function of detecting location information indicating the current location of the vehicle, the function of storing map information, and the function of outputting to the ECU 18 an operation screen that prompts the driver to select various information and various functions based on the map information and location information.

[0042] Although detailed illustrations are omitted, the audio unit 16 is composed of a radio antenna that receives radio signals, an audio unit that performs various information processing related to radio and music playback, and a speaker that outputs audio data as sound.

[0043] This audio unit 16 has the functions of converting radio signals into audio data, storing the audio data, reading a storage medium on which the audio data is stored, playing the audio data, and outputting to the ECU 18 an operation screen that prompts the driver to select various functions.

[0044] Although not shown in detail, the air conditioning unit 17 is composed of an interior temperature sensor, a compressor, an evaporator, a floor fan, etc. The air conditioning unit 17 has the functions of detecting the interior temperature, outputting a signal indicating the detected interior temperature to the ECU 18, operating based on a control signal from the ECU 18, and outputting to the ECU 18 an operation screen that prompts the driver to select various functions.

[0045] The ECU 18 is made up of hardware components such as a CPU, a memory, and a storage unit for storing various types of information, and software components such as programs and data. This ECU 18 has the function of acquiring various signals output by the commander switch 12, accelerator pedal 13, vehicle speed sensor 14, navigation unit 15, audio unit 16, and air conditioning unit 17, the function of performing various information processing based on the acquired various signals, and the function of controlling the operation of the display unit 11.

[0046] Furthermore, the ECU 18 has a function of outputting control signals corresponding to the driver's input operation received by the commander switch 12 to the navigation unit 15 , the audio unit 16 and the air conditioning unit 17 .

[0047] In addition, ECU 18 has the function of acquiring signals from sensors installed in various parts of vehicle 1 (not shown), the function of outputting vehicle information indicating the state of vehicle 1 based on the acquired signals to display unit 11, and the function of outputting to ECU 18 an operation screen that prompts the driver to select various functions. The vehicle information includes, for example, the driving status of the motor in an electric vehicle and the charging status of the battery.

[0048] More specifically, the ECU 18 cooperates with the tilt displacement sensor 12b and the rotation displacement sensor 12c to realize an operation speed calculation means for calculating the operation speed of the commander switch 12 based on the displacement amount of the commander switch 12.

[0049] For example, the ECU 18 calculates the moving average value of the angular velocity based on the elapsed time since the rotation operation of the commander switch 12 was detected and the rotation angle of the commander switch 12 as the operation speed of the commander switch 12 each time the ECU 18 detects a rotation operation by the driver.

[0050] Furthermore, the ECU 18 realizes an accelerator opening calculation means that cooperates with the accelerator opening sensor 13a to calculate the accelerator opening based on the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 13, and a vehicle speed calculation means that cooperates with the vehicle speed sensor 14 to calculate the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 based on the rotation speed signal. The ECU 18 includes a database 18a in which the operation speed of the commander switch 12, the accelerator opening, the vehicle speed, and the like are sequentially registered.

[0051] Next, the processing operation of the ECU 18 in the driver interface device 10 of the vehicle 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the processing operations when the driver presses and rotates the commander switch 12 are explained, and a detailed explanation of the processing operations when the driver tilts the commander switch 12 is omitted.

[0052] 3 shows a flowchart of the processing operation of the ECU 18 in response to the operation of the commander switch 12, and FIG. 4 shows an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a presentation screen 200 and a response screen 201. In FIG. Furthermore, FIG. 5 shows an explanatory diagram for explaining the response waiting time Tr, FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of the selection process, and FIG. 7 shows an explanatory diagram for explaining the relationship between the response waiting time Tr and the accelerator jerk.

[0053] When power is supplied to the ECU 18 from the battery, the ECU 18 executes a predetermined program stored therein and starts processing operations in response to the operation of the commander switch 12. The ECU 18, which has started processing operations in response to the operation of the commander switch 12, displays a presentation screen 200 on the display unit 11 to be presented to the driver seated in the driver's seat 4, as shown in FIG. 3 (step S101).

[0054] The presentation screen 200 is a selection screen on which a cursor C indicating the currently selected item is displayed, and in this embodiment, as an example, it is a menu screen for transitioning to an operation screen for in-vehicle equipment or a vehicle information screen as shown in Figure 4(a).

[0055] Specifically, as shown in Figure 4(a), the presentation screen 200 displays the title "Main Menu" at the top, and below that five selection items are displayed: "1. Navigation," "2. Audio," "3. Air Conditioning," "4. Vehicle Information," and "5. Various Settings." Furthermore, on the presentation screen 200 (menu screen), a substantially rectangular cursor C indicating the currently selected item is displayed so as to surround "1. Navigation."

[0056] After the presentation screen 200 is displayed on the display unit 11, the ECU 18 determines whether or not an operation of the commander switch 12 by the driver has been detected, as shown in FIG. 3 (step S102). If the ECU 18 has not detected the operation of the commander switch 12 (step S102: No), the ECU 18 waits for the process to finish until the ECU 18 detects the operation of the commander switch 12.

[0057] On the other hand, if the ECU 18 detects an operation of the commander switch 12 (step S102: Yes), the ECU 18 determines whether the detected driver operation is a rotation operation of the commander switch 12 (step S103).

[0058] If the detected driver operation is not a rotation operation of the commander switch 12 but a pressing operation of the commander switch 12 (step S103: No), the ECU 18 determines that it has received a decision operation by the driver to decide on the selection item surrounded by the cursor C, and starts a decision process to display a screen corresponding to the selection item on the display unit 11 as a response process to the pressing operation (step S104).

[0059] For example, when the menu screen of Figure 4(a) is displayed on the display unit 11 as the presentation screen 200, the ECU 18 determines that "1. Navigation" surrounded by the cursor C has been selected by the driver, and displays the navigation screen corresponding to the selection item "1. Navigation" on the display unit 11.

[0060] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3, the ECU 18 returns the process to step S102 and repeats the processes from step S102 to step S105, which will be described later, until the supply of electric power is interrupted.

[0061] On the other hand, in step S103, if the detected driver operation is a rotation operation of the commander switch 12 (step S103: Yes), the ECU 18 determines that it has received the driver's selection operation to change the currently selected item on the presentation screen 200, and starts a selection process to change the current position of the cursor C to a position corresponding to the rotation operation by the driver as a response process to the rotation operation (step S105).

[0062] As shown in FIG. 5(a), the ECU 18 determines that the rotational operation of the commander switch 12 has been detected when the rotational angle θ of the commander switch 12 detected by the rotational displacement sensor 12c reaches a reaction force generation angle θ1 that generates an operation reaction force that can be perceived by the driver.

[0063] More specifically, the ECU 18, which has started the selection process, reads the operation speed of the commander switch 12 (here, the moving average value of the angular velocity) from the database 18a and temporarily stores it (step S111), as shown in FIG.

[0064] Furthermore, the ECU 18 determines the time when the rotation angle θ of the commander switch 12 reaches the reaction force generation angle θ1 as the acceptance time t1 (see FIG. 5(a)) at which the rotation operation of the commander switch 12 is accepted, and sets the response waiting time Tr from the acceptance time t1 to "0 ms" (step S112).

[0065] As shown in FIG. 5(b), the response waiting time Tr is the length of time that does not include response delays associated with various information processing, and is the length of time from the reception time t1 to the movement start time t2 at which the cursor C on the presentation screen 200 starts moving.

[0066] When the response waiting time Tr is set to "0 ms", the ECU 18 starts measuring the time that has elapsed since the reception time t1 (step S113), and then determines whether the current vehicle speed is in the low speed range (step S114).

[0067] In this embodiment, the low speed range is defined as a range above 0 km / h and below 30 km / h, and it is determined whether the current vehicle speed is above 0 km / h and below 30 km / h. If the current vehicle speed is 0 km / h or exceeds 30 km / h (step S114: No), the ECU 18 keeps the response waiting time Tr at 0 ms and proceeds to step S117, which will be described later.

[0068] On the other hand, if the current vehicle speed is greater than 0 km / h and less than or equal to 30 km / h (step S114: Yes), the ECU 18 determines whether the operation speed (moving average value of angular velocity) of the commander switch 12 temporarily stored in step S111 is less than or equal to the operation speed threshold (step S115). Here, because the operation of the commander switch 12 by the driver is a rotation operation, the operation speed threshold is set to 200 deg / s.

[0069] The threshold value of the operation speed is a value obtained by the applicant through various experiments, and is the lower limit of the operation speed at which a change in the index showing the driver's disturbance in driving operation relative to an increase in the response waiting time Tr can maintain a substantial correlation. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the operation speed of the commander switch 12 that exceeds this threshold value of the operation speed is defined as the standard operation speed.

[0070] For example, if the accelerator jerk, which is the rate of change in acceleration of the accelerator operation (hereinafter referred to as accelerator jerk), is used as an indicator of the driver's disturbance in driving operation, the threshold value of the operation speed = 200 deg / s is the lower limit of the operation speed at which the change in accelerator jerk relative to the increase in response waiting time Tr can maintain an approximate correlation (see Figure 7).

[0071] If the operation speed of the commander switch 12 exceeds 200 deg / s (step S115: No), the ECU 18 keeps the response waiting time Tr at 0 ms and proceeds to step S117, which will be described later.

[0072] On the other hand, if the operation speed of the commander switch 12 is 200 deg / s or less (step S115: Yes), the ECU 18 adds a preset extension time to the current response waiting time Tr to calculate a new response waiting time Tr (step S116).

[0073] This extension time is a time length that prevents the driver from being disturbed in driving operations while operating the commander switch 12, and is set to a value in the range of 100 ms to 150 ms, for example, 100 ms. If the extension time is less than 100 ms, there is a risk that the driver's accelerator operation may become unstable, resulting in significant disruption of driving operations, while if the extension time exceeds 150 ms, the response waiting time Tr may become too long, causing the driver to feel uncomfortable. For this reason, it is desirable that the extension time be in the range of 100 ms to 150 ms.

[0074] If the processing continues with the response waiting time Tr set to 0 ms in step S114 or step S115, or if the response waiting time Tr is extended in step S116, ECU 18 determines whether the elapsed time measured in step S113 is equal to or longer than the response waiting time Tr (step S117), as shown in FIG. 6.

[0075] If the elapsed time is less than the response waiting time Tr (step S117: No), the ECU 18 waits for the processing to finish until the elapsed time becomes equal to or greater than the response waiting time Tr. On the other hand, if the elapsed time is equal to or greater than the response waiting time Tr (step S117: Yes), the ECU 18 starts displaying the response screen 201 in response to the rotation operation of the commander switch 12 by the driver (step S118).

[0076] This response screen 201 is a screen in which the cursor C indicating the currently selected item on the presentation screen 200 has been moved to another selected item. For example, the response screen 201 will be explained using a menu screen, which is an example of the presentation screen 200 shown in Figure 4(a), as shown in Figure 4(b), where the cursor C surrounding "1. Navigation" on the presentation screen 200 has moved to a position surrounding "3. Air Conditioner."

[0077] That is, in step S118 described above, starting to display the response screen 201 means that the cursor C on the presentation screen 200 starts to move. When the display of the response screen 201 is completed, the ECU 18 ends the selection process, and then returns the process to step S102 in FIG. 3, and repeats the processes from step S102 to step S105 until the supply of power is interrupted.

[0078] In this way, the driver interface device 10 of the vehicle 1 varies the timing at which the response screen 201 starts to be displayed depending on the operation speed of the commander switch 12, thereby suppressing disruption of the driver's driving operation while the commander switch 12 is being operated.

[0079] Next, the results of a comparison between the poor driving performance of a driver driving a vehicle 1 to which the present invention is applied and the poor driving performance of a driver driving a vehicle with a response waiting time different from that of the present invention will be described.

[0080] Specifically, using the accelerator jerk, which is the acceleration change rate of the accelerator operation, as an index showing the disturbance of the driver's driving operation during the rotation operation of the commander switch 12, the accelerator jerk of a driver driving a vehicle 1 to which the present invention is applied and the accelerator jerk of a driver driving a vehicle with a response waiting time different from that of the present invention will be compared using FIG. 7.

[0081] First, when the current vehicle speed is in the range of more than 0 km / h and less than or equal to 30 km / h, and the driver operates the commander switch 12 at a speed exceeding 200 deg / s, the response waiting time Tr in the present invention is set to 0 ms as set in step S112 of FIG. 6.

[0082] In this case, according to Figure 7(a) which shows the relationship between the response waiting time Tr and the accelerator jerk, it can be seen that the accelerator jerk of the driver driving the vehicle 1 to which the present invention is applied is smaller than the accelerator jerk of the driver driving a vehicle whose response waiting time Tr exceeds 0 ms.

[0083] On the other hand, when the current vehicle speed is in the range above 0 km / h and below 30 km / h, and the driver operates the commander switch 12 at a speed of 200 deg / s or less, FIG. 7(b) shows that the accelerator jerk of a driver driving a vehicle with a response waiting time Tr of 0 ms is larger than the accelerator jerk of a driver driving a vehicle with a response waiting time Tr of more than 0 ms.

[0084] Therefore, in this embodiment, the response waiting time Tr is set to a time length obtained by adding an extension time to 0 ms set in step S112 of FIG. 6, that is, a predetermined time length between 100 ms and 150 ms.

[0085] As a result, the accelerator jerk of a driver driving a vehicle 1 to which the present invention is applied is smaller than the accelerator jerk of a driver driving a vehicle with a response waiting time Tr of 0 ms or more and less than 100 ms, as shown in Figure 7(b).

[0086] Therefore, the driver interface device 10 of the vehicle 1 in the present invention varies the response waiting time Tr depending on the operation speed of the commander switch 12, thereby reducing disruptions in the driver's driving operation compared to when the response waiting time Tr is constant regardless of the operation speed of the commander switch 12.

[0087] As described above, the driver interface device 10 of the vehicle 1 in this embodiment includes the display unit 11 that displays the presentation screen 200 to be presented to the driver of the vehicle 1, and the commander switch 12 that is provided separately from the display unit 11 and accepts driver operations on the presentation screen 200 displayed on the display unit 11.

[0088] Furthermore, the driver interface device 10 of the vehicle 1 includes an operation speed calculation means (the rotational displacement sensor 12c and the ECU 18) that calculates the operation speed of the commander switch 12 operated by the driver.

[0089] In addition, the driver interface device 10 of the vehicle 1 is equipped with a display control means (ECU 18) that changes the presentation screen 200 displayed on the display unit 11 to a response screen 201 corresponding to the driver's operation when a predetermined response waiting time Tr has elapsed since the commander switch 12 accepted the driver's operation. If the operation speed calculated by the operation speed calculation means is 200 deg / s or less, the display control means extends the response waiting time Tr by a predetermined extension time.

[0090] According to this configuration, by calculating the operation speed of the commander switch 12 operated by the driver, the driver's habits regarding the operation of the commander switch 12 can be known as the operation speed of the commander switch 12.

[0091] Furthermore, the applicant has conducted various experiments and verified that the response waiting time Tr that a driver feels is optimal tends to be longer for drivers who operate the commander switch 12 slowly compared to drivers who operate it at a standard speed.

[0092] Therefore, when the operation speed of the commander switch 12 is 200 deg / s or less, the response waiting time Tr is extended by a predetermined extension time, so that the driver interface device 10 of the vehicle 1 can change the presentation screen 200 at a timing close to that predicted by the driver.

[0093] In other words, the driver interface device 10 of the vehicle 1 can change the presentation screen 200 at a display timing that is perceived as optimal for each driver who operates the commander switch 12 at different speeds.

[0094] As a result, the driver interface device 10 of the vehicle 1 can prevent the driver from feeling uncomfortable about the timing of displaying the response screen 201 in response to the operation of the commander switch 12, thereby allowing the driver to focus his or her attention on driving the vehicle 1.

[0095] Therefore, the driver interface device 10 of the vehicle 1 can suppress any disturbance in the driver's driving operation (for example, any disturbance in the accelerator jerk) while the commander switch 12 is being operated, thereby stabilizing the vehicle behavior. Furthermore, by stabilizing the vehicle behavior, the driver interface device 10 of the vehicle 1 can give the driver the feeling that he or she is operating the vehicle 1 as intended.

[0096] The operation speed calculation means (the rotational displacement sensor 12c and the ECU 18) is configured to calculate a moving average value of the operation speed of the commander switch 12. The display control means (ECU 18) is configured to extend the response waiting time Tr by a predetermined extension time when the moving average value of the operation speed is 200 deg / s or less. According to this configuration, the response waiting time Tr is extended based on the operation speed with reduced variation, so that the presentation screen 200 can be changed with more stable display timing.

[0097] The driver interface device 10 of the vehicle 1 also includes a vehicle speed calculation means (vehicle speed sensor 14 and ECU 18) that calculates the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1. The display control means (ECU 18) extends the response waiting time Tr by a predetermined extension time when the vehicle speed is above 0 km / h, which indicates a low speed range, and is equal to or less than 30 km / h, and the operation speed is equal to or less than 200 deg / s.

[0098] According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress the driver's disturbance in driving operation (for example, the disturbance in accelerator jerk) while operating the commander switch 12, for example, at low speeds such as the vehicle speed when traveling on residential roads or in congested sections.

[0099] As a result, the driver interface device 10 of the vehicle 1 stabilizes the vehicle behavior even when the driver operates the commander switch 12 while driving at low speed, thereby giving the driver time to check the surrounding conditions, for example.

[0100] Furthermore, by setting the extension time to a time length of 100 ms or more and 150 ms or less, the driver interface device 10 of the vehicle 1 can extend the response waiting time Tr to a time length suitable for a driver with a slow operating speed. Therefore, the driver interface device 10 of the vehicle 1 can further reduce the driver's disturbance in driving operation while the commander switch 12 is being operated.

[0101] In correspondence between the configuration of this invention and the above-mentioned embodiment, The screen operation receiving unit of the present invention corresponds to the commander switch 12 of the embodiment, Similarly, The operation speed calculation means corresponds to the rotational displacement sensor 12c and the ECU 18, The display control means corresponds to the ECU 18, The operation speed threshold corresponds to 200 deg / s. The vehicle speed calculation means corresponds to the vehicle speed sensor 14 and the ECU 18. The vehicle speed threshold corresponds to a speed above 0 km / h and below 30 km / h, The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and many other embodiments can be obtained.

[0102] For example, in the above embodiment, the display unit 11 is provided on the instrument panel 2, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be provided on a meter panel, for example. Furthermore, the rotary commander switch 12 has been used as the screen operation reception unit that receives the driver's operation on the presentation screen 200 in the above description, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be a screen operation reception unit of any suitable configuration. For example, the screen operation reception unit may be a joystick type, a touchpad type, or a button type.

[0103] Alternatively, the screen operation receiving unit that receives the driver's operation on the presentation screen 200 may be a left operation switch 6a or a right operation switch 6b provided on the steering wheel 6.

[0104] Furthermore, while the operation screen for in-vehicle equipment or the menu screen for transitioning to the vehicle information screen have been given as examples of the presentation screen 200, the present invention is not limited to this, and the presentation screen 200 may be any appropriate screen, such as an operation screen for in-vehicle equipment such as the audio unit 16, navigation unit 15, and air conditioning unit 17, or a vehicle information screen that displays various information about the vehicle 1.

[0105] Furthermore, the screen on which the cursor C on the presentation screen 200 is moved to another selection item is referred to as the response screen 201, but this is not limiting, and the response screen may be a screen different from the presentation screen 200. In this case, in step S117 of Fig. 6, if the elapsed time exceeds the response waiting time Tr, the display of the response screen different from the presentation screen 200 begins.

[0106] Furthermore, the operation speed of the commander switch 12 is determined as the moving average value of the angular velocity calculated based on the time elapsed since the detection of the rotation operation and the rotation angle of the commander switch 12, but this is not limited to this, and the operation speed of the commander switch 12 may also be determined as the angular velocity calculated based on the time elapsed since the detection of the rotation operation and the rotation angle of the commander switch 12.

[0107] Furthermore, the configuration is such that the selection process is started when the driver's rotation operation of the commander switch 12 is received, but this is not limited to this, and the configuration may be such that the selection process is started when the driver's tilt operation of the commander switch 12 is received. In this case, the tilt speed of the commander switch 12 is calculated based on the displacement of the commander switch 12 in the tilt direction and the elapsed time, and in step S115, it is determined whether the calculated tilt speed is equal to or less than the threshold value of the operation speed.

[0108] Furthermore, although the selected items on the presentation screen 200 are changed by rotating the commander switch 12, this is not limiting, and for example, the presentation screen may be enlarged or reduced by rotating the commander switch 12. In this case, the same processes as those from step S111 to step S118 in Fig. 6 are performed, and a response screen obtained by enlarging or reducing the presentation screen is displayed on the display unit 11.

[0109] Although not mentioned in the above embodiment, a means for identifying the driver seated in the driver's seat 4 may be provided, and the operation speed of the commander switch 12 may be registered in the database 18a for each driver.

[0110] In this case, in step S111 of FIG. 6, by reading the operation speed of the commander switch 12 corresponding to the driver seated in the driver's seat 4, the driver interface device 10 of the vehicle 1 can change the presentation screen 200 at a display timing that the driver feels is most optimal.

[0111] Furthermore, in step S112 of FIG. 6, the response waiting time Tr is set to 0 ms, but this is not limitative, and the response waiting time Tr may be any appropriate length of time as long as it is 0 ms or more. Also, in step S114 of FIG. 6, the low speed range is defined as a speed range above 0 km / h and below 30 km / h, but this is not limited to this and may be, for example, a speed range below a slow speed of 10 km / h or 20 km / h, or below 40 km / h.

[0112] 6, it is determined whether the operation speed of the commander switch 12 read from the database 18a is equal to or less than the operation speed threshold value, but this is not limiting. For example, it is also possible to calculate the operation speed after detecting the rotation operation of the commander switch 12 in step S103 of FIG. 3, and compare and determine whether the calculated operation speed is equal to or less than the operation speed threshold value.

[0113] Furthermore, although the threshold value of the operation speed is set to 200 deg / s, this is not limited to this, and the threshold value of the operation speed may be any appropriate value as long as it is within an operation speed range in which the change in accelerator jerk is approximately correlated with the increase in response waiting time Tr.

[0114] 6, the extension time is set to 100 ms as an example, but it is not limited to this and may be any length within the range of 100 ms to 150 ms. Alternatively, the extension time may be set to a different value within the range of 100 ms to 150 ms for each operation speed of the commander switch 12.

[0115] 6 is a processing operation of the ECU 18, the selection process is not limited to this, and may be a processing operation performed by the navigation main body of the navigation unit 15 or the audio main body of the audio unit 16, for example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0116] 1...Vehicle 10...Driver interface device 11...Display section 12...Commander switch 12c...Rotational displacement sensor 14...Vehicle speed sensor 18...ECU 200…Presentation screen 201...Response screen Tr...Response waiting time

Claims

1. a display unit that displays a presentation screen to be presented to a driver of the vehicle; a screen operation receiving unit that is provided separately from the display unit and that receives an operation of the driver on the presentation screen displayed on the display unit, an operation speed calculation means for calculating an operation speed of the screen operation reception section operated by the driver; a display control means for changing the presentation screen displayed on the display unit to a response screen corresponding to the driver's operation when a predetermined response waiting time has elapsed since the screen operation acceptance unit accepted the driver's operation, The display control means When the operation speed calculated by the operation speed calculation means is equal to or less than an operation speed threshold, the response waiting time is extended by a predetermined extension time. A driver interface device for a vehicle.

2. The operation speed calculation means a moving average value of the operation speed of the screen operation acceptance unit is calculated, The display control means When the moving average value of the operation speed is equal to or less than the operation speed threshold value, the response waiting time is extended by the predetermined extension time.

10. The vehicle driver interface device according to claim 1.

3. a vehicle speed calculation means for calculating a vehicle speed of the vehicle; The display control means When the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a vehicle speed threshold indicating a low speed range and the operation speed is equal to or lower than the operation speed threshold, the response waiting time is extended by the predetermined extension time.

10. The vehicle driver interface device according to claim 1.

4. The extension time is a time length of 100 ms or more and 150 ms or less.

4. The vehicle driver interface device according to claim 3.

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