Shift device

Abstract

To improve convenience of operation by a driver of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A shift device 10 includes: a first operation part 14 on which shift operation is performed by a driver of a vehicle; and a second operation part 18 arranged at a position far from the driver of the vehicle relative to the first operation part 14, on which shift operation is performed by the driver of the vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a shifting device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses a shift device provided in a vehicle. The shift device described in this document includes a touch-sensitive display for selecting a driving mode of the vehicle, and the touch-sensitive display is configured to detect a touch gesture by the vehicle driver in response to the selection of the driving mode. The shift device described in this document also includes an actuator configured to control the touch-sensitive display. When the actuator is activated, the touch-sensitive display displays a graphical interactive user interface selection menu that the vehicle driver can use to perform touch gestures.

[0003] In the shift device described in Patent Document 1, a graphical interactive user interface selection menu must be displayed on a touch-sensitive display before a touch gesture can be performed to perform a shift operation. In this manner, in a shift device that requires touch operation of a display unit such as a touch-sensitive display, touch operation may become impossible if the display unit fails. In other words, the shift device described in Patent Document 1 has room for improvement in terms of ensuring redundancy. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] US Patent Application Publication No. 2019 / 0011042 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a shift device that can ensure redundancy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The shift device of the first embodiment includes a first operating unit that is shifted by the driver of the vehicle, and a second operating unit that is positioned farther from the driver of the vehicle than the first operating unit and that is shifted by the driver of the vehicle.

[0007] In the shift device of the second aspect, when the vehicle is in a predetermined state, shifting operation by the first operating unit is permitted, and when the vehicle is in a state different from the predetermined state, shifting operation by the first operating unit is disabled, and shifting operation by the second operating unit is permitted regardless of the state of the vehicle.

[0008] The shift device of the third aspect is the shift device of the first or second aspect, in which the first operating unit is a display unit that displays information, and the driver of the vehicle touches the display unit to perform a shift operation, and the driver of the vehicle displaces the second operating unit to perform a shift operation.

[0009] The shift device of the fourth aspect is a shift device of any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the first operating unit is provided on the steering wheel and allows the driver of the vehicle to operate the shift while holding the steering wheel, and the second operating unit is provided around the steering wheel.

[0010] A fifth aspect of the shift device is a shift device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, in which, when a failure of the first operating unit is detected, shift operation using the second operating unit is permitted. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] In the shift device of the first aspect, the driver of the vehicle can perform a shift operation using the first operating unit. Also, the driver of the vehicle can perform a shift operation using the second operating unit. In this way, by providing the driver of the vehicle with two operating units (the first operating unit and the second operating unit), one for close range and one for long range, and allowing the driver of the vehicle to perform a shift operation using either operating unit, the convenience of operation by the driver of the vehicle can be improved. Also, even if one of the two operating units (the first operating unit and the second operating unit) becomes inoperable, the driver can perform a shift operation by operating the other operating unit. In this way, the shift device of the first aspect can ensure redundancy.

[0012] In the shift device of the second aspect, the first operating unit can be used to perform a shift operation when the vehicle is in a predetermined state. The first operating unit can be restricted from performing a shift operation when the vehicle is in a state different from the predetermined state. The second operating unit can be used to perform a shift operation regardless of the state of the vehicle.

[0013] In the shift device of the third aspect, the driver of the vehicle can perform a shift operation by touching the display unit, and can also perform a shift operation by displacing the second operating unit.

[0014] In the shift device of the fourth aspect, the driver of the vehicle can perform a shift operation using the first operating unit while holding the steering wheel, and the driver of the vehicle can perform a shift operation using the second operating unit provided around the steering wheel.

[0015] In the shift device of the fifth aspect, when a failure of the first operating part is detected, the shift operation can be performed by operating the second operating part. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1]1 is a view of a steering wheel and an instrument panel equipped with a shift device according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the driver's side of a vehicle. [Figure 2] 4 is a flowchart illustrating control by a control unit. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a front view showing the display unit, showing a state in which an icon having the letter "D" representing drive mode is displayed on the display unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a front view of a steering wheel, showing an icon with the letter "D" indicating drive mode and an icon with the letter "R" indicating reverse mode displayed on the display unit. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart illustrating control by a control unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a front view of the steering wheel, showing a state in which icons relating to audio operation are displayed on the display unit. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart illustrating control by a control unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a front view of a steering wheel, showing an icon with the letter "D" indicating drive mode, an icon with the letter "R" indicating reverse mode, and an icon with the letter "P" indicating parking mode displayed on the display unit. [Figure 9] 4 is a flowchart illustrating control by a control unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] A shift device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the arrow UP shown as appropriate in each drawing indicates the upper side of the vehicle, the arrow LH indicates the left side in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction), and the arrow RH indicates the right side in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction). Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, when referring to front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions in the following description, these refer to front-rear in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, up-down in the vehicle up-down direction, and left-right in the vehicle left-right direction.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the shift device 10 of this embodiment includes a first operating unit 14 provided on a steering wheel 12 and a second operating unit 18 provided on an instrument panel 16 that is located farther from the driver of the vehicle than the first operating unit 14.

[0019] The steering wheel 12 includes, for example, a steering wheel main body 20 formed in the shape of a rectangular frame with the longitudinal direction extending in the left-right direction, and a center portion 22 provided in the center of the steering wheel main body 20 in the left-right direction. The steering wheel main body 20 is a portion that is gripped by the driver of the vehicle and is connected to the center portion 22. The steering wheel 12 also includes a pair of left and right first operating units 14 that are supported by the center portion 22 on both the left and right sides of the center portion 22. The pair of left and right first operating units 14 includes display units 24 that display various information and are operated by the driver of the vehicle through touch operations.

[0020] The instrument panel 16 is provided in front of the steering wheel 12. Various instruments, monitors, etc. are provided on the instrument panel 16. The instrument panel 16 also has a second operating unit 18. The second operating unit 18 includes a knob 26 that is displaced by the driver of the vehicle to perform a shift operation. The instrument panel 16 also has a control unit 28 that performs various controls on the vehicle.

[0021] (Actions and Effects of This Embodiment) Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0022] 1, in the shift device 10 of this embodiment, the driver of the vehicle can perform a shift operation by touching the display unit 24 of the first operation unit 14. The driver can also perform a shift operation by displacing the knob 26 of the second operation unit 18.

[0023] Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in step S101, the control unit 28 determines whether a driver of the vehicle has boarded the vehicle based on information from various sensors and the like provided in the vehicle. If a negative determination is made in step S101, the control unit 28 repeats the processes from step S101 onward. On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in step S101, the control unit 28 causes the display unit 24 to display information such as text information and video for performing an opening performance such as "Welcome" in step S102. Next, in step S103, the control unit 28 causes the display unit 24 to display information related to the shift. Here, as an example, as shown in FIG. 3, the display unit 24 may display an icon with the letter "D" indicating a drive mode that allows the vehicle to move forward. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the display unit 24 may display both an icon with the letter "D" indicating a drive mode that allows the vehicle to move forward and an icon with the letter "R" indicating a reverse mode that allows the vehicle to move backward. 1 to 4, in step S104, control unit 28 determines whether a touch operation has been performed on an icon displayed on display unit 24. If a negative determination is made in step S104, control unit 28 repeats the processing from step S104 onwards. On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in step S104, control unit 28 enables the vehicle to travel in the travel mode selected by the shift operation via a touch operation in step S105, and ends the processing.

[0024] 1 and 5, the control unit 28 determines the vehicle's driving state, etc., in step S201. For example, in step S201, it determines whether the vehicle is driving, whether the vehicle is stopped at a traffic light, whether the vehicle is in traffic, etc. If a negative determination is made in step S201, the control unit 28 repeats the processing from step S201 onwards. On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in step S201, the control unit 28 displays information other than the shift information on the display unit 24 in step S202 and ends the processing. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the display unit 24 may display various icons for operating an audio system. Although not shown, other information, such as various icons for operating an air conditioner, may also be displayed. Here, as shown in FIGS. 1, 5, and 6, when information other than the shift information is displayed on the display unit 24, the driver of the vehicle cannot perform a shift operation by touching the display unit 24. However, regardless of the state of the vehicle, shift operations by displacing the knob 26 of the second operating unit 18 are always permitted. Therefore, the driver of the vehicle can always perform shift operations by displacing the knob 26 of the second operating unit 18, regardless of the state of the vehicle. Note that, depending on the running state of the vehicle, some shift operations by operating the second operating unit 18 may not be accepted.

[0025] 1 and 7, the control unit 28 determines in step S301 whether the driver of the vehicle is attempting to park the vehicle based on information from various sensors and the like provided in the vehicle. If a negative determination is made in step S301, the control unit 28 repeats the processes from step S301 onward. On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in step S301, the control unit 28 displays information related to the shift on the display unit 24 in step S302. Here, as an example, as shown in FIG. 4, the display unit 24 displays both an icon with the letter "D" indicating a drive mode that allows the vehicle to move forward and an icon with the letter "R" indicating a reverse mode that allows the vehicle to move backward. Next, as shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 7, the control unit 28 determines in step S303 whether a touch operation has been performed on the icon displayed on the display unit 24. If a negative determination is made in step S303, the control unit 28 repeats the processes from step S303 onward. On the other hand, if the determination in step S303 is affirmative, the control unit 28 enables the vehicle to travel in the travel mode selected by the shift operation via a touch operation in step S304. Next, in step S305, the control unit 28 determines whether the vehicle is positioned at the parking completion position. If the determination in step S305 is negative, the control unit 28 repeats the processing from step S303 onwards. On the other hand, if the determination in step S305 is affirmative, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the control unit 28 causes the display unit 24 to display an icon having the letter "P" indicating parking mode in addition to icons having the letters "D" and "R". Next, in step S307, the control unit 28 determines whether a touch operation has been performed on the icon displayed on the display unit 24. If the determination in step S307 is negative, the control unit 28 repeats the processing from step S307 onwards. On the other hand, if an affirmative decision is made in step S307, the control unit 28 decides in step S308 whether or not a touch operation has been made on the icon having the letter "P."If a negative determination is made in step S308, the control unit 28 enables the vehicle to travel in the driving mode selected by the shift operation via touch operation in step S309. On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in step S308, the control unit 28 places the vehicle in parking mode in step S310. This maintains the vehicle in a stopped state, completing parking of the vehicle. Next, in step S310, the control unit 28 erases information related to the shift from the display unit 24 and ends the processing. Note that in addition to erasing information related to the shift from the display unit 24, information different from the information related to the shift may be displayed on the display unit 24. Here, with the information related to the shift erased from the display unit 24, the driver of the vehicle cannot perform a shift operation by touching the display unit 24.

[0026] As described above, the shift device 10 of this embodiment provides the vehicle driver with two operating units (first operating unit 14 and second operating unit 18), one for short distances and one for long distances, allowing the driver to perform shift operations using either operating unit, thereby improving the convenience of operation for the driver. Furthermore, even if one of the two operating units (first operating unit 14 and second operating unit 18) becomes inoperable, the driver can still perform shift operations by operating the other operating unit. In this way, the shift device 10 of this embodiment ensures redundancy.

[0027] Furthermore, in shift device 10 of this embodiment, the information displayed on display unit 24 is switched to information related to shifting depending on the vehicle's status. Then, when the information displayed on display unit 24 is information related to shifting, the driver can perform a shift operation by operating display unit 24. In this way, by switching the information displayed on display unit 24 to information related to shifting depending on the vehicle's status and allowing a shift operation by operating display unit 24 to be accepted, the convenience of operation by the vehicle driver can be improved.

[0028] Furthermore, in the shift device 10 of this embodiment, when the vehicle is in a predetermined state, the shift operation by the first operating unit 14 can be performed. Furthermore, when the vehicle is in a state different from the predetermined state, the shift operation by the first operating unit 14 can be restricted. Furthermore, the shift operation by the second operating unit 18 can be performed regardless of the state of the vehicle.

[0029] Furthermore, in shift device 10 of this embodiment, the driver of the vehicle can perform a shift operation by touching display unit 24. Furthermore, the driver of the vehicle can perform a shift operation by displacing knob 26 of second operating unit 18.

[0030] Furthermore, with shift device 10 of this embodiment, the driver of the vehicle can perform shift operations using display unit 24 of first operation unit 14 while holding steering wheel main body 20 of steering wheel 12. The driver of the vehicle can also perform shift operations by displacing knob 26 of second operation unit 18 provided around steering wheel 12.

[0031] Furthermore, in the shift device 10 of this embodiment, it is possible for the driver of the vehicle to perform a shift operation using the display unit 24 when he or she gets into the vehicle.

[0032] Furthermore, in the shift device 10 of this embodiment, the shift operation using the display unit 24 can be disabled when parking of the vehicle is completed.

[0033] Furthermore, in the shift device 10 of this embodiment, information other than information related to shifting can be provided to the driver of the vehicle through the display unit 24.

[0034] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which information other than information related to shifts can be provided to the vehicle driver through the display unit 24, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, only information related to shifts may be displayed on the display unit 24.

[0035] Furthermore, in the shift device 10 of this embodiment, an example has been described in which shift operation using the display unit 24 is disabled when parking of the vehicle is complete, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, shift operation using the display unit 24 may be enabled even after parking of the vehicle is complete.

[0036] Furthermore, in the shift device 10 of this embodiment, an example has been described in which the first operating unit 14 is provided on the steering wheel 12, allowing the driver of the vehicle to perform shift operations using the display unit 24 of the first operating unit 14 while gripping the steering wheel main body 20 of the steering wheel 12, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first operating unit 14 may be provided in a position different from the steering wheel 12. Furthermore, the second operating unit 18 may be provided in a position different from the instrument panel 16 (for example, a center console, etc.). Furthermore, the second operating unit 18 may be configured to be provided in a position farther away from the first operating unit 14 (farther away than the example shown in FIG. 1).

[0037] Furthermore, in the shift device 10 of this embodiment, an example has been described in which shift operations can be performed by touching the display unit 24 of the first operation unit 14 and by displacing the knob 26 of the second operation unit 18, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, shift operations may be performed by displacing a knob or switch provided in the first operation unit 14, or by touching the display unit provided in the second operation unit 18.

[0038] (About fail-safe mode) Next, a fail-safe mode when the first operating unit 14 fails will be described.

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 9 , in step S401, the control unit 28 determines whether a malfunction has occurred in the first operating unit 14 based on information such as a signal from the first operating unit 14. If a negative determination is made in step S401, the control unit 28 repeats the processes from step S401 onward. On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in step S401, the control unit 28 outputs a signal related to the malfunction in step S402. This signal can be used to notify the driver of the malfunction of the first operating unit 14 and alert them by, for example, illuminating a warning light. Furthermore, in step S403, the control unit 28 ends the process by allowing only shift operations performed by the second operating unit 18 to be accepted. This improves safety in the event of a malfunction in the shift device 10 of this embodiment. In a configuration in which the second operating unit 18 is housed in the instrument panel 16, the second operating unit 18 may be unfolded from the instrument panel 16 when a malfunction in the first operating unit 14 is detected.

[0040] The above describes one embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above, and it goes without saying that it can be implemented in various other modified forms within the scope of the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10 Shifting device 12 Steering wheel 14 First operation unit 18 Second operating section 24 Display section

Claims

1. a first operating unit that is operated by a driver of the vehicle to perform a shift operation; a second operating unit that is disposed at a position farther from a driver of the vehicle than the first operating unit and that is shifted by the driver of the vehicle; A shifting device comprising:

2. When the vehicle is in a predetermined state, a shift operation by the first operating unit is permitted, When the vehicle is in a state other than the predetermined state, shift operation by the first operating unit is disabled, The shift device according to claim 1 , wherein a shift operation by the second operating part is permitted regardless of the state of the vehicle.

3. the first operation unit is a display unit that displays information, and a driver of the vehicle touches the display unit to perform a shift operation; The shift device according to claim 1 , wherein the second operating portion is displaced by a driver of the vehicle to perform a shift operation.

4. the first operating unit is provided on a steering wheel and allows a driver of the vehicle to perform a shift operation while holding the steering wheel, The shift device according to claim 1 , wherein the second operating portion is provided around the steering wheel.

5. The shift device according to claim 1 , wherein when a failure of the first operating unit is detected, shift operations using the second operating unit are permitted.

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