Vehicle operation device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle operation device that improves visibility of a character or a mark that assists an operation.SOLUTION: An operation detection unit provided on an arrangement unit 12R arranged on a side of a steering body detects a first operation (touch operation) on the arrangement unit 12R. Furthermore, a display unit provided on the arrangement unit 12R displays a group of characters 26 for assisting the first operation on the arrangement unit 12R. A control unit then acquires information related to a position of an eye point of a user, and changes, according to the information related to the position of the eye point of the user, at least the display position of the group of characters 26 on the display unit in a vertical direction of a vehicle (see (A) to (C)).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an operating device for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a technology in which range selection switches P, R, N, and D are displayed on a touch panel while the vehicle is stopped and the driver is pressing the brake pedal, and the display of the range selection switches is erased when the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined speed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-240774 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology described in Patent Document 1 displays the range selection switch at a fixed position on the touch panel, so if the user sitting in the seat changes to a user with a different build, for example, and the position of the user's eye point changes, the visibility of the range selection switch may decrease.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle operating device that can improve the visibility of letters or marks that assist operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle operating device according to the first aspect includes an operation detection unit that detects a first operation on a placement unit arranged near a steering body, a display unit that displays letters or marks on the placement unit to assist in the first operation, and a control unit that acquires information related to the position of a user's eyepoint and changes at least the display position of the letters or marks by the display unit in the vertical direction of the vehicle based on the information.

[0007] In a second aspect, in the first aspect, the control unit also changes the range in which the operation detection unit detects the first operation in the vehicle up-down direction based on the information.

[0008] In a third aspect, in the first or second aspect, the control unit acquires a position of the steering body in a vertical direction of the vehicle as information related to a position of the user's eye point.

[0009] The fourth aspect is the first or second aspect, further including a position detection unit that detects the position of the user's eyepoint, and the control unit acquires the position of the user's eyepoint detected by the position detection unit as information related to the position of the user's eyepoint.

[0010] In a fifth aspect, in the first or second aspect, the control unit acquires the position where a second operation was performed on the placement unit as information related to the position of the user's eyepoint.

[0011] In a sixth aspect, in any of the first to fifth aspects, when the placement unit moves in the vertical direction of the vehicle in conjunction with the steering body, the control unit determines the height of the user's viewing position on the placement unit from the position of the user's eye point and the position of the steering body in the vertical direction of the vehicle, which are information related to the position of the user's eye point, and changes at least the display position of the character or mark by the display unit in the vertical direction of the vehicle according to the determined height of the user's viewing position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] In a first aspect, an operation detection unit detects a first operation on a display unit arranged near a steering body of a vehicle, and a character or mark for assisting the first operation is displayed on the display unit by a display unit. At least the display position of the character or mark by the display unit is changed in the vertical direction of the vehicle based on information related to the position of the user's eyepoint. This prevents a decrease in the visibility of the character or mark displayed by the display unit, and improves the visibility of the character or mark, even when the position of the user's eyepoint changes.

[0013] In the second aspect, in addition to the display position of the character or mark by the display unit, the range in which the operation detection unit detects the first operation is also changed in the vertical direction of the vehicle based on information related to the position of the user's eye point. This prevents changes in the operability of the user performing the first operation when the position of the user's eye point changes, thereby improving operability for the user.

[0014] Generally, the vertical position of the steering wheel of a vehicle is adjusted according to the user's physique, so there is a correlation between the vertical position of the steering wheel and the position of the user's eye point. Based on this, in the third aspect, the vertical position of the steering wheel is acquired as information related to the position of the user's eye point. This eliminates the need for the user to perform the second operation described below to acquire information related to the position of the user's eye point.

[0015] In the fourth aspect, the position of the user's eyepoint is detected by the position detection unit, and the position of the user's eyepoint detected by the position detection unit is acquired as information related to the position of the user's eyepoint. This eliminates the need for the user to perform the second operation described below to acquire information related to the position of the user's eyepoint.

[0016] In a fifth aspect, a second operation is performed by the user on the placement unit. Then, based on the correlation between the position where the second operation was performed by the user and the position of the user's eyepoint, the position where the second operation was performed is acquired as information related to the position of the user's eyepoint. In this way, in the fifth aspect, when acquiring information related to the position of the user's eyepoint, a configuration for detecting the position of the user's eyepoint (for example, a position detection unit) is not required, and therefore the device configuration is simplified.

[0017] In a sixth aspect, when the placement unit moves in the vehicle vertical direction in conjunction with the steering body, the height of the user's viewing position on the placement unit is determined from the position of the user's eye point and the position of the steering body in the vehicle vertical direction. Then, at least the display position of the characters or marks on the display unit is changed in the vehicle vertical direction according to the determined height of the user's viewing position. This makes it possible to avoid a decrease in the visibility of the characters or marks displayed by the display unit even when the position of the user's eye point changes in a configuration in which the placement unit moves in the vehicle vertical direction in conjunction with the steering body. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle operating device; [Figure 2] FIG. 1A is a top view of the steering body and its surroundings, and FIG. 1B is a front view. [Figure 3] 10 is a perspective view showing an example of a change in the display position of the character group in the arrangement portion on the right side of the steering body when the position of the user's eye point changes, and an example of a touch operation by the user. FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of changes in the display position of the character group and the position of the touch operation detection area in the arrangement portion on the right side of the steering body when the position of the user's eye point changes. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an example of the display of a group of marks in an arrangement portion on the left side of the steering body. [Figure 6]5 is a flowchart showing an operation I / F control process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an image diagram showing the relationship between the user's sitting height and the user's viewing position on the placement unit in a configuration in which the placement unit is fixed. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing an operation I / F control process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] 11 is a flowchart showing an operation I / F control process according to the third embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing an operation I / F control process according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is an image diagram showing an example of the relationship between the user's eye point and the height of the steering body and the user's viewing position on the placement unit in a configuration in which the placement unit is linked to the steering body. [Figure 12] 10 is a perspective view showing an example of a change in the display position of the character group in the arrangement portion on the right side of the steering body when the position of the user's eye point changes, and an example of a hover operation by the user. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0020] [First embodiment] 1 shows a vehicle operation device 10 according to this embodiment. The vehicle operation device 10 is mounted on a vehicle and includes a display unit 20R and an operation detection unit 34R provided on a mounting unit 12R of the vehicle, and a display unit 20L and an operation detection unit 34L provided on a mounting unit 12L of the vehicle.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 3, the mounting portion 12R has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape with the longitudinal direction extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle. As shown in Fig. 2, the mounting portion 12R is attached to the tip of a support portion 18R whose base is attached to the steering column 16 and extends to the right side of the vehicle, and is disposed on the right side of the steering body 14 when viewed from the front of the vehicle's steering body 14. In this embodiment, the rim portion of the steering body 14 has a roughly octagonal shape.

[0022] 5, the placement unit 12L also has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape with its longitudinal direction aligned with the vehicle's vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the placement unit 12L is attached to the tip of a support unit 18L whose base is attached to the steering column 16 and extends to the left side of the vehicle, and is disposed on the left side of the steering unit 14 when viewed from the front of the vehicle's steering unit 14. The placement units 12R and 12L may differ in at least one of their shapes and sizes.

[0023] The mounting portions 12R, 12L may be attached to the instrument panel of the vehicle instead of the support portions 18R, 18L. A steering shaft (not shown) connected to the steering body 14 is provided with a tilt steering mechanism (not shown) that can adjust the position of the steering body 14 in the vertical direction of the vehicle. Meanwhile, in the first embodiment, the positions of the mounting portions 12R, 12L in the vertical direction of the vehicle are fixed, and even if the position of the steering body 14 in the vertical direction of the vehicle is adjusted by the tilt steering mechanism, the positions of the mounting portions 12R, 12L in the vertical direction of the vehicle do not change.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, the surface 22 (hereinafter referred to as the first operation surface 22) of the arrangement portion 12R facing the user (hereinafter referred to simply as the "user") seated in the driver's seat where the steering wheel is provided, and the right side 24 of the vehicle as seen from the user (hereinafter referred to as the second operation surface 24) each have a display portion 20R consisting of a liquid crystal display or the like provided on their entire surface.

[0025] As an example, in this embodiment, the arrangement unit 12R is configured to function as a first operation unit for operating a transmission of the vehicle, and the display unit 20R displays a group of letters 26 (D, N, R, and P) indicating the shift positions on the first operation surface 22 and the second operation surface 24 of the arrangement unit 12R. The display unit 20R is provided on the entire surface of the first operation surface 22 and the second operation surface 24, and as shown in Figures 3(A) to 3(C), the display position of the group of letters 26 can be changed in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

[0026] Furthermore, the arrangement unit 12R is provided with operation detection units 34R, each of which is disposed on the entire surface of the first operation surface 22 and the second operation surface 24, capable of detecting a user's touch operation on the arrangement unit 12R with a predetermined position resolution by an electrostatic detection method. As shown in Fig. 4, the operation detection unit 34R has a touch operation detection area 36 set thereon, which corresponds to each character included in the character group 26 displayed by the display unit 20R, for detecting a touch operation at a display position of each character. The operation detection unit 34R is capable of changing the position of the touch operation detection area 36 in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

[0027] Note that the touch operation on the placement section 12R is an example of a first operation in the present disclosure, and the character group 26 displayed on the placement section 12R by the display section 20R is an example of "characters to assist the first operation" in the present disclosure.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 5, the surface 28 of the placement unit 12L facing the user (hereinafter referred to as the first operation surface 28) and the left side surface 30 of the vehicle as seen from the user (hereinafter referred to as the second operation surface 30) each have a display unit 20L consisting of an LCD display or the like provided on their entire surface.

[0029] As an example, in this embodiment, the arrangement unit 12L is configured to function as a second operation unit for operating the turn signal device and the wiper device of the vehicle, and the display unit 20L displays a group of marks 32 for assisting in the operation of the turn signal device and the wiper device on the first operation surface 28 of the arrangement unit 12R. The display unit 20L is provided on the entire surface of the first operation surface 28, and the display position of the group of marks 32 can be changed in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

[0030] Furthermore, the arrangement unit 12L is provided with operation detection units 34L, which are capable of detecting a user's touch operation on the arrangement unit 12L with a predetermined position resolution by an electrostatic detection method, on the entire surfaces of the first operation surface 28 and the second operation surface 30. Although not shown in the drawings, the operation detection unit 34L has a touch operation detection area set in correspondence with each mark included in the mark group 32 displayed by the display unit 20R, for detecting a touch operation on a display position of each mark. The operation detection unit 34L is capable of changing the position of the touch operation detection area in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

[0031] In addition, the touch operation on the placement section 12L is also an example of the first operation in the present disclosure, and the mark group 32 displayed on the placement section 12L by the display section 20L is an example of a "mark for assisting the first operation" in the present disclosure.

[0032] 1, display units 20R, 20L and operation detection units 34R, 34L are connected to an operation I / F (interface) control ECU 40, which is connected to in-vehicle equipment 60 and a steering body position sensor 62. The in-vehicle equipment 60 includes a transmission, which is the object of operation of the first operation unit, and a turn signal device and a wiper device, which are the object of operation of the second operation unit. The steering body position sensor 62 detects the vertical position of the steering body 14, which is adjusted by the tilt steering mechanism.

[0033] The operation I / F control ECU 40 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 42, a memory 44 such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory), a non-volatile storage unit 46 such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and an input / output I / F (Interface) 48, which are interconnected via a bus 50. An operation I / F control program 52 is stored in the storage unit 46.

[0034] In the operation I / F control ECU 40, the operation I / F control program 52 is read from the storage unit 46 and loaded into the memory 44, and the operation I / F control program 52 loaded into the memory 44 is executed by the CPU 42, causing the CPU 42 to function as a control unit 54 and perform an operation I / F control process, which will be described later. The control unit 54 acquires information related to the position of the user's eye point, and changes the display position of at least the character group 26 or the mark group 32 on the display units 20R, 20L in the vertical direction of the vehicle based on the information related to the position of the user's eye point.

[0035] Next, as an operation of the first embodiment, an operation I / F control process executed by the operation I / F control ECU 40 (control unit 54) while the ignition switch of the vehicle is on will be described with reference to FIG.

[0036] In step 100 of the operation I / F control processing, the control unit 54 acquires the height of the steering body 14 from the steering body position sensor 62. Generally, if the user's sitting height is high, the height of the steering body 14 is adjusted to a higher position, and if the user's sitting height is low, the height of the steering body 14 is adjusted to a lower position. The position of the user's eye point increases as the user's sitting height increases. Therefore, the height of the steering body 14 acquired in step 100 is an example of "information relating to the position of the user's eye point" in the present disclosure.

[0037] 7 as an example, as shown by line of sight 70, the height of the user's viewing position on the placement unit 12R (12L) (position in the vehicle vertical direction) when the user views the placement unit 12R (12L) increases as the user's sitting height (eye point) increases. Therefore, in step 102, the control unit 54 controls the display unit 20R so that the character group 26 is displayed at a position on the placement unit 12R that corresponds to the height of the steering body 14 acquired in step 100.

[0038] That is, when the user's sitting height (eye point) is high, the control unit 54 controls the display unit 20R so that the height of the display position of the character group 26 on the placement unit 12R is high (see FIG. 3(A)). When the user's sitting height (eye point) is medium, the control unit 54 controls the display unit 20R so that the height of the display position of the character group 26 on the placement unit 12R is medium (see FIG. 3(B)). When the user's sitting height (eye point) is low, the control unit 54 controls the display unit 20R so that the height of the display position of the character group 26 on the placement unit 12R is low (see FIG. 3(C)).

[0039] Similarly, the control unit 54 controls the display unit 20L so that the mark group 32 is displayed in the placement unit 12L at a position corresponding to the height of the steering body 14 acquired in step 100. This improves the visibility of the character group 26 on the placement unit 12R and the visibility of the mark group 32 on the placement unit 12L.

[0040] In the next step 104, the control unit 54 controls the operation detection unit 34R so that the detection area 36 for the touch position on the arrangement unit 12R is located at a position on the arrangement unit 12R that corresponds to the height of the steering body 14.

[0041] That is, when the user's sitting height (eye point) is high, the control unit 54 controls the display unit 20R so that the height of the detection area 36 on the placement unit 12R is high (see FIG. 4(A)). When the user's sitting height (eye point) is medium, the control unit 54 controls the display unit 20R so that the height of the detection area 36 on the placement unit 12R is medium (see FIG. 4(B)). When the user's sitting height (eye point) is low, the control unit 54 controls the display unit 20R so that the height of the detection area 36 on the placement unit 12R is low (see FIG. 4(C)).

[0042] Similarly, the control unit 54 controls the operation detection unit 34L so that the detection area 36 for the touch position on the placement unit 12L is located at a position on the placement unit 12L that corresponds to the height of the steering body 14. This improves the operability of touch operations on the placement unit 12R and the operability of touch operations on the placement unit 12L.

[0043] In step 130, the control unit 54 determines whether the operation detection unit 34R or the operation detection unit 34L has detected that the user has performed a predetermined operation (first operation in the present disclosure) on the placement unit 12R or the placement unit 12L. If the determination in step 130 is negative, step 130 is repeated until the determination is affirmative. If the determination in step 130 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 132. Then, in step 132, the control unit 54 outputs operation information representing the predetermined operation detected by the operation detection unit 34R or the operation detection unit 34L to the corresponding in-vehicle device 60, and returns to step 130.

[0044] As an example, consider a case where a user touches the area of ​​the placement unit 12R near the area where the letter "N" is displayed with the fingertip F, and then slides the fingertip F toward the area where the letter "D" is displayed. In this case, the operation detection unit 34R detects the operation performed by the user and outputs operation content information representing the operation to the operation I / F control ECU 40. Then, based on the operation content information input from the operation detection unit 34R, the control unit 54 recognizes that the operation performed by the user is an operation to instruct the transmission to "switch the shift position to D range," and outputs operation information representing the recognized operation to the transmission. As a result, the transmission performs an operation to switch the shift position to D range.

[0045] As described above, in the first embodiment, the operation detection units 34R, 34L detect a first operation performed on the display units 12R, 12L disposed near the steering body 14. The display units 20R, 20L display the character group 26 or the mark group 32 on the display units 12R, 12L to assist in the first operation. The control unit 54 acquires information related to the position of the user's eyepoint and changes the display position of at least the character group 26 or the mark group 32 on the display units 20R, 20L in the vertical direction of the vehicle based on the information related to the position of the user's eyepoint. This prevents a decrease in the visibility of the character group 26 or the mark group 32 displayed on the display units 20R, 20L, and improves the visibility of the character group 26 or the mark group 32, even when the position of the user's eyepoint changes.

[0046] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the control unit 54 also changes the detection area 36 in which the operation detection units 34R, 34L detect the first operation in the vertical direction of the vehicle based on information related to the position of the user's eye point. This prevents changes in the operability of the user performing the first operation when the position of the user's eye point changes, thereby improving operability for the user.

[0047] In the first embodiment, the control unit 54 acquires the position of the steering body 14 in the vehicle vertical direction as information related to the position of the user's eye point. This eliminates the need for the user to perform the second operation described below in order to acquire information related to the position of the user's eye point.

[0048] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In the second embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. In the second embodiment, an in-vehicle camera 64 shown by a dashed line in FIG. 1 is connected to the operation I / F control ECU 40. The in-vehicle camera 64 captures an image of the interior of the vehicle, including the upper body of the user, and outputs the captured image to the operation I / F control ECU 40.

[0049] Next, the operation I / F control process according to the second embodiment will be described, focusing on only the differences from the first embodiment, with reference to Fig. 8. In the operation I / F control process according to the second embodiment, in step 106, the control unit 54 causes the in-vehicle camera 64 to capture an image of the interior of the vehicle, and acquires the captured image from the in-vehicle camera 64.

[0050] In step 108, the control unit 54 extracts an area corresponding to the user's eye from the captured image acquired in step 106, and detects the height of the user's eyepoint based on the height position of the extracted area within the image. Note that the control unit 54, which performs the processes of steps 106 and 108, functions as an example of a position detection unit in the present disclosure together with the in-vehicle camera 64.

[0051] In step 110, the control unit 54 controls the display unit 20R so that the character group 26 is displayed on the placement unit 12R at a position corresponding to the height of the user's eyepoint acquired in step 108. The control unit 54 also controls the display unit 20L so that the mark group 32 is displayed on the placement unit 12L at a position corresponding to the height of the user's eyepoint. This improves the visibility of the character group 26 on the placement unit 12R and the visibility of the mark group 32 on the placement unit 12L.

[0052] Furthermore, in step 112, the control unit 54 controls the operation detection units 34R and 34L so that the touch position detection area 36 is located at a position on the placement units 12R and 12L that corresponds to the height of the user's eyepoint, thereby improving the operability of touch operations on the placement unit 12R and the operability of touch operations on the placement unit 12L.

[0053] In this way, in the second embodiment, the in-vehicle camera 64 and the control unit 54 detect the position of the user's eye point and acquire the position of the user's eye point as information related to the position of the user's eye point. This eliminates the need for the user to perform the second operation described below to acquire information related to the position of the user's eye point.

[0054] Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In this third embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. In the third embodiment, a display 66 shown by a dashed line in FIG. 1 is connected to the operation I / F control ECU 40. For example, any of a meter display, a center display, and a head-up display can be used as the display 66. In addition, the steering body position sensor 62 is omitted in the third embodiment.

[0055] Next, referring to Fig. 9, the operation I / F control process according to the third embodiment will be described, focusing only on the differences from the first embodiment. In the operation I / F control process according to the third embodiment, in step 114, the control unit 54 causes the user to perform a touch operation on the placement unit 12R or the placement unit 12L by displaying a message on the display 66 requesting the user to perform a touch operation on the placement unit 12R or the placement unit 12L. Note that the touch operation performed by the user here is an example of a second operation in the present disclosure.

[0056] In step 116, the control unit 54 acquires the height position of the touch operation performed by the user from the operation detection unit 34R or the operation detection unit 34L. Generally, the height of the touch operation increases when the user's sitting height is high, and decreases when the user's sitting height is low. The position of the user's eye point increases as the user's sitting height increases. Therefore, the height position of the touch operation acquired in step 116 is an example of "information relating to the position of the user's eye point" in the present disclosure.

[0057] In step 118, the control unit 54 controls the display unit 20R so that the character group 26 is displayed in a position on the placement unit 12R that corresponds to the height position of the touch operation acquired in step 116. The control unit 54 also controls the display unit 20L so that the mark group 32 is displayed in a position on the placement unit 12L that corresponds to the height position of the touch operation acquired in step 116. This improves the visibility of the character group 26 on the placement unit 12R and the visibility of the mark group 32 on the placement unit 12L.

[0058] In step 120, the control unit 54 controls the operation detection unit 34R so that the detection area 36 of the touch position is located at a position on the placement unit 12R that corresponds to the height position of the touch operation acquired in step 116. The control unit 54 also controls the operation detection unit 34L so that the detection area 36 of the touch position is located at a position on the placement unit 12L that corresponds to the height position of the touch operation acquired in step 116. This improves the operability of the touch operation on the placement unit 12R and the operability of the touch operation on the placement unit 12L.

[0059] As described above, in the third embodiment, the control unit 54 acquires the position where the second operation is performed on the placement unit 12R or the placement unit 12L as information related to the position of the user's eyepoint. This simplifies the configuration of the vehicle operation device 10.

[0060] [Fourth embodiment] Next, a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In the fourth embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. In the fourth embodiment, the arrangement units 12R, 12L are configured so that their positions in the vehicle's vertical direction change in conjunction with the steering body 14 when the position of the steering body 14 in the vehicle's vertical direction is adjusted by the tilt steering mechanism.

[0061] When the positions of the placement units 12R, 12L in the vertical direction of the vehicle are fixed, the height of the user's viewing position on the placement units 12R, 12L (position in the vertical direction of the vehicle) when the user views the placement units 12R, 12L increases as the height of the user's eye point increases, as described in the first embodiment. On the other hand, in a configuration in which the positions of the placement units 12R, 12L in the vertical direction of the vehicle change in conjunction with the steering body 14, the height of the user's viewing position changes not only according to the height of the user's eye point but also according to the height of the steering body 14 (see FIG. 11).

[0062] For this reason, in the fourth embodiment, viewing position information 72, which stores the heights of the user's viewing positions on arrangement units 12R, 12L when the height of the user's eye point and the height of steering body 14 are each set to various values, is pre-stored in storage unit 46 as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 1. Also, in the fourth embodiment, as in the second embodiment, an in-vehicle camera 64 that captures images of the interior of the vehicle including the upper body of the user is connected to operation I / F control ECU 40.

[0063] Next, with reference to Fig. 10, the operation I / F control process according to the fourth embodiment will be described, focusing on only the differences from the first embodiment. In the operation I / F control process according to the fourth embodiment, first, in step 100, the control unit 54 acquires the height of the steering body 14 from the steering body position sensor 62. Then, in step 106, the control unit 54 causes the in-vehicle camera 64 to capture an image of the interior of the vehicle, and acquires the captured image from the in-vehicle camera 64. Then, in step 108, the control unit 54 detects the height of the user's eyepoint from the captured image acquired in step 106.

[0064] In step 122, the control unit 54 reads from the viewing position information 72 the height of the user's viewing position on the placement units 12R and 12L, which corresponds to the height of the steering body 14 acquired in step 100 and the height of the user's eyepoint detected in step 106. The control unit 54 then controls the display units 20R and 20L so that the character group 26 or the mark group 32 is displayed on the placement units 12R and 12L at a position corresponding to the height of the user's viewing position read from the viewing position information 72. This improves the visibility of the character group 26 on the placement unit 12R and the visibility of the mark group 32 on the placement unit 12L.

[0065] Furthermore, in step 124, the control unit 54 controls the operation detection units 34R and 34L so that the touch position detection area 36 is located at a position on the placement units 12R and 12L that corresponds to the height of the user's viewing position read from the viewing position information 72. This improves the operability of touch operations on the placement unit 12R and the operability of touch operations on the placement unit 12L.

[0066] As described above, in the fourth embodiment, when the placement units 12R, 12L move in the vehicle up-down direction in conjunction with the steering body 14, the control unit 54 determines the height of the user's viewing position on the placement units 12R, 12L from the position of the user's eyepoint and the position of the steering body 14 in the vehicle up-down direction. Then, the control unit 54 changes the display position of at least the character group 26 or the mark group 32 on the display units 20R, 20L in the vehicle up-down direction in accordance with the determined height of the user's viewing position. This makes it possible to avoid a decrease in the visibility of the character group 26 or the mark group 32 displayed by the display units 20R, 20L even when the position of the user's eyepoint changes in a configuration in which the placement units 12R, 12L move in the vehicle up-down direction in conjunction with the steering body 14.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the operation detection units 34R, 34L detect touch operations on the placement units 12R, 12L as an example of operations on the placement units 12R, 12L. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the operation detection units 34R, 34L may be configured to detect hover operations, which are performed with a gap between them and the operation surfaces of the placement units 12R, 12L. Hover operations can also be detected using the same electrostatic detection method as touch operations, for example, by increasing the detection sensitivity compared to touch operations.

[0068] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an aspect has been described in which the amount of movement of the position of the detection area 36 on the placement units 12R and 12L when the position of the user's eyepoint changes is the same as the amount of movement of the display positions of the character group 26 and the mark group 32 (see FIG. 4 ). However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the amount of movement of the position of the detection area 36 on the placement units 12R and 12L when the position of the user's eyepoint changes may be different from the amount of movement of the display positions of the character group 26 and the mark group 32. As an example, the amount of movement of the position of the detection area 36 may be smaller than the amount of movement of the display positions of the character group 26 and the mark group 32.

[0069] In the above embodiment, the display positions of the character group 26 and the mark group 32 on the arrangement units 12R and 12L and the position of the detection area 36 are each changed in the vertical direction of the vehicle based on information related to the position of the user's eye point. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this, and for example, only the display positions of the character group 26 and the mark group 32 may be changed based on information related to the position of the user's eye point, while the position of the detection area 36 may be fixed regardless of the position of the user's eye point.

[0070] As a user becomes accustomed to operating the placement units 12R and 12L, they may begin to operate the placement units 12R and 12L almost entirely by touch, only occasionally checking the display of the character group 26 and the mark group 32. When the placement units 12R and 12L are operated by touch, the operability of operating the placement units 12R and 12L may be improved by suppressing changes in the position of the detection area in response to changes in the position of the user's eyepoint, or by fixing the position of the detection area regardless of the position of the user's eyepoint. Thus, the present disclosure encompasses within its scope an embodiment in which the amount of movement of the position of the detection area 36 is different from the amount of movement of the display position of the character group 26 and the mark group 32, as well as an embodiment in which the position of the detection area 36 is fixed regardless of the position of the user's eyepoint.

[0071] Furthermore, although the above describes a configuration in which the operation I / F control program 52 is pre-stored (installed) in the memory unit 46, the operation I / F control program can also be provided in a form in which it is recorded on a non-temporary recording medium such as an HDD, SSD, or DVD. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 10...vehicle operation device, 12L, 12R...arrangement section, 14...steering body, 20R, 20L...display section, 26...character group, 32...mark group, 34R, 34L...operation detection section, 36...detection area, 40...operation I / F control ECU, 54...control section, 60...in-vehicle equipment, 62...steering body position sensor, 64...in-vehicle camera

Claims

1. an operation detection unit that detects a first operation on a placement unit that is arranged near a steering body of the vehicle; a display unit that displays characters or marks for assisting the first operation on the arrangement unit; a control unit that acquires information related to the position of the user's eye point and changes at least the display position of the character or mark on the display unit in the vertical direction of the vehicle based on the information; A vehicle operating device including:

2. The vehicle operation device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit also changes a range in which the operation detection unit detects the first operation in the vertical direction of the vehicle based on the information.

3. The vehicle operation device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit acquires a position of the steering body in a vertical direction of the vehicle as the information relating to the position of the user's eye point.

4. 2. The vehicle operation device according to claim 1, further comprising a position detection unit that detects the position of a user's eye point, wherein the control unit acquires the position of the user's eye point detected by the position detection unit as information related to the position of the user's eye point.

5. The vehicle operation device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit acquires a position where a second operation is performed on the arrangement unit as the information related to the position of the user's eyepoint.

6. 2. The vehicle operating device according to claim 1, wherein when the placement unit moves in the vertical direction of the vehicle in conjunction with the steering body, the control unit determines the height of the user's viewing position on the placement unit from the position of the user's eye point and the position of the steering body in the vertical direction of the vehicle, as information related to the position of the user's eye point, and changes at least the display position of the character or mark by the display unit in the vertical direction of the vehicle according to the determined height of the user's viewing position.

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