Vehicle equipment operation and control devices

Abstract

By utilizing a touch panel display, the operability of vehicle equipment will be improved, and the management of vehicle equipment and other related items will be made easier. [Solution] The system comprises an in-vehicle touch panel display device 10, an equipment control unit 30 that controls the equipment 20 equipped on the vehicle 1 according to the setting information of the equipment 20, an in-vehicle communication unit 40, and a mobile terminal 50. The in-vehicle touch panel display device 10 has a switch display mode for displaying switches for setting the equipment 20 and an information display mode for displaying vehicle information including status information of the equipment 20 as display modes for the in-vehicle touch panel display 11. The mobile terminal 50 has a switch display mode and an information display mode as display modes for the terminal touch panel display 51, and is configured to enable remote display of vehicle information and setting operations of the equipment 20.

Description

Technical Field

[0005] , , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for operating and managing vehicle devices.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, various devices have been installed in vehicles, and it has become necessary for drivers to operate and manage these devices. A number of switches for operating these devices are equipped around the driver's seat. For example, in the case of a vehicle carrying passengers such as a bus, in addition to the switches related to driving, various switches for passenger handling are also equipped.

[0003] On the other hand, in recent years, a touch panel display has been equipped around the driver's seat, and technologies related to input devices that enable switch operations by touching the touch panel display have also been developed (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Furthermore, in the case of commercial vehicles such as buses, the management of vehicle equipment is even more important, and managing a large number of devices increases the burden on drivers.

[0006] On the other hand, with a touch panel display, the switches displayed on the screen can be switched, allowing a single display to have multiple switch functions. Therefore, it is conceivable to switch some of the fixed switches to switches displayed on the touch panel display, and then, by switching modes, give a single display multiple switch functions. Furthermore, since the display can be switched modes as needed, it can also be used for managing vehicle equipment.

[0007] This invention was conceived in light of the aforementioned issues, and one of its objectives is to provide a vehicle equipment operation and management device that utilizes a touch panel display to improve the operability of vehicle equipment and to make the management of vehicle equipment easier. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] This project was undertaken to solve at least some of the above-mentioned problems and can be implemented in the following forms or applications. The vehicle equipment operation and management device according to this application example comprises an in-vehicle touch panel display device having an in-vehicle touch panel display positioned around the driver's seat of the vehicle and a display control unit that controls the display of the in-vehicle touch panel display; an equipment control unit that acquires setting information of equipment installed in the vehicle and controls the equipment according to the setting information; an in-vehicle communication unit installed in the vehicle, a terminal touch panel display, a display control unit that controls the display of the terminal touch panel display, and a terminal-side communication unit that can wirelessly communicate with the in-vehicle communication unit; the in-vehicle touch panel display device has a switch display mode that displays switches for setting the equipment and an information display mode that displays vehicle information including status information of the equipment as display modes of the in-vehicle touch panel display; and the mobile terminal has the switch display mode and the information display mode as display modes of the terminal touch panel display, and is configured to enable remote display of the vehicle information and setting operations of the equipment.

[0009] According to this application example, the in-vehicle touch panel display has a switch display mode that shows switches for setting equipment. By making some of the switches necessary for operating the equipment touch panel switches displayed on the in-vehicle touch panel display, the number of fixed switches can be reduced, improving the operability of the vehicle's equipment. Furthermore, the in-vehicle touch panel display also has an information display mode that shows vehicle information including equipment status information. Therefore, vehicle information including equipment status information can be grasped while using the information display mode. In addition, since the mobile terminal is configured to allow remote display of vehicle information and setting operation of equipment, it becomes possible to grasp the status of equipment and operate equipment from outside the vehicle. This makes it easier to manage the vehicle's equipment. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to this matter, the operability of vehicle equipment will be improved, and the management of vehicle equipment and other related items will become easier. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a front perspective view of the area around the driver's seat of a vehicle, showing the arrangement of an in-vehicle touch panel display for an operation and management device of vehicle equipment according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a device for operating and managing equipment in a vehicle according to one embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The embodiments of this invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely illustrative examples, and there is no intention to exclude various modifications or applications of techniques not explicitly shown in these embodiments. Each configuration of the embodiments described below can be modified in various ways without departing from their spirit. Furthermore, they can be selected or combined as needed.

[0013] The vehicle in this embodiment is a large bus, and is equipped with a variety of devices and switches, including switches for setting or operating driving-related equipment, as well as switches for setting or operating passenger-related equipment.

[0014] [1. Structure] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle equipment operation and management device according to this embodiment comprises an in-vehicle touch panel display device 10 mounted on the vehicle 1, equipment 20 mounted on the vehicle 1, an equipment control unit 30 that controls these equipment 20, an in-vehicle communication unit 40 mounted on the vehicle 1, and a smartphone 50 as a mobile terminal. The smartphone 50 has a touch panel display (terminal touch panel display) 51, a display control unit 52 that controls the display on the touch panel display 51, and a terminal-side communication unit 53 that can wirelessly communicate with the in-vehicle communication unit 40. In this embodiment, a single equipment control unit 30 controls multiple pieces of equipment 20, but multiple equipment control units 30 may be provided, for example, one for each piece of equipment 20.

[0015] Now, let's describe the touch panel display device 10. The touch panel display device 10 includes a touch panel display (in-vehicle touch panel display) 11 positioned around the driver's seat 2 of the vehicle 1, and a display control unit 12 that controls the display on the touch panel display 11.

[0016] The touch panel display 11 comprises a display panel (hereinafter also simply referred to as "display") 11A, such as a liquid crystal or organic EL display, and a touch panel 11B stacked on the display panel 11A. The touch panel 11B detects contact and movement of the operator's (e.g., driver's) finger and transmits the detection result to the display control unit 12. This allows the operator to perform various inputs by touching the touch panel 11B.

[0017] This touch panel display 11 is arranged around the driver's seat 2 of the vehicle 1. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, it is arranged on the right side of the steering wheel 4 of the instrument panel (hereinafter also referred to as "instrument panel") 3 in front of the driver's seat 2. In the area where this touch panel display 11 is arranged, generally, various switches for setting or operating various in-vehicle devices are installed. However, in this embodiment, instead of these switches, the touch panel display 11 is arranged. The touch panel display 11 is arranged on the right side of the steering wheel 4, which is easy for the driver to operate with the dominant hand (right hand) on the instrument panel 3, and a display with the largest possible screen is used.

[0018] Note that in the center of the instrument panel 3 (directly in front of the steering wheel 4), meters 5 such as a speedometer and a tachometer are arranged. Also, on the left side of the steering wheel 4 of the instrument panel 3, an operation panel 6 for audio equipment and a display 7 of a navigation system are installed. Further, below these, in front of and below the armrest 2A on the right side of the driver's seat 2, various switches 8 for setting or operating devices related to driving or for setting or operating devices for passenger support are installed.

[0019] The display control unit 12 is configured as an electronic control unit (Electronic Control Unit: ECU) including a central processing unit (Central Processing Unit: CPU), a memory (ROM / RAM), an input / output interface, and the like. The display control unit 12 controls each part of the touch panel display 11 by executing a display control program pre-installed in the memory. Note that the display control unit 12 is connected to an in-vehicle bus network such as a CAN bus together with a device control unit 30 (ECU, etc.) of other in-vehicle devices such as an engine ECU, and can communicate with the device control unit 30 mutually.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the display control unit 12 includes a display mode setting unit 12A and an operation information detection unit 12B. The display mode setting unit 12A sets the display mode of the display 11A of the touch panel display 11. Note that the display mode of the display 11A includes at least a switch display mode for displaying a switch for setting the devices 20, an information display mode for displaying vehicle information including the status information of the devices 20, and a mode selection display mode for displaying a mode selection screen for switching the display mode.

[0021] The mode selection display mode is the default mode. In the default state, the display mode setting unit 12A sets the display mode of the display 11A to the mode selection display mode. Then, when the display mode is selected on the mode selection screen, the operation information detection unit 12B detects this, and the display mode setting unit 12A receives this detection signal and sets the selected display mode.

[0022] The operation information detection unit 12B detects an input by a touch operation on the touch panel 11B and outputs a detection signal to the display control unit 12 and the device control unit 30. For example, in the mode selection display mode, when the switch display mode is selected, a selection signal is output to the display control unit 12, and the display control unit 12 displays a predetermined switch on the touch panel display 11. In this case, for example, as an initial screen of the switch display mode, a menu screen for displaying a switch related to any of the devices 20 is displayed. When the menu screen is selected, the operation information detection unit 12B detects the selection operation signal and outputs it to the display mode setting unit 12A. Thereby, a switch related to the selected devices 20 is displayed.

[0023] For example, when a touch operation is performed on a switch of the touch panel 11B while a switch of a predetermined device 20 is displayed in the switch display mode, the operation information detection unit 12B detects this operation and outputs a detection signal to the device control unit 30. Thereby, the device control unit 30 controls the status of the predetermined device 20 according to the sent detection signal.

[0024] The display mode may also be switched by a specific touch operation on the touch panel 11B. A specific touch operation may be, for example, a long press on the name or icon of an equipment 20 displayed in the information display mode. In this case, the display switches from vehicle information such as status information related to the specific equipment 20 to the switch display mode, and switches for setting the equipment 20 are displayed.

[0025] The various switches 8 described above are fixed around the driver's seat 2 and are therefore also called fixed switches 8. On the other hand, the switches displayed on the touch panel display 11 are switched by touch operation and are therefore also called variable switches. In this embodiment, the user can optionally add their own custom switches to these variable switches. Furthermore, fixed switches 8 are used for switches that are used relatively frequently, while variable switches are used for switches that are used relatively infrequently.

[0026] The devices 20 that display status information in information display mode include, for example, air conditioning equipment, engine oil-related equipment, fuel system equipment, exhaust gas purification system equipment, navigation systems, power steering (hereinafter also referred to as "power steering"), air suspension (hereinafter also referred to as "air suspension"), and engines.

[0027] In this vehicle, the power steering assist force has multiple levels available, and the driver can select and set any of these levels. Similarly, the air suspension also has multiple stiffness levels, from soft to hard, and the driver can select and set any of these levels. The engine output characteristics (the relationship between accelerator input and engine output) also have multiple patterns (for example, 3 patterns), ranging from output priority to fuel efficiency priority, and the driver can select and set any of these patterns.

[0028] Furthermore, the vehicle information displayed in information display mode, including status information, includes the air conditioning settings, engine oil level, fuel level, urea level, driving route, average fuel consumption, vehicle speed, power steering level, air suspension status, engine output pattern, etc. The display control unit 12 of this device can communicate with the device control units 30 of each device 20 and the navigation system via the in-vehicle bus network, and each status information is obtained from the respective device control units 30 and the navigation system.

[0029] The in-vehicle communication unit 40 communicates with the in-vehicle touch panel display device 10 and the smartphone 50, which is a mobile terminal, via the terminal-side communication unit 53 of the smartphone 50, which is a mobile terminal. The in-vehicle communication unit 40 and the terminal-side communication unit 53 communicate using, for example, Bluetooth®. However, for example, the ID code and PIN of the smartphone 50 are pre-registered on the in-vehicle communication unit 40, and by verifying the ID code and PIN transmitted from the smartphone 50, communication is only possible with the pre-registered smartphone 50.

[0030] The touch panel display 51 of the smartphone 50, like the in-vehicle touch panel display 11, comprises a display panel (hereinafter also simply referred to as "display") 51A, such as a liquid crystal or organic EL display, and a touch panel 51B stacked on the display panel 51A. The touch panel 51B detects contact and movement of the operator's finger, and transmits this detection result to the display control unit 52. As a result, the operator can perform various inputs by touching the touch panel 51B.

[0031] The display control unit 52 is comprised of a central processing unit (CPU), memory (ROM / RAM), and input / output interfaces. The display control unit 52 controls each part of the touch panel display 51 by executing a display control program pre-installed in the memory. This display control program includes a program with the same functions as the one installed in the display control unit 12.

[0032] The display control unit 52, like the display control unit 12 of the in-vehicle touch panel display device 10, includes a display mode setting unit 52A and an operation information detection unit 52B. The display mode setting unit 52A has the same function as the display mode setting unit 12A of the in-vehicle touch panel display device 10, and the operation information detection unit 52B has the same function as the operation information detection unit 12B of the in-vehicle touch panel display device 10, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0033] Therefore, the display modes of this display 51A include at least a switch display mode that displays switches for setting the equipment 20, an information display mode that displays vehicle information including status information of the equipment 20, and a mode selection display mode (default mode) that displays a mode selection screen for switching between display modes.

[0034] The smartphone 50 can connect to the in-vehicle touch panel display device 10 through communication between the in-vehicle communication unit 40 and the terminal-side communication unit 53. This connection allows the smartphone 50 to display vehicle information, including status information of the devices 20, on the display 51A of the touch panel display 51 via the display control unit 52, and to remotely operate the devices 20.

[0035] [2. Action and Effects] Since the vehicle equipment operation and management device according to this embodiment is configured as described above, the following effects and benefits can be obtained.

[0036] Since various vehicle information can be displayed on the in-vehicle touch panel display 11, drivers and others can easily check the status and condition of various parts of the vehicle based on the vehicle information. For example, by displaying vehicle information such as air conditioning settings, engine oil level, fuel level, urea level, driving route, average fuel consumption, and vehicle speed on the in-vehicle touch panel display 11, it is possible to facilitate pre-operation checks of vehicle 1, and thus contribute to the operation of vehicle 1.

[0037] The in-vehicle touch panel display 11 can display switches for configuring the devices 20, allowing users to change settings for various functions by operating the displayed switches. For example, steering force settings and air suspension adjustments can be made. Additionally, by selecting from multiple engine output characteristics to match road conditions, the engine output characteristics can be changed, potentially leading to improved fuel efficiency. Furthermore, since various settings for vehicle 1 can be easily selected and operated according to the driver and the driving course, it can also help reduce driver fatigue.

[0038] The in-vehicle touch panel display 11 can display a large number of switches by switching the display, significantly reducing the number of fixed switches 8 and making it easier to change the layout of the fixed switches 8. By significantly reducing the number of fixed switches 8, the degree of freedom in their placement increases, as does the degree of freedom in the placement and size of the in-vehicle touch panel display 11, enabling the realization of user-friendly switches and an in-vehicle touch panel display 11 layout. This increased freedom in the layout around the driver's seat 2 eliminates the cluttered layout of switches, which also has the effect of improving driver comfort.

[0039] Furthermore, since vehicle information can be checked and various settings can be made using a smartphone 50, pre-operation tasks for vehicle 1 can be performed efficiently by remotely checking vehicle information and making various settings from outside the vehicle. This reduces the burden on the driver.

[0040] [3. Others] The configuration of the above embodiment is merely an example and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the in-vehicle touch panel display 11 is positioned to the right of the steering wheel 4 on the instrument panel 3 in front of the driver's seat 2. However, the in-vehicle touch panel display 11 can be positioned anywhere that is easily visible and operable for the driver. Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes an example in which Bluetooth® is used for communication between the in-vehicle communication unit 40 and the terminal-side communication unit 53, the communication means is not limited to this.

[0041] Furthermore, information on whether or not the vehicle is on board a ferry may be added as vehicle information to be displayed on the in-vehicle touch panel display 11 in information display mode. In this case, for example, when the vehicle boards or disembarks from the ferry, a signal to that effect is received from the ferry gate, and based on this, the system automatically displays whether or not the vehicle is on board the ferry. Alternatively, a screen is displayed to select whether or not to board the ferry, and the boarding status is displayed by selecting a switch on the screen. In addition, the presence or absence of ferry boarding may be linked to the air suspension, and the air suspension may be adjusted according to whether or not the vehicle is on board the ferry. For example, when a vehicle is on board a ferry, the vehicle's air suspension is automatically adjusted to lower its ride height. When the vehicle disembarks from the ferry, the air suspension is automatically adjusted back to its original height (a height suitable for vehicle operation). This reduces vehicle vibration while the vehicle is on board the ferry and minimizes the risk of the vehicle body interfering with the ferry's ceiling or other surfaces. In other words, when a vehicle boards a ferry, the rocking motion of the ferry causes vibrations in the vehicle, and in the case of large vehicles, the taller the vehicle, the greater the risk that the roof or other parts of the vehicle may interfere with the ferry's ceiling. Also, the taller the vehicle, the greater the vibration, and in the case of trucks, for example, there is a possibility that the cargo may be affected. However, by automatically adjusting the air suspension to lower the vehicle height, the risk of interference between the vehicle and the ferry can be reduced, and vehicle vibrations can also be suppressed. Alternatively, the system could be designed to link the presence or absence of a vehicle on board the ferry with the operation of the air suspension, without displaying whether or not the vehicle is on board the ferry. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 vehicle 2. Driver's seat 2A Armrest 3. Instrument panel 4 Steering Wheel 5. Meters 6. Audio control panel 7. Navigation system display 8. Various types of switches (fixed switches) 10. In-vehicle touch panel display device 11. Touch panel display (in-car touch panel display) 11A Display Panel (Display) 11B Touch Panel 12 Display Control Unit 12A Display Mode Setting Section 12B Operation Information Detection Unit 20 Equipment 30 Equipment Control Unit 40. In-vehicle communication unit 50 Smartphones as mobile devices 51. Touch panel display (device touch panel display) 51A Display Panel (Display) 51B Touch Panel 52 Display Control Unit 52A Display Mode Setting Section 52B Operation Information Detection Unit 53 Terminal-side communication unit

Claims

[Claim 1] An in-vehicle touch panel display device having an in-vehicle touch panel display positioned around the driver's seat of a vehicle, and a display control unit that controls the display of the in-vehicle touch panel display, A device control unit that acquires setting information for the equipment installed in the vehicle and controls the equipment according to the setting information, The vehicle equipped with the above-mentioned vehicle has an on-board communication unit, A mobile terminal comprising a terminal touch panel display, a display control unit for controlling the display of the terminal touch panel display, and a terminal-side communication unit capable of wireless communication with the in-vehicle communication unit, The in-vehicle touch panel display device has, as display modes for the in-vehicle touch panel display, a switch display mode that displays switches for setting the equipment, and an information display mode that displays vehicle information including status information of the equipment. The mobile terminal has a switch display mode and an information display mode as display modes for the terminal's touch panel display, and is configured to enable remote display of vehicle information and setting operation of the equipment. A device for operating and managing vehicle equipment, characterized by the above.

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