Operation detection device

Abstract

This prevents misdetection of touch location. [Solution] The operation detection device detects changes in capacitance for each of the multiple detection areas 18 distributed on the operation panel 16. When changes in capacitance are detected in two or more detection areas 18, the device determines that the detection area with the highest priority among the two or more detection areas 18, which is pre-set for each detection area 18, is the area that was touched. For example, if a passenger seated on the left side of the front seat touches detection area 18C with the fingertips of their right hand, as shown by the outline of the hand 40, changes in capacitance may be detected not only in detection area 18C but also in detection areas 18B, 18E, and 18F. In this case, the priority order for the passenger seated on the left side of the front seat (circled numbers in the figure) is read out, and detection area 18C, which has the highest priority, is identified as the detection area 18 touched by the operator's fingertips.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an operation detection device. [Background Art]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known an operation panel that determines, by means of a capacitive sensor provided on the operation panel, the position of a portion of the operation panel where capacitance has changed as a touch position. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a touch panel device that, when a mechanical switch is operated, compares the resistance value of a touched touch sensor with a reference value to determine whether an operator is wearing gloves or operating with bare hands, and switches a threshold for determining on / off of the touch panel according to whether the operator is wearing gloves or operating with bare hands. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-33701 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] In a conventional operation panel, when the operation panel is touched, a change in capacitance is detected not only in a portion corresponding to a fingertip of an operator who performed the touch on the operation panel, but also in a portion corresponding to a palm of the operator or the like, which may cause erroneous determination of a touch position.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above facts, and an object of the present disclosure is to obtain an operation detection device capable of suppressing occurrence of erroneous determination of a touch position. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0006] The operation detection device according to the first embodiment includes a first detection unit that detects changes in capacitance for each of a plurality of detection areas distributed on the operation panel, and a determination unit that, when the first detection unit detects changes in capacitance in two or more detection areas, determines that the detection area with the highest priority set in advance for each detection area among the two or more detection areas is the touched area.

[0007] In the first embodiment, a priority order is predetermined for each of the multiple detection areas distributed on the control panel, and when the first detection unit detects a change in capacitance in two or more detection areas, the detection area with the highest priority among the two or more detection areas is determined to be the touched area. This makes it possible to suppress misidentification of the area touched by the operator when a change in capacitance is detected in two or more detection areas.

[0008] In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, detection areas are distributed on the operation panel in a vertical direction as viewed from the operator, and the detection areas located on the upper side in the vertical direction are given a higher priority than the detection areas located on the lower side in the vertical direction.

[0009] When an operator extends their fingertip onto an operation panel where detection areas are distributed vertically from the operator's perspective, and changes in capacitance are detected in two or more detection areas arranged vertically, it can be determined that the operator's fingertip is located in a position corresponding to the upper detection area, and the part of the operator's hand in front of the fingertip is located in a position corresponding to the lower detection area. Based on this, in the second embodiment, the detection area located on the upper side of the operation panel in the vertical direction from the operator's perspective is given a higher priority than the detection area located on the lower side of the operation panel in the vertical direction from the operator's perspective. This makes it possible to appropriately determine the area touched by the operator (the area corresponding to the operator's fingertip) when changes in capacitance are detected in two or more detection areas distributed vertically from the operator's perspective.

[0010] In the third embodiment, as in the first embodiment, detection areas are distributed on the operation panel in the left-right direction from the operator's perspective, and detection areas located further back from the operator's perspective in the left-right direction are given a higher priority than detection areas located closer to the operator's perspective in the left-right direction.

[0011] When an operator extends their fingertip onto an operation panel where detection areas are distributed horizontally from the operator's perspective, and changes in capacitance are detected in two or more detection areas arranged horizontally, it can be determined that the operator's fingertip is located in a position corresponding to the detection area furthest from the operator's perspective, and the part of the operator's hand closer to the operator than the fingertip is located in a position corresponding to the detection area closer to the operator's perspective. Based on this, in the third embodiment, the detection area located furthest from the operator's perspective in the horizontal direction of the operation panel is given a higher priority than the detection area located closer to the operator's perspective in the horizontal direction of the operation panel. This makes it possible to appropriately determine the area touched by the operator (the area corresponding to the operator's fingertip) when changes in capacitance are detected in two or more detection areas distributed horizontally from the operator's perspective.

[0012] A fourth embodiment further includes a second detection unit that detects by light that the operation panel has been pressed, wherein the determination unit determines that the operation panel has been touched when the second detection unit detects that the operation panel has been pressed and the first detection unit detects a change in capacitance in one or more detection areas.

[0013] In the fourth embodiment, a second detection unit is provided that detects when the control panel is pressed using light. When the second detection unit detects that the control panel has been pressed, and the first detection unit detects a change in capacitance in one or more detection areas, it is determined that the control panel has been touched. This makes it possible to detect the operator's touch on the control panel more reliably compared to a configuration that detects touch on the control panel using only capacitance.

[0014] A fifth embodiment further includes a third detection unit that detects whether the operator operating the control panel is located in a first position or in a second position different from the first position, wherein the priority order is predetermined to include a first priority order depending on whether the operator is located in the first position and a second priority order depending on whether the operator is located in the second position, and the determination unit, when the first detection unit detects a change in capacitance in two or more detection areas, determines that the detection area with the highest first priority among the two or more detection areas is the touched area if the third detection unit detects that the operator is located in the first position, and determines that the detection area with the highest second priority among the two or more detection areas is the touched area if the third detection unit detects that the operator is located in the second position.

[0015] According to the fifth embodiment, even when it is uncertain whether the operator operating the control panel is located in the first position or the second position, the area touched by the operator can be appropriately determined. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] This disclosure has the effect of suppressing misidentification of touch position. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of the operation detection device. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing the layout of the control panel inside the vehicle. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing the appearance of the control panel. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram showing the priority order set for each detection area on the control panel. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows the operation detection process performed by the operation detection ECU. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0018] Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, numerical values that do not interfere with the present disclosure are used for explanation, but the present disclosure is not limited to the numerical values described below.

[0019] Figure 1 shows an operation detection device 10 according to the present embodiment. The operation detection device 10 is mounted on a vehicle, and is a device that detects an operation performed by a vehicle occupant (operator) on an operation panel 16 provided at approximately the center in the vehicle width direction of an instrument panel 12 (see Figure 2) of the vehicle.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, in the present embodiment, an aspect where the present disclosure is applied to a left-hand drive vehicle in which a steering wheel 14 and the like are provided on the left front seat side of the vehicle will be described, but the present disclosure can also be applied to right-hand drive vehicles. In addition, since the operation panel 16 is provided at approximately the center in the vehicle width direction, an occupant seated on the left front seat (driver's seat) can operate the operation panel 16, and an occupant seated on the right front seat (passenger seat) can also operate the operation panel 16.

[0021] As shown in Figure 3, a total of seven icons are displayed on the operation panel 16: three on the upper side in the vertical direction of the vehicle and four on the lower side. The surface of the operation panel 16 is divided into seven detection regions 18A to 18G corresponding to the respective icons. When viewed from the occupant, the detection regions 18A to 18G are distributed in the vertical direction of the vehicle on the operation panel 16, and are also distributed in the left-right direction of the vehicle on the operation panel 16.

[0022] Each detection area 18 is assigned the function of turning the function corresponding to the icon displayed in that detection area 18 on or off. For example, detection area 18C displays the icon for the rear defogger and is assigned the function of turning the rear defogger on or off. The operation panel 16 has sensor electrodes 20A to 20G embedded in positions corresponding to detection areas 18A to 18G, respectively, so as to be able to detect capacitance (see Figures 1 and 4). Sensor electrodes 20A to 20G are each connected to the operation detection ECU 26 of the operation detection device 10.

[0023] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the control panel 16 is equipped with an IR sensor 22. The IR sensor 22 detects the displacement of the control panel 16 in the pressing direction, which occurs when the control panel 16 is pressed by an occupant, using infrared light. In this embodiment, since the control panel 16 is made of a non-flexible material and has a certain thickness, when the control panel 16 is pressed, the IR sensor 22 detects the displacement of the control panel 16 in the pressing direction, regardless of the position of the fingertip pressing on the control panel 16.

[0024] In addition, an interior camera 24 is installed inside the vehicle. The position and orientation of the interior camera 24 are adjusted so that the control panel 16 is within its shooting range, as well as the hands of the occupant sitting on the left side of the front seat when they operate the control panel 16, and the hands of the occupant sitting on the right side of the front seat when they operate the control panel 16. The interior camera 24 is connected to an operation detection ECU 26 and outputs the captured images of the vehicle's interior (interior image) to the operation detection ECU 26 as an interior image.

[0025] Although not shown in the diagram, the operation detection ECU 26 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory), storage such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and SSD (Solid State Drive), a communication interface (I / F) section, and an input / output interface (I / F) section, all of which are connected to each other via a bus for communication. Sensor electrodes 20A to 20G are connected to the input / output interface section via an A / D converter, as well as an IR sensor 22 and an indoor camera 24.

[0026] The operation detection program is stored in the ROM or storage of the operation detection ECU 26. The operation detection ECU 26 reads the operation detection program from the ROM or storage and loads it into memory. The operation detection program loaded into memory is then executed by the CPU, and the operation detection ECU 26 functions as the capacitance change detection unit 28, finger position determination unit 30, press detection unit 34, input determination unit 36, and output unit 38 shown in Figure 1, respectively, and performs the operation detection process described later.

[0027] The capacitance change detection unit 28 is provided with the same number of sets of oscillator circuits that generate an electric field at the sensor electrodes 20 and detection circuits that detect changes in the oscillation frequency of the oscillator circuits as there are sensor electrodes 20. When the capacitance change detection unit 28 detects a change in oscillation frequency at a certain detection circuit, it determines that there has been a change in capacitance at the sensor electrode 20 (detection region 18) corresponding to the detection circuit that detected the change in oscillation frequency. The unit then outputs information of the sensor electrode 20 (detection region 18) where a change in capacitance was determined to have occurred to the finger position determination unit 30 as a result of the capacitance change determination. The capacitance change detection unit 28, together with the sensor electrodes 20A to 20G, is an example of the first detection unit in this disclosure.

[0028] The finger position determination unit 30 receives an image captured by the interior camera 24 and, based on the image received from the interior camera 24, determines whether the seat in which the occupant (operator) reaching for the control panel 16 is seated is the left front seat or the right front seat. The finger position determination unit 30 functions together with the interior camera 24 as an example of a third detection unit in this disclosure.

[0029] Furthermore, the finger position determination unit 30 receives the capacitance change determination result from the capacitance change detection unit 28, and if a capacitance change is detected in two or more detection areas 18, it holds priority information 32 representing the priority of the detection areas 18 for determining which detection area 18 was touched by the operator. In this embodiment, the priority information 32 includes first priority information representing the priority when the operator is seated on the left side of the front seat, and second priority information representing the priority when the operator is seated on the right side of the front seat.

[0030] As shown in Figure 4(A), when the operator is seated on the left side of the front seat, the priority order is set such that detection area 18 located on the upper side in the vertical direction of the vehicle has a higher priority than detection area 18 located on the lower side, and detection area located on the far side (right side) from the operator's perspective in the left-right direction of the vehicle has a higher priority than detection area located on the near side (left side) from the operator's perspective in the left-right direction. In other words, when the operator is seated on the left side of the front seat, the priority order (first priority) is set as follows: (1) detection area 18C, (2) detection area 18B, (3) detection area 18A, (4) detection area 18G, (5) detection area 18F, (6) detection area 18E, (7) detection area 18D.

[0031] Furthermore, when the operator is seated on the right side of the front seat, as shown in Figure 4(B), the priority is set such that the detection area 18 located on the upper side in the vertical direction of the vehicle has a higher priority than the detection area 18 located on the lower side, and the detection area located on the far side (left side) from the operator's perspective in the horizontal direction of the vehicle has a higher priority than the detection area located on the near side (right side) from the operator's perspective in the horizontal direction. In other words, when the operator is seated on the right side of the front seat, the priority (second priority) is set in the order of (1) detection area 18A, (2) detection area 18B, (3) detection area 18C, (4) detection area 18D, (5) detection area 18E, (6) detection area 18F, and (7) detection area 18G.

[0032] When the capacitance change detection unit 28 detects a change in capacitance in multiple detection areas 18, the finger position determination unit 30 uses the first priority information shown in Figure 4(A) to determine the detection area 18 where the operator's fingertip is located if the operator is seated on the left side of the front seat. Furthermore, when the capacitance change detection unit 28 detects a change in capacitance in multiple detection areas 18, and the operator is seated on the right side of the front seat, the finger position determination unit 30 uses the second priority information shown in Figure 4(B) to determine the detection area 18 where the operator's fingertip is located. The determination result of the detection area 18 where the operator's fingertip is located is then output to the input determination unit 36.

[0033] The press detection unit 34 receives the detection result of whether or not the operation panel 16 has been displaced from the IR sensor 22. When the IR sensor 22 detects that the operation panel 16 has been displaced, the press detection unit 34 outputs a press detection signal to the input determination unit 36 ​​indicating that the operator has pressed the operation panel 16. The IR sensor 22 and the press detection unit 34 are examples of the second detection unit in this disclosure.

[0034] The input determination unit 36 ​​detects when the operation panel 16 is pressed by the press detection unit 34 and the detection area 18 where the operator's fingertip is located is notified by the finger position determination unit 30, and identifies the function assigned to the detection area 18 where the operator's fingertip is located (the function corresponding to the displayed icon). It then notifies the output unit 38 of the identified function. The input determination unit 36, together with the finger position determination unit 30, functions as an example of a determination unit in this disclosure.

[0035] The output unit 38 instructs the function unit responsible for the function notified by the input determination unit 36 ​​to switch the function on or off. For example, if the detection area 18 where the finger position determination unit 30 determines that the operator's fingertip is located is the detection area 18C to which the function of turning the rear defogger on or off is assigned, the output unit 38 instructs the air conditioning ECU or the like to switch the rear defogger on or off. As a result, the air conditioning ECU or the like performs the process of switching the rear defogger on or off.

[0036] Next, the operation detection process performed by the operation detection ECU26 in this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 5.

[0037] In step 50 of the operation detection process, the press detection unit 34 determines whether or not a press on the operation panel 16 has been detected by the IR sensor 22. If the determination in step 50 is negative, the operation detection process ends. If the determination in step 50 is positive, the press detection unit 34 outputs a press detection signal to the input determination unit 36 ​​and proceeds to step 52.

[0038] In step 52, the finger position determination unit 30 determines whether a change in capacitance has been detected in one or more detection areas 18, based on the capacitance change determination result input from the capacitance change detection unit 28. If the determination in step 52 is negative, the operation detection process ends. If the determination in step 52 is positive, the process proceeds to step 54.

[0039] In step 54, the finger position determination unit 30 determines whether the number of detection areas 18 in which a change in capacitance was detected by the capacitance change detection unit 28 is two or more. If the number of detection areas 18 in which a change in capacitance was detected by the capacitance change detection unit 28 is one, the determination in step 54 is rejected and the process proceeds to step 56. Then, in step 56, the finger position determination unit 30 identifies the detection area 18 in which a change in capacitance was detected by the capacitance change detection unit 28 as the detection area 18 touched by the operator's fingertip.

[0040] On the other hand, if the capacitance change detection unit 28 detects a change in capacitance in two or more detection areas 18, the determination in step 54 is affirmed and the process proceeds to step 58. In step 58, the finger position determination unit 30 detects whether the seating position of the operator reaching for the operation panel 16 is on the left or right front seat, based on the interior image of the vehicle input from the interior camera 24. In step 60, the finger position determination unit 30 reads out the first priority information if the seating position is on the left front seat, and reads out the second priority information if the seating position is on the right front seat, depending on the operator's seating position detected in step 58.

[0041] In step 62, the finger position determination unit 30 obtains the priority order of each detection area 18 in which a change in capacitance was detected by the capacitance change detection unit 28, based on the priority information read in step 60. Then, in step 64, the finger position determination unit 30 identifies the detection area 18 with the highest priority obtained in step 62 as the detection area 18 touched by the operator's fingertip.

[0042] For example, as shown by the outline of the hand 40 in Figure 4(A), if an occupant seated on the left side of the front seat touches the detection area 18C of the control panel 16 with the fingertips of their right hand, it is possible that changes in capacitance will be detected not only in detection area 18C but also in detection areas 18B, 18E, and 18F. However, in this case, the first priority information is read out, and based on the priority order in the first priority information—detection area 18B = 2nd, detection area 18C = 1st, detection area 18E = 6th, and detection area 18F = 5th—detection area 18C, which has the highest priority, is identified as the detection area 18 touched by the operator's fingertips.

[0043] Furthermore, as an example, if an occupant seated on the right side of the front seat touches the detection area 18B of the control panel 16 with the fingertips of their left hand, as shown by the outline 42 of the hand in Figure 4(B), it is possible that changes in capacitance will be detected not only in detection area 18B but also in detection areas 18C, 18F, and 18G. However, in this case, the second priority information is read out, and based on the priority order in the second priority information—detection area 18B = 2nd, detection area 18C = 3rd, detection area 18F = 6th, and detection area 18G = 7th—detection area 18B, which has the highest priority, is identified as the detection area 18 touched by the operator's fingertips.

[0044] In step 66, the input determination unit 36 ​​identifies the function assigned to the detection area 18 touched by the operator's fingertip, and the output unit 38 outputs a signal to the function unit responsible for the function identified by the input determination unit 36, instructing it to switch the identified function on or off. This performs the process of switching the function assigned to the detection area 18 touched by the operator's fingertip on or off.

[0045] As described above, the operation detection device 10 according to this embodiment detects changes in capacitance for each of the multiple detection areas 18 distributed on the operation panel 16, and when changes in capacitance are detected in two or more detection areas 18, the device determines that the detection area with the highest priority, which is pre-set for each detection area 18, is the touched area. This prevents misidentification of the touched area by the operator when changes in capacitance are detected in two or more detection areas 18.

[0046] Furthermore, in this embodiment, detection areas 18 are distributed vertically on the operation panel 16 from the operator's perspective, and detection areas 18 located on the upper side of the vertical direction are given a higher priority than detection areas 18 located on the lower side of the vertical direction. This allows for the appropriate determination of the area touched by the operator's fingertip (the area corresponding to the operator's fingertip) when a change in capacitance is detected in two or more detection areas 18 distributed vertically from the operator's perspective.

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, detection areas 18 are distributed on the operation panel 16 in the left-right direction from the operator's perspective, and detection areas 18 located further back from the operator's perspective are given a higher priority than detection areas 18 located closer to the operator's perspective. This allows for the appropriate determination of the area touched by the operator's fingertip (the area corresponding to the operator's fingertip) when a change in capacitance is detected in two or more detection areas 18 distributed in the left-right direction from the operator's perspective.

[0048] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the operation panel 16 is detected to have been pressed by light, and a change in capacitance is detected in one or more detection areas 18, it is determined that a touch has occurred on the operation panel 16. This makes it possible to detect the operator's touch on the operation panel 16 more reliably compared to a configuration that detects touch on the operation panel 16 using only capacitance.

[0049] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a first priority is predetermined depending on whether the operator is in the first position, and a second priority is predetermined depending on whether the operator is in the second position. When a change in capacitance is detected in two or more detection areas 18, if the operator is detected to be in the first position, the detection area with the highest first priority among the two or more detection areas 18 is determined to be the touched area. If the operator is detected to be in the second position, the detection area with the highest second priority among the two or more detection areas 18 is determined to be the touched area. This makes it possible to appropriately determine the area touched by the operator's fingertip even when it is uncertain whether the operator operating the control panel 16 is in the first or second position.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the present disclosure was described in which the operation detection of an operation panel 16 located approximately in the center of the vehicle's instrument panel 12 in the vehicle width direction was applied. However, the location of the operation panel is not limited to the above. For example, the operation panel may be located above or below the position shown in Figure 2, or it may be located near the center of the ceiling above the front seats.

[0051] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an embodiment was described in which the control panel 16 is positioned so that it can be operated by an occupant seated on the left side of the front seat, or by an occupant seated on the right side of the front seat. However, this disclosure is not limited to this, and the control panel 16 may be positioned so that it can be operated only by an occupant seated on the left side of the front seat, or so that it can be operated only by an occupant seated on the right side of the front seat. In this case, it is also possible to omit the configuration that detects the seating position of the operator and switches the priority information.

[0052] Furthermore, although the above embodiment described an operation panel 16 in which the detection area 18 is distributed in the vertical and horizontal directions as an example, the operation panel 16 may also be configured in which the detection area 18 is distributed in only one direction (vertical or horizontal).

[0053] Furthermore, although the above embodiments describe an embodiment in which the operation detection device 10 according to the present disclosure is mounted on a vehicle, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any operation device configured to detect changes in capacitance for each of the multiple detection areas distributed on the operation panel and determine the touched area can be applied to devices other than vehicles.

[0054] Furthermore, although the above describes an embodiment in which the operation detection program is pre-stored (installed) in the ROM or storage of the operation detection ECU26, the operation detection program can also be provided in a form recorded on a non-temporary recording medium such as an HDD, SSD, or DVD.

[0055] The following additional information is disclosed regarding the embodiments described above.

[0056] (Note 1) The operation detection device according to claim 5, wherein the operation panel is located in the center of the instrument panel of the vehicle, the first position being on the left side of the front seat, and the second position being on the right side of the front seat of the vehicle.

[0057] According to the embodiment described in Appendix 1, the area touched by the occupant's fingertip can be appropriately determined whether the control panel located in the center of the vehicle's instrument panel is operated by an occupant seated on the left side of the front seat of the vehicle or by an occupant seated on the right side of the front seat of the vehicle. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0058] 10 Operation detection device 16. Control Panel 18A~18G Detection area 20A~20G Sensor Electrode 22 IR sensors 24 indoor cameras 26 Operation Detection ECU 28 Capacitance change detection unit 30 Finger position determination section 32 Priority Information 34 Press detection unit 36 Input determination unit 38 Output section

Claims

1. A first detection unit detects changes in capacitance for each of the multiple detection areas distributed on the control panel, When the first detection unit detects a change in capacitance in two or more detection areas, the determination unit determines that the detection area with the highest priority, which is pre-set for each detection area, is the touched area. An operation detection device including an operation detection device.

2. On the aforementioned control panel, the detection area is distributed in the vertical direction as viewed from the operator. The operation detection device according to claim 1, wherein the detection area located on the upper side in the vertical direction is set to have a higher priority than the detection area located on the lower side in the vertical direction.

3. On the aforementioned control panel, the detection area is distributed in the left-right direction from the operator's perspective. The operation detection device according to claim 1, wherein the detection area located on the far side from the operator in the left-right direction has a higher priority than the detection area located on the near side from the operator in the left-right direction.

4. The system further includes a second detection unit that detects, by light, that the operation panel has been pressed. The operation detection device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines that a touch has been made to the operation panel when the second detection unit detects that the operation panel has been pressed and the first detection unit detects a change in capacitance in one or more detection areas.

5. The system further includes a third detection unit that detects whether the operator operating the control panel is located in a first position or in a second position different from the first position. The aforementioned priority order includes a first priority order depending on whether the operator is located in the first position, and a second priority order depending on whether the operator is located in the second position. The operation detection device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the detection area with the highest first priority among the two or more detection areas as the touched area when the first detection unit detects a change in capacitance in two or more detection areas and the third detection unit detects that the operator is in the first position, and determines the detection area with the highest second priority among the two or more detection areas as the touched area when the third detection unit detects that the operator is in the second position.

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