Holder

Abstract

To suppress user dissatisfaction caused by automatic opening and closing of a holder.SOLUTION: A holder 1 mounted on a vehicle and holding an electronic device includes a mounting portion 11, a holding portion 15, and a control portion. An object 5 is mounted on the mounting portion. The holding portion does not hold the object placed on the mounting portion in the open state, and holds the object on the holding portion by holding the object in the closed state. The control unit that controls the opening / closing state of the holding portion operates in a designated one control mode from among a plurality of control modes related to automatic opening and closing, and controls the opening / closing state of the holding portion such that the holding portion becomes an open / closed state corresponding to one specified control mode at the start and end of driving the vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a holder mounted on a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] A holder for holding a mobile terminal such as a smartphone inside a vehicle is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to an exemplary holder, a means for detecting the presence or absence of a mobile terminal is provided, and when the presence of the mobile terminal is detected, a clamping portion is driven to clamp the mobile terminal.

[0003] There is also known a holder that operates to stop clamping the mobile terminal by the clamping portion in preparation for the user removing the mobile terminal from the clamping portion when the vehicle engine is stopped. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-100010 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, many users do not take their mobile terminals out of their holders when they stop at places where they stay for a relatively short time, such as convenience stores and service areas.

[0006] If the holder stops clamping the portable terminal even though the user has no intention of taking the portable terminal out of the holder, the portable terminal will continue to be not firmly held in the holder, increasing the possibility that the portable terminal will fall out of the holder. Therefore, depending on the user's usage pattern, the automatic control of the clamping part may cause dissatisfaction to the user.

[0007] Therefore, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is desirable to provide a new technology that can suppress user dissatisfaction caused by automatic control of a gripping portion configured to grip an object in a holder. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a holder to be mounted on a vehicle. The holder includes a mounting portion, a gripping portion, and a control portion. An object is mounted on the mounting portion. The gripping portion is configured such that, in an open state, it does not grip the object placed on the mounting portion, and, in a closed state, it grips the object, thereby holding the object on the mounting portion.

[0009] The control unit is configured to control the open / closed state of the grip unit. The control unit operates in a specified control mode among a plurality of control modes related to automatic opening and closing, and controls the open / closed state of the grip unit so that the grip unit is in the open / closed state corresponding to the specified one control mode at the start and end of driving of the vehicle.

[0010] According to this holder, the gripping part is automatically opened and closed. However, the open / closed state of the controlled gripping part when the vehicle starts and ends operation differs depending on the specified control mode. Therefore, the holder can automatically open and close the gripping part in a control mode according to the user, and can suppress user dissatisfaction due to the automatic opening and closing.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the holder may include an operation unit capable of receiving an operation from a user, and the control unit may be configured to control the gripping portion to open when an operation to instruct the gripping portion to open is performed via the operation unit.

[0012] The control unit may be configured to control the grip unit to close when an operation to instruct the grip unit to close is performed through the operation unit, or when an action of placing an object on the placement unit is detected using a detector. With this holder, the grip unit can be opened and closed according to the user's desire, without relying on automatic opening and closing, thereby improving user convenience.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit may be configured to operate in a specified control mode based on an operation of specifying one of the control modes through the operation unit. With this configuration, it is possible to control the open / closed state of the grip unit in the control mode specified by the user.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit may be configured to turn the automatic opening / closing function on / off in accordance with an on / off operation of the automatic opening / closing function through the operation unit. The control unit may be configured not to control the open / closed state of the grip unit at the start and end of operation when the automatic opening / closing function is off, and to operate in a specified one of the multiple control modes to control the open / closed state of the grip unit at the start and end of operation when the automatic opening / closing function is on. With this configuration, it is not necessary to execute automatic opening / closing that is not desired by the user.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the plurality of control modes may include one or more, two or more, or all of a first control mode, a second control mode, and a third control mode.

[0016] The first control mode may be a control mode that controls the open / closed state of the grip part at the start and end of operation so that the grip part is in an open state at the start and end of operation. The second control mode may be a control mode that controls the open / closed state of the grip part at the start and end of operation so that the grip part is in an open state at the start of operation and maintains the open / closed state at the end of operation.

[0017] The third control mode may be a control mode that controls the open / closed state of the grip portion at the start and end of operation so that the grip portion is closed at the start of operation and open at the end of operation.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the first control mode may be a control mode that controls the grip portion to close after keeping the grip portion open for a certain period of time when the operation is terminated.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit may control the opening / closing state of the grip portion at the start and end of driving by controlling the opening / closing state of the grip portion in response to the on / off state of the vehicle's accessory switch or engine start switch.

[0020] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the holder may operate by receiving power supply from an on-board power source that starts supplying power when driving starts and ends supplying power when driving ends. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit may be configured to control the open / closed state of the grip unit at the start and end of driving by controlling the open / closed state of the grip unit in response to the start and end of the power supply.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the holder may include a capacitor that stores power supplied from an on-board power supply, and the control unit may control the gripping unit to close when an amount of power stored in the capacitor falls below a reference level. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a configuration of a holder that holds an electronic device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2A is a diagram showing the configuration of the holder when the arms are in an open state, and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing the configuration of the holder when the arms are in a closed state. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the holder. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart (part 1) illustrating a control process executed by a control unit. [Diagram 5] 13 is a second flowchart illustrating the control process executed by the control unit. [Figure 6] 11 is a flowchart (part 3) illustrating the control process executed by the control unit. [Figure 7] 3 is a table illustrating each control mode. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings. The holder 1 of this embodiment shown in Figure 1 is a holder 1 for holding a portable electronic device 5, particularly a smartphone, and is mounted on a vehicle and used inside the vehicle cabin to hold the electronic device 5 carried by a user in the vehicle.

[0024] 2A and 2B, the holder 1 has a mounting portion 11 that contacts the rear surface of the electronic device 5 and supports the rear surface of the electronic device 5. The electronic device 5 is mounted on the mounting portion 11. Hereinafter, the surface of the mounting portion 11 for supporting the rear surface of the electronic device 5 is referred to as a mounting surface 11A. When the holder 1 is used, the mounting surface 11A is disposed so as to be inclined backward with respect to the vertical direction, and thus faces diagonally upward.

[0025] The placement part 11 further includes a support structure 11B protruding from the lower part in the vertical direction in the normal direction of the placement surface 11A. The support structure 11B is configured to support the lower end of the electronic device 5 placed on the placement surface 11A from below. The support by the support structure 11B allows the electronic device 5 to be supported on the placement surface 11A so as not to fall downward due to gravity.

[0026] The holder 1 further includes gripping parts 15 for gripping the electronic device 5 from both the left and right sides to prevent the electronic device 5 from jumping out of the mounting part 11 and falling downward due to acceleration / deceleration or vibration of the vehicle or contact with the user.

[0027] The gripping part 15 has a pair of arms 15A, 15B arranged on the left and right sides of the placement surface 11A at a distance. When the arms 15A, 15B move so that they are spaced apart on the left and right sides greater than the width of the electronic device 5, the gripping part 15 changes to an open state in which the electronic device 5 can be received, as shown in Fig. 2A. When the gripping part 15 is in the open state, a space is formed between the arms 15A, 15B in which the electronic device 5 can be placed on the placement part 11 without interfering with the arms 15A, 15B.

[0028] The gripping unit 15 changes to a closed state by the arms 15A and 15B moving toward each other on the left and right. When the gripping unit 15 is in a closed state, the arms 15A and 15B grip the electronic device 5 positioned between the arms 15A and 15B by pushing the electronic device 5 from the left and right, as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2B. This holds the electronic device 5 so that it does not easily come off the placement unit 11.

[0029] 2B represents an exemplary external shape of the electronic device 5 when the electronic device 5 is placed on the placement unit 11. In this manner, the gripping unit 15 is configured not to grip the electronic device 5 placed on the placement unit 11 from the left and right when in the open state, but to grip the electronic device 5 from the left and right when in the closed state, thereby holding the electronic device 5 as an object on the placement unit 11.

[0030] The gripping portion 15 is electrically driven to open and close. As shown in Fig. 3, the holder 1 includes a control portion 21 for controlling the opening and closing of the gripping portion 15, a drive circuit 23, a motor 25, a sensor 27, and an operation portion 29.

[0031] The control unit 21 includes a processor 211 and a memory 215. The memory 215 includes a volatile memory and an electrically rewritable non-volatile memory such as a flash memory. The non-volatile memory stores data that requires long-term storage, such as computer programs and setting data.

[0032] The processor 211 controls the opening and closing of the grip portion 15 by executing processing according to a computer program stored in the memory 215. In the following, the processing executed by the control portion 21 may be understood as processing executed by the processor 211 according to the computer program.

[0033] The drive circuit 23 drives the motor 25 according to a drive command from the control unit 21. The motor 25 is mechanically connected to the gripper 15 through a gear (not shown), and moves the arms 15A and 15B left and right by rotating. This causes the gripper 15 to open and close.

[0034] For example, when the motor 25 rotates forward, the gripping portion 15 receives the force from the motor 25 and moves the arms 15A and 15B to the left and right so as to approach each other, thereby changing to a closed state.

[0035] For example, when the motor 25 rotates in the reverse direction, the gripping portion 15 receives the force from the motor 25 and moves the arms 15A and 15B left and right so as to move them away from each other, thereby changing into the open state.

[0036] When the gripping portion 15 is closed, the pushing forces acting from the left and right on the electronic device 5 sandwiched between the arms 15A and 15B can be realized by an elastic spring (not shown) provided in the gripping portion 15 and / or a force acting from the motor 25.

[0037] 2A and 2B, the sensor 27 is disposed adjacent to the placement surface 11A and is used as a detector that detects that the electronic device 5 is placed on the placement portion 11. The sensor 27 is configured using, for example, a mechanical switch or an optical sensor.

[0038] For example, the sensor 27 may be a mechanical switch arranged to output an ON signal when the electronic device 5 is placed on the placement section 11 and is pressed by the rear surface of the electronic device 5. In this case, the sensor 27 may be configured to output an OFF signal when the electronic device 5 is not placed on the placement section 11 and is not pressed by the electronic device 5. The sensor 27 may be configured as an optical sensor that detects that it is covered by the rear surface of the electronic device 5.

[0039] The on / off signal from the sensor 27 is input to the control unit 21 and is used by the control unit 21 to detect that the electronic device 5 has been placed on the placement unit 11.

[0040] The operation unit 29 includes two switches 29A and 29B provided on the left and right side surfaces of the holder 1. The operation unit 29 is configured to receive, from the user, an operation to instruct the user to open the grip portion 15 and an operation to instruct the user to switch the control mode of the holder 1, via the switches 29A and 29B.

[0041] Each of the switches 29A and 29B is configured to input an ON signal to the control unit 21 when pressed, and to input an OFF signal to the control unit 21 when not pressed.

[0042] When an ON signal is input from one but not both of switches 29A, 29B, control unit 21 determines that the user has performed an operation to instruct opening grip unit 15. When ON signals are input from both switches 29A, 29B by simultaneously pressing switches 29A, 29B, control unit 21 determines that the user has performed an operation to instruct switching of the control mode.

[0043] The electrically-driven holder 1 configured in this manner is used as an in-vehicle power source by being connected to an accessory (ACC) power source, rather than a constant power source. Therefore, when the vehicle starts to drive, the holder 1 is electrically started when the accessory switch is turned on by a vehicle occupant or the engine start switch is pressed, and power supply from the ACC power source is started.

[0044] The holder 1 is electrically shut down when the vehicle occupant turns off the accessory switch at the end of driving the vehicle, or when the engine start switch is pressed again to stop the engine, cutting off the power supply from the ACC power supply.

[0045] However, the holder 1 further includes a capacitor 30 so that the holder 1 can electrically operate for a while even if the power supply from the ACC power supply is interrupted. When the holder 1 is receiving power from the ACC power supply, the capacitor 30 stores the power supplied thereto.

[0046] Control unit 21 is connected to the ACC power supply and capacitor 30, and starts up when power supply from the ACC power supply starts, and when power supply from the ACC power supply is cut off, operates for a while, for example, about 20 minutes, using the power stored in capacitor 30 up until that point. Control unit 21 operates to stop when the voltage supplied from capacitor 30 drops below the reference level due to power consumption.

[0047] Next, details of the control process that control unit 21 starts executing immediately after startup when power supply from the ACC power source is started will be described with reference to Figures 4, 5, and 6. The processes of S110 to S170 included in the control process described below correspond to the processes immediately after power supply from the ACC power source is started, i.e., the processes at the start of operation, and the processes of S210 to S270 correspond to the processes during operation.

[0048] The start of driving here means that each part of the vehicle has started as a result of the start of power supply from the ACC power source, and does not mean that the vehicle is running. The processes of S310 to S340 included in the control process correspond to the processes immediately after the power supply from the ACC power source is cut off, that is, the processes at the end of driving, and the processes of S410 to S480 correspond to the processes thereafter while the vehicle is stopped or parked.

[0049] When the control unit 21 starts the control process, it first determines the current control mode (S110). The setting value of the control mode is stored as setting data in a non-volatile memory provided in the memory 215. The control unit 21 can read the setting value of the control mode from the memory 215 and determine the currently set control mode (S110).

[0050] The control modes are control modes related to automatic opening and closing of the grip portion 15 when the vehicle starts and ends its operation, in other words, when the power supply from the ACC power source to the holder 1 starts and is cut off.

[0051] According to this embodiment, the holder 1 is provided with four control modes including a manual mode, a welcome mode, a full auto mode, and a reverse full auto mode, and the control unit 21 controls the opening and closing of the gripping portion 15 in one of these control modes.

[0052] The default control mode may be, for example, a manual mode, which is a mode in which automatic opening and closing is not performed, and setting the control mode to the manual mode corresponds to setting the automatic opening and closing function to off.

[0053] Setting the control mode to any control mode other than the manual mode, specifically, to any of the welcome mode, full auto mode, and reverse full auto mode, corresponds to turning on the automatic opening / closing function. As shown in the table in Figure 7, each control mode executes a different opening / closing operation.

[0054] "ACC on" in the table means that an event occurs in which power supply from the ACC power source to the holder 1 starts when operation starts, and "ACC off" means that an event occurs in which power is cut off when operation ends. "Voltage drop" means that an event occurs in which the supply voltage from the capacitor 30 drops below a reference value. Details of the automatic opening and closing operation in each control mode will be described below together with details of the control process.

[0055] When the current control mode determined in S110 is the manual mode (Yes in S120), the control unit 21 skips the processes of S130 to S170 and proceeds to S210. As a result, in the manual mode, the automatic opening and closing operation of the grip part 15 is not performed immediately after starting operation.

[0056] When the current control mode determined in S110 is the welcome mode (Yes in S130), control unit 21 drives motor 25 via drive circuit 23 so that grip portion 15 is in an open state (S160). Thereafter, control unit 21 proceeds to S210 while maintaining grip portion 15 in the open state.

[0057] When the current control mode determined in S110 is the full auto mode (Yes in S140), control unit 21 drives motor 25 so that grip portion 15 is in the open state, similar to the welcome mode (S160).

[0058] Thereafter, control unit 21 proceeds to S210 while holding grip unit 15 in the open state. Thus, in the welcome mode and the full auto mode, control unit 21 controls opening and closing of grip unit 15 so that grip unit 15 is in the open state when operation starts. However, in the welcome mode and the full auto mode, when it is determined based on an input signal from sensor 27 that electronic device 5 is already placed on placement unit 11 when operation starts, control unit 21 may operate not to open grip unit 15 but to hold grip unit 15 in the closed state.

[0059] When the current control mode determined in S110 is the reverse full auto mode (Yes in S150), control unit 21 drives motor 25 via drive circuit 23 so that grip portion 15 is in a closed state (S170). Thus, in the reverse full auto mode, control unit 21 controls the opening and closing of grip portion 15 so that grip portion 15 is in a closed state when operation starts.

[0060] The operation of closing grip portion 15 at the start of driving in reverse full auto mode is a control mode assuming that electronic device 5 is placed on placement portion 11 with grip portion 15 open before driving starts, and then driving of the vehicle is started. After the process in S170, control portion 21 proceeds to S210 while keeping grip portion 15 closed.

[0061] In S210, the control unit 21 determines whether a mode switching operation has been performed through the operation unit 29. The control unit 21 can determine that a mode switching operation has been performed when the user presses both switches 29A and 29B and an ON signal is input from both switches 29A and 29B.

[0062] When it is determined that a mode switching operation has been performed (Yes in S210), the control unit 21 switches the control mode from the current control mode to the next control mode (S220), and then the control unit 21 returns the process to S210.

[0063] Each time a mode switching operation is performed, the control unit 21 switches the control mode in the following order: manual mode, welcome mode, full auto mode, reverse full auto mode, and then switches from reverse full auto mode to manual mode, thereby switching between these four control modes in a cyclical manner.

[0064] The above-mentioned "next control mode" is a control mode to which the current control mode conforms to the switching rule is switched to. The setting value of the control mode stored in the memory 215 is updated by switching. The updated setting value is temporarily stored, for example, in a volatile memory of the memory 215, and is written to a nonvolatile memory of the memory 215 when the control process ends. In this way, information on the latest control mode specified by the user is stored in the memory 215 so as not to be volatilized even when the control unit 21 is shut down.

[0065] When the mode switching operation is not performed (No in S210), the control unit 21 judges whether or not the electronic device 5 is placed on the placement unit 11 (S230). The control unit 21 can judge that the electronic device 5 is placed on the placement unit 11 on the condition that the input signal from the sensor 27 is switched from an OFF signal to an ON signal.

[0066] When it is determined that the electronic device 5 is placed on the placement unit 11 (Yes in S230), the control unit 21 drives the motor 25 so that the gripping unit 15 is in a closed state (S240). By driving the motor, the electronic device 5 placed on the placement unit 11 is firmly held from the left and right by the gripping unit 15 so as not to fall off the placement unit 11. Thereafter, the control unit 21 returns the process to S210.

[0067] The control unit 21 further judges whether or not an operation to remove the electronic device 5 has been performed (S250). The control unit 21 can judge that an operation to remove the electronic device 5 has been performed when the user presses only one of the switches 29A and 29B, thereby inputting an ON signal from only one of the switches 29A and 29B.

[0068] When it is determined that the removal operation has been performed (Yes in S250), the control unit 21 drives the motor 25 so that the gripper 15 is in the open state (S260), and then the process returns to S210.

[0069] In addition, the control unit 21 determines whether the power supply from the ACC power source has been cut off due to the end of operation (S270). The control unit 21 repeatedly executes the processes of S210 to S270 until the power supply is cut off, and when it determines that the power supply from the ACC power source has been cut off (Yes in S270), it proceeds to S310.

[0070] In S310, the control unit 21 starts a timer to count the time that has elapsed since the end of operation. Next, the control unit 21 determines whether the current control mode is the full auto mode or the reverse full auto mode (S320, S330).

[0071] If the control unit 21 determines that the current control mode is the full auto mode (Yes in S320) or the current control mode is the reverse full auto mode (Yes in S330), the control unit 21 refers to the timer and drives the motor 25 when a predetermined number of seconds T1 has elapsed since the end of the operation, thereby opening the gripper 15 (S340). The predetermined number of seconds T1 is, for example, 3 seconds. The control unit 21 further resets the timer to count the time that has elapsed since the gripper 15 was opened. After that, the control unit 21 proceeds to S410.

[0072] If the current control mode is neither the full auto mode nor the reverse full auto mode (No in S320 and No in S330), the control unit 21 does not automatically open or close the gripping portion 15, but instead proceeds to S410 while keeping the open / closed state of the gripping portion 15 in the state it was in when operation ended.

[0073] With this operation, when the control mode is the manual mode or the welcome mode, the grip portion 15 is not automatically opened or closed when the operation is terminated, and the grip portion 15 is controlled to open when the operation is terminated only when the control mode is the full auto mode or the reverse full auto mode.

[0074] After the transition to S410, control unit 21 operates using the power supplied from capacitor 30 until power supply from the ACC power source is resumed or until the power stored in capacitor 30 runs out. If capacitor 30 is in a fully charged state when power supply from the ACC power source is cut off, it takes, for example, about 20 minutes for capacitor 30 to run out of power.

[0075] In S410, the control unit 21 determines whether the power supply from the ACC power source has been resumed. Here, a positive determination is made when, for example, the vehicle occupant restarts driving the vehicle by turning on the accessory switch or pushing the engine start switch after stopping or parking for a short period of time. A short period of time for stopping or parking may occur, for example, when the vehicle occupant stays at a stopover location for a short period of time.

[0076] When the control unit 21 determines that the power supply has been resumed (Yes in S410), the process returns to S110 and executes the processes from S110 onwards again. As a result, the automatic opening and closing of the grip unit 15 is executed when the operation is resumed in the same manner as when the operation was started.

[0077] If the power supply has not been resumed (No in S410), the control unit 21 determines whether or not an operation to remove the electronic device 5 has been performed (S415), similar to the process in S250. If it is determined that an operation to remove the electronic device 5 has been performed (Yes in S415), the control unit 21 drives the motor 25 so that the gripper 15 opens (S419). In S419, the control unit 21 further resets the timer to count the elapsed time since the gripper 15 opened. Thereafter, the process returns to S410.

[0078] If the power supply has not been resumed and no removal operation has been performed (No in S410 and No in S415), the control unit 21 determines whether the current control mode is the welcome mode or the full auto mode (S420, S430).

[0079] If the control unit 21 determines that the current control mode is the welcome mode (Yes in S420) or the full auto mode (Yes in S430), the control unit 21 proceeds to S440 and refers to the timer to determine whether or not a predetermined time T2 has elapsed. That is, the control unit 21 determines whether or not the elapsed time indicated by the timer has exceeded the predetermined time T2.

[0080] The predetermined time T2 is determined by a designer, taking into consideration the time from when the grip portion 15 is opened until the user takes out the electronic device 5. The predetermined time T2 may be, for example, three minutes.

[0081] When the control unit 21 determines that the predetermined time T2 has elapsed (Yes in S440), it drives the motor 25 to close the gripper 15 (S450) and proceeds to S460. On the other hand, when it determines that the predetermined time T2 has not elapsed (No in S440), the control unit 21 skips the process of S450 and proceeds to S460 while keeping the gripper 15 in the open / closed state.

[0082] In S460, control unit 21 determines whether or not the supply voltage from capacitor 30 has fallen below the reference level. The supply voltage falls below the reference level when the amount of power stored in capacitor 30 falls below the reference level due to consumption.

[0083] If it is determined that the supply voltage has not fallen below the reference voltage (No in S460), the control unit 21 returns the process to S410. On the other hand, if it is determined that the supply voltage has fallen below the reference voltage (Yes in S460), the control unit 21 drives the motor 25 to close the gripper 15 (S470), and then ends the control process.

[0084] In addition, if the current control mode is neither the welcome mode nor the full auto mode (No in S420 and S430), the control unit 21 proceeds to S480 and determines whether the voltage supplied from the capacitor 30 has dropped below the reference value.

[0085] When it is determined that the voltage supplied from capacitor 30 has not fallen below the reference value (No in S480), control unit 21 returns the process to S410. In other words, when the current control mode is neither the welcome mode nor the full auto mode, control unit 21 waits until the power supply from the ACC power source is resumed or the voltage supplied from capacitor 30 falls below the reference value while responding to the removal operation.

[0086] When the voltage supplied from the capacitor 30 falls below the reference value (Yes in S480), the control unit 21 ends the control process without making any change to the open / closed state of the grip unit 15.

[0087] Therefore, in the reverse full auto mode, the control process ends with the grip portion 15 open, and in the welcome mode and full auto mode, the control process may end with the grip portion 15 closed. Upon completion of the control process, the control unit 21 stops operating. That is, the control unit 21 shuts down.

[0088] According to the holder 1 of this embodiment described above, the control unit 21 operates in one of a plurality of control modes related to the automatic opening and closing of the grip unit 15, which is specified by the user through the operation unit 29, and controls the opening and closing state of the grip unit 15 so that the grip unit 15 is in an opening and closing state corresponding to the specified one control mode at the start and end of vehicle operation, respectively.

[0089] In particular, the multiple control modes include a welcome mode and a full auto mode in which grip portion 15 is opened when operation starts, and a reverse full auto mode in which grip portion 15 is closed when operation starts. The multiple control modes include a full auto mode and a reverse full auto mode in which grip portion 15 is opened when operation ends, and a welcome mode in which grip portion 15 is not automatically opened or closed when operation ends.

[0090] In this way, the open / closed state of the automatically opened / closed grip portion 15 at the start and end of the vehicle operation differs for each control mode. Therefore, according to the holder 1 of this embodiment, the grip portion 15 can be automatically opened / closed in a pattern according to the user's desire, and the user's dissatisfaction caused by the automatic opening / closing can be suppressed.

[0091] For example, even when a first user stops at a facility where the stay is short, such as a convenience store or a service area, the first user takes out the electronic device 5 from the holder 1 and gets out of the car with the electronic device 5, but a second user with a different personality is expected to leave the electronic device 5 inside the car and get out of the car when stopping at a facility where the stay is short, without taking out the electronic device 5 from the holder 1. Whether or not to take out the electronic device 5 when stopping for a short time depends on the personality of the user, but the same user often takes the same action every time they stop at a facility.

[0092] The control mode can be selected according to the usage manner of such a user. A second user who gets out of the vehicle while leaving the electronic device 5 inside the vehicle usually does not want the grip portion 15 to be automatically opened when parking.

[0093] If the electronic device 5 is left on the placement portion 11 with the grip portion 15 open, the electronic device 5 may fall off the holder 1 and become damaged. For this reason, the second user may be dissatisfied with the automatic opening of the grip portion 15 at the end of operation. The above-mentioned welcome mode is advantageous in that it can reduce the possibility of the electronic device 5 falling off when used by the second user.

[0094] Conversely, it is convenient for the first user if the grip portion 15 opens automatically when parking. That is, the above-described full auto mode and reverse full auto mode are convenient for the first user in that the first user does not need to operate the operation portion 29 to remove the electronic device 5 from the holder 1 when parking.

[0095] In addition, the holder 1 can be used by various users, such as users who want to place the electronic device 5 in the holder 1 as soon as they get into the car, users who want to place the electronic device 5 in the holder 1 after getting into the car and starting the engine, users who find it uncomfortable when the grip portion 15 remains open, and users who do not want automatic opening and closing linked to the on / off of the accessory switch.

[0096] According to the holder 1 of the present embodiment, by switching the control mode as described above, the grip portion 15 can be automatically opened and closed appropriately according to the desires of each user, thereby improving convenience for the user.

[0097] The present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, the holder 1 may have five or more control modes including a control mode other than the manual mode, welcome mode, full auto mode, and reverse full auto mode.

[0098] For example, the holder 1 may have two or more, three or more, or four or more control modes including one or more, two or more, or three or more of a manual mode, a welcome mode, a full auto mode, and a reverse full auto mode, and another control mode.

[0099] In addition, operation unit 29 may be configured to be able to accept an operation from a user instructing to close grip unit 15. In this case, when an operation instructing to close is performed, control unit 21 can drive motor 25 to bring grip unit 15 into a closed state.

[0100] The grip unit 15 may be configured to be manually opened and closed by the user. Alternatively, when the grip unit 15 is manually opened and closed by the user, the motor 25 may be driven to detect the force applied by the user and assist the user in manually opening and closing the grip unit 15.

[0101] The holder 1 may be used by being connected to an ignition (IG) power supply instead of an ACC power supply as an on-board power supply. That is, the holder 1 may be configured so that the control unit 21 is activated when power supply from the IG power supply starts at the start of driving. The control unit 21 may operate by receiving power supply from the capacitor 30 when power supply from the IG power supply is cut off at the end of driving, and may stop when the supply voltage from the capacitor 30 drops below a reference value. The control unit 21 may be configured to control the open / closed state of the grip unit 15 in response to the start and end of power supply from the IG power supply.

[0102] The function of one component in the above embodiments may be distributed among multiple components. The functions of multiple components may be integrated into one component. Part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be omitted. At least part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be added to or substituted for the configuration of another of the above embodiments. All aspects included in the technical idea identified from the wording of the claims are embodiments of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 1...holder, 5...electronic device, 11...mounting portion, 11A...mounting surface, 11B...support structure, 15...gripping portion, 15A...arm, 15B...arm, 21...control portion, 23...drive circuit, 25...motor, 27...sensor, 29...operation portion, 29A...switch, 29B...switch, 30...capacitor, 211...processor, 215...memory.

Claims

1. A holder mounted on a vehicle, A placement section on which an object is placed; a gripping section configured not to grip the object placed on the placement section in an open state, and configured to grip the object and hold the object on the placement section in a closed state; A control unit configured to control an open / closed state of the gripping unit; An operation unit capable of receiving an operation from a user; Equipped with The control unit operates in a specified one of a plurality of control modes for automatic opening and closing, and controls the open / closed state of the gripping portion so that the gripping portion is in an open / closed state corresponding to the specified one of the control modes at the start and end of operation of the vehicle, respectively, and the holder operates in the specified one of the control modes based on an operation to specify one of the plurality of control modes through the operating unit.

2. The control unit turns the automatic opening / closing function on / off in accordance with an on / off operation of the automatic opening / closing function through the operating unit, and when the automatic opening / closing function is off, does not control the opening / closing state of the gripping unit at the start and end of operation, and when the automatic opening / closing function is on, operates in the specified one of the multiple control modes to control the opening / closing state of the gripping unit at the start and end of operation.

3. A holder mounted on a vehicle, A placement section on which an object is placed; a gripping section configured not to grip the object placed on the placement section in an open state, and configured to grip the object and hold the object on the placement section in a closed state; A control unit configured to control an open / closed state of the gripping unit; An operation unit capable of receiving an operation from a user; Equipped with The control unit turns the automatic opening / closing function on / off in accordance with an on / off operation of the automatic opening / closing function through the operating unit, and when the automatic opening / closing function is on, operates in a specified one of a plurality of control modes related to automatic opening / closing, and controls the opening / closing state of the gripping part so that the gripping part is in an opening / closing state corresponding to the specified one control mode at the start and end of driving of the vehicle, respectively, and when the automatic opening / closing function is off, does not control the opening / closing state of the gripping part at the start and end of driving.

4. The control unit further comprises: When an operation for instructing to open the grip portion is performed through the operation unit, the grip portion is controlled to be opened; A holder as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, which controls the gripping portion to close when an operation is performed through the operating portion to instruct the gripping portion to be closed, or when an operation of placing the object on the placement portion is detected using a detector.

5. The plurality of control modes include: A first control mode that controls an open / closed state of the grip portion at the start of operation and at the end of operation so that the grip portion is in an open state at the start of operation and at the end of operation; A second control mode in which the open / closed state of the grip portion is controlled at the start of the operation and at the end of the operation so that the grip portion is in a closed state at the start of the operation and in an open state at the end of the operation; and A third control mode in which the open / closed state of the grip part is controlled at the start of the operation and at the end of the operation so that the grip part is in an open state at the start of the operation and the grip part is maintained in the open / closed state at the end of the operation. The holder according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising one or more of the following:

6. A holder mounted on a vehicle, A placement section on which an object is placed; a gripping section configured not to grip the object placed on the placement section in an open state, and configured to grip the object and hold the object on the placement section in a closed state; A control unit configured to control an open / closed state of the gripping unit; Equipped with the control unit operates in a specified one of a plurality of control modes related to automatic opening and closing, and controls the opening and closing state of the grip unit so that the grip unit is in an opening and closing state corresponding to the specified one of the control modes at the start and end of driving of the vehicle, respectively; The plurality of control modes include: A first control mode that controls an open / closed state of the grip portion at the start of operation and the end of operation so that the grip portion is in an open state at the start of operation and the end of operation; and A second control mode in which the open / closed state of the grip portion is controlled at the start of the operation and at the end of the operation so that the grip portion is in a closed state at the start of the operation and in an open state at the end of the operation. A holder that contains one or more of the following:

7. The plurality of control modes include: A third control mode in which the open / closed state of the grip part is controlled at the start of the operation and at the end of the operation so that the grip part is in an open state at the start of the operation and the grip part is maintained in the open / closed state at the end of the operation. The holder of claim 6 further comprising:

8. The holder according to claim 5 , wherein the plurality of control modes include two or more of the first control mode, the second control mode, and the third control mode.

9. 8. The holder according to claim 5 or 7, wherein the plurality of control modes include the first control mode, the second control mode, and the third control mode.

10. the plurality of control modes includes the first control mode, A holder as described in any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the first control mode is a control mode that controls the gripping portion to close after keeping the gripping portion open for a certain period of time when the operation is terminated.

11. A holder as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the control unit controls the opening / closing state of the grip portion when the driving starts and when the driving ends by controlling the opening / closing state of the grip portion in response to the on / off of an accessory switch or an engine start switch of the vehicle.

12. the holder operates by receiving power from an on-board power source that starts power supply when the driving starts and ends power supply when the driving ends, A holder as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the control unit controls the open / closed state of the gripping portion at the start and end of the operation by controlling the open / closed state of the gripping portion in response to the start and end of the power supply.

13. the holder includes a capacitor that stores power supplied from the vehicle-mounted power supply, The holder according to claim 12 , wherein the control unit controls the gripping unit, which is in an open state, to close on condition that an amount of stored power in the capacitor falls below a reference level.

14. A holder mounted on a vehicle, A placement section on which an object is placed; a gripping section configured not to grip the object placed on the placement section in an open state, and configured to grip the object and hold the object on the placement section in a closed state; A control unit configured to control an open / closed state of the gripping unit; and the vehicle is operated by receiving power from an on-board power source that starts supplying power when the vehicle starts to drive and ends supplying power when the vehicle stops driving; the control unit operates in a specified one of a plurality of control modes related to automatic opening and closing, and controls the opening and closing state of the grip unit in response to the start and end of the power supply, thereby controlling the opening and closing state of the grip unit so that the grip unit is in an opening and closing state corresponding to the specified one of the control modes at the start and end of operation of the vehicle, respectively; The holder further includes a capacitor that stores power supplied from the vehicle power supply, The control unit controls the gripping portion, which is in an open state, to close when the amount of power stored in the capacitor falls below a reference value.

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