Touch panel device for bus

Abstract

To secure a wide display area for operation information while suppressing deterioration in an operability of a touch panel, or to reduce a possibility of erroneously operating a plurality of broadcast buttons displayed on the touch panel when displaying a stop notification button, the plurality of broadcast buttons, and the operation information in a consolidated manner on the touch panel.SOLUTION: A display control unit 26 causes a touch panel 12 to display a stop notification button 30 for notifying a passenger of a next stop, operation information 32 regarding bus operation, and a display switching button 34. The display control unit 26 causes the touch panel 12 to display a plurality of broadcast buttons 40 for broadcasting sound into or outside a vehicle in response to operation of the display switching button 34. The plurality of broadcast buttons 40 are buttons which are used less frequently than the stop notification button 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification discloses a touch panel device for buses operated by bus drivers.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, various voice broadcasts have been made on buses to passengers or people near the bus.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a broadcast control device provided on a bus, including a plurality of mechanical buttons for performing broadcasts inside and outside the bus, and a display unit for displaying a broadcast screen including information related to the broadcast.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, consider a stop notification button for notifying passengers of the next stop, a plurality of broadcast buttons for performing broadcasts inside and outside the bus, and aggregating and displaying operation information related to the operation of the bus on the touch panel. Here, if the number of buttons displayed on the touch panel at one time is large, there may arise a problem that the display area of the operation information on the touch panel becomes narrow. Also, if the number of buttons displayed on the touch panel at one time is large, there may arise a problem that the possibility of the bus driver accidentally operating the button increases.

[0006] The object of the touch panel device for buses disclosed in this specification is to suppress a decrease in the operability of the touch panel while ensuring a wide display area for operation information when aggregating and displaying stop notification buttons, a plurality of broadcast buttons, and operation information on the touch panel. Or, the object of the touch panel device for buses disclosed in this specification is to reduce the possibility of incorrect operation on a plurality of broadcast buttons displayed on the touch panel.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The touch panel device for buses disclosed in this specification displays a stop notification button for notifying passengers of the next stop, a display switching button, and operation information regarding the operation of the bus on the touch panel, and in response to the operation of the display switching button, a plurality of broadcast buttons for performing voice broadcasts inside or outside the vehicle, which have a lower usage frequency than the stop notification button, are displayed on the touch panel.

[0008] According to such a configuration, until the display switching button is operated, the plurality of broadcast buttons are not displayed on the touch panel, so that a wider display area for operation information can be ensured accordingly. Thereby, an improvement in the visibility of operation information or an increase in the amount of information of operation information can be realized. In the above configuration, it is necessary to operate the display switching button to operate the broadcast button, and compared with the case where the broadcast button is initially displayed on the touch panel, the amount of operation required to operate the broadcast button increases. However, in the above configuration, the plurality of broadcast buttons displayed by operating the display switching button are buttons with a lower usage frequency than the stop notification button. Therefore, the frequency of operating the display switching button decreases, thereby suppressing a decrease in the operability of the touch panel.

[0009] Also, according to such a configuration, until the display switching button is operated, the plurality of broadcast buttons are not displayed on the touch panel, so that in a state where the plurality of broadcast buttons are not displayed, the bus crew will not accidentally operate the broadcast button.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the touch panel device for buses disclosed in this specification, when aggregating and displaying the stop notification button, a plurality of broadcast buttons, and operation information on the touch panel, it is possible to widely secure the display area of the operation information while suppressing a decrease in the operability of the touch panel. Further, according to the touch panel device for buses disclosed in this specification, it is possible to reduce the possibility of an incorrect operation being performed on a plurality of broadcast buttons displayed on the touch panel.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a touch panel device 10 for buses according to this embodiment. The touch panel device 10 for buses is a device mounted on a bus 1. The bus 1 is a vehicle that stops at each of a plurality of stops provided along a route to allow passengers to get on and off. The bus 1 may be a manually driven bus driven by a driver, or an autonomous driving bus that performs autonomous driving without a driver on board.

[0013] The touch panel 12 is an electronic component that combines a display composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (electro-luminescence), and a position input device composed of a sensor that detects the finger or stylus of an operator (a crew member of Bus 1) who touches the display. Various screens for the crew member of Bus 1 are displayed on the touch panel 12. That is, the touch panel 12 is operated by the crew member of Bus 1. For example, the crew member of Bus 1 can cause the processor 24 described later to execute the process associated with the button by operating the button displayed on the touch panel 12. Note that the crew member of Bus 1 is a person who boards Bus 1 and performs work related to the operation of Bus 1, and includes, for example, the driver of Bus 1, a bus guide, or an operator who boards an autonomous bus and provides support for autonomous driving, etc.

[0014] The in-vehicle speaker 14 is provided inside Bus 1 and outputs sound inside Bus 1, particularly to the passengers. In other words, the in-vehicle speaker 14 outputs an audio broadcast inside the vehicle. The outside-vehicle speaker 16 is provided outside Bus 1 and outputs sound outside Bus 1, that is, to a person outside Bus 1. In other words, the outside-vehicle speaker 16 outputs an audio broadcast outside the vehicle.

[0015] The memory 18 is composed of a storage medium such as an MMC (Multi Media Card), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or a RAM (Random Access Memory). Programs for operating each part of the bus touch panel device 10 are stored in the memory 18. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, route information 20 and audio data 22 are stored in the memory 18.

[0016] The operation route information 20 is information regarding the operation route (also called the operation system) of Bus 1. Specifically, the operation route information 20 includes information indicating the name of the operation system of the operation route of Bus 1, the names of a plurality of stops included in the operation system, the order of each stop, and the time required between stops. The operation route information 20 is prepared in advance by the management company of Bus 1 or the like and stored in the memory 18. When Bus 1 can access a server operated by the management company of Bus 1 via a communication line, the operation route information 20 may be downloaded from the server.

[0017] The voice data 22 is data related to voice broadcasts output from the in-vehicle speaker 14 or the out-vehicle speaker 16. Bus 1 can perform various voice broadcasts inside and outside the vehicle, and a plurality of voice data 22 corresponding to various voice broadcasts are stored in the memory 18. The voice data 22 includes those for guiding each stop and those for notifying or alerting passengers or people near Bus 1. The voice data 22 is also prepared in advance by the management company of Bus 1 or the like and stored in the memory 18.

[0018] The processor 24 is composed of, for example, a microprocessor, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The processor 24 may be composed not by a single processing device but by the cooperation of a plurality of physically separated processing devices. The processor 24 functions as a display control unit 26 and a processing execution unit 28 according to a program stored in the memory 18.

[0019] The display control unit 26 performs a process of causing the touch panel 12 to display various screens. Although details will be described later, the display control unit 26 causes the touch panel 12 to display a plurality of buttons and operation information regarding the operation of Bus 1. The process execution unit 28 executes a process associated with the button in response to the button displayed on the touch panel 12 being operated. Hereinafter, the details of the processes of the display control unit 26 and the process execution unit 28 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen that the display control unit 26 causes the touch panel 12 to display. Specifically, the display control unit 26 causes the touch panel 12 to display a stop notification button 30, operation information 32, and a display switching button 34.

[0021] The stop notification button 30 is a button for notifying passengers of the next stop. When the stop notification button 30 is operated, the process execution unit 28 notifies the passengers on Bus 1 of information regarding the stop indicated by the next stop information described below. Specifically, the process execution unit 28 causes a voice (e.g., "The next stop is 〇〇 Stop.") based on the voice data 22 for guiding the stop to be output from the in-vehicle speaker 14. Further, the process execution unit 28 may cause the name of the stop to be displayed on an electronic display board (not shown) provided in Bus 1.

[0022] The process execution unit 28 holds, in the memory 18, next stop information indicating the next stop of Bus 1 based on the operation route information 20 and the number of times the stop notification button 30 has been operated. Specifically, each time the stop notification button 30 is operated, the process execution unit 28 updates the next stop information along the operation route indicated by the operation route information 20. For example, when Bus 1 departs from the starting stop and the stop notification button 30 is operated, the process execution unit 28 updates the next stop information to information indicating the stop next to the starting stop (the second stop), and when the bus passes the second stop and the stop notification button 30 is further operated (when the stop notification button 30 has been operated a total of two times), the process execution unit 28 updates the next stop information to information indicating the third stop.

[0023] In case the crew of bus 1 accidentally operates the stop notification button 30, it is possible to return the stop indicated by the next stop information to the previous stop. In this embodiment, the processing execution unit 28 returns the stop indicated by the next stop information to the previous stop when the stop notification button 30 is long-pressed. In this way, in this embodiment, a button for returning the information indicated by the next stop information to the previous stop is not separately displayed on the touch panel 12. As a result, an increase in the number of buttons displayed on the touch panel 12 is suppressed, and a reduction in the display area of the operation information 32 is suppressed. Also, since there is no return button, the possibility that the crew of bus 1 accidentally returns the stop indicated by the next stop information to the previous stop can be reduced.

[0024] The stop notification button 30 is the button with the highest usage frequency among the buttons displayed on the touch panel 12. Therefore, as will be described later, even when the display control unit 26 switches the screen to be displayed on the touch panel 12, the stop notification button 30 may always be displayed in the same location.

[0025] In the example of FIG. 2, although the text "Send" is displayed on the stop notification button 30, the display control unit 26 may change the text displayed on the stop notification button 30 according to the operation status of Bus 1. For example, until Bus 1 heads from the bus depot to the starting stop, the display control unit 26 can set the text of the stop notification button 30 to "Departure". When the stop notification button 30 with the text "Departure" is operated, the processing execution unit 28 causes the sign provided outside Bus 1 to display the route number and destination (e.g., route number "A1", "To XX Station", etc.) based on the operation route information 20. Then, the display control unit 26 changes the text of the stop notification button 30 to "Send". When the stop notification button 30 with the text "Send" is operated, the processing execution unit 28 notifies the passengers on Bus 1 of the information regarding the stop indicated by the next stop information. Furthermore, when the stop notification button 30 is operated multiple times and the next stop information indicates the terminal stop, the display control unit 26 can set the text of the stop notification button 30 to "Operation End". When the stop notification button 30 with the text "Operation End" is operated, the display control unit 26 returns the text of the stop notification button 30 to "Departure".

[0026] The operation information 32 is information regarding the operation of Bus 1. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the display control unit 26 causes the touch panel 12 to display, as the operation information 32, the route number on which Bus 1 operates, the names of each stop included in the route, the scheduled arrival time at each stop, and the current time. Of course, the operation information 32 is not limited to these, and various information regarding the operation of Bus 1 may be displayed. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the display control unit 26 may display the next stop in a larger and more emphasized manner than other stops based on the above-mentioned next stop information.

[0027] The display switching button 34 is a button for causing the touch panel 12 to display a new button that was not displayed on the screen of FIG. 2. In the present embodiment, the display control unit 26 causes the touch panel 12 to display an in-vehicle broadcast display switching button 34a and an out-vehicle broadcast display switching button 34b as the display switching button 34. When the in-vehicle broadcast display switching button 34a is operated and when the out-vehicle broadcast display switching button 34b is operated, only the audio data 22 associated with the broadcast button 40 to be displayed and the speaker that outputs the audio based on the audio data 22 are different, and the rest is the same. Therefore, the following mainly describes the case where the in-vehicle broadcast display switching button 34a is operated.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the touch panel 12 when the in-vehicle broadcast display switching button 34a is operated. When the in-vehicle broadcast display switching button 34a is operated, the display control unit 26 causes the touch panel 12 to display a plurality of broadcast buttons 40 for performing audio broadcast inside the vehicle. In the example of FIG. 3, the display control unit 26 displays a plurality of broadcast buttons 40 instead of the operation information 32, but a plurality of broadcast buttons 40 may be displayed so as to overlap the operation information 32 (that is, in a pop-up manner). When the out-vehicle broadcast display switching button 34b is operated, the display control unit 26 causes the touch panel 12 to display a plurality of broadcast buttons for performing audio broadcast outside the vehicle.

[0029] Corresponding audio data 22 is associated with each of the plurality of broadcast buttons 40. When each broadcast button 40 is operated, the process execution unit 28 causes the in-vehicle speaker 14 to output the audio based on the audio data 22 corresponding to the operated broadcast button 40. For example, when the "seat transfer button", which is the broadcast button 40, is operated, the process execution unit 28 causes the in-vehicle speaker 14 to output the audio (such as "Please use the seat by sharing it.") based on the audio data 22 corresponding to the "seat transfer button". When the out-vehicle broadcast display switching button 34b is operated, when the displayed broadcast button is operated, the process execution unit 28 causes the out-vehicle speaker 16 to output the audio based on the audio data 22 corresponding to the operated broadcast button.

[0030] The plurality of broadcast buttons 40 are buttons for performing voice broadcasts for notifying passengers or calling their attention. Generally, the frequency of such voice broadcasts is lower than the frequency of notifying passengers of the next stop. Therefore, it can be said that the plurality of broadcast buttons 40 are buttons with a lower usage frequency than the stop notification buttons 30.

[0031] The display control unit 26 causes each broadcast button 40 to display characters indicating the content of the corresponding voice data 22. In the example of FIG. 3, the characters "Mobile phone caution", "Crowded", "Yield seat", and "Wheelchair" are displayed on each broadcast button 40. Thereby, the crew member of the bus 1 can grasp the broadcast button 40 to be operated in order to perform the intended voice broadcast.

[0032] Here, the voice data 22 stored in the memory 18 may be changed. For example, assume that the voice data 22 for notifying passengers of the congestion inside the bus 1 associated with the broadcast button 40 on which the character "Crowded" is displayed is changed to voice data 22 for notifying passengers that it is dangerous to walk around during the running of the bus 1. In this case, the content of the characters displayed on the broadcast button 40 and the content of the voice data 22 associated with the broadcast button 40 will be different from each other. In view of this, it is preferable that the display control unit 26 can change the characters displayed on the broadcast button 40 in response to an operation by the crew member of the bus 1 or the administrator of the bus 1. Specifically, on the touch panel 12, a crew member of the bus 1 or the like can input the characters to be displayed on the broadcast button 40, and the display control unit 26 causes the characters input to the broadcast button 40 to be displayed. In the above example, a crew member of the bus 1 or the like designates the broadcast button 40 on which the character "Crowded" is displayed and inputs, for example, the character "Walking around". The display control unit 26 causes the character "Walking around" to be displayed on the broadcast button 40 in response to the input.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3, when the in-vehicle broadcast display switch button 34a is operated, the display control unit 26 may display, on the touch panel 12 together with a plurality of broadcast buttons 40, a volume increase button 42 for increasing the volume of the sound output from the in-vehicle speaker 14 and a volume decrease button 44 for decreasing the volume of the sound output from the in-vehicle speaker 14. It can be said that the volume increase button 42 and the volume decrease button 44 are also buttons with a lower usage frequency compared to the stop notification button 30.

[0034] When the close button 46 is operated on the screen shown in FIG. 3, the display control unit 26 causes the screen shown in FIG. 2 to be displayed again on the touch panel 12.

[0035] The outline of the bus touch panel device 10 according to the present embodiment is as described above. According to the bus touch panel device 10, until the display switch button 34 is operated, the plurality of broadcast buttons 40 are not displayed on the touch panel 12. Therefore, a wider display area for the operation information 32 can be secured accordingly. As a result, the visibility of the operation information 32 can be improved, or the amount of information of the operation information 32 can be increased. The bus driver 1 only needs to operate the display switch button 34 to display the broadcast buttons 40 when voice broadcasting inside and outside the vehicle is required.

[0036] In the bus touch panel device 10, in order to operate the broadcast button 40, a separate operation of operating the display switch button 34 to display the broadcast button 40 is required. However, since the plurality of broadcast buttons 40 are buttons with a lower usage frequency than the stop notification button 30, the frequency of operating the display switch button 34 is not so high. As a result, a decrease in the operability of the touch panel 12 is suppressed.

[0037] Also, according to the bus touch panel device 10, until the display switch button 34 is operated, the plurality of broadcast buttons 40 are not displayed on the touch panel 12. Therefore, in a state where the plurality of broadcast buttons 40 are not displayed, the bus driver 1 will not accidentally operate the broadcast button 40.

[0038] Furthermore, in the bus touch panel device 10, the display switching button 34 is divided into an in-vehicle broadcast display switching button 34a and an out-of-vehicle broadcast display switching button 34b. That is, it is possible to separately display the broadcast button 40 for in-vehicle broadcast and the broadcast button for out-of-vehicle broadcast. Thereby, even when the number of broadcast buttons is large, all the broadcast buttons for in-vehicle and out-of-vehicle broadcasts are not displayed at once, so that effects such as suppression of screen clutter and easy search for the target broadcast button by the crew of the bus 1 can be obtained.

[0039] As described above, the bus touch panel device according to the present disclosure has been described. However, the bus touch panel device according to the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit thereof.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0040] 1 bus, 10 bus touch panel device, 12 touch panel, 14 in-vehicle speaker, 16 out-of-vehicle speaker, 18 memory, 20 operation route information, 22 audio data, 24 processor, 26 display control unit, 28 processing execution unit, 30 stop notification button, 32 operation information, 34 display switching button, 34a in-vehicle broadcast display switching button, 34b out-of-vehicle broadcast display switching button, 40 broadcast button, 42 volume increase button, 44 volume decrease button, 46 close button.

Claims

【Claim 1】 A stop notification button for notifying passengers of the next stop, A display switching button, Operation information regarding the operation of the bus, are displayed on the touch panel, In response to the display switching button being operated, a plurality of broadcast buttons for performing voice broadcasts inside or outside the vehicle, which have a lower usage frequency than the stop notification button, are displayed on the touch panel. A touch panel device for a bus, characterized by the above.

Images