Front drive system of the passenger compartment

Abstract

To provide a front-section drive device of a passenger compartment capable of effectively highlighting information corresponding to a vehicle state displayed to a display part for a crew member.SOLUTION: On a front wall 14 of a passenger compartment in a vehicle, a display 16 part for displaying information is disposed. The display 16 is movable between a first position P1 fitted to the front wall 14 and a second position P2 nearer inside the passenger compartment than the first position P1. The display 16 is moved by a movement mechanism to either the first position P1 or the second position P2 in accordance with a vehicle state. Therefore, the display 16 to which information corresponding to a vehicle state is displayed is moved from the first position P1 to the second position P2 in accordance with the vehicle state then, so that the display 16 approaches a crew member. Consequently, it is possible to highlight the information corresponding to the vehicle state effectively for a crew member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a front drive device for a vehicle cabin.

Background Art

[0002] In the vehicle shown in Patent Document 1, a steering wheel and a plurality of display panels are arranged on the front wall of the vehicle cabin. The display panels can display various information. The plurality of display panels include a main panel and a sub-panel. The relative position of the main panel with respect to the rotation direction about the rotation axis of the steering wheel is fixed. The sub-panel can change the relative position with respect to the rotation direction about the rotation axis of the steering wheel.

[0003] In the vehicle of Patent Document 1, the relative position of the sub-panel with respect to the rotation direction about the rotation axis of the steering wheel is changed according to the vehicle state. Therefore, by displaying the information necessary for the occupant corresponding to the vehicle state on the sub-panel and moving the sub-panel to a position where it is easily visible to the vehicle occupant, the above information can be made to stand out to some extent for the occupant.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The above sub-panel only moves around the rotation axis of the steering wheel. Therefore, even if the moving position of the sub-panel is changed, it is difficult to effectively make the information corresponding to the vehicle state displayed on the sub-panel stand out to the occupant.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] Next, we will describe various embodiments of the front drive system for the passenger compartment that solve the above problems. (Aspect 1) A front drive unit for a passenger compartment of a vehicle is provided, comprising a display unit for displaying information on the front wall of the passenger compartment and a moving mechanism for moving the display unit, wherein the display unit is movable between a first position attached to the front wall and a second position located further inside the passenger compartment than the first position, and the moving mechanism moves the display unit to either the first position or the second position depending on the vehicle state.

[0007] According to the above configuration, the display unit for displaying information moves between a first position, which is mounted on the front wall of the passenger compartment, and a second position, which is located further inside the passenger compartment than the first position, depending on the vehicle state. Therefore, by moving the display unit, which displays information corresponding to the vehicle state, from the first position to the second position according to the vehicle state at that time, the display unit comes closer to the occupants, making the information corresponding to the vehicle state more conspicuous to the occupants.

[0008] (Aspect 2) The front drive device for a passenger compartment according to Embodiment 1, wherein when the display unit is moved to the first position, the passenger compartment-side surface of the display unit is positioned on the same plane as the passenger compartment-side surface of the front wall.

[0009] According to the above configuration, by moving the display unit to the first position, the passenger compartment-facing side of the display unit lies on the same plane as the passenger compartment-facing side of the front wall. Therefore, if another display unit is placed around the display unit on the front wall, it becomes possible to display information over a larger area by combining the display unit in the first position and the other display unit.

[0010] (Aspect 3) The front drive device for a passenger compartment according to (Aspect 1) or (Aspect 2), wherein the moving mechanism moves the display unit from the first position to the second position when the vehicle state is switched from automatic driving to manual driving, and when the display unit moves to the second position, it displays the vehicle speed as the information.

[0011] When the vehicle state is switched from automatic to manual driving, the vehicle speed is one of the pieces of information that the occupants need in accordance with the vehicle state. With the above configuration, when the vehicle state is switched from automatic to manual driving, the vehicle speed is displayed on the display unit that moves to the second position, so that the vehicle speed, which is information that the occupants need when the vehicle is being driven manually, can be effectively highlighted to the occupants.

[0012] (Aspect 4) The front drive unit for the passenger compartment according to (Aspect 3), wherein the display unit is located in front of the driver's seat in the passenger compartment.

[0013] With the above configuration, when the vehicle state switches from automatic driving to manual driving, the vehicle speed displayed on the display unit can be effectively made visible to the occupant seated in the driver's seat. (Appendix 5) The front drive device for a passenger compartment, as described in Embodiment 4, is provided with a steering wheel used by an occupant seated in the driver's seat to steer the vehicle in manual operation, the steering wheel being movable between a retracted position in which it is stored on the front side of the vehicle where the display unit is in the first position, and a protruding position which is closer to the driver's seat than the retracted position, the movement mechanism being able to move the steering wheel between the retracted position and the protruding position, the steering wheel being moved to the retracted position during automatic operation and the steering wheel being moved to the protruding position during manual operation.

[0014] According to the above configuration, during autonomous driving when steering of the vehicle by the steering wheel is not required, the steering wheel can be made less visible to the occupant of the driver's seat by storing the steering wheel in a position in front of the first position, that is, the storage position. On the other hand, during manual driving of the vehicle, by protruding the steering wheel to a protruding position close to the driver's seat, the occupant of the driver's seat can use the steering wheel to steer the vehicle. By thus protruding the steering wheel only to the protruding position when necessary and storing it in the storage position when not necessary, the occupant can widely use the driver's seat.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015] [Figure 1] It is a plan view showing the front part of the passenger compartment in a vehicle. [Figure 2] It is a perspective view showing the front wall, display, and steering wheel in the passenger compartment of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a perspective view showing the state where the steering wheel of FIG. 1 is moved to the storage position. [Figure 4] It is a perspective view showing the state where the display of FIG. 2 is moved to the first position. [Figure 5] It is a side view showing the front wall, display, and steering wheel in the passenger compartment of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] It is a side view showing the state where the steering wheel of FIG. 5 is moved to the storage position. [Figure 7] It is a side view showing the link device for moving the display of FIG. 1. [Figure 8] It is a side view showing the link device when the display of FIG. 7 is moved to the first position.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the front drive device of the passenger compartment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. The vehicle shown in Fig. 1 can switch the vehicle state between automatic driving and manual driving based on the operation of the occupant. Inside the passenger compartment 11 of this vehicle, the driver's seat 12 and the front passenger seat 13 are provided side by side in the width direction of the vehicle, that is, in the vertical direction of Fig. 1. The driver's seat 12 and the front passenger seat 13 are located on the rear side of the vehicle with respect to the front wall 14 of the passenger compartment 11, that is, on the right side of Fig. 1.

[0017] The steering wheel 15 and the display 16 are arranged on the front wall 14. The steering wheel 15 and the display 16 are located in front of the driver's seat 12. The steering wheel 15 is used when the vehicle state is switched to manual driving and the occupant sitting on the driver's seat 12 manually steers the vehicle. The display 16 functions as a display unit capable of displaying various information.

[0018] The steering wheel 15 and the display 16 can each change their positions according to the vehicle state. Specifically, the steering wheel 15 can move between the protruding position P4 shown in Fig. 2 and the retracted position P3 shown in Fig. 3. Also, the display 16 can move between the first position P1 shown in Fig. 4 and the second position P2 shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

[0019] <The first position P1, the second position P2> The first position P1 shown in Fig. 4 is the position when the display 16 is attached to the front wall 14. When the display 16 moves to the first position P1, the surface 16a on the passenger compartment 11 side of the display 16 is positioned on the same plane as the surface 14a on the passenger compartment 11 side of the front wall 14. Around the display 16 on the front wall 14, a display 20 different from the display 16 is arranged. The surface 20a on the passenger compartment 11 side of this display 20 is positioned on the same plane as the surface 14a on the passenger compartment 11 side of the front wall 14. For this reason, the surface 20a of the display 20 is positioned on the same plane as the surface 16a of the display 16 when it is in the first position P1.

[0020] The second position P2 shown in Figures 2 and 3 is a position where the display 16 protrudes further inward into the passenger compartment 11 than the first position P1. Specifically, by moving from the first position P1 to the second position P2, the display 16 is positioned higher and closer to the driver's seat 12 than when it was in the first position P1.

[0021] The display 16 moves to the first position P1 when the vehicle is in autonomous driving mode and to the second position P2 when the vehicle is in manual driving mode. Therefore, when the vehicle state is switched from autonomous driving to manual driving mode based on the operation of the vehicle occupant, the display 16 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2. As the vehicle state is switched from autonomous driving to manual driving mode, the display 16 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2, and the vehicle speed is displayed on the display 16 as information corresponding to the vehicle state. Furthermore, when the vehicle state is switched from manual driving to autonomous driving mode based on the operation of the vehicle occupant, the display 16 moves from the second position P2 to the first position P1.

[0022] The display 16, having moved to the first position P1, can display various types of information in conjunction with the surrounding displays 20. Information displayed in this large combined area of ​​displays 16 and 20 could include, for example, information indicating the vehicle's operating status. Other information displayed in this area could include, for example, information regarding the status and operation of the navigation system, video and audio equipment, and air conditioning systems, as well as images and videos for entertainment.

[0023] <Stored position P3, protruding position P4> The storage position P3 shown in Figure 3 is the position where the steering wheel 15 is stored during autonomous driving of the vehicle. When the display 16 is moved from the second position P2 to the first position P1 shown in Figure 4, the steering wheel 15, which has moved to the storage position P3, will be stored on the front side of the vehicle of the display 16 that has moved to the first position P1.

[0024] The protruding position P4 shown in Figure 2 is a position closer to the driver's seat 12 than when the steering wheel 15 is moved to the retracted position P3. Therefore, by moving the steering wheel 15 from the retracted position P3 to the protruding position P4, it is positioned closer to the driver's seat 12 than when it is in the retracted position P3.

[0025] The steering wheel 15 moves to the retracted position P3 when the vehicle is in autonomous driving mode, and to the extended position P4 when the vehicle is in manual driving mode. Therefore, when the vehicle state is switched from autonomous driving to manual driving based on the operation of the vehicle occupant, the steering wheel 15 moves from the retracted position P3 to the extended position P4 as the display 16 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2. Also, when the vehicle state is switched from autonomous driving to manual driving based on the operation of the vehicle occupant, the steering wheel 15 moves from the extended position P4 to the retracted position P3, and the display 16 moves from the second position P2 to the first position P1.

[0026] <Movement mechanism for moving the handle 15 and display 16> As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the handle 15 moves between a retracted position P3 and an extended position P4 through the operation of a sliding device 17. The sliding device 17 is driven by a motor 18. The sliding device 17 and motor 18 act as a moving mechanism that moves the display 16 to either a first position P1 or a second position P2. The motor 18 is controlled by a control unit 19 mounted on the vehicle. Such a control unit 19 is implemented, for example, by a computer used to control various devices mounted on the vehicle.

[0027] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the display 16 moves between a first position P1 and a second position P2 through the operation of the linkage device 21. The linkage device 21 is driven by a motor 22. The motor 22 is controlled by the control unit 19. The linkage device 21 and the motor 22 serve as a moving mechanism that moves the handle 15 between a retracted position P3 and an extended position P4. The linkage device 21 comprises a first link 23, a first fixed pin 24, a first movable pin 25, a second link 26, a second fixed pin 27, and a second movable pin 28.

[0028] The first link 23 is capable of rotating around the centerline of the first fixing pin 24, which is fixed to the vehicle. The end of the first link 23 on the display 16 side is connected by the first movable pin 25 so that it can rotate relative to the display 16 around the centerline of the first movable pin 25. The second link 26 is capable of rotating around the centerline of the second fixing pin 27, which is fixed to the vehicle. The end of the second link 26 on the display 16 side is connected by the second movable pin 28 so that it can rotate relative to the display 16 around the centerline of the second movable pin 28.

[0029] When the motor 22 drives the linkage device 21, it rotates the first link 23 around the center line of the first fixing pin 24. As shown in Figure 8, when the display 16 is in the first position P1, the motor 22's forward rotation drives the linkage device 21, causing the first link 23 to rotate in the forward direction, which moves the display 16 from the first position P1 to the second position P2 shown in Figure 7. Conversely, when the display 16 is in the second position P2, the motor 22's reverse rotation drives the linkage device 21, causing the first link 23 to rotate in the reverse direction, which moves the display 16 from the second position P2 to the first position P1 shown in Figure 8.

[0030] Next, the operation of the front drive system of the vehicle in this embodiment will be described. The vehicle occupants perform operations to switch the vehicle state between automated and manual driving. When the vehicle is in automated driving mode, the display 16 is in the first position P1 shown in Figure 8, and the steering wheel 15 is in the stowed position P3 shown in Figure 6.

[0031] Then, when the vehicle state is switched from automatic to manual driving by the occupant's operation, the control unit 19 controls the motor 22 to drive the linkage device 21, thereby moving the display 16 from the first position P1, as shown in Figure 8, to the second position P2, as shown in Figure 7. In other words, the display 16 is moved from the first position P1 to the second position P2 by the moving mechanism. At this time, the display 16 displays the vehicle as information necessary for the occupant's manual driving.

[0032] Furthermore, when the vehicle state is switched from automatic to manual driving by the occupant's operation, the control unit 19 controls the motor 18 to drive the sliding device 17, thereby moving the handle 15 from the retracted position P3, as shown in Figure 6, to the protruding position P4, as shown in Figure 5. In other words, the handle 15 is moved from the retracted position P3 to the protruding position P4 by the moving mechanism. This movement of the handle 15 is carried out in a manner that does not come into contact with the display 16, which moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2.

[0033] When the vehicle is being driven manually, the display 16 is in the second position P2 shown in Figure 7, and the steering wheel 15 is in the protruding position P4 shown in Figure 5. Then, when the vehicle state is switched from manual to automatic driving by the occupant's operation, the control unit 19 controls the motor 18 to drive the sliding device 17, thereby moving the handle 15, which is in the protruding position P4 as shown in Figure 5, to the retracted position P3 as shown in Figure 6. In other words, the handle 15 is moved from the protruding position P4 to the retracted position P3 by the moving mechanism.

[0034] Furthermore, when the vehicle state is switched from manual to automatic driving by the occupant's operation, the control unit 19 controls the motor 22 to drive the linkage device 21, thereby moving the display 16, which is in the second position P2 as shown in Figure 7, to the first position P1 as shown in Figure 8. In other words, the display 16 is moved from the second position P2 to the first position P1 by the moving mechanism. This movement of the display 16 is carried out in such a way that it does not come into contact with the handle 15, which moves from the protruding position P4 to the retracted position P3.

[0035] According to the embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained. (1) The display 16 moves between a first position P1, which is mounted on the front wall 14 of the passenger compartment 11, and a second position P2, which is located further inside the passenger compartment 11 than the first position P1, depending on the vehicle status. Therefore, by moving the display 16, which displays information corresponding to the vehicle status, from the first position P1 to the second position P2 according to the vehicle status at that time, the display 16 comes closer to the occupants. As a result, information corresponding to the vehicle status can be effectively made more visible to the occupants.

[0036] (2) When the display 16 is moved to the first position P1, the surface 16a of the display 16 facing the passenger compartment 11 is positioned on the same plane as the surface 14a of the front wall 14 facing the passenger compartment 11. Therefore, by arranging another display 20 around the display 16 at the first position P1 on the front wall 14, it becomes possible to display information over a large area combining the display 16 at the first position P1 and the other display 20.

[0037] (3) The moving mechanism moves the display 16 from the first position P1 to the second position P2 when the vehicle state is switched from automatic driving to manual driving. When the display 16 moves to the second position P2, it is configured to display the vehicle speed as information. When the vehicle state is switched from automatic driving to manual driving, the vehicle speed is one of the pieces of information that the occupants need in accordance with the vehicle state. When the vehicle state is switched from automatic driving to manual driving, the vehicle speed is displayed on the display 16 which moves to the second position P2, so the vehicle speed, which is information that the occupants need when the vehicle is being driven manually, can be effectively made visible to the occupants.

[0038] (4) The display 16 is located in front of the driver's seat 12 in the passenger compartment 11. Therefore, when the vehicle state is switched from automatic driving to manual driving, the vehicle speed displayed on the display 16 can be effectively made visible to the occupant seated in the driver's seat 12.

[0039] (5) The occupant seated in the driver's seat 12 steers the vehicle using the steering wheel 15 during manual driving. The steering wheel 15 is movable between a storage position P3, which is stored in front of the display 16 at the first position P1, and a protruding position P4, which is located closer to the driver's seat 12 than the storage position P3. The steering wheel 15 is moved to the storage position P3 during automatic driving and to the protruding position P4 during manual driving by a movement mechanism. Therefore, during automatic driving, when steering the vehicle with the steering wheel 15 is not required, the steering wheel 15 can be stored in the position in front of the first position P1, i.e., the storage position P3, making the steering wheel 15 less visible to the occupant in the driver's seat 12. On the other hand, during manual driving of the vehicle, the steering wheel 15 can be extended to the protruding position P4, which is closer to the driver's seat 12, allowing the occupant in the driver's seat 12 to steer the vehicle using the steering wheel 15. In this way, by extending the steering wheel 15 to the protruding position P4 only when needed and storing it in the retracted position P3 when not needed, the occupant can use the driver's seat 12 more freely.

[0040] The above embodiment can also be modified as follows, for example. The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented to the extent that they do not contradict each other technically. When the display 16 moves to the second position P2, it does not necessarily have to display the vehicle speed; it may also display information other than the vehicle speed.

[0041] • When the display 16 is positioned at the first position P1, its surface 16a is assumed to be on the same plane as the surface 20a of the display 20, but it is not necessarily required that they be on the same plane.

[0042] Display 20 may be omitted. • If the vehicle is driven solely by autonomous driving, the steering wheel 15 may be omitted. In this case, the display 16 does not necessarily need to be located in front of the driver's seat 12. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 11...Vehicle compartment 12… Driver's seat 13…Passenger seat 14...Front wall 14a…side 15... Handle 16…Display 16a...side 17…Slide device 18…motor 19…Control Unit 20…Display 20a…side 21…Link device 22…motor 23…First Link 24…First fixed pin 25…First movable pin 26…Second Link 27…Second fixing pin 28…Second movable pin

Claims

1. In a vehicle, a display unit for displaying information is located on the front wall of the passenger compartment, and a front drive system for the passenger compartment is equipped with a moving mechanism for moving the display unit. The front wall is configured with the area surrounding the display unit as another display unit. The display unit is movable between a first position, which is attached to the front wall, and a second position, which is located further inside the vehicle interior than the first position. The aforementioned moving mechanism moves the display unit to either the first position or the second position depending on the vehicle state. The front drive device for the passenger compartment, where the display unit is configured to display information together with the other display unit when it is moved to the first position.

2. The front drive device for a vehicle interior according to claim 1, wherein when the display unit is moved to the first position, the vehicle interior-facing surface of the display unit is positioned on the same plane as the vehicle interior-facing surface of the other display unit.

3. The aforementioned moving mechanism moves the display unit from the first position to the second position when the vehicle state is switched from automatic driving to manual driving. The front drive device for a passenger compartment according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display unit, when moved to the second position, displays the vehicle speed as the information.

4. The front drive device for a passenger compartment according to claim 3, wherein the display unit is located in front of the driver's seat in the passenger compartment.

5. The vehicle is equipped with a steering wheel used by the occupant seated in the driver's seat to steer the vehicle in manual operation, The steering wheel is movable between a retracted position in which the display unit is stored on the front side of the vehicle in the first position, and a protruding position that is closer to the driver's seat than the retracted position. The front drive device for a vehicle cabin according to claim 4, wherein the moving mechanism is capable of moving the handle between the retracted position and the protruding position, and the handle is moved to the retracted position during automatic driving and to the protruding position during manual driving.

Images