Information processing device, input system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

An information processing device (20) comprises a control unit that controls whether or not to output an operation signal which has been output in response to a user performing an operation input to an input device (10) mounted on a vehicle (2), wherein the control unit prohibits input of the operation signal to an in-vehicle device (90) when at least one of the following applies: a case in which non-operated rotation of a steering wheel (3) of the vehicle (2) to a neutral position of the steering wheel (3) occurs in a state in which the steering wheel (3) is not gripped or is substantially not gripped; a case in which the angular velocity of the steering wheel (3) is equal to or greater than a prescribed angular velocity; and a case in which the steering angle of the steering wheel (3) is equal to or greater than a prescribed steering angle.

Description

Information processing apparatus, input system, information processing method and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, an input system, an information processing method and a program.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle operating device capable of grasping a driver's steering operation intention. This vehicle operating device classifies the steering operation state into stages based on a combination of detection electrodes serving as a position detection unit that detects the gripping positions of the driver's right hand and left hand on the steering, and a steering angular velocity, a right hand relative angular velocity, and a left hand relative angular velocity, and has a control unit that makes the determination.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-39466

[0004] For example, when the vehicle travels along a curve, a user operates and rotates the steering wheel. After the vehicle passes the curve, the user may release their hand from the steering wheel or loosen their grip on the steering wheel. In this case, the steering wheel automatically rotates in the non-operated state back to the neutral position.

[0005] However, with conventional vehicle operating devices, when the steering wheel rotates in a non-operated state, a user may accidentally touch a touch device such as a steering switch arranged on the surface of the steering wheel. Furthermore, even when a touch device is arranged in the vicinity of a location other than the steering wheel, a user may accidentally touch the touch device when operating the steering wheel. As described above, there is a problem that a user may unintentionally perform an erroneous operation.

[0006] Therefore, according to the present disclosure, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide an information processing apparatus and the like that can suppress a user's erroneous operation.

[0007] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a control unit that controls whether or not to output an operation signal output by a user operating an input device mounted on a vehicle, and the control unit controls to prohibit the input of the operation signal to an in-vehicle device when at least one of the following conditions is met: the steering wheel of the vehicle is not being gripped or is substantially not being gripped and is rotating to the neutral position without operation; the angular velocity of the steering wheel is equal to or greater than a specified angular velocity; and the steering angle of the steering wheel is equal to or greater than a specified steering angle.

[0008] The information processing device disclosed herein can provide an information processing device that can suppress user errors.

[0009] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an information processing device mounted on a vehicle. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a vehicle equipped with the information processing device. Figure 3 is another block diagram showing a vehicle equipped with the information processing device. Figure 4 is a flowchart for determining whether or not it is non-operational rotation. Figure 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between grip detection, steering torque, and angular velocity. Figure 6 is a flowchart for performing output determination control. Figure 7 is a flowchart for determining additional conditions. Figure 8 is another flowchart for performing output determination control.

[0010] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] The embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, components, arrangement positions of components, and connection configurations shown in the following embodiments are examples only and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Furthermore, any components in the following embodiments that are not described in an independent claim will be described as optional components.

[0012] Furthermore, each figure is a schematic diagram and not necessarily a strictly accurate representation. Therefore, for example, the scale may not necessarily match in each figure. Also, in each figure, substantially identical components are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted or simplified.

[0013] (Embodiment) <Configuration> First, the output determination device 5, input system 1, information processing method, and program of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3.

[0014] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the output determination device 5 mounted on vehicle 2. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing vehicle 2 with the output determination device 5 installed. Figure 3 is another block diagram showing vehicle 2 with the output determination device 5 installed.

[0015] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the input system 1 is a system mounted on the vehicle 2 that can receive operational input from the user.

[0016] The input system 1 comprises an input device 10 and an output determination device 5.

[0017] The input device 10 is a touch panel display, physical switch, etc., mounted on the vehicle 2 and capable of receiving user input. Figure 1 of this embodiment illustrates a case where the input device 10 is a touch panel display. The input device 10 can receive operation inputs for operating in-vehicle equipment 90 such as lighting equipment, sound equipment, voice input device, video display device, air conditioning equipment, and communication equipment mounted on the vehicle 2. When the input device 10 receives an operation input from the user, it outputs an operation signal corresponding to the operation input to the output determination device 5.

[0018] The input device 10 is located, for example, on the steering wheel 3, center console, door trim, etc. Figure 1 illustrates the case where the input device 10 is located on the steering wheel 3.

[0019] The output determination device 5 is connected to a steering angle sensor 11 mounted on the steering wheel 3, which is mounted on the vehicle 2, a torque sensor 12 that is applied to the steering shaft to which the steering wheel 3 is connected, and a grip sensor 13 mounted on the steering wheel 3.

[0020] The steering angle sensor 11 is a sensor that detects the steering angle in the steering mechanism of the steering wheel 3. In addition to detecting the steering angle, the steering angle sensor 11 can also detect the angular velocity when the steering wheel 3 rotates based on the steering angle in the steering mechanism of the steering wheel 3. When the steering angle sensor 11 detects the angular velocity of the steering wheel 3, it outputs angular velocity information indicating the detected angular velocity to the output determination device 5.

[0021] The torque sensor 12 is a sensor that detects the torque applied to the steering shaft to which the steering wheel 3, which is operated by the user, is connected. When the torque sensor 12 detects the torque applied to the steering shaft, it outputs torque information indicating the detected torque to the output determination device 5.

[0022] The grip sensor 13 is a sensor that detects whether a user is gripping the steering wheel 3. Gripping includes cases where the user simply rests their hand on the steering wheel 3. In other words, it includes cases where the user is operating the steering wheel 3 to rotate, and cases where the user is simply resting their hand on the steering wheel 3 without operating its rotation. When the grip sensor 13 detects whether or not the steering wheel 3 is being gripped, it outputs grip information indicating the detected result to the output determination device 5. The grip sensor 13 is an example of a grip detection device.

[0023] The output determination device 5 is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) mounted on the vehicle 2, and is configured to control whether or not to output operation signals from the input device 10 mounted on the vehicle 2. When the input device 10 receives operation input from the user, the output determination device 5 determines whether or not the operation input is an error, and can prevent the input operation signal output from the input device 10 from being output to the in-vehicle equipment 90.

[0024] Specifically, the output determination device 5 includes an information processing device 20 and an operation determination unit 14, and the operation determination unit 14 includes an output determination unit 15.

[0025] The information processing device 20 includes a first determination unit 21 and a prohibition signal control unit 23. The information processing device 20 may be an example of a control unit.

[0026] The first determination unit 21 acquires angular velocity information from the steering angle sensor 11, torque information from the torque sensor 12, and gripping information from the gripping sensor 13. The first determination unit 21 is configured to determine whether the steering wheel 3 is in a non-operational rotation or an operational rotation based on the acquired angular velocity information, torque information, and gripping information.

[0027] Non-operated rotation refers to the automatic rotation of the steering wheel 3 when it is not being gripped or is substantially not being gripped while the vehicle 2 is in motion, causing the steering wheel 3 to attempt to return to the neutral position.

[0028] For example, non-operational rotation includes non-operational counterclockwise rotation and non-operational clockwise rotation. Non-operational counterclockwise rotation is the phenomenon in which, while the vehicle 2 is in motion, the steering wheel 3 automatically rotates counterclockwise toward the neutral position after the user rotates it clockwise. Non-operational clockwise rotation is the phenomenon in which, while the vehicle 2 is in motion, the steering wheel 3 automatically rotates clockwise toward the neutral position after the user rotates it counterclockwise.

[0029] A state in which the hands are not effectively gripped is, for example, a state in which the hands are resting on the steering wheel 3, and the steering wheel 3 is rotating while the hands are slipping off.

[0030] "Operated rotation" refers to rotations that are not operated rotations, such as when a user operates the steering wheel 3 of vehicle 2 to return it to the neutral position while the vehicle 2 is in motion, or when steering the steering wheel 3, such as when driving in a straight line.

[0031] For example, the operation rotation includes counterclockwise operation rotation and clockwise operation rotation. Counterclockwise operation rotation is the operation in which, while the vehicle 2 is in motion, the user rotates the steering wheel 3 clockwise, and then rotates the steering wheel 3 counterclockwise towards the neutral position. Clockwise operation rotation is the operation in which, while the vehicle 2 is in motion, the user rotates the steering wheel 3 counterclockwise, and then rotates the steering wheel 3 clockwise towards the neutral position.

[0032] The first determination unit 21 can determine that it is an operating rotation if it determines that the steering torque indicated by the torque information is equal to or greater than the specified torque. When the steering torque is equal to or greater than the specified torque, it means that the user is rotating the steering wheel 3 while gripping it.

[0033] On the other hand, the first determination unit 21 can determine that the steering torque indicated by the torque information is less than the specified torque, and that this is an unoperated rotation. When the steering torque is less than the specified torque, it means that the user is not gripping the steering wheel 3, or is not substantially gripping the steering wheel 3, and the steering wheel 3 is rotating automatically in accordance with the movement of the vehicle 2.

[0034] The first determination unit 21 outputs the determined determination result to the prohibition signal control unit 23.

[0035] In this embodiment, the first determination unit 21 determines whether the steering torque is equal to or greater than a specified torque, but for example, the prohibition signal control unit 23 may perform this determination. In other words, the first determination unit 21 is not an essential component of the information processing device 20. That is, the prohibition signal control unit 23 may have the functions of the first determination unit 21. In this case, the prohibition signal control unit 23 may acquire angular velocity information, torque information, and gripping information, and determine whether the steering wheel 3 is in a non-operational rotation or an operating rotation based on the angular velocity information, torque information, and gripping information.

[0036] The prohibition signal control unit 23 is configured to control the input device 10 based on the determination result obtained from the first determination unit 21. Specifically, if the determination result is non-operation rotation, the prohibition signal control unit 23 outputs a prohibition signal to the operation determination unit 14 so that the input operation signal output from the input device 10, which has been determined by the operation determination unit 14, is not output to the in-vehicle equipment 90. The prohibition signal is an instruction for the operation determination unit 14 to prohibit the output of the determination operation signal to the in-vehicle equipment 90. The input operation signal and the determination operation signal are included in the operation signal. The prohibition signal control unit 23 may be an example of a control unit.

[0037] On the other hand, if the determination result is an operation rotation, the prohibition signal control unit 23 outputs a permission signal to the operation determination unit 14 in order to allow the input operation signal output from the input device 10, which has been determined by the operation determination unit 14, to be output to the in-vehicle equipment 90. The permission signal is an instruction to the operation determination unit 14 to allow the in-vehicle equipment 90 to output the determination operation signal.

[0038] The operation determination unit 14 is configured to determine the operation content indicated by the input operation signal output from the input device 10. For example, the operation determination unit 14 can determine which of the following operation content, such as a tracing operation or a tapping operation, has been input to the input device 10. The operation determination unit 14 can output a determination operation signal, which includes the operation determination result of the operation content determination, to the output determination unit 15.

[0039] The output determination unit 15 is configured to determine whether or not to output the determination operation signal acquired from the operation determination unit 14 to the in-vehicle device 90.

[0040] Specifically, when the output determination unit 15 acquires the prohibition signal from the prohibition signal control unit 23, it does not output the determination operation signal to the in-vehicle device 90 and discards the determination operation signal. That is, even if a user performs an operation input to the input device 10, the output determination unit 15 does not output the determination operation signal corresponding to the operation input to the in-vehicle device 90, and can prohibit the determination operation signal from being input to the in-vehicle device 90.

[0041] On the other hand, when the output determination unit 15 acquires the permission signal from the prohibition signal control unit 23, it outputs the determination operation signal to the in-vehicle device 90. Accordingly, the in-vehicle device 90 can perform an operation in accordance with the determination operation signal.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, the information processing device 20 may further include a second determination unit 22.

[0043] In this case, when the steering angle sensor 11 detects the steering angle of the steering wheel 3, the steering angle sensor 11 may output steering angle information indicating the detected steering angle and angular velocity information to the information processing device 20 of the output determination device 5.

[0044] The second determination unit 22 of the information processing device 20 may determine whether or not an additional condition is satisfied based on the steering angle information and the angular velocity information acquired from the steering angle sensor 11.

[0045] The additional condition is a condition for determining whether to prohibit input of the determination operation signal to the in-vehicle device 90 or permit output of the determination operation signal to the in-vehicle device 90.

[0046] For example, when the additional condition is satisfied, the prohibition signal control unit 23 outputs a prohibition signal to the operation determination unit 14 in order to prohibit the determination operation signal output from the input device 10 from being input to the in-vehicle device 90.

[0047] For example, when the additional condition is not satisfied, the inhibition signal control unit 23 outputs an inhibition signal to the operation determination unit 14 or outputs a permission signal to the operation determination unit 14 depending on whether it is non-operational rotation or operational rotation.

[0048] <Operation Example> Next, Operation Example 1 of the information processing device 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

[0049] FIG. 4 is a flowchart for determining whether the rotation is non-operational rotation. In FIG. 4, it is assumed that after the user rotates the steering wheel 3, it is determined whether the rotation of the steering wheel 3 is non-operational rotation or operational rotation. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship among the presence / absence of grip detection, steering torque, and angular velocity.

[0050] First, the first determination unit 21 acquires angular velocity information of the steering wheel 3 from the steering angle sensor 11, torque information of the steering wheel 3 from the torque sensor 12, and grip information of the steering wheel 3 from the grip sensor 13 (S11).

[0051] Next, the first determination unit 21 performs filtering processing on the acquired angular velocity information and torque information (S12). In the filtering processing, noise removal, signal smoothing such as by a moving average filter, adjustment of data delay, and the like are performed.

[0052] Next, the first determination unit 21 determines whether the steering wheel 3 is rotating non-operationally or operationally on the basis of the angular velocity information after the filtering processing. Specifically, the first determination unit 21 determines whether the angular velocity of the steering wheel 3 indicated in the angular velocity information after the filtering processing is less than a specified angular velocity (S13).

[0053] The first determination unit 21 determines that the steering wheel 3 is not rotating uncontrollably (S15) if it determines that the angular velocity of the steering wheel 3 is less than the specified angular velocity (YES in S13). Since controlled rotation is the case when it is not rotating uncontrollably, this determination can be said to be controlled rotation. For example, as shown in Figure 5, the information processing device 20 determines that it is not rotating uncontrollably ("○") because the angular velocity is less than the specified angular velocity ("small"). This determination is made regardless of the magnitude of the steering torque and whether or not gripping is detected. For example, if the steering wheel 3 is not rotating at all, the first determination unit 21 determines that the steering wheel 3 is not rotating uncontrollably (it is rotating).

[0054] The first determination unit 21 outputs the determined determination result to the prohibition signal control unit 23.

[0055] Then, the flowchart in Figure 4 is finished.

[0056] On the other hand, if the first determination unit 21 determines that the angular velocity of the steering wheel 3 is equal to or greater than the specified angular velocity (NO in S13), it determines whether or not the user is gripping the steering wheel 3 (S14).

[0057] The first determination unit 21 determines that the steering wheel 3 is not being gripped (NO in S14) and that it is not rotating (S16) if the gripping information obtained from the gripping sensor 13 indicates that the steering wheel 3 is not being gripped. For example, as shown in Figure 5, the information processing device 20 can determine that it is not rotating (×) because there is "no" gripping detection and the angular velocity is "large" above the specified angular velocity. Note that in Figure 5, since there is "no" gripping detection, the steering torque is shown as "-".

[0058] The first determination unit 21 outputs the determined determination result to the prohibition signal control unit 23.

[0059] Then, the flowchart in Figure 4 is finished.

[0060] On the other hand, the first determination unit 21 determines that the steering wheel 3 is being gripped if the gripping information obtained from the gripping sensor 13 indicates that the steering wheel 3 is being gripped (YES in S14), and determines whether the steering torque indicated by the torque information obtained from the torque sensor 12 is equal to or greater than the specified torque (S17).

[0061] When a user is gripping and operating the steering wheel 3, the steering torque of the steering wheel 3 increases. For this reason, the first determination unit 21 determines that the steering torque is greater than or equal to the specified torque (YES in S17) and determines that it is an operated rotation, not an unoperated rotation (S18). For example, as shown in Figure 5, the information processing device 20 can determine that it is not an unoperated rotation (○) because grip detection is "present", the steering torque is "greater" than or equal to the specified torque, and the angular velocity is "greater" than or equal to the specified angular velocity.

[0062] The first determination unit 21 outputs the determined determination result to the prohibition signal control unit 23.

[0063] Then, the flowchart in Figure 4 is finished.

[0064] On the other hand, if, for example, the user is not operating the steering wheel 3 but is simply resting their hand on the steering wheel 3 and their hand is sliding over it, the steering torque will be smaller compared to when the steering wheel 3 is being operated. For this reason, the first determination unit 21 determines that the steering torque is less than the specified torque (NO in S17) and determines that it is not an operated rotation (S19). For example, as shown in Figure 5, the information processing device 20 can determine that it is not an operated rotation (×) because grip detection is "present", the steering torque is "small" (less than the specified torque), and the angular velocity is "large" (greater than or equal to the specified angular velocity).

[0065] The first determination unit 21 outputs the determined determination result to the prohibition signal control unit 23.

[0066] Then, the flowchart in Figure 4 is finished.

[0067] Next, with reference to Figure 6, we will describe an example of operation 2 of the information processing device 20.

[0068] Figure 6 is a flowchart for controlling the output determination.

[0069] First, the prohibition signal control unit 23 acquires the determination result determined by the first determination unit 21 (S21). The determination result is determined based on the flowchart in Figure 4 and the "○" and "×" in Figure 5.

[0070] Next, the prohibition signal control unit 23 determines whether or not the steering wheel 3 is rotating without being operated, based on the acquired determination result (S22).

[0071] If the acquired determination result indicates non-operational rotation (YES in S22), the prohibition signal control unit 23 outputs a prohibition signal to the operation determination unit 14, thereby preventing the input of a determination operation signal to the in-vehicle device 90 (S23). When the operation determination unit 14 acquires a prohibition signal, it discards the determination operation signal output from the input device 10.

[0072] Then, the flowchart in Figure 6 is finished.

[0073] On the other hand, if the acquired determination result indicates an operation rotation (NO in S22), the prohibition signal control unit 23 outputs a permission signal to the operation determination unit 14, thereby allowing the determination operation signal to be output to the in-vehicle device 90 (S24). When the operation determination unit 14 acquires the permission signal, it outputs the determination operation signal output from the input device 10 to the in-vehicle device 90.

[0074] Then, the flowchart in Figure 6 is finished.

[0075] Next, with reference to Figure 7, an example of operation 3 of the information processing device 20 equipped with the second determination unit 22 will be described.

[0076] Figure 7 is a flowchart for determining additional conditions.

[0077] First, the second determination unit 22 of the information processing device 20 acquires the rudder angle information and angular velocity information obtained from the rudder angle sensor 11 (S31).

[0078] Next, the second determination unit 22 performs filtering on the acquired rudder angle information and angular velocity information (S32).

[0079] Next, the second determination unit 22 determines whether an additional condition is met based on the steering angle information and angular velocity information after filtering. The additional condition is that at least one of the following is met: the angular velocity of the steering wheel 3 is equal to or greater than a specified angular velocity, and the steering angle of the steering wheel 3 is equal to or greater than a specified steering angle. In other words, the second determination unit 22 determines whether at least one of the following is met: the steering angle indicated by the steering angle information is equal to or greater than a specified steering angle, and the angular velocity indicated by the angular velocity information is equal to or greater than a specified angular velocity (S33).

[0080] The second determination unit 22 determines that the additional condition is met (S34) if at least one of the following conditions is met: the angular velocity of the steering wheel 3 is equal to or greater than the specified angular velocity, and the steering angle of the steering wheel 3 is equal to or greater than the specified steering angle (YES in S33). The second determination unit 22 outputs the determination result to the prohibition signal control unit 23. Therefore, the state in which the additional condition is met indicates that the user is steering the steering wheel 3 significantly or quickly.

[0081] Then, the flowchart in Figure 7 is finished.

[0082] On the other hand, the second determination unit 22 determines that the additional condition is not met (S35) if the angular velocity of the steering wheel 3 is less than the specified angular velocity, or if the steering angle of the steering wheel 3 is less than the specified steering angle (NO in S33). The second determination unit 22 outputs the determination result to the prohibition signal control unit 23.

[0083] Then, the flowchart in Figure 7 is finished.

[0084] Next, with reference to Figure 8, an example of operation 4 of the information processing device 20 equipped with the second determination unit 22 will be described.

[0085] Figure 8 is another flowchart for controlling the output determination.

[0086] First, the prohibition signal control unit 23 acquires the determination result determined by the second determination unit 22 in Figure 7 (S20a).

[0087] Next, the prohibition signal control unit 23 determines whether or not the additional condition is met with respect to the determination result determined by the second determination unit 22 (S20b).

[0088] If the prohibition signal control unit 23 determines that the additional condition is not met based on the determination result made by the second determination unit 22 (NO in S20b), it proceeds to step S21. Then, the same processing as in step S21 and onward in Figure 6 described above is performed.

[0089] On the other hand, if the prohibition signal control unit 23 determines that the additional condition is met based on the determination result determined by the second determination unit 22 (YES in S20b), it can determine that the user is either turning the steering wheel 3 sharply or quickly, and therefore the user is not intentionally operating the input device 10. Accordingly, the prohibition signal control unit 23 outputs a prohibition signal to the operation determination unit 14, thereby preventing the output of a determination operation signal to the in-vehicle equipment 90 (S20c). When the operation determination unit 14 receives the prohibition signal, it discards the determination operation signal output from the input device 10.

[0090] Then, the flowchart in Figure 8 is finished.

[0091] <Effects and Effects> The effects and effects of the information processing device 20, input system 1, information processing method, and program in this embodiment will be described below.

[0092] As described above, the information processing device 20 of Technology 1 according to this embodiment includes a control unit that controls whether or not to output an operation signal output by a user operating an input device 10 mounted on the vehicle 2. The control unit controls the system to prohibit the input of an operation signal to the in-vehicle equipment 90 when at least one of the following conditions is met: the steering wheel 3 of the vehicle 2 is not being gripped or is substantially not being gripped and is rotating to the neutral position without operation; the angular velocity of the steering wheel 3 is equal to or greater than a specified angular velocity; and the steering angle of the steering wheel 3 is equal to or greater than a specified steering angle.

[0093] For example, if the angular velocity of the steering wheel is greater than or equal to the specified angular velocity, and if the steering angle of the steering wheel is greater than or equal to the specified steering angle, it is considered that the driver is rotating the steering wheel during a sudden steering maneuver. In such cases, the user is concentrating on driving, and therefore it is considered difficult for them to input commands to the input device.

[0094] Furthermore, if the steering wheel is in a neutral position (not being operated), it indicates that the user is not intentionally operating the input device.

[0095] Therefore, even if an operation signal is output from the input device in these cases, it is considered to be an unintended error by the user.

[0096] Therefore, in this embodiment, even if an operation signal is output from the input device 10 in such cases, it is possible to control the system so that the operation signal is not input to the in-vehicle equipment 90.

[0097] Therefore, this information processing device 20 can suppress user errors.

[0098] Furthermore, in the information processing device 20 of Technology 2 according to this embodiment, the control unit determines, when the angular velocity of the steering wheel 3 is less than a specified angular velocity, and when the steering angle of the steering wheel 3 is less than a specified steering angle, whether it is a non-operational rotation or an operation rotation to the neutral position of the steering wheel 3 while it is being held.

[0099] According to this, for example, if the steering angle of the steering wheel 3 is small and the angular velocity is also small, it is not a sudden steering operation, so it is possible to determine whether the steering wheel 3 is rotating unintentionally or being operated. Therefore, if it is determined that the steering wheel 3 is rotating unintentionally, the operation signal can be prevented from being input to the in-vehicle device 90. On the other hand, if it is determined that the steering wheel 3 is rotating in an operation manner, the operation signal can be input to the in-vehicle device 90.

[0100] Furthermore, in the information processing device 20 of Technology 3 according to this embodiment, the control unit controls the output of an operation signal to the in-vehicle equipment 90 when it is determined that it is not an operation rotation, and controls the output of an operation signal to the in-vehicle equipment 90 when it is determined that it is an operation rotation.

[0101] According to this, even if an operation signal is output from the input device 10 when the steering wheel 3 is not rotating, the operation signal will not be input to the in-vehicle equipment 90. Therefore, the in-vehicle equipment 90 will not be driven by operation inputs that the user did not intend.

[0102] On the other hand, when the steering wheel 3 is being operated and rotated by the user, an operation signal from the input device 10 can be input to the in-vehicle equipment 90. Therefore, the in-vehicle equipment 90 can be driven according to the operation input intended by the user.

[0103] Furthermore, the information processing device 20 of Technology 4 according to this embodiment is an information processing device 20 described in Technology 2 or 3, wherein the steering wheel 3 is equipped with a grip detection device (grip sensor 13) that detects gripping of the steering wheel 3, and the control unit determines whether it is an unoperated rotation or an operated rotation based on the steering torque of the steering wheel 3 when the angular velocity is equal to or greater than a specified angular velocity and the grip information obtained from the grip detection device (grip sensor 13) indicates gripping of the steering wheel 3.

[0104] According to this, it is possible to determine whether the steering wheel 3 is in a non-operational rotation or an operational rotation based on the angular velocity of the steering wheel 3, grip detection, and steering torque.

[0105] Furthermore, it is possible to determine whether the user is gripping and rotating the steering wheel 3. Therefore, it becomes possible to determine whether the steering wheel 3 is rotating without being operated or with operation.

[0106] Furthermore, in the information processing device 20 of Technology 5 according to this embodiment, the control unit determines whether the steering torque of the steering wheel 3 is equal to or greater than a specified torque. If it determines that the steering torque is less than the specified torque, it determines that it is not an operating rotation and controls the system to prohibit the output of an operating signal to the in-vehicle equipment 90. If it determines that the steering torque is equal to or greater than the specified torque, it determines that it is an operating rotation and controls the system to allow the output of an operating signal to the in-vehicle equipment 90.

[0107] According to this, even if an operation signal is output from the input device 10 when the steering wheel 3 is not rotating, the operation signal will not be input to the in-vehicle equipment 90. Therefore, the in-vehicle equipment 90 will not be driven by operation inputs that the user did not intend.

[0108] On the other hand, when the steering wheel 3 is not being operated and is not rotating, an operation signal from the input device 10 can be input to the in-vehicle equipment 90. This allows the in-vehicle equipment 90 to be driven.

[0109] Furthermore, the information processing device 20 of Technology 6 according to this embodiment is an information processing device 20 described in any one of Technology 1 to 5, wherein the steering wheel 3 is equipped with a grip detection device (grip sensor 13) that detects gripping of the steering wheel 3, and the control unit determines that it is not operating rotation when the angular velocity is equal to or greater than a specified angular velocity and the grip information acquired from the grip detection device (grip sensor 13) indicates that there is no grip on the steering wheel 3, and controls the system to prohibit the output of an operation signal to the in-vehicle equipment 90.

[0110] According to this, it is possible to determine that the steering wheel 3 is not rotating under control by detecting its angular velocity and grip.

[0111] Furthermore, the information processing device 20 of Technology 7 according to this embodiment is an information processing device 20 described in any one of Technology 2 to 6, in which the control unit determines whether at least one of the following conditions is met (whether an additional condition is met): the angular velocity of the steering wheel 3 is equal to or greater than a specified angular velocity, and the steering angle of the steering wheel 3 is equal to or greater than a specified steering angle. If at least one of these conditions is met, the control unit controls the system to prohibit the output of an operation signal to the in-vehicle equipment 90. If neither condition is met, the control unit determines whether it is a non-operational rotation or an operational rotation.

[0112] According to this, if the additional conditions are met, even if an operation signal is output from the input device 10, it is possible to control the system so that the operation signal is not input to the in-vehicle equipment 90.

[0113] Furthermore, if the additional conditions are not met, the system can determine whether the steering wheel 3 is rotating without being operated or rotating with operation, thereby controlling whether to prohibit or allow the input of an operation signal to the in-vehicle device 90.

[0114] Furthermore, the input system 1 of technology 8 according to this embodiment includes an information processing device 20 described in any one of technologies 1 to 7 and an input device 10 arranged on the steering wheel.

[0115] This input system 1 can produce the same effects as described above.

[0116] Furthermore, the information processing method of Technology 9 according to this embodiment includes controlling whether or not the control unit outputs an operation signal output by a user operating an input device 10 mounted on the vehicle 2, and controlling the control unit to prohibit the output of an operation signal to the in-vehicle equipment 90 when at least one of the following conditions is met: the steering wheel 3 of the vehicle 2 is not being gripped or is substantially not being gripped and is rotating non-operated toward the neutral position; the angular velocity of the non-operated rotating steering wheel 3 is equal to or greater than a specified angular velocity; and the steering angle of the steering wheel 3 is equal to or greater than a specified steering angle.

[0117] This information processing method can produce the same effects as described above.

[0118] Furthermore, the program of technology 10 according to this embodiment is a program for a computer to execute the information processing method of technology 9.

[0119] This program can produce the same effects as described above.

[0120] (Other Modifications) The information processing device etc. relating to this disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments described above, but this disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. Various modifications to the embodiments that a person skilled in the art can conceive of may also be included in the scope of this disclosure, as long as they do not deviate from the spirit of this disclosure.

[0121] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, each component constituting the determination unit, etc., may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may also be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0122] Furthermore, each component may be implemented by hardware. For example, each component may be a circuit (or integrated circuit). These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or they may be separate circuits. Also, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

[0123] Furthermore, the general or specific embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented as a system, apparatus, method, integrated circuit, computer program, or recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM. They may also be implemented as any combination of a system, apparatus, method, integrated circuit, computer program, and recording medium.

[0124] Furthermore, this disclosure may be implemented as a method executed by a computer, or as a program causing a computer to execute such a method. This disclosure may also be implemented as a computer-readable non-temporary recording medium on which such a program is recorded.

[0125] Furthermore, this disclosure also includes forms that can be obtained by applying various modifications to the above embodiments that a person skilled in the art could conceive, as well as forms that can be realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of the embodiments without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

[0126] The information processing device disclosed herein can be used in input devices mounted on the steering wheel, center console, etc., of a vehicle.

[0127] 1 Input system 2 Vehicle 3 Steering wheel 5 Output determination device (control unit) 10 Input device 13 Gripping sensor (gripping detection device) 20 Information processing device

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising a control unit that controls whether or not to output an operation signal output by a user operating an input device mounted on a vehicle, wherein the control unit controls to prohibit the input of the operation signal to an in-vehicle device when at least one of the following conditions is met: the steering wheel of the vehicle is not being gripped or is substantially not being gripped and is rotating to the neutral position without operation; the angular velocity of the steering wheel is equal to or greater than a specified angular velocity; and the steering angle of the steering wheel is equal to or greater than a specified steering angle.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines, when the angular velocity of the steering wheel is less than a specified angular velocity and when the steering angle of the steering wheel is less than a specified steering angle, whether it is a non-operational rotation or an operation rotation of the steering wheel to the neutral position while the steering wheel is being held.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls the operation to prohibit the input of the operation signal to the in-vehicle device when it determines that it is an operation rotation, and controls the operation to allow the output of the operation signal to the in-vehicle device when it determines that it is an operation rotation.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the steering wheel is equipped with a grip detection device for detecting gripping of the steering wheel, and the control unit determines whether it is the non-operational rotation or the operational rotation based on the steering torque of the steering wheel when the angular velocity is equal to or greater than the specified angular velocity and the grip information obtained from the grip detection device indicates gripping of the steering wheel.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit determines whether the steering torque of the steering wheel is equal to or greater than a specified torque, determines that it is a non-operational rotation and controls to prohibit the input of the operation signal to the in-vehicle device, and determines that it is an operational rotation and controls to permit the output of the operation signal to the in-vehicle device.

6. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the steering wheel is equipped with a grip detection device for detecting gripping of the steering wheel, and the control unit determines that it is a non-operational rotation when the angular velocity is equal to or greater than the specified angular velocity and the grip information obtained from the grip detection device indicates that there is no grip on the steering wheel, and controls the control unit to prohibit the input of the operation signal to the in-vehicle equipment.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the control unit determines whether at least one of the following conditions is met: the angular velocity of the steering wheel is equal to or greater than a specified angular velocity, and the steering angle of the steering wheel is equal to or greater than a specified steering angle; if at least one of these conditions is met, the control unit controls the system to prevent the operation signal from being input to the in-vehicle device; and if neither condition is met, the control unit determines whether it is a non-operational rotation or an operational rotation.

8. An input system comprising an information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, and the input device disposed on the steering wheel.

9. An information processing method comprising controlling whether or not a control unit outputs an operation signal output by a user operating an input device mounted on a vehicle, and controlling the control unit to prohibit the input of the operation signal to an in-vehicle device when at least one of the following conditions is met: the steering wheel of the vehicle is not being gripped or is substantially not being gripped and the steering wheel is being rotated to the neutral position without operation; the angular velocity of the steering wheel is equal to or greater than a specified angular velocity; and the steering angle of the steering wheel is equal to or greater than a specified steering angle.

10. A program for a computer to execute the information processing method described in claim 9.

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