Operation system

• US 10,317,996 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2016
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Nishihashi, Shigeaki, Kogure, Hiroyuki, Ito, Hideki, Tomaru, Tetsuya, Tsuda, Yoshiyuki, Osugi, Takuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nitin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Onyekaba, Amy
• Application Number:
  US15/554,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20180046246A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/146 Instrument input by gesture
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1464 3D-gesture
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/149 Instrument input by detecting viewing direction not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/21 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/81 for controlling displays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display

Abstract

An operation system includes: an operation device manually operated by a user and inputting a command of an operation content to a command target apparatus selected from multiple apparatuses; a selection device selecting one apparatus as the command target apparatus according to multiple visual line regions individually set in relation to the apparatuses and a visual line direction of the user detected by a visual line detection sensor, the one device relating to one visual line region disposed in the visual line direction; and a selection maintaining device maintaining a selection state of the command target apparatus even when the visual line direction is changed to another direction pointing to none of the visual line regions while the command target apparatus is selected.

Claims

1. An operation system comprising:

a knob that is manually operated by a user and inputs a command of an operation content to a command target apparatus selected from a plurality of apparatuses;

a microcomputer configured to select one of the plurality of apparatuses as the command target apparatus according to a plurality of visual line regions individually set in relation to the plurality of apparatuses and a visual line direction of the user detected by a visual line detection sensor, the one of the plurality of apparatuses relating to one of the plurality of visual line regions disposed in the visual line direction;

the microcomputer configured to maintain a selection state of the command target apparatus when the visual line direction is changed to another direction pointing to none of the plurality of visual line regions while the command target apparatus is selected;

the microcomputer configured to limit a command from the knob when the visual line direction is changed to another direction pointing to none of the plurality of visual line regions while the command target apparatus is selected;

the microcomputer is configured to determine whether the visual line direction is pointing to none of the plurality of visual line regions for a predetermined time or longer; and

the microcomputer is configured to disable some operations and to enable other operations when the predetermined time has not elapsed.

2. The operation system according to claim 1, wherein:

a manual operation includes a selecting operation to select a desirable command from a plurality of commands, and a finalizing operation to finalize a selected command; and

the microcomputer enables a command given by the selecting operation and disables a command given by the finalizing operation.

3. The operation system according to claim 1, wherein:

a manual operation includes a selecting operation to select a desirable command from a plurality of commands, and a finalizing operation to finalize a selected command; and

the microcomputer disables both a command given by the selecting operation and a command given by the finalizing operation when the visual line direction is disposed in another direction pointing to none of the plurality of visual line regions for the predetermined time or longer while the command target apparatus is selected.

4. The operation system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a notification control device that controls an operation of a notification device to notify the user that a command is limited when the command is limited by the microcomputer.