Apparatus operating system

• US 20060190843A1
• Filed: 02/16/2006
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Takashima, Ryou, Kurita, Toru
• Granted Patent: US 7,956,853 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures

Abstract

An apparatus operating system includes a display unit and an input operation apparatus. The display unit displays an electronic map and an operation menu included in a multi-layer hierarchical structure. The input operation apparatus is a rotary switch or joy-stick enabled to input an operation direction or operation amount. When the input operation apparatus is operated with no operation menu displayed, the display unit displays a specific operation menu previously associated with the inputted operation direction or operation amount.

Claims

1. An apparatus operating system comprising:

an operation menu storage unit for storing a plurality of operation menus, each operation menu including a plurality of operation items as a list to operate a given apparatus;

a display unit for displaying each operation menu; and

an input operation apparatus enabled to input at least one of an operation direction and an operation amount, wherein

when a first operation is applied to the input operation apparatus with no operation menu displayed, one of the operation menus that is previously associated with the first operation is displayed by the display unit, and

when a second operation is applied to the input operation apparatus with one of the operation menus displayed, an intended operation item included in the one of the operation menus is selectable based on the second operation.

2. The apparatus operating system of claim 1, wherein

each of the first operation and the second operation is applied to the input operation apparatus as a single operation providing both the operation direction and the operation amount, and

the operation direction is provided by the first operation whereas the operation amount is provided by the second operation.

3. The apparatus operating system of claim 1, further comprising:

an active state determining unit for determining which of an active state and a non-active state takes place, wherein one of the operation menus is displayed in the active state unit, wherein no operation menu is displayed in the non-active state;

a specific operation menu calling unit for

determining an exceptional procedure in a menu calling mode when the first operation is applied to the input operation apparatus with the non-active state taking place, and then

calling up a specific operation menu from the operation menu storage unit, wherein the specific operation menu is previously associated with the at least one of the operation direction and the operation amount of the first operation to cause the display unit to display the specific operation menu;

a replacement displaying unit for causing an intended operation item, which is included in one of the operation menus that is displayed, to be selectable based on the second operation when the second operation is applied to the input operation apparatus with the active state taking place; and

a normal operation controlling unit for

determining a normal procedure in a normal operation mode when an operation item is selected from the plurality of operation items included in the one of the operation menus that is displayed, and

executing the selected operation item.

4. The apparatus operating system of claim 3, wherein

the plurality of operation menus are combined under a higher-layer menu, and

the specific operation menu calling unit directly calls up the specific operation menu while bypassing the higher-layer menu when the first operation is applied to the input operation apparatus with no operation menu displayed.

5. The apparatus operating system of claim 1, further comprising:

a direct operation executing unit for directly executing a specific operation item, which is previously associated with at least one of an operation direction and an operation amount of a third operation, without displaying an operation menu including the specific operation item when the third operation is applied to the input operation apparatus with no operation menu displayed.

6. The apparatus operating system of claim 1, wherein

the input operation apparatus is a rotary switch to which a rotation operation is applied and which is enabled to input at least one of a rotation direction being the operation direction and a rotation angle being the operation amount.

7. The apparatus operating system of claim 6, further comprising:

a biasing unit for biasing the rotary switch to return to an initial position when a rotation operation is applied to the rotary switch; and

a menu deleting unit for deleting an operation menu, which is displayed when the rotation operation is applied, when the rotary switch returns to the initial position by the biasing unit after the rotation operation is released.

8. The apparatus operating system of claim 6, wherein

the rotary switch detects a pressing operation, and

an operation item is executed when the pressing operation is detected by the rotary switch when the operation item is selectable in one of the operation menus that is displayed.

9. The apparatus operating system of claim 1, wherein

the input operation apparatus is a joy-stick to which a tilt operation is applied to,

the joy-stick is includes

an operation lever enabled to tilt to a tilt direction being the operation direction of the tilt operation and

a direction detecting unit for detecting the tilt direction to which the operation lever is tilted, and

the joy-stick is enabled to input the tilt direction through the tilt operation.

10. The apparatus operating system of claim 1, further comprising:

a steering wheel angle detecting unit for detecting a steering wheel angle of a steering wheel to which the input operation apparatus is attached to, wherein the input operation apparatus is rotated as the steering wheel rotates, wherein the input operation apparatus is enabled to input one of a plurality of first operation directions relative to the input operation apparatus, wherein a first association where each first operation direction is associated with an operation menu is predetermined; and

an input direction amending unit for

amending the first association by amending the first operation direction to a direction, which is viewed from a user seated on a driver seat independently of the steering wheel angle, based on the detected steering wheel angle, and

causing the display unit to display an operation menu associated with the direction viewed from the user.

11. The apparatus operating system of claim 10, wherein

the input direction amending unit amends the first association when the detected steering wheel angle is within a predetermined range of steering wheel angles, and

the input direction amending unit does not amend the first association when the detected steering wheel angle is not within the predetermined range of steering wheel angles.

12. The apparatus operating system of claim 1, further comprising:

a direct operation executing unit for directly executing a specific operation item, which is previously associated with at least one of an operation direction and an operation amount of a third operation, without displaying an operation menu including the specific operation item when the third operation is applied to the input operation apparatus with no operation menu displayed;

a steering wheel angle detecting unit for detecting a steering wheel angle of a steering wheel to which the input operation apparatus is attached to, wherein the input operation apparatus is rotated as the steering wheel rotates, wherein the input operation apparatus is enabled to input one of a plurality of first operation directions relative to the input operation apparatus, wherein a second association where each first operation direction is associated with an operation item is predetermined; and

an input direction amending unit for

amending the second association by amending the first operation direction to a direction, which is viewed from a user seated on a driver seat independently of the steering wheel angle, based on the detected steering wheel angle, and

causing the direct operation executing unit directly executes a specific operation item associated with the direction viewed from the user.

13. The apparatus operating system of claim 12, wherein

the input direction amending unit amends the second association when the detected steering wheel angle is within a predetermined range of steering wheel angles, and

the input direction amending unit does not amend the second association when the detected steering wheel angle is not within the predetermined range of steering wheel angles.

14. The apparatus operating system of claim 1, further comprising:

a menu determining unit for

determining the one of the operation menus, which is associated with the first operation, when a given time period elapses from when the one of the operation menus is displayed by the display unit and

causing the display unit to display one of the operation menus that is previously associated with a third operation newly applied to the input operation apparatus, before the given time period elapses from when the one of the operation menus associated with the first operation is displayed.

15. The apparatus operating system of claim 1, further comprising:

a time-elapsed executing unit for executing the intended operation item, which is selectable in the one of the operation menus that is displayed, when a given time period elapses from when the intended operation item becomes selectable based on the second operation.

16. The apparatus operating system of claim 1, wherein

the plurality of operation menus are included in a hierarchical structure having a plurality of layers,

a certain operation menu of the plurality of operation menus includes

a higher-layer menu display portion for displaying a higher-layer operation menu that is one layer higher than a layer of the certain operation menu, and

a lower-layer menu display portion for displaying a lower-layer operation menu that is one layer lower than the layer of the certain operation menu, and

an operation menu that is displayed is switched between adjacent layers of the plurality of layers by selecting the higher-layer menu display portion or the lower-layer menu display portion.

17. An apparatus operating system comprising:

an operation menu storage unit for storing a plurality of operation menus, each operation menu including a plurality of operation items as a list to operate a given apparatus;

a display unit for displaying each operation menu;

an input operation apparatus enabled to input at least one of an operation direction and an operation amount;

an active state determining unit for determining which of an active state and a non-active state takes place, wherein one of the operation menus is displayed in the active state unit, wherein no operation menu is displayed in the non-active state;

a specific operation menu calling unit for

determining an exceptional procedure in a menu calling mode when a first operation is applied to the input operation apparatus with the non-active state taking place, and then

calling up a specific operation menu from the operation menu storage unit, wherein the specific operation menu is previously associated with the at least one of the operation direction and the operation amount of the first operation to cause the display unit to display the specific operation menu;

a replacement displaying unit for causing an intended operation item, which is included in one of the operation menus that is displayed, to be selectable based on a second operation when the second operation is applied to the input operation apparatus with the active state taking place; and

a normal operation controlling unit for

determining a normal procedure in a normal operation mode when an operation item is selected from the plurality of operation items included in the one of the operation menus that is displayed, and

executing the selected operation item.

18. The apparatus operating system of claim 17, wherein

each of the first operation and the second operation is applied to the input operation apparatus as a single operation providing both the operation direction and the operation amount, and

the operation direction is provided by the first operation whereas the operation amount is provided by the second operation.