INPUT APPARATUS, REMOTE CONTROLLER AND OPERATING DEVICE FOR VEHICLE

• US 20090231145A1
• Filed: 03/11/2009
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Nakamura, Fumio, Aoki, Takashi, Oohashi, Hidekazu, Enami, Kazuya, Hisatsugu, Shinsuke, WADA, Hiromune
• Granted Patent: US 8,106,783 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/575
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/163 by tracking eye movement, gaze, or pupil change
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/149 Instrument input by detecting viewing direction not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/066 actuating a signalling device B60K28/063 takes precedence
• 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: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

An input apparatus for a vehicle includes: an operation element operable by an occupant of the vehicle; a biological information acquisition element acquiring biological information of the occupant; an unawakened state detection element detecting an unawakened state of the occupant based on the biological information, wherein the unawakened state is defined by a predetermined state different from an awakened state; and an operation disabling element disabling an operation input from the operation element when the unawakened state detection element detects the unawakened state.

Claims

1. An input apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

an operation element operable by an occupant of the vehicle;

a biological information acquisition element acquiring biological information of the occupant;

an unawakened state detection element detecting an unawakened state of the occupant based on the biological information, wherein the unawakened state is defined by a predetermined state different from an awakened state; and

an operation disabling element disabling an operation input from the operation element when the unawakened state detection element detects the unawakened state.

2. The input apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a notification element notifying the occupant of disabling of the operation when the operation disabling element disables the operation.

3. The input apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a display arranged on a front side of the vehicle and visible by the occupant, who sits down on a seat of the vehicle,

wherein the notification element controls the display to change a part of or all of a screen image on the display when the operation disabling element disables the operation.

4. The input apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an awakening element awakening a driver of the vehicle,

wherein the occupant is the driver, and

wherein the awakening element awakens the driver when the operation disabling element disables the operation.

5. The input apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a notification element notifying the occupant of disabling of the operation when the operation disabling element disables the operation,

wherein the notification element functions as an awakening element for awakening a driver of the vehicle,

wherein the occupant is the driver, and

wherein the awakening element awakens the driver when the operation disabling element disables the operation.

6. The input apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the awakening element executes at least one of increasing an operation reaction force of the operation element, vibrating the operation element, increasing an operation sound of the operation element, changing the operation sound of the operation element, outputting an alarm sound, increasing a force for tightening a seat belt of the vehicle, vibrating the seat belt, and supplying air from an air conditioner of the vehicle.

7. The input apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the occupant is a driver of the vehicle,

wherein the biological information acquisition element acquires the biological information of the driver, and

wherein the operation element is arranged at a position where at least the driver sitting on a seat of the vehicle is capable of operating the operation element.

8. The input apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the biological information acquisition element includes a pupil detection element for detecting a chronological change of a pupil of the occupant,

wherein the pupil detection element includes an eye image capturing element for capturing an eye image of the occupant, and

wherein the pupil detection element detects the chronological change of a pupil size of the occupant based on the eye image.

9. The input apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the biological information acquisition element includes a blink detection element for detecting a blink of the occupant,

wherein the blink detection element includes an eye image capturing element for capturing an eye image of the occupant, and

wherein the blink detection element detects the blink based on the eye image.

10. The input apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the biological information acquisition element includes a biological waveform detection element for acquiring at least one of a pulse waveform, a heartbeat waveform, an electrocardiographic waveform and a brain waveform of the occupant, and

wherein the biological waveform detection element contacts the occupant sitting on a seat of the vehicle.

11. The input apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the operation element includes a touch operation panel so that the occupant touches the panel to input operation.

12. The input apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the operation element is arranged at a position where the occupant can operate the operation element even when the occupant sits down on a seat of the vehicle with leaning the occupant back on a backrest of the seat.

13. The input apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the occupant is a driver of the vehicle,

wherein the operation element is a remote operation element, which is arranged at a position nearer a driver seat than a main operation device, and

wherein the remote operation element is separately disposed from the main operation device, and

wherein the remote operation element executes remote input into the main operation device.

14. The input apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a display arranged on a front side of the vehicle and visible by the occupant, who sits down on a driver seat or a front passenger seat,

wherein the main operation device is a touch panel mounted on the display, and

wherein the remote operation element is arranged between a bottom of the driver seat and a bottom of the front passenger seat.

15. The input apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

a hand image capturing element capturing a hand image of an operator, who operates the remote operation element;

a hand image display element specifying an indicating position on the display based on the hand image and superimposing a position indication image at the indicating position on the display;

a display mode setup element setting one of a display disabling mode and a display enabling mode of the hand image display element,

wherein the display disabling mode is set when the unawakened state detection element detects the unawakened state,

wherein the display enabling mode is set when the unawakened state detection element does not detect the unawakened state,

wherein the display disabling mode prohibits the hand image display element from superimposing the position indication image on the display, and

wherein the display enabling mode allows the hand image display element to superimpose the position indication image on the display.

16. The input apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the operation element is at least one of an air conditioner operation part, an audio operation part, a navigation operation part, a power window operation part and a seat adjusting operation part.

17. An input apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

an operation device operable by an operator in the vehicle;

a visual line detection element detecting a visual line of the operator who operates the operation device;

a releasing visual line determination element determining whether the visual line is disposed in a predetermined operation releasing visual line state; and

an input operation mode setup element setting an input operation enable mode and an input operation disable mode,

wherein the input operation enable mode allows the operation device to input an operation from the operator,

wherein the input operation disable mode prohibits the operation device from inputting an operation from the operator, and

wherein the input operation mode setup element switches the operation device from the input operation disable mode to the input operation enable mode when the releasing visual line determination element determines that the visual line is disposed in the predetermined operation releasing visual line state.

18. The input apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein the visual line detection element includes a face image capturing element for capturing a face image of the operator, and detects the visual line of the operator based on the face image.

19. The input apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein the operation releasing visual line state is defined by a state that the visual line is directed to at least a predetermined operation releasing visual line area.

20. The input apparatus according to claim 19,

wherein the operation releasing visual line state is defined by a state that a movement speed of the visual line is equal to or smaller than a predetermined speed when the visual line enters in the operation releasing visual line area.

21. The input apparatus according to claim 19,

wherein the operation releasing visual line state is defined by a state that the visual line is continuously directed to the operation releasing visual line area for a predetermined view time.

22. The input apparatus according to claims 19,

wherein the operation releasing visual line area is defined by a layout area of the operation device, to which an input operation mode is set, and

wherein the input operation mode includes the input operation enable mode and the input operation disable mode.

23. The input apparatus according to claim 22,

wherein the operation device includes a plurality of operation elements,

wherein the input operation mode setup element sets the input operation mode to each operation element,

wherein the plurality of operation elements includes a part of the plurality of operation elements, which is defined as a predetermined operation element group,

wherein each operation element in the operation element group has a corresponding operation releasing visual line area,

wherein the releasing visual line determination element specifies the operation releasing visual line state corresponding to each operation element in the operation element group, and defines the operation element group as an operable operation element group when the visual line is disposed in the operation releasing visual line state and is directed to the operation element group,

wherein the input operation mode setup element switches each operation element in the operation element group from the input operation disable mode to the input operation enable mode when the releasing visual line determination element determines that the visual line is disposed in the operation releasing visual line state, and

wherein the input operation mode setup element maintains a remaining part of the plurality of operation elements to be in the input operation disable mode.

24. The input apparatus according to claim 23,

wherein each operation element in the operation element group has the same operation object or the same operation function.

25. The input apparatus according to claim 23,

wherein each operation element in the operation element group is disposed in a predetermined layout area.

26. The input apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

an operation disable mode recovery element switching the operation device from the operation enable mode to the operation disable mode after a predetermined operation enable time has elapsed since the operation mode setup element set the operation enable mode.

27. The input apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein the operation device includes a touch operation panel so that the occupant touches the panel to input operation.

28. The input apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein the operation device is arranged at a position where the occupant can operate the operation element even when the occupant sits down on a seat of the vehicle with leaning the occupant back on a backrest of the seat.

29. The input apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein the operation device is a remote operation element, which is arranged at a position nearer a predetermined seat of the vehicle than a main operation device,

wherein the remote operation element is separately disposed from the main operation device, and

wherein the remote operation element executes remote input into the main operation device.

30. The input apparatus according to claim 29, further comprising:

a display arranged on a front side of the vehicle and visible by the occupant, who sits down on a driver seat of the vehicle,

wherein the main operation device is a touch panel mounted on the display, and

wherein the remote operation element is arranged between a bottom of the driver seat and a bottom of the front passenger seat.

31. The input apparatus according to claim 30, further comprising:

a hand image capturing element capturing a hand image of an operator, who operates the remote operation element; and

a hand image display element specifying an indicating position on the display based on the hand image, and superimposing a position indication image at the indicating position on the display.

32. A remote controller comprising:

an operation device including an operation element remotely operating an in-vehicle device;

a locking element switching the operation element between a lock mode and an unlock mode, wherein the operation element is operable when the locking element switches to the unlock mode, and the operation element is not operable when the locking element switches to the lock mode;

a load detection element detecting a load applied to the operation element; and

a control element controlling the locking element,

wherein the control element controls the locking element to switch to the lock mode when the load is smaller than a predetermined value, and

wherein the control element controls the locking element to switch to the unlock mode when the load is equal to or larger than the predetermined value.

33. The remote controller according to claim 32,

wherein the control element controls the locking element to switch to the lock mode when no operation is input into the operation element for a predetermined time interval after the control element controls the locking element to switch to the unlock mode.

34. The remote controller according to claim 32,

wherein the operation element includes a palm rest for placing a palm of an operator thereon, and a palm detection element for detecting the palm on the palm rest,

wherein the control element controls the locking element to maintain the unlock mode when the palm detection element detects the palm after the control element controls the locking element to switch to the unlock mode, and

wherein the control element controls the locking element to switch to the lock mode when the palm detection element does not detects the palm after the control element controls the locking element to switch to the unlock mode.

35. An operating device for a vehicle comprising:

an operation element disposed within a reach of an operator;

an operation determination element determining whether the operator operates the operation element;

a display displaying an image on a screen of the display when the operation determination element determines that the operator operates the operation element, the image corresponding to an input operation of the operator;

a visual line direction detection element detecting a direction of a visual line of the operator; and

an operation mode control element switching the operation element from a normal mode to a restriction mode when the direction of the visual line is not directed to the screen of the display,

wherein the normal mode does not restrict the input operation of the operation element, and

wherein the restriction mode restricts the input operation of the operation element.

36. The operating device according to claim 35,

wherein the operation element includes a haptic device for specifying a position on a two-dimensional operation plane having a predetermined operation range.

37. The operating device according to claim 36,

wherein the haptic device is configured as a pointing device to be operated against a restoring force toward a neutral position,

wherein the haptic device has an operation axis, which is maintained at the neutral position when the haptic device is not operated,

wherein the operation axis slants from the neutral position toward a direction corresponding to the specified position on the screen when the haptic device is not operated, and

wherein the operation mode control applies the restoring force to the operation element in the restriction mode larger than the restoring force in the normal mode.

38. The operating device according to claim 37,

wherein the operation mode control element sets the operation element in the restriction mode to be in a lock state so that the operation axis is maintained at a predetermined position.

39. The operating device according to claim 37,

wherein the operation mode control element sets the operation element in the restriction mode to maintain the operation axis at a position just before the operation mode control element switches the operation element from the normal mode to the restriction mode.

40. The operating device according to claim 37, further comprising:

an operation axis position storage element storing an operation axis position of the operation element as a return position just before the operation mode control element switches the operation element from the normal mode to the restriction mode,

wherein the operation mode control element returns the operation axis position to the return position when the operation mode control element switches the operation element from the restriction mode to the normal mode.

41. The operating device according to claim 35, further comprising:

wherein the operation mode control element cancels the input operation of the operation element when the operation element is in the restriction mode.

42. The operating device according to claim 35, further comprising:

wherein the display is arranged at a position deviated from a usual visual line of a driver who drives the vehicle.