OPERATION APPARATUS

• US 20100107121A1
• Filed: 07/14/2008
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawachi, Kazuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,102,244 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/823
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0228 Hand-activated mechanical switches B60N2/0229 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits

Abstract

Provided is an operation apparatus capable of securely preventing an erroneous operation in adjusting a seat and the like from being caused by a passenger. A seat shape image Sg representing an outer profile of a seat, and adjustable item buttons Tb representing names of movable portions, respectively, of the seat are displayed on a display screen. When a position, on a touch panel, corresponding to a position, on the display screen, of one of the adjustable item buttons Tb is touched, adjustment direction arrows Ty indicating directions, respectively, in which one of the movable portions corresponding to the one of the adjustable item buttons Tb is movable are displayed on the display screen.

Claims

1. An operation apparatus for operating an object to be operated, the object to be operated having a plurality of movable portions, the operation apparatus comprising:

display section;

operation section that detects a touch position having been touched by a user, and generates an operation signal which represents a position, on a display screen of the display section, corresponding to the touch position;

shape image display control section that displays, on the display screen of the display section, a shape image representing an outer profile of the object to be operated;

adjustable item display section that displays, on the display screen, adjustable item images and the shape image, the adjustable item images corresponding to the plurality of movable portions, and indicating names of the plurality of movable portions, respectively, of the object to be operated;

selection section that selects one of the plurality of movable portions which has a name of one of the adjustable item images displayed on the display screen by the adjustable item display section, the one of the adjustable item images being displayed at a position, on the display screen, corresponding to the touch position represented by the operation signal;

arrow display control section that displays, after one of the plurality of movable portions is selected by the selection section, arrow images representing directions, respectively, in which the selected one of the plurality of movable portions is movable, and the shape image, on the display screen; and

movement instruction section that outputs an instruction signal for moving the one of the plurality of movable portions which is selected by the selection section, in one of the directions which corresponds to one of the arrow images displayed on the display screen by the arrow display control section, the one of the arrow images being displayed at a position, on the display screen, corresponding to the touch position represented by the operation signal.

2. The operation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising highlight display control section that switches to highlight and display, in accordance with one of the plurality of movable portions being selected by the selection section, a portion, on the shape image, which corresponds to the selected one of the plurality of movable portions.

3. The operation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising item highlight display control section that switches to highlight and display, in accordance with one of the plurality of movable portions being selected by the selection section, a corresponding one of the adjustable item images, the corresponding one of the adjustable item images indicating a name of the selected one of the plurality of movable portions.

4. The operation apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the selection section further selects, based on the operation signal, one of the arrow images displayed on the display screen by the arrow display control section, and

wherein the movement instruction section outputs an instruction signal for moving, in accordance with one of the arrow images being selected by the selection section, one of the plurality of movable portions which is associated with the one of the arrow images, in one of the directions which corresponds to the one of the arrow images.

5. The operation apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising arrow highlight display control section that switches to highlight and display, in accordance with one of the arrow images being selected by the selection section, the one of the arrow images.

6. The operation apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the object to be operated includes a seat mounted in a vehicle.

7. An operation apparatus for operating an object to be operated, the object to be operated having a plurality of movable portions, the operation apparatus comprising:

display section;

operation section that generates an operation signal based on an input operation performed by a user;

shape image display control section that displays, on a display screen of the display section, a shape image representing an outer profile of the object to be operated;

selection section that selects one of the plurality of movable portions, based on the operation signal;

arrow display control section that displays, after one of the plurality of movable portions is selected by the selection section, arrow images representing directions, respectively, in which the selected one of the plurality of movable portions is movable, and the shape image, on the display screen;

movement instruction section that outputs an instruction signal for moving, when the arrow images are displayed on the display screen by the arrow display control section, the one of the plurality of movable portions which is selected by the selection section, in one of the directions which corresponds to one of the arrow images, based on the operation signal;

positional information generation section that generates, while the instruction signal is being outputted by the movement instruction section, positional information indicating a position of the one of the plurality of movable portions; and

animation display section that moves and displays an image representing the one of the plurality of movable portions which is included in the shape image and is selected by the selection section, based on the positional information generated by the positional information generation section, when the instruction signal is being outputted by the movement instruction section.

8. An operation apparatus for operating an object to be operated, the object to be operated having a plurality of movable portions, the operation apparatus comprising:

display section;

operation section that is positioned at a position distant from the display section and that generates an operation signal based on an input operation performed by a user;

shape image display control section that displays, on a display screen of the display section, a shape image representing an outer profile of the object to be operated;

adjustable item display section that displays, on the display screen, adjustable item images and the shape image, the adjustable item images corresponding to the plurality of movable portions, and indicating names of the plurality of movable portions, respectively, of the object to be operated;

selection section that selects one of the plurality of movable portions which has a name of one of the adjustable item images which is selected, based on the operation signal, from among the adjustable item images displayed on the display screen by the adjustable item display section;

arrow display control section that displays, after one of the plurality of movable portions is selected by the selection section, arrow images representing directions, respectively, in which the selected one of the plurality of movable portions is movable, and the shape image, on the display screen; and

movement instruction section that outputs an instruction signal for moving the one of the plurality of movable portions which is selected by the selection section, in one of the directions which corresponds to one of the arrow images which is selected, based on the operation signal, from among the arrow images displayed on the display screen by the arrow display control section.