VEHICLE OPERATION SYSTEM

• US 20160264070A1
• Filed: 03/08/2016
• Published: 09/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Urakami, Shuhei, Saito, Takafumi
• Application Number:
  US15/064,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20160264070A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/782 on the steering wheel
• 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 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/00 Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor for lighting vehicle interior B60Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1476 comprising switch controlling means located near the free end of the lever, e.g. press buttons, rotatable rings
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/005 Electro-mechanical devices, e.g. switched electric switches in general H01H

Abstract

A vehicle operation system includes: a longitudinal member projected and extended from a steering column; an action detecting unit that is arranged at a distal end in a projecting direction of the longitudinal member, and detects an operation form of an operator in operating an onboard device at the distal end or in a sensing space with the distal end being a base point; and a controller that transmits a command to the onboard device based on an output signal from the action detecting unit in accordance with the operation form of the operator. The action detecting unit sets an operation direction along natural movement of a finger of the operator gripping a steering wheel, and allocates a function of the onboard device to the operation direction.

Claims

1. A vehicle operation system comprising:

a longitudinal member that is projected and extended from a steering column;

an action detecting unit that is arranged at a distal end in a projecting direction of the longitudinal member, and detects an operation form of an operator in operating an onboard device at the distal end or in a sensing space with the distal end being a base point; and

a controller that transmits a command to the onboard device based on an output signal from the action detecting unit in accordance with the operation form of the operator, wherein

the action detecting unit sets an operation direction along natural movement of a finger of the operator gripping a steering wheel, and allocates a function of the onboard device to the operation direction.

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

the operation direction along natural movement of the finger of the operator is a direction along a bending and stretching direction of the finger or a direction orthogonal to the direction along the bending and stretching direction.

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

the action detecting unit includes a contact sensor capable of detecting an object being in contact with a contact operation region of the distal end and a moving direction of the object, or a non-contact sensor capable of detecting an object present in the sensing space and a moving direction of the object in the sensing space.

4. The vehicle operation system according to claim 2, wherein

the action detecting unit includes a contact sensor capable of detecting an object being in contact with a contact operation region of the distal end and a moving direction of the object, or a non-contact sensor capable of detecting an object present in the sensing space and a moving direction of the object in the sensing space.

5. The vehicle operation system according to claim 1, wherein

at least one combination of the longitudinal member and the action detecting unit is arranged on at least one of a left end and a right end of the steering column in a vehicle width direction.

6. The vehicle operation system according to claim 2, wherein

at least one combination of the longitudinal member and the action detecting unit is arranged on at least one of a left end and a right end of the steering column in a vehicle width direction.

7. The vehicle operation system according to claim 3, wherein

at least one combination of the longitudinal member and the action detecting unit is arranged on at least one of a left end and a right end of the steering column in a vehicle width direction.

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

a main operation device including a lever operation unit that includes the longitudinal member and a lever operation detecting unit that detects an inclining direction of inclining action using an end of the longitudinal member on the steering column side as a fulcrum, and operating the onboard device allocated to the inclining direction of the inclining action as an operation direction of the longitudinal member or an onboard device different from the former onboard device, and

an auxiliary operation device including the action detecting unit.

9. The vehicle operation system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a main operation device including a lever operation unit that includes the longitudinal member and a lever operation detecting unit that detects an inclining direction of inclining action using an end of the longitudinal member on the steering column side as a fulcrum, and operating the onboard device allocated to the inclining direction of the inclining action as an operation direction of the longitudinal member or an onboard device different from the former onboard device, and

an auxiliary operation device including the action detecting unit.

10. The vehicle operation system according to claim 3, further comprising:

a main operation device including a lever operation unit that includes the longitudinal member and a lever operation detecting unit that detects an inclining direction of inclining action using an end of the longitudinal member on the steering column side as a fulcrum, and operating the onboard device allocated to the inclining direction of the inclining action as an operation direction of the longitudinal member or an onboard device different from the former onboard device, and

an auxiliary operation device including the action detecting unit.

11. The vehicle operation system according to claim 5, further comprising:

a main operation device including a lever operation unit that includes the longitudinal member and a lever operation detecting unit that detects an inclining direction of inclining action using an end of the longitudinal member on the steering column side as a fulcrum, and operating the onboard device allocated to the inclining direction of the inclining action as an operation direction of the longitudinal member or an onboard device different from the former onboard device, and

an auxiliary operation device including the action detecting unit.

12. The vehicle operation system according to claim 8, wherein

at least one combination of the main operation device and the auxiliary operation device is arranged on at least one of the left end and the right end of the steering column in the vehicle width direction.

13. The vehicle operation system according to claim 1, wherein

the action detecting unit has a distal end surface at a distal end in an extending direction of the longitudinal member, detects an operation form allocated to a working form included in the onboard device on the distal end surface side or in a sensing space with the distal end surface being a base point, and is arranged so that an angle of at least the distal end surface is capable of being freely changed about an axis at the distal end of the longitudinal member, and

the controller controls the onboard device based on the operation form detected by the action detecting unit.