Vehicle input system

• US 7,483,771 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2006
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sasanouchi, Kiyotaka
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US11/436,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20060261976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/33, 701/35, 701/36, 340/905
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0264 for control means
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages

Abstract

A vehicle input system is provided which includes: an input unit which accepts an operation instruction for a plurality of pieces of equipment on board an automobile; a control section which, in accordance with an operation instruction accepted by the input unit, transmits a control signal for controlling equipment targeted by the operation instruction; and an information acquisition section which, if at least one of the plurality of pieces of equipment is exchanged and if new equipment is added, then acquires, as control-signal information, information on a control signal for controlling the substituted or added equipment, in which the control section generates the control signal in accordance with the control-signal information acquired by the information acquisition section.

Claims

1. A vehicle input system, comprising:

an input unit which accepts an operation instruction for a plurality of pieces of equipment on board an automobile; and

a control section which, in accordance with an operation instruction accepted by the input unit, transmits a control signal for controlling the equipment targeted by the operation instruction,

wherein if at least one of the plurality of pieces of equipment is exchanged or removed, or if new equipment is added, the control section changes the control signal in accordance with the exchange, removal or addition of the equipment.

2. The vehicle input system according to claim 1, wherein:

an information acquisition section is further provided which, if at least one of the plurality of pieces of equipment is exchanged or if new equipment is added, then acquires, as control-signal information, information on a control signal for controlling the substituted or added equipment; and

the control section generates the control signal in accordance with the control-signal information acquired by the information acquisition section.

3. The vehicle input system according to claim 2, wherein:

a storage section is further provided which stores, as the control-signal information, information on a control signal for controlling the plurality of pieces of equipment;

the information acquisition section stores, in the storage section, as new control-signal information, the information on the control signal for controlling the substituted or added equipment; and

the control section generates the control signal in accordance with the control-signal information stored in the storage section.

4. The vehicle input system according to claim 3, wherein:

a display which displays an image is further provided;

the input unit includes a plurality of push switches for accepting the operation instruction, the push switches being disposed in a predetermined array;

if at least one of the plurality of pieces of equipment is exchanged or if new equipment is added, the information acquisition section further acquires, as operation-instruction information, information which indicates one or a plurality of operation instructions acceptable by the substituted or added equipment, and stores the operation-instruction information in the storage section; and

the control section displays, in the display, the one or plurality of operation instructions indicated by the operation-instruction information stored in the storage section, on the model of the array of the plurality of push switches.

5. The vehicle input system according to claim 1, wherein the operation instruction includes at least an equipment-selection instruction for selecting equipment to be operated out of the plurality of pieces of equipment, and a function-selection instruction for selecting a function of the selected equipment.

6. The vehicle input system according to claim 3, wherein the information acquisition section is a reading unit for a storage medium, and reads the information on the control signal for controlling the substituted or added equipment from the storage medium.

7. The vehicle input system according to claim 3, wherein the information acquisition section is an equipment communication section which communicates via a communication line with a storage changing section provided outside, and receives, via the communication line from the storage changing section, the information on the control signal for controlling the substituted or added equipment.

8. The vehicle input system according to claim 7, wherein:

as the communication line, a signal line is used which connects at least one of the input unit, the plurality of pieces of equipment and the display to the control section.

9. The vehicle input system according to claim 3, wherein the information acquisition section is a radio reception section which communicates by radio with a storage changing section provided outside, and acquires, through radio communication from the storage changing section, the information on the control signal for controlling the substituted or added equipment.

10. The vehicle input system according to claim 3, wherein the information acquisition section is an equipment communication section which communicates via a communication line with the plurality of pieces of equipment, and receives the information on the control signal for controlling the substituted or added equipment via the communication line from the equipment.

11. The vehicle input system according to claim 4, wherein the information acquisition section is a reading unit for a storage medium, and reads the information which indicates one or a plurality of operation instructions acceptable by the substituted or added equipment from the storage medium.

12. The vehicle input system according to claim 4, wherein the information acquisition section is an equipment communication section which communicates via a communication line with a storage changing section provided outside, and receives, via the communication line from the storage changing section, the information which indicates one or a plurality of operation instructions acceptable by the substituted or added equipment.

13. The vehicle input system according to claim 12, wherein:

as the communication line, a signal line is used which connects at least one of the input unit, the plurality of pieces of equipment and the display to the control section.

14. The vehicle input system according to claim 4, wherein the information acquisition section is a radio reception section which communicates by radio with a storage changing section provided outside, and acquires, through radio communication from the storage changing section, the information which indicates one or a plurality of operation instructions acceptable by the substituted or added equipment.

15. The vehicle input system according to claim 4, wherein the information acquisition section is an equipment communication section which communicates via a communication line with the plurality of pieces of equipment, and receives the information which indicates one or a plurality of operation instructions acceptable by the substituted or added equipment via the communication line from the equipment.

16. The vehicle input system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage section which stores, as control-signal information, information on a control signal for controlling the plurality of pieces of equipment; and

a detection section which, if at least one of the plurality of pieces of equipment is removed, detects the removed equipment,

wherein if the removed equipment is detected by the detection section, the control section deletes the control-signal information on the removed equipment from the storage section and generates the control signal in accordance with the control-signal information stored in the storage section.