In-vehicle equipment control device and in-vehicle equipment setting method using the device

• US 8,265,822 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2007
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakashima, Kazuhiko, Marunaka, Kenji, Inoue, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc-Coleman, Marthe
• Application Number:
  US12/227,239
• Publication Number:
  US 20090093926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,904 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/1, 701/37, 165/202, 165/201, 165/203, 165/205, 165/208, 165/211, 165/212, 165/289, 621/59, 622/39, 622/08, 622/11, 236/1.B, 236/1.C, 236/44.C, 700/277
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00985 Control systems or circuits characterised by display or indicating devices, e.g. voice simulators characterised by the input of sound using a voice synthesizer B60H1/00757; B60H1/00978 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor

Abstract

A disclosed in-vehicle equipment control device “S” includes input units 2 and 3 for increasing and decreasing a set value of in-vehicle equipment, and a set value increase/decrease halting unit 13 for stopping the increase/decrease of the set value when the set value reaches a prescribed value after being increased and decreased by the input units 2 and 3. Further, the in-vehicle equipment control device “S” may further include a set value increase/decrease resuming unit 14 for resuming increasing or decreasing the set value when an input of the input unit 2 or 3 is continued after the increase or decrease of the set value is stopped by the set value increase/decrease halting unit 13.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle equipment control device comprising:

an input unit increasing/decreasing a set value of in-vehicle equipment;

an input status determination unit determining whether an input mode of the input unit is a long-press mode or a short-press mode;

a set value increase/decrease halting unit stopping the increase/decrease of the set value when the set value reaches a prescribed value registered in the in-vehicle equipment control device after the set value is continually increased/decreased by the input unit; and

a set value increase/decrease resuming unit resuming the increasing/decreasing of the set value when an input by the input unit in the long-press mode continues for a prescribed time period since the increase/decrease of the set value is stopped by the set value increase/decrease halting unit.

2. The in-vehicle equipment control device according to claim 1, wherein

the input unit includes a first input unit for increasing the set value and a second input unit for decreasing the set value.

3. The in-vehicle equipment control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an attention-attracting unit attracting an operator'"'"'s attention when the set value reaches the prescribed value after the set value is continually increased/decreased by the input unit.

4. The in-vehicle equipment control device according to claim 1, wherein

the in-vehicle equipment is an in-vehicle air conditioner;

and

the set value is a set temperature or a set humidity of the in-vehicle air conditioner.

5. The in-vehicle equipment control device according to claim 4, wherein

the set value increase/decrease halting unit determines whether the increase/decrease of the set value is to be stopped by estimating an operator'"'"'s intention based on a set value before being increased/decreased, an increasing or decreasing direction, and a room temperature of the vehicle.

6. The in-vehicle equipment control device according to claim 1, wherein

a setting condition of the in-vehicle equipment control device is registered for each operator.

7. The in-vehicle equipment control device according to claim 6, wherein

the setting condition is a recommended set temperature, a time interval of an increasing/decreasing step, or an increasing/decreasing width of the increasing/decreasing step.

8. An in-vehicle equipment setting method for setting operations of in-vehicle equipment by using an in-vehicle equipment control device including an input unit for increasing/decreasing a set value of the in-vehicle equipment, the method comprising:

determining whether an input mode of the input unit is a long-press mode or a short-press mode;

stopping the increase/decrease of the set value when the set value reaches a prescribed value registered in the in-vehicle equipment control device after the set value is continually increased/decreased by the input unit; and

resuming the increasing/decreasing of the set value when an input by the input unit in the long-press mode continues for a prescribed time period since the increase/decrease of the set value is stopped in the set value increase/decrease halting step.