Input device, vehicle environment monitoring apparatus, icon switch selection method, and recording medium

• US 9,041,804 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2009
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Inui, Yoji, Nakamura, Keiichi, Fujii, Taketoshi, Iga, Haruka, Fukaya, Atsuo, Yamada, Yoshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ FUENTES, LUIS M
• Application Number:
  US13/130,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20110261201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,013 Days
• Field of Search: 348/148
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34

Abstract

An input device, wherein the screen (18a) of a display device (18) is divided into two regions, a region (A1) and a region (A2), and the icon switch displayed in the region including the position of an invisible pointer (P′) is selected. Thus, one of an icon switch (1) and an icon switch (2) that are displayed on the screen (18a) is selected at any time. Consequently, the user will no longer have to watch the screen carefully and perform an operation for moving an instruction marker such as a visible pointer to a desired icon switch, for example as in conventional devices. Accordingly, the user can enter a desired instruction in a short time by selecting a desired icon switch in a short time.

Claims

1. An input device for entering instructions into a given device, comprising:

a display unit defining

an invisible pointer invisible to a user and

moving to a virtual position corresponding to coordinates on a screen according to input from an external source, and

displaying multiple icon switches corresponding to the instructions and to which processing contents different from each other are assigned in respective multiple regions defined by dividing the screen on a one-by-one basis,

the multiple regions contacting one another, and the entire range of the screen being allocated to the multiple regions; and

a computer processor for performing the following operations;

selecting the icon switch displayed in one the region of the multiple regions containing the virtual position of the invisible pointer,

based on a determination that the virtual position is within the one region of the multiple regions, even if the position of the pointer is not moved to the icon switch,

the selection of the icon switch is based only on the virtual position of the virtual pointer; and

outputting a signal to start a processing corresponding to indicating the selected icon switch upon confirmation of a selection of the selected icon switch by the user, even if the position of the pointer is not moved to the icon switch;

wherein the display unit displays images of a vehicle environment captured by a camera on the screen of the input device in a superimposed manner on the icon switches.

2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the sizes of the regions are modified defined according to the frequencies of use of the icon switches displayed.

3. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the icon switches are displayed in parts of the regions.

4. An icon switch selection method for selecting one of multiple icon switches displayed on a screen, including the following steps:

defining an invisible pointer invisible to a user and moving to a virtual position corresponding to coordinates on a screen according to input from an external source;

displaying multiple icon switches to which processing contents different from each other are assigned in respective multiple regions defined by dividing the screen on a one-by-one basis,

the multiple regions contacting one another, and the entire range of the screen being allocated to the multiple regions;

an selecting the icon switch displayed in one the region of the multiple regions containing the virtual position of the pointer based on a determination that the virtual position is within the one region of the multiple regions,

even if the position of the pointer is not moved to the icon switch, the selection of the icon switch is based only on the virtual position of the invisible pointer; and

starting a processing corresponding to the selected icon switch upon confirmation of a selection of the selected icon switch by the user, even if the position of the pointer is not moved to the icon switch

wherein the display unit displays images of a vehicle environment captured by a camera on the screen of the input device in a superimposed manner on the icon switches.

5. The icon switch selection method according to claim 4, wherein the icon switches are displayed in parts of the regions.

8. The icon switch selection method according to claim 4, wherein the sizes of the regions are modified according to the frequencies of use of the icon switches displayed.

9. The recording medium according to claim 4, wherein the sizes of the regions are modified according to the frequencies of use of the icon switches displayed.

6. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a program that allows a controller controlling a display device displaying information to execute the following procedures:

defining an invisible pointer invisible to a user and moving to a virtual position corresponding to coordinates on a screen according to input from an external source;

displaying multiple icon switches to which processing contents different from each other are assigned in respective multiple regions defined by dividing the screen on a one-by-one basis,

the multiple regions contacting one another, and the entire range of the screen being allocated to the multiple regions;

an selecting the icon switch displayed in one region of the multiple regions containing the virtual position of the pointer based on a determination that the virtual position is within the one region of the multiple regions, even if the position of the pointer is not moved to the icon switch;

the selection of the icon switch is based only on the virtual position of the invisible pointer; and

starting a processing corresponding to the selected icon switch upon confirmation of a selection of the selected icon switch by the user, even if the position of the pointer is not moved to the icon switch;

wherein the display unit displays images of a vehicle environment captured by a camera on the screen of the input device in a superimposed manner on the icon switches.

7. The recording medium according to claim 6, wherein the icon switches are displayed in parts of the regions.