VEHICLE OPERATION INPUT APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD FOR VEHICLE OPERATION INPUT APPARATUS

• US 20130076499A1
• Filed: 09/10/2012
• Published: 03/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: OKITA, Munechika
• Granted Patent: US 9,221,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/122 Instrument input devices with reconfigurable control functions, e.g. reconfigurable menus
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/141 Activation of instrument input devices by approaching fingers or pens
• 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: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera

Abstract

A vehicle operation input apparatus includes: a display having a screen; and a control unit configured to determine whether or not a hand of a driver has been removed from a steering wheel, and after determining that the hand of the driver has been removed from the steering wheel in a situation where an operation menu is not displayed on the screen, control the display such that the operation menu is displayed on the screen.

Claims

1. A vehicle operation input apparatus comprising:

a display having a screen; and

a control unit configured to determine whether or not a hand of a driver has been removed from a steering wheel, and after determining that the hand of the driver has been removed from the steering wheel in a situation where an operation menu is not displayed on the screen, control the display such that the operation menu is displayed on the screen.

2. The vehicle operation input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to determine whether or not a hand closer to the display, from among left and right hands of the driver, has been removed from the steering wheel, and after determining that the hand closer to the display has been removed from the steering wheel in a situation where the operation menu is not displayed on the screen, control the display such that the operation menu is displayed on the screen.

3. The vehicle operation input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display is a touch panel display.

4. The vehicle operation input apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a detection unit that detects a contact condition between the hand of the driver and the steering wheel,

wherein the control unit is configured to determine whether or not the hand of the driver has been removed from the steering wheel on the basis of the contact condition between the hand of the driver and the steering wheel, detected by the detection unit.

5. The vehicle operation input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to determine whether or not a facial pose or a sightline direction of the driver is oriented toward the screen, and after determining that the hand of the driver has been removed from the steering wheel and the facial pose or the sightline direction of the driver is oriented toward the screen in a situation where the operation menu is not displayed on the screen, control the display such that the operation menu is displayed on the screen.

6. The vehicle operation input apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an imaging unit that captures an image of a driver face,

wherein the control unit configured to determine whether or not the facial pose or the sightline direction of the driver is oriented toward the screen on the basis of the image captured by the imaging unit.

7. The vehicle operation input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to determine whether or not a host vehicle is traveling on a straight road or whether or not a road ahead of the host vehicle in an advancement direction is a straight road, and after determining that the hand of the driver has been removed from the steering wheel and the host vehicle is traveling on a straight road in a situation where the operation menu is not displayed on the screen or determining that the hand of the driver has been removed from the steering wheel and the road ahead of the host vehicle in the advancement direction is a straight road in a situation where the operation menu is not displayed on the screen, control the display such that the operation menu is displayed on the screen.

8. The vehicle operation input apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, even if the hand of the driver is determined to have been removed from the steering wheel in a situation where the operation menu is not displayed on the screen, the control unit is configured to control the display such that display of the operation menu is suppressed after determining that the host vehicle is traveling on a curved road or a bend, or the road ahead of the host vehicle in the advancement direction is a curved road or a bend.

9. The vehicle operation input apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control unit is configured to obtain map information and host vehicle position information, and determine whether or not the host vehicle is traveling on a straight road or whether or not the road ahead of the host vehicle in the advancement direction is a straight road on the basis of the obtained map information and host vehicle position information.

10. The vehicle operation input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to determine whether or not a driving load on the driver is at or below a predetermined level, and after determining that the hand of the driver has been removed from the steering wheel and the driving load on the driver is at or below the predetermined level in a situation where the operation menu is not displayed on the screen, control the display such that the operation menu is displayed on the screen.

11. The vehicle operation input apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, even if the hand of the driver is determined to have been removed from the steering wheel in a situation where the operation menu is not displayed on the screen, the control unit is configured to control the display such that display of the operation menu is suppressed after determining that the driving load on the driver is larger than the predetermined level.

12. The vehicle operation input apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the control unit is configured to determine the driving load on the driver on the basis of vehicle speed information and steering angle information.

13. A control method for a vehicle operation input apparatus, comprising:

determining whether or not a hand of a driver has been removed from a steering wheel; and

after determining that the hand of the driver has been removed from the steering wheel in a situation where an operation menu is not displayed on a screen of a display, controlling the display such that the operation menu is displayed on the screen.