JP5018647B2 - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle operating device mounted on a vehicle.

  An operation device for operating an electronic device using a pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball connected to the electronic device, or for moving a pointer or the like corresponding to the operation direction on the screen of the display device. There is. These input devices, when operated by a user, output coordinates corresponding to the operation direction to an electronic device. Such an operation device is also used for in-vehicle devices such as a navigation device, an air conditioner panel, or an audio device.

  In the vehicle, in order to reduce the movement of the driver's line of sight, a display device is arranged at a position that is away from the driver's seat but close to the driver's field of view. For this reason, the touch panel, which is a conventional operation means, cannot reach the driver (user) and cannot operate stably, so that the driver can reach the center console without changing the driving posture greatly. A pointing device is attached, and a desired in-vehicle device can be remotely operated.

  As a pointing device, in an operation unit that is selectively attached to the armrest part or footrest part of an electric travel type wheelchair, and operates the vehicle body forward, backward, left and right turn, etc. by operating the operation lever back and forth, left and right, An operation unit structure for directional operation has been devised that can increase the amount of planar movement of the operation member and facilitate accurate directional operation (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-280498 A

  It can be said that the center console of the vehicle is in a harsher environment against the intrusion of foreign matter such as water and dust as compared to the instrument panel. Further, the pointing device has a large movable range. For example, as shown in FIG. 8 (the symbol is common to FIG. 3 and the like), the pointing device has a movable portion such as the operation knob 21 and the operation shaft 22 and a fixed portion such as the housing 20. Since a large gap (A and B) must be taken, the structure is more vulnerable to foreign matter and water intrusion than other operation panels such as a touch panel.

  Even in the example of Patent Document 1, there is no disclosure or suggestion regarding the waterproofing and dustproofing measures of the operation unit.

  Against the background of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular operating device capable of preventing intrusion of foreign matter and water from a gap between movable parts.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

An operation device for a vehicle for solving the above problem is provided in an operation unit that is mounted on a vehicle and operated by an occupant in an operation device for a vehicle for operating at least one electronic device. A housing that stores and supports the operation shaft, and an opening that is provided in the housing and is inserted into the operation shaft so that the operation shaft can freely move according to the operation of the operation portion. And one end is fixed to the opening forming surface of the housing, and the other end has a bellows-like contact portion that contacts a surface of the operation portion facing the opening, and surrounds at least a part of the periphery of the operation shaft. a cover member disposed so as, with the cover member, when the occupant has operated the operation unit, within the operating range of the operating unit, it is assumed that moving while keeping contact with the operation portion.

  With the above configuration, since the space (opening and the gap between the operation unit and the housing) for allowing the operation shaft of the operation unit to freely move is surrounded by the cover member, foreign matter from the gap of the movable unit (operation unit) And water can be prevented from entering. Further, since the operation unit and the cover member are in contact with each other, an operation reaction force is generated due to friction when the user operates the operation unit. Thereby, it can recognize that it is operating an operation part from other than a display apparatus (sight), and can also improve a user's operational feeling.

  Further, the cover member in the vehicle operating device of the present invention is made of an elastic member, and is configured to be expanded and contracted by being biased in the operation direction of the operation unit.

  With the above configuration, even when the operation unit moves, a gap between the operation unit and the housing does not occur, and foreign matter and water can be prevented from entering. It is also possible to prevent the movement of the operation unit from being hindered. Furthermore, by making the gap between the cover member and the operation shaft smaller, the operation shaft can be fixed and supported by the cover member, and rattling of the operation unit can be prevented.

  Further, the cover member in the vehicle operating device of the present invention is configured not to be fixed to a surface facing the opening of the operation unit.

  With the above-described configuration, it is possible to prevent intrusion of foreign matter or water, and it is possible to prevent the movement of the operation unit from being hindered. Further, when the user operates the operation unit, the operation unit moves while maintaining contact with the cover member. At this time, since the cover member does not move following the operation unit, it operates like a wiper. Therefore, the effect that the dust adhering to the surface facing the opening of the operation unit can be expected.

Moreover, the contact part of the cover member in the operating device for vehicles of this invention is comprised so that it may have a some contact and may be in contact with the opposing surface with the opening part of an operation part.

  With the above configuration, it is possible to further increase the effect of removing dust attached to the surface facing the opening of the operation unit when the user operates the operation unit.

  Moreover, the cover member in the operating device for vehicles of this invention is comprised so that it may adhere to the opposing surface with the opening part of an operation part.

  With the above configuration, it is possible to further increase the effect of preventing the intrusion of foreign matter and water as compared with the case where the fixing is not performed.

  Moreover, the cover member in the vehicle operating device of the present invention is configured to have a plurality of fixing points on a surface facing the opening of the operation unit.

  With the above configuration, the cover member and the operation unit can be more firmly fixed, and the effect of preventing the entry of foreign matter and water can be further increased.

  Moreover, the cover member in the operating device for vehicles of this invention is comprised so that it may have a bellows-like expansion-contraction part.

  With the above configuration, the gap between the cover member and the operation shaft can be further reduced, and the effect of preventing entry of foreign matter and water can be increased. Moreover, since it has a some contact and contacts the surface facing the opening part of an operation part, the effect that the above-mentioned dust adhering to the surface facing an opening part of an operation part can be removed can also be anticipated. Furthermore, by making the gap between the cover member and the operation shaft smaller, the operation shaft can be fixed and supported by the cover member, and rattling of the operation unit can be prevented.

  Moreover, the expansion / contraction part in the operating device for vehicles of this invention is comprised so that it may expand / contract according to the left-right movement of an operation part.

  The operation direction of the user operation unit is often the left-right direction. With the above configuration, the shape of the cover member can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

  Moreover, the expansion-contraction part in the operating device for vehicles of this invention is comprised so that it may expand-contract according to the movement before and behind an operation part.

  The operation direction of the user's operation unit is often the front-rear direction. With the above configuration, the shape of the cover member can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle operating device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, the whole structure of the operating device 1 for vehicles is shown. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle operation device 1 controls a remote operation device (hereinafter referred to as a pointer operation unit) 2, a display device 6 attached to, for example, a central part 300 of an instrument panel of the vehicle, and the like. And a controller 10 (see FIG. 3).

  The pointer operation unit 2 is attached to a range that can be reached by the driver as a user, such as behind the shift lever 7, and moves the operation knob 21 in the left-right direction (XX direction) or the front-rear direction (YY). The pointing device changes the position of the pointer P on the display screen 60 of the display device 6 by moving (sliding) in the direction).

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pointer operation unit 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the user performs selection, function adjustment, and the like of each in-vehicle device by a user slidingly operating the operation knob 21, which protrudes upward from the inside of the housing 20, for example, back and forth or left and right. Can do.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the pointer operation unit 2 and a block diagram of the controller 10 to which the pointer operation unit 2 is connected. As shown in FIG. 3, there is an opening 27 at the top of the housing 20 of the pointer operation unit 2. An operation shaft 22 connected to the operation knob 21 is inserted into the opening 27 and connected to the pulley support 23. A pulley 24 is attached to both ends of the pulley support 23. Further, the pulley 24 can roll on a flat plate 25. Further, the plate 25 includes a sensor 25 a that detects the position of the pulley 24, and a signal from the sensor 25 a is sent to the controller 10.

  The sensor 25a is, for example, a contact sensor such as a well-known electrostatic sensor or a piezoelectric sensor that is disposed vertically and horizontally on the plate 25 and detects the position where the pulley 24 is in contact with the plate 25 as coordinates. Further, a known rotary encoder may be attached to the pulley 24 to detect how much the pulley 24 is rotating in which direction.

  A cover member 26 is attached to the outer edge 28 of the opening 27. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cover member 26 as viewed from above. The cover member 26 is formed of an elastic member such as rubber or a thermoplastic elastomer. Further, the cover member 26 has a bellows-like stretchable part 26a. By having the expansion / contraction part 26a, the gap (corresponding to A 'in FIG. 3) between the cover member 26 and the operation shaft 22 can be reduced, and the operation knob 21 can be prevented from moving. In the example of FIG. 4, when the operation knob 21 is operated in the X-X direction (left-right direction) and the Y-Y direction (front-rear direction), the operation knob 21 is urged in the operation direction of the operation knob 21 to expand and contract. Yes. Details of the configuration of the cover member 26 will be described later.

  The overall shape of the cover member 26 may be other shapes such as a substantially cylindrical shape in addition to the substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape of FIG. The same applies to the opening 27, and may be a substantially circular shape in addition to a substantially rectangular shape.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the display device 6 is configured as, for example, a well-known LCD display device. 1 is a map display screen, the display screen is not limited to this, and may be a function setting screen or a menu selection screen.

  The controller 10 includes a controller ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 100 that controls the pointer operation unit 2. The controller ECU 100 includes a microprocessor to which a CPU 101, a nonvolatile memory 102, a RAM 103, and an input support 109 are connected via a bus 105. The serial communication bus 9 that constructs the in-vehicle network and the bus 105 inside the controller ECU 100 are connected via a serial communication interface (I / F) 106. The nonvolatile memory 102 stores a control program 102a executed by the CPU 101 and data necessary for the control program 102a, and the RAM 103 is used as a work area when the CPU 101 executes the control program 102a.

  Further, the position detection signal fed back from the sensor 25 a is received via the input support 109. Then, the controller 10 determines how much the pulley 24 is rotating in which direction based on the position detection signal fed back from the sensor 25a, and calculates and displays the position information of the pointer P based on the determination result. Output to device 6. When the display device 6 receives the position detection signal or the like, the display device 6 performs processing for executing various operations displayed on the screen in association with the operation direction of the operation knob 21.

  Details of the configuration of the cover member 26 will be described with reference to FIG. First, FIG. 5A shows an example in which the upper portion of the bellows portion 26a of the cover member 26 (corresponding to the left side in FIG. 3) is in contact with the lower surface of the operation knob 21 facing the contact portion 26b. Show. In this example, the bellows portion 26a is partially contracted. In this way, the cover member 26 is in contact with the lower surface of the operation knob 21, thereby closing a gap (corresponding to B in FIG. 3 or FIG. 8) between the lower surface of the operation knob 21 and the upper surface of the housing 20. Thus, it is possible to prevent water and dust (foreign matter) from entering the housing 20.

  When the user slides the operation knob 21 in the left direction of the drawing, the operation knob 21 is hardly affected by the cover member 26 between the gap A ′ (see FIG. 3) between the operation shaft 22 and the cover member 26. Can be operated. When the operation is further continued and the operation shaft 22 comes into contact with the end of the cover member 26, the cover member 26 is contracted although the reaction force of the cover member 26 is received, so that the space between the operation knob 21 and the outer edge 28 of the opening 27 is reduced. The operation knob 21 can be operated (corresponding to A in FIG. 3 or FIG. 8).

  Further, as the operation knob 21 approaches the outer edge 28, the degree of contraction of the cover member 26 increases, and the reaction force generated by the cover member 26 increases. Thereby, the user can recognize where the operation knob 21 is located without looking at the operation knob 21.

  Next, FIG. 5B shows another example in which the upper part of the expansion / contraction part 26a of the cover member 26 is in contact with the lower surface of the opposing operation knob 21. The contact portion 26 b of the cover member 26 with the operation knob 21 is formed in a substantially sawtooth shape, and the apex portion is in contact with the lower surface of the operation knob 21. When the user slides the operation knob 21, the operation knob 21 moves while maintaining contact with the contact portion 26 b, so that the contact portion 26 b serves as a wiper and dust attached to the lower portion of the operation knob 21. And dirt can be removed.

  Further, in the state of FIG. 5B, the contact portion 26b may be fixed to the lower surface of the opposing operation knob 21.

  Next, FIG. 5C shows an example in which the upper part of the expansion / contraction part 26 a of the cover member 26 is fixed at the contact part 26 b of the cover member 26 with the operation knob 21. By adhering, the gap (corresponding to B in FIG. 3 or FIG. 8) between the lower surface of the operation knob 21 and the upper surface of the housing 20 is completely closed, and water and dust entering the inside of the housing 20 Intrusion of (foreign matter) can be prevented. Moreover, since the cover member 26 has the expansion / contraction part 26a, the operation of the operation knob 21 is not hindered.

  FIG. 6 shows another example of the detailed configuration of the cover member 26. In the example of FIG. 6, the cover member 26 does not have a contraction part as described above. That is, as shown in the sectional view of FIG. 6A, the cover member 26 is attached to the outer edge 28 of the opening 27 so as to surround the operation shaft 22. The upper part of the cover member 26 is in contact with the lower surface of the operation knob 21.

FIG. 6B shows another example of the configuration of the cover member 26 (on the left side in FIG. 6A). As shown in FIG. 6B, the contact portion 26 b of the cover member 26 is formed in a substantially sawtooth shape, and its apex portion is in contact with the lower surface of the operation knob 21. Similar to the example of FIG. 5B, when the user slides the operation knob 21, the operation knob 21 moves while maintaining contact with the contact portion 26b, so that the contact portion 26b functions as a wiper. As a result, dust and dirt adhering to the lower part of the operation knob 21 can be removed. Further, as shown in FIG. 6 (c), the may be provided a plurality of substantially sawtooth-shaped portion in the contact portion 26b, by doing so, it is possible to increase the removing effect of the above-described dust and dirt.

  In any example of FIG. 6, the cover member 26 may be fixed to the lower portion of the operation knob 21.

  FIG. 7 shows another example of the detailed configuration of the cover member 26. The example of FIG. 7 is a structure which does not have a bellows part in FIG. In this case, the contact portion 26b is in contact with the lower portion of the operation knob 21 as a surface. Further, since the contact portion 26b is made of a stretchable member, even if the operation knob 21 (operation shaft 22) is operated beyond the gap A ′ with the cover member 26, the operation is not hindered. ing. Similarly to FIG. 5 or FIG. 6, the contact portion 26b may have one or more substantially serrated portions, and at this time, the effect of removing dust and dirt can be increased. Further, a part of the contact portion 26b may be fixed to the operation knob 21. Further, if a stretchable member is used for the contact portion 26b or the contact portion 26b is a structure that can be folded with respect to the operation direction of the operation knob 21, the gap A ′ is set to zero and the cover member 26 is operated to the operation shaft. It can also be in contact with 22 or fixed.

  Another example of the configuration of the pointer operation unit 2 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing another example of the configuration of the pointer operation unit 2. The example of FIG. 9 is configured as a so-called joystick type pointing device in which the operation knob 22 is removed by extending the operation shaft 22 and the user operates the operation shaft 22 in the configuration of FIG. In this case, the operation shaft 22 has, for example, a substantially prismatic shape, and the cover member 26 is in contact with the operation shaft 22 so as to surround it. There are no particular restrictions on the shape of the operating shaft 22.

  FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the internal configuration of the pointer operation unit 2 shown in FIG. The pointer operation unit 2 is connected to the controller 10 similar to that shown in FIG. 3, but the controller 10 has the same configuration as that shown in FIG.

  First and second drive levers 225 and 226 are rotatably supported on a base 220 that forms the lower part of the housing 20, and these drive levers 225 and 226 are connected to an operation shaft via a drive body 227. 22 are connected. The first drive lever 225 is rotatable about an axis 225 a parallel to the rotation axis of the first rotary encoder 223, and is fixed to the rotation axis of the first rotary encoder 223 at the tip of the first drive lever 225. A tooth portion 221b meshing with the gear 221g is formed.

  The second drive lever 226 can rotate around an axis 226 a parallel to the axis of the second rotary encoder 224, and the tip of the second drive lever 226 is connected to the rotation axis of the second rotary encoder 224. A tooth portion 222b that meshes with the fixed gear 222g is formed.

  Position detection signals (output pulses) fed back from the first and second rotary encoders 223 and 224 are output to the controller 10. Based on the position detection signal received via the input support 109, the controller 10 calculates the position of the operation shaft 22 (pointer P) in the display device 6 and outputs a display control signal to the display device 6.

  In the configuration of FIG. 10, when the gear 221 g is fixed to the rotation shaft of the first rotation motor 221, the gear 222 g is fixed to the rotation shaft of the second rotation motor 222, and the user releases the hand from the operation shaft 22. The rotation of each motor may be controlled to maintain the position of the operation shaft 22 at that time for a predetermined time. Further, each motor (221, 222) may be rotationally controlled so as to generate an operation reaction force according to the operation position of the operation shaft 22.

  The details of the state of the cover member 26 will be described with reference to FIG. First, FIG. 11A shows a cross-sectional view in the XX direction of the cover member 26 when the user does not operate the operation shaft 22. The left and right cover members 26 of the operation shaft 22 push the operation shaft 22 from the left and right by the urging force of the bellows part 26a, but the urging forces from the left and right are almost balanced, so the operation shaft 22 is in the neutral position. Keep.

  When the user moves the operation shaft 22 to the left as shown in FIG. 11B, the cover member 26 (the bellows portion 26) on the left side of the operation shaft 22 contracts, and the cover member 26 on the right side of the operation shaft 22 contracts. Since the urging force is maintained so that the (bellows portion 26) extends and keeps the state in contact with the operation shaft 22, there is no gap between the operation shaft 22 and water or Intrusion of dust (foreign matter) can be prevented.

  Further, in FIG. 11B, when the user moves the operation shaft 22 to the left side, the position of the contact point between the left and right cover members 26 (the bellows portion 26) and the operation shaft 22 changes. In the example of FIG. 11B, the position of the contact is moved by a distance d from the state where the operation shaft 22 is in the neutral position. Therefore, if the portion of the cover member 26 that contacts the operation shaft 22 (tip portion 26b) has a sawtooth shape as shown in FIG. 5B, dirt attached to the operation shaft 22 can be removed.

  Further, the front end portion 26 b of the cover member 26 may be fixed to the operation shaft 22.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and the knowledge of those skilled in the art can be used without departing from the spirit of the claims. Various modifications based on this are possible.

The figure which shows the whole structure of the operating device for vehicles. The perspective view of a pointer operation part. Sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of a pointer operation part, and the block diagram of the controller which this pointer operation part connects. The perspective view which shows an example of a cover member. The figure which shows the structural example of the expansion-contraction part of a cover member. Sectional drawing which shows another example of the internal structure of a pointer operation part. Sectional drawing which shows another example of the internal structure of a pointer operation part. Sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the conventional pointer operation part. The perspective view which shows another example of a structure of a pointer operation part. Sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the pointer operation part of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the structural example of the expansion-contraction part of the cover member of the pointer operation part of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle operating device 2 Remote operation device (pointer operation part)
6 Display Device 10 Controller 20 Case 21 Operation Knob 22 Operation Shaft 23 Pulley Support 24 Pulley 25 Plate 26 Cover Member 26a Extendable Part 26b Contact Part 27 Opening 28 Outer Edge 100 Controller ECU

Claims (6)

In a vehicular operating device for operating at least one or more electronic devices mounted on a vehicle,
An operation unit operated by an occupant;
A housing for storing and supporting an operation shaft provided in the operation unit;
An opening that is provided in the housing and has an opening in which the operation shaft is inserted, and the operation shaft is freely movable according to the operation of the operation unit;
One end is fixed to the opening forming surface of the housing, and the other end has a bellows-like contact portion that contacts a surface of the operation portion facing the opening, and at least a part around the operation shaft. A cover member arranged to surround
With
It said cover member when said occupant has operated the operating unit, within the operating range of the operation unit, the vehicle operating device, characterized by moving while keeping contact with the operation portion.   The vehicle operating device according to claim 1, wherein the cover member is made of an elastic member and is expanded and contracted by being biased in an operation direction of the operation unit.   The vehicle operating device according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion of the cover member has a plurality of contacts on a surface facing the opening of the operating portion. The vehicle operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the contact portion of the cover member includes an expansion / contraction portion that expands and contracts in accordance with a left-right movement of the operation portion . The vehicle operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the contact portion of the cover member includes an expansion / contraction portion that expands and contracts in accordance with a back-and-forth movement of the operation portion . The vehicle operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a contact portion of the cover member is formed in a substantially sawtooth shape, and a vertex portion of the sawtooth is in contact with the operation portion .

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