阅读说明：本技术 方向盘开关 (Steering wheel switch ) 是由 矢野公大 于 2019-05-15 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种方向盘开关。该方向盘开关配置在对车辆进行操舵的方向盘的辐条上,具有输入在车辆上搭载的驾驶辅助系统的开/关的主开关、以及输入由驾驶辅助系统执行的车道变更的确认的确认开关,确认开关与主开关的上侧邻接而配置。(The invention provides a steering wheel switch. The steering wheel switch is disposed on a spoke of a steering wheel for steering a vehicle, and includes a main switch for inputting on/off of a driving assistance system mounted on the vehicle, and a confirmation switch for inputting confirmation of a lane change performed by the driving assistance system, and the confirmation switch is disposed adjacent to an upper side of the main switch.)

1. A steering wheel switch disposed on a spoke of a steering wheel for steering a vehicle, the steering wheel switch comprising:

a main switch that inputs on/off of a driving assistance system mounted on the vehicle;

a confirmation switch that inputs confirmation of a lane change performed by the driving assistance system;

the confirmation switch is disposed adjacent to an upper side of the main switch.

2. The steering wheel switch of claim 1,

the main switch and the confirmation switch are disposed at positions closest to a rim of the steering wheel.

3. The steering wheel switch of claim 1 or 2,

the area of the switch surface of the main switch is larger than the area of the switch surface of the confirmation switch.

4. The steering wheel switch according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the main switch is a structure in which a lower region among the switch surface is depressible, and the confirmation switch is a structure in which the entire switch surface is depressible.

5. The steering wheel switch according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

a gap is provided between the main switch and the confirmation switch by a convex member.

6. The steering wheel switch according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the main switch and the confirmation switch are disposed within a range of an average length from a rim of the steering wheel to a thumb of an adult.

7. The steering wheel switch according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

the main switch and the confirmation switch are provided with marks on their switch surfaces, which indicate functions to be performed by the switch operation.

8. The steering wheel switch according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

when the driver assistance system requests the pressing of the confirmation switch and when the confirmation switch has been pressed, a notification is given to the driver of the vehicle by voice or display.

9. The steering wheel switch according to any one of claims 1 to 8,

by pressing the confirmation switch for a certain time or more, cancellation of the lane change performed by the driving assistance system is input.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a steering wheel switch disposed on a spoke of a steering wheel for steering a vehicle.

Background

Patent document 1 has been disclosed as a steering wheel switch for switching a control mode. In the steering switch disclosed in patent document 1, the operation button M1 in the normal mode and the operation button M3 in the power mode having high responsiveness to an accelerator operation are arranged side by side in the left-right direction.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese unexamined patent publication No. 2013-151232

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

However, in the conventional steering wheel switch, since the operation button M1 in the normal mode and the operation button M3 in the power mode are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, there is a problem that two adjacent switches may be erroneously operated. In particular, when the switches are arranged adjacent to each other in the left-right direction, the distances from the positions of the steering wheel to the switches are different, and thus it is difficult to determine the difference in the distances only with the fingertips. Therefore, an attempt to operate the operation button M3 disposed near the center of the steering wheel may erroneously operate the operation button M1 located in front.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a steering wheel switch capable of reducing the possibility of erroneous operation of two adjacent switches.

Technical solution for solving technical problem

In order to solve the above problem, a steering wheel switch according to one aspect of the present invention includes: the vehicle control device includes a main switch for inputting on/off of a driving support system mounted on the vehicle, and a confirmation switch for inputting confirmation of a lane change performed by the driving support system. The confirmation switch is disposed adjacent to the upper side of the main switch.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the possibility of erroneous operation of the main switch and the confirmation switch which are disposed adjacent to each other.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a structure of a steering wheel having a steering wheel switch according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view showing a structure of a steering wheel switch according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a driving assistance system for a vehicle in which a steering wheel switch according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a process flow of a lane change control process performed by a driving assistance system of a vehicle in which a steering switch according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted.

Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining a lane change control process performed by a driving assistance system of a vehicle equipped with a steering switch according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining a lane change control process performed by a driving assistance system of a vehicle equipped with a steering switch according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

An embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same reference numerals are used for the same portions, and detailed description is omitted.

[ Structure of steering wheel switch ]

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a structure of a steering wheel having a steering wheel switch according to the present embodiment, and fig. 2 is an enlarged view showing the structure of the steering wheel switch. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the steering wheel switch 1 of the present embodiment is disposed on spokes 102 of a steering wheel 100 for steering a vehicle.

The steering wheel 100 is comprised of spokes 102, a hub 104, and a rim 106. Three spokes 102 are provided to connect the hub 104 and the rim 106, and the two spokes 102 provided on the left and right are provided with the steering wheel switches 1, respectively. Since the spoke 102 is provided with the steering wheel switch 1, it is coupled to the rim 106 in the vicinity (below) of a reference position (10 o' clock, 10 min) where the driver grips the rim 106. Thus, as shown in fig. 1, the spokes 102 extend horizontally from the hub 104 to connect the hub 104 to the rim 106. The rim 106 is formed in a circular shape and is held by a driver to rotate the steering wheel 100. Further, a support region 108 for supporting a grip of a driver when the driver holds the rim 106 at a reference position is provided between the spokes 102 and the rim 106.

As shown in fig. 2, the steering wheel switch 1 includes: a main switch 3, a confirmation switch 5, a cancel switch 7, an inter-vehicle distance setting change switch 9, and a screen change-over switch 11. The steering wheel switch 1 has other switches, but the description thereof is omitted here. In the present embodiment, the case where the main switch 3 and the confirmation switch 5 are arranged on the right spoke 102 is described, but may be arranged on the left spoke. The shape of the steering wheel switch 1 on the rim 106 side is a shape that expands obliquely downward so that the driver can easily operate it with the thumb.

The main switch 3 is a switch for inputting on/off of a driving assistance system mounted on the vehicle. By pressing the main switch 3, the driving assistance can be started or ended. The main switch 3 is provided adjacent to the rim 106, and the area of the switch surface is the largest among the switches of the steering wheel switch 1. However, since the main switch 3 is configured such that the lower region of the switch surface can be pressed, the upper region of the switch surface cannot be pressed. Further, a mark indicating driving assistance is provided on the switch surface of the main switch 3 to indicate that driving assistance can be started or ended by operating the main switch 3.

The confirmation switch 5 is a switch for inputting confirmation of a lane change performed by the driving assistance system. The confirmation switch 5 is provided adjacent to the rim 106 and is disposed adjacent to the upper side of the main switch 3. However, by pressing (long-pressing) the confirmation switch 5 for a certain time or more, cancellation of the lane change by the driving assistance system can be input. The confirmation switch 5 is a structure in which the entire switch surface can be pressed. Further, a sign indicating a lane change is provided on the switch surface of the confirmation switch 5, and indicates that the lane change can be executed by operating the confirmation switch 5.

The cancel switch 7 is a switch for canceling the control being executed by the driving assistance system. In addition, by pressing the cancel switch 7, the driving assistance system can be turned off. The cancel switch 7 is formed to protrude in a convex shape compared with the switch surface of the other switch, and therefore can be easily recognized only by touching with a fingertip. Further, a "cancel" character is provided on the switch surface of the cancel switch 7 to indicate that the control of the driving assistance system can be released by operating the cancel switch 7.

The inter-vehicle distance setting change switch 9 is a switch for setting and changing the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle when the driving support system detects the preceding vehicle. By pressing the inter-vehicle distance setting change switch 9, the changed inter-vehicle distance can be enlarged or shortened. The inter-vehicle distance setting change switch 9 is provided adjacent to the hub 104 side of the main switch 3. Further, a mark indicating the inter-vehicle distance is provided on the switch surface of the inter-vehicle distance setting change switch 9, and indicates that the inter-vehicle distance can be set or changed by operating the inter-vehicle distance setting change switch 9.

The screen changeover switch 11 is a switch for switching display between a head-up display and an instrument display mounted on a vehicle. The screen changeover switch 11 is provided adjacent to the hub 104 side of the inter-vehicle distance setting change switch 9. Further, a mark indicating a display screen is provided on the switch surface of the screen changing switch 11, and indicates that the display screen can be changed by operating the screen changing switch 11.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the main switch 3 and the confirmation switch 5 are disposed at positions closest to the rim 106 among the plurality of switches constituting the steering wheel switch 1. Thus, the main switch 3 and the confirmation switch 5 are disposed closest to the position where the driver grips the rim 106, and therefore the main switch 3 and the confirmation switch 5 can be disposed at the positions that are easiest to operate.

The main switch 3 and the confirmation switch 5 are disposed within a range of an average length from the rim 106 to the thumb of the adult. Therefore, the driver can operate the main switch 3 and the confirmation switch 5 only by moving the thumb without releasing his/her hands from the rim 106.

As shown in fig. 2, the confirmation switch 5 is disposed adjacent to the upper side of the main switch 3. Since the driver grips the rim 106 with the thumb on the spoke 102, the steering wheel switch 1 is located below the reference position where the driver grips the rim 106. Therefore, when the driver attempts to operate the steering wheel switch 1 with the thumb, the confirmation switch 5 is disposed at a position closest to the thumb of the driver.

This reduces the possibility of erroneous pressing of the main switch 3 when the driver attempts to operate the confirmation switch 5 in response to a confirmation request from the driving support system. In particular, since the confirmation switch 5 is a switch that is operated in response to a request from the driving assistance system, the driver must operate the confirmation switch 5 when requested, rather than operating it at a desired time. Therefore, there is a possibility that the confirmation switch 5 is operated while the adjacent different switch is operated. However, as described in the present embodiment, by disposing the confirmation switch 5 adjacent to the upper side of the main switch 3, the confirmation switch 5 can be disposed at the position closest to the thumb of the driver, and therefore, the possibility of erroneous pressing of the main switch 3 can be reduced.

The main switch 3 is configured such that the lower region of the switch surface can be pressed, and the confirmation switch 5 is configured such that the entire switch surface can be pressed. Thus, since the upper region of the main switch 3 close to the confirmation switch 5 is configured to be not depressible, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the main switch 3 is erroneously depressed while attempting to operate the confirmation switch 5.

Further, a gap is provided between the main switch 3 and the confirmation switch 5 by the convex member 13. The convex member 13 is formed in a shape protruding upward from the opening/closing surface of the main switch 3 and the opening/closing surface of the confirmation switch 5. Thus, the driver can recognize the boundary between the main switch 3 and the confirmation switch 5 with the fingertip, and therefore the possibility of erroneously pressing the main switch 3 while trying to operate the confirmation switch 5 can be reduced.

In addition, the area of the switch surface of the main switch 3 is larger than that of the confirmation switch 5. Thus, the driver can distinguish the main switch 3 from the confirmation switch 5 only by touching the main switch with the fingertip, and therefore, the possibility that the driver erroneously presses the main switch 3 while trying to operate the confirmation switch 5 can be reduced.

[ Structure of Driving assistance System ]

The configuration of a driving assistance system for a vehicle equipped with the steering wheel switch 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 3. As shown in fig. 3, the driving assistance system includes: a steering wheel switch 1, a periphery recognition sensor 31, a road information acquisition unit 33, a vehicle information acquisition unit 35, and a controller 37. The driving support system is connected to a steering control device 41, a brake control device 43, an accelerator control device 45, an engine control device 47, and an HMI (Human Machine Interface) device 49 mounted on the vehicle.

The surrounding recognition sensor 31 acquires surrounding recognition information from a camera, a radar, a laser range finder, and the like, and outputs the information to the controller 37. The peripheral identification information includes the inter-vehicle distance and relative speed with the peripheral vehicles (side vehicle, oncoming vehicle, preceding vehicle, following vehicle), the position of the white line, and the information of the obstacle.

The road information acquiring unit 33 acquires road information of a road on which the vehicle is traveling and outputs the road information to the controller 37. Specifically, the road information acquisition unit 33 acquires high-precision map information from a map database or acquires traffic congestion information via a communication network. The map information includes information such as the number of lanes and the position of a branch of a road, and the position of a traffic light.

The vehicle information acquisition unit 35 acquires vehicle information of the own vehicle and outputs the vehicle information to the controller 37. Specifically, the vehicle information acquisition unit 35 is connected to an accelerator sensor, a steering sensor, a brake sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a wheel speed sensor, and the like of the host vehicle, and acquires sensor values from the sensor group.

The controller 37 is a control unit for performing driving assistance of the vehicle, acquires the surrounding identification information, the road information, and the vehicle information, and performs driving assistance in accordance with the operation of the steering switch 1 by the driver. At this time, the controller 37 controls the steering control device 41, the brake control device 43, the accelerator control device 45, the engine control device 47, and the HMI device 49 mounted on the vehicle, and executes driving assistance.

The HMI device 49 notifies the driver of the vehicle by voice or display via a speaker, an instrument display, and a head-up display. For example, when the drive assist system requests the pressing of the confirmation switch 5 and when the confirmation switch 5 has been pressed, the notification is made by voice or display.

The controller 37 is configured by peripheral devices such as a general-purpose electronic circuit including a microcomputer, a microprocessor, and a CPU, and a memory. Then, the control unit functions as a driving assistance system by executing a predetermined program. The various functions of the controller 37 described above may be installed by one or more processing circuits. The processing circuit may include, for example, a programmable processing device such as a processing device having an electronic circuit, or may include a device such as an integrated circuit (ASIC) and a conventional circuit component which are arranged for a predetermined purpose to perform the functions described in the embodiments.

[ Lane Change control processing ]

Next, a lane change control process performed by the driving assistance system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a process flow of the lane change control process performed by the driving assistance system.

As shown in fig. 4, in step S10, the controller 37 acquires the surrounding recognition information from the surrounding recognition sensor 31, the road information from the road information acquisition unit 33, and the vehicle information from the vehicle information acquisition unit 35.

In step S20, the controller 37 determines whether the own vehicle needs to overtake the preceding vehicle or whether the own vehicle is approaching a branch. The controller 37 acquires the position of the host vehicle, the position of the white line, the relative speed with the preceding vehicle, and the like, based on the surrounding identification information, the road information, and the vehicle information. As shown in fig. 5, when the speed V1 of the host vehicle 51 is higher than the speed V2 of the preceding vehicle 53 by a predetermined threshold value or more, it is determined that the overtaking of the preceding vehicle 53 is necessary. The controller 37 acquires the position of the own vehicle and the branch position from the surrounding identification information and the road information, and determines that the own vehicle is approaching the branch when the distance Da from the own vehicle 51 to the branch is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, as shown in fig. 6.

In step S30, the controller 37 determines the start of lane change. As shown in fig. 5, when the host vehicle overtakes, the distance from the host vehicle 51 to the preceding vehicle 53 is calculated, and the time for starting the lane change is set in consideration of the relative speed. When the set time is reached, the controller 37 determines to start a lane change. At this time, the controller 37 determines that there is no vehicle in the lane adjacent to the host vehicle 51, and then determines to start a lane change.

As shown in fig. 6, when the vehicle is approaching a branch, the controller 37 calculates the distance Da from the vehicle 51 to the branch, and sets the time to start the lane change in consideration of the speed V1 of the vehicle. When the set time is reached, the controller 37 determines to start a lane change. At this time, the controller 37 determines that there is no vehicle in the lane adjacent to the branch side, and then determines to start a lane change.

In step S40, the controller 37 requests the driver of the vehicle to confirm a lane change via the HMI device 49. Specifically, the controller 37 notifies the driver by voice or display through a head-up display and a speaker, and presses the confirmation switch 5.

In step S50, the controller 37 determines whether the driver has pressed the confirmation switch 5, and when the driver has pressed the confirmation switch 5, the process proceeds to step S60. At this time, the controller 37 notifies the driver by voice or display when the confirmation switch 5 is pressed by the driver.

In step S60, when recognizing that the confirmation switch 5 has been pressed, the controller 37 sets a lane change possible region in the lane adjacent to the host vehicle based on the surrounding recognition information.

In step S70, the controller 37 calculates a control command value necessary for executing lane change based on the vehicle information. For example, control command values such as a steering angle and an accelerator opening degree of the vehicle are calculated.

In step S80, the controller 37 outputs the calculated control command value to the steering control device 41 and the accelerator control device 45, and executes lane change control. When the lane change of the host vehicle is executed in this way, the lane change control process of the present embodiment is terminated.

[ Effect of the embodiment ]

As described above in detail, the steering wheel switch 1 of the present embodiment includes the main switch 3 for inputting on/off of the driving assistance system mounted on the vehicle, and the confirmation switch 5 for inputting confirmation of a lane change performed by the driving assistance system. The confirmation switch 5 is disposed adjacent to the upper side of the main switch 3. Thus, when the driver operates the steering wheel switch 1 with the thumb, the confirmation switch 5 can be disposed at the position closest to the thumb of the driver. Therefore, when the driver operates the confirmation switch 5 in response to a confirmation request from the driving assistance system, the possibility of erroneously pressing the main switch 3 can be reduced.

In the steering wheel switch 1 of the present embodiment, the main switch 3 and the confirmation switch 5 are disposed at positions closest to the rim 106. Thus, the main switch 3 and the confirmation switch 5 can be disposed closest to the position where the driver grips the rim 106, and therefore the main switch 3 and the confirmation switch 5 can be disposed at the position where they can be most easily operated.

In the steering wheel switch 1 of the present embodiment, the area of the switch surface of the main switch 3 is made larger than the area of the switch surface of the confirmation switch 5. Thus, the driver can distinguish the main switch 3 from the confirmation switch 5 only by touching the main switch with the fingertip, and therefore the possibility of erroneously pressing the main switch 3 while trying to operate the confirmation switch 5 can be reduced.

In the steering wheel switch 1 of the present embodiment, the main switch 3 is configured such that the lower region of the switch surface can be pressed, and the confirmation switch 5 is configured such that the entire switch surface can be pressed. Thus, since the upper region of the main switch 3 close to the confirmation switch 5 is configured to be not depressible, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the main switch 3 is erroneously depressed while attempting to operate the confirmation switch 5.

In the steering wheel switch 1 of the present embodiment, a gap is provided between the main switch 3 and the confirmation switch 5 by a convex member. This allows the driver to recognize the boundary between the main switch 3 and the confirmation switch 5 with the fingertips, and thus reduces the possibility of the driver erroneously pressing the main switch 3 while trying to operate the confirmation switch 5.

In the steering wheel switch 1 of the present embodiment, the main switch 3 and the confirmation switch 5 are disposed within the range of the average length from the rim 106 to the thumb of the adult. Thus, the driver can operate the main switch 3 and the confirmation switch 5 only by moving the thumb without releasing his/her hands from the rim 106.

In the steering wheel switch 1 of the present embodiment, marks indicating functions to be executed by the switch operation are provided on the switch surfaces of the main switch 3 and the confirmation switch 5. This makes it possible for the driver to easily understand the functions of the switches, and therefore the possibility of erroneous operation of the switches can be reduced.

In the steering wheel switch 1 of the present embodiment, when the driver assistance system requests the pressing of the confirmation switch 5 and when the confirmation switch 5 is pressed, the driver of the vehicle is notified by voice or display. This allows the driver to know the time when the confirmation switch 5 is operated and the end of the operation of the confirmation switch 5.

In the steering wheel switch 1 of the present embodiment, by pressing the confirmation switch 5 for a certain time or more, cancellation of the lane change by the driving assistance system can be input. Thus, when a lane change is erroneously confirmed, the confirmation switch 5, which has been pressed for confirmation, is pressed again, so that the lane change can be immediately cancelled.

The above embodiment is an example of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications may be made in accordance with design and the like without departing from the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

Description of the reference numerals

1, a steering wheel switch; 3, a main switch; 5, a confirmation switch; 7, canceling the switch; 9 a workshop distance setting change switch; 11 a picture change-over switch; 13 a male member; 31 a peripheral identification sensor; 33 a road information acquisition unit; 35 a vehicle information acquisition unit; 37 a controller; 41 a steering control device; 43 brake control means; 45 an accelerator control device; 47 an engine control device; 49HMI means; 100 a steering wheel; 102 spokes; 104 a hub; 106 rims; 108 support the region.