JP6413649B2 - Operation input device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation input device that receives an operation input to an operation target device.

Conventionally, an operation input device that recognizes an operator's gesture and receives an operation input to an operation target device is known. Compared with operation input using an input unit such as a switch or a button, operation input using a gesture can be performed without directing the operator's line of sight or attention to the input unit. Effective for operation input to equipment.
For example, in Patent Document 1 below, a plurality of gesture regions provided corresponding to a plurality of predetermined operation target devices are irradiated with light of different colors, and a gesture operation is performed based on a result of photographing the plurality of gesture regions. In addition to detecting, a gesture region in which the gesture operation is performed is detected. Then, control is performed to perform a predetermined operation corresponding to the detected gesture operation on the operation target device corresponding to the detected gesture region.

JP 2014-153554 A

The gesture is generally performed by moving the driver's hand as a part of the operator's body, particularly when the operation target device is an in-vehicle device. While the vehicle is being driven, the driver's hand is usually in a state of gripping the steering wheel, but may be in a state of releasing the steering wheel while performing a gesture. Even if the gesture is performed while holding the steering wheel, the driver's attention is slightly directed toward the gesture.
Therefore, it is preferable that the gesture is completed in a short time when the driving operation needs to be performed more carefully, for example, at high speed.
On the other hand, if a simple gesture that can be completed in a short time is always employed, an erroneous recognition rate of an operation input may be increased.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to improve safety during high-speed traveling while reducing a false recognition rate in operation input using a gesture.

In order to achieve the above object, an operation input device according to the invention of claim 1 is an operation input device that recognizes an operator's gesture in a three-dimensional space and receives an operation input to an operation target device. The operation target device is an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle, and a plurality of types of the operation input are set, and a speed detection unit that detects a traveling speed of the vehicle and an effective input that is accepted as the operation input based on the traveling speed. A gesture determining means for determining a gesture; an imaging means for continuously capturing the three-dimensional space; and an effective gesture determined by the gesture determining means based on a captured image captured by the imaging means. When the effective gesture is performed, the operation corresponding to the effective gesture is performed on the operation target device. And a gesture identification means for outputting a control signal to I, the gesture determination unit, for one operation input, and a high speed when a gesture in which the traveling speed is applied when more than a predetermined speed, the running speed A normal-time gesture to be applied when the speed is less than the predetermined speed is determined in advance, and the plurality of types of operation inputs are determined based on the travel speed, the effective gesture is set between the high-speed gesture and the normal-time gesture. a switching operation input unit to switch, the traveling speed is set separately for a prohibited operation input unit to prohibit the operation input in the case of more than a predetermined speed, characterized by a crotch.
The operation input device according to a second aspect of the invention is characterized in that the high-speed gesture has a shorter time required for the gesture or a moving distance of a portion moved by the gesture than the normal gesture.
In the operation input device according to a third aspect of the present invention, the valid gesture is specified by a gesture action and a gesture area indicating a position in the three-dimensional space where the gesture action is performed. The three-dimensional space is divided into a plurality of regions along at least two coordinate axis directions.
In the operation input device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a steering wheel of a vehicle is arranged in the three-dimensional space, and the gesture region has the three-dimensional space as an origin at a center point of the steering wheel. It is divided along a substantially vertical axis substantially along the vertical direction and a substantially longitudinal axis substantially along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the space along the substantially vertical axis is an inner space of the steering wheel. The space is divided into a circumferential region, an outer edge region of the steering wheel, and an upper region above the outer edge region, and the space along the substantially front-rear axis is a front region where the steering wheel is a surface facing the driver; The steering wheel is divided into a rear surface region that is a mounting surface to the vehicle body.
In the operation input device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a steering wheel of a vehicle is arranged in the three-dimensional space, and the gesture region of the vehicle has the three-dimensional space as an origin at a center point of the steering wheel. Divided along a substantially vertical axis substantially along the vertical direction, a substantially longitudinal axis substantially along the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a substantially vehicle width direction axis substantially along the vehicle width direction of the vehicle, The space along the substantially vertical axis is divided into an inner circumferential region of the steering wheel, an outer edge region of the steering wheel, and an upper region above the outer edge region, and the space along the substantially longitudinal axis is The steering wheel is divided into a front region that is a surface facing the driver and a rear region that is a mounting surface of the steering wheel to the vehicle body. Space along the substantially vehicle transverse axis, said and one of the car-side side area from the center point of the steering wheel, is divided from the center point to the other car side side region, it is characterized.

According to the present invention, an effective gesture that is accepted as an operation input is determined based on the traveling speed of the vehicle. In many cases, the operator in the vehicle is a driver, but the physical and psychological state of the driver varies greatly depending on the traveling state of the vehicle, particularly the traveling speed. Therefore, by determining an effective gesture based on the traveling speed of the vehicle, a gesture according to the physical and psychological state of the operator is set as an effective gesture, and operation input using the gesture functions more effectively. Can do. In addition, the vehicle-mounted device can be operated without using an input unit or the like during driving of a vehicle that requires forward gaze, and safety during driving of the vehicle can be improved.
According to the present invention, the effective gesture used as the operation input is changed during high-speed traveling where the driving operation needs to be performed more carefully and during normal traveling where the driving operation has a relatively large margin. Therefore, when a gesture is used for operation input of the in-vehicle device, it is possible to easily perform the driving operation and the gesture operation in parallel, and the safety during traveling of the vehicle can be improved.
According to the present invention, a plurality of types of operation inputs are set separately for the switching operation input group and the prohibited operation input group. Therefore, for example, it is possible to reduce the number of effective gestures during high-speed driving by prohibiting low-necessity operation inputs during high-speed driving, and the attention of the operator (driver) during high-speed driving to the driving operation. It can be made easier to point.
According to the present invention, the high-speed gesture can complete the operation input in a short time because the time required for the gesture or the moving distance of the portion moved by the gesture is shorter than the normal gesture, and the operator (driver) It is possible to shorten the time required for the attention of the user to input an operation.
According to the present invention, when recognizing an operator's gesture in a three-dimensional space and receiving an operation input, whether or not a predetermined gesture operation is performed in advance and an area where the predetermined gesture is performed are determined. Identify valid gestures based on it. Therefore, compared with the case where a gesture is performed in a single space that is not divided into regions, it is possible to reduce the possibility of erroneously recognizing a simple operation with no intention of operation input as a gesture of operation input. In addition, since the gesture region is obtained by dividing the three-dimensional space into a plurality of regions along at least two coordinate axis directions, the position where the gesture operation is performed can be specified in more detail, and the recognition rate of operation input is improved. Can be made. Further, the types of operation inputs can be increased by combining the gesture operation and the gesture area.
According to the present invention, the operator can easily recognize the direction of the coordinate axis based on the steering wheel of the vehicle, and the gesture operation can be performed easily and accurately.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the operation input apparatus 10 concerning embodiment. 2 is a front view of a steering wheel 20. FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view of the steering wheel 20 (viewed in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2). It is a table | surface which shows the content of operation identification database DB typically. It is explanatory drawing which shows the gesture of operation input typically. It is explanatory drawing which shows the gesture of operation input typically. It is explanatory drawing which shows the gesture of operation input typically. It is explanatory drawing which shows the gesture of operation input typically. It is explanatory drawing which shows the gesture of operation input typically. It is explanatory drawing which shows the gesture of operation input typically. It is explanatory drawing which shows the gesture of operation input typically. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure performed by the operation input device 10. It is another example of area setting in a three-dimensional space.

  Exemplary embodiments of an operation input device according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an operation input device 10 according to the embodiment.
The operation input device 10 according to the embodiment is mounted on a vehicle (not shown), recognizes an operator's gesture in the three-dimensional space S, and inputs an operation input to the in-vehicle device 30 (operation target device) in the vehicle. Accept.
In the present embodiment, the three-dimensional space S is a cabin space in the vehicle, and particularly refers to a space where the steering wheel 20 in the vicinity of the driver's seat is arranged.
In the present embodiment, the surrounding space is divided into a plurality of regions (gesture regions) with reference to the steering wheel 20, and the operation content is identified according to what gesture (gesture operation) is performed in which region. To do.
That is, when an operation input using a gesture is performed, the operation input device 10 specifies the content of the operation input based on the gesture operation and the gesture area indicating the position where the gesture operation is performed.
In this way, by specifying the reference member (steering wheel 20) in the space in the space, it is easy for the operator (driver) to recognize the reference position of the gesture and to perform the operation. At the same time, the gesture recognition rate in the operation input device 10 can be improved.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the steering wheel 20, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the steering wheel 20 (viewed in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2).
As shown in FIG. 2, the steering wheel 20 includes an annular grip portion 22, a center portion 24 disposed in the center of the grip portion 22, and a center portion extending from the center portion 24 in the left and right radial directions. 24 and a plurality of spoke portions 26 for connecting the grip portion 22 to each other.
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the steering wheel 20 is disposed via a column cover 32 from an instrument panel 31 formed to extend in the width direction in front of the vehicle interior.
The steering wheel 20 is connected to the upper end of the steering shaft 34 in the column cover 32. The steering shaft 34 is rotatably supported in a cylindrical steering column 36 and extends from the column cover 32 to the instrument panel 31.
The steering column 36 is provided with a tilt device 38 that changes the angle of the steering wheel 20 in the instrument panel 31.

In the present embodiment, the gesture region is specified by dividing the three-dimensional space S around the steering wheel 20 into a plurality of regions along at least two coordinate axis directions.
In the present embodiment, the three-dimensional space S is set in three coordinate axis directions, that is, with the center point of the steering wheel 20 as the origin O, the X axis that is a substantially vertical axis substantially along the vehicle vertical direction, and the vehicle longitudinal direction. A gesture region is specified by dividing along a Z axis that is a substantially longitudinal axis that is substantially along, and a Y axis that is a substantially vehicle width direction axis that is substantially along the vehicle width direction of the vehicle.
Here, “almost along the vertical direction or the front-rear direction of the vehicle” means that the steering wheel 20 is often inclined with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle as shown in FIG. When the coordinate axis is set based on the circular ring, it means that the vehicle does not strictly follow the vertical direction or the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 2, the space along the substantially vertical axis (X axis) is divided into an inner peripheral region X1 of the steering wheel 20, an outer edge region X2 of the steering wheel 20, and an upper region X3 above the outer edge region X2. The
The outer edge region X2 is, for example, a region from the upper end 22A of the grip portion 22 of the steering wheel 20 up to about several centimeters (about the height of the fist of the operator).
In the present embodiment, the regions X1 to X3 are set only in the space above the origin O. This is because the space below the origin O is difficult to enter the operator's field of view and is difficult to operate.
However, as shown in FIG. 13A, the regions X1 to X3 may be set in a space below the origin O. Further, as shown in FIG. 13B, the regions X1 to X3 set in the space above the origin O and the regions X1 to X3 (regions X1 ′ to X3 ′) set in the space below the origin O are separated. It may be set as a region.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the space along the substantially vehicle width direction axis (Y axis) is a region on the vehicle side from the center point (origin O) of the steering wheel 20 (in FIG. 2, on the right side as viewed from the operator). It is divided into a right area Y1) and a center area (origin O) on the other vehicle side (left area Y2 located on the left side as viewed from the operator in FIG. 2).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the space along the substantially longitudinal axis (Z-axis) includes a front area Z1 where the steering wheel 20 faces the driver and a rear area where the steering wheel 20 is attached to the vehicle body. Divided into Z2.

  2 and 3, the case where the three-dimensional space S is divided into three coordinate axis directions has been described. However, the three-dimensional space S is divided into two coordinate axis directions, for example, an X axis that is a substantially vertical axis and a substantially front-rear direction. You may make it divide | segment into the Z-axis which is an axis | shaft.

Returning to the description of FIG. 1, the operation input device 10 includes a speed detection unit 11, a gesture determination unit 12, a photographing unit 13, a gesture identification unit 14, and an operation identification database DB.
Among the above configurations, the gesture determination unit 12 and the gesture identification unit 14 are configured by a processing unit such as a vehicle ECU. The vehicle ECU includes a CPU, a ROM that stores and stores a control program, a RAM as an operation area of the control program, an EEPROM that holds various data in a rewritable manner, an interface unit that interfaces with peripheral circuits, and the like. Then, the CPU functions as the gesture determining unit 12 or the gesture identifying unit 14 by executing the control program.

The speed detection means 11 detects the traveling speed of the vehicle on which the operation input device 10 is mounted. The speed detection means 11 detects the traveling speed of the vehicle, for example, by acquiring a vehicle speed pulse.
The gesture determination means 12 determines an effective gesture that is accepted as an operation input based on the traveling speed of the vehicle.
More specifically, the gesture determination means 12 determines that the operator's attention needs to be more directed toward the driving operation when the vehicle traveling speed is high (a predetermined speed or more), and the operator A gesture that lowers the rate of attention to the operation input using a gesture is determined as an effective gesture.
In the present embodiment, an effective gesture is specified by a gesture action and a gesture area indicating a position on the three-dimensional space S where the gesture action is performed.

The determination result by the gesture determination means 12 includes the following types <1> to <3>, for example.
<1> For all operation inputs, the effective gesture is switched to a simple gesture at a high speed rather than a gesture at a normal time (when the traveling speed is less than a predetermined speed).
That is, for one operation input, a high-speed gesture that is applied when the travel speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed and a normal-time gesture that is applied when the travel speed is less than the predetermined speed are determined in advance, and the travel speed is determined. The effective gesture is switched between a high-speed gesture and a normal-time gesture based on.
Here, the high-speed gesture is set to a gesture in which the time required for the gesture or the movement distance of the portion moved by the gesture is shorter than that in the normal gesture.
<2> Among several types of operation inputs, some operation inputs are switched from normal gestures to high-speed gestures (switching operation input group), and some operation inputs are prohibited from operation input (prohibited operations) Input group).
That is, when a plurality of types of operation inputs are set, a plurality of types of operation inputs are switched operation input groups for switching an effective gesture between a high-speed gesture and a normal-time gesture based on the traveling speed (above <1> and And the prohibited operation input group for prohibiting operation input when the traveling speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed.
<3> Eliminate effective gestures when driving at high speeds.
That is, operation input using gestures is completely prohibited during high-speed traveling.

Hereinafter, the above <2> will be mainly described.
In the case of <1> or <2> above, the normal gesture and the high-speed gesture for some operation inputs may be the same gesture.

In order to describe the gesture determination unit 12 in more detail, the operation identification database DB will be described.
In the operation identification database DB, data for identifying the operation content is recorded depending on which gesture operation is performed in which region in the three-dimensional space S.
FIG. 4 is a table schematically showing the contents of the operation identification database DB.
In the table of FIG. 4, for five types of operation inputs (first operation input to fifth operation input), an operation target device 1481, operation contents 1482, normal gesture 1483, and high speed gesture 1484 are shown. .
The gesture determination means 12 determines a normal gesture as an effective gesture when the vehicle traveling speed is less than a predetermined speed, and a high-speed gesture when the vehicle traveling speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed.
The normal-time gesture 1483 and the high-speed gesture 1484 are specified from two elements: a gesture operation and a region in which the gesture operation is performed (gesture region).

The operation target device 30 of the first operation input is a small lamp and a tail lamp of the vehicle, and the operation content is turned on and off, that is, when this gesture is performed with the small lamp and the tail lamp turned off, the small lamp and the tail lamp. Is turned on, and when this gesture is performed in a state where the small lamp and the tail lamp are lit, the small lamp and the tail lamp are turned off.
The normal gesture of the first operation input is a gesture operation that changes the operator's hand from goo (fist fist) to par (spreads the palm) in the upper region X3 and the rear surface region Z2 of the steering wheel 20. .
That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the gesture is a gesture in which the operator's hand H is positioned in a region near the instrument panel 31 above the steering wheel 20 and the shape of the hand H is changed from goo to par.
5 to 7 and 11, FIG. A is a front view of the steering wheel 20, and FIG. B is a side view of the steering wheel 20. 8 to 10, FIGS. A and B are both front views of the steering wheel 20.
The first operation input high-speed gesture is a gesture operation in which an operator's hand is held over the steering wheel 20 in the upper region X3 and the rear surface region Z2 of the steering wheel 20.
That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the gesture is to spread the operator's hand H downward (toward the steering wheel 20) above the steering wheel 20.
As described above, the high-speed gesture completes the operation in a shorter time than the normal gesture.

The operation target device 30 of the second operation input is a headlight of a vehicle, and when the gesture is performed with the headlight turned on, the operation content is switched between a headlight irradiation direction between high and low ( When this gesture is performed in a state where the headlight is turned off), passing lighting (instant high beam lighting) is performed.
The normal gesture of the second operation input is a gesture operation for moving the operator's hand from the front surface area Z1 of the inner peripheral area X1 of the steering wheel 20 to the rear surface area Z2.
That is, as shown in FIG. 7, it is a gesture for putting a hand over the inner periphery of the steering wheel 20.
On the other hand, the high-speed gesture for the second operation input is not set. That is, the second operation input is prohibited at high speed.
Examples of operations that are prohibited at high speeds include operations that reduce safety when traveling at high speeds, and operations that are less urgent and are preferably performed after the traveling speed falls below a predetermined speed. It is done.

The operation target device 30 of the third operation input is a left turn lamp as viewed from the operator, and the operation content is lit.
The normal gesture of the third operation input is a gesture that moves the operator's hand from the right region Y1 to the left region Y2 along the outer edge region X2 of the steering wheel 20, and then returns to the right region Y1. It is.
That is, as shown in FIG. 8A, this is a gesture in which the operator's right hand H is reciprocated in the vehicle width direction along the outer edge of the steering wheel 20. This simulates the operation of rotating the steering wheel 20 to the left when the operator performs a left turn operation.
Further, the third operation input high-speed gesture is such that the operator's right hand H is moved from the goo (fist fist) to the par (palm palm) in the vicinity of the outer edge region X2 of the steering wheel 20 and the front region Z1 and the rear region Z2. ) To perform a gesture operation.
That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the gesture is a gesture for changing the shape of the right hand H of the operator from goo to par at the holding position of the steering wheel 20.
In this way, the high-speed gesture has a shorter moving distance of the portion (the operator's hand in this embodiment) moved by the gesture than the normal gesture.

The operation target device 30 of the fourth operation input is a right turn lamp as viewed from the operator, and the operation content is lit.
The normal gesture of the fourth operation input is a gesture that moves the operator's hand from the left region Y2 to the right region Y1 along the outer edge region X2 of the steering wheel 20, and then returns to the left region Y2. It is.
That is, as shown in FIG. 8B, the gesture is a reciprocation of the left hand H of the operator in the vehicle width direction along the outer edge of the steering wheel 20. This simulates the operation of rotating the steering wheel 20 to the right when the operator performs a right turn operation.
Further, the fourth operation input high-speed gesture is performed by moving the left hand H of the operator from the goo (fist fist) to the par (palm palm) in the vicinity of the outer edge region X2 of the steering wheel 20 and the front region Z1 and the rear region Z2. ) To perform a gesture operation.
That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the gesture is a gesture for changing the shape of the left hand H of the operator from goo to par at the holding position of the steering wheel 20.

The operation target device 30 of the fifth operation input is a vehicle headlamp, and the operation content is turned on and off, that is, when this gesture is performed with the headlamp turned off, the headlamp is turned on. If this gesture is performed while is lit, the headlamp is turned off.
The fifth operation input is a gesture operation in which the hand is held with respect to the steering wheel 20 in the inner peripheral region X1 and the front surface region Z1 of the steering wheel 20.
That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the gesture is to spread the operator's hand H directly against the steering wheel 20.
In the fifth operation, the normal gesture 1483 and the high speed gesture 1484 are the same. As described above, for example, when the normal gesture 1483 is a relatively simple gesture, the normal gesture 1483 and the high speed gesture 1484 do not necessarily have to be operated differently.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, the first operation, the third operation, and the fourth operation are a switching operation input group, and the second operation is a prohibited operation input group.

Returning to the description of FIG. 1, the photographing unit 13 continuously photographs a three-dimensional space. Continuous shooting refers to shooting a group of images (video data) in which the behavior (gesture) of the operator in a three-dimensional space can be recognized.
The photographing means 13 is, for example, an infrared camera, and can photograph a video in a three-dimensional space even at night. Further, the photographing means 13 may be composed of a plurality of cameras (stereo cameras or the like).
The installation position of the photographing unit 13 is arbitrary, but the steering wheel 20 and the above-described regions X1 to X3, Y1, Y2, Z1, and Z2 are positions that can be included in the photographing range.

The gesture identification unit 14 identifies whether or not the operator has performed the effective gesture determined by the gesture determination unit 12 based on the captured image captured by the imaging unit 13, and is effective when the effective gesture is performed. A control signal for causing the operation target device 30 to perform an operation corresponding to the gesture is output.
The gesture identification unit 14 includes an operation identification unit 140, a region identification unit 142, an operation content identification unit 144, and a device control unit 146.

The action identifying unit 140 identifies whether or not the operator has performed a gesture operation of an effective gesture in the three-dimensional space based on the photographed image photographed by the photographing unit 13.
In the present embodiment, the operator is a driver, and the part that performs the operation is the hand H. The action identifying means 140 identifies a hand appearing in a captured image using a known image recognition technique (pattern recognition technique), and further, based on how the position of each point of the hand changes over time, Recognize hand gestures. Then, it is identified whether or not a gesture operation that matches the gesture operation of the valid gesture determined by the gesture determination means 12 has been performed.

The area identifying unit 142 identifies which of the plurality of areas X1 to X3, Y1, Y2, Z1, and Z2 the position where the predetermined gesture operation is performed.
The region identification unit 142 determines that the gesture operation is performed in a plurality of regions X1 to X3, Y1, Y2, Z1, and Z2 based on the relative relationship between the position of the steering wheel 20 in the captured image and the position of the operator's hand during the gesture operation. To identify whether it was done.

The operation content specifying unit 144 specifies the content (operation content) of the operation input to the operation target device 30 based on the predetermined gesture operation and the area where the predetermined gesture is performed.
The operation content specifying unit 144 determines whether the combination of the type of the gesture action identified by the action identifying unit 140 and the area identified by the area identifying unit 142 matches the valid gesture. Specifies the operation content to the operation target device 30 corresponding to the operation input.
For example, when the traveling speed of the vehicle is less than a predetermined speed and the effective gesture is a normal gesture, the gesture motion identified by the motion identification means 140 changes the shape of the operator's hand from goo to par. It is assumed that the gesture operation is to be performed (the gesture operation in the first operation input).
At this time, if the region identified by the region identifying unit 142 is the upper region X3 and the rear region Z2 of the steering wheel 20, the operation content specifying unit 144 determines that the first operation input has been performed, and the vehicle It is specified that the small lamp and the tail lamp are turned on or off.
In addition, when the area identified by the area identifying unit 142 is the inner peripheral area X1 or the front area Z1 of the steering wheel 20, there is no corresponding operation input. judge.
That is, the operation content specifying unit 144 matches the combination of the gesture action identified by the action identifying unit 140 and the area identified by the area identifying unit 142 with one of the valid gestures recorded in the operation identification database DB. Is recognized as a valid operation input only.

The device control unit 146 outputs a control signal that causes the operation target device 30 to perform an operation corresponding to the operation content, that is, an operation corresponding to the valid gesture.
For example, when the first operation input is performed, the device control unit 146 outputs a control signal for switching on / off the small lamp and tail lamp of the vehicle.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure performed by the operation input device 10.
The operation input device 10 repeats the process shown in FIG. 12 while the vehicle is traveling.
First, the vehicle speed is detected by the speed detector 11 (step S800).
Next, an effective gesture is determined by the effective gesture determination means 12 based on the traveling speed detected in step S800 (step S801). That is, when the traveling speed is less than a predetermined speed, the normal gesture is determined as an effective gesture, and when the traveling speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed, the high speed gesture is determined as an effective gesture.

Subsequently, the vehicle space around the steering wheel 20 is photographed by the photographing means 13 (step S802).
The motion identification unit 140 analyzes the captured image captured by the capturing unit 13 and determines whether or not the operator has performed a gesture operation (effective gesture operation) included in the effective gesture (step S803).
If the operator does not perform the gesture operation included in the valid gesture (step S803: No), the process returns to step S800 and the subsequent processing is repeated.
If the operator performs a gesture operation included in the valid gesture (step S803: Yes), the region identification unit 142 identifies the region where the gesture operation has been performed (step S804).
Next, the operation content specifying unit 144 determines whether the combination of the gesture motion performed by the operator and the region where the gesture motion is performed matches any valid gesture (step S806).
If it does not match any of the valid gestures (step S806: No), the process returns to step S800 and the subsequent processing is repeated.
If it matches any of the valid gestures (step S806: Yes), the operation target device 30 and the control content are specified (step S808), and the device control means 146 outputs a control signal to the operation target device 30. (Step S810).
Thereafter, the process returns to step S800, and the subsequent processing is repeated.

  In FIG. 12 and the above description, the gesture identification region is identified by the region identification unit 142 after identifying that the predetermined gesture operation has been performed by the motion identification unit 140. However, the gesture region is not limited to this. You may identify whether predetermined gesture operation | movement was performed after identifying. For example, it may be determined whether a predetermined gesture operation has been performed while constantly tracking the position of the operator's hand.

As described above, the operation input device 10 according to the embodiment determines an effective gesture that is accepted as an operation input based on the traveling speed of the vehicle. In many cases, the operator in the vehicle is a driver, but the physical and psychological state of the driver varies greatly depending on the traveling state of the vehicle, particularly the traveling speed. Therefore, by determining an effective gesture based on the traveling speed of the vehicle, a gesture according to the physical and psychological state of the operator is set as an effective gesture, and operation input using the gesture functions more effectively. Can do.
Further, according to the operation input device 10, the vehicle-mounted device can be operated without using an input unit or the like during driving of a vehicle that requires a forward gazing, and safety during vehicle driving can be improved. .
In addition, the operation input device 10 changes an effective gesture used as an operation input during high-speed traveling where the driving operation needs to be performed more carefully and during normal traveling where the driving operation has a relatively large margin. Therefore, when a gesture is used for operation input of the in-vehicle device, it is possible to easily perform the driving operation and the gesture operation in parallel, and the safety during traveling of the vehicle can be improved.
The operation input device 10 sets a plurality of types of operation inputs separately for a switching operation input group and a prohibited operation input group. Therefore, for example, it is possible to reduce the number of effective gestures during high-speed driving by prohibiting low-necessity operation inputs during high-speed driving, and the attention of the operator (driver) during high-speed driving to the driving operation. It can be made easier to point.
The high-speed gesture can be completed in a short time because the time required for the gesture or the movement distance of the part moved by the gesture is shorter than the normal gesture. The time to face can be shortened.
Further, when the operation input device 10 recognizes the gesture of the operator in the three-dimensional space and accepts the operation input, whether or not a predetermined gesture operation is performed in advance and an area in which the predetermined gesture is performed Based on the above, the content of the operation input (operation of the operation target device) is specified.
Therefore, compared with the case where a gesture is performed in a single space that is not divided into regions, it is possible to reduce the possibility of erroneously recognizing a simple operation with no intention of operation input as a gesture of operation input.
In addition, since the gesture region is obtained by dividing the three-dimensional space into a plurality of regions along at least two coordinate axis directions, the position where the gesture operation is performed can be specified in more detail, and the recognition rate of operation input is improved. Can be made. Further, the types of operation inputs can be increased by combining the gesture operation and the gesture area.
In the operation input device 10, the operator can easily recognize the coordinate axis direction based on the vehicle steering wheel, and the gesture operation can be performed easily and accurately.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Operation input device, 11 ... Speed detection means, 12 ... Gesture determination means, 13 ... Shooting means, 14 ... Gesture identification means, 140 ... Action identification means, 142 ... Area identification means, 144 ... ... operation content specifying means, 146 ... device control means, DB ... operation identification database, 20 ... steering wheel, 22 ... grip part, 22A ... upper end part, 24 ... center part, 26 ... spoke part, 30: Operation target device (on-vehicle device).

Claims (5)

An operation input device that recognizes an operator's gesture in a three-dimensional space and receives an operation input to an operation target device,
The operation target device is an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle,
A plurality of types of operation inputs are set,
Speed detecting means for detecting the traveling speed of the vehicle;
Gesture determining means for determining an effective gesture received as the operation input based on the traveling speed;
Photographing means for continuously photographing the three-dimensional space;
Based on the photographed image photographed by the photographing means, it is identified whether or not the operator has performed an effective gesture determined by the gesture determining means, and when the effective gesture is performed, it corresponds to the effective gesture Gesture identifying means for outputting a control signal for causing the operation target device to perform an action to be performed;
With
The gesture determining means preliminarily performs a high-speed gesture to be applied when the travel speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed and a normal-time gesture to be applied when the travel speed is less than the predetermined speed for one operation input. A plurality of types of operation inputs, a switching operation input group for switching the effective gesture between the high-speed gesture and the normal-time gesture based on the travel speed, and the travel speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed. In the case of, the setting is divided into a prohibited operation input group that prohibits the operation input,
Operation input device comprising a call. The high-speed gesture has a shorter time required for the gesture or a movement distance of the part moved by the gesture than the normal gesture.
The operation input device according to claim 1 . The effective gesture is specified by a gesture action and a gesture region indicating a position in the three-dimensional space where the gesture action is performed,
The gesture region is obtained by dividing the three-dimensional space into a plurality of regions along at least two coordinate axis directions.
The operation input device according to claim 1, wherein: A steering wheel of a vehicle is arranged in the three-dimensional space,
The gesture region has a substantially vertical axis substantially along the vertical direction of the vehicle with the center point of the steering wheel as an origin in the three-dimensional space, and a substantially longitudinal axis substantially along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Divided,
The space along the substantially vertical axis is divided into an inner peripheral region of the steering wheel, an outer edge region of the steering wheel, and an upper region above the outer edge region,
The space along the substantially longitudinal axis is divided into a front region, which is a surface where the steering wheel faces the driver, and a rear region, which is a mounting surface of the steering wheel to the vehicle body.
The operation input device according to claim 3 . A steering wheel of a vehicle is arranged in the three-dimensional space,
The gesture region includes a substantially vertical axis substantially along the vertical direction of the vehicle with the center point of the steering wheel as an origin in the three-dimensional space, a substantially longitudinal axis substantially along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the vehicle Divided substantially along the vehicle width direction axis substantially along the vehicle width direction,
The space along the substantially vertical axis is divided into an inner peripheral region of the steering wheel, an outer edge region of the steering wheel, and an upper region above the outer edge region,
The space along the substantially longitudinal axis is divided into a front region, which is a surface where the steering wheel faces the driver, and a rear region, which is a mounting surface of the steering wheel to the vehicle body,
The space along the substantially vehicle width direction axis is divided into a region on one vehicle side from the center point of the steering wheel and a region on the other vehicle side from the center point.
The operation input device according to claim 3 .

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