Patent Application
20180341350
The present invention relates to integrated control panels (ICP) useful in providing an interface between a vehicle passenger and the functions of the vehicle, and uses of the integrated control panels. More particularly, the present invention relates to integrated control panels employed in automobiles.
Automobiles often have many, separate, and different mechanical interface devices. It may be convenient to the driver and passenger to simplify and enhance these devices by consolidating them into fewer such devices, or even as part of a single aggregate instrument that can relay commands to vehicle control devices. Such aggregate instruments may include a touch control panel, or touchscreen, that integrates the functions of multiple interface devices.
Automotive integrated control panels, also referred to as Electronic Finish Panels (EFP), are used in automobiles to communicate information to passengers, receive commands from passengers, and control various functions of the automobile, among other purposes. integrated control panels are available with or without displays, and may employ switches, toggles, knobs, and/or touchscreens, among other devices, to allow for user interaction with the functions of the automobile via the integrated control panels. By using an integrated control panels, the driver or passenger can adjust several different devices by interacting with a hierarchical menu shown through the integrated control panel's touch panel from an underlying display to select a particular device and to select a particular function associated with that device.
Capacitive sensing has been used to identify both a location of an applied force to a surface, and the relative degree of the force being applied.
In one aspect of the invention, an integrated control panel is provided having a touch screen surrounded or flanked on the left and right sides with touch areas that are activated by pressing a finger to the surface of the touch areas.
In another aspect of the invention, an integrated control panel is provided without the need for a display or a touch screen.
In still another aspect of the invention, inductive sensing is used in combination with a mechanical flex frame to determine a force being transmitted.
Another aspect of the invention is the use of inductive sensing in combination with an integrated control panel mechanical flex frame to determine a touch location on a touch area.
In another aspect of the invention, inductive sensing is used in combination with a mechanical flex frame and capacitive sensing to determine both touch force and location.
In still another aspect of the invention, one or more accelerometers may be used to compensate for the relative movement of the integrated control panel assembly, such as the movement of the integrated control panel installed in a moving automobile/vehicle.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a software subsystem having various modules for providing various functions of the integrated control panel, is provided.
In another aspect of the invention, an electrical wiring harness and/or other electronic interface is provided, whereby the electrical harness/interface provides connectivity between the integrated control panel and the host automobile's/vehicle's other electronic systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,976,012 (Methode Electronics, Inc., Chicago, Ill.), which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference, describes one solution for using flexible members in an integrated control panel-like assembly. The '012 patent describes an assembly having a panel adapted to be mated to a vehicle, a frame placed around and spaced apart from the panel, at least one flexible coupling to connect the panel to the frame, a haptic actuator connected to the frame and the panel, an input device mated to the frame, and a display connected to the panel so as to be stationary with respect to the panel. The panel includes one or more cutouts extending into the panel, and the frame includes one or more extensions extending away from the frame. The one or more extensions are received by a respective one of the one or more cutouts. The at least one flexible coupling includes a loop. The input device is adapted to cause movement of the frame when an input is received, and the display is placed under the input device.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,169,306 (Methode Electronics, Inc., Chicago, Ill.), which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference, describes additional ways to detect the transmission of touch forces from a surface to other components. The '306 patent describes a device with haptic effects. The system includes a first surface, a second surface with a flexible arm portion, a coupling that couples the flexible arm portion to the first surface, and a haptic effect generator attached to the first surface. The flexible arm portion includes a coupling portion, and the coupling is received in the coupling portion. The haptic effect generator causes movement of the first surface relative to the second surface, and the flexible arm limits the movement of the first surface and elastically returns the first surface substantially to its original position relative to the second surface.
Based on the foregoing, it is observed that a new and improved technique for employing integrated control panels in vehicles/automobiles is needed. The present invention meets the requirements of a low cost, operationally simple device, which is not complex to assemble, and which outputs reliable signals of a valid touch by a user.
Several preferred embodiments of the invention are described for illustrative purposes, it being understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms not specifically described below and/or shown in the drawings.
Turning first to
As shown, the display 102 may provide (that is, output, visually convey, display, etc.) information to the vehicle passenger (hereinafter “user”), such as in the form of textual information 102a, meta-data related to a music selection 102b, weather graphics and information 102c, and map-based driving graphics, instructions, and information 102d, among other types and forms of content.
The left-side touch area 104 may display one or more icons 104a, 104b, . . . 104n (where n is the number of desired icons). These icons identify portions of the left-side touch area 104 where a user may touch to select a function (that is, input a command that causes a function to initiate, including providing one or more of the aforementioned content). In the embodiment shown, the left-side touch area 104 is configured with a home icon (104a), a telephone icon (104b), and a screen input selector icon (104c), but other icons for other functions may be displayed instead. Moreover, the various available different icons may be made to be displayed such as by swiping, along a portion of the left-side touch area 104 from the top to bottom of the left-side touch area 104, such that the icons “scroll” from one position to another.
Similarly, the right-side touch area 106 may display one or more icons 106a, 106b, . . . 106m (where m is the number of desired icons). These icons identify portions of the right-side touch area 106 where a user may touch to select a function (that is, input a command that causes a function to initiate, as described above). In the embodiment shown, the right-side touch area 106 is configured with a “tools” icon (106a), a brightness-increase icon (106b), and a brightness-decrease icon (106c), but other icons for other functions may be displayed instead, and may also be made to be displayed by swiping from the top to bottom of the right-side touch area 106, as also described above.
The electrical wiring harness and connector 108 provides electrical connectivity between the integrated control panel 100 and the vehicle's/automobile's power source and electrical systems, and may terminate with an industry-standard or customized multi-pin connector 110.
Turning now to
The stack also includes at least the following positioned at least partially within the gap 224:
In one aspect, the decorative surface 202, the array of capacitive sensor electrodes 204, and the movable member 206 may constitute certain of the components of the display 102, as shown in
The decorative surface 202 may be, for example, a sheet of glare-reducing flat or curved glass that forms the portion of the integrated control panel 100 that the user is able to see and touch. The decorative surface 202 may be addressed to output or display or convey the left-side and right-side touch area icons 104a, 104b, . . . , 104n, 106a, 106b, . . . , 106m and the display 102a . . . 102d information, either on the top surface, on the bottom surface, or within the decorative surface 202 material. The decorative surface 202 may also be used to output the information as noted in connection with the description of
The array of capacitive sensor electrodes 204, which are well known in the art, are positioned adjacent to and below the decorative surface 202, and may extend across the entire functional surface or in discrete locations of the functional surface of the bottom side of the decorative surface 202 or the top side of the movable member 206. There may be a single electrode, multiple electrodes, or a matrix of electrodes. The electrodes align with the aforementioned icons that are visible to the user, as discussed above and shown in
The movable member 206 may be a structural device that supports (transmits) a force when the decorated surface 202 is touched by the user. The arrow 220 indicates the relative movement in the vertical or z-axis of the group of stack components that are collectively above the gap 224 (i.e., 202, 204, and 206) relative to the stationary member 216 below the gap 224. This movement may be caused by, for example, an external force (user's figure touch) applied to the top surface of the decorative surface 202, as indicated by arrow 222.
The left-side flexible member 208 and right-side flexible member 210 are structural devices that expand (flex) and contract (give) when the user touches (pushes) on the movable member 206 by way of touching the top surface of the decorative surface 202. The expansion and contraction of the flexible members 208, 210, respectively, changes the distance between the movable member 206 and the stationary member 216.
In
As shown in
The stationary member 216 provides the base for the integrated control panel 100. Most of the mass of the assembled components is supported by the stationary member 216. It may be located and mounted to the vehicle's instrument panel structure (not shown).
Also shown in
The size of the various components depicted in
Each of the individual stack components may themselves be made up of different components. For example, the left-side and right-side flexible members 208, 210 may each be made up of several individual flexible members arranged along a left or right edge of the movable member 206 and stationary member 216, or they could extend around the entire periphery of the gap 224.
It will be apparent that other components could be added to the stack that add functionality to the integrated control panel 100, but at the same time do not detract from the basic function of the integrated control panel 100 as described and shown in the various embodiments. For example,
Turning now to
The gap sensing electronics and processing module 220 includes the electronics that energize the inductive sensors 214 and outputs signals indicative of a change in the inductance of the coils when the metal targets 212 moves in relation to the inductive sensors 214.
The capacitive sensing electronics module 222 includes the logic circuits necessary to determine where, by reference to the movable member 206, the user is touching on the decorative surface 202.
The force and touch processing module 224 includes the logic circuits and software to combine the forces associated with a user touching the decorative surface 202 with the capacitive touch signal from the capacitive sensing electronics module 222 to provide one output signal via the electrical wiring and power connector 108 (or a different signal carrying device) to the host system 226 (e.g., a signal containing force and position information).
The host system 226 uses the signal to perform a particular function. In the case of
Turning now to
In step 404, the user's finger changes the capacitance at the location where the user's figure approaches the targeted area. This change is detected by one or more of the capacitive sensor electrodes in the array of capacitive sensor electrodes 204, which causes the one or more capacitive sensor electrodes to output a signal to the capacitive sensing electronics and processing module 304.
In step 406, the output signal received by the capacitive sensing electronics and processing module 304 is then processed, and a signal may be outputted to the force and touch processing module 306 containing information indicative of one or more of the targeted area and the specific one of the icons 104a, 104b, . . . 104n, or icons 106a, 106b, . . . 106m. The capacitive sensing electronics of the integrated control panel 100 can reject noise by employing particular algorithms, such that, for example, no output signal is sent when a physical movement is detected that might appear to be similar to a user's finger approaching the target area but is in fact not such as action.
In step 408, as the user applies a force to the surface of the decorative surface 202 using his or her finger, the force is transferred down the stack of the integrated control panel 100 and causes the one or more of the flexible members, such as the left-side and right-side flexible members 208, 210, to be in a compressive state position relative to its nominal state position (each flexible member may end up at a different compressive state, depending on where the user's figure applies the force). The difference between the nominal and compressive states is reflected as a change in the distance, that is the gap 224 separating the bottom surface of the movable member 206 and the top surface of the stationary member 216 (the distance may be different at different positions across the gap, again depending on where the user's figure applies the force). Reducing the gap distance also changes the distance between the one or more of the metal targets 212 and their corresponding inductive sensors 214. For example, with reference to
The change in the gap distance between pairs of respective inductive sensors 214 and metal targets 212 affects the degree to which the magnetic flux emanating from the metal targets 212 is sensed by the inductive sensors 214. Generally, the closer the magnetic flux is the inductive sensors 214, the greater the inducement of a current in the inductive sensors 214, which could be a linear response and is measurable.
In step 410, the individual inductive sensors 214, along with the gap sensing electronics and processing module 302, registers the movement of the stack components of the integrated control panel 100 thus described. The gap sensing electronics and processing module 302 can reject certain magnetic flux noise by employing a particular algorithm and the use of additional magnetic flux sensors (no shown) to account for nearby and ambient magnetic flux sources that might otherwise interfere with the sensing function of the individual inductive sensors 214.
In step 412, the signal outputted by the gap sensing electronics and processing module 302 is then passed to the force and touch processing module 306. In doing so, a determination of where the user has pushed on the decorative surface 202 (i.e., the capacitive signal) and the relative amount the user has pushed (i.e., the inductive signal), is made. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the applied force location on the decorative surface 202 may also be determined by inductive sensing alone, specifically by monitoring and comparing the output signals from each of the inductive sensors 214a, 214b, 214c, 214d.
In decision step 414, the individual and combined capacitive and inductive signals include information that may be compared to certain criteria for assessing a valid push. As part of this comparison, information from the acceleration reference sensor (accelerometer) 218 may be used to provide an input to the algorithms to assess vibrational noise that may contribute to the signals outputted by the inductive sensors 214a, 214b, 214c, 214d. If the user's touching the decorative display 202 is assessed and determined not to be a valid push, the process returns to step 402 and waits to detect a user's finger approaching the left-side and right-side touch areas 104, 106. But if the touch is determined to be a valid push, the force and touch processing module 306 sends a signal to the host system 308 containing information useful to the host system 308 so that it may initiate an action responsive to the user's touch.
Finally, in step 418, the host system 308 actually initiates and performs the desired action initiated by the user's finger. This action may be, for example, downloading content and causing it to be displayed to the user.
Although certain presently preferred embodiments of the disclosed invention have been specifically described herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains that variations and modifications of the various embodiments shown and described herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention be limited only to the extent required by the appended claims and the applicable rules of law.
This is a nonprovisional application that claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/429,296, filed Dec. 2, 2016, entitled “Integrated Control Panel Apparatus and Use Thereof,” the content and disclosure of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62429296 | Dec 2016 | US |
