Manual input device enabling control of various electric apparatus with single knob

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6805020
  • Patent Number
    6,805,020
  • Date Filed
    Monday, April 15, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, October 19, 2004
    19 years ago
Abstract
A manual input device which comprises a mechanism, a major function select switch, a confirm switch, a display unit, and a controller. The mechanism is composed of: a laterally movable motor for applying an external force which is mounted on a frame; a knob fitted to a drive shaft of the motor; an encoder for detecting rotation of the knob; a stick controller for detecting lateral movement of the motor; a first guide plate and a second guide plate for limiting a range of movement of the knob; and a first solenoid and a second solenoid for driving the guide plates individually. The guide groove pattern is different between the first and second guide plates. The range in which the knob can be moved when the first guide plate only is engaged with the drive shaft of the motor is different from that when both the first and second guide plates are engaged with the drive shaft of the motor.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates to a manual input device which enables central control with a single knob of various electric apparatuses which are, for example, mounted in a car, and particularly to means for selecting the direction of manipulation of the above-mentioned knob.




2. Description of Related Art




Modern cars are equipped with various electric apparatuses such as an air conditioner, radio, television, CD player and navigation system. If the driver tries to operate many such electric apparatuses individually using the respective control means provided on these apparatuses during a drive, he/she may be unable to drive the car smoothly. In order to allow the driver to turn on or off any desired electric apparatus, select a function or perform any other operation without any inconvenience for his/her safe drive, a manual input device which enables the driver to control various electric apparatuses by manipulation of a single knob has been proposed.




This kind of manual input device as prior art will be explained referring to

FIGS. 13

to


16


.

FIG. 13

shows an example of a manual input device installed in a car;

FIG. 14

is a side view illustrating a proposed conventional manual input device;

FIG. 15

is a top view illustrating the knob of the manual input device as shown in

FIG. 14

; and

FIG. 16

is a top view illustrating the guide plate built in the manual input device as shown in FIG.


14


.




As illustrated in

FIG. 13

, this manual input device


100


is installed in a console box


200


located between the driver's seat and the passenger's seat. As shown in

FIG. 14

, this conventional manual input device


100


is mainly composed of the following: a knob


110


which has two clicking switches


111


and


112


as signal input means and three rotary variable resistors


113


,


114


and


115


(see FIG.


15


); an XY table


120


which is driven in two directions perpendicular to each other (a direction perpendicular to the side view in FIG.


14


and the right-left direction as you face the figure) by the knob


110


; a stick controller


130


as a position sensor which inputs a signal to an external apparatus according to the direction and amount of movement of the XY table


120


; and a guide plate


140


which engages with an engagement pin


160


projecting downward from the bottom face of the XY table


120


(see FIG.


16


).




The knob


110


and XY table


120


are connected through a connecting shaft


150


and the XY table


120


and guide plate


140


are engaged with each other by the engagement pin


160


whose tip is movably inserted in a guide groove


141


of the guide plate


140


. This guide groove


141


may have any shape which allows the tip of the engagement pin


160


to be moved in specific directions. For instance, as shown in

FIG. 16

, when a guide groove


141


in the plane shape of a cross is engraved on the upper surface of the guide plate


140


, the tip of the engagement pin


160


can be moved from the center A to end points B, C, D and E as shown, in the two directions which intersect almost perpendicularly. In other words, by manipulating the knob


110


, the engagement pin


160


can be moved along the guide groove


141


of the guide plate


140


through the XY table


120


so that, with the tip of the engagement pin


160


at end point A, B, C, D or E in the guide groove


141


, the information on that engagement position (positional signal) is outputted from the stick controller


130


. This means that it is possible to select a car-mounted electric apparatus function to be operated (a function to be controlled). Once the desired electric apparatus function is selected in this way, the selected function can be adjusted or switched on or off by manipulating the two clicking switches


111


and


112


on the knob


110


and the three rotary variable resistors


113


,


114


and


115


as appropriate.




As shown in

FIG. 13

, the manual input device


100


thus structured allows central control of a plurality of car-mounted electric apparatuses by the use of a combination of a switch device


170


and a display unit


180


and a computer as a controller (not shown in the figure). Here, the switch device


170


enables the user to select a desired electric apparatus among the ones mounted in the car; the display unit


180


indicates various information including the name of the electric apparatus selected through the switch device


170


and information on the operation done by means of the manual input device


100


; and the computer controls these. The switch device


170


is installed in the console box


200


and its control switches


171




a


to


171




e


are located in the vicinity of the manual input device


100


and connected with different electric apparatuses. If the control switches


171




a


to


171




e


are respectively connected to a car-mounted air conditioner, radio, television, CD player and navigation system, the user can turn on or off the air conditioner or specify the air conditioner mode to the manual input device


100


using the control switch


171




a


, or turn on or off the radio or specify the radio mode to the manual input device


100


using the control switch


171




b


; likewise, by operating the other control switches


171




c


to


171




e


, the user can turn on or off the corresponding electric apparatuses or specify their modes to the manual input device


100


. The display unit


180


(for example, a liquid crystal display) is conveniently located for the driver's viewing and the computer is built in the console box


200


.




While it is possible to select a function of the electric apparatus selected through the switch device


170


or make a functional adjustment using the manual input device


100


, the functions which can be selected or adjusted through the manual input device


100


vary depending on the type of electric apparatus selected. For example, if the air conditioner mode is selected using the switch device


170


, the function of “air flow rate control” is selected by manipulating the knob


110


to bring the engagement pin


160


to the end point B of the guide groove


141


of the guide plate


140


and pushing in the clicking switch


111


with a click; likewise the function of “air blow-off position control,” the function of “air blow-off direction control” and the function of “temperature control” are selected by manipulating the knob


110


to bring the pin


160


to the end points C, D, and E of the guide groove


141


, respectively, to click the clicking switch


111


.




Once one of these control functions has been selected, the selected function can be adjusted by manipulating the rotary variable resistors


113


to


115


as appropriate. For example, if the air conditioner mode is selected by means of the switch device


170


and the function of “air flow rate control” is selected by means of the clicking switch


111


, the air conditioner's air flow rate can be controlled by manipulating the rotary variable resistor


113


; likewise, if the function of “air blow-off position control” is selected, the air conditioner's air blow-off position can be controlled by manipulating the rotary variable resistors


114


and


115


. Further, if the radio mode is selected by means of the switch device


170


and the function of “volume control” is selected by means of the clicking switch


111


, the radio's volume can be controlled by manipulating the rotary variable resistor


113


; likewise if the “tuning” function is selected in the radio mode, tuning of the radio can be done by manipulating the rotary variable resistors


114


and


115


.




However, in the conventional manual input device


100


, because the knob


110


is held connected with the guide plate


140


through the XY table


120


, and the knob


110


can be manipulated only in specific directions which are determined by the engagement of the tip of the engagement pin


160


with the guide groove


141


of the guide plate


140


, the knob


110


can be used only for selecting a function of the electric apparatus selected by the switch device


170


and it is difficult to use the knob


110


for various purposes. For example, it cannot be to used to select both an electric apparatus and a function of the selected apparatus, or to select an electric apparatus function and control the selected function, or to select an electric apparatus, select a function of the selected apparatus and control the selected apparatus function. Therefore, it is not easy to make the knob


110


more versatile and improve the operability of the manual input device


100


.




Let's assume as follows: eight electric apparatuses (air conditioner, radio, DVD player, CD player, telephone, speech input system, car navigation system and 2nd) are selectable; four radio functions (AM, FM and shortwave station selection and volume) are adjustable; and the radio volume can be controlled in two ways, namely by either increasing or decreasing the volume. In this case, if the knob


110


of the manual input device


100


is used to select the radio and the volume control function and perform a volume control in sequence, the knob


110


should be movable in eight directions for selection of the radio, in four directions for selection of the radio volume control function, and in two directions for volume control.




However, in the conventional manual input device


100


, as stated above, the knob


110


can be moved only in specific directions which are determined by the engagement of the tip of the engagement pin


160


with the guide groove


141


of the guide plate


140


, so the number of directions in which the knob


110


can be moved cannot be varied depending on the type of function to be selected or controlled with the knob


110


. Accordingly, there would be dead zones in which no functional selection or control is not performed even by manipulating the knob


110


. Specifically, in order to allow selection of the radio from among the eight electric apparatuses by manipulation of the knob


110


, there should be guide grooves


141


extending radially in eight directions from the center in the guide plate


140


, but if such grooves are provided, in selecting the radio volume control function, four directions (grooves) except those for AM, FM and shortwave station selection and volume control would be dead zones; and in carrying out a radio volume control, six directions (grooves) except those for volume increase and decrease would be dead zones.




Furthermore, if the car navigation system is selected by manipulation of the knob


110


, a means for moving the cursor which appears along with a map image on the display unit


180


would be necessary. However, as mentioned above, the knob


110


of the conventional manual input device


100


cannot be moved in a desired direction freely because it is held engaged with the guide plate


140


; as a consequence, it cannot be used as a means for moving the cursor in the car navigation system. Therefore, in order to enable the car navigation system to be controlled with the manual input device


100


, a cursor moving means other than the knob


110


would be needed. This implies that the manual input device


100


would have a complicated structure and be not easy to operate.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and provides a user-friendly manual input device with a simple structure.




According to one aspect of the present invention, as a solution to the above problem, a manual input device comprises: a knob which is movable in a desired direction and is moved in a specific direction from a center position to select a specific function among functions of a plurality of electric apparatuses and control the selected function; a plurality of guide plates which limit directions in which the knob can be moved; actuators which change engagement of the knob with the plural guide plates; and a controller for the actuators, wherein the controller controls operation of the actuators depending on the electric apparatus function selected by manipulation of the knob and selectively limits the directions in which the knob can be moved.




Accordingly, when the manual input device comprises a knob which can be moved in a desired direction, a plurality of guide plates which limit the directions in which the knob can be moved, actuators which change the engagement of the knob with a plurality of guide plates and a controller and the controller controls operation to change the engagement of the knob with the guide plates as appropriate, by disengaging the knob from the guide plates it can be moved in a desired direction, and by engaging it with at least one guide plate, the directions in which it can be moved are limited to the ones determined by a single guide plate or a combination of guide plates engaged with it. Thus, the range of movement of the knob can be changed in multiple steps. When different selectable or controllable functions are assigned to different directions of movement of the knob, dead zones can be eliminated and the knob can be used for multiple purposes. Accordingly, a user-friendly manual input device is provided.




According to another aspect of the present invention, as a solution to the above problem, the manual input device uses a first guide plate which limits movement of the knob to eight directions and a second guide plate which limits movement of the knob to four directions.




According to a further aspect of the present invention, as a solution to the above problem, the manual input device uses a first actuator which drives the first guide plate and a second actuator which drives the second guide plate.




According to another further aspect of the present invention, as a solution to the above problem, the first guide plate has eight guide grooves extending radially in eight directions every 45 degrees and the second guide plate has guide grooves extending in four directions every 90 degrees.




According to a further aspect of the present invention, as a solution to the above problem, four guide grooves among the eight guide grooves in the first guide plate coincide with the four guide grooves in the second guide plate when the first and second guide plates are joined.




According to a further aspect of the present invention, as a solution to the above problem, the manual input device has a display unit which displays a screen matched to directions in which the knob can be moved.




When, as mentioned above, two guide plates are provided as means for limiting the directions of movement of the knob, by engaging it only with the first guide plate, the directions of movement of the knob are limited to the first range determined by the first guide plate, and by engaging it with both the first and second guide plates, they are limited to the second range determined by the combination of the guide plates. Further, by disengaging the knob from the first and second guide plates, the knob can be moved in any direction. Therefore, when the first guide plate has eight guide grooves (directions) and the second guide plates has four guide grooves (directions) which coincide with four of the eight guide grooves, if eight types of electric apparatus are respectively assigned to the eight directions in which the knob can be moved by its engagement with the first guide plate only and four different functions are respectively assigned to the four directions in which it can be moved by its engagement with both the first and second guide plates, one among the assigned eight electric apparatuses can be easily selected in electric apparatus selection by engaging it with the first guide plate and one among the four assigned functions can be easily selected in functional selection by engaging it with both the first and second guide plates. When the car navigation system is selected, the knob can be used as a means for moving the cursor on a map screen by disengaging it from the first and second guide plates. In addition, when a mark which indicates the direction of movement of the knob appears on the screen of the display unit, operating ease is increased.




According to a further aspect of the present invention, as a solution to the above problem, the manual input device has a second actuator for applying an external force to the knob and the controller controls operation of the second actuator to apply an external force to the knob depending on how the knob has been manipulated.




When, as mentioned above, the manual input device has a second actuator for applying an external force to the knob and the controller controls operation of the second actuator to apply an external force to the knob depending on the manipulation of the knob, the user can know, with a tactile sensation or without seeing the screen, how the knob has been manipulated; in other words, the user can know with a tactile sensation whether the selection or control as intended has been done by his/her manipulation of the knob, which can prevent improper manipulation of the knob.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The invention will be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:





FIG. 1

shows the structure of a manual input device according to an embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a sectional view taken along the line


2





2


of

FIG. 1

;





FIGS. 3A and 3B

are top views showing singe guide plates in the manual input device and





FIG. 3C

is a top view showing a combination of such guide plates;





FIG. 4

is a flowchart showing the user operation sequence and the sequence of operations controlled by the controller for radio volume control;





FIG. 5

shows an example of a screen which appears on the display unit when the major function select switch is operated;





FIG. 6

shows an example of a screen which appears on the display unit when the radio is selected in electric apparatus selection;





FIG. 7

shows an example of a screen which appears on the display unit when the volume control function is selected in functional selection;





FIG. 8

is a flowchart showing the user operation sequence and the sequence of operations controlled by the controller for AM station selection;





FIG. 9

shows an example of a screen which appears on the display unit when the AM station selection function is selected in functional selection;





FIG. 10

is a flowchart showing the user operation sequence and the sequence of operations controlled by the controller for the car navigation system;





FIG. 11

shows an example of a screen which appears on the display unit when the car navigation system is selected in electric apparatus selection;





FIG. 12

shows an example of a screen which appears on the display unit when the destination entry function is selected in functional selection;





FIG. 13

shows the inside of a car in which a conventional car-mounted input device is installed;





FIG. 14

is a side view showing a conventional car-mounted input device as proposed;





FIG. 15

is a top view showing the car-mounted input device as shown in

FIG. 14

; and





FIG. 16

is a top view showing a guide plate built in the car-mounted input device as shown in FIG.


14


.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




Next, the structure of a manual input device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described referring to

FIGS. 1

to


3


.

FIG. 1

shows the structure of a manual input device according to the embodiment;

FIG. 2

is a sectional view taken along the line


2





2


of

FIG. 1

; and

FIGS. 3A and 3B

are top views showing singe guide plates in the manual input device and

FIG. 3C

is a top view showing a combination of such guide plates.




As is clearly seen from

FIG. 1

, the manual input device according to this embodiment mainly comprises a mechanism


1


, a major function select switch


2


, a confirm switch


3


, a display unit


4


and a controller


5


. The mechanism


1


is composed of the following: a cylindrical frame


11


; a laterally movable swing bracket


12


which is fitted to the frame


11


; a laterally movable motor bracket


13


which is fitted to the swing bracket


12


; a motor


14


which is mounted on the motor bracket


13


; a pressing member


15


which returns the laterally moved motor


14


to its center position; a knob


16


and a codewheel holder


17


which are fitted to the drive shaft


14




a


of the motor


14


; an encoder


20


which consists of a codewheel


18


mounted on the codewheel holder


17


and a photointerrupter


19


mounted on the motor bracket


13


; a stick controller


21


which detects lateral movement of the motor


14


; an arm


22


one end of which is rotatably attached to the motor


14


and the other end of which drives a stick


21




a


in the stick controller


21


; a first solenoid


23


and a second solenoid


24


provided on the inner surface of the frame


1


; a first guide plate


25


which is driven by the first solenoid


23


; and a second guide plate


26


which is driven by the second solenoid


24


.




As illustrated in

FIG. 2

, the swing bracket


12


is a square ring in which the motor bracket


13


and the motor


14


can be inserted in a laterally movable manner; it has a support shaft


12




a


protruding outward from the center of each of two opposite sides. The swing bracket


12


is laterally movable with respect to the frame


11


because the support shaft


12




a


is held against the frame


11


in a laterally movable manner. On the other hand, the motor bracket


13


is a circular ring in which the motor


14


can be inserted; it has a support shaft


13




a


protruding outward from each of two opposite points on the circumference of the ring. The motor bracket


13


is laterally movable with respect to the swing bracket


12


because the support shaft


13




a


is held against the swing bracket


12


in a laterally movable manner. The positional relation of the support shaft


12




a


with respect to the frame


11


and that of the support shaft


13




a


with respect to the swing bracket


12


are determined so that the shafts are perpendicular to each other. The motor


14


is fastened to the motor bracket


13


using screws or other fastening means. Therefore, the drive shaft


14




a


of the motor


14


is laterally movable in any direction with respect to the frame


11


where the center of lateral movement is determined by the position of the support shaft


12




a


protruding from the swing bracket


12


and the position of the support shaft


13




a


protruding from the motor bracket


13


.




The motor


14


gives the knob


16


an external force which depends on how the knob


16


is manipulated. It may be, for example, a rotary motor or linear motor.




The pressing member


15


which resets the knob to its center position is an elastic material such as a spring or a rubber strap which stretches between the frame


11


and the motor


14


. The pressing member


15


adjusts the posture of the drive shaft


14




a


of the motor


14


so as to keep it in its upright position while the knob


16


is not being manipulated. While the knob


16


is being manipulated, the drive shaft


14




a


is laterally moved against the elastic force of the pressing member


15


in the same direction as the knob


16


is moved. As the manipulation force applied to the knob


16


is removed, the drive shaft


14




a


is automatically reset to its upright position due to the elastic force of the pressing member


15


.




The knob


16


is designed to laterally move and rotate the drive shaft


14




a


. It consists of a cap-like body


16




a


of a size suitable for manipulation with fingers, and a virtually cylindrical coupling


16




b


extending vertically from the bottom of the center of the body


16




a


. The knob


16


is integrated with the motor


14


by forcedly engaging or snapping the drive shaft


14




a


of the motor


14


into the coupling


16




b.






The codewheel holder


17


is a disc with a through hole


17




a


in the center. It is integrated with the motor


14


by forcedly engaging or snapping the drive shaft


14




a


of the motor


14


into the through hole


17




a.






The encoder


20


consists of a codewheel


18


fitted to the codewheel holder


17


and a photointerrupter


19


provided on the motor bracket


13


. The photointerrupter


19


consists of a light emitting element


20




a


and a light detecting element


20




b


facing each other with the codewheel


18


between them. The encoder


20


outputs positional signal a


1


which depends on the conditions of rotation of the knob


16


, namely the direction and amount of rotation of the drive shaft


14




a.






The stick


21




a


of the stick controller


21


is connected through a ball bearing


22




a


with one end of the arm


22


the other end of which is rotatably fitted to the motor


14


. As the motor


14


is laterally moved, the stick


21




a


is laterally moved by the amount proportional to the amount of lateral movement of the drive shaft


14




a


. The stick controller


21


outputs positional signal a


2


which depends on the conditions of lateral movement of the knob


16


, namely the direction and amount of lateral movement of the drive shaft


14




a.






The first guide plate


25


is used as a means to control the direction of lateral movement of the knob


16


when selecting an electric apparatus. As shown in

FIG. 3A

, it has guide grooves


25




a


,


25




b


,


25




c


,


25




d


,


25




e


,


25




f


,


25




g


and


25




h


which radially extend in eight directions from the center position O every 45 degrees. The second guide plate


26


is used as a means to control the direction of lateral movement of the knob


16


when selecting a function. As shown in

FIG. 3B

, it has guide grooves


26




a


,


26




b


,


26




c


, and


26




d


which radially extend in four directions from the center position O every 90 degrees. The width of these guide grooves is designed to allow the drive shaft


14




a


to pass through them. As shown in

FIG. 3C

, the first and second guide plates


25


,


26


are joined in a manner to ensure coincidence between the center positions O of both the plates and between guide grooves


25




a


and


26




a


, between guide grooves


25




c


and


26




b


, between guide grooves


25




e


and


26




c


, and between guide grooves


25




g


and


26




d


and to make the center position O of the plates align with the drive shaft


14




a


in its center position. The guide plates thus joined are mounted inside the frame


1


with the first guide plate


25


on the side of the motor


14


.




The first guide plate


25


is driven up and down by the first solenoid


23


inside the frame


1


as shown in

FIG. 1

; it is set either to its upper position or to its lower position; when it is in its upper position, the drive shaft


14




a


of the motor


14


passes through the guide grooves


25




a


to


25




h


, and when it is in its lower position, the drive shaft


14




a


of the motor


14


is free from the guide grooves. The second guide plate


26


is driven up and down by the second solenoid


24


inside the frame


1


as shown in

FIG. 1

; it is set either to its upper position or to its lower position; when it is in its upper position, the drive shaft


14




a


of the motor


14


passes through the guide grooves


26




a


to


25




d


, and when it is in its lower position, the drive shaft


14




a


of the motor


14


is free from the guide grooves.




When the first guide plate


25


and the second guide plate


26


are both in their lower position, the drive shaft


14




a


is disengaged from the guide grooves


25




a


to


25




h


and


26




a


to


26




d


, so the knob


16


can be freely moved in any direction within the sphere having the center of lateral movement of the motor


14


as its center. When only the first guide plate


25


is set to its upper position by means of the first solenoid


23


, the drive shaft


14




a


passes through the guide grooves


25




a


to


25




h


and the knob


16


can be moved only in the eight directions determined by the guide grooves


25




a


to


25




h


. When the first guide plate


25


and the second guide plate


26


are both in their upper position, the drive shaft


14




a


passes through the guide grooves


26




a


to


26




d


and the knob


16


can be moved only in the four directions determined by the guide grooves


26




a


to


26




d.






In the manual input device according to this embodiment, when the user is going to select an electric apparatus, or when only the guide plate


25


is in its upper position, one of the eight registered electric apparatuses can be selected by laterally moving the knob


16


along the guide grooves


25




a


to


25




h


. The above eight electric apparatuses may be an air conditioner, radio, DVD player, CD player, telephone, speech input system, car navigation system and 2nd. Here, 2nd includes a monitor camera and electric equipment for e-mail. On the other hand, when the user is going to select a function, or when the first guide plate


25


and the second guide plate


26


are both in their upper position, one of the four registered functions can be selected by laterally moving the knob


16


along the guide grooves


26




a


to


26




d


formed in the second guide plate


26


. For example, if the radio is selected in electric apparatus selection, it is possible to select one of the following options: “AM station selection,” “FM station selection,” “shortwave station selection” and “volume control.” Therefore, the manual input device according to this embodiment has no dead zone regarding the direction of manipulation of the knob


16


. In other words, a choice is made without fail by manipulating the knob


16


. This improves operability. The selected function can be controlled by rotating the knob


16


.




The major function select switch


2


is used to select one among the most basic functional systems to be selected or controlled by the use of the manual input device. For example, when the user uses the knob


16


to select and control (1) a comfort system such as the air conditioner, radio, DVD player, CD player, telephone, speech input system or car navigation system, (2) a mechanical drive system such as a steering wheel tilt device, steering telescope device or seat adjuster or (3) a car drive system such as an automatic driving device or constant speed driving device, the major function select switch


2


is used to select one among the three functional systems, i.e. “comfort system,” “mechanical drive system” and “car drive system.” This major function select switch


2


has a plurality of (three in the example of

FIG. 1

) switches


2




a


,


2




b


and


2




c


and selection signal a


3


for selection of the “comfort system”, “mechanical drive system” or “car drive system” is issued by operating the corresponding switch.




The confirm switch


3


finalizes the selection of an electric apparatus made by manipulation of the knob


16


and sets the controller


5


to the control mode appropriate to the selected electric apparatus. By operating the confirm switch


3


, a final signal for selection a


4


is issued. For better operability of the manual input device, this confirm switch


3


may also be located on the body


16




a


of the knob


16


.




The display unit


4


graphically displays various information including the status of the major function select switch


2


, the type of electric apparatus selected by the knob


16


, what type of function is controlled by the knob


16


and how it has been controlled. It may be, for example, a liquid crystal display unit.




The controller


5


is electrically connected with the major function select switch


2


, confirm switch


3


, display unit


4


, motor


14


, encoder


20


, stick controller


21


, first solenoid


23


, second solenoid


24


, and an electric apparatus (not shown). It controls the display unit


4


, motor


14


, first solenoid


23


, second solenoid


24


and electric apparatus (not shown) according to the signal sent from the major function select switch


2


, confirm switch


3


, encoder


20


or stick controller


21


.




Next, a first example of a manual input device structured as mentioned above will be explained by reference to

FIGS. 4

to


7


. This example concerns the procedure for controlling the radio volume using the manual input device.

FIG. 4

is a flowchart illustrating the user operation sequence and the sequence of operations controlled by the controller;

FIG. 5

shows an example of a screen which appears on the display unit when the major function select switch is operated;

FIG. 6

shows an example of a screen which appears on the display unit when the radio is selected in electric apparatus selection; and

FIG. 7

shows an example of a screen which appears on the display unit when the volume control function is selected in functional selection.




In this example, the user operates the switch


2




a


of the major function select switch


2


to select the “comfort system” among the three options: the “comfort system,” “mechanical drive system” and “car drive system” (step S


1


).




The controller


5


picks up selection signal a


3


from the major function select switch


2


and recognizes the selection of the “comfort system” (step S


2


), and drives the first solenoid


23


and/or the second solenoid


24


to set only the first guide plate


25


to its upper position (step S


3


). This limits the range of movement of the knob


16


to the eight directions from the center position


0


along the guide grooves


25




a


to


25




h


on the first guide plate


25


.




The controller


5


drives the display unit


4


according to selection signal a


3


to make the display unit


4


display a screen as illustrated in

FIG. 5

which shows the various electric apparatuses in the “comfort system”, the directions in which the knob


16


can be moved, and the electric apparatus selection mode (step S


4


). In the example of

FIG. 5

, the air conditioner (A/C) is selected by moving the knob


16


forward along the guide groove


25




a


; the radio is selected by moving it to the right forward along the guide groove


25




b


; the DVD player (DVD) is selected by moving it to the right along the guide groove


25




c


; the CD player is selected by moving it to the right backward along the guide groove


25




d


; the telephone (TEL) is selected by moving it backward along the guide groove


25




e


; the speech input system (speech input) is selected by moving it to the left backward along the guide groove


25




f


; the car navigation system is selected by moving it to the left along the guide groove


25




g


; and the secondary (2nd) is selected by moving it to the left forward along the guide groove


25




h


. In addition, the thick line in the figure shows that the air conditioner is now selected.




Then, as the user moves the knob


16


to the right forward along the guide groove


25




b


(step S


5


), the motor


14


laterally moves in the same direction as the knob


16


by the amount equivalent to the amount of manipulation of the knob


16


and the stick controller


21


issues positional signal a


2


depending on the direction and amount of lateral movement of the motor


14


.




The controller


5


picks up positional signal a


2


and recognizes that the radio has been selected by the user (step S


6


), and drives the second solenoid


24


to set both the first guide plate


25


and second guide plate


26


to their upper position (step S


7


). This limits the range of movement of the knob


16


to the four directions from the center position O along the guide grooves


26




a


to


26




d


on the second guide plate


26


.




The controller


5


drives the display unit


4


according to positional signal a


2


to make the display unit


4


display a screen as illustrated in

FIG. 6

which shows the various control function options for the “radio”, the directions in which the knob


16


can be moved, and the option selected (step S


8


). In the example of

FIG. 6

, the AM station selection function (AM) is selected by moving the knob


16


forward along the guide groove


26




a


; the FM station selection function (FM) is selected by moving it to the right along the guide groove


26




b


; the volume control function is selected by moving it backward along the guide groove


26




c


; and the shortwave station selection function (SW) is selected by moving it to the left along the guide groove


26




d


. In addition, the thick line in the figure shows that the FM station selection function is now selected.




The controller


5


drives the motor


14


according to positional signal a


2


and applies a particular external force to the knob


16


in the direction of movement of the knob


16


(step S


9


). This enables the user to know, with a tactile sensation or without seeing the screen, whether the radio has been selected.




Then, as the user operates the confirm switch


3


(step S


10


), the controller


5


picks up a final signal a


4


from the confirm switch


3


and fixes the screen of the display unit


4


as illustrated in

FIG. 6

(step S


11


).




After this, the user once resets the knob


16


to its center position O (step S


12


). In this case, since the motor


14


has a pressing member


15


for restoration to the center position, the user has only to release his/her hold on the knob to have it automatically return to the center position O.




If the knob


16


is reset to its center position O without any operation of the confirm switch


3


, the controller


5


drives the second solenoid


24


to move down the second guide plate


26


to its lower position to return the screen of the display unit


4


to the screen as illustrated in

FIG. 5

, and waits for the user to manipulate the knob


16


.




As the user moves the knob


16


from its center, position backward along the guide groove


26




c


(step S


13


) the motor


14


laterally moves in the same direction as the knob


16


by the amount equivalent to the amount of manipulation of the knob


16


and the stick controller


21


issues positional signal a


2


depending on the direction and amount of lateral movement of the motor


14


.




The controller


5


picks up this positional signal a


2


and recognizes that the “volume control” function has been selected by the user (step S


14


), and the display unit


4


displays a screen as illustrated in

FIG. 7

which shows the knob


16


, the directions in which the knob


16


can be moved an how the volume has been controlled (step S


15


). In the example of

FIG. 7

, it is shown that the volume is increased (UP) and decreased (DWN) by turning the knob


16


clockwise and counterclockwise respectively.




The controller


5


drives the motor


14


according to positional signal a


2


and applies a particular external force to the knob


16


in the direction of manipulation of the knob


16


(step S


16


). This enables the user to know, with a tactile sensation or without seeing the screen, whether the knob is being moved in the desired direction. Here, the external force which is applied to the knob


16


when it is moved backward along the guide groove


25




e


with only the first guide plate


25


in its upper position may be either equal or unequal to the external force which is applied to the knob


16


when it is moved backward along the guide groove


26




c


with both the first guide plate


25


and second guide plate


26


in their upper position.




Then, as the user operates the confirm switch


3


(step S


17


), the controller


5


picks up a final signal a


4


from the confirm switch


3


and fixes the screen of the display unit


4


as illustrated in

FIG. 7

(step S


18


).




After this, the user once resets the knob


16


to its center position O (step S


19


). In this case, since the motor


14


has a pressing member


15


for restoration to the center position, the user has only to release his/her hold on the knob


16


to make it automatically return to its center position O.




If the knob


16


is reset to its center position O without any operation of the confirm switch


3


, the controller


5


returns the screen of the display unit


4


to the screen as illustrated in

FIG. 6

, and waits for the user to manipulate the knob


16


.




As the user turns the knob


16


in its center position clockwise (step S


20


), the drive shaft


14




a


and the codewheel


18


fixed on the drive shaft


14




a


through the codewheel holder


17


turn in the same direction as the knob


16


by the amount equivalent to the amount of rotation of the knob


16


and the encoder


20


issues positional signal a


1


depending on the direction and amount of rotation of the knob


16


.




The controller


5


picks up this positional signal a


1


to generate a volume control signal and increases the radio volume to a level which corresponds to positional signal a


1


(step S


21


).




The controller


5


drives the motor


14


according to positional signal a


1


and applies a particular external force to the knob


16


in the direction of manipulation of the knob


16


(step S


22


). This enables the user to know, with a tactile sensation or without seeing the screen, whether the knob


16


is being turned in the desired direction by the desired amount.




Next, a second example of a manual input device structured as mentioned above will be explained by reference to

FIGS. 8

to


9


. This example concerns the procedure for selecting an AM radio station using the manual input device.

FIG. 8

is a flowchart illustrating the user operation sequence and the sequence of operations controlled by the controller; and

FIG. 9

shows an example of a screen which appears on the display unit when the AM station selection function is selected in functional selection.




In this example, steps S


31


(the user operates the major function select switch


2


) to S


42


(the user resets the knob


16


to its center position) are identical to steps S


1


to S


12


in the first example given above.




After resetting the knob


16


to its center position O at step S


42


, when the user moves the knob


16


forward along the guide groove


26




a


(step S


43


), the motor


14


laterally moves in the same direction as the knob


16


by the amount equivalent to the amount of its manipulation and the stick controller


21


issues positional signal a


2


depending on the direction and amount of lateral movement of the motor


14


.




The controller


5


picks up this positional signal a


2


and recognizes that the user has selected the “AM station selection” function (step S


44


) and the display unit


4


displays a screen as illustrated in

FIG. 9

which shows the knob


16


, the directions which the knob


16


can be moved and which radio station is selected according to the direction of manipulation of the knob


16


(step S


45


). In the example of

FIG. 9

, the radio stations can be selected in the order from 1 to 8 and from 8 to 1 by turning the knob


16


clockwise and counterclockwise, respectively.




The controller


5


drives the motor


14


according to positional signal a


2


and applies a particular external force to the knob


16


in the direction of manipulation of the knob


16


(step S


46


). This enables the user to know, with a tactile sensation or without seeing the screen, whether the knob


16


is being moved in the desired direction. Here, the external force which is applied to the knob


16


when it is moved forward along the guide groove


25




a


with only the first guide plate


25


in its upper position may be either equal or unequal to the external force which is applied to the knob


16


when it is moved forward along the guide groove


26




a


with both the first guide plate


25


and second guide plate


26


in their upper position.




Then, as the user operates the confirm switch


3


(step S


47


), the controller


5


picks up a final signal a


4


from the confirm switch


3


and fixes the screen of the display unit


4


as illustrated in

FIG. 9

(step S


48


).




After this, the user once resets the knob


16


to its center position O (step S


49


). In this case also, since the motor


14


has a pressing member


15


for restoration to the center position, the user has only to release his/her hold on the knob


16


to make it automatically return to its center position O.




If the knob


16


is reset to its center position O without any operation of the confirm switch


3


, the controller


5


returns the screen of the display unit


4


to the screen as illustrated in

FIG. 6

, and waits for the user to manipulate the knob


16


.




As the user turns the knob


16


in its center position clockwise (step S


50


), the drive shaft


14




a


and the codewheel


18


fixed on the drive shaft


14




a


through the codewheel holder


17


turn in the same direction as the knob


16


by the amount equivalent to the amount of rotation of the knob


16


and the encoder


20


issues positional signal a


1


depending on the direction and amount of rotation of the knob


16


.




The controller


5


picks up this positional signal a


1


to generate a station selection control signal and starts tuning the radio (step S


51


).




Each time the tuner is tuned to a radio station, the controller


5


drives the motor


14


and applies an external force to the knob


16


(step S


52


). This enables the user to know, with a tactile sensation or without seeing the screen, that an AM station has been selected.




Next, a third example of a manual input device structured as mentioned above will be explained by reference to

FIGS. 10

to


12


. This example concerns the procedure for setting a destination on a car navigation system using the manual input device.

FIG. 10

is a flowchart showing the user operation sequence and the sequence of operations controlled by the controller;

FIG. 11

shows an example of a screen which appears on the display unit when the car navigation system is selected in electric apparatus selection; and

FIG. 12

shows an example of a screen which appears on the display unit when the destination entry function is selected in functional selection.




In this example, steps S


61


(the user operates the major function select switch


2


) to S


64


(the display units displays a screen upon operation of the major function select switch) are identical to steps S


1


to S


4


in the first example given above.




When the user moves the knob


16


to the left along the guide groove


25




g


(step S


65


) while the display unit


4


displays a screen as illustrated in

FIG. 5

, the motor


14


laterally moves in the same direction as the knob


16


by the amount equivalent to the amount of its manipulation and the stick controller


21


issues positional signal a


2


depending on the direction and amount of lateral movement of the motor


14


.




The controller


5


picks up this positional signal a


2


, recognizes that the user has selected the “car navigation system” control function (step S


66


) and drives the second solenoid


24


to set both the first guide plate


25


and the second guide plate


26


to their upper position (step S


67


). This limits the range of movement of the knob


16


to the four directions from its center position O along the guide grooves


26




a


to


26




d


on the second guide plate


26


.




The controller


5


drives the display unit


4


according to positional signal a


2


to make the display unit


4


display a screen as illustrated in

FIG. 11

which shows the various options for the “car navigation system”, the directions in which the knob


16


can be moved, and the option selected (step S


68


). In the example of

FIG. 11

, the scale function is selected by moving the knob


16


forward along the guide groove


26




a


; the menu is selected by moving it to the right along the guide groove


26




b


; the destination entry function is selected by moving it backward along the guide groove


26




c


; and the setting function is selected by moving it to the left along the guide groove


26




d


. The thick line in the figure shows that the scale function is now selected.




The controller


5


drives the motor


14


according to positional signal a


2


and applies a particular external force to the knob


16


in the direction of manipulation of the knob


16


(step S


69


). This enables the user to know, with a tactile sensation or without seeing the screen, whether the car navigation system has been selected.




Then, as the user operates the confirm switch


3


(step S


70


), the controller


5


picks up a final signal a


4


from the confirm switch


3


and fixes the screen of the display unit


4


as illustrated in

FIG. 11

(step S


71


).




After this, the user once resets the knob


16


to its center position O (step S


72


).




If the knob


16


is reset to its center position O without any operation of the confirm switch


3


, the controller


5


drives the second solenoid


24


to move down the second guide plate


26


to its lower position, returns the screen of the display unit


4


to the screen as illustrated in

FIG. 5

, and waits for the user to manipulate the knob


16


.




After resetting the knob


16


to its center position O at step S


72


, when the user moves the knob


16


backward along the guide groove


26




c


(step S


73


), the motor


14


laterally moves in the same direction as the knob


16


by the amount equivalent to the amount of its manipulation and the stick controller


21


issues positional signal a


2


depending on the direction and amount of lateral movement of the motor


14


.




The controller


5


picks up this positional signal a


2


and recognizes that the user has selected the “destination entry” function (step S


74


) and the display unit


4


displays a screen as illustrated in

FIG. 12

which shows a map and a cursor which follows the movement of the knob


16


(step S


75


). In the example of

FIG. 12

, the cursor is expressed by X.




The controller


5


drives the motor


14


according to positional signal a


2


and applies a particular external force to the knob


16


in the direction of manipulation of the knob


16


(step S


76


). This enables the user to know, with a tactile sensation or without seeing the screen, whether the destination entry function has been selected by manipulation of the knob


16


.




Further, the controller


5


drives the first solenoid


23


and the second solenoid


24


according to positional signal a


2


to move down the first guide plate


25


and the second guide plate


26


to their lower position (step S


77


). This disengages the drive shaft


14




a


from the guide plates


25


and


26


, so the knob


16


can be freely moved in any direction within the range of movement of the motor


14


.




Then, as the user operates the confirm switch


3


(step S


78


), the controller


5


picks up a final signal a


4


from the confirm switch


3


and fixes the screen of the display unit


4


as illustrated in

FIG. 12

(step S


79


). After this, the user once resets the knob


16


to its center position O (step S


80


).




If the knob


16


is reset to its center position O without any operation of the confirm switch


3


, the controller


5


returns the screen of the display unit


4


to the screen as illustrated in

FIG. 11

, and waits for the user to manipulate the knob


16


.




As the user manipulates the knob


16


in its center position (step S


81


), the motor


14


laterally moves in the same direction as the knob


16


by the amount equivalent to the amount of its manipulation and the stick controller


21


issues positional signal a


2


depending on the direction and amount of lateral movement of the motor


14


.




The controller


5


picks up this positional signal a


2


and moves the cursor on the screen of the display unit


4


(step S


82


). Thus, the user can move the cursor to any desired point on the map by manipulating the knob


16


while looking at the screen of the display unit


4


.




After moving the cursor to the desired point on the map (step S


82


), the user operates the confirm switch


3


(step S


83


). The controller


5


picks up a final signal a


4


from the confirm switch


3


, calculates the route from the present position to the destination and displays it on the screen of the display unit


4


(step S


84


).




In the foregoing explanation of the preferred embodiments, descriptions have been made of only the procedures for controlling the radio volume, selecting an AM station and entering a destination on the car navigation system. However, it should be noted that the other various functions of any electric apparatus connected with the controller


5


can be controlled in the same manner as described above.




It is obviously possible to use three or more guide plates instead of the two guide plates used in the above embodiments.




Furthermore, it is also possible to use another type of actuators such as motors as actuators for driving the guide plates


25


and


26


instead of the solenoids


23


and


24


used in the above embodiments.




As explained so far, according to the present invention, the manual input device comprises a knob which can be moved in a desired direction, a plurality of guide plates which limit the directions in which the knob can be moved, actuators which change the engagement of the knob drive with the plural guide plates and a controller. Since the controller controls operation to change the engagement of the knob with the guide plates as appropriate, by disengaging the knob from the guide plates the knob can be moved in any direction and by engaging it with at least one guide plate, it can be moved only in the directions determined by a guide plate or a combination of guide plates engaged with it. Thus, it is possible to vary the combination of directions in which the knob can be moved. This means that when different selectable or controllable functions are assigned to different directions of movement of the knob, dead zones can be eliminated and the knob can be used for multiple purposes. Accordingly, a user-friendly manual input device is provided.



Claims
  • 1. A manual input device comprising:a knob which is movable in a desired direction and can be moved in a specific direction from a center position to select a specific function among functions of a plurality of electric apparatuses and control the selected function; a plurality of guide plates which each limit directions in which the knob can be moved to a plurality of discrete directions; actuators which change engagement of the knob with the plural guide plates; and a controller for the actuators, wherein the controller controls operation of the actuators depending on the electric apparatus function selected by manipulation of the knob and changes the engagement of the knob with the guide plates to selectively limit the directions in which the knob can be moved.
  • 2. The manual input device according to claim 1, further comprising a first guide plate which limits movement of the knob to eight directions and a second guide plate which limits movement of the knob to four directions.
  • 3. The manual input device according to claim 2, further comprising a first actuator which drives the first guide plate and a second actuator which drives the second guide plate.
  • 4. The manual input device according to claim 3, wherein the first guide plate has eight guide grooves extending radially in eight directions every 45 degrees and wherein the second guide plate has four guide grooves extending in four directions every 90 degrees.
  • 5. The manual input device according to claim 4, wherein four guide grooves among the eight guide grooves in the first guide plate coincide with the four guide grooves in the second guide plate when the first and second guide plates are joined.
  • 6. The manual input device according to claim 5, further comprising a display unit which displays a screen matched to directions in which the knob can be moved.
  • 7. The manual input device according to claim 1, further comprising a first actuator to apply an external force to the knob, wherein the controller controls operation of the first actuator to apply the external force to the knob depending on how the knob has been manipulated.
  • 8. The manual input device according to claim 7, wherein the first actuator has a drive shaft, wherein the guide plates have guide grooves and wherein the actuator and the guide plates engage with each other when the drive shaft passes through the guide grooves.
  • 9. The manual input device according to claim 8, wherein the guide plates are a first guide plate which limits movement of the knob to eight directions and a second guide plate which limits movement of the knob to four directions.
  • 10. The manual input device according to claim 9, further comprising a second actuator which drives the first guide plate and a third actuator which drives the second guide plate.
  • 11. The manual input device according to claim 10, wherein the first guide plate has eight guide grooves extending radially in eight directions every 45 degrees and wherein the second guide plate has four guide grooves extending in four directions every 90 degrees.
  • 12. The manual input device according to claim 11, wherein four guide grooves among the eight guide grooves in the first guide plate coincide with the four guide grooves in the second guide plate when the first and second guide plates are both driven by the second and third actuators respectively and joined.
  • 13. The manual input device according to claim 12, wherein when the first and second guid plates are driven and joined, the drive shaft of the first actuator passes through and engages with both the first and second guide plates.
  • 14. The manual input device according to claim 13, a display unit which displays a screen matched to directions in which the knob can be moved.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
2001-117080 Apr 2001 JP
US Referenced Citations (10)
Number Name Date Kind
3788649 Hirano Jan 1974 A
3795882 Tokubo Mar 1974 A
3918021 Nishioka et al. Nov 1975 A
4459578 Sava et al. Jul 1984 A
4784008 Paquereau et al. Nov 1988 A
4849583 Meyer Jul 1989 A
4926172 Gorsek May 1990 A
5841372 Matsumoto Nov 1998 A
5959863 Hoyt et al. Sep 1999 A
5995104 Kataoka et al. Nov 1999 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number Date Country
0 877 312 Nov 1998 EP
0 960784 Dec 1999 EP