System, apparatus and method for vehicle command and control

• US 10,120,567 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2016
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inpris Innovative Products Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Inpris Innovative Products Ltd.
• Inventors: Yaron, Ben Etzion, Yaron, Nissan
• Primary Examiner(s): Do, Truc M
• Application Number:
  US15/090,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20160291862A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/143 Touch sensitive instrument input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/146 Instrument input by gesture
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1468 Touch gesture
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1472 Multi-touch gesture
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/164 Infotainment
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/782 on the steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The teachings herein generally relate to systems, methods and apparatuses useful in vehicle command and control. For example, a vehicle control system according to the teachings herein may include one or more touch panels connected to a steering wheel and being in communicative connection to a vehicle control processor. Preferably, the touch panel(s) are configured face down, and adapted to track touches (e.g., simultaneous touches) by multiple individually identified fingers. As another example, an apparatus for vehicle command and control, according to the teachings herein, may include one or more face down touch panels positioned to be touched by a driver'"'"'s fingers while the driver'"'"'s thumb holds or otherwise contacts a steering wheel. Preferably, the touch panels are in communication with a view screen enabled to display an indication of touch actions by multiple fingers touching the panels. The touch panels preferably include touch sensors adapted to identify touches of multiple fingers of a user. Preferably, the touch sensors are associated with software for identifying and tracking touches (e.g., movements) of every finger individually out of multiple fingers and determining whether each touch is a sliding movement or a non-sliding contact.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system, comprising:

a touch panel connected to a steering wheel, and being in communicative connection to a vehicle control processor, wherein the touch panel is configured face down relative to a driver, and the vehicle control system is adapted to track touches by multiple individually identified fingers on the touch panel, wherein each finger is identified solely by its location of contact on the touch panel and locations of contact of the other fingers; and

wherein the vehicle control system has a mode for positioning touch zones,

wherein one of the touch zones is positioned in the region of each location of contact of multiple fingers.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a view screen for displaying a touch related user interface, the interface adapted to show indications of the multiple individually identified fingers on the touch panel, and function options available for each of the identified finger.

12. The vehicle control system of claim 1, wherein the system includes a second touch panel connected to the steering wheel, and being in communicative connection to the vehicle control processor, wherein the second touch panel is configured face down relative to the driver, and adapted to track touches by multiple individually identified fingers.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the number of touch zones is equal to the number of the contact of the multiple fingers.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein each touch zone is associated with at least one different vehicle control function.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the vehicle control system displays a vehicle control function associated with each contacted touch zone on a display.

3. An apparatus for vehicle command and control, comprising:

a touch panel positioned faced down relative to a driver and portioned to be touched by the driver'"'"'s fingers of one hand while the driver'"'"'s thumb of the hand holds a steering wheel;

wherein the panel is in communication with a view screen, enabled to display an indication of touch actions by multiple fingers touching the touch panel;

wherein the touch panel includes touch sensors adapted to identify touches of multiple fingers of the driver; and

wherein the touch sensors are associated with software for identifying and tracking touches of every finger individually out of the multiple fingers including identifying whether each of the touches is a sliding movement or a non-sliding touch

wherein each finger is identified solely by its location of contact on the touch panel and locations of contact of the other fingers; and

wherein the apparatus has a mode for positioning touch zones, wherein one of the touch zones is positioned in the region of each location of contact of multiple fingers.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a keypad projector module to project a virtual interactive keypad/touch panel on a panel surface.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the software is an application that is in communication with a vehicle control application running on a computing system, the application adapted to monitor simultaneous touch of multiple fingers on the touch screen panel, to enable each of a driver'"'"'s four fingers of one hand to enter vehicle control related instructions for the vehicle, while allowing the driver'"'"'s hands to remain on the steering wheel and his or her eyes looking at the road.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the touch panel is positioned for contact by fingers of a first hand and the apparatus includes an additional touch panel positioned for contact by multiple fingers of a second hand, wherein the touch panels are positioned on the underside of the touch panels, so as to disallow user viewing of the touch panels, and wherein a user interface for vehicular command is provided on an associated view screen, the view screen to provide indications of the user touches on the apparatus.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the software is adapted to identify finger generated gestures for controlling vehicle functions without lifting a driver'"'"'s hands off the steering wheel.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the apparatus includes an additional touch panel,

wherein the touch panels are connected to a vehicle steering wheel, adapted to be repositionable to as to enable ergonomic positioned relative to the driver for touching by up to four of the driver'"'"'s fingers on each touch panel while holding the steering wheel with the driver'"'"'s thumb.

9. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the apparatus includes an additional touch panel, the touch panels are part of a kit for universal vehicle command and control, comprising one or more wireless communication enabled touch screen panels adapted to be connected to a vehicle steering wheel, such that the panels may be ergonomically positioned relative to the driver, to allow the driver'"'"'s thumb to rest on the steering wheel, and have the four other fingers rest behind the steering wheel or on the underside of the panels.

10. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the kit includes a link to associated vehicle command and control Application software to connect the driver'"'"'s touches on the panel to the vehicle computing system, via a vehicle related Application Program Interface (i.e., API).

11. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a device for virtual touch screen projection onto the touch panels.

13. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the apparatus includes a second face down panel positioned to be touched by the driver'"'"'s fingers of a second hand while the thumb of the second hand holds the steering wheel, wherein the second panel is connected to the steering wheel, and is in communicative connection to the vehicle control processor, wherein the second touch panel is configured face down relative to the driver, and adapted to track touches by multiple individually identified fingers.

14. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the apparatus controls a vehicle navigation device.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus controls a vehicle radio control.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus enters text messages, enters emails, or enters search commands.