Operating unit for an in-vehicle system

• US 10,343,523 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2017
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Koch, Raphael, Wolter, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosario, Nelson M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US15/839,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20180194230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/126 Rotatable input devices for instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/131 Pivotable input devices for instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1438 Touch screens
• 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 35/22 Display screens
• 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: B60K 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/81 for controlling displays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0393 Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means

Abstract

The disclosure relates to an operating unit for an in-vehicle system to control an operation of at least one in-vehicle electric device of a vehicle. The operating unit includes at least one touch screen, at least one rotary knob that is arranged on the touchscreen and at least one shaft that extends through the touchscreen and is connected in a non-rotatable manner to the rotary knob. In order to simplify operation of the operating unit via haptic feedback from the operating unit, the operating unit comprises at least one electromagnetic latching arrangement that is connected to the shaft and renders it possible to latch different rotary positions of the rotary knob in a non-contact manner.

Claims

1. An operating unit for an in-vehicle system to control an operation of at least one in-vehicle electric device, comprising:

a touchscreen;

a rotary knob that is arranged on the touchscreen;

a shaft that extends through the touchscreen, the shaft being non-rotatably connected to the knob;

an electromagnetic latching arrangement with a permanent magnet non-rotatably connected to the shaft and a plurality of electromagnets arranged circumferentially around an axis of rotation of the shaft in a radially outward direction with respect to the axis of rotation, the electromagnetic latching arrangement configured to allow different latched rotary positions of the rotary knob in a non-contact manner relative to the touchscreen; and

at least one electronics assembly connected to the latching arrangement and configured to, in response to a variable function assignment of the rotary knob, control the latching arrangement by varying a number of the plurality of electromagnets to be energized such that an angle of rotation between adjacent latchable rotary positions of the rotary knob is varied.

2. The operating unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronics assembly is configured to perform a function assignment of the rotary knob depending upon a function selected via the touchscreen.

3. The operating unit as claimed in claim 1 further comprising at least one axial actuation detection device of the rotary knob, wherein the rotary knob is arranged on the touchscreen such that the rotary knob moves along an axis of rotation, and is pre-stressed in a direction that is facing away from the touchscreen.

4. The operating unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touchscreen defines at least one through-going passage that receives the shaft.

5. The operating unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touchscreen is formed from a first touchscreen part and a second touchscreen part that are assembled along a separation line, wherein at least one through-going passage is positioned along the separation line, arranged between the touchscreen parts and receives the shaft.

18. The operating unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touchscreen defines a through-going passage that receives the shaft, wherein a radial bearing is positioned at the through-going passage to support the rotary knob in a rotatable manner on the touchscreen.

6. An in-vehicle control system comprising:

an operating unit including a rotary knob arranged on a touchscreen and non-rotatably connected to a rotary shaft, the rotary shaft extending through and supported by a radial bearing positioned in a passage defined by the touchscreen, and an electromagnetic latching arrangement configured to electromagnetically latch the rotary knob and rotary shaft in predefined positions relative to the touchscreen without contacting the rotary knob and rotary shaft.

7. The in-vehicle control system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the operating unit is configured as an infotainment system.

8. The in-vehicle control system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the latching arrangement includes a permanent magnet that is non-rotatably connected to the shaft, and a plurality of electromagnets arranged circumferentially around an axis of rotation of the shaft in a radially outward direction with respect to the axis of rotation.

9. The in-vehicle control system as claimed in claim 8 further comprising an electronics assembly connected to the latching arrangement, and configured to control the latching arrangement such that an angle of rotation between adjacent, latchable positions of the rotary knob are varied depending upon a variable function assignment of the rotary knob.

10. The in-vehicle control system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the electronics assembly is configured to perform a function assignment of the rotary knob depending upon a function selected via the touchscreen.

11. The in-vehicle control system as claimed in claim 6 further comprising an axial actuation detection device of the rotary knob, wherein the rotary knob is arranged on the touchscreen such that the rotary knob moves along an axis of rotation, and is prestressed in a direction that is facing away from the touchscreen.

12. The in-vehicle control system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the touchscreen defines a through passage that receives the shaft.

13. The in-vehicle control system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the touchscreen includes two touchscreen parts that are assembled to one another along a separation line, wherein the passage and the radial bearing are arranged between the touchscreen parts and along the separation line.

19. The in-vehicle control system as claimed in claim 9 wherein the electronics assembly is further configured to control the latching arrangement by varying a number of the plurality of electromagnets to be simultaneously energized to vary the angles of rotation between adjacent latchable positions of the rotary knob.

20. The in-vehicle control system as claimed in claim 9 wherein the electronics assembly is further configured to control the latching arrangement by increasing a number of the plurality of electromagnets to be simultaneously energized to decrease the angles of rotation between adjacent latchable positions of the rotary knob.

14. A vehicle, comprising:

an in-vehicle control system; and

an operating device connected to the in-vehicle control system and being internal to the vehicle, and having a touchscreen and rotary knob on the touchscreen, wherein a shaft extends through the touchscreen such that an electromagnetic latching arrangement, connected to the shaft, allows different, non-contact positions of the rotary knob relative to the touchscreen, the shaft being non-rotatably connected to the rotary knob, wherein the electromagnetic latching arrangement includes a permanent magnet non-rotatably connected to the shaft and a plurality of electromagnets arranged circumferentially around an axis of rotation of the shaft in a radially outward direction with respect to the axis of rotation, the permanent magnet spaced apart from an axis of rotation of the shaft, the permanent magnet having first and second opposite ends, the first end positioned between the axis of rotation and the second end.

15. The vehicle as claimed in claim 14, wherein the operating device is arranged on a central console of the vehicle.

16. The vehicle as claimed in claim 14 further comprising an electronics assembly connected to the latching arrangement, and configured to control the latching arrangement such that an angle of rotation between adjacent, latchable positions of the rotary knob are varied depending upon a variable function assignment of the rotary knob, the electronics assembly increasing a number of the plurality of electromagnets to be simultaneously energized to decrease the angle of rotation between adjacent, latchable positions of the rotary knob.

17. The vehicle as claimed in claim 16, wherein the electronics assembly is configured to perform a function assignment of the rotary knob depending upon a function selected via the touchscreen.