Input device for operating in-vehicle apparatus

• US 20090284467A1
• Filed: 05/14/2009
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Nishihashi, Shigeaki, Itoh, Masahiro, Yamamoto, Takeshi, Haruyama, Takeshi, Kitagawa, Nozomi
• Granted Patent: US 8,384,666 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

An input device having a manipulation member is disclosed. The input device has an absolute input mode and a relative input. In the absolute input mode, the input device determines a coordinate of a pointed point on a window of a display unit based on a coordinate of the manipulation member. In the relative input mode, the input device determines the pointed point on the window in a relative manner based on a two-dimensional displacement of the manipulation member with respect to a reference position, which is set when an input mode is switched into the relative input mode. When the manipulation member receives a load that causes the manipulation member to move beyond a predetermined range, the input device generates and applies a force corresponding to the load to the manipulation member.

Claims

1. An input device for a vehicle, the input device (i) being communicatable with an in-vehicle apparatus of the vehicle and an external display unit that displays a window and a selectable image item for operation of the in-vehicle apparatus, (ii) enabling a user to input spatial data to the external display unit remotely from the external display unit, (iii) configured to determine a pointed point on the window based on the inputted spatial data, (iv) causing the external display unit to discriminably display information associated with the pointed point on the window, and (v) configured to receive a selection manipulation directed to the selectable image item located at the pointed point and configured to input data associate with the selection manipulation to the in-vehicle apparatus, the input device comprising:

a manipulation member that is receivable a load from the user and is two-dimensionally movable in a movable region in response to the load;

a force generation unit that generates and applies a force to the manipulation member, the force depending on a position of the manipulation member;

an input mode switch section that switches an input mode between an absolute input mode and a relative input mode, the switching of the input mode depending on a situation of an operation target of the subject input device,

the input mode switch section in the absolute input mode (i) establishing one-to-one correspondence between a coordinate of the pointed point on an operation target region of the window and a coordinate of the manipulation member in the movable region, and (ii) determining the coordinate of the pointed point on the operation target region based on the one-to-one correspondence,

the input mode switch section in the relative input mode determining the pointed point on the window in a relative manner based on a two-dimensional displacement of the manipulation member with respect to a reference position in the movable region;

a setting section that sets the reference position for the relative input mode when the input mode section switches the input mode from the absolute input mode into the relative input mode, in such manner that the reference position is set to the position of the manipulation member in the absolute mode that is being switched into the relative input mode; and

a force control section that controls the force generation unit in the relative input mode, in such manner that;

when the manipulation member receives the load having a first property that causes the manipulation member to move beyond a predetermined manipulation permitted range, the force generation unit generates the force having a first property corresponding to the load having the first property to prohibit the manipulation member from moving beyond the predetermined manipulation permitted range,

the predetermined manipulation permitted range depending on an arrangement of the selectable image item in the relative input mode, the selectable image item in the relative input mode being a selection target item in the relative input mode.

2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein:

the selectable image item includes an absolute mode image item for use in the absolute input mode and a relative mode image item for use in the relative input mode;

when the selection manipulation directed to the absolute mode image item is preformed in the absolute input mode, the relative mode image item is newly displayed on the window, and the input mode is switched into the relative input mode in which the newly displayed relative mode image item become the selection target item.

3. The input device according to claim 1, wherein:

the input mode switch section switches the input mode in accordance with a manipulation direction of the manipulation member.

4. The input device according to claim 1, wherein:

the input mode switch section causes the input mode to be in the absolute input mode when the subject vehicle is making a stop; and

the input mode switch section causes the input mode to be in the relative input mode when the subject vehicle is traveling.

5. The input device according to claim 1, wherein:

in the relative input mode, when the manipulation member receives the load having a second property that causes the manipulation member to displace within the predetermined manipulation permission region, the force generation unit generates the force having a second property; and

the force having the second property becomes minimum when the position of the manipulation member in the movable region indicates that the pointed point on the window matches the relative mode item on the window, and thereby providing click feeling to the user.

6. The input device according to claim 1, wherein:

the operation target region of the window has a predetermined exclusion part located along an outer boundary of the operation target region;

the operation target region further has a predetermined un-exclusion part surrounded by the predetermined exclusion part; and

if the pointed point is located within the predetermined exclusion part at a time when the input mode is switched from the absolute input mode into the relative input mode, the setting section sets the reference position in the relative input mode to the position of the manipulation member that corresponds to the predetermined un-exclusion part.

7. The input device according to claim 1, wherein:

displacement of the pointed point on the window in response to displacement of the manipulation member in the relative input mode is set larger than that in the absolute input mode.

8. The input device according to claim 1, wherein:

when, in the relative input mode, the manipulation member receives the load having a second property that causes the manipulation member to displace within the predetermined manipulation permission region, the force generation unit generates the force having a second property;

the force having the second property becomes minimum when the position of the manipulation member in the movable region corresponds to the position of the relative mode item on the window, and thereby provides click feeling to the user.

the operation target region of the window has a predetermined exclusion part located along an outer boundary of the operation target region;

the operation target region further has a predetermined un-exclusion part surrounded by the predetermined exclusion part;

if the pointed point is located within the predetermined exclusion part at a time when the input mode is switched from the absolute input mode into the relative input mode, the setting section sets the reference position in the relative input mode to the position of the manipulation member that corresponds to the predetermined un-exclusion part;

displacement of the pointed point on the window in response to displacement of the manipulation member in the relative input mode is set larger than that in the absolute input mode;

the selectable image item includes an absolute mode image item for use in the absolute input mode and a relative mode image item for use in the relative input mode;

in a first predetermined situation, when the selection manipulation directed to the absolute mode image item is preformed in the absolute input mode, the relative mode image item is newly displayed on the window, and the input mode is switched into the relative input mode in which the newly displayed relative mode image item become the selection target item;

in a second predetermined situation, the input mode switch section switches the input mode in accordance with a manipulation direction of the manipulation member in the movable region; and

in a third predetermined situation, the input mode switch section causes the input mode to be in the absolute input mode when the subject vehicle is making a stop, and causes the input mode to be in the relative input mode when the subject vehicle is traveling.