In-vehicle display apparatus

• US 20100005412A1
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Takeshi, Kitagawa, Nozomi, Tauchi, Makiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,302,022 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

An in-vehicle display apparatus includes (i) an operation device having an operation knob, and (ii) a display control device having a display section. The operation device has a drive section which gives force to the operation knob. When the display section displays a display window to enable a scroll display in which several selection buttons are circulated, the display control device acquires a reactive force map. The map specifies that a vibration is applied to the operation knob when the cursor is located on the selection button at the tail end of the series of the selection buttons in the display window. The display control device then instructs the drive section to apply the vibration to the operation knob based on the acquired reactive force map.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle display apparatus comprising:

an operation device including an operation knob which moves according to a user'"'"'s operation; and

a display control device including a display section to display a display window,

the in-vehicle display apparatus displaying in the display section a cursor in association with a position of the operation knob, the cursor being used for selecting a selection button selectable in the display window,

the operation device further including a force applying section configured for applying force to the operation knob according to an instruction from the display control device,

the display control device further including a storage section and a force application instruction portion,

the storage section being configured to store a map, the map specifying that, with respect to a display window containing a scroll display region in which a scroll display is enabled to circulate several selection buttons, a vibration is applied to the operation knob when the cursor is located on a top end selection button or a tail end selection button among the several selection buttons,

the force application instruction portion being configured to

obtain, from the storage section, the map corresponding to the display window displayed in the display section, and

instruct the force applying section to apply a vibration to the operation knob when the cursor is located on the top end selection button or the tail end selection button based on the acquired map.

2. The in-vehicle display apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the map stored in the storage section further specifies that

(i) when the cursor moves between the selection buttons displayed in the scroll display region, a reactive force is applied to the operation knob such that the cursor remains on one of the selection buttons before moving to an adjacent selection button of the selection buttons, and

(ii) when the cursor moves in one direction over the several selection buttons, the reactive force applied to the operation knob is varied step by step along the one direction over the selection buttons,

the force application instruction portion being further configured to

determine a vibration and a reactive force which is applied to the operation knob based on the map stored in the storage section and a display position of the cursor, and

instruct the force applying section to apply the determined vibration and reactive force to the operation knob.

3. An in-vehicle display apparatus comprising:

an operation device including an operation knob which moves according to a user'"'"'s operation; and

a display control device including a display section to display a display window,

the in-vehicle display apparatus displaying in the display section a cursor in association with a position of the operation knob, the cursor being used for selecting a set button selectable in the display window,

the operation device further including a force applying section configured for applying force to the operation knob according to an instruction from the display control device,

the display control device further including a storage section and a force application instruction portion,

the storage section being configured to store a map specifying that, with respect to a display window containing a set button display region where several set buttons including a maximum set button and a minimum set button are aligned in a line, a vibration is applied to the operation knob when the cursor is located on the minimum set button or the maximum set button,

the force application instruction portion being configured to

obtain, from the storage section, the map corresponding to the display window displayed in the display section, and

instruct the force applying section to apply a vibration to the operation knob when the cursor is located on the minimum set button or the maximum set button based on the acquired map.

4. The in-vehicle display apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the map stored in the storage section further specifies that a vibration applied to the operation knob in case that the cursor is located on the maximum set button is larger than the vibration applied to the operation knob in case that the cursor is located on the minimum set button.

5. The in-vehicle display apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the map stored in the storage section further specifies that when the cursor moves between the set buttons displayed in the set button display region, a reactive force is applied to the operation knob such that the cursor remains on one of the set buttons before moving to an adjacent set button of the set buttons,

the force applying instruction portion being further configured to

determine a vibration and a reactive force which are applied to the operation knob based on the map stored in the storage section, and

instruct the force applying section to apply the determined vibration and reactive force to the operation knob.

6. An in-vehicle display apparatus comprising:

an operation device including an operation knob which moves according to a user'"'"'s operation; and

a display control device including a display section to display a display window,

the in-vehicle display apparatus displaying in the display section a cursor in association with a position of the operation knob, the cursor being used for selecting a set button selectable in the display window,

the operation device further including a force applying section configured for applying force to the operation knob according to an instruction from the display control device,

the display control device further including a storage section and a force application instruction portion,

the storage section being configured to store a map specifying that, with respect to a display window containing a set button display region to display a series of set buttons in a line, when the cursor moves over the series of set buttons contained in the set button display region in one direction, a strength of a vibration applied to the operation knob is varied step by step in the one direction over the set buttons,

the force applying section being configured to

obtain, from the storage section, the map corresponding to the display window displayed in the display section, and

instruct the force applying section to change the strength of the vibration applied to the operation knob step by step in the one direction over the set buttons when the cursor moves over the series of set buttons contained in the set button display region in the one direction.

7. The in-vehicle display apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the map stored in the storage section further specifies that when the cursor moves between the set buttons displayed in the set button display region, a reactive force is applied to the operation knob such that the cursor remains on one of the set buttons before moving to an adjacent set button of the set buttons,

the force applying instruction portion being further configured to

determine a vibration and a reactive force which are applied to the operation knob based on the map stored in the storage section, and

instruct the force applying section to apply the determined vibration and reactive force to the operation knob.

8. An in-vehicle display apparatus comprising:

an operation device including an operation knob which moves according to a user'"'"'s operation; and

a display control device including a display section to display a display window,

the in-vehicle display apparatus displaying in the display section a cursor in association with a position of the operation knob, the cursor being used for selecting a selection button selectable in the display window,

the in-vehicle display apparatus having a function to determine that a predetermined event occurred to thereby notify that the event occurred by performing an audio output using a speaker,

the operation device further including a force applying section configured for applying a reactive force to the operation knob according to an instruction from the display control device,

the display control device further including an audio output setting determination portion and a notification control portion,

the audio output setting determination portion being configured to determine whether the audio output using the speaker is set to a prohibition state where the audio output is prohibited,

the notification control portion being configured, when determining that the event occurred and that the audio output is set to the prohibition state, to instruct the force applying section to vibrate the operation knob to thereby notify that the event occurred.

9. An in-vehicle display apparatus comprising:

an operation device including an operation knob which moves according to a user'"'"'s operation; and

a display control device including a display section to display a display window, the in-vehicle display apparatus displaying a cursor in the display window in association with a position of the operation knob,

the operation device further including a force applying section configured for applying a reactive force to the operation knob according to an instruction from the display control device,

the display control device further including a notification control portion configured, when information transmitted from an outside is received, to instruct the force applying section to apply a vibration to the operation knob to thereby notify that the information transmitted from the outside is received.

10. The in-vehicle display apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

an information type determination portion configured, when the notification control portion receives the information transmitted from the outside, to determine a type of the received information,

the notification control portion being further configured, based on the type of the information determined by the information type determination portion, to instruct the force applying section to vary a vibration which is applied to the operation knob.