REMOTE CONTROL APPARATUS AND METHOD OF AUDIO VIDEO NAVIGATION SYSTEM

• US 20150062011A1
• Filed: 11/18/2013
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Shin, Seung Hee
• Granted Patent: US 9,256,305 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0383 Remote input, i.e. interface arrangements in which the signals generated by a pointing device are transmitted to a PC at a remote location, e.g. to a PC in a LAN
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

Provided are a remote control apparatus and method that remotely control an operation of an AVN system through a virtual touch panel generated by using a stylus pen and a sensor equipped in the AVN system. Therefore, the AVN system is remotely controlled by using the virtual touch panel generated in a vehicle, thus enhancing a user'"'"'s convenience.

Claims

1. A remote control apparatus of an audio video navigation (AVN) system, the remote control apparatus comprising:

a stylus pen; and

a central processing unit (CPU) configured to, when a remote control function of remotely controlling the AVN system by using the stylus pen according to a user'"'"'s manipulation is set, recognize a position of the stylus pen to set the recognized position as a start point of the stylus pen, set a central point and a help point on a basis of information acquired according to the position of the stylus pen being moved from the start point, generate a virtual touch panel to be used for remote control on a basis of the central point and the help point, and remotely control the AVN system according to the user'"'"'s input using the generated virtual touch panel.

2. The remote control apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an ultrasonic receiver configured to receive an ultrasonic signal generated from the stylus pen; and

a communication module configured to receive information transmitted from the stylus pen through near field communication,

wherein the CPU recognizes the position of the stylus pen on a basis of the ultrasonic signal received through the ultrasonic receiver to set the recognized position as the start point, and when the stylus pen is moved from the recognized position to specific positions twice, the CPU calculates movement positions of the stylus pen on a basis of two pieces of information received through the communication module to respectively set the calculated positions as the central point and the help point, and generates the virtual touch panel on a basis of the central point and the help point.

3. The remote control apparatus of claim 2, wherein,

the ultrasonic receiver comprises at least three ultrasonic sensors, and

the CPU receives ultrasonic signals from the at least three ultrasonic sensors, calculates respective distances between the stylus pen and the ultrasonic sensors on a basis of the received ultrasonic sensors, generates a plurality of circles that have the respective positions of the ultrasonic sensors as central values and have the respective distances as radiuses, and recognizes one point, at which the circles overlap each other, as the position of the stylus pen.

4. The remote control apparatus of claim 2, wherein,

when a remote control request signal is received from the stylus pen according to the user'"'"'s manipulation, the CPU displays a start point setting request message for the stylus pen on a screen of the AVN system,

when the stylus pen is located at an ultrasonic-transmittable and ultrasonic-receivable distance by the user according to the start point setting request message and the ultrasonic signal is received from the stylus pen through the ultrasonic receiver, the CPU calculates the position of the stylus pen on a basis of ultrasonic signals respectively received from at least three ultrasonic sensors to recognize the position of the stylus pen, and displays a central point setting request message for a virtual touch panel on the screen of the AVN system,

when the stylus pen is moved from the recognized position to a specific position by the user according to the displayed central point setting request message, the CPU calculates a movement position of the stylus pen on a basis of signals, which are respectively received from an accelerometer and a gyro sensor of the stylus pen through the communication module according to the position of the stylus pen being moved, to recognize the movement position as a central point of the virtual touch panel, and displays a help point setting request message for the virtual touch panel on the screen of the AVN system,

when the stylus pen is again moved from the recognized central point to a specific position by the user according to the displayed help point setting request message, the CPU calculates a movement position of the stylus pen on a basis of a signal, which is received through the communication module according to the position of the stylus pen being moved, to recognize the movement position as a help point of the virtual touch panel, and

the CPU generates the virtual touch panel on a basis of the recognized central point and help point.

5. The remote control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the CPU connects the set central point and help point to generate a with direction axis of the virtual touch panel, measures an angle between a horizontal axis of the set central point and the generated width direction axis with respect to the horizontal axis, generates a virtual touch panel having a size corresponding to a size of a physical touch panel on a basis of the set central point and the measured angle, and controls the AVN system according to the user'"'"'s manipulation using the generated virtual touch panel and the stylus pen.

6. The remote control apparatus of claim 1, wherein,

when the stylus pen is located within a size range of the virtual touch panel which is generated in correspondence with a size of a physical touch panel of the AVN system, the CPU displays the position of the stylus pen as an arrow or a periodic waveform on a screen of the AVN system, and

when the stylus pen is located out of the size range of the virtual touch panel, the CPU does not display the arrow or the periodic waveform corresponding to the position of the stylus pen.

7. A remote control method of an audio video navigation (AVN) system, the remote control method comprising:

when a remote control function of remotely controlling the AVN system by using a stylus pen according to a user'"'"'s manipulation is set, receiving an ultrasonic signal transmitted from the stylus pen through an ultrasonic receiver equipped in the AVN system, and recognizing a position of the stylus pen on a basis of the received ultrasonic signal to set the recognized position of the stylus pen as a start point;

calculating a movement position of the stylus pen on a basis of information acquired according to the position of the stylus pen being moved from the start point to set a central point and a help point;

generating a virtual touch panel to be used for remote control on a basis of the central point and the help point; and

remotely controlling the AVN system according to the user'"'"'s input using the generated virtual touch panel.

8. The remote control method of claim 7, wherein,

the ultrasonic receiver comprises at least three ultrasonic sensors, and

the setting of a start point comprises:

receiving ultrasonic signals from the at least three ultrasonic sensors;

calculating respective distances between the stylus pen and the ultrasonic sensors on a basis of the received ultrasonic sensors; and

generating a plurality of circles that have the respective positions of the ultrasonic sensors as central values and have the respective distances as radiuses, and recognizing one point, at which the circles overlap each other, as the position of the stylus pen.

9. The remote control method of claim 7, further comprising:

when a remote control request signal is received from the stylus pen according to the user'"'"'s manipulation, displaying a start point setting request message for the stylus pen on a screen of the AVN system;

when recognizing the position of the stylus pen is completed after the start point setting request message is displayed, displaying a central point setting request message for a virtual touch panel on the screen of the AVN system; and

when setting a central point of the virtual touch panel is completed after the central point setting request message is displayed, displaying a help point setting request message for the virtual touch panel on the screen of the AVN system.

10. The remote control method of claim 7, wherein the generating of a virtual touch panel comprises:

connecting the set central point and help point to generate a with direction axis of the virtual touch panel;

measuring an angle between a horizontal axis of the set central point and the generated width direction axis with respect to the horizontal axis; and

generating a virtual touch panel having a size corresponding to a size of a physical touch panel on a basis of the set central point and the measured angle.

11. The remote control method of claim 7, further comprising:

after the virtual touch panel is generated, asking the user whether to three-dimensionally enlarge the generated virtual touch panel; and

when three-dimensional (3D) enlargement is selected by the user as the asked result, reflecting a predetermined height in the virtual touch panel having a two-dimensional (2D) plane structure for three-dimensionally enlarging the 2D-plane virtual touch panel to generate a virtual touch panel having a 3D rectangular parallelepiped structure.