AUTOMOTIVE TOUCHSCREEN WITH SIMULATED TEXTURE FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED

• US 20180088770A1
• Filed: 11/20/2017
• Published: 03/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Brombach, Ronald P., Hazebrouck, Laura V., Van Wiemeersch, John R., Hanson, Ryan E., Chatten, Alyssa
• Granted Patent: US 10,579,252 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1442 Emulation of input devices
• 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 35/25 using haptic output
• 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: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/003 using tactile presentation of the information, e.g. Braille displays

Abstract

Electrostatic friction textures on a touchscreen panel are used to create the sensation of braille text in a contextual menu adapted to an automotive environment. In particular, a center stack touchscreen friction display in a passenger vehicle provides one set of touch controls and HMI data to the driver while simultaneously providing either the same control options and HMI to the passenger in Braille form or a completely different set of information and menu structure in Braille form. The manner of providing a Braille display in an automobile is adapted for vehicle vibration and movement, the types of functions normally presented and/or controlled by passengers, and other challenges Braille readers of different ages, health, or experience may face when attempting to read Braille in a vehicle cabin.

Claims

1. A control system for a vehicle with first and second passenger seats, comprising:

a touchscreen display for displaying a graphical HMI and detecting at least one contact point on the display established manually by touching by a finger of a passenger;

a haptic texture system having an electrode disposed across the touchscreen display and first and second signal generators generating first and second oscillating signals coupled to the first and second seats, respectively, to produce a respective potential difference between the finger and the electrode resulting in a corresponding perceived texture as the finger slides over the touchscreen display; and

a control circuit determining which of the oscillating signals is associated with a detected touch of a finger to identify a corresponding seat, wherein the control circuit has a nonvisual mode triggered according to occupancy in the second seat, wherein when the first seat is identified in the nonvisual mode then control actions are executed in response to a finger touch at a location defined by the graphical HMI, and wherein when the second seat is identified in the nonvisual mode then finger touches are ignored at least at some of the locations defined by the graphical HMI and the control circuit sets at least a frequency or amplitude of the oscillating signal to vary the perceived texture generated across the touchscreen display to convey nonvisual information.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the nonvisual mode is independent of the graphical HMI.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the occupancy of the second seat which triggers the nonvisual mode is comprised of a second seat passenger being identified as visually impaired, and wherein the perceived texture includes a Braille symbol pattern.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the perceived texture comprises a browsable Braille menu having a plurality of static rows separated by framing lines, wherein the rows include a navigation row for navigating through the menu.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the control circuit recognizes a menu navigation command in response to a right to left swipe of a finger in the navigation row for a length greater than a nominal width of two Braille symbols.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein the perceived texture comprises a browsable Braille menu having a plurality of static rows separated by framing lines, wherein the rows include a selection row including a selectable Braille symbol defining a user command, and wherein the control circuit executes the user command in response to a vertical swipe at the selectable Braille symbol.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the vertical swipe recognized by the control circuit is comprised of a pair of vertical swipes within a predetermined time.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the control circuit monitors the touchscreen display for a cancel command within a predetermined time after the vertical swipe, wherein the vertical swipe for executing the user command is directed in a first vertical direction, wherein the cancel command is comprised of a swipe directed in an opposite vertical direction, and wherein the control circuit undoes the user command in response to the cancel command.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the control circuit monitors the touchscreen display for a predetermined mixed horizontal and vertical scrubbing motion of the contact point within the selection row, and when the predetermined scrubbing motion is detected then ignoring a vertical swipe at the selectable Braille symbol for a predetermined period of time.

10. The system of claim 6 further comprising:

a speech generation system for generating audio prompts corresponding to predetermined text messages;

wherein the control circuit monitors the touchscreen display for a double vertical swipe at locations corresponding to respective text segments of the Braille symbols, and wherein the control circuit transmits a corresponding text segment to the speech generation system when the double vertical swipe is detected.

11. The system of claim 3 wherein the perceived texture comprises a browsable Braille menu having a fixed number of static rows separated by framing lines, wherein the rows include a lowermost navigation row for entering a menu navigation command in response to a right to left swipe of a finger to advance to a successive menu page, wherein the rows include text rows above the navigation row containing Braille symbols identifying adjustable features, wherein the text rows include an active selection area having a predetermined Braille symbol corresponding to a user command, wherein the control circuit executes the user command in response to a vertical swipe at the selectable Braille symbol, and wherein the control circuit scrolls a successive line of Braille symbols into the text rows for a current menu page in response to a right to left swipe of a finger in a lowermost text row adjacent the navigation row.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the control circuit scrolls a previous line of Braille symbols into the text rows for a current menu page in response to a right to left swipe of a finger in an uppermost text row.

13. The system of claim 3 further comprising:

a roughness detector responsive to vertical displacements of a body of the vehicle to generate a roughness signal;

wherein the Braille symbol pattern has a first font size when the roughness signal is below a threshold and has a second font size larger than the first font size when the roughness signal is above the threshold.

14. A control system for adjusting passenger accessories in a vehicle, comprising:

a touchscreen for detecting at least one contact point on the display established manually by touching by a finger of a passenger;

a haptic texture system having an electrode disposed across the touchscreen and a signal generator generating an oscillating signal to produce a potential difference between the finger and the electrode resulting in a corresponding perceived texture as the finger slides over the touchscreen; and

a control circuit configured to set at least a frequency or amplitude of the oscillating signal to vary the perceived texture generated across the touchscreen in a pattern corresponding to a browsable Braille menu having a plurality of static rows separated by framing lines, wherein the rows include a navigation row for navigating through the menu.

15. The control system of claim 14 wherein the control circuit recognizes a menu navigation command in response to a right to left swipe of a finger in the navigation row to advance to a successive menu page.

16. The control system of claim 15 wherein the rows include a selection row including a selectable Braille symbol defining a user command, and wherein the control circuit executes the user command in response to a vertical swipe at the selectable Braille symbol.

17. The control system of claim 16 wherein the vertical swipe recognized by the control circuit is comprised of a pair of vertical swipes within a predetermined time.

18. The control system of claim 16 wherein the control circuit monitors the touchscreen for a cancel command within a predetermined time after the vertical swipe, wherein the vertical swipe for executing the user command is directed in a first vertical direction, wherein the cancel command is comprised of a swipe directed in an opposite vertical direction, and wherein the control circuit undoes the user command in response to the cancel command.

19. The control system of claim 16 wherein the control circuit monitors the touchscreen for a predetermined mixed horizontal and vertical scrubbing motion of the contact point within the selection row, and when the predetermined scrubbing motion is detected then ignoring a vertical swipe at the selectable Braille symbol for a predetermined period of time.

20. The control system of claim 16 further comprising:

a speech generation system for generating audio prompts corresponding to predetermined text messages;

wherein the control circuit monitors the touchscreen for a double vertical swipe at locations corresponding to respective text segments of the Braille symbols, and wherein the control circuit transmits a corresponding text segment to the speech generation system when the double vertical swipe is detected.

21. The control system of claim 16 wherein the browsable Braille menu has a fixed number of static rows separated by the framing lines, wherein the navigation row is lowermost, wherein the selection rows include textual content above the navigation row containing Braille symbols identifying adjustable features, wherein the selection rows include an active selection area having a predetermined Braille symbol corresponding to a user command, wherein the control circuit executes the user command in response to a vertical swipe at the selectable Braille symbol, and wherein the control circuit scrolls a successive line of Braille symbols into the text rows for a current menu page in response to a right to left swipe of a finger in a lowermost text row adjacent the navigation row.

22. The control system of claim 21 wherein the control circuit scrolls a previous line of Braille symbols into the selection rows for a current menu page in response to a right to left swipe of a finger in an uppermost selection row.

23. The control system of claim 14 further comprising:

a roughness detector responsive to vertical displacements of a body of the vehicle to generate a roughness signal;

wherein the Braille symbol pattern has a first font size when the roughness signal is below a threshold and has a second font size larger than the first font size when the roughness signal is above the threshold.

24. A touchscreen control panel in a transportation vehicle, comprising:

a graphical display for displaying a visual contextual menu for predetermined vehicle accessories;

a touchscreen overlying the display responsive to contact by a passenger in a first seat to enter selections in the menu; and

a transparent texture electrode overlying the display responsive to contact by another passenger in a second seat to create a Braille contextual menu simultaneously with the visual contextual menu.