Vehicle mounted input unit

• US 6,462,730 B2
• Filed: 05/24/1999
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Numata, Hidetaka, Onodera, Mikio, Mitsuzuka, Katsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kimnhung
• Application Number:
  US09/317,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20020105495A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,233 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/158, 345/163, 345/355, 345/157, 345/160, 345/161, 180/333, 180/65.1
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2003/008 with a haptic or a tactile feedback controlled by electrical means, e.g. a motor or magnetofriction
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2221/078 Different operating parts on a bigger one
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 25/002 having an operating member rectilinearly slidable in different directions

Abstract

A vehicle mounted input unit excellent in versatility and functional performance, which allows a manual operation section to be used as a mouse for a navigation system or a personal computer. The vehicle mounted input unit is composed of a body of equipment, a panel installed on an operating side of the body of equipment, an X-Y table, an engaging pin, a guide plate, a solenoid, a stick controller and a manual operation section. The guide plate is fitted to the X-Y table to be movable up and down and driven up and down through the solenoid. When the guide plate is lifted, the engaging pin and a guide groove are engaged with each other SO that the vehicle mounted input unit can be used as an operating unit for electronic equipment mounted in the motor vehicle. On the other hand, when the guide plate is lowered, the engaging pin and the guide groove are released form their engagement, at which time the manual operation section can be used as a mouse.

Claims

1. A vehicle mounted input unit comprising:

a body of equipment;

an X-Y table disposed in said body of equipment;

a manual operation section disposed external to said body of equipment and connected to said X-Y table so as to slide in a two-dimensional manner;

an engaging pin connected with said manual operation section;

a guide having a guide groove, the guide movable with respect to said engaging pin so as to engage with and disengage from said engaging pin, said guide allowing said manual operation section to function as a mouse capable of arbitrarily moving in a two-dimensional manner when disengaged with said engaging pin and allowing said manual operation section to move in a range limited by said guide groove when engaged with said engaging pin;

a guide driver to perform switching between engagement and disengagement of said guide with and from said engaging pin by moving said guide; and

a position signal input mechanism connected with said manual operation section so as to input signals corresponding to all positions in a moving area of said manual operation section when said engaging pin and said guide are disengaged.

2. A vehicle mounted input unit as defined in claim 1, wherein said guide driver is a solenoid attached onto said body of the equipment and said guide is moved downward by attraction of said solenoid so as to be disengaged from said engaging pin.

3. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 1, wherein said guide is constantly urged upward by a spring.

4. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 1, wherein said X-Y table is disposed between said manual operation section and said engaging pin, and includes a slider and a slider block disposed in said slider so as to support said slider movably relative to said body of equipment in an axial direction and a direction orthogonal to said axial direction.

5. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 4, further comprising:

a first guide rod passing through said slider block and attached to an inner wall of said body of equipment so as to support said slider block for movement with respect to said body in said axial direction; and

a second guide rod intersecting said first guide rod and passing through said slider block in said slider so as to support said slider block movably in the direction orthogonal to said axial direction.

6. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 1, wherein said guide groove formed in said guide is H-shaped.

7. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 1, wherein said manual operation section has at least one signal input mechanism.

8. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 7, wherein said signal input mechanism is one of a click switch and a rotary variable resistor.

9. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 1, wherein said position signal input mechanism is a stick controller.

10. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 9, wherein said stick controller is swingably attached with a connecting section formed on said X-Y table.

11. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 9, wherein said stick controller includes an operating lever, a converting section to convert an inclination angle and direction of said operating lever into rotating quantities of two rotors disposed at right angles to each other, and an electric-signal converting section to convert the rotating quantities into electric signals.

12. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 1, wherein a semi-spherical hollow is formed in an end portion and a central portion of said guide groove.

13. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 7, wherein said manual operation section has a vibration device, and said vibration device generates vibration in a vibration mode corresponding to the position of said manual operation section when an input signal is input from said signal input mechanism.

14. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 13, wherein vibration mode is switched in response to an input signal from said position signal input mechanism.

15. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 1, wherein said manual operation section has a vibration device, and said vibration device is directly fitted to a casing of said manual operation section.

16. A vehicle mounted input unit as defined in claim 1, further comprising a center return mechanism to automatically return said manual operation section to a predetermined center position when an external force applied to said manual operation section is removed therefrom.

17. A vehicle mounted input unit comprising:

a body of equipment;

an X-Y table disposed in said body of equipment;

a manual operation section disposed external to said body of equipment and connected to said X-Y table so as to slide in a two-dimensional manner;

an engaging pin connected with said manual operation section;

a guide having a guide groove, the guide movable with respect to said engaging pin so as to engage with and disengage from said engaging pin, said guide allowing said manual operation section to function as a mouse capable of arbitrarily moving in a two-dimensional manner when disengaged with said engaging pin and allowing said manual operation section to move in a range limited by said guide groove when engaged with said engaging pin;

a guide driver to perform switching between engagement and disengagement of said guide with and from said engaging pin by moving said guide;

a position signal input mechanism connected with said manual operation section so as to input signals corresponding to all positions in a moving area of said manual operation section when said engaging pin and said guide are disengaged;

at least one signal input mechanism disposed in said manual operation section; and

a vibration device disposed in said manual operation section.

18. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 17, wherein said guide driver is a solenoid attached onto said body of the equipment and said guide is moved downward by attraction of said solenoid so as to be disengaged from said engaging pin.

19. A vehicle mounted input unit as defined in claim 17, further comprising a center return mechanism to automatically return said manual operation section to a predetermined center position when an external force applied to said manual operation section is removed therefrom.

20. A vehicle mounted input unit as defined in claim 17, wherein said guide comprises a guide plate elastically biased with respect to the engaging pin and said guide groove is an H-shaped groove.

21. A vehicle mounted input unit as defined in claim 17, wherein said guide section driver comprises a solenoid attached to said body, said solenoid when energized producing an attracting force acting to downwardly move said guide thereby disengaging said engaging pin from said guide groove.

22. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 17, wherein said guide is constantly urged upward by a spring.

23. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 17, wherein said X-Y table is disposed between said manual operation section and said engaging pin, and includes a slider and a slider block disposed in said slider so as to support said slider movably relative to said body of equipment in an axial direction and a direction orthogonal to said axial direction.

24. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 17, further comprising:

a first guide rod passing through said slider block and attached to an inner wall of said body of equipment so as to support said slider block for movement with respect to said body in said axial direction; and

a second guide rod intersecting said first guide rod and passing through said slider block in said slider so as to support said slider block movably in the direction orthogonal to said axial direction.

25. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 17, wherein said guide groove formed in said guide is H-shaped.

26. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 17, wherein said signal input mechanism is one of a click switch and a rotary variable resistor.

27. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 17, wherein said position signal input mechanism is a stick controller.

28. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 27, wherein said stick controller is swingably attached with a connecting section formed on said X-Y table.

29. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 27, wherein said stick controller includes an operating lever, a converting section to convert an inclination angle and direction of said operating lever into rotating quantities of two rotors disposed at right angles to each other, and an electric-signal converting section to convert the rotating quantities into electric signals.

30. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 17, wherein a semi-spherical hollow is formed in an end portion and a central portion of said guide groove.

31. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 17, wherein said vibration device generates vibration in a vibration mode corresponding to the position of said manual operation section when an input signal is input from said signal input mechanism.

32. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 31, wherein vibration mode is switched in response to an input signal from said position signal input mechanism.

33. The vehicle mounted input unit of claim 17, wherein said vibration device is directly fitted to a casing of said manual operation section.