Remote-control switch

• US 7,746,327 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2005
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Access Corp. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Access Corp. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Miyakoshi, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao; Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tryder; Gregory J
• Application Number:
  US11/227,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20060097994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,747 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/158, 345/168, 345/2, 345/156, 345/169, 341/20, 341/21, 341/22, 348/734, 463/37, 463/38, 715/808, 715/863, 715/835
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3688 Systems comprising multiple parts or multiple output devices (not client-server), e.g. detachable faceplates, key fobs or multiple output screens
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position

Abstract

A remote-control switch in which finger dirt can be infallibly prevented from adhering to a display unit. A remote touch pad 4 capable of performing selection operation is provided separately from a navigation body 2 and the navigation body 2 can be remote-controlled by practicing a touch input through an input panel 11. Hence, the same operating feeling as if touching a touch panel 5 can be given a user via the input panel 11, thus allowing the finger dirt to be infallibly prevented from adhering to a monitor 6 and further enabling operation excellent in usability.

Claims

1. A remote-control switch electrically coupled to a display unit for displaying an image controlled by a control means on a monitor with a touch-sensitive panel, said touch-sensitive panel allowing a user to touch switch images thereon with a user'"'"'s finger to operate said touch-sensitive panel comprising:

an input panel arranged with a plurality of switches on its plane, said input panel, which is made up separately from said display unit, is mounted on a car-interior front console, including an XY coordinate detection operating unit and a Z coordinate detection operating unit, said XY coordinate detection operating unit detecting a position, on said input panel, on which a selective operation has been performed by using two-dimensional plane coordinate when the selective operation has been performed by making a finger contact with and slide on said input panel, while said Z coordinate detection operating unit detecting the pressing strength applied on said two-dimensional plane coordinate and then determining the selective operation when pressing strength larger than predetermined strength is applied from an upper side to said input panel, wherein

an image plane coordinate of said display unit and each switch coordinate of said input panel substantially correspond to each other, and

said switch image corresponding to said each switch is displayed on said display unit by means of said control means, and then

when the selective operation has been performed, a central position of a contact region in contact with said user'"'"'s finger is detected, and based on this detection result, a selected region which corresponds to said contact region and is not displayed is determined on the image plane of said display unit;

when only one switch image overlaps said selected region at the time of the selective operation, said only one switch image which has overlapped said selected region is allowed to change in display from a standard color to another color to be permitted to stand out from other switch images not overlapping said selected region so that it is displayed on said image plane that said one switch has been selected via said input panel,

even when a plurality of said switch images overlap said selected region at the time of the selective operation, all of the plurality of said switch images that simultaneously overlap said selected region are allowed to change simultaneously in display from a standard color to another color to be permitted to stand out from other switch images so that it is displayed on said image plane that the plurality of said switch images have been selected simultaneously via said input panel,

the color change of said switch images displayed on said display unit allows the user to recognize a position of said user'"'"'s finger on said input panel at the time of the selective operation performed by the user sliding his or her finger on said input panel prior to determining said switch images displayed on said display unit, and

when said Z coordinate detection operating unit detects the pressing strength applied on said two-dimensional plane coordinate with a plurality of said switch images overlapping said selected region and all of the plurality of said switch images being changed from said standard color to another color, a space between the plurality of said switch images whose color has changed from said standard color to another color is widened, and the plurality of said switch images whose space is widened are displayed on said display unit, thus allowing only one of said switch images to be overlapped in said selected region.

2. A remote-control switch according to claim 1, wherein said input panel comprises two layers, an upper layer and a lower layer, a select function of said switch image is included in an upper layer, and a determination function for determining said select function to operate is included in a lower layer.

3. A remote-control switch according to claim 1, wherein when a plurality of said switch images on a display screen in said display unit have been selected by said input panel, the plurality of said switch images thus selected are highlighted.

4. A remote-control switch according to claim 1, wherein when plurality of said switches are simultaneously selected, the plurality of said switches thus selected are zoomed in an arbitrary size on said display unit.

5. A remote-control switch according to claim 1, wherein said input panel has the same aspect ratio as that of a display screen of said display unit and is made smaller than the display screen.

6. A remote-control switch according to claim 1, wherein said display unit is used for an in-vehicle navigation system.

7. A remote-control switch according to claim 2, wherein said display unit is used for an in-vehicle navigation system.

8. A remote-control switch according to claim 3, wherein said display unit is used for an in-vehicle navigation system.

9. A remote-control switch according to claim 4, wherein said display unit is used for an in-vehicle navigation system.

10. A remote-control switch according to claim 5, wherein said display unit is used for an in-vehicle navigation system.

11. A remote-control switch as set forth in claim 1, wherein said input panel having two layers, an upper layer and a lower layer, said lower layer arranged on the underside of said upper layer via a film layer having powders, wherein a pressing force applied to the input panel by a user'"'"'s finger is transmitted via the powders so that the pressing force is concentrated to the powders without being dispersed over the film layer.