Input device

• US 8,269,726 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2006
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Prados, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Jr., Kenneth B
• Application Number:
  US11/565,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20070146343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,119 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/158, 345/204, 345173-182, 340/436, 701/1, 178/18.01
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user

Abstract

An input device, especially for a motor vehicle, has a display, a touch screen arranged above the display and an operating surface, an actuator for moving the touch screen in at least one direction, and a control unit for visually representing changeable operating information and operating elements on the display for detecting a position of a touching of the operating surface and for the haptic feedback by controlling the actuator, wherein a file or a data set is stored in the control unit or in a memory assigned to the control unit, the file or data set comprising graphical information for representing at least operating information or at least one operating element and also control information for a haptic feedback assigned to the operating information or to the operating element.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

a display;

a touch screen arranged above the display and comprising an operating surface;

an actuator for moving the touch screen in at least one direction;

a memory storing a file or data set comprising graphical information representing a geographic map including at least one geometrical structure corresponding to at least one operating element; and

a control unit for;

accessing the file or data set from the memory;

visually representing the graphical information from the file or data set by displaying the geographic map including the at least one geometrical structure on the display;

automatically identifying the geometrical structures in the displayed map using pattern recognition of the graphical information representing the displayed map, wherein the graphical information and geometrical structures do not relate to a detection of a user or other physical object by the input device;

automatically assigning control information for a haptic feedback to each operating element corresponding to an identified geometrical structure;

automatically detecting a position of a touching on the operating surface;

automatically determining that the position of the touching corresponds to an identified geometrical structure corresponding to a particular operating element;

automatically determining the haptic feedback assigned to the particular identified operating element; and

generating the determined haptic feedback by controlling the actuator to move the touch screen in at least one direction.

2. An input device according to claim 1, wherein the file is an image file.

3. An input device according to claim 1, wherein the file or the data set comprises commands in a markup language.

4. A method for producing an input device comprising a display and an input element interacting with the display;

said method comprising;

storing in memory a file or data set comprising graphical information for representing a geographic map including at least one geometrical structure corresponding to at least one operating element;

visually representing the graphical information from the file or data set by displaying the geographic map including the at least one geometrical structure on a display;

automatically evaluating the graphical information to identify the geometrical structures in the displayed map, wherein the automatic evaluation is performed by means of a pattern recognition of the graphical information representing the displayed map, wherein the graphical information and geometrical structures do not relate to a detection of a user or other physical object by the input device;

automatically assigning control information for a haptic feedback to each operating element corresponding to an identified geometrical structure;

automatically detecting a touching of an identified geometrical structure corresponding to a particular operating element displayed on the operating surface;

automatically determining the haptic feedback assigned to the particular identified operating element; and

automatically generating the determined haptic feedback to move the input element screen interacting with the display.

5. A method for producing an input device comprising a display and an input device interacting with the display;

said method comprising;

automatically identifying a particular geometrical structure in a displayed map by means of pattern recognition of graphical information representing the displayed map, the graphical information and geometrical structures not relating to a detection of a user or other physical object by the input device;

automatically determining an operating element corresponding to the identified geometrical structure in the displayed map;

automatically creating control information for a haptic feedback assigned to the operating element by moving the input element interacting with the display, wherein the control information is created in the syntax of a markup language.

6. A method according to claim 5;

said method further comprising;

the creation of graphical information for representing the operating information or the operating element on a display, wherein the graphical information is created in the syntax of the markup language.

7. A method according to claim 6;

said method further comprising;

the combination of the graphical information and the control information in a data set in the syntax of the markup language.

8. A method for producing an input device comprising a display and an input element interacting with the display;

said method comprising;

implementing an operating mask, which can be represented on the display, by selecting a file or a data set from a plurality of files or data sets, wherein each file or each data set of this plurality of files or data sets comprises graphical information for representing a geographic map including at least one geometrical structure corresponding to at least one operating element on a display and control information for a haptic feedback assigned to each operating element;

visually representing the graphical information from the file or data set by displaying the geographic map including the at least one geometrical structure on the display;

automatically identifying the geometrical structures in the displayed map using pattern recognition of the graphical information representing the displayed map, the graphical information and geometrical structures not relating to a detection of a user or other physical object by the input device;

automatically detecting a touching of an identified geometrical structure in the displayed map, the identified geometrical structure corresponding to a particular operating element;

automatically determining the haptic feedback assigned to the particular identified operating element; and

automatically generating the determined haptic feedback to move the input element screen interacting with the display.