In-vehicle display apparatus

• US 8,302,022 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kitagawa, Nozomi, Tauchi, Makiko, Yamamoto, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Pesin, Boris
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yi, Rinna
• Application Number:
  US12/458,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20100005412A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 715/721, 715/760, 715/701, 715/702, 715/856, 345/156, 345/161, 345/163, 345/167, 345/173, 345/179, 345/184
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

An in-vehicle display apparatus includes (i) an operation device having an operation knob, and (ii) a display control device having a display section. The operation device has a drive section which gives force to the operation knob. When the display section displays a display window to enable a scroll display in which several selection buttons are circulated, the display control device acquires a reactive force map. The map specifies that a vibration is applied to the operation knob when the cursor is located on the selection button at the tail end of the series of the selection buttons in the display window. The display control device then instructs the drive section to apply the vibration to the operation knob based on the acquired reactive force map.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle display apparatus comprising:

an operation device including an operation knob which moves according to a user'"'"'s operation; and

a display control device including a display section to display a display window,

the in-vehicle display apparatus displaying in the display section a cursor in association with a position of the operation knob, the cursor being used for selecting a set button selectable in the display window,

the operation device further including a force applying section configured for applying force to the operation knob according to an instruction from the display control device,

the display control device further including a storage section and a force application instruction portion,

the storage section being configured to store a map specifying that, with respect to the display window containing a set button display region where several set buttons including a maximum set button and a minimum set button are aligned in a line, a vibration is applied to the operation knob when the cursor is located on the minimum set button or the maximum set button,

the force application instruction portion being configured to

obtain, from the storage section, the map corresponding to the display window displayed in the display section, and

instruct the force applying section to apply the vibration to the operation knob when the cursor is located on the minimum set button or the maximum set button based on the acquired map,

wherein the map stored in the storage section further specifies that the vibration applied to the operation knob in case that the cursor is located on the maximum set button is larger than the vibration applied to the operation knob in case that the cursor is located on the minimum set button.

2. The in-vehicle display apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the map stored in the storage section further specifies that when the cursor moves between the set buttons displayed in the set button display region, a reactive force is applied to the operation knob such that the cursor remains on one of the set buttons before moving to an adjacent set button of the set buttons,

the force applying instruction portion being further configured to determine the vibration and the reactive force which are applied to the operation knob based on the map stored in the storage section, and

instruct the force applying section to apply the determined the vibration and the reactive force to the operation knob.

3. The in-vehicle display apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the vibration applied to the operation knob in case that the cursor is located on the maximum set button notifies a user that a scroll cycle of the set buttons is completed.

4. The in-vehicle display apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the vibration applied to the operation knob in case that the cursor is located on the maximum set button notifies the user that the cursor is located on the maximum set button, and the vibration applied to the operation knob in case that the cursor is located on the minimum set button notifies the user that the cursor is located on the minimum set button.

5. The in-vehicle display apparatus of claim 3, wherein

there are at least three of the set buttons including the maximum set button and the minimum set button which are aligned in the line, and

the set buttons are cycled when scrolled.

6. The in-vehicle display apparatus of claim 4, wherein

there are at least three of the set buttons including the maximum set button and the minimum set button which are aligned in the line, and

the set buttons are cycled when scrolled.

7. An in-vehicle display apparatus comprising:

an operation device including an operation knob which moves according to a user'"'"'s operation; and

a display control device including a display section to display a display window,

the in-vehicle display apparatus displaying in the display section a cursor in association with a position of the operation knob, the cursor being used for selecting a set button selectable in the display window,

the operation device further including a force applying section configured for applying force to the operation knob according to an instruction from the display control device,

the display control device further including a storage section and a force application instruction portion,

the storage section being configured to store a map specifying that, with respect to the display window containing a set button display region to display a series of set buttons in a line, when the cursor moves over the series of set buttons contained in the set button display region in one direction, a strength of a vibration applied to the operation knob is varied step by step in the one direction over the set buttons,

the force applying section being configured to

obtain, from the storage section, the map corresponding to the display window displayed in the display section, and

instruct the force applying section to change the strength of the vibration applied to the operation knob step by step in the one direction over the set buttons when the cursor moves over the series of set buttons contained in the set button display region in the one direction.

8. The in-vehicle display apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the map stored in the storage section further specifies that when the cursor moves between the set buttons displayed in the set button display region, a reactive force is applied to the operation knob such that the cursor remains on one of the set buttons before moving to an adjacent set button of the set buttons,

the force applying instruction portion being further configured to

determine the vibration and the reactive force which are applied to the operation knob based on the map stored in the storage section, and

instruct the force applying section to apply the determined vibration and reactive force to the operation knob.

9. The in-vehicle display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the vibration applied to the operation knob that is varied step by step notifies the user of a moving direction of the cursor over the series of set buttons.

10. An in-vehicle display apparatus to be used with an in-vehicle display device including a display section to display a window, the in-vehicle display apparatus displaying in the display section a cursor, the cursor being used for selecting buttons selectable in the display section, comprising:

an operation knob configured to

move in accordance with a user'"'"'s operation, and

control a position of the cursor displayed in the display section;

a force applying section configured to apply a vibration and a reactive force to the operation knob, and

a storage section configured to store a map that specifies a plurality of degrees of the vibrations with respect to a plurality of buttons displayed in the display section, wherein;

a degree of the vibration specified to a button for a maximum value is larger than a degree of the vibration specified to a button for a minimum value;

when a user operates the operation knob to move the cursor to an adjacent button, the force applying section applies a predetermined fixed reactive force to the operation knob; and

when the operation knob is settled on a selected button by the user'"'"'s operation, the force applying section applies the vibration to the operation knob in accordance with a degree of the vibration with respect to the selected button among the plurality of degrees of the vibrations specified by the map stored in the storage section.