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Input device for operating in-vehicle apparatus

  • US 8,384,666 B2
  • Filed: 05/14/2009
  • Issued: 02/26/2013
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2008
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An input device for a vehicle, the input device (i) being communicatable with an in-vehicle apparatus of the vehicle and an external display unit that displays a window and a selectable image item for operation of the in-vehicle apparatus, (ii) enabling a user to input spatial data to the external display unit remotely from the external display unit, (iii) configured to determine a pointed point on the window based on the inputted spatial data, (iv) causing the external display unit to discriminably display information associated with the pointed point on the window, and (v) configured to receive a selection manipulation directed to the selectable image item located at the pointed point and configured to input data associate with the selection manipulation to the in-vehicle apparatus, the input device comprising:

  • a manipulation member that receives a load from the user and is two-dimensionally movable in a movable region in response to the load, the manipulation member being a single manipulation knob;

    a force generation unit that generates and applies a force to the manipulation member, the force depending on a position of the manipulation member;

    an input mode switch section that switches an input mode between an absolute input mode and a relative input mode, the switching of the input mode depending on a situation of an operation target of the subject input device,the input mode switch section in the absolute input mode (i) establishing one-to-one correspondence between a coordinate of the pointed point on an operation target region of the window and a coordinate of the manipulation member in the movable region, and (ii) determining the coordinate of the pointed point on the operation target region based on the one-to-one correspondence,the input mode switch section in the relative input mode determining the pointed point on the window in a relative manner based on a two-dimensional displacement of the manipulation member with respect to a reference position of the manipulation member in the movable region; and

    the same manipulation knob is consistently used in the absolute input mode and the relative input mode;

    a setting section that sets the reference position of the manipulation member for the relative input mode when the input mode section switches the input mode from the absolute input mode into the relative input mode, in such manner that the reference position of the manipulation member is set to the position of the manipulation member in the absolute input mode that is being switched into the relative input mode;

    a force control section that controls the force generation unit in the relative input mode, in such manner that;

    when the manipulation member receives the load having a first property that causes the manipulation member to move beyond a predetermined manipulation permitted range, the force generation unit generates the force having a first property corresponding to the load having the first property to prohibit the manipulation member from moving beyond the predetermined manipulation permitted range,the predetermined manipulation permitted range depending on an arrangement of the selectable image item in the relative input mode, the selectable image item in the relative input mode being a selection target item in the relative input mode; and

    a controller that controls that the pointed point on the window,wherein;

    the selectable image item displayed on the display unit includes a plurality of relative mode image items for use in the relative input mode and an absolute mode image item for use in the absolute input mode;

    when the selection manipulation directed to the displayed absolute mode image item is performed in the absolute input mode,(i) the input mode switch section switches the input mode from the absolute input mode into the relative input mode,(ii) the setting section sets the reference position of the manipulation member to the position of the manipulation member at which the selection manipulation directed to the displayed absolute mode image item is performed in the absolute input mode, and(iii) the controller sets the pointed point to a point between the plurality of relative mode image items so that in a state where the manipulation member is positioned at the reference position set by the setting section, the pointed point on the window in the relative input mode is between the plurality of relative mode image items; and

    whereinthe force control section controls the force generation unit to return the manipulation member to the reference position of the manipulation member and the controller returns the pointed point to a same point between the relative mode image items that the manipulation member selects in the relative input mode, the reference position being the position where the pointed point on the window is between the plurality of relative mode image items, when the load is no longer received by the manipulation member in the relative input mode.

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