Image display device

• US 8,570,290 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2010
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakai, Jun, Okohira, Takashi, Ishikawa, Shoichi, Sasanabe, Shunsuke, Tsuchiya, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAVIS, TONY O
• Application Number:
  US13/062,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20110279391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/11 Instrument graphical user interfaces or menu aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1442 Emulation of input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/11 Graphical user interfaces or menu aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/1442 Emulation of input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/06 of controls, e.g. controls knobs
• 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: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A vehicle-mounted device includes a storage device, an external input unit, a speaker, an image display unit, a touch panel, a control unit, a DVD/CD drive, a GPS, a vehicle speed sensor, and a gyroscope. The touch panel includes a finger rest area to reduce erroneous operation by a finger or hand of an operator due to vibration of the vehicle or other causes, and perform input intended by the operator even under a vehicle-mounted environment. The operator contacts the finger on the rest area thereby stabilizing his/her inputting hand while contacting the touch panel. As a result, erroneous input can be reduced, and input desired by the operator can be easily performed.

Claims

1. An image display device displaying an image for executing the device'"'"'s own function in a specific area, comprising

an image display unit that displays an image;

a touch panel provided on a front surface of the image display unit to detect position information of a position contacted by an operator; and

a control unit that performs a control process of the image display device based on the position information of the position contacted by the operator,

wherein the control unit is configured to set a predetermined area on the touch panel as a finger rest area; and

wherein when the control unit detects a first position in the finger rest area where the touch panel is contacted, the control unit waits until the touch panel is subsequently contacted, and when the touch panel is a) subsequently contacted in a second area outside of the finger rest area, and b) simultaneously contacted in the first position in the finger rest area and a further position in said second area, the control unit executes a function based on the first position and the further position in said second area where the touch panel was subsequently contacted wherein said function is executed after both the first position in the finger rest area is contacted and simultaneously the further position in the second area is contacted.

2. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the finger rest area is set on an entire outer peripheral edge of the touch panel.

3. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the finger rest area is set on a bottom side of an outer peripheral edge of the touch panel.

4. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of finger rest areas are set on an outer peripheral edge of the touch panel.