Display input device and navigation device

• US 8,677,287 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2009
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Auto Tech Group LLC
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Shimotani, Mitsuo, Matsubara, Tsutomu, Sadahiro, Takashi, Ohta, Masako, Okano, Yuichi, Sempuku, Tsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHREWSBURY, NATHAN K
• Application Number:
  US13/132,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20110234639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,567 Days
• Field of Search: 715/864, 345/661, 324/687
• US Class Current: 715/864
• 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 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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 display input device is comprised of a touch panel 1 for carrying out a display of information and an input of information, a vibration detection sensor (proximity sensors 12 or an acceleration sensor 23) for detecting a vibration of an object to be detected which is positioned opposite to the touch panel 1, and a control unit 3 for, when it is determined that a relative vibration between the touch panel and the object to be detected, which is detected by the vibration detection sensor, has an amount equal to or larger than a predetermined amount, carrying out a process of enlarging an image in a display area having a fixed range, which is displayed on the touch panel 1, to display the enlarged image.

Claims

1. A vehicular display input device comprising:

a touch panel configured to detect an approach of an object to be detected in a non-contact manner, and carry out an input of information and a display of an image;

a vibration detection sensor configured to detect a relative vibration between the touch panel and said object to be detected which is facing said touch panel;

a running detecting unit configured to detect a state as to running of a vehicle which is equipped with the display input device; and

a control unit configured to calculate a vibration amount based on the relative vibration detected by the vibration detection sensor, compare the calculated vibration amount with a predetermined amount, and carry out, when the vibration amount is equal to or more than the predetermined amount, a process of enlarging a fixed range of an image which is being displayed on said touch panel, wherein the control unit is further configured to determine which one of a running state and a stopped state is indicated by the state detected by the running detecting unit, and control the enlargement process to increase an enlargement scale in the running state more than that in the stopped state.

3. The display input device according to claim 1, wherein said control unit changes a scale of enlargement to be applied to the enlargement process in accordance with the relative vibration detected by said vibration detection sensor.

4. The display input device according to claim 1, wherein said vibration detection sensor includes a proximity sensor for detecting a relative position of the object to be detected with respect to said touch panel in a non-contact manner, and the control unit calculates the relative vibration amount by using the relative position detected by the proximity sensor.

5. The display input device according to claim 1, wherein said vibration detection sensor includes an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration information on a vehicle which is equipped with the display input device, and the control unit calculates the relative vibration amount by using the acceleration information detected by the vibration detection sensor.

6. The display input device according to claim 1, wherein said vibration detection sensor includes a proximity sensor for detecting a relative position of the object to be detected with respect to said touch panel in a non-contact manner, and an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration information on a vehicle which is equipped with the display input device, and said control unit calculates the relative vibration amount by using the relative position detected by said proximity sensor and the acceleration information detected by said acceleration sensor.

7. The display input device according to claim 1, wherein said control unit stores data about values indicating the relative vibration detected by said vibration detection sensor in a time series during a predetermined time period, extracts data corresponding to predetermined vibration frequencies from the stored data, and compares an average value acquired from the extracted data as the vibration amount with the predetermined amount.

2. A vehicular display input device comprising:

a touch panel configured to detect an approach of an object to be detected in a non-contact manner, and carry out an input of information and a display of an image;

a vibration detection sensor configured to detect a relative vibration between the touch panel and said object to be detected which is facing said touch panel; and

a control unit configured to calculate a vibration amount based on the relative vibration detected by the vibration detection sensor, compare the calculated vibration amount with a predetermined amount, and carry out, when the vibration amount is equal to or more than the predetermined amount, a process of enlarging a fixed range of an image which is being displayed on said touch panel, wherein the vibration detection sensor is further configured to detect the relative vibration with respect to each of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction to the touch panel, and wherein the control unit is further configured to carry out the enlargement process when the vibration amount with respect to the horizontal direction is equal to or more than the predetermined amount, and carry out a process of reducing a size of the fixed range of the image which is being displayed on the touch panel when the vibration amount with respect to the vertical direction is equal to or more than the predetermined amount.

8. A navigation device comprising:

a touch panel configured to detect an approach of an object to be detected in a non-contact manner, and carry out an input of information and a display of an image;

a vibration detection sensor configured to detect a relative vibration between the touch panel and said object to be detected which is facing said touch panel;

a running detecting unit configured to detect a state as to running of a vehicle which is equipped with the display input device; and

a control unit configured to perform a navigation process in accordance with an input operation on the touch panel, calculate a vibration amount based on the relative vibration detected by the vibration detection sensor, compare the calculated vibration amount with a predetermined amount, and carry out, when the vibration amount is equal to or more than the predetermined amount, a process of enlarging a fixed range of an image which is being displayed on said touch panel, wherein the control unit is further configured to determine which one of a running state and a stopped state is indicated by the state detected by the running detecting unit, and control the enlargement process to increase an enlargement scale in the running state more than that in the stopped state.