System and method for providing an integrated user interface system at a seat

• US 9,016,627 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2010
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Margis, Paul Anthony, Izadyar, Mehdi, Perlman, Marshal H., Tomita, Kaname, Araki, Yasuhiro, Yamada, Taku, Lopez, Omar, Depner, Craig Allan, Tong, Sheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Tien
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hawk, Steven
• Application Number:
  US12/896,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20110174926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,670 Days
• Field of Search: 244/118.5, 244/118.6, 244/122.R, D14/126, D14/129, D14/157
• US Class Current: 244/118.6
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/803 fixed
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/879 with additional features not related to head-rest positioning, e.g. heating or cooling devices or loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 3/004 of foldable trays mounted on the back-rest
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0229 for displays, e.g. cathodic tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0017 Head-rests
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0276 for rear passenger use
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0015 Arrangements for entertainment or communications, e.g. radio, television
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00151 Permanently mounted seat back monitors
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00154 Loudspeakers mounted in the seat back
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00155 Individual entertainment or communication system remote controls therefor, located in or connected to seat components, e.g. to seat back or arm rest
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0624 Arrangements of electrical connectors, e.g. for earphone, internet or electric supply
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0638 with foldable tables, trays or cup holders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/18 Packaging or power distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

Abstract

A light-weight and low-power integrated system module suitable for installation at a passenger seat disposed aboard a passenger vehicle and methods for manufacturing and using same. By integrating selected interface system components with the associated interconnections, the integrated system module provides an intuitive user interface system for interacting with a passenger entertainment system. The integrated system module can be installed within a seatback of the passenger seat that compliments the look and feel of the user interface system, creating an immersive entertainment experience during travel.

Claims

1. A user interface system for installation at a user seat, comprising:

an interface housing mounted on the user seat, the interface housing having a transparent face panel and a port panel region disposed at a selected port panel region angle relative to said transparent face panel and forming a plurality of port openings, said interface housing being immovably coupled with a shroud having a central shroud region being planar and an angled shroud portion being sloped adjacent to the central shroud region, defining a module opening and forming a pocket; and

a plurality of user interface system components including a video interface system having a touchscreen display for presenting control indicia and a touch point for activating the control indicia and a plurality of communication ports, said touchscreen display being disposed adjacent to said transparent face panel, said communication ports each being disposed adjacent to a respective port opening of said port panel region,

wherein said port panel region is disposed flush within the module opening to be coplanar with the angled shroud portion that forms the pocket, thereby defining a channel, and

wherein a selected communication port enables said video interface system to couple with a user peripheral device via a selected port opening of the port panel region defining the channel.

2. The user interface system of claim 1, wherein the channel is provided with suitable dimensions for receiving at least one of the user peripheral device, a communication cable for supporting communication between the user peripheral device and said selected communication port, a module communication connector for coupling the communication cable with the selected communication port, and a strain relief associated with the module communication connector.

3. The user interface system of claim 1, wherein said touchscreen display is divided into a plurality of viewing regions, including a first viewing region for presenting viewing content and a second viewing region for presenting the control indicia.

4. The user interface system of claim 1, wherein the video interface system is provided with a negative monitor tilt.

5. The user interface system of claim 4, wherein the negative monitor tilt comprises a predetermined tilt angle within a tilt angle range between one degree and thirty degrees back of vertical.

6. The user interface system of claim 5, wherein the predetermined tilt angle comprises a fixed tilt angle that is five degrees back of vertical.

7. The user interface system of claim 1, further comprising a proximity sensor system for at least one of activating the control indicia and illuminating said selected communication port without requiring actual contact with said touch point.

8. The user interface system of claim 7, wherein said proximity sensor system provides multicolor illumination for said selected communication port.

9. The user interface system of claim 1, wherein said selected communication port is selected from a group consisting of an audio connector for coupling a peripheral audio device with said video interface system of the user interface system and an access point for coupling a personal media device with said video interface system.

10. The user interface system of claim 1, further comprising a card reader disposed within said interface housing, wherein said interface housing defines an aperture at a junction between said transparent face panel and said port panel region and adjacent to a card slot of said card reader such that said card slot receives a user card via the aperture.

11. The user interface system of claim 10, wherein said user interface system prompts use of said card reader by at least one of illuminating said card slot and presenting an animation for providing instruction for using said card reader.

12. The user interface system of claim 1, wherein the port panel region angle comprises a predetermined port panel region angle within a port panel region angle range between forty degrees and fifty degrees.

13. An information system, comprising:

a headend system for providing overall system control functions for the information system;

a distribution system; and

a user interface system for communicating with said headend system via said distribution system, said user interface system being disposed within a seatback of a selected passenger seat and being characterized by claim 1.

14. The information system of claim 13, wherein the information system is suitable for installation aboard a passenger vehicle.

15. An aircraft, comprising:

a fuselage;

a passenger seat disposed within said fuselage and including a seatback defining a seatback envelope; and

a vehicle information system coupled with said fuselage and being characterized by claim 13, said vehicle information system including a user interface system disposed within said seatback of said passenger seat.

30. A user chair, comprising:

a chair frame;

a chair seat coupled to said chair frame; and

a seatback coupled to said chair frame and forming a seatback envelope for receiving the user interface system of claim 1.

31. The user chair of claim 30, further comprising a tray table, wherein the channel inhibits interference between the user peripheral device and said tray table in a stowed position, in a deployed position, and during transitions between the stowed position and the deployed position.

32. The user chair of claim 30, wherein the user chair is suitable for installation aboard a passenger vehicle, and wherein the user interface system is suitable for communicating with a vehicle information system installed aboard the passenger vehicle.

16. A method for providing a user interface system at a user seat, comprising:

forming an integrated system module by disposing a video interface system having a touchscreen display and a plurality of communication ports within an interface housing mounted on the user seat, the interface housing having a transparent face panel and a port panel region disposed at a predetermined port panel region angle relative to said transparent face panel, said transparent face panel being disposed adjacent to said touchscreen display, said port panel region forming a plurality of openings associated with said plurality of communication ports;

disposing said transparent face panel and said port panel region of said integrated system module within a module opening defined by a central shroud region and an angled shroud portion of a shroud, the central shroud region being planar and the angled shroud portion being sloped adjacent to the central shroud region and thereby forming a pocket;

immovably coupling said module housing with said shroud such that said transparent face panel is flush and coplanar with the central shroud region and said port panel region is flush and coplanar with the angled shroud portion that forms the pocket; and

forming a channel with said port panel region and the angled shroud portion that forms the pocket, wherein a selected communication port enables said video interface system to couple with a user peripheral device via a selected opening of the port panel region defining the channel.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing the video interface system with a negative monitor tilt.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising enabling at least one of the control indicia to be activated and said selected communication port to be illuminated without requiring actual contact with said touch point.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising prompting use of a selected interfaced system component by at least one of illuminating said selected interfaced system component and presenting an animation for providing instruction for using said selected interfaced system component.

20. A user interface system for installation at a user seat, comprising:

an interface housing mounted on the user seat, the interface housing having a transparent face panel and a port panel region being disposed at a port panel region angle relative to said transparent face panel and forming a plurality of port openings;

a plurality of user interface system components being disposed within said interface housing and including a video interface system having a touchscreen display for presenting control indicia and a plurality of communication ports, said touchscreen display being disposed adjacent to said transparent face panel, said communication ports each being disposed adjacent to a respective port opening of said port panel region; and

a shroud having a central shroud region being planar and an angled shroud portion being sloped adjacent to the central shroud region, defining a module opening, forming a pocket, and being immovably coupled with said interface housing,

wherein said port panel region is disposed flush within the module opening to be coplanar with said angled shroud portion that forms the pocket.

21. The user interface system of claim 20, wherein said port panel region being disposed within the module opening and being coplanar with said angled shroud portion thereby claims a channel, and a selected communication port enables said video interface system to couple with a user peripheral device via a selected port opening of the port panel region defining the channel.

22. The user interface system of claim 21, wherein the channel is provided with suitable dimensions for receiving at least one of the user peripheral device, a communication cable assembly for supporting communication between the user peripheral device and said selected communication port, a module communication connector for coupling the communication cable assembly with the selected communication port, and a strain relief associated with the module communication connector.

23. The user interface system of claim 20, wherein the video interface system is provided with a negative monitor tilt.

24. The user interface system of claim 20, further comprising a proximity sensor system for at least one of activating the control indicia and illuminating said selected communication port without requiring actual contact with a touch point presented by said touchscreen display for activating the control indicia.

25. The user interface system of claim 20, wherein said selected communication port is selected from a group consisting of an audio connector for coupling a peripheral audio device with said video interface system of the user interface system and an access point for coupling a personal media device with said video interface system.

26. The user interface system of claim 20, further comprising a card reader disposed within said interface housing, wherein said interface housing defines an aperture at a junction between said transparent face panel and said port panel region and adjacent to a card slot of said card reader such that said card slot receives a user card via the aperture.

27. The user seat of claim 20, comprising:

a seat frame;

a tray table coupled to said seat frame;

a seat cushion coupled to said seat frame; and

a seatback coupled to said seat frame and forming a seatback envelope for receiving the user interface system of claim 20,

wherein the channel inhibits interference between the user peripheral device and said tray table in a stowed position, in a deployed position, and during transitions between the stowed position and the deployed position.

28. A vehicle information system suitable for installation aboard a passenger vehicle, comprising:

a headend system for providing overall system control functions for the vehicle information system;

a distribution system; and

a user interface system for communicating with said headend system via said distribution system, said user interface system being disposed within a seatback of a selected passenger seat disposed aboard the passenger vehicle and being provided in accordance with claim 20.

29. An aircraft, comprising:

a fuselage;

a passenger seat disposed within said fuselage and including a seatback defining a seatback envelope; and

a vehicle information system coupled with said fuselage and being provided in accordance with claim 28, said vehicle information system including a user interface system disposed within said seatback of said passenger seat.