Information presentation device using tactile stimulus with vibrator

• US 9,278,705 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2010
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Murata, Kazuhito, Mitsuhashi, Hideo, Norieda, Shin
• Primary Examiner(s): KING, CURTIS J
• Application Number:
  US13/514,159
• Publication Number:
  US 20120242465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,918 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/046 Adaptations on rotatable parts of the steering wheel for accommodation of switches
• 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

Abstract

An information presentation device transmits information of a car navigation system, installed in a vehicle, to a driver in form of tactile stimuli, wherein a controller controls a plurality of vibrators attached to a steering wheel. The vibrators are arranged in proximity to vibration transmitters, corresponding to holding parts of a steering wheel, so that they are controlled with desired vibration intensity and vibration start timing in response to drive signals from the controller. Two vibrators are arranged in the holding parts of a steering wheel which come in contact with driver'"'"'s hands and are controlled to generate a virtual vibrating source, thus rendering a driver feeling a sensation as if a vibrating source is moving in upward-downward directions, left-right directions, and far-near directions in the front side of a driver. Thus, it is possible to present accurate information with a small amount of energy consumption in driving vibrators.

Claims

1. An information presentation device that presents an operator with externally provided information representing an external condition of a vehicle in a form of vibration, said information presentation device comprising:

a manual control part having a shape held by an operator'"'"'s hand;

a plurality of vibrators attached to the manual operation part, each vibrator being a device which is controlled in terms of vibration intensity and frequency independently;

a controller that generates a driver signal to control the vibrator based on the externally provided information representing the external condition of the vehicle; and

a vibration transmitter that transmits vibration of the plurality of vibrators, applied to the manual control part, as a tactile stimulus to the operator'"'"'s hand, as a vibration transfer function inherent to a material of the manual control part,

wherein the controller sequentially drives the plurality of vibrators with a time difference between vibration start timings.

2. The information presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the manual control part arranges a holding part held by the operator with the vibration transmitter.

3. The information presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the manual control part arranges holding parts, held by operator'"'"'s hands, at two positions with the vibration transmitter.

4. The information presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the manual control part arranges an operation input part connected to the controller, so that the controller generates the drive signal to control the plurality of vibrators based on the externally provided information and an operation applied to the operation input part.

5. The information presentation device according to claim 4, wherein the holding part of the manual control part arranges the vibration and the operation input part.

6. The information presentation device according to claim 4, further comprising a pointing device as the operation input part.

7. The information presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the manual control part arranges three or more vibrators in a two-dimensional manner.

8. The information presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the controller generates the drive signal, based on a vibration transmission function established between the plurality of vibrators and the vibration transmitter in the manual control part, so as to control the plurality of vibrators.

9. The information presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the manual control part and the vibration transmitter comprise different materials, and wherein the controller generates the drive signal, based on a vibration transmission function established between the plurality of vibrators and the vibration transmitter in the manual control part, so as to control the plurality of vibrators.

10. The information presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the controller generates the drive signal, rendering a frequency-modulated control waveform subjected to frequency sweep over a lapse of time, so as to control the plurality of vibrators.

11. The information presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the controller generates the drive signal, rendering a control waveform multiplexing a plurality of frequency components and changing its mixing ratio with respect to time, so as to control the plurality of vibrators.

12. The information presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the plurality of vibrators with different values of vibration intensity.

13. The information presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the controller generates drive signals, rendering amplitude-modulated control waveforms with a time-phase difference therebetween, so as to control the plurality of vibrators.

14. The information presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the controller generates drive signals, rendering control waveforms with a discrete time difference, a time-phase difference, and an amplitude difference therebetween, so as to control the plurality of vibrators.

15. The information presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the controller generates the drive signal based on an externally provided detection signal representing a relative traveling direction and a distance between a plurality of objects.

16. The information presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the manual control part comprises a steering wheel for steering a vehicle.

17. An information presentation device that presents an operator with externally provided information representing an external condition of a vehicle in a form of vibration, said information presentation device comprising:

a manual control part having a shape held by an operator'"'"'s hand;

a plurality of vibrators attached to the manual operation part, each vibrator being a device which is controlled in terms of vibration intensity and frequency independently;

a controller that generates a driver signal to control the vibrator based on the externally provided information representing the external condition of the vehicle, the controller generating the drive signal, based on a vibration transmission function established between the plurality of vibrators and the vibration transmitter in the manual control part, so as to control the plurality of vibrators, and the controller controls the plurality of vibrators with different values of vibration intensity; and

a vibration transmitter that transmits vibration of the plurality of vibrators, applied to the manual control part, as a tactile stimulus to the operator'"'"'s hand as a vibration transfer function inherent to a material of the manual control part.

18. An information presentation device that presents an operator with externally provided information representing an external condition of a vehicle in a form of vibration, said information presentation device comprising:

a manual control part having a shape held by an operator'"'"'s hand;

a plurality of vibrators attached to the manual operation part, each vibrator being a device which is controlled in terms of vibration intensity and frequency independently;

a controller that generates a driver signal to control the vibrator based on the externally provided information representing the external condition of the vehicle; and

a vibration transmitter that transmits vibration of the plurality of vibrators, applied to the manual control part, as a tactile stimulus to the operator'"'"'s hand, as a vibration transfer function inherent to a material of the manual control part, wherein

the manual control part and the vibration transmitter comprise different materials, and wherein the controller generates the drive signal, based on a vibration transmission function established between the plurality of vibrators and the vibration transmitter in the manual control part, so as to control the vibrators.