Touch input device and vehicle including the same

• US 10,678,425 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2015
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center GmbH (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Min, Jungsang, Kang, Nae Seung, Hong, Gi Beom, Kim, Sung Un, Choi, Seo Ho, Joo, Sihyun, Lee, Jeong-Eom, Peter, Werner, Prill, Andy Max
• Primary Examiner(s): Xia, Xuyang
• Application Number:
  US14/941,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20160179366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,670 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/126 Rotatable input devices for instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/143 Touch sensitive instrument input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/146 Instrument input by gesture
• 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: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• 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 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A touch input device includes a touch unit to which a user can input a touch gesture, wherein the touch unit includes a gesture input unit positioned at a center of the touch unit and a swiping input unit inclined downward along an edge of the gesture input unit, and the gesture input unit and the swiping input unit receive separate touch signals.

Claims

1. A touch input device comprising:

a touch unit to which a user can input a touch gesture,

wherein the touch unit includes;

a gesture input unit positioned at a center of the touch unit; and

a swiping input unit configured to be inclined downward along an edge of the gesture input unit, wherein the swiping input unit has a surface area smaller than that of the gesture input unit,

wherein the gesture input unit and the swiping input unit receive separate touch signals,

wherein the swiping input unit includes a plurality of graduations arranged at uniform intervals along the circumference of the swiping input unit,

wherein the swiping input unit is rotatably provided with respect to the gesture input unit,

wherein the swiping input unit is configured to be pressed or tilted by a pressure applied by the user to receive a signal,

wherein the swiping input unit is inclined downward from the gesture input unit in a stepwise manner,

wherein a boundary of the swiping input unit is positioned higher than a boundary of the gesture input unit,

wherein a slope of the swiping input unit is constant,

wherein the slope of the swiping input unit is equal to or greater than a maximum slope of the gesture input unit, and

wherein the swiping input unit is configured not to recognize a touch on the swiping input unit while the touch gesture is input onto the gesture input unit.

2. The touch input device according to claim 1, wherein the gesture input unit has a circular shape, and

the swiping input unit surrounds a circumferential edge of the gesture input unit.

3. The touch input device according to claim 2, wherein the swiping input unit is integrally formed with the gesture input unit, and inclined downward toward the gesture input unit.

4. The touch input device according to claim 1, wherein the gesture input unit includes a concave shape.

5. The touch input device according to claim 4, wherein the gesture input unit gradually deepens from an edge portion to a central portion.

6. The touch input device according to claim 5, wherein the gesture input unit includes a partial spherical shape.

7. The touch input device according to claim 4, wherein the slope of the swiping input unit is larger than a tangential slope of the gesture input unit adjoining the swiping input unit.

8. The touch input device according to claim 4, wherein the gesture input unit includes a curved concave shape whose slope becomes gentler toward a central portion.

9. The touch input device according to claim 4, wherein the gesture input unit has a greatest depth at a central portion.

10. The touch input device according to claim 4, wherein the gesture input unit has an elliptical shape, and

a lowest area of the gesture input unit is positioned to deviate in any one direction from a center of the gesture input unit.

11. The touch input device according to claim 4, wherein the gesture input unit is configured to receive a pressing operation.

12. The touch input device according to claim 4, wherein the gesture input unit is configured to receive a tilting operation.

13. The touch input device according to claim 12, wherein the gesture input unit is configured to receive a tilting operation in four directions, that is, up, down, left and right, directions.

14. The touch input device according to claim 4, wherein the gesture input unit is pressed or tilted by a pressure applied by the user to receive a signal.

15. The touch input device according to claim 1, further comprising a button input tool for performing designated functions.

16. The touch input device according to claim 15, wherein the button input tool comprises:

a touch button for performing a designated function by a touch of the user; and

a pressurizing button for performing a designated function when a position of the pressurizing button is changed by an external force applied by the user.

17. The touch input device according to claim 1, further comprising a wrist support tool positioned on one side of the touch unit to support a wrist of the user, and protruding higher than a touch surface of the touch unit.

18. A touch input device comprising:

a touch unit configured to receive a touch gesture of a user, which includes a gesture input unit positioned at a center and a swiping input unit provided along an edge of the gesture input unit; and

an edge unit surrounding the swiping input unit,

wherein the swiping input unit gradually deepens from an edge portion toward a central portion, wherein the swiping input unit has a surface area smaller than that of the gesture input unit,

wherein the gesture input unit and the swiping input unit receive separate touch signals,

wherein the swiping input unit includes a plurality of graduations arranged at uniform intervals along the circumference of the swiping input unit,

wherein the swiping input unit is rotatably provided with respect to the gesture input unit,

wherein the swiping input unit is configured to be pressed or tilted by a pressure applied by the user to receive a signal,

wherein the swiping input unit is inclined downward from the gesture input unit in a stepwise manner,

wherein a boundary of the swiping input unit is positioned higher than a boundary of the gesture input unit,

wherein a slope of the swiping input unit is constant,

wherein the slope of the swiping input unit is equal to or greater than a maximum slope of the gesture input unit, and

wherein the swiping input unit is configured not to recognize a touch on the swiping input unit while the touch gesture is input onto the gesture input unit.

19. The touch input device according to claim 18, wherein the swiping input unit is inclined downward between the edge unit and the gesture input unit.

20. A vehicle comprising:

a touch unit to which a user can input a touch gesture,

wherein the touch unit includes;

a gesture input unit positioned at a center of the touch unit; and

a swiping input unit configured to be inclined downward along an edge of the gesture input unit, wherein the swiping input unit has a surface area smaller than that of the gesture input unit,

wherein the gesture input unit and the swiping input unit receive separate touch signals,

wherein the swiping input unit includes a plurality of graduations arranged at uniform intervals along the circumference of the swiping input unit,

wherein the swiping input unit is rotatably provided with respect to the gesture input unit,

wherein the swiping input unit is configured to be pressed or tilted by a pressure applied by the user to receive a signal,

wherein the swiping input unit is inclined downward from the gesture input unit in a stepwise manner,

wherein a boundary of the swiping input unit is positioned higher than a boundary of the gesture input unit,

wherein a slope of the swiping input unit is constant,

wherein the slope of the swiping input unit is equal to or greater than a maximum slope of the gesture input unit, and

wherein the swiping input unit is configured not to recognize a touch on the swiping input unit;

a display device; and

a control unit configured to operate the display device according to an input signal input to the touch input device.

21. The vehicle according to claim 20, wherein the display device is included in at least one of, an audio system, an audio/video navigation (AVN) system, a dashboard, and a head-up display (HUD) device.

22. The vehicle according to claim 20, wherein the control unit converts a gesture input to the touch input device into the input signal, and sends an operation signal to display an operation supported by the input signal on the display device.

23. The vehicle according to claim 20, wherein the touch input device is installed in a gearbox.