INPUT APPARATUS FOR VEHICLE

• US 20090076676A1
• Filed: 08/21/2008
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Miyata, Masahiko, Kumagai, Katsuhide, YAMAMOTO, Norio, Kitagawa, Nozomi
• Granted Patent: US 9,218,059 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/782 on the steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/782 on the steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20201 Control moves in two planes

Abstract

An input apparatus for a vehicle, the apparatus being used for operation input to various vehicular electronic devices, sets position input permission areas on a two-dimensional operation surface of an operation input device discretely by control of a main controller. In control modes of a reaction force, a guide input mode where position indication operations to the areas on the operation surface by the operation input device are guided along unique paths defined in the respective area and an arbitrary mode where the position indication operations are not guided but performed freely can be changed. The guide input mode is set at least during a vehicle travel.

Claims

1. An input apparatus for a vehicle, being used for an operation input of a vehicular electronic device, the input apparatus comprising:

an operation input device for performing a position indication operation on a two-dimensional surface having a predetermined operation range wherein an operation axis is maintained at a neutral angle position when not in operation and wherein the operation input device is operated, against an reaction force that returns the operation axis to the neutral angle position, to tilt the operation axis in a direction of a position to be indicated when in operation;

reaction force applying means for applying the reaction force in response to a position indication operation performed to the operation input device;

selectable area setting means for setting selectable areas for the position input in the operation range on the two-dimensional operation surface; and

reaction force control means for setting, as a control mode for the reaction force, a guide input mode in which the reaction force is controlled to guide the position indication operation toward the selectable areas by the operation input device along unique paths defined on the selectable areas on the two-dimensional surface.

2. The input apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the reaction force control means has, as a control mode for the reaction force, an arbitrary mode in which a position indication operation toward the selectable areas by the operation input device can be performed arbitrarily in the operation range on the two-dimensional operation surface, and

the guide input mode is set at least during a travel of a vehicle.

3. The input apparatus of claim 2 further comprising travel condition detecting means for detecting a predetermined travel condition of the vehicle,

wherein the reaction force control means sets the guide input mode when the travel condition is detected, and sets the arbitrary mode when the travel condition is not detected.

4. The input apparatus of claim 3,

wherein the travel condition detecting means is a means for detecting a vehicle speed of the vehicle, and the reaction force control means sets the guide input mode when the detected vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a preset vehicle speed level, and sets the arbitrary mode when the detected vehicle speed is smaller than the preset vehicle speed level.

5. The input apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the position input is performed when a position indicated by the position indication operation of the operation input device is on the selectable area.

6. The input apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the selectable area setting means sets the selectable areas in the operation range on the two-dimensional operation surface in accordance with setting patterns in which arrangement positions of the selectable areas in the operation range on the two-dimensional operation surface correspond to control contents performed by the position input to the selectable areas, and assigns the corresponding control contents to the selectable areas.

7. The input apparatus of claim 6,

wherein the setting patterns include a plurality of setting patterns having different correspondences between the selectable areas and the control contents, and a setting pattern change portion is provided to change the plurality of setting patterns.

8. The input apparatus of claim 7,

wherein the setting patterns include setting patterns respectively having different arrangement forms of the selectable areas in the operation range on the two-dimensional operation surface.

9. The input apparatus of claim 8,

wherein the arrangement forms of the selectable areas in the operation range on the two-dimensional operation surface are defined in accordance with a number of the selectable areas in the setting patterns.

10. The input apparatus of claim 6,

wherein the control contents include a content performing a control for changing a current one of the setting patterns into a different one of the setting patterns in accordance with the position input to the corresponding selectable area.

11. The input apparatus of claim 10,

wherein the setting patterns assign the different vehicular electronic device or different device functions of the vehicular electronic device to a plurality of the selectable areas, and

the control contents assigned to the plurality of the selectable areas respectively have a content of a change to a setting pattern for, in accordance with the position input to each of the selectable areas, specifying a control indication content for the vehicular electronic device or the device function corresponding to the selectable area and for performing a control based on the control indication content.

12. The input apparatus of claim 6,

wherein the control contents include a content for specifying a control indication content corresponding to the vehicular electronic device or the device function of the vehicular electronic device in accordance with the position input to the corresponding selectable area and for performing a control based on the control indication content.

14. The input apparatus of claim 7 further comprising:

operation content display means for displaying correspondences between arrangement positions of the selectable areas set by the selectable area setting means and the control contents corresponding to the selectable areas; and

display content changing means for, in accordance with a change of the setting patterns by the selectable area setting means, changing a display content displayed by the operation content display means to a corresponding content.

15. The input apparatus of claim 14,

wherein the operation content display means displays figures of arrangement positions of the selectable areas and figures of the unique paths toward the arrangement positions, at least in the guide input mode.

16. The input apparatus of claim 14,

wherein the operation content display means displays the display content on a meter display disposed in front of a driver'"'"'s seat.

17. The input apparatus of claim 14,

wherein the operation content display means is composed as a head-up display which projects the display content on a windshield in front of the driver'"'"'s seat.

18. The input apparatus of claim 14,

wherein the operation content display means displays the display content on a center display disposed to a center on a front in a vehicle interior.

19. The input apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the operation input device is provided on a steering wheel of the vehicle.

20. The input apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the operation input device is disposed on a center console of the vehicle and next to a sitting portion of a seat.

21. The input apparatus of claim 19,

wherein a length of an operation stroke toward the corresponding selectable area on the two-dimensional operation surface on each of the unique paths is set to a unique length in accordance with an operation direction of the operation input device.

22. The input apparatus of claim 21,

wherein the selectable area setting means sets the selectable areas on the two-dimensional operation surface discretely in accordance with a setting pattern in which arrangement positions of the selectable areas in the operation range on the two-dimensional operation surface correspond to control contents performed by the position input to the selectable areas, and assigns corresponding control contents to the selectable areas.

23. The input apparatus of claim 21,

wherein a whole unique path including all the unique paths can include an upward operation path guiding an upward operation of the operation input device to move toward the corresponding selectable area and a downward operation path guiding a downward operation of the operation input device to move toward the corresponding selectable area, and

when both of the upward operation path and the downward operation path are present, an operation stroke of the upward operation path is set longer than that of the downward operation path.

24. The input apparatus of claim 23,

wherein the whole unique path includes one common path extending in a lateral operation direction of the operation input device on the two-dimensional operation surface, and

the upward operation path directly connected to the selectable area corresponding thereto and the downward operation path directly connected to the selectable area corresponding thereto are connected to the common path.

25. The input apparatus of claim 24,

wherein the upward operation path and the downward operation path are connected to the common path vertically as linear paths.

26. The input apparatus of claim 24,

wherein the common path is disposed below a neutral position of the reaction force on the two-dimensional operation surface.

27. The input apparatus of claim 24,

wherein the common path is disposed to a position passing through a neutral position of the reaction force on the two-dimensional operation surface.

28. The input apparatus of claim 26,

wherein a non-selectable path further extending downward from the corresponding selectable area and not receiving the position input is defined on the downward operation path.

29. The input apparatus of claim 21,

wherein, when the steering wheel is in a reference position in which the vehicle travels straight and a driver grips both sides of the steering wheel, the operation input device is disposed to be operable by a thumb of a hand of the driver.

30. The input apparatus of claim 21 further comprising:

operation content display means for displaying correspondences between arrangement positions of the selectable areas set by the selectable area setting means and the control contents corresponding to the selectable areas, for displaying figures of the unique paths corresponding to the selectable areas, and for displaying figures of operation stroke amounts toward the selectable areas corresponding to the unique paths regardless of actual lengths of the operation stroke amounts by the operation input device.

31. The input apparatus of claim 30, comprising requirement of claim 23,

wherein the operation content display means displays figures of the operation stroke amounts of the upward operation path and the downward operation path such that lengths of the figures are uniform.

32. The input apparatus of claim 19, comprising an operation input device operable by a thumb of a driver when the steering wheel is in a reference position in which the vehicle travels straight and when the driver grips both sides of the steering wheel,

wherein a whole unique path including the unique paths includes a vertical path extending in a vertical operation direction of the operation input device on the two dimensional operation surface, and

at least the vertical path has a curved shape around a base knuckle disposed to a base of the thumb for operation.

33. The input apparatus of claim 32,

wherein the selectable area setting means sets the selectable areas discretely on the two-dimensional operation surface in accordance with a setting pattern in which arrangement positions of the selectable areas in the operation range on the two-dimensional operation surface correspond to control contents performed by the position input to the selectable areas, and assigns the corresponding control contents to the selectable areas.

34. The input apparatus of claim 32,

wherein the plurality of vertical paths can be provided on the two-dimensional operation surface, and when the plurality of the vertical paths are provided, all the vertical paths have the curved shapes.

35. The input apparatus of claim 32,

wherein different operation strokes are set on the vertical paths having the curved shapes in accordance with distances from the base knuckle on the two-dimensional operation plane.

36. The input apparatus of claim 35,

wherein a longer operation stroke is defined on each of the vertical paths having the curved shapes as a distance from the base knuckle is longer on the two-dimensional operation plane.

37. The input apparatus of claim 35,

wherein, among the vertical paths having the curved shapes, the vertical path disposed to a center portion in a lateral operation direction of the operation input device on the two-dimensional operation surface have a longer operation stroke than that of the vertical path disposed outside the center portion.

38. The input apparatus of claim 34 further comprising vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a vehicle speed of the vehicle,

wherein a vertical operation stroke of the vertical path is set longer as the detected vehicle speed is higher, and the vertical operation stroke of the vertical path is set shorter as the detected vehicle speed is slower.

39. The input apparatus of claim 32,

wherein a single common path shared by the plurality of unique paths extends in a lateral operation direction of the operation input device and can be defined on the whole unique paths on the two-dimensional operation surface, and when the single common path is present, the vertical paths having the curved shapes are connected to the common path.

40. The input apparatus of claim 39,

wherein the vertical path is, on the two-dimensional operation surface, any one of an upward operation path guiding an upward operation of the operation input device to move toward the corresponding selectable area and a downward operation path guiding a downward operation of the operation input device to move toward the corresponding selectable area, and

the vertical path is a path directly connected to the common path and the corresponding selectable area along the curved shape.

41. The input apparatus of claim 39,

wherein the vertical path is, on the two-dimensional operation surface, any one of an upward operation path guiding an upward operation of the operation input device to move toward the corresponding selectable area and a downward operation path guiding a downward operation of the operation input device to move toward the corresponding selectable area, and

when both of the upward operation path and the downward operation path are present on the two-dimensional operation surface, an operation stroke of the upward operation path is defined longer than an operation stroke of the downward operation path.

42. The input apparatus of claim 32,

wherein the operation input device is provided on both of a left and a right of the steering wheel at the reference position, and a positional relationship between the vertical path and the corresponding base knuckle is opposed symmetrically in each of the operation input device and the curved shape of the vertical path is opposed to each other in each of the operation input devices

43. The input apparatus of claim 32 further comprising:

operation content display means for displaying correspondences between arrangement positions of the selectable areas set by the selectable area setting means and the control contents corresponding to the selectable areas, and for displaying figures of the vertical paths corresponding to the selectable areas in reflection of the curved shape.

44. The input apparatus of claim 43, comprising requirement of claim 42,

wherein the operation content display means displays the unique paths in both of the operation input devices, in which the curved shapes of the vertical path in one of the operation input devices are opposed to the curved shapes of the vertical path in the other of the operation input devices, in different figures in reflection of the curved shapes.

13. The input apparatus of claim 13,

wherein the control contents include a content for causing the operation reaction control means to perform a control of the reaction force restricting the position input to the selectable areas except the corresponding selectable area in accordance with the position input to the corresponding selectable area in the guide input mode.