CONTROL DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING AT LEAST TWO FUNCTIONS OF A MOTOR VEHICLE

• US 20170024058A1
• Filed: 12/18/2014
• Published: 01/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DAV Société par actions simplifiée
• Original Assignee: DAV Société par actions simplifiée
• Inventors: AUBRY, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 10,664,089 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1438 Touch screens
• 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: 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: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 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 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

The invention relates to a man/machine interface (10) that can be used to control at least two functions of a motor vehicle, said man/machine interface comprising: a capacitive touch pad (20) including at least two control areas (21, 22, 23), each control area being configured to receive a command for at least one function; a haptic feedback device (40) configured to supply feedback to the user of the man/machine interface as acknowledgement of the command; and a control device (30) configured to receive a signal from the touch pad that is representative of a command from the user on the touch pad and to accept the command when the level of the signal received is greater than or equal to a threshold value. The invention is characterised in that the control device is configured to include different threshold values for at least two control areas of the touch pad.

Claims

1. A human/machine interface possible to control at least two functions of a motor vehicle, the human/machine interface comprising:

a capacitive touch pad comprising at least two control zones, each control zone being configured to receive a command for at least one function,

a haptic feedback device configured to provide feedback to the user of the human/machine interface on recognition of the command;

a control device configured to receive from the touch pad a signal representative of a command from the user on said touch pad and to recognize said command when the level of the signal received is greater than or equal to a threshold value,

wherein the control device is configured to comprise different threshold values for at least two of the control zones of the touch pad.

2. The human/machine interface as claimed in claim 1, in which the haptic feedback device is configured to provide a different haptic effect as a function of the control zone of the touch pad used by the user.

3. The human/machine interface as claimed in claim 1, in which at least one of the two control zones of the touch pad is a control zone of “

push”

type configured to receive a “

push”

type command.

4. The human/machine interface as claimed in claim 3, in which at least one of the two control zones of the touch pad is a control zone of “

slide”

or “

pinch”

type configured to receive a “

slide”

or “

pinch”

type command.

5. The human/machine interface as claimed in claim 4, in which the control device is configured to have a threshold value for the control zone of “

slide”

or “

pinch”

type greater than the threshold value for the control zone of “

push”

type.

6. The human/machine interface as claimed in claim 1, in which the capacitive touch pad comprises an array of electrically charged electrodes and the signal representative of a command from the user on said touch pad is linked to the disturbance of the electrostatic field generated by the array of electrodes upon a command from the user on the touch pad.

7. The human/machine interface as claimed in claim 6, in which the amplitude of the signal representative of a command from the user on said touch pad is proportional to the capacitance measured between each electrode of the array of electrodes and the control means of the user upon a command from the user on the touch pad.

8. The human/machine interface as claimed in claim 6, in which the control device is configured to determine, for at least one of the control zones of the touch pad, the function to be activated when the level of the signal received is greater than or equal to the threshold value corresponding to said zone as a function of the number of electrodes of the array of electrodes of the capacitive touch pad for which the level of the signal is greater than or equal to said threshold value.

9. The human/machine interface as claimed in claim 8, in which the haptic feedback device is configured to provide a different haptic feedback as a function of the number of electrodes of the array of electrodes of the capacitive touch pad for which the level of the signal is greater than or equal to said threshold value.

10. A dashboard of a motor vehicle comprising a human/machine interface as claimed in claim 1.