Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display peripheral interface input device – Cursor mark position control device
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-20
2001-10-09
Shalwala, Bipin (Department: 2778)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display peripheral interface input device
Cursor mark position control device
Reexamination Certificate
active
06300939
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is generally related to an input device which enables the control of one or more devices with which a vehicle is equipped in a secure and comfortable way for the driver of the vehicle.
Today vehicles, especially cars and trucks, are more and more equipped with electrical components like car radios, telephones, navigation systems and others. Each of these pieces of car equipment have their own input devices. Besides the control of these pieces of car equipment a lot of devices of the car can be controlled by the driver with other keys, buttons and levers for example electrically controlled back mirrors, windscreen wipers, electrical controllable seat positions and others.
Drivers today have difficulty in finding and using the different pieces of car equipment because of this wide variety of different input and control devices. It is a difficult task for the driver to know all keys and buttons of the equipment and to select the functions of these pieces of equipment. Sometimes drivers get into dangerous traffic situations because they have to concentrate more on operating a huge number of keys and buttons than concentrating on the traffic situation.
The DE patent application DE 3842414 discloses a device for vehicles which integrates the control of a variety of electrical equipment installed in the motor vehicle which the driver may want to activate. This device comprises a visual display monitor which is connected not only to the engine and vehicle instrumentation but also with this variety of aforementioned electrical equipment. The picture screen of the monitor is subdivided into several regions and all the functions that would otherwise be performed by individual buttons, knobs and switches can be performed by a ball control for directing a cursor on the screen of the monitor which can be located on the steering wheel. While a particular piece of equipment selected is being controlled, the corresponding field of the monitor selected by the cursor has its light to dark contrast reversed, to indicate that the corresponding equipment is in the process of being adjusted.
A roller ball, which is integrated into the steering wheel of the car, is near to the hand of the driver but this solution has the disadvantage that the driver, who wants to operate the equipment of the vehicle, has to remove his hand or at least his fingers partly from the hand grip of the steering wheel to reach the ball control.
Furthermore the driver has to rotate the steering wheel to an upward position together with the roller ball input device when the vehicle is for example in a parking position to operate the ball control in a comfortable way. Bringing the steering wheel to an upward position is a rather difficult task when the vehicle is in a parking position, furthermore maybe the steering wheel lock has to be opened before the steering wheel can be turned to the upward position. Anyhow the parking position is as a rule the best position to control devices of the car because the driver does not have to concentrate on the traffic situation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an input device for providing data input comprising a moveable element, the moveable element is capable of rotating about an axis of rotation and displacement orthogonal to the direction of rotational movement, means for detecting said rotation, means for detecting said orthogonal displacement, and means for translating said rotation and said orthogonal displacement into signals indicative of respective data inputs.
The present invention provides an input and control device for vehicle equipment which alleviates at least some of the disadvantages described above.
The input device is preferably built in the shape of a ring. This ring can be rotated about the axis of rotation and said ring like element can be displaced orthogonal to the direction of the rotational movement of the ring.
The displacement orthogonal to the direction of the rotational movement can also be a rotation of this ring.
The rotational movements can be translated into signals indicative of respective data inputs by infrared sensor systems which are for example well known to translate the movements of a computer mouse into electrical signals to control functions of a computer.
The displacement of the ring like element orthogonal to the direction of rotational movement of the ring element can also be detected by pushbuttons which are mounted below the ring. When the ring is rotated orthogonal to the direction of rotational movement and the ring has a half circle cross section, one or more of several pushbuttons which are mounted below the plain area of the ring are closed and they provide a signal which indicates that a displacement of the ring orthogonal to the direction of rotational movement takes place. To distinguish between displacement in two directions also two circles with pushbuttons below the ring are necessary. If the ring is rotated in one direction, one of the pushbutton circle is actuated and for rotation in the other direction, the other pushbutton circle is actuated.
The input device is preferably installed in the steering wheel of a vehicle. It can, for example, be mounted on the centre part of the steering wheel. If this location is not applicable because eg the centre part is occupied by the driver airbag the input device can also be mounted around the inner part of the steering wheel.
It is also advantageous to install the input device on the handgrip of the steering wheel. The diameter of the input device is then the same as the diameter of the handgrip of the steering wheel and can be simply operated by the driver without removing his hand from the steering wheel. It is possible for the driver to leave his hands in the optimal driving position while operating the input device with this kind of construction.
If the input device is placed on the steering wheel of a vehicle the axes of rotation of the steering wheel and of the input device are parallel and the relative displacement between the rotational movement of the input device and the steering wheel is translated into signals indicative of the respective data inputs. This leads to the advantage that a rotation of the steering wheel together with the input device does not have any effect on the output signal of the input device and the input device can be used independently of the position of the steering wheel.
The description above shows that the axes of rotation of the input device and the steering wheel should be parallel to measure the relative movement between the steering wheel and the input device. It is advantageous if the axes are also congruent, this means that the input device is mounted in the middle of the steering wheel, on the steering wheel with a smaller diameter then the steering wheel or on the handgrip of the steering wheel as mentioned above.
Because of the rotational movement and the displacement orthogonal to the direction of rotational movement of the input device which are translated into signals indicative of respective data inputs it is advantageous to represent these movements on a display which is connected with the input device. This means that a cursor which can be used to make selections on a display may be moved based on polar co-ordinates. A rotational movement of the input device causes also a rotational movement on a circle of the cursor and if a displacement of the moveable element is sensed then the radius of the circle of the cursor describes becomes larger or smaller.
The rotational movement of the moveable element may be translated 1 to 1 to the rotation of the cursor on the display. To avoid large movements of the moveable element if the cursor has to be circled eg around 180 degrees it can be useful to expand the movement of the cursor in that way that the moveable element has only to be circled e.g. 45 degrees to have a 180 degree movement of the cursor on the display.
If the input device is equipped with a pushbutton system below the
Decker Peter
Fuhrmann Thomas
Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd.
Osorio Ricardo
Perman & Green LLP
Shalwala Bipin
LandOfFree
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