Machine element or mechanism – Control lever and linkage systems – Multiple controlled elements
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-15
2004-10-19
Bucci, David A. (Department: 3682)
Machine element or mechanism
Control lever and linkage systems
Multiple controlled elements
C074S469000, C345S161000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06805020
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manual input device which enables central control with a single knob of various electric apparatuses which are, for example, mounted in a car, and particularly to means for selecting the direction of manipulation of the above-mentioned knob.
2. Description of Related Art
Modern cars are equipped with various electric apparatuses such as an air conditioner, radio, television, CD player and navigation system. If the driver tries to operate many such electric apparatuses individually using the respective control means provided on these apparatuses during a drive, he/she may be unable to drive the car smoothly. In order to allow the driver to turn on or off any desired electric apparatus, select a function or perform any other operation without any inconvenience for his/her safe drive, a manual input device which enables the driver to control various electric apparatuses by manipulation of a single knob has been proposed.
This kind of manual input device as prior art will be explained referring to
FIGS. 13
to
16
.
FIG. 13
shows an example of a manual input device installed in a car;
FIG. 14
is a side view illustrating a proposed conventional manual input device;
FIG. 15
is a top view illustrating the knob of the manual input device as shown in
FIG. 14
; and
FIG. 16
is a top view illustrating the guide plate built in the manual input device as shown in FIG.
14
.
As illustrated in
FIG. 13
, this manual input device
100
is installed in a console box
200
located between the driver's seat and the passenger's seat. As shown in
FIG. 14
, this conventional manual input device
100
is mainly composed of the following: a knob
110
which has two clicking switches
111
and
112
as signal input means and three rotary variable resistors
113
,
114
and
115
(see FIG.
15
); an XY table
120
which is driven in two directions perpendicular to each other (a direction perpendicular to the side view in FIG.
14
and the right-left direction as you face the figure) by the knob
110
; a stick controller
130
as a position sensor which inputs a signal to an external apparatus according to the direction and amount of movement of the XY table
120
; and a guide plate
140
which engages with an engagement pin
160
projecting downward from the bottom face of the XY table
120
(see FIG.
16
).
The knob
110
and XY table
120
are connected through a connecting shaft
150
and the XY table
120
and guide plate
140
are engaged with each other by the engagement pin
160
whose tip is movably inserted in a guide groove
141
of the guide plate
140
. This guide groove
141
may have any shape which allows the tip of the engagement pin
160
to be moved in specific directions. For instance, as shown in
FIG. 16
, when a guide groove
141
in the plane shape of a cross is engraved on the upper surface of the guide plate
140
, the tip of the engagement pin
160
can be moved from the center A to end points B, C, D and E as shown, in the two directions which intersect almost perpendicularly. In other words, by manipulating the knob
110
, the engagement pin
160
can be moved along the guide groove
141
of the guide plate
140
through the XY table
120
so that, with the tip of the engagement pin
160
at end point A, B, C, D or E in the guide groove
141
, the information on that engagement position (positional signal) is outputted from the stick controller
130
. This means that it is possible to select a car-mounted electric apparatus function to be operated (a function to be controlled). Once the desired electric apparatus function is selected in this way, the selected function can be adjusted or switched on or off by manipulating the two clicking switches
111
and
112
on the knob
110
and the three rotary variable resistors
113
,
114
and
115
as appropriate.
As shown in
FIG. 13
, the manual input device
100
thus structured allows central control of a plurality of car-mounted electric apparatuses by the use of a combination of a switch device
170
and a display unit
180
and a computer as a controller (not shown in the figure). Here, the switch device
170
enables the user to select a desired electric apparatus among the ones mounted in the car; the display unit
180
indicates various information including the name of the electric apparatus selected through the switch device
170
and information on the operation done by means of the manual input device
100
; and the computer controls these. The switch device
170
is installed in the console box
200
and its control switches
171
a
to
171
e
are located in the vicinity of the manual input device
100
and connected with different electric apparatuses. If the control switches
171
a
to
171
e
are respectively connected to a car-mounted air conditioner, radio, television, CD player and navigation system, the user can turn on or off the air conditioner or specify the air conditioner mode to the manual input device
100
using the control switch
171
a
, or turn on or off the radio or specify the radio mode to the manual input device
100
using the control switch
171
b
; likewise, by operating the other control switches
171
c
to
171
e
, the user can turn on or off the corresponding electric apparatuses or specify their modes to the manual input device
100
. The display unit
180
(for example, a liquid crystal display) is conveniently located for the driver's viewing and the computer is built in the console box
200
.
While it is possible to select a function of the electric apparatus selected through the switch device
170
or make a functional adjustment using the manual input device
100
, the functions which can be selected or adjusted through the manual input device
100
vary depending on the type of electric apparatus selected. For example, if the air conditioner mode is selected using the switch device
170
, the function of “air flow rate control” is selected by manipulating the knob
110
to bring the engagement pin
160
to the end point B of the guide groove
141
of the guide plate
140
and pushing in the clicking switch
111
with a click; likewise the function of “air blow-off position control,” the function of “air blow-off direction control” and the function of “temperature control” are selected by manipulating the knob
110
to bring the pin
160
to the end points C, D, and E of the guide groove
141
, respectively, to click the clicking switch
111
.
Once one of these control functions has been selected, the selected function can be adjusted by manipulating the rotary variable resistors
113
to
115
as appropriate. For example, if the air conditioner mode is selected by means of the switch device
170
and the function of “air flow rate control” is selected by means of the clicking switch
111
, the air conditioner's air flow rate can be controlled by manipulating the rotary variable resistor
113
; likewise, if the function of “air blow-off position control” is selected, the air conditioner's air blow-off position can be controlled by manipulating the rotary variable resistors
114
and
115
. Further, if the radio mode is selected by means of the switch device
170
and the function of “volume control” is selected by means of the clicking switch
111
, the radio's volume can be controlled by manipulating the rotary variable resistor
113
; likewise if the “tuning” function is selected in the radio mode, tuning of the radio can be done by manipulating the rotary variable resistors
114
and
115
.
However, in the conventional manual input device
100
, because the knob
110
is held connected with the guide plate
140
through the XY table
120
, and the knob
110
can be manipulated only in specific directions which are determined by the engagement of the tip of the engagement pin
160
with the guide groove
141
of the guide plate
140
, the knob
110
can be used only for selecting a function of the electric apparatus selected by the switch device
170
an
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Bucci David A.
Smith Julie K.
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