Communications: electrical – Tactual indication
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-21
2004-03-23
Wu, Daniel J. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Tactual indication
C340S007600, C340S438000, C341S027000, C345S184000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06710707
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a vehicle-mounted input device for operating various vehicle-mounted electronic apparatuses concentrically by means of a single manual control section and, more particularly, to means for improving controllability of the input device.
2. Description of Related Art
Automobiles in recent years are equipped with many electronic apparatuses such as air conditioner, radio, television, CD player and car navigation system. If the driver tries to control these electronic apparatuses separately, it is quite likely that the driving of the automobile will be adversely affected. To prevent this, therefore, there has been proposed a vehicle-mounted input device capable of performing the control of all these apparatuses by manipulating a single manual control section, for the purpose of facilitating on-off operation of a desired electronic apparatus, selection of its function, and adjustment of the selected function while performing safety driving.
FIGS. 8 through 13
show the configuration of a conventional vehicle-mounted input device that has been proposed.
FIG. 8
is an inside view of an automobile mounted with the vehicle-mounted input device.
FIG. 9
is a side view of the vehicle-mounted input device of a conventional example.
FIG. 10
is a plan view of the manual control section of the vehicle-mounted input device.
FIG. 11
is a plan view of a guide plate of the vehicle-mounted input device.
FIG. 12
is a table showing a relation between the position of engagement of an engagement pin with a guide slot when the air conditioner has been selected by the switching device and the function to be selected.
FIG. 13
is a table showing a relation between the position of engagement of an engagement pin with a guide slot when a radio has been selected by a switching device, and a function to be selected.
As shown in
FIG. 8
, the vehicle-mounted input device
100
of this example is located in a console box
200
mounted between the driver's seat and the assistant driver's seat of the automobile.
The vehicle-mounted input device
100
of this example, as shown in
FIGS. 9 through 11
, is mainly comprised of a manual control section
110
having a couple of click switches
111
and
112
as signal input means and three rotary variable resistors
113
,
114
and
115
; an XY table
120
which is driven in the X direction and the Y direction intersecting at right angles with the X direction by the manual control section
110
; a stick controller
130
as positional signal input means for inputting signals according to the direction and amount of operation of the XY table
120
; and a guide plate
140
engaged with the manual control section
110
through the XY table
120
.
The manual control section
110
and the XY table
120
are integrally connected by a connecting shaft
150
. The XY table
120
is engaged with the guide plate
140
by sliding the forward end of an engaging pin
160
projecting from the underside of the XY table
120
, into a guide slot
141
formed in the upper surface of the guide plate
140
. The guide slot
141
, as shown in
FIG. 11
, includes three longitudinal slots
141
a
,
141
b
, and
141
c
arranged at a fixed spacing, and one horizontal slot
141
d
connecting at the central part these three longitudinal slots
141
a
,
141
b
and
141
c
. The slots
141
a
to
141
d
are formed in a width so that the engaging pin
160
is movable only in the lengthwise direction. Therefore the manual control section
110
and the XY table
120
are movable only in the X direction (in the lengthwise direction of the horizontal slot
141
d
) within the range of the pattern and size of the guide slot
141
, and in the Y direction (in the lengthwise direction of the longitudinal slots
141
a
to
141
c
) intersecting at right angles with the X direction.
The changeover of the function of the vehicle-mounted electronic apparatus, as indicated by reference marks A to I, can be done by operating either one of the two click switches
111
and
112
provided on the manual control section
110
after moving the engaging pin
160
to the end or the central portion of the longitudinal slots
141
a
,
141
b
, and
141
c
. That is, information about the position of engagement between the engaging pin
160
and the guide slot
141
selected by operating the manual control section
110
and the XY table
120
can be outputted from the stick controller
130
. Therefore, by utilizing the position information, the function of a vehicle-mounted electronic apparatus to be operated can be selected properly.
The function of the electronic apparatus thus selected by operating the manual control section
110
and the click switch
111
or
112
can be adjusted by operating one of the three rotary variable resistors
113
,
114
and
115
of the manual control section
110
.
The vehicle-mounted input device
100
of the aforementioned configuration is combined with the switching device for alternatively selecting required one of a plurality of vehicle-mounted electronic apparatuses, a display device which displays details of the name of the electronic apparatus selected by the switching device, and details of operation by the vehicle-mounted input device
100
, and the computer for controlling these devices, thereby concentrically controlling the electronic apparatus.
A switching device
170
is a combination of a plurality (five in the example shown in
FIG. 8
) of switches
171
a
to
171
e
. As shown in
FIG. 8
, the switching device
170
is mounted in the vicinity of the setting section of the vehicle-mounted input device
100
in the console box
200
. Furthermore, a display device
180
, such as a liquid-crystal display device, is mounted in an easy-to-view position on the console box
200
. The computer is located inside of the console box
200
and therefore is not illustrated.
The switches
171
a
to
171
e
provided in the switching device
170
are connected to a plurality of vehicle-mounted electronic apparatuses. For example, in the case the switches
171
a
,
171
b
,
171
c
,
171
d
and
171
e
are connected respectively to the air conditioner, radio, television, CD player, and car navigation system which are mounted on an automobile, the air conditioner can be selected alternatively by operating the switch
171
a
, and also the radio can be selected alternatively by operating the switch
171
b
. Other electronic apparatuses also can be selected by a similar switch operation. Therefore, it is possible to turn on and off a desired electronic apparatus by operating the switches
171
a
to
171
e
of the switching device
170
.
The selection and adjustment of the function of the electronic apparatus thus selected by the switching device
170
can be operated by the vehicle-mounted input device. The function that can be selected by the vehicle-mounted input device
100
varies with the type of the electronic apparatus selected. For example, when the air conditioner has been selected by the switching device
170
, the relation between the function to be selected and the positions of engagement A to I of the engaging pin
160
which engages with the guide slot
141
shown in
FIG. 11
is as shown in FIG.
12
. When the radio has been selected by the switching device
170
, the relation between the function selected and the positions of engagement A to I is as shown in FIG.
13
.
In the meantime, the function that can be adjusted by the vehicle-mounted input device
100
differs with the type and function of the electronic apparatus selected. For example, when the air conditioner is selected by the switching device
170
and “AIR FLOW RATE CONTROL” is selected by the manual control section
110
, the air flow rate in the air conditioner can be controlled by the first rotary variable resistor
113
. Also when the air conditioner is selected by the switching device
170
and the “TEMPERATURE CONTROL” is selected by the manual control section
110
, the set temperature of the air conditioner can be con
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Tang Son
Wu Daniel J.
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