Operation device comprising a housing arranged on a center cluster

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12001759-B2
Application number	US-202318189034-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2023
Priority date	Mar 24, 2022
Publication date	Jun 4, 2024
Grant date	Jun 4, 2024

Abstract

An operation device includes a housing arranged on a center cluster located diagonally in front of a driver seat and a passenger seat of a vehicle, a left-side operation unit and a right-side operation unit arranged on a right side and a left side, respectively, of a front surface of the housing to receive an operation, a left-side operation detection unit and a right-side operation detection unit to detect an operation performed on the left-side operation unit and the right-side operation unit, respectively, a substrate on which the left-side and right-side operation detection units are arranged, and an output unit that outputs a sound in response to a received operation and is arranged on the substrate so as to be located between the left-side operation detection unit and the right-side operation detection unit at a position to equalize distances from the driver seat and the passenger seat.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An operation device, comprising:
a housing arranged on a center cluster located diagonally in front of a driver seat and a passenger seat of a vehicle;
a left-side operation unit arranged on a left side of a front surface of the housing to receive an operation;
a right-side operation unit arranged on a right side of the front surface to receive an operation;
a left-side operation detection unit to detect an operation performed on the left-side operation unit;
a right-side operation detection unit to detect an operation performed on the right-side operation unit;
a substrate on which the left-side operation detection unit and the right-side operation detection unit are arranged; and
an output unit that outputs a sound in response to a received operation and is fixedly arranged on the substrate so as to be located between the left-side operation detection unit and the right-side operation detection unit at a position to equalize distances from the driver seat and the passenger seat such that a difference in how the sound is heard by a passenger in the driver seat or the passenger seat is suppressed.

2. The operation device according to claim 1 , wherein a first transmission path electrically connecting the left-side operation unit to the left-side operation detection unit to transmit a signal and a second transmission path electrically connecting the right-side operation unit to the right-side operation detection unit to transmit a signal comprise paths equal to each other.

3. The operation device according to claim 1 , wherein the left-side operation unit and the right-side operation unit receive a touch operation, and wherein the left-side operation detection unit and the right-side operation detection unit detect a touch operation performed on the left-side operation unit and the right-side operation unit using a capacitive sensing method.

4. The operation device according to claim 1 , wherein the left-side operation detection unit and the right-side operation detection unit are provided on a left-side semiconductor element and a right-side semiconductor element, and wherein the output unit is arranged so that a center thereof coincides with a midpoint of a straight line connecting element centers of the left-side semiconductor element and the right-side semiconductor element.

5. The operation device according to claim 1 , further comprising a control unit that is arranged on the substrate, is electrically connected to the left-side operation detection unit and the right-side operation detection unit, and controls the output unit to output a sound in response to a touch operation detected by the left-side operation detection unit and the right-side operation detection unit.

6. The operation device according to claim 5 , wherein the control unit is electrically connected to an air conditioner of the vehicle and controls the air conditioner based on a received touch operation.

7. The operation device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is disposed along a center line passing through a center of the vehicle so as to equalize the distances.

8. The operation device according to claim 1 , wherein a center of the control unit is located on a center line passing through a center of the vehicle so as to equalize the distances.

9. The operation device according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit is disposed so as to equalize distances from the left-side semiconductor element and the right-side semiconductor element.

10. The operation device according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate is disposed parallel to the front surface of the housing, and is elongated along a left-right axis.

11. An operation device, comprising:
a housing arranged on a center cluster located diagonally in front of a driver seat and a passenger seat of a vehicle;
a left-side operation unit arranged on a left side of a front surface of the housing to receive an operation;
a right-side operation unit arranged on a right side of the front surface to receive an operation;
a left-side operation detection unit to detect an operation performed on the left-side operation unit;
a right-side operation detection unit to detect an operation performed on the right-side operation unit;
a substrate on which the left-side operation detection unit and the right-side operation detection unit are arranged; and
an output unit that outputs a sound in response to a received operation and is fixedly arranged on the substrate so as to be located between the left-side operation detection unit and the right-side operation detection unit at a position to equalize distances from the driver seat and the passenger seat such that a difference in how the sound is heard by a passenger in the driver seat or the passenger seat is suppressed,
wherein the left-side operation detection unit and the right-side operation detection unit are provided on a left-side semiconductor element and a right-side semiconductor element, and
wherein the output unit is arranged so that a center thereof coincides with a midpoint of a straight line connecting element centers of the left-side semiconductor element and the right-side semiconductor element, and
wherein the substrate has an elongated shape along a left-right axis.

Assignees

• Tokai Rika Co Ltd

Inventors

• Watanabe Itaru
• Imai Takao

Classifications

• B60K35/60

  Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles (arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10) · CPC title

• B60K35/80

  Arrangements for controlling instruments · CPC title

• B60K35/22

  Display screens · CPC title

• B60K35/26

  using acoustic output · CPC title

• B60K35/652

  for left- or right-hand drive · CPC title