Automatic in-vehicle haptic feedback and force touch adjustment systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12008166-B1
Application number	US-202318331307-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 8, 2023
Priority date	Jun 8, 2023
Publication date	Jun 11, 2024
Grant date	Jun 11, 2024

Abstract

A vehicle having a touch device configured to receive user inputs is disclosed. The touch device may include a haptic component configured to provide haptic feedback to a user and a force touch component configured to detect force applied by the user on the touch device and actuate the touch device. The vehicle may further include a transceiver and a processor. The transceiver may be configured to receive road information on which the vehicle may be traversing. The processor may be configured to obtain the road information from the transceiver, determine road condition based on the road information, and adjust parameters associated with the haptic component or the force touch component based on the road condition.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a touch device configured to receive user inputs, wherein the touch device comprises a haptic component configured to provide haptic feedback to a user and a force touch component configured to detect force applied by the user on the touch device and actuate the touch device;
a transceiver configured to receive road information associated with a road on which the vehicle is traversing; and
a processor communicatively coupled to the touch device and the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to:
obtain the road information from the transceiver;
determine road condition based on the road information; and
adjust a parameter associated with the haptic component or the force touch component based on the road condition.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the processor adjusts the parameter by automatically adjusting the parameter linearly or non-linearly.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the processor adjusts the parameter by decreasing an intensity of haptic feedback of the touch device when the road condition indicates that the road is smooth and increasing the intensity of haptic feedback of the touch device when the road condition indicates that the road is bumpy.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the processor adjusts the parameter by decreasing a minimum force requirement for actuation of the touch device when the road condition indicates that the road is smooth and increasing the minimum force requirement for actuation of the touch device when the road condition indicates that the road is bumpy.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the processor adjusts the parameter by decreasing a time duration of touch acceptance of the touch device when the road condition indicates that the road is smooth and increasing the time duration of touch acceptance of the touch device when the road condition indicates that the road is bumpy.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising an accelerometer configured to detect a vibration in the vehicle, wherein the transceiver is communicatively coupled with the accelerometer, and wherein the road information comprises information associated with the vibration.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a camera configured to capture road images, wherein the transceiver is communicatively coupled with the camera, and wherein the road information comprises the road images.

8. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprises a navigation receiver configured to receive the road information from a server, wherein the transceiver is communicatively coupled with the navigation receiver.

9. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the transceiver is communicatively coupled with the touch device, and wherein the road information comprises signal information associated with a touch operation performed by the user on the touch device.

10. The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
obtain the signal information from the transceiver;
analyze noise received on a touch surface associated with the touch device based on the signal information; and
determine the road condition based on analyzing the noise.

11. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a memory, wherein the processor is further configured to:
obtain a pre-stored mapping of the road condition and the parameter associated with the haptic component and the force touch component from the memory responsive to determining the road condition; and
adjust the parameter based on the pre-stored mapping.

12. A method to manage a touch device in a vehicle, the method comprising:
obtaining road information associated with a road on which the vehicle is traversing;
determining road condition based on the road information; and
adjusting a parameter associated with a haptic component or a force touch component based on the road condition, wherein the haptic component and the force touch component are associated with the touch device, wherein the touch device is configured to receive user inputs, and wherein the haptic component is configured to provide haptic feedback to a user and the force touch component is configured to detect force applied by the user on the touch device and actuate the touch device.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein adjusting the parameter comprises automatically adjusting the parameter linearly or non-linearly.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein adjusting the parameter comprises decreasing an intensity of haptic feedback of the touch device when the road condition indicates that the road is smooth and increasing the intensity of haptic feedback of the touch device when the road condition indicates that the road is bumpy.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein adjusting the parameter comprises decreasing a minimum force requirement for actuation of the touch device when the road condition indicates that the road is smooth and increasing the minimum force requirement for actuation of the touch device when the road condition indicates that the road is bumpy.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein adjusting the parameter comprises decreasing a time duration of touch acceptance of the touch device when the road condition indicates that the road is smooth and increasing the time duration of touch acceptance of the touch device when the road condition indicates that the road is bumpy.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the road information comprises information associated with vibration detected by an accelerometer.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the road information comprises road images captured by a camera.

19. The method of claim 12 , wherein the road information comprises signal information associated with a touch operation performed by the user on the touch device.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
obtain road information associated with a road on which a vehicle is traversing;
determine road condition based on the road information; and
adjust a parameter associated with a haptic component or a force touch component based on the road condition, wherein the haptic component and the force touch component are associated with a touch device, wherein the touch device is configured to receive user inputs, and wherein the haptic component is configured to provide haptic feedback to a user and the force touch component is configured to detect force applied by the user on the touch device and actuate the touch device.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Buttolo Pietro
• Singhal Neha
• Guo Biaohe
• Larry Mark
• Mayer Kenneth Michael

Classifications

• B60K35/85

  Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data · CPC title

• B60K35/25

  using haptic output · CPC title

• B60K35/10 Primary

  Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• B60K2360/143

  Touch sensitive instrument input devices · CPC title

• G06F3/016 Primary

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title