Control apparatus and method for controlling operation target device in vehicle, and steering wheel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9267809-B2
Application number	US-201414176626-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2014
Priority date	Aug 11, 2011
Publication date	Feb 23, 2016
Grant date	Feb 23, 2016

Abstract

A first detector is configured to detect a state where a first area in a touch sensor mounted on a grip portion that a driver grips on a steering wheel is touched. A second detector is configured to detect a state where a particular input operation is performed on a second area located on the upper side of the first area in the touch sensor. A controller is configured to control an operation target device to be operated with the touch sensor according to the particular input operation when the first detector detects the state where the first area is touched and the second detector detects the state where the particular input operation is performed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control apparatus for controlling an operation target device in a vehicle, comprising:
a touch sensor mounted on a grip portion that a driver grips on a steering wheel, the touch sensor including a first area, a second area and a third area, the first area located in an area where a palm of the driver makes contact, the second area located on an upper side of the first area and located in an area where a thumb or an index finger of the driver makes contact, the third area provided as an operation invalid area where an operation input is invalid and located between the first area and the second area;
a first detector configured to detect a state where the first area is touched;
a second detector configured to detect a state where a particular input operation is performed on the second area, the particular input operation being a sliding pattern by the thumb or the index finger on the second area; and
a controller configured to control an operation target device to be operated with the touch sensor according to the sliding pattern when the first detector detects the state where the first area is touched by the palm and the second detector detects the state where the sliding pattern was performed on the second area by the thumb or the index finger.

2. The control apparatus for controlling an operation target device in a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the first detector determines that the first area is touched by the palm when the first detector detects a predetermined area or greater of the first area being touched.

3. The control apparatus for controlling an operation target device in a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the second area includes a front side facing the driver and a rear side, the second detector detects the state where the sliding pattern was performed on the front side by the thumb and the state where sliding pattern was performed on the rear side by the index finger.

4. A method for controlling an operation target device in a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a touch sensor mounted on a grip portion that a driver grips on a steering wheel the touch sensor comprising a first area, a second area and a third area, the first area located in an area where a palm of the driver makes contact, the second area located on an upper side of the first area and located in an area where a thumb or an index finger of the driver makes contact, the third area provided as an operation invalid area where an operation input is invalid located between the first area and the second area, the method comprising:
detecting a state where the first area is touched;
detecting a particular input operation being performed on the second, area, the particular input operation being a sliding pattern by the thumb or the index finger on the second area; and
controlling an operation target device to be operated with the touch sensor according to the sliding pattern when the state where the first area is touched by the palm is detected and the sliding pattern was performed on the second area by the thumb or the index finger.

5. The method for controlling an operation target device in a vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the state where the first area is touched by the palm is detected when detecting a predetermined area or greater of the first area being touched.

6. The method for controlling an operation target device in a vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the second area includes a front side facing the driver and a rear side, further comprising detection of the state where the sliding pattern by the thumb on the front side was performed and detection of the state where the sliding pattern by the index finger on the rear side was performed.

Assignees

• Jvc Kenwood Corp

Inventors

• Karasawa Manabu
• Nakajima Koichi
• Kondo Ryo
• Doigaki Toru
• Fukuda Shunsuke
• Idegami Ryo

Classifications

• B60K35/80

  Arrangements for controlling instruments · CPC title

• B60K35/60

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

• B60K35/10

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

• G01C21/3664 Primary

  Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures · CPC title

• G06F3/023

  Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes · CPC title