An entertainment steering wheel and an entertainment control system and method thereof

Abstract

The application discloses an entertainment steering wheel and an entertainment control system and method thereof, and belongs to the field of entertainment steering wheels. The entertainment steering wheel comprises a main framework, a vibration isolation material, a motor frame, a vibration motor, a coating material and a pressure sensing film. The main framework is coated with the vibration isolation material. A plurality of vibration motors are respectively installed on the main framework through respective motor frames. The gaps between the motor frames are also filled with the vibration isolation material. The outer layer of the steering wheel is coated with the coating material. The pressure sensing film is arranged on the coating material of the outer layer of the steering wheel. The pressure sensing film and the vibration motors are respectively connected with a vehicle-mounted microcontroller in communication through a bus. The vibration motor, the pressure sensing film and the vehicle-mounted microcontroller constitute an entertainment module of the steering wheel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of automobile steering wheels, and in particular relates to an entertainment steering wheel and a control system and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of automotive electrification and intelligence, the role of the car has evolved from providing a means of rapid mobility to becoming an entertainment companion. Many major OEMs and suppliers, both domestically and internationally, have accelerated the development of driving entertainment features, with features such as in-car karaoke emerging. Furthermore, with the deepening development of autonomous driving capabilities, the time drivers spend actually manipulating the vehicle is gradually decreasing. Therefore, enhancing the entertainment attributes of cars and increasing driving pleasure has become a key focus for major OEMs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to solve the above problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides an entertainment steering wheel and its control system and control method, which can enable the driver to generate vibration feedback by touching or tapping related sensing devices, so that the driver can feel the rhythm of music and other sensations, thereby improving driving pleasure.

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0005] As a first aspect of the present invention, an entertainment steering wheel is provided, comprising a main frame, vibration isolation material, a motor frame, a vibration motor, a covering material and a pressure sensing membrane; the outer periphery of the main frame is covered with vibration isolation material, a plurality of vibration motors are respectively mounted on the main frame through their respective motor frames, the gaps between the motor frames are also filled with vibration isolation material, the outer layer of the steering wheel is a covering material, the pressure sensing membrane is arranged on the covering material of the outer layer of the steering wheel, the pressure sensing membrane and each vibration motor are respectively connected to a vehicle-mounted microcontroller via a bus for communication; the vibration motor, the pressure sensing membrane and the vehicle-mounted microcontroller constitute an entertainment module of the steering wheel.

[0006] Furthermore, the vibration motors are respectively arranged on the outer rim of the upper half of the steering wheel, the inner rim of the lower half, and the upper half of the main frame.

[0007] Preferably, the pressure sensing film 5 is composed of a silicon layer, an ITO interlayer, an insulating layer, and a deformation sensor from the outside to the inside; the silicon layer is used to collect human body current; the ITO interlayer is divided into several squares by wires, and the touch position is calculated based on the different distances from the current change position to the vertex of each square; the deformation sensor generates resistance changes through deformation to feedback the pressure magnitude.

[0008] As a second aspect of the present invention, an entertainment control system for an entertainment steering wheel is provided, comprising:

[0009] The function activation module is used to determine whether the entertainment module of the steering wheel meets the entertainment function activation conditions according to the vehicle status, and send the judgment result to the safety module for display. If the entertainment function activation conditions are met, a function activation signal is sent to the mode judgment module;

[0010] A mode determination module is used to determine whether to perform entertainment mode recognition based on the pressure of the steering wheel contact points, and to determine the entertainment mode based on the number of steering wheel contact points and the contact pressure trajectory. The corresponding output vibration magnitude, vibration frequency, vibration position and other information are sent to the execution module according to the entertainment mode;

[0011] The safety module displays the status of the steering wheel entertainment function and monitors whether the steering wheel angle causes lane deviation.

[0012] The execution module is used to control the vibration of each motor according to the output vibration size, vibration frequency, vibration position and other information sent by the mode judgment module.

[0013] Furthermore, the mode determination module includes:

[0014] a pressure value judging unit, configured to judge whether an entertainment mode judging condition is met based on the pressure value signal collected by the pressure sensing membrane;

[0015] a pressure position acquisition unit, configured to send the contact position signal acquired by the pressure sensing membrane to the execution module;

[0016] The entertainment mode judgment unit judges the entertainment mode to be responded by the steering wheel entertainment module according to the number of contact points, contact duration, change in the number of simultaneous contact points and pressure trajectory.

[0017] Furthermore, the entertainment modes include: percussion instrument mode, keyboard mode, string instrument mode, wind instrument mode and scratching mode.

[0018] As a third aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling an entertainment steering wheel is provided, comprising the following steps:

[0019] Step 1: Determine whether the entertainment module of the steering wheel meets the entertainment function activation conditions based on the vehicle status;

[0020] Step 2: After the entertainment function is turned on, entertainment mode recognition is performed: the entertainment mode is determined by the number of steering wheel contact points and the contact pressure trajectory, and the corresponding output vibration magnitude, vibration frequency, and vibration position information are sent to the execution module according to the entertainment mode;

[0021] Step 3: The vibration motor vibrates in response to the received vibration magnitude, vibration frequency, and vibration position information, and transmits the vibration sensation to the driver.

[0022] Furthermore, the step 1 includes:

[0023] S1. Activate the steering wheel entertainment mode, enter the self-test state, determine whether the entertainment module is faulty, if there is a fault, enter the function-off state, and send the corresponding message to the chassis bus, and then the instrument displays the relevant status to prompt the driver. If there is no fault, proceed to step S2;

[0024] S2 determines whether the current speed is 0km / h. If so, the function is turned on and a corresponding message is sent to the chassis bus. The instrument then displays the relevant status to prompt the driver to proceed to step two. If the speed ≠ 0km / h, the process proceeds to step S3.

[0025] S3. Determine whether the automatic driving function is turned on. If so, enter the function-on state and send a corresponding message to the chassis bus at the same time. Then, the instrument panel displays the relevant status to prompt the driver. If not, enter the function-off state and send a corresponding message to the chassis bus at the same time. Then, the instrument panel displays the relevant status to prompt the driver, and enters the said step 2.

[0026] Furthermore, the step 2 includes:

[0027] S4. After entering the function activation mode, it is determined whether the pressure input of the steering wheel contact point is greater than the preset value. If not, the entertainment mode is not determined and the corresponding status is displayed on the instrument; if so, it proceeds to step S5;

[0028] S5 determines whether the number of touch points is greater than 1. If not, the output entertainment mode judgment result is "percussion instrument"; if so, proceeds to step S6;

[0029] S6. Determine whether the contact point pressure duration is less than a preset value. If so, proceed to step S7; if not, proceed to step S8;

[0030] S7 determines whether the number of touch points changes at the same time, if so, proceeds to step S9; if not, outputs the entertainment mode judgment result as "percussion instrument";

[0031] S8 determines whether the number of touch points changes at the same time. If so, the output entertainment mode judgment result is "wind instrument"; if not, proceed to step S10;

[0032] S9. Determine whether the pressure trajectory of the touch point is a point. If so, output the entertainment mode judgment result as "keyboard instrument"; if not, output the entertainment mode judgment result as "string instrument";

[0033] S10. Determine whether the pressure trajectory of the touch point is a point. If so, output the entertainment mode determination result as "percussion instrument"; if not, output the entertainment mode determination result as "scratch instrument".

[0034] Furthermore, during steps one to three, the chassis controller of the vehicle detects in real time whether the change in the steering wheel angle causes lane deviation. If there is deviation, it notifies the entertainment function to be turned off and sends a corresponding message to the chassis bus. The instrument then displays the relevant status to prompt the driver.

[0035] The present invention has the following advantages:

[0036] The present invention provides an entertainment steering wheel and its entertainment control system and control method. By innovatively designing the steering wheel structure, a hardware foundation is provided for realizing a complete steering wheel entertainment system, thereby improving the entertainment attributes of the vehicle; at the same time, the modality of the steering wheel is improved, and the NVH level of the steering system is improved; the design of the control system and control method enables the relevant hardware to realize the human-computer interaction function under specific logic, thereby improving the driving pleasure of the driver. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings used in the description of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the contents of the embodiments of the present invention and these drawings without any creative work.

[0038] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of an entertainment steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the electronic and electrical architecture of the entertainment steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 3 This is a block diagram of the components of the entertainment steering wheel control system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the function activation module of the entertainment steering wheel control system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of the mode determination module of the entertainment steering wheel control system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the safety module of the entertainment steering wheel control system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 7This is a flowchart of the execution module of the entertainment steering wheel control system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] In the picture:

[0046] 1-Main frame; 2-Vibration isolation material; 3-Motor frame; 4-Vibration motor; 5-Pressure sensing membrane. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It will be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are intended only to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, the accompanying drawings only illustrate portions relevant to the present invention, not all structures.

[0048] Example 1

[0049] like Figure 1 、 Figure 2 As shown, an entertainment steering wheel includes a main frame 1, vibration isolation material 2, a motor frame 3, a vibration motor 4, a coating material and a pressure sensing membrane 5; the outer periphery of the main frame 1 is coated with vibration isolation material 2, and a plurality of vibration motors 4 are respectively installed on the main frame 1 through their respective motor frames 3, and the gaps between the motor frames 3 are also filled with vibration isolation material 2. The outer layer of the steering wheel is the coating material, and the pressure sensing membrane 5 is arranged on the coating material of the outer layer of the steering wheel. The pressure sensing membrane 5 and each vibration motor 4 are respectively connected to the vehicle-mounted microcontroller through a bus; the vibration motor 4, the pressure sensing membrane 5 and the vehicle-mounted microcontroller constitute the entertainment module of the steering wheel.

[0050] The vibration motors are respectively arranged on the outer rim of the upper half circle of the steering wheel, the inner rim of the lower half circle, and the upper half of the main frame.

[0051] The main frame 1 is made of high-strength metal as the main material, and the specific application material depends on the cost and weight requirements in actual applications.

[0052] The main functions of the vibration isolation material 2 are: a. isolating the vibration generated by the vibration motor to prevent the vibration from being transmitted to the steering wheel fixing device (steering column or other fixing devices) through the main frame 1, thereby avoiding affecting the vibration durability of other devices; b. isolating each vibration motor to prevent vibration interference between each vibration motor.

[0053] The function of the motor frame 3 is to fix the vibration motor. At the same time, vibration isolation material is filled in the middle of the motor frame between the two vibration motors to avoid vibration interference between the vibration motors.

[0054] The vibration motor 4 adopts an X-axis linear motor which is composed of two electromagnetic coils, a permanent magnet and a counterweight. The working principle of the vibration motor is that the electromagnetic coil generates a magnetic field according to the current, and the permanent magnet generates reciprocating motion under the action of the magnetic force, thereby generating vibration. The vibration motor has the advantages that the vibration frequency and the vibration intensity can be changed according to the current, and real vibration feedback is provided for the user.

[0055] The vibration isolation material 2 is filled with foam, and the cladding material is microfiber skin, which can effectively transmit the vibration feeling. The vibration frequency and the vibration intensity of the vibration motor need to be recalibrated when the cladding material is replaced.

[0056] The pressure sensing film 55 is used to obtain the contact position signal of the driver on the steering wheel and the corresponding pressure value signal, and transmit the obtained signals to the vehicle-mounted microcontroller through the bus. The vehicle-mounted microcontroller sends instructions to the vibration motor through the bus after logical judgment and signal processing, generates vibration, and feeds back to the driver.

[0057] As shown in Figure 2 The pressure sensing film 55 is composed of a silicon layer, an ITO interlayer, an insulating layer and a deformation sensor from outside to inside. The silicon layer is used to collect human current. The ITO interlayer is divided into several squares by wires, and the touch position is calculated according to the different distances from the current change position to the top of each square. The deformation sensor generates resistance change feedback to reflect the pressure size through deformation.

[0058] Embodiment 2

[0059] As shown in Figure 3 The entertainment control system of the entertainment steering wheel in this embodiment 2 comprises:

[0060] A function opening module is configured to determine whether the entertainment module of the steering wheel meets the entertainment function opening condition according to the vehicle state, and send the determination result to the safety module for display. If the entertainment function opening condition is met, the function opening signal is sent to the mode judgment module.

[0061] A mode judgment module is configured to determine whether to perform entertainment mode identification according to the contact point pressure of the steering wheel, determine the entertainment mode through the number of contact points of the steering wheel and the contact pressure trajectory, and send the corresponding output vibration size, vibration frequency, vibration position and the like to the execution module according to the entertainment mode.

[0062] A safety module is configured to display the steering wheel entertainment function opening state, and monitor whether the steering wheel turning angle causes lane line deviation.

[0063] An execution module is configured to control the vibration of each motor according to the output vibration size, vibration frequency, vibration position and the like sent by the mode judgment module.

[0064] The mode judging module comprises:

[0065] a pressure value judging unit for judging whether the pressure value signal collected by the pressure sensing film 5 meets the entertainment mode judging condition;

[0066] a pressure position collecting unit for sending the contact position signal collected by the pressure sensing film 5 to the executing module;

[0067] an entertainment mode judging unit for judging the entertainment mode to be responded by the steering wheel entertainment module according to the number of contact points, the contact duration, the number of simultaneous contact points and the pressure trajectory.

[0068] The entertainment mode comprises a percussion instrument mode, a keyboard mode, a string instrument mode, a wind instrument mode and a turntable mode.

[0069] Embodiment 3

[0070] The control method of the entertainment steering wheel described in Embodiment 1 comprises the following steps:

[0071] Step 1: judging whether the entertainment module of the steering wheel meets the entertainment function opening condition according to the vehicle state:

[0072] 1. activating the steering wheel entertainment mode through voice, switch, etc., entering the self-checking state, judging whether the entertainment module has a fault, if so, entering the function closing state, simultaneously sending the corresponding message to the chassis bus, and then displaying the related state by the instrument to prompt the driver, if not, entering Step 2;

[0073] 2. judging whether the current vehicle speed is 0 km / h, if so, entering the function opening state, simultaneously sending the corresponding message to the chassis bus, and then displaying the related state by the instrument to prompt the driver, entering Step 4; if not, entering Step 3;

[0074] 3. judging whether the ADAS or other automatic driving function is opened, if so, entering the function opening state, simultaneously sending the corresponding message to the chassis bus, and then displaying the related state by the instrument to prompt the driver; if not, entering the function closing state, simultaneously sending the corresponding message to the chassis bus, and then displaying the related state by the instrument to prompt the driver, entering Step 4;

[0075] Step 2: after the entertainment function is opened, the entertainment mode is identified: the entertainment mode is judged by the number of contact points of the steering wheel and the contact pressure trajectory, and the corresponding output vibration size, vibration frequency, vibration position, etc. are sent to the executing module according to the entertainment mode;

[0076] 4. After entering the function activation mode, determine whether the pressure input at the steering wheel contact point is greater than 3 (TBD) N. If not, the entertainment control system will not respond and the corresponding status will be displayed on the instrument panel. If so, proceed to step 5.

[0077] 5. Determine whether the number of touch points is greater than 1. If not, output the judgment as "percussion instrument". If so, go to step 6;

[0078] 6. Determine whether the contact point pressure duration is less than 800 (TBD) ms. If so, proceed to step 7; if not, proceed to step 8.

[0079] 7. Determine whether the number of simultaneous touch points has changed. If so, proceed to step 9. If not, output the judgment as "percussion instrument";

[0080] 8. Determine whether the number of simultaneous touch points has changed. If so, output the judgment as "wind instrument". If not, go to step 10;

[0081] 9. Determine whether the pressure trajectory of the touch point is a point. If so, output the judgment as "keyboard instrument". If not, output the judgment as "string instrument";

[0082] 10. Determine whether the pressure trajectory of the touch point is a dot. If so, output the judgment as "percussion instrument". If not, output the judgment as "scratch instrument";

[0083] Step 3: The vibration motor vibrates in response:

[0084] 11. The vibration motor vibrates in response to the received control information, such as vibration magnitude, vibration frequency, and vibration position, and transmits the vibration sensation to the driver.

[0085] During the above process, the chassis controller always detects whether the change in steering wheel angle causes lane deviation from the moment the entertainment system receives ig_ON to the moment the entertainment module function exits. If there is deviation, the entertainment control system enters the function-off state and sends a corresponding message to the chassis bus. The instrument then displays the relevant status to prompt the driver.

[0086] While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, and that the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An entertainment control system for an entertainment steering wheel, the entertainment steering wheel comprising a main frame, vibration isolation material, a motor frame, a vibration motor, a covering material, and a pressure sensing membrane; the main frame is covered with vibration isolation material, a plurality of vibration motors are mounted on the main frame via respective motor frames, and the gaps between the motor frames are also filled with vibration isolation material; the steering wheel is covered with an outer layer of the covering material, and the pressure sensing membrane is disposed on the outer layer of the covering material; the pressure sensing membrane and each vibration motor are communicatively connected to an onboard microcontroller via a bus; the vibration motor, pressure sensing membrane, and onboard microcontroller constitute an entertainment module for the steering wheel; It is characterized by: The control system includes: The function activation module is used to determine whether the entertainment module of the steering wheel meets the entertainment function activation conditions according to the vehicle status, and send the judgment result to the safety module for display. If the entertainment function activation conditions are met, a function activation signal is sent to the mode judgment module; a mode determination module for determining whether to perform entertainment mode recognition based on the pressure of the steering wheel contact points, determining the entertainment mode based on the number of steering wheel contact points and the contact pressure trajectory, and sending the corresponding output vibration magnitude, vibration frequency, and vibration position to the execution module based on the entertainment mode; the mode determination module includes: a pressure value determination unit for determining whether the entertainment mode determination condition is met based on the pressure value signal collected by the pressure sensing membrane; a pressure position acquisition unit for sending the contact position signal collected by the pressure sensing membrane to the execution module; and an entertainment mode determination unit for determining the entertainment mode to be responded to by the steering wheel entertainment module based on the number of contact points, contact duration, change in the number of simultaneous contact points, and pressure trajectory; The safety module displays the status of the steering wheel entertainment function and monitors whether the steering wheel angle causes lane deviation. The execution module is used to control the vibration of each motor according to the output vibration size, vibration frequency and vibration position sent by the mode judgment module.

2. The entertainment control system of an entertainment steering wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vibration motors are respectively arranged on the outer rim of the upper half circle of the steering wheel, the inner rim of the lower half circle, and the upper half of the main frame.

3. The entertainment control system of an entertainment steering wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pressure sensing film is composed of a silicon layer, an ITO interlayer, an insulating layer, and a deformation sensor from the outside to the inside. The silicon layer is used to collect human body current. The ITO interlayer is divided into several squares by wires, and the touch position is calculated based on the distance from the current change position to the vertex of each square. The deformation sensor generates resistance changes through deformation to feedback the pressure.

4. The entertainment control system of an entertainment steering wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The entertainment modes include: percussion instrument mode, keyboard mode, string instrument mode, wind instrument mode and scratching mode.

5. The control method of the entertainment control system of the entertainment steering wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Step 1: Determine whether the entertainment module of the steering wheel meets the entertainment function activation conditions based on the vehicle status; Step 2: After the entertainment function is turned on, entertainment mode recognition is performed: the entertainment mode is determined by the number of steering wheel contact points and the contact pressure trajectory, and the corresponding output vibration magnitude, vibration frequency, and vibration position information are sent to the execution module according to the entertainment mode; Step 3: The vibration motor vibrates in response to the received vibration magnitude, vibration frequency, and vibration position information, and transmits the vibration sensation to the driver.

6. The control method according to claim 5, wherein: The step one comprises: S1. Activate the steering wheel entertainment mode, enter the self-test state, determine whether the entertainment module is faulty, if there is a fault, enter the function-off state, and send the corresponding message to the chassis bus, and then the instrument displays the relevant status to prompt the driver. If there is no fault, proceed to step S2; S2 determines whether the current speed is 0km / h. If so, the function is turned on and a corresponding message is sent to the chassis bus. The instrument then displays the relevant status to prompt the driver to proceed to step two. If the speed ≠ 0km / h, the process proceeds to step S3. S3. Determine whether the automatic driving function is turned on. If so, enter the function-on state and send a corresponding message to the chassis bus at the same time. Then, the instrument panel displays the relevant status to prompt the driver. If not, enter the function-off state and send a corresponding message to the chassis bus at the same time. Then, the instrument panel displays the relevant status to prompt the driver, and enters the said step 2.

7. The control method according to claim 5, wherein: The second step includes: S4. After entering the function activation mode, it is determined whether the pressure input of the steering wheel contact point is greater than the preset value. If not, the entertainment mode is not determined and the corresponding status is displayed on the instrument; if so, it proceeds to step S5; S5 determines whether the number of touch points is greater than 1, if not, the output entertainment mode judgment result is "percussion instruments"; if so, proceeds to step S6; S6. Determine whether the contact point pressure duration is less than a preset value. If so, proceed to step S7; if not, proceed to step S8; S7 determines whether the number of touch points changes at the same time, if so, proceeds to step S9; if not, the output entertainment mode judgment result is "percussion instruments"; S8 determines whether the number of touch points changes at the same time, if so, the output entertainment mode judgment result is "wind instruments"; if not, proceeds to step S10; S9 determines whether the pressure trajectory of the touch point is a point. If so, the output entertainment mode judgment result is judged to be "keyboard instrument"; if not, the output entertainment mode judgment result is "string instrument"; S10. Determine whether the pressure trajectory of the touch point is a point. If so, output the entertainment mode judgment result as "percussion instrument"; if not, output the entertainment mode judgment result as "scratch instrument".

8. The control method according to claim 5, wherein: During steps one to three, the chassis controller of the vehicle detects in real time whether changes in the steering wheel angle cause lane deviation. If there is deviation, it notifies the entertainment function to be turned off and sends a corresponding message to the chassis bus. The instrument then displays the relevant status to prompt the driver.

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