Operating sculpture for influencing function of vehicle and vehicle having operating sculpture

Abstract

The invention relates to a handling sculpture (10) for influencing the function of a vehicle and to a vehicle having at least one such handling sculpture. The handling sculpture is designed as a projection or recess with respect to its surrounding surface (12) and can be manipulated in and perpendicular to the plane. Furthermore, the handling sculpture (10) according to the invention has a handling stroke (d) of no more than 0.4 mm in the plane of its surrounding surface (12).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an operating sculpture for influencing a function of a vehicle and a vehicle having at least one such operating sculpture. The operating sculpture is designed as a protrusion or a recess relative to a surface surrounding the operating sculpture and can be manipulated in the plane or perpendicular to the plane. Furthermore, the operating sculpture according to the invention has an actuation travel of no more than 0.4 mm in the plane of the surface surrounding the operating sculpture.

[0002] Vehicles of today's design have a multitude of buttons, switches and other operating elements in order to influence, for example, audio functions, driver assistance functions or the air conditioning in the vehicle interior. Many of them are concentrated in a central input area on the steering wheel or on the dashboard or center console of the vehicle. Some of them are also designed as multifunctional buttons with a touch-sensitive design.

[0003] The number, arrangement and technical implementation of the operating elements can lead to unintentional misoperations, which reduce driving comfort and also affect the safety of the driver assistance functions to be activated while driving. With such a large number of operating elements, blind operation is often no longer possible while driving. In addition, such systems require a large area due to the individual operating elements, so that these areas quickly become cluttered and make operation uncomfortable.

[0004] In order to try to solve these problems, multifunctional switches with mechanical buttons have been developed, which, although improved in blind operability, are complex in their configuration and do not provide a popular design. In addition, known solutions have very large operating travels, which in turn require correspondingly large construction space.

[0005] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide an operating element by means of which a plurality of functions in particular in a vehicle can be controlled, wherein the operating element has a compact design and can be operated intuitively and preferably also has good blind operability.

[0006] The object of the invention is achieved by an operating sculpture according to claim 1 and a vehicle according to claim 10. Further advantageous embodiments of the invention result from the remaining features mentioned in the dependent claims.

[0007] According to the invention, an operating sculpture for influencing a vehicle function is provided, wherein the operating sculpture is arranged or designed in the vehicle as a protrusion or recess relative to a surface surrounding the operating sculpture, the operating sculpture can be operated in the plane of the surface surrounding the operating sculpture and perpendicular to the plane, and has an operating travel of 0.4 mm or less in the plane of the surface surrounding the operating sculpture.

[0008] An operating sculpture is to be understood here as an operating element by means of which different vehicle functions can be operated or influenced. The functions to be influenced can be directly and permanently assigned to the operating sculpture (or operating molding), as is the case, for example, with an operating sculpture for controlling audio functions, but the functions to be influenced can also depend on the menu structure and the selections made therein and thus vary, thereby realizing a universal operating sculpture. For a universal operating sculpture, it can also be provided that the vehicle functions are influenced according to the specific circumstances. Depending on the selected or activated vehicle function to be influenced, the possible operating actions carried out at the operating sculpture or by the operating sculpture produce different effects, which will also be explained below by way of examples.

[0009] Influencing a vehicle function means in this case selecting a function parameter, selecting between different selection possibilities, confirming a selection process or an input process, or the like.

[0010] The vehicle functions to be influenced may primarily include controlling audio applications or media applications, influencing the interior environment (temperature, ventilation intensity), influencing the interior lighting of the vehicle (color, intensity, lighting scenarios), answering, making and / or rejecting calls, starting and ending voice input, influencing driver assistance systems and / or influencing available views on a display device in the vehicle, the above enumeration being not to be understood as closed.

[0011] The operating sculpture is arranged or designed in the vehicle as a protrusion or recess relative to the surface around the operating sculpture, that is, the operating sculpture is designed to protrude from the above-mentioned surface in a frontal protrusion or is designed as a recess in the surface. The surface around the operating sculpture refers to the surface of the area in the vehicle on which the operating sculpture is arranged or in which it is arranged. If the operating sculpture is arranged at the dashboard, the surface is, for example, the surface of the dashboard. If the operating sculpture is arranged at the steering wheel of the vehicle, the surface around the operating sculpture is the surface of the steering wheel in the area around the operating sculpture. Simply put, the surrounding surface is the area surrounding the operating sculpture on the side. The shape of the operating sculpture can be freely selected here and can also be designed according to the provisions of the decoration aspect. The base surface of the operating sculpture can be designed as a square, rectangle, circle, ellipse or any other shape.

[0012] The operating sculpture can be manipulated in the plane of the surface around it or perpendicular to the plane. With reference to the arrangement on the horizontally oriented surface, this is equivalent to manipulating in the horizontal plane forward, backward, right and left and any direction in between and vertically, that is, perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The combination of these movement directions, namely the movement in the surface plane and the movement perpendicular to the surface plane, also clearly belongs to the scope of the present invention. For the user, this manipulation in the plane can be understood as a push in the above-mentioned direction and a downward press on the operating sculpture. In this way, the following only exemplary effects can be produced on the vehicle function: when controlling the audio function, the manipulation to the right or left can skip music tracks or change the radio station, and the pressing can start or pause the playback. When affecting the interior space environment, the manipulation to the left and right can adjust the intensity of the ventilation, and the manipulation forward and backward can adjust the temperature. When navigating through the operating structure or menu structure, the manipulation in the plane of the surrounding surface can correspond to the cursor navigation, and the pressing perpendicular to the plane can correspond to the selection or confirmation.

[0013] It can be seen from the example that the operating sculpture provides different operating directions, but not all operating directions are always used to realize the function that is currently to be influenced.

[0014] According to the invention, the possible operating stroke of the operating sculpture in the plane of the surface around it should be limited to a maximum of 0.4 mm, that is, 0.4 mm or less. The operating stroke is here a measure of the movement of the operating sculpture in one direction. Due to the above-mentioned restrictions, the operating sculpture works almost fixedly. Only a very small construction space needs to be provided to realize the operating stroke, and the user can still perceive the operating stroke despite this, which indicates to the user that he has successfully operated the operating sculpture. Preferably, it can also be limited to 0.2 mm, more preferably to 0.1 mm, in order to further reduce the operating stroke that needs to be provided.

[0015] The operating sculpture designed according to the invention allows flexible influencing of vehicle functions by means of only one operating element or input element. The operating element can be operated intuitively and can therefore also be operated blindly. Due to its almost fixed design, the installation space requirement and material expenditure are very low, thereby achieving a compact and cost-effective implementation.

[0016] It goes without saying that the operating sculpture must be integrated into the operating structure of the vehicle in a conventional manner. This should be understood to mean that the manipulation of the operating sculpture must be detected by means of suitable means and transmitted to a control device, which converts the manipulation into a control signal in order to influence the vehicle function to be influenced in accordance with the manipulation performed. Suitable means for detecting the manipulation may be sensors known per se, such as optical sensors or Hall sensors, which are arranged in or on the operating sculpture and are respectively assigned to the operating sculpture.

[0017] In a first preferred embodiment, the operating sculpture is seamlessly integrated into the surface surrounding the operating sculpture. This should be understood to mean that there are no seams between the operating sculpture and the surface surrounding it, but rather a closed surface is formed, from which the operating sculpture protrudes or sinks into it. This ensures that dirt or moisture cannot penetrate into the operating sculpture through the seams, which could otherwise lead to functional malfunctions or defects.

[0018] The seamless integration can preferably be achieved by elastic materials in the joint area and / or by material jointing of the surface of the operating sculpture with the surface surrounding the operating sculpture. Such elastic materials can be silicone or the like, by which any seams can be closed, thus forming a seamless surface. The elasticity of the material to be used enables the operating sculpture to move within the maximum achievable operating stroke.

[0019] The material connection can be achieved, for example, by welding the surface of the operating sculpture to the surface surrounding the operating sculpture. It has proven to be advantageous if the material used to form the surface of the operating sculpture and / or the surface surrounding the operating sculpture is at least regionally flexible to provide the necessary operating travel.

[0020] However, multi-component injection molding processes or multi-material injection molding processes can also achieve seamless integration of the operating sculpture in its surrounding surface. In these processes, identical or different raw materials are processed in a number of steps to form components or assemblies, wherein soft-hard connections or sealing areas can also be formed here. This also makes it possible to create a seamless connection between the operating sculpture and its surrounding surface. However, the raw materials to be used should be selected in such a way that they adhere to one another in order to ensure a permanent joint seal.

[0021] According to another design scheme of the operating sculpture of the present invention, the operating sculpture is designed with a lever element, which moves corresponding to the operating movement performed when the operating sculpture is operated. The operating sculpture is also designed with a device for detecting the movement of the lever element, wherein the movement of the lever element is detected in terms of the operating direction, the operating angle and / or the operating strength.

[0022] Therefore, the operating sculpture should have a lever element. This should be understood as an element with a longitudinal extension that can move around a rotation point in the direction of the plane of the surface around the operating sculpture. The rotation point should be located at the end of the operating area away from the operating sculpture. The free end of the lever element is facing the operating area. For this purpose, the lever element is oriented essentially perpendicular to the plane of the surface around the operating sculpture. Therefore, the manipulation of the operating sculpture in the plane of the surface around the operating sculpture causes the lever element to deflect around the rotation point. One or more reset elements ensure that the lever element returns to its original position after the manipulation of the operating sculpture.

[0023] In order to detect this deflection or rotation and derive the operating direction, the operating angle and / or the operating strength therefrom, the operating sculpture also has a device for detecting the movement of the lever element. This can include Hall sensors, optical sensors, etc., but it is particularly preferred to detect with the help of resistance strain gauges, which are designed and arranged so that when the operating sculpture is operated and thus the lever element is operated, the resistance in the resistance strain gauge changes due to the tension or pressure on these areas, thereby allowing conclusions about the operating direction, angle and / or strength to be drawn. For example, two strain gauges can cooperate in pairs on an axis, which describes the movement forward and backward as well as to the right and left. Therefore, in the example described, four strain gauges are provided in the device to detect the movement of the lever element. In addition, this arrangement structure, combined with a smaller construction size, also enables the detection of any orientation therebetween.

[0024] Actuations perpendicular to the plane surrounding the operating sculpture are also detected by suitable sensor devices, which are provided in the device for detecting the movement of the lever element.

[0025] For this design, for example, reference is made to a joystick, which is based on the principle of operation of a joystick. This design of the operating sculpture allows precise manipulation and operation of the operating sculpture, which requires little or no space due to its limited manipulation travel. The user's hand also does not need to be repositioned, since the lever element can be moved in all directions and is virtually fixed and therefore stationary.

[0026] The manipulation preferably triggers visual and / or acoustic feedback. It may happen that the user cannot feel the manipulation travel when manipulating the manipulation sculpture and therefore cannot determine whether his manipulation is successful. This may occur, for example, in bad road conditions. Therefore, it is provided that the manipulation of the manipulation sculpture generates visual and / or acoustic feedback.

[0027] The visual feedback can be, for example, an adjustment of a display on a display device, on which the vehicle functions to be affected and possible operating actions and their effects are displayed. Such a display can be a central display screen or a center console in the area of ​​the dashboard, but can also be a head-up display. However, the visual feedback also includes the display and adjustment of symbols near the operating sculpture or in other suitable positions, wherein these symbols represent the vehicle functions to be affected and possible operating actions. These symbols can be designed, for example, as backlit symbols, which are visible when a lighting device behind or below the symbols is turned on, but these symbols can also be designed in the form of small display devices, which can display different symbols depending on the vehicle functions to be affected.

[0028] Alternatively or additionally, acoustic feedback can be triggered. By means of a tone or a sound sequence, it can be indicated to the user operating the sculpture whether the manipulation action was successful. The type of influence can also be reflected by means of a tone and a sound sequence, for example, by means of a rising sound sequence to reflect an increase in the temperature of the interior.

[0029] It is clear to a person skilled in the art that the acoustic and / or visual feedback is achieved by operating the sculpture in cooperation with the control device described above and the control device acting on the corresponding device for achieving feedback.

[0030] The operating sculpture can have a device for providing tactile feedback, which device should be arranged and mounted in such a way that tactile feedback is provided only in the area of ​​the operating sculpture.

[0031] Haptic feedback is the perceptible feedback that the user receives as a result of the manipulation of the operating sculpture. The haptic feedback can be generated in different ways, for example actively by means of a vibration motor, an unbalanced motor, a linear motor, a piezo motor or by means of pulse switching. The haptic feedback is generated passively by means of one of the above motors, whereby a material is moved inside the operating sculpture, which material causes vibrations on the surface of the operating sculpture, or the haptic feedback is generated passively, whereby the haptic feedback is generated directly from the interaction between the manipulation of the operating sculpture and the reaction resulting therefrom, which is mainly a mechanical reaction, as in a clicker, for example. In addition to the confirmation or feedback of the manipulation of the operating sculpture, this haptic feedback can also give the user the impression that the manipulation travel is longer, thereby increasing the comfort of operation.

[0032] However, the tactile feedback should be limited to the area of ​​the operating sculpture and should avoid exciting the surfaces around the operating sculpture as much as possible. For this purpose, the device for providing tactile feedback is arranged and supported in such a way that the vibrations, pulses, etc. generated by the device are transmitted to the operating sculpture and not to the surrounding surfaces. This can be achieved, for example, by decoupling the operating sculpture or its surface from the surfaces around the operating sculpture at least regionally. Therefore, the provided locally limited tactile feedback that can be clearly assigned to the operating sculpture improves the operating comfort and reduces the possibility of unintentional misoperation.

[0033] It can be provided that the operating sculpture has a device for detecting an approach and / or a device for detecting an actuation in a spatially resolved manner.

[0034] On the one hand, the approach of the user or his hand should be detected. If this approach is recognized, for example, a menu guide that can be operated by means of the operating sculpture or a vehicle function to be affected can be displayed on a correspondingly assigned display device. Another application example is lighting at or around the operating sculpture, which is turned on when the user approaches. The sensing of the approach can be advantageously used to prevent erroneous operation caused by bags or objects passing by the operating sculpture or when a body part covered with clothes is swept over during boarding, loading or movement. In the simplest case, the device for sensing the approach can be a proximity sensor of a known type.

[0035] Alternatively or additionally, the manipulation of the operating sculpture should be sensed or detected in a position-resolved manner. Such position-resolved sensing can be achieved by a high-precision touch sensor device, which can detect movements in the range of one tenth of a millimeter. This makes it possible to accurately detect the position of the finger during manipulation and thus, for example, also to recognize the guidance of the finger along the surface of the operating sculpture in the sense of a so-called "slide". In addition, manipulation movements such as pushing or pressing can also be better distinguished from each other. In this way, incorrect manipulations can also be avoided.

[0036] In order to make the manipulation of the operating sculpture easier, especially when the operating sculpture is designed to be very small and / or has a small construction height, the operating sculpture can have a tactile aid on its surface. The tactile aid is a molded part or a molded contour on the surface of the operating sculpture, which the user can perceive through one or more fingers and enables the user to identify the position and size of the operating surface of the operating sculpture, and according to the specific design, it can also identify the direction in which the operating surface can move. The tactile aid may include one or more surface protrusions or surface recesses, by which the operating sculpture is formed and / or the surface protrusions or surface recesses are applied or removed afterwards. The tactile aid can also include only a recess or an arch on the surface of the operating sculpture. In particular, when the tactile aid is made of the same material as the surface around it, the presence of the tactile aid realizes the tactile demarcation of the operating sculpture, thereby significantly improving blind operability.

[0037] Regarding the operability and operating comfort of the operating sculpture, the height of the operating sculpture should be in the range of 1.8 mm to 2.5 mm, preferably in the range of 2.0 mm to 2.2 mm. Such a height enables comfortable manipulation of the operating sculpture in terms of ergonomics, because a sufficiently large action surface can be provided for the height of the operating sculpture within this range, and a sufficiently large lever effect can be provided when manipulating the operating sculpture according to the specific design scheme, so that only a small force of about 5 Newtons is required to manipulate the operating sculpture, without damaging the operating sculpture or causing uncomfortable pressure or pain to the user when the user overcomes the force threshold of the operating sculpture, that is, the force required to move the operating sculpture in the desired direction. In addition, a larger height is advantageous in order to achieve more delicate manipulation through the larger lever effect.

[0038] According to the invention, a vehicle is also claimed which has at least one operating sculpture according to the invention, in particular on the vehicle's steering wheel. Thus, at least one operating sculpture of the type described above is provided in the vehicle in order, for example, to select and play media, to control the interior environment, to select and control audio functions, telephone functions and / or driver assistance systems. The operating sculpture can be arranged on the vehicle's steering wheel, but can also be arranged at any other location which makes sense for influencing the vehicle's functions or which corresponds spatially.

[0039] The operating sculpture according to the invention provides an intuitive and flexibly adjustable control option for a plurality of vehicle functions, which requires only a small amount of installation space and can be easily operated blindly. Optional designs further improve operating comfort.

[0040] Unless otherwise indicated in individual cases, the various embodiments of the invention mentioned in this application can be advantageously combined with one another.

[0041] The present invention is described below in the following embodiments according to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings:

[0042] Figure 1a , 1b A perspective view of an exemplary design of an operating sculpture according to the present invention is shown, and

[0043] Figure 2 Schematic diagrams showing other designs for operating the sculpture.

[0044] Figure 1a and 1b A three-dimensional view of an exemplary design of an operating sculpture 10 according to the invention is shown. The operating sculpture is designed, for example, as a universal operating sculpture and can therefore be provided for selecting and adjusting vehicle functions such as audio playback, interior environment control, interior lighting and driver assistance systems. The operating sculpture can be designed, for example, as a steering wheel control and can be arranged on or at the steering wheel of the vehicle.

[0045] Depend on Figure 1a and 1b As can be seen, the operating sculpture 10 is designed as a protrusion relative to the surface 12 surrounding it. The operating sculpture here protrudes from the surface by about 2.0 mm and has a base area of ​​about 1.2 by 1.2 cm. As shown by arrows 14.1 to 14.4, the operating sculpture 10 can be moved in the plane of the surrounding surface 12, as well as perpendicular to the plane (arrow 14.5). It is also possible to select any direction between the arrows 14.1 to 14.4, so as to realize a diagonal operating direction, for example. If, for example, an audio function is influenced by the operating sculpture 10, it is possible to switch back and forth between music tracks in directions 14.1 and 14.3, and to increase and decrease the volume in directions 14.2 and 14.4.

[0046] like Figure 1b As shown, the operating stroke d when operating the operating sculpture 10 is only 0.4 mm. As a result, the operating sculpture acts almost fixedly, but the user can still feel the movement when operating. Nevertheless, only minimal construction space is required.

[0047] In addition, Figure 1aIt can also be seen that the operating sculpture 10 is seamlessly integrated into the surface 12 surrounding the operating sculpture, so that a unified appearance with the surrounding surface 12 is achieved, and dirt cannot penetrate into the operating sculpture 10. In order to achieve this seamless surface, the operating sculpture 10 and its surrounding surface 12 are manufactured together in a multi-component injection molding process, which ensures a good connection between the surface 12 and the operating sculpture 10.

[0048] In order to achieve better operability of the operating sculpture 10, the operating sculpture has a tactile aid 18 in the form of a recess. As a result, the user can easily perceive and operate the operating sculpture without visual contact, despite its low height.

[0049] The operability can also be improved if the operating sculpture 10 has a device (not shown) for providing tactile feedback. This device applies vibrations to the operating sculpture 10, so that the user gets the impression that the actuation stroke is long and, in addition, the user is informed of the success of his actuation. This tactile feedback should not be transmitted to the surrounding surface 12. To achieve this, the operating sculpture 10 is mechanically decoupled from the seamless surface 12 below it.

[0050] Figure 2 The sectional view shows in simplified form how the operating sculpture 10 in FIG. 1 can be designed with a lever element 16 and a detection device 17 for detecting the movement of the lever element 16. When the operating sculpture 10 is operated, the lever element 16 moves together, and this movement is detected by the detection device 17, which can preferably be a resistance strain gauge. Through these detection devices 17, the operating direction, operating intensity and operating angle of the operating sculpture 10 during movement can be detected. The reset device (not shown) guides the lever element 16 back to its original position. In particular, when the cursor function in the selection menu is to be operated by the operating sculpture 10, this design achieves simple and very precise operability.

[0051] Reference numerals list

[0052] 10. Manipulate the sculpture

[0053] 12 The surrounding surface

[0054] 14Control direction

[0055] 16 Lever element

[0056] 17 Detection device for detecting the movement of the lever element

[0057] 18 Tactile assistive devices

[0058] d Operating stroke

Claims

1. An operating sculpture (10) for influencing the function of a vehicle, wherein: The operating sculpture (10) is arranged or designed in the vehicle as a protrusion or recess relative to the surface (12) surrounding the operating sculpture, and the operating sculpture can be operated in the plane of the surface (12) surrounding the operating sculpture and perpendicular to the plane, and has an operating stroke (d) of 0.4 mm or less in the plane of the surface (12) surrounding the operating sculpture.

2. The operating sculpture (10) according to claim 1, wherein: The operating sculpture (10) is seamlessly integrated into the surface (12) surrounding the operating sculpture.

3. The operating sculpture (10) according to claim 2, wherein: The seamless integration is achieved by elastic material in the joining area and / or by a material-joined connection of the surface of the operating sculpture (10) with the surrounding surface (12) of the operating sculpture.

4. The operating sculpture (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that The operating sculpture (10) is designed with a lever element, and when the operating sculpture (10) is operated, the lever element moves corresponding to the operating movement performed. The operating sculpture is also designed with a device (17) for detecting the movement of the lever element, wherein the movement of the lever element is detected in terms of the operating direction, the operating angle and / or the operating intensity.

5. The operating sculpture (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that The manipulation triggers visual and / or acoustic feedback.

6. The operating sculpture (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that The operating sculpture has a device for providing tactile feedback, and the device is arranged and supported in such a way that tactile feedback is provided only in the area of ​​the operating sculpture (10).

7. The operating sculpture (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that The operating sculpture (10) has a device for detecting an approach and / or a device for detecting an actuation in a position-resolved manner.

8. The operating sculpture (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that The operating sculpture (10) has a tactile aid (18) on its surface.

9. The operating sculpture (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The height of the operating sculpture (10) is in the range between 1.8 mm and 2.5 mm, preferably in the range between 2.0 mm and 2.2 mm.

10. A vehicle having at least one operating sculpture (10) according to one of the preceding claims, in particular on a steering wheel of the vehicle.

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