User input device

Abstract

A user input device (200) includes a user interface (20) and at least one sensor (22), where the at least one sensor (22) is configured to determine a direction in which a user's hand approaches the user interface (20), and the user input device (200) is configured to perform an action based on the direction determined by the at least one sensor (22).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a user input device, and in particular, to a user input device in a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] For example, vehicles provide more and more functions to improve the comfort of the driver. Many functions can be controlled by means of user interfaces (such as control buttons or control knobs). Today, many vehicles also provide different displays integrally formed in the vehicle dashboard to provide different information to the driver and / or passengers of the vehicle. However, the space in the vehicle is limited. Especially in smaller vehicles, the available space in the dashboard or center console of the vehicle that can be used to implement different displays and user interfaces (such as control knobs or control buttons) is usually limited.

[0003] There is a need for a user input device that can be implemented in a compact and space-saving manner. Summary of the invention

[0004] A user input device is disclosed herein, comprising a user interface and at least one sensor, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to determine a direction in which a user's hand approaches the user interface, and the user input device is configured to perform an action based on the direction determined by the at least one sensor.

[0005] A method comprises determining, by means of at least one sensor, a direction in which a hand of a user approaches a user interface of a user input device; and performing an action by means of the user input device based on the direction determined by the at least one sensor.

[0006] Other systems, features and advantages of the present disclosure will be or will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon studying the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages are included in this description, are within the scope of the present invention, and are protected by the appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The arrangement may be better understood with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings. The components in the accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, but emphasis is placed on illustrating the principles of the present invention. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the different views.

[0008] Figure 1 A block diagram of a user input device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0009] Figure 2 A vehicle including a user input device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically illustrated.

[0010] Figure 3A and Figure 3B Different settings provided by the user input device on the touch screen are schematically shown.

[0011] Figure 4A and Figure 4B A block diagram of a user input device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0012] Figure 5 A flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] The user input devices and related methods according to various embodiments described herein allow the total number of input devices (i.e., user interfaces) in an environment (such as a vehicle) where two or more users may be present to be reduced. Each of the multiple users may wish to individually control the settings of a specific application. For example, many vehicles today provide individual sound zones or climate zones for different passengers of the vehicle. That is, the driver of the vehicle can hear different content from other passengers of the vehicle, or can hear the same content at a different volume than other passengers of the vehicle. Different climate zones within the vehicle allow different passengers to individually adjust, for example, the ambient temperature. This typically requires a large number of user interfaces, such as control buttons or control knobs.

[0014] For example, the driver of the vehicle may operate a first control button to control the settings of the seat heating of the driver's seat, while the front passenger may operate a second control button to control the settings of the seat heating of the front passenger seat. Similarly, separate control buttons are typically provided for the driver and the front passenger to control individual climate zones. However, control buttons or control knobs, as well as any other class of user interfaces, require a large amount of space on the dashboard or center console. The user input devices and related methods disclosed herein provide the same functionality as conventional systems, but with a reduced number of user interfaces (e.g., control knobs, control buttons, or touch screens).

[0015] Figure 1A user input device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown. The user input device 200 includes a user interface 20 and at least one sensor 22. The at least one sensor 22 is configured to determine the direction in which the user's hand approaches the user interface 20, and the user input device 200 is configured to perform an action based on the direction determined by the at least one sensor 22. The user interface 20 may include, for example, a control knob or a control button. When the control knob or the control button is being operated and the control knob or the control button is detected by means of at least one sensor 22 to be approached from a first side, the user input device 200 may be configured to adjust one or more settings of a first subsystem 24a of an application, the first subsystem 24a being associated with a first user. On the other hand, when the control knob or the control button is being operated and the control knob or the control button is detected by means of at least one sensor 22 to be approached from a second side different from the first side, the user input device 200 may be configured to adjust one or more settings of a second subsystem 24b of the application, the second subsystem 24b being associated with a second user. For example, the application may be one of an audio system, a heating system, a fan system, a climate system, a seat position system, a lighting system, a media system, or a window control system. The application may even be some kind of social media or music / video streaming service, where the first subsystem 24a is a personal account of the first user and the second subsystem 24b is a personal account of the second user.

[0016] According to one example, the application is seat heating for a vehicle. A single control knob or control button (user interface 20) may be provided on the dashboard of the vehicle to control the seat heating of the driver's seat (first subsystem 24a) and the seat heating of the front passenger seat (second subsystem 24b). When the vehicle driver sitting in the driver's seat approaches the control knob or control button with his hand, at least one sensor 22 will detect the approach to the control knob or control button from the side relative to the driver's seat (e.g., from the left side in a left-hand driving vehicle). For example, when the driver presses the corresponding control button, only the seat heating setting of the driver's seat will change accordingly. Similarly, when the front passenger sitting in the front passenger seat approaches and operates the control knob or control button, only the setting of the seat heating of the front passenger seat will change accordingly. In this way, only a single control button is needed to individually control both the setting of the driver's seat heating and the setting of the front passenger seat heating. Similarly, any other application can be controlled by means of a single control button or control knob, and different passengers of the vehicle can make individual settings. In this way, the total number of control knobs and control buttons can be significantly reduced compared to a system that provides separate user interfaces 20 for different users, while still being able to control the same number of applications and corresponding subsystems.

[0017] At least one sensor 22 may be any type of sensor that can reliably detect from which side the user's hand approaches the user interface 20. For example, at least one sensor 22 may include at least one of one or more capacitive sensors, one or more cameras, one or more radar devices, one or more light-based proximity sensors, or one or more ultrasonic proximity sensors. For example, one or more capacitive sensors may be arranged near the user interface 20. According to one example, one capacitive sensor is arranged on a first side (e.g., the left side) of the user interface 20, and a second capacitive sensor is arranged on a second side (e.g., the right side) of the user interface 20. Depending on the direction in which the user approaches the user interface 20, the first capacitive sensor or the second capacitive sensor will output a corresponding signal indicating from which side the user interface 20 is approached. In other words, if the hand approaches the user interface 20 from the first side, the other sensor will be activated compared to when the hand approaches the user interface from the second side. Any other number of capacitive sensors other than two is also generally possible. The capacitive proximity sensor may be arranged, for example, below a panel covering the corresponding user interface 20 (e.g., a control knob or control button) in a center console or dashboard.

[0018] However, as mentioned above, the use of a capacitive proximity sensor is only an example. Instead of or in addition to the capacitive sensor described above, any other class of suitable (proximity) sensors may also be used. For example, it may be determined from which side the user's hand approaches the user interface 20 by means of computer vision methods. In such cases, at least one sensor 22 may include, for example, at least one camera. Today, some advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) already use computer vision techniques, for example for driver monitoring. For example, at least some elements of such systems already present in the vehicle may also be used by the user input device 200. That is, certain components may be shared between systems, which greatly reduces the space requirements of the user input device 200. For example, the same applies to radar technology elements, which may be used, for example, to detect the presence of passengers of other systems (e.g., ADAS) and may be used additionally by the user input device 200. For example, information about the direction in which the hand approaches the user interface 20 may be extracted from an existing system as residual information. According to another example, a capacitive coupling between a seat (e.g., a driver's seat or a front passenger seat) and the user interface 20 may be determined. For example, this may be implemented by stimulating the body of an occupant sitting on the corresponding seat by means of a characteristic signal. It is also generally possible to determine the capacitive coupling directly.

[0019] Figure 2A vehicle 10 including a user input device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown. The user input device 200 is shown as being arranged in a dashboard of the vehicle 10. Specifically, at least the user interface 20 may be arranged in a dashboard or a center console of the vehicle 10, while other components (such as one or more sensors 22) may be arranged at a different location from the vehicle 10. For example, a camera may be arranged on the roof line of the vehicle 10 or at any other suitable location so that a hand approaching the user interface 20 may be reliably detected.

[0020] Instead of or in addition to control knobs or control buttons, user interface 20 may include one or more touch screens. Figure 3A and Figure 3B According to one example, the content displayed on the touch screen can be arranged in different ways based on the direction determined by at least one sensor 22. Figure 3A In the example shown in , the hand approaches the touch screen from the left hand side. Any icons I1, I2, I3 displayed on the touch screen can be arranged toward the left side of the touch screen so that the user can easily reach them. However, if the hand approaches the touch screen from the right side ( Figure 3B ), the same icons I1, I2, I3 may be arranged toward the right side of the touch screen. In this way, any user can easily and conveniently operate the touch screen. Instead of or in addition to arranging items on the touch screen based on the direction of the hand approaching the touch screen, the same functionality described above with respect to the control knob or control button can also be implemented. That is, when input is received via the touch screen and the touch screen is detected to be approaching from a first side by means of at least one sensor 22, the user input device 200 can be configured to adjust one or more settings of a first subsystem 24a of the application, the first subsystem 24a being associated with a first user. Similarly, when input is received via the touch screen and the touch screen is detected to be approaching from a second side different from the first side by means of at least one sensor 22, the user input device 200 can be configured to adjust one or more settings of a second subsystem 24b of the application, the second subsystem 24b being associated with a second user. That is, a single icon can be presented on the touch screen, which can be used to control the first subsystem 24a or the second subsystem 24b, depending on the direction of approaching the touch screen.

[0021] According to another example, it is also possible to personalize the user interface (i.e., the touch screen) according to the side approaching the user interface 20. That is, the content displayed on the touch screen can be personalized according to the operating user. For example, if approaching the touch screen from a first side is detected, content related to the first user can be displayed on the touch screen, such as a personal social media account, a music / video streaming service, etc. If approaching the touch screen from a second side is detected, content related to the second user can be displayed on the touch screen. Instead of or in addition to arranging the icons I1, I2, I3 on ​​the touch screen in a specific manner, it is also possible to implement personalizing the user interface.

[0022] Reference now Figure 4A and Figure 4B , the user input device 200 may further include a control unit 26. The control unit 26 may receive input from the user interface 20 and the at least one sensor 22. The input from the user interface 20 may relate to a setting to be changed (e.g., volume, temperature, etc.), and the input from the at least one sensor 22 may relate to a subsystem 24a, 24b to which a setting is to be changed. Figure 4A As schematically shown in FIG. 1 , if the user's hand is detected approaching the user interface 20 from a first side (e.g., from the left side) by means of at least one sensor 22, the setting of the first subsystem 24a can be changed, but the setting of the second subsystem 24b cannot be changed. Similarly, as described above and as Figure 4B As schematically shown in FIG. 1 , if it is detected by means of at least one sensor 22 that a user's hand approaches the user interface 20 from a second side (eg, from the right side), the setting of the second subsystem 24 b may be changed, but the setting of the first subsystem 24 a may not be changed.

[0023] The user input device 200 can be operated in the individual region state as described above, where different regions can be operated individually according to the direction in which the user's hand approaches the user interface 20. According to another embodiment, the user input device can also be operated in the non-individual region state. That is, the user input device 200 can be switched from the individual region state to the non-individual region state, and vice versa. In the non-individual region state, when operating the user interface 20, all subsystems 24a, 24b of the application can be controlled simultaneously.

[0024] In the examples described in the figures and above, only two different subsystems 24a, 24b are individually controlled by means of a single user interface 20. However, more than two subsystems may generally be individually controlled. It should also be noted that the general concepts have been described above for a user input device in a passenger vehicle. However, in general, the vehicle 10 may be any class of vehicle, such as a passenger car, van, camper, caravan, truck, bus, tractor, aircraft, ship, etc. Alternatively, the user input device 200 may also be implemented in any other environment besides a vehicle.

[0025] Reference now Figure 5 , schematically illustrating a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method comprises: determining the direction of the user interface 20 of the user input device 200 with the aid of at least one sensor 22 (step 501); and performing an action with the aid of the user input device 200 based on the direction determined by the at least one sensor 22 (step 502). As described above, the action performed by the user input device 200 may include operating the first subsystem 24a or the second subsystem 24b, depending on the direction of the user's hand approaching the user interface 20. Alternatively or in addition, the action may include arranging the content displayed on the touch screen based on the direction determined by the at least one sensor 22.

[0026] It will be appreciated that the systems shown are merely examples. Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that there may be more embodiments and implementations within the scope of the present invention. Specifically, the skilled person will recognize the interchangeability of various features from different embodiments. Although these techniques and systems have been disclosed in the context of certain embodiments and examples, it will be appreciated that these techniques and systems may extend beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other embodiments and / or their uses and obvious modifications. Therefore, the present invention is not limited except in accordance with the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0027] The description of the embodiment has been presented for the purpose of illustration and description. Suitable modifications and variations of the embodiment may be performed according to the above description or may be obtained by the practice method. The arrangement is exemplary in nature and may include additional elements and / or omit elements. As used in this application, elements listed in singular form and preceded by the wording "one" or "a kind of" should be understood as not excluding multiple elements, unless such exclusion is indicated. In addition, reference to "one embodiment" or "an example" of the present disclosure is not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also contain the listed features. The terms "first", "second" and "third" etc. are used only as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements or specific positional order on their objects. The described system is exemplary in nature and may include additional elements and / or omit elements. The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and sub-combinations of the various systems and configurations disclosed and other features, functions and / or properties. The attached claims specifically point out the subject matter that is considered to be novel and non-obvious from the above disclosure.

Claims

1. A user input device (200) comprising a user interface (20) and at least one sensor (22), wherein The at least one sensor (22) is configured to determine the direction in which a user's hand is approaching the user interface (20), and The user input device (200) is configured to perform an action based on the direction determined by the at least one sensor (22).

2. The user input device (200) of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor (22) comprises at least one of the following: one or more capacitive sensors; one or more cameras; one or more radar installations; one or more light-based proximity sensors; or One or more ultrasonic proximity sensors.

3. The user input device (200) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the user interface (20) comprises a control knob or a control button.

4. The user input device (200) of claim 3, wherein When the control knob or control button is being operated and it is detected by means of the at least one sensor (22) that the control knob or control button is approached from a first side, the user input device (200) is configured to adjust one or more settings of a first subsystem (24a) of an application, the first subsystem (24a) being associated with a first user; and When the control knob or control button is being operated and the at least one sensor (22) detects that the control knob or control button is approached from a second side different from the first side, the user input device (200) is configured to adjust one or more settings of a second subsystem (24b) of the application, the second subsystem (24b) being associated with a second user.

5. The user input device (200) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the user interface (20) comprises a touch screen.

6. The user input device (200) of claim 5, wherein the action performed by the user input device (200) comprises presenting and / or arranging content displayed on the touch screen based on the direction determined by the at least one sensor (22).

7. The user input device (200) of claim 5 or 6, wherein When input is received via the touch screen and approach of the touch screen from a first side is detected by means of the at least one sensor (22), the user input device (200) is configured to adjust one or more settings of a first subsystem (24a) of an application, the first subsystem (24a) being associated with a first user; and When input is received via the touch screen and approach of the touch screen from a second side different from the first side is detected by means of the at least one sensor (22), the user input device (200) is configured to adjust one or more settings of a second subsystem (24b) of the application, the second subsystem (24b) being associated with a second user.

8. The user input device (220) of claim 4 or 7, wherein the application is one of an audio system, a heating system, a fan system, a climate system, a seat position system, a lighting system, a media system, or a window control system.

9. A user input device (220) as claimed in claim 4 or 7, wherein the application is a social media or a music and / or video streaming service, wherein the first subsystem (24a) is a personal account of the first user and the second subsystem (24b) is a personal account of the second user.

10. The user input device (200) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the user input device (200) is arranged in a vehicle (10).

11. A user input device (200) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the vehicle (10) is a passenger car, a van, a camper, a caravan, a truck, a bus, a tractor, an aircraft or a ship.

12. A method comprising determining the direction in which a user's hand approaches a user interface (20) of a user input device (200) by means of at least one sensor (22), and An action is performed by means of the user input device (200) based on the direction determined by the at least one sensor (22).

Images