Compact mechatronic control device of the joystick type with backlighting function

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device (14) for controlling a human-machine interface (HMI) embedded in a vehicle. The device comprises a housing configured to receive a ball joint (142) that rotates within the housing about a pivot point and includes a bore configured to receive a shaft of a lever (141). The lever is movable in translation relative to the ball joint along a vertical axis corresponding to the axis of the bore and passing through the pivot point. The lever is in contact with a first push button. The ball joint also includes lugs bearing on supports (143), each movable in translation relative to the housing along an axis parallel to the vertical axis and in contact with second push buttons. The first and second push buttons are configured, in particular, to control the HMI based on a movement of the lever.

Description

technical field

[0001] The invention relates to a device and a system for controlling or monitoring a human-machine interface of a vehicle, particularly an automobile. The present invention also relates to an embedded system comprising such a device. Technological background

[0002] Modern vehicles increasingly incorporate embedded systems, some of which require interaction with a vehicle occupant, such as the driver or a passenger, in order to activate or adjust them. Consequently, human-machine interface (HMI) control devices connected to these embedded systems are becoming increasingly common in vehicles, particularly in the passenger compartment of some models.

[0003] In order to simplify the driving position while maintaining, or even increasing, the number of controls accessible to the driver, it is necessary both to miniaturize control devices and to optimize them, that is to say to increase the number of possible controls carried out using the same control device.

[0004] The problem then arises of defining a solution for controlling an embedded system that is simultaneously compact, ergonomic, and intuitive. Summary of the present invention

[0005] One object of the present invention is to solve at least one of the problems of the technological background described above.

[0006] One object of the present invention is in particular to provide a control device which is compact, ergonomic and intuitive, thus enabling precise control of a system embedded in a vehicle.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to simplify a multi-function control lever.

[0008] According to a first aspect, the present invention relates to a control device for a human-machine interface, known as an HMI, embedded in a vehicle, the device comprising a housing configured to receive a ball joint, the ball joint being rotationally mobile within the housing around a pivot point and comprising a bore configured to receive a shaft of a lever, the lever being translationally mobile relative to the ball joint along a vertical axis corresponding to the axis of the bore and passing through the pivot point, the lever being in contact with a first push button, the ball joint comprising lugs bearing on supports each movable in translation relative to the housing along an axis parallel to the vertical axis, the supports being in contact with second push buttons, the first and second push buttons being configured to control the HMI according to a movement of the lever.

[0009] Such a device then allows the human-machine interface to be controlled according to several commands associated with the push buttons, which are activated by moving the lever.

[0010] According to one variant, the lever rests on the first push button through a membrane and the supports rest on the second push buttons through the membrane.

[0011] According to another variant, the device further includes a light-emitting diode configured to emit light through the membrane and the lever to a diffusion face of the lever, the membrane and part of the lever being translucent.

[0012] According to yet another variant, the device also includes an electronic board configured to receive the push buttons and the light-emitting diode.

[0013] According to an additional variant, the lever is made by bi-material injection.

[0014] According to another variant, the device includes four supports.

[0015] According to yet another variant, the push buttons are micro-switches.

[0016] According to yet another variant, the device is arranged in a door, on a dashboard or on a steering wheel of the vehicle.

[0017] According to a second aspect, the present invention relates to an embedded system comprising a device as described above according to the first aspect of the present invention and a screen.

[0018] According to a third aspect, the present invention relates to a vehicle comprising the device as described above according to the first aspect of the present invention or an embedded system as described above according to the second aspect of the present invention. Brief description of the figures

[0019] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the specific and non-limiting embodiments of the present invention below, with reference to figures 1 to 4 attached, on which: [ Fig. 1 ] schematically illustrates part of a vehicle's passenger compartment, according to a particular embodiment of the present invention; [ Fig. 2[This schematically illustrates a control device present in the passenger compartment of the vehicle] figure 1 , according to a particular and non-limiting example of the present invention; [ Fig. 3 ] schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of the control device of the figure 2 , according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention; and [ Fig. 4 ] illustrates an exploded view of the control device of the figure 2 , according to a particular and non-limiting example of the present invention. Description of examples of achievements

[0020] A control device for a human-machine interface (HMI) embedded in a vehicle and an embedded system including such a device will now be described in what follows, with joint reference to figures 1 to 4 The same elements are identified with the same reference symbols throughout the description that follows.

[0021] The terms "first," "second" (or "firsts," "seconds"), etc., are used in this document by arbitrary convention to identify and distinguish different elements (such as operations, means, etc.) implemented in the embodiments described below. Such elements may be distinct or correspond to a single element, depending on the embodiment.

[0022] According to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, the invention relates to a control device for a human-machine interface (HMI) embedded in a vehicle. The device comprises a housing configured to receive a ball joint that rotates within the housing around a pivot point and includes a bore configured to receive a lever shaft. The lever is movable in translation relative to the ball joint along a vertical axis corresponding to the axis of the bore and passing through the pivot point, the lever being pressed against a first push button.

[0023] The ball joint also includes lugs resting on supports, each movable in translation relative to the housing along an axis parallel to the vertical axis and resting on second push buttons.

[0024] The first and second pushbuttons are specifically configured to control the HMI based on a lever movement.

[0025] There figure 1 schematically illustrates part of the passenger compartment of a vehicle 10, according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Vehicle 10, for example, corresponds to a vehicle with an internal combustion engine, an electric motor(s), or a hybrid vehicle with an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors. Vehicle 10 thus corresponds, for example, to a land vehicle, such as a car, a truck, or a bus.

[0027] The vehicle 10 advantageously incorporates one or more on-board systems such as driver assistance systems, a lighting system, a windshield wiper system, or an infotainment system (IVI), all of which are connected to a control device 14. This list of on-board systems is not exhaustive but aims to illustrate examples of the use of such a control device 14, which is configured to control numerous on-board systems. This control device 14 is, for example, arranged in a door 15, on a dashboard 11, or on a steering wheel 13 of the vehicle 10, so that it can be easily operated by a vehicle occupant, for example, the driver, without the driver having to take their eyes off the road.

[0028] According to a particular embodiment, the control device 14 directly controls actuators of an embedded system, for example windshield wiper motors or headlights of a lighting system, for example via one or more relays and / or one or more controllers or processors.

[0029] According to another specific embodiment, such embedded systems include or are also connected to a screen 12, which allows graphic objects to be displayed according to the commands activated via the control device 14, for example, to guide the user through menus and / or to indicate to the user the command received by the embedded system. Thus, when an occupant of the vehicle 10 interacts with the control device 14, information relating to their action is then presented on a screen 12, for example, on a screen 12 located in front of the driver of the vehicle 10 and corresponding to a digital instrument panel of the vehicle 10 or on a central screen 12 associated with the IVI system embedded in the vehicle 10.

[0030] The screen 12 corresponds, for example, to an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) type screen, such as a TFT (Thin-Film Transistor) or OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) type screen. The screen 12 is specifically configured to display content for the driver and / or a passenger of the vehicle 10 and is connected to the control unit 14 and a computer of the on-board system to be controlled.

[0031] The screen 12 and the control device 14 are thus part of a human-machine interface associated with an embedded system controlled, for example, by the computer of the windshield wiper system or by another computer, for example that of the infotainment system, known as the IVI system, the latter being generally in charge of the screens embedded in a vehicle.

[0032] According to a particular embodiment example, the various computers associated with embedded systems of vehicle 10, in particular one or more computers in charge of controlling the windshield wiper system and / or the lighting system and / or the computer of the IVI system of vehicle 10, form for example a multiplexed architecture for the implementation of various services useful for the proper functioning of vehicle 10 and for assisting the driver and / or passengers of the vehicle in controlling vehicle 10.Computers and various embedded devices communicate and exchange data with each other via one or more computer buses, for example a CAN data bus (from the English "Controller Area Network" or in French "Réseau de contrôlers"), CAN FD (from the English "Controller Area Network Flexible Data-Rate" or in French "Réseau de contrôlers à débit de données flexible"), FlexRay (according to the ISO 17458 standard) or Ethernet (according to the ISO / IEC 802-3 standard).

[0033] There figure 2 schematically illustrates the control device 14 present in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. figure 1 , according to a particular and non-limiting example of the present invention.

[0034] Such a control device 14 comprises a housing (not shown in the figure 1 ) configured to receive: a lever 141, a ball joint 142, supports 143, a membrane 144, push buttons, a light-emitting diode, and an electronic board.

[0035] Such a control device 14 is thus mechatronic, that is to say combining mechanical elements such as levers, ball joints or supports and electronic elements such as push buttons, LED and electronic board.

[0036] The control device 14 is configured to allow the user to control an on-board system by moving the lever 141 relative to the housing, the latter being fixed relative to the part of the vehicle receiving it, for example, fixed relative to the steering wheel 13 (the steering wheel 13 not being fixed relative to the vehicle 10). Several commands are then possible, each command being associated with a movement of the lever 141 obtained by a user's action on an interface of the lever 141. Thus, the user generates a first command when they press on the central face Se3 of the interface of the lever 141 along an axis hereafter referred to as the vertical axis A.Secondary commands are also generated when the user moves the interface of lever 141 in a direction normal to the vertical axis A, for example by pressing on the sides or lateral faces Se1 of lever 141. The number of possible secondary commands is defined by the internal structure of the control device 14, and in particular the number of supports 143. According to this particular embodiment, the control device 14 includes four supports 143 to obtain four secondary commands. Thus, the control device 14 includes one first command and four secondary commands, for a total of five commands.

[0037] According to this particular embodiment, it should be noted that the lever 141 also includes a diffusion face Se2 between the lateral face Se1 and the central face Se3, this diffusion face Se2 being configured to be backlit, a material of the lever 141 forming the diffusion face Se2 then being translucent.

[0038] There figure 3 schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of the control device 14 of the figure 2 and the figure 4 Figure 14 illustrates an exploded view of this same control device, according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention. figures 3 And 4 allow us to distinguish more details of the internal structure of the control device 14.

[0039] We can thus distinguish the ball joint 142, which is mobile in rotation in the housing around a pivot point O, the position of this pivot point O being defined in particular by the external surface Se4 of the ball joint, which has a surface of revolution and comes to rest on an internal surface of the housing 140, sliding on the latter when the ball joint 142 moves.

[0040] The ball joint 142 includes a bore 142a configured to receive a shaft 141a of a lever 141, the shaft 141a sliding within the bore 142a along the vertical axis A of the bore 142a and passing through the pivot point O, a functional clearance being defined between these two elements. The lever 141 is thus movable in translation relative to the ball joint 142 along the vertical axis A, the lever 141 also bearing against a first push button 146 through the diaphragm 144 according to this particular embodiment.

[0041] Pressing the interface 141b along the vertical axis A generates a displacement of the lever 141 relative to the housing and relative to the ball joint 142. The lower face of the end of the shaft 141a, called the first lower face S1, then presses on the first bearing face S1' of the membrane 144 and indirectly on the push button 147 located under the membrane 144 directly above the lever 141, i.e. arranged under the lever 141 along the vertical axis A. The pressing of the lever 141 on the push button 147 then generates an electrical contact in the push button 147, which then generates the first command via an electronic circuit of the electronic board 145 on which the push button 147 is arranged.

[0042] The electronic board 145 is thus configured to receive the pushbuttons 147 and a light-emitting diode, called LED 146. The LED 146 is, according to this example, juxtaposed to the pushbutton 147 arranged under the lever 141, and is configured to emit light through the membrane 144 and the lever 141 to the diffusion face Se2 of the lever 141, the membrane 144 and part of the lever 141 being translucent.

[0043] Lever 141, for example, is made of plastic and is produced by two-material injection molding. Its external part is made of opaque plastic, for example black in color and corresponding to acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC) or polypropylene (PP), while the translucent part is made of translucent or crystal polycarbonate.

[0044] The membrane 144 is made of a flexible and translucent material, such as silicone. Its primary function is to ensure the watertightness of the control device 14, thereby providing an adequate level of protection for the electrical and electronic components within the housing 140.

[0045] The ball joint 142 also includes rod-shaped lugs 142b extending perpendicularly to the vertical axis A, and a second lower face of which, called the second lower face S2, bears against a receiving face S2' of the supports 143, each support 143 being movable in translation relative to the housing 140 along an axis parallel to the vertical axis A. The supports 143 are guided in translation within the housing 140 by means of guides 143a (visible in the figure 2) here presenting a form of parallel straight ribs fitting into grooves arranged in the housing 140. In this way, when a user moves the lever 141 in a direction different from that of the vertical axis A by pressing for example on one of the lateral faces Se1 of the interface 141b, the lever 141 drives in its movement the ball joint 142 and the movement of the ball joint 142 around its pivot point O generates a movement of the lugs 142b comprising a component along the vertical sliding axis of a support 143.A displacement of a lug 142b upwards generates a detachment of this lug 142b from the corresponding support 143, i.e. that the second lower face S2 and receiving face S2' are no longer in contact, while a displacement of a lug 142b downwards, i.e. in the direction of the membrane 144, generates a support of the lug 142b on the corresponding support 143, i.e. that a force and a displacement are transmitted from the second lower face S2 to the receiving face S2'. The support 143 is then pushed towards the membrane 144, its lower face, called the third lower face S3, pressing on the second support face S3' of the membrane 144 and indirectly on the push button 147 located under the membrane 144 in line with the support 143, that is to say arranged under the support 143 along a vertical axis parallel to the vertical axis A.Pressing the support 143 on the push button 147 then generates an electrical contact in the push button 147, which then generates a second command via an electronic circuit of the electronic board 145 on which the push button 147 is arranged.

[0046] It should be noted that in the case where the ball joint 142 comprises four lugs 142b distributed uniformly around the vertical axis A (as illustrated in the figure 2 ), an upward movement of a first lug 142b generates a downward movement of a second lug opposite to the first lug 142b. Two pushbuttons associated with two opposite lugs 142b cannot therefore be activated at the same time.

[0047] In one particular embodiment, the pushbuttons are microswitches, which are activated when their functional surface is moved by less than one millimeter (1 mm). The movement of lever 141 is therefore particularly small, almost imperceptible, making the control both compact and sensitive. Since the movements of lever 141 are distinct—one displacement along the vertical axis and, in the case where the control device 14 comprises four supports, four displacements in two distinct directions (the directions being normal to each other)—the controls are very precise, and the user is unlikely to activate a control due to inaccuracies in their movement. Such a control device 14 is thus described as a "joystick" type.

[0048] The rigidity of the various elements and the few parts present between the user's finger and a push button 147 also allow excellent haptic feedback, the activation of a push button 147 being propagated through the elements until received by the user's finger.

[0049] Thus, the first and second pushbuttons are activated based on the movements of lever 141 resulting from user actions on this lever 141, such as pressing the central face Se3 or the side faces Se1 with a finger. Since the first and second pushbuttons are configured to control the HMI based on the movement of lever 141, the user can precisely control this HMI by moving lever 141 and, in this example, has five distinct controls. Furthermore, the backlighting function allows the user to easily locate the control device 14.

[0050] The present invention also relates to a vehicle, for example an automobile or more generally an autonomous land-powered vehicle, comprising the control device previously described and / or a human-machine interface comprising the control device and a screen.

Claims

1. A control device (14) for a human-machine interface, referred to as an HMI, embedded in a vehicle (10), said device comprising a housing configured to receive a ball joint (142), said ball joint being rotationally movable within said housing about a pivot point (O) and comprising a bore (142a) configured to receive a shaft (141a) of a lever (141), said lever being translationally movable relative to the ball joint (142) along a vertical axis (A) corresponding to the axis of said bore (142a) and passing through the pivot point (O), the lever (141) being in contact with a first push button (146), said ball joint (142) comprising lugs (142b) bearing on supports (143), each translationally movable relative to the housing along an axis parallel to said vertical axis (A), said supports (143) being in contact with second push buttons (147),the first and second pushbuttons being configured to control said HMI according to a movement of said lever (141).

2. Device (14) according to claim 1, wherein the lever (141) is in contact with the first push button (146) through a membrane (144) and said supports (143) are in contact with the second push buttons (147) through said membrane (144).

3. Device (14) according to claim 2, further comprising a light-emitting diode (146) configured to emit light through the membrane (144) and the lever (141) to a diffusion face (Se2) of the lever (141), the membrane (144) and a portion of the lever (141) being translucent.

4. Device (14) according to claim 3, further comprising an electronic board (145) configured to receive the pushbuttons (147) and the light-emitting diode (146).

5. Device (14) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the lever is made by bi-material injection.

6. Device (14) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which comprises four supports (143).

7. Device (14) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the pushbuttons are micro-contactors.

8. Device (14) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which is arranged in a door (15), on a dashboard (11) or on a steering wheel (13) of said vehicle (10).

9. Embedded system comprising a device (14) according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and a screen (12).

10. Vehicle comprising the device (14) according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or an embedded system according to claim 9.

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