Operating device for a motor vehicle, motor vehicle having an operating device and method for operating a vehicle function

Abstract

The invention relates to an operating device (10) for a motor vehicle (16) and to a method for operating a vehicle function. The operating device comprises a thumbwheel control (12); a control button cover (14) which surrounds the thumbwheel control (12) and has a touch sensor (18) for determining a touch input; a pushbutton switch (20) which is arranged below the thumbwheel control (12); a driving element (22) which couples the control button cover (14) to the thumbwheel control (12); and a control unit (24). The thumbwheel control (12) and the control button cover (14) are pivotably mounted so that the pushbutton switch (20) can be actuated by pressing the thumbwheel control (12). The driving element (22) is designed to drive the thumbwheel control (12) in order to actuate the pushbutton switch (20) when the control button cover (14) is pressed and to decouple the thumbwheel control from the control button cover (14) when the thumbwheel control (12) is pressed. The control unit (24) is designed to provide a thumbwheel pressure control signal when the pushbutton switch (20) is activated alone and to provide a button control signal when a touch input is simultaneously determined on the control button cover (14).

Description

[0001] OPERATING DEVICE FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE, MOTOR VEHICLE WITH AN OPERATING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A VEHICLE FUNCTION

[0002] DESCRIPTION:

[0003] The invention relates to an operating device for a motor vehicle. Furthermore, the invention relates to a motor vehicle with such an operating device and a method for operating a vehicle function.

[0004] Operating devices that feature a rotating roller for selecting functions or menu items are well known. This roller is often surrounded by additional buttons that provide additional functions. The roller can also be configured as an additional button, meaning it can be pressed. To differentiate between inputs from the buttons and the roller, multiple buttons are typically provided, each of which detects a corresponding pressure signal on the buttons or roller. However, a disadvantage of using multiple buttons is the increased space requirement and higher cost of the operating device.

[0005] From DE 10 2013 003 574 A1, a pressure and rotationally actuated control element for a motor vehicle is known, comprising a roller-shaped input element rotatably mounted on a bearing block, with a rotation sensor for detecting rotational actuations of the input element, wherein the bearing block is supported on at least one monostable spring element arranged on a base surface, which can be loaded perpendicular to the base surface and wherein the bearing block is displaceably mounted and pivotable about two bearing points, wherein a movement of the bearing block acts mechanically on a web-like transmission element which is coupled to the spring element, wherein the transmission element is pivotably arranged such that the longitudinal axis of the transmission element is always aligned parallel to the base surface and a pivoting changes the distance of the transmission element from the base surface, and wherein force-free actuable sensors are provided,which can detect movements of the bearing block caused by pressure actuations of the input element.,

[0006] From DE 10 2018 120 561 A1, a multifunctional operating element for a motor vehicle is known, which comprises a housing with a carrier element on which an input part with a touch-sensitive user interface having at least one control panel, in particular a touchpad or a touch display, is arranged, wherein the carrier element is mounted movably relative to the housing via at least one return element, wherein the input part, in particular the touch-sensitive user interface, is assigned at least one first touch sensor, which is designed to generate a first touch signal upon touch and / or approach in the actuation direction of the input part by a user and / or an object, wherein at least the first touch sensor is arranged in and / or on the housing, and / or at least one first force sensor is assigned to the input part, in particular the touch-sensitive user interface,which is designed to generate a force signal depending on a force acting in the actuation direction of the input part, wherein at least the first force sensor is arranged in and / or on the housing, wherein the multifunctional control element comprises at least one mechanical rotary actuator for selecting functions on the motor vehicle, wherein a force transmission lever is provided within the housing, which is connected to the rotary actuator, wherein, to detect the pressing operation of the rotary actuator, the force transmission lever activates a second force sensor, which generates a second force signal upon the pressing operation of the rotary actuator. DE 103 15 721 A1 discloses an operating device for motor vehicles with a display on which menus, functions, and function values ​​can be displayed and selected by means of a control element.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide an improved operating device for a motor vehicle.

[0008] This object is achieved by the independent patent claims. Advantageous developments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent patent claims, the following description, and the figures.

[0009] According to the invention, an operating device for a motor vehicle is provided, comprising a roller operating element that is rotatably mounted and has a sensor system for detecting a rotational movement of the roller operating element, a keycap that surrounds the roller operating element, a push button arranged below the roller operating element, a driving element that couples the keycap to the roller operating element, and a control unit. The roller operating element and the keycap are pivotally mounted, and the push button is arranged such that it can be actuated by pressing the roller operating element. The driving element is designed to drive the roller operating element along for actuating the button when the keycap is pressed, and to decouple the roller operating element from the keycap when the roller operating element is pressed. The control unit is designed to provide a roller pressure control signal when the button is activated by the roller operating element.The keycap has a touch sensor configured to detect a touch input on the keycap, wherein the control unit is further configured to provide a key control signal upon activation of the button and simultaneous detection of a touch input on the keycap. In other words, an operating device is provided that is particularly intended for a motor vehicle and can, for example, control vehicle functions. The operating device can have a roller operating element and a keycap surrounding the roller operating element. The roller operating element can protrude at least partially from a surface defined by the keycap, so that rotary movements can be performed on the roller operating element. These rotary movements can be detected by a sensor system for setting a function.The keycap can preferably have one or more markings representing different key functions. Furthermore, the keycap can preferably have a touch sensor that can detect a touch, in particular a touch position, on the keycap.

[0010] A button, preferably a micro-button, can be arranged beneath the roller control element. "Below the roller control element" refers to a position that can be located within a housing of the control device, i.e., in a direction / side facing away from a user. When activated or pressed, the button can be configured to provide haptic and / or acoustic feedback, which is preferably generated mechanically.

[0011] The roller operating element and the keycap can be pivotally mounted, in particular relative to a housing of the operating device, so that at least the roller operating element can be pressed towards the button to activate it. In this case, a control unit of the operating device can generate a roller rotation control signal upon activation of the button alone, by means of which, for example, vehicle functions can be controlled or selected. Upon actuation of the keycap, it can be provided that it is also pressed downwards, with the roller operating element being carried along by a carrier element, so that the roller operating element activates the button. The carrier element can releasably couple the keycap to the roller operating element.This means that when the key cap is pressed, the driving element carries the roller control element along with it and thus presses the button. When the roller control element is pressed alone, it can be decoupled from the driving element without causing any damage, so that only the roller is pressed downwards.

[0012] If the keycap is pressed, thus activating the button by moving the roller control element, the control unit can detect this because, in addition to the activation of the button, a touch input is also applied to the touch-sensitive keycap. In this case, a key control signal associated with the touch input can be provided by the control unit.

[0013] The carrier element can be provided as a housing or cage within the operating device, wherein this housing can have a pivotably mounted spindle for the roller operating element. Furthermore, the housing itself can be pivotally mounted, with the keycap resting on this housing or cage, thus allowing the entire housing, including the roller operating element, to also pivot when the keycap is pressed.

[0014] The invention offers the advantage of saving components and costs, since not every key on the keycap requires its own button.

[0015] The invention also includes embodiments which provide additional advantages.

[0016] One embodiment provides that the touch sensor of the keycap is configured to detect a touch location on the keycap, and the control unit is configured to provide a key control signal dependent on the touch location. Thus, the actuation of different keys on the keycap can be differentiated based on the touch location.

[0017] A preferred embodiment provides that the driving element has a force sensor which is designed to determine a force signal between the keycap and the roller operating element when the keycap is pressed, and wherein the control unit is designed to provide the key control signal only when an additional force signal is present. In other words, the activation of the button can be assigned to the keycap using the force signal from the force sensor. For this purpose, the force sensor can be provided in or on the driving element and measure a force between the roller operating element and the keycap. Since the roller operating element is decoupled from the driving element when only the roller operating element is pressed, there is no or only a slight force between the roller operating element and the keycap.However, when the keycap is pressed, the roller control element is carried along by the drive element, creating a greater force between them, which can be detected by the force sensor. This additional force sensor has the advantage of being able to distinguish more accurately whether the roller control element or the keycap was pressed. In particular, when the roller control element is pressed, an unintentional additional contact with the keycap can occur, which could lead to incorrect detection. This can be avoided with the force sensor.

[0018] The force sensor can, in particular, be provided as a capacitive force sensor. This means that the force can be determined by a change in the sensor's capacitance. Alternatively, the force sensor can be designed as a strain gauge. This means that the force signal can be determined by a deformation of the strain gauge and a change in the electrical resistance. In a further alternative, the force sensor can be designed as a piezoelectric force sensor. In this case, compressing the piezoelectric force sensor can generate an electrical voltage, which can then provide the force signal.

[0019] A further embodiment of the operating device provides for a second button to be arranged beneath the keycap, with the control unit being configured to provide the key control signal only upon additional activation of the second button. This means that, in addition to the activation of the (first) button beneath the roller control element and the touch input on the keycap, a further signal can be provided by the second button before the key control signal is provided. The second button has the advantage of preventing unintentional contact with the keycap when pressing the roller control element, since the second button is only activated when the keycap is pressed.

[0020] A further aspect of the invention relates to a motor vehicle with a previously described operating device. The motor vehicle according to the invention is preferably designed as a motor vehicle, in particular as a passenger car or truck, or as a passenger bus or motorcycle.

[0021] In an advantageous embodiment of the motor vehicle, the operating device is arranged on a steering wheel of the motor vehicle. Thus, the operating device is easily accessible while driving the motor vehicle.

[0022] According to the invention, a method for operating a vehicle function is also provided, comprising an aforementioned operating device, wherein a roller rotation control signal is detected by rotating the roller operating element, wherein pressing the roller operating element decouples the roller operating element from the carrier element and actuates the button, whereby a roller pressure control signal is generated, wherein pressing the keycap causes the carrier element to carry the roller operating element onto the button and activates it, wherein a button control signal is provided by the additional touch input on the touch-sensitive keycap upon activation of the button, wherein the vehicle function is operated by the roller rotation control signal, the roller pressure control signal and / or the button control signal. This results in the same advantages and variation options as with the operating device.

[0023] For use cases or application situations that may arise during the method and which are not explicitly described here, it may be provided that, in accordance with the method, an error message and / or a request to enter user feedback is issued and / or a default setting and / or a predetermined initial state is set.

[0024] The invention also includes the control device for the motor vehicle. The control device can have a data processing device or a processor device that is configured to carry out an embodiment of the method according to the invention. For this purpose, the processor device can have at least one microprocessor and / or at least one microcontroller and / or at least one FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and / or at least one DSP (Digital Signal Processor). In particular, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphical Processing Unit), or an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) can be used as the microprocessor. Furthermore, the processor device can have program code that is configured to carry out the embodiment of the method according to the invention when executed by the processor device. The program code can be stored in a data memory of the processor device.The processor device can be based, for example, on at least one circuit board and / or on at least one SoC (System on Chip). The invention also includes further developments of the method according to the invention that have features as already described in connection with the further developments of the operating device according to the invention. For this reason, the corresponding further developments of the method according to the invention are not described again here.

[0025] As a further solution, the invention also encompasses a computer-readable storage medium comprising program code which, when executed by a computer or computer network, causes the computer to carry out an embodiment of the method according to the invention. The storage medium can be provided at least partially as a non-volatile data memory (e.g. as a flash memory and / or as an SSD - solid state drive) and / or at least partially as a volatile data memory (e.g. as a RAM - random access memory). The storage medium can be arranged in the computer or computer network. However, the storage medium can also be operated, for example, as a so-called app store server and / or cloud server on the Internet. The computer or computer network can provide a processor circuit with, for example, at least one microprocessor.The program code may be provided as binary code and / or as assembly code and / or as source code of a programming language (e.g. C) and / or as a program script (e.g. Python).

[0026] The invention also encompasses combinations of the features of the described embodiments. The invention therefore also encompasses implementations that each comprise a combination of the features of several of the described embodiments, unless the embodiments are described as mutually exclusive.

[0027] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below. Shown are:

[0028] Fig. 1 shows an operating device; Fig. 2 shows a schematic structure of an operating device according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0029] The exemplary embodiments explained below are preferred embodiments of the invention. In the exemplary embodiments, the described components of the embodiments each represent individual features of the invention that can be considered independently of one another, each of which also develops the invention independently of one another. Therefore, the disclosure is intended to encompass combinations of the features of the embodiments other than those shown. Furthermore, the described embodiments can also be supplemented by further features of the invention already described.

[0030] In the figures, the same reference symbols designate elements with the same function.

[0031] Fig. 1 shows an exemplary operating device 10 that can be provided for operating vehicle functions. The operating device 10 can have at least one roller operating element 12 that is rotatably mounted to detect inputs via a rotary movement. The roller operating element 12 can also be pivotally mounted so that it can be pressed into the operating device 10 to provide a roller pressure control signal. Furthermore, the roller operating element 12 can be surrounded by a keycap 14, through which one or more additional buttons for the operating device 10 can be provided. For example, the keycap 14 can include buttons for voice control, telephony, and / or other vehicle functions.

[0032] The operating device 10 can preferably be provided in a motor vehicle 16, which is indicated highly schematically in this figure. The operating device 10 can preferably be arranged in a steering wheel (not shown) of the motor vehicle 12.

[0033] Fig. 2 shows a schematic structure of the operating device 10. In addition to the roller operating element 12 and the keycap 14, a touch sensor 18 can be provided, which can detect touch inputs on a surface of the keycap 14. Preferably, a touch location on the keycap 14 can thus be determined, which can be assigned to keys on the keycap 14.

[0034] Furthermore, a button 20 can be provided, which is arranged below the roller operating element 12. The button 20 can preferably be designed as a micro button, which can provide haptic and acoustic feedback when actuated. In addition, the operating device 10 can have a carrier element 22 that releasably couples the keycap 14 to the roller operating element 12. In particular, it can be provided that both the roller operating element 12 and the keycap 14 are pivotally mounted so that they can be pressed down. The carrier element 22 can be designed such that when the keycap 14 is pressed down, the roller operating element 12 is carried along and pressed onto the button 20. However, if only the roller operating element 12 is pressed, it can be decoupled from the carrier element 22 so that only the roller operating element 12 is pressed onto the button 20.

[0035] In order to distinguish between an actuation of the roller control element 12 and the keycap 14, a control unit 24 can be provided which evaluates the signals from the button 20 and the touch sensor 18. If, for example, only the button 20 is pressed without an additional touch input being detected by the touch sensor 18, the input can be assigned to the roller control element 12. In this case, a roller pressure control signal can be provided by the control unit 24. If, in addition to the activation of the button 20, a touch input by the touch sensor 18 is detected by the control unit 24, an input can be present on the keycap 14, so that a key control signal can be provided by the control unit 24. Preferably, the touch location can be assigned to a key on the keycap 14 so that a corresponding key control signal can be provided.

[0036] Furthermore, it can be provided that the driving element 22 has a force sensor 26 that can detect a force signal between the keycap 14 and the roller control element 12. The force sensor 26 can be, for example, a capacitive force sensor, a strain gauge, or a piezoelectric force sensor. If only pressure is applied to the roller control element 12, it is decoupled from the driving element 22, and the force between the roller control element 12 and the keycap 14 can be low. If, however, the keycap 14 is pressed and the roller control element 12 is carried along by the driving element 22, a larger force signal is generated. Therefore, it can be provided that the key control signal is only generated if the force signal is also present, which in particular is above a predetermined threshold value.

[0037] Optionally, a second button 28 may also be provided, located at a position below the keycap 14. When the keycap 14 is pressed downward, the second button 28 is also activated, allowing an input to be assigned to the keycap 14.

[0038] In another example, a roller operating part (roller operating element 12) is provided with both a push function and a large surrounding keycap 14. The keycap 14 can be equipped with a sensor for finger position detection. A micro-switch (switch 20) can be placed under the roller (roller operating element 12), and this micro-switch 20 can be used to evaluate the push actuation of the roller 12 and keycap 14. The finger position can be detected on the keycap 14, but not on the roller 12. When the keycap 14 is actuated, the roller 12 is driven by a driver (drive element 22), and the push function is executed on the micro-switch 20.

[0039] When roller 12 is actuated, keycap 14 is not moved. With this function, keycap 14 and roller 12 are decoupled.

[0040] This driver (drive element 22) can now be equipped with a sensor (force sensor 26) that detects the introduction of force between the keycap 14 and the roller 12, for example, through a capacitive sensor or strain gauge. If this sensor (force sensor 26) does not detect any force introduction and the microswitch 20 is nevertheless actuated, it can be assumed that the microswitch 20 was actuated via the roller 12 and not via the keycap 14.

[0041] Overall, the examples show how a push function of a roller control unit can be implemented in a button.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS: 1 . Operating device (10) for a motor vehicle (16), comprising: - a roller operating element (12) which is rotatably mounted and has a sensor system for detecting a rotational movement of the roller operating element (12); - a key cap (14) surrounding the roller control element (14); - a button (20) arranged below the roller control element (12); - a driving element (22) which couples the key cap (14) to the cylinder operating element (12); and - a control unit (24); - wherein the roller operating element (12) and the key cap (14) are pivotably mounted, and the button (20) is arranged such that it can be actuated by pressing the roller operating element (12); - wherein the driving element (22) is designed to drive the roller operating element (12) along for actuating the button (20) when the key cap (14) is pressed and to decouple the roller operating element (12) from the key cap (14) when the roller operating element (12) is pressed; - wherein the control unit (24) is designed to provide a roller pressure control signal upon activation of the button (20) by the roller operating element (12); - wherein the keycap (14) has a touch sensor (18) configured to detect a touch input on the keycap (14); and - wherein the control unit (24) is further configured to provide a key control signal upon activation of the button (20) and simultaneous detection of touch input on the key cap (14).

2. Operating device (10) according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensor (18) of the key cap (14) is designed to have a touch location on the keycap (14), and wherein the control unit (24) is designed to provide a key control signal dependent on the touch location.

3. Operating device (14) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the driving element (22) has a force sensor (26) which is designed to determine a force signal between the keycap (14) and the roller operating element (12) when the keycap (14) is pressed, and wherein the control unit (24) is designed to provide the key control signal only when an additional force signal is present.

4. Operating device (10) according to claim 3, wherein the force sensor (26) is a capacitive force sensor.

5. Operating device (10) according to claim 3, wherein the force sensor (26) is a strain gauge.

6. Operating device (10) according to claim 3, wherein the force sensor (26) is a piezoelectric force sensor.

7. Operating device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a second button (28) is arranged under the key cap (14), wherein the control unit (24) is designed to provide the button control signal only upon additional activation of the second button (28).

8. Motor vehicle (16) with an operating device (10) according to one of the preceding claims.

9. Motor vehicle (16) according to claim 8, wherein the operating device (10) is arranged on a steering wheel of the motor vehicle (16).

10. A method for operating a vehicle function, comprising an operating device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a roller rotation control signal is detected by rotating the roller operating element (12), wherein pressing the roller operating element (12) decouples the roller operating element (12) from the carrier element (22) and actuates the button (20), thereby generating a roller pressure control signal, wherein pressing the keycap (14) causes the carrier element (22) to carry the roller operating element (12) onto the button (20) and activates it, wherein a button control signal is provided by the additional touch input on the touch-sensitive keycap (14) upon activation of the button (20), wherein the vehicle function is operated by the roller rotation control signal, the roller pressure control signal and / or the button control signal.

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