KR102780654B1 - Haptic switch with filling control - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a haptic switch having a feeling control function, comprising: an exterior panel; a frame coupled to an inner surface of the exterior panel; a touch film configured between the exterior panel and the frame and detecting a change in electrostatic capacity; a pressure sensor configured between the exterior panel and the frame and detecting an external force applied to the exterior panel; at least one actuator configured in the frame and transmitting vibration to the exterior panel through the frame; and a control unit configured to control the operation of the actuator to vibrate the exterior panel at a constant intensity when a manipulation by a user is confirmed based on detection signals of the touch film and the pressure sensor.

Description

Haptic switch with filling control

The present invention relates to a haptic switch having a feeling control function, and more specifically, to a switch capable of providing a uniform feeling feedback to a user regardless of an operating position.

In particular, the present invention relates to a haptic switch having a feeling control function that can prevent malfunction of the switch by an object other than a user's finger by detecting changes in electrostatic capacitance and pressure generated by a user's operation and controlling the operation of an actuator.

Vehicles are mainly used to transport people or cargo, and various devices and systems are applied to improve safety and convenience. These devices and systems can be automatically controlled depending on the driving conditions of the vehicle, or controlled by the driver or others.

For example, the opening and closing of the windows installed in the vehicle doors, ventilation and temperature control inside the vehicle, radio frequency control, and volume control are controlled by the driver or other passengers by operating switches.

However, in order for the driver to operate the switch while driving, he or she must check the location or operating status of the switch. This behavior can cause the driver to lose sight of the road ahead while driving, which can lead to problems such as traffic accidents.

One solution to this problem is the haptic switch, which notifies the driver of the status of the operation through vibrations, etc., so that the driver can accurately confirm the operation of the switch even when securing forward vision while driving.

For example, a haptic switch can indicate whether the current state is on or off, or what stage it is in, based on the intensity of the vibration.

However, in the case of these haptic switches, different feelings may be provided to the driver depending on the position operated by the driver and the position of the actuator that generates the vibration, which may cause the driver to misjudge the current state of the switch.

As a result, the haptic switch may have different feel depending on the driver's operating position, which may result in incorrect operation by the driver.

To solve these problems, the prior art document below, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2349641, 'Touch panel controller assembly for a vehicle' (hereinafter referred to as 'prior art'), is intended to enable a constant vibration intensity to be felt over the entire surface of the touch panel at all times.

In the case of prior art, as a method to make a constant vibration felt, it was said that an elastic support bracket capable of constantly amplifying vibration was configured. However, since constantly amplifying vibration simply amplifies different vibrations in a multiplicative manner, there is a problem that the difference between the two vibrations is also amplified, and the uniformity of the vibration is reduced.

As a result, the prior art has a problem in that the difference in vibration depending on the touch location becomes more prominent.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2349641 'Touch panel controller assembly for vehicle'

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a haptic switch having a feeling control function that can provide uniform feeling feedback to a user regardless of an operating position.

In particular, the present invention aims to provide a haptic switch having a feeling control function that can prevent malfunction of the switch by an object other than a user's finger by controlling the operation of an actuator by detecting changes in electrostatic capacitance and pressure caused by a user's operation.

In addition, the present invention aims to provide a haptic switch having a feeling control function that can solve an interference problem due to overlapping of two positions by staggering a user's touch area and a fixing part of an actuator.

In order to achieve the above object, a haptic switch having a feeling control function according to the present invention comprises: an exterior panel; a frame coupled to an inner surface of the exterior panel; a touch film configured between the exterior panel and the frame and detecting a change in electrostatic capacity; a force sensor configured between the exterior panel and the frame and detecting an external force applied to the exterior panel; at least one actuator configured in the frame and transmitting vibration to the exterior panel through the frame; And a control unit which, when a detection signal is input by one of the touch film and the pressure sensor, and a detection signal is input by the other of the touch film and the pressure sensor within a certain period of time, and both the detected change in electrostatic capacity and the change in pressure exceed a threshold value, confirms this as a user's operation, and controls the operation of the actuator to vibrate the exterior panel at a certain intensity; includes; The frame is arranged so as not to come into contact with the touch film and the pressure sensor, the frame is fixedly connected to an outer region of an area on the inner side of the exterior panel where the touch film is arranged, the actuator is fixedly connected to an opposite surface of the surface of the frame facing the touch film, and a joining position where the frame is fixedly connected to the exterior panel and a joining position where the actuator is fixedly connected to the frame are arranged to be staggered when the exterior panel is viewed from the front.

In addition, the control unit can identify a touch position, which is a position where electrostatic capacitance changes in the touch film, and control the vibration intensity of the actuator in response to the touch position.

In addition, the control unit can control the operation of the actuator when a detection signal is input by one of the touch film and the pressure sensor, and then a detection signal is input by the other one of the touch film and the pressure sensor within a certain period of time.

In addition, the joining positions of the exterior panel and the frame and the joining positions of the frame and the actuator may be arranged to be staggered from each other.

Additionally, the joining position of the frame and the actuator may be configured to be located inside the joining position of the exterior panel and the frame.

Additionally, the vibration displacement of the actuator can be set to have a safety margin between the boundary values of the push vibration point and the release vibration displacement.

In addition, the control unit can control the operation of each actuator based on at least one piece of information among position information including a relative distance between the actuator and the touch position, and structural information including at least one of a shape of the exterior panel and the frame and a joint structure after confirming a touch position by the user's operation through the touch film and confirming a vibration displacement of the actuator.

In addition, the actuators include at least two, and the control unit can control the operation of each actuator so that the combined vibration generated from the actuators corresponds to a set vibration intensity.

In addition, the control unit can check the touch position of the touch film and the relative distance between each actuator, and apply a vibration attenuation amount for each distance according to each relative distance to the intensity of vibration generated from each actuator to calculate the combined vibration.

In addition, the control unit can calculate the combined vibration by further applying a structural vibration damping amount corresponding to at least one of the shape and joint structure of the exterior panel and frame.

By the above-described solution, the present invention has an advantage in that it can provide a uniform feeling feedback to the user (driver) regardless of the operating position by resolving the discrepancy in feeling according to the distance between the actuator that generates vibration and the operating position where the user's touch is input.

In particular, the present invention has an advantage in that it can prevent malfunction of the switch by an object other than the user's finger by detecting changes in electrostatic capacitance and pressure caused by the user's operation and controlling the operation of the actuator only when the conditions of the two changes are met.

In addition, the present invention has an advantage in that it can solve the interference problem caused by the overlapping of two positions by arranging the positions of the connecting parts between each component so that they do not overlap, and in particular, by arranging the user's touch area and the fixed part of the actuator so that they are staggered from each other.

In addition, the present invention has the advantage of greatly improving the efficiency of the manufacturing process by sequentially stacking and arranging the exterior panel, touch film, pressure sensor, and frame that the user touches.

In addition, the present invention has the advantage of minimizing the size of the haptic switch by placing the control unit (control module) and the actuator in the same space without separating them, along with the lamination of each configuration, thereby greatly improving space utilization.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to a haptic switch for a vehicle, but can be applied to various products (e.g., home appliances, etc.) and can be widely applied and used in various fields.

Therefore, reliability and competitiveness can be improved in the haptic switch field and the feeling control field, especially in the automotive haptic switch field, as well as in similar or related fields.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of a haptic switch having a peeling control function according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of the operation of the control unit shown in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a configuration diagram showing an example to which Figure 1 is applied.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a specific embodiment of step 'S120' shown in FIG. 2.
Figure 5 is a flowchart showing a specific embodiment of step 'S130' shown in Figure 2.
Figure 6 is a flowchart showing a specific embodiment of step 'S160' shown in Figure 2.
Figure 7 is a graph explaining a method for setting the vibration displacement of an actuator.

Examples of a haptic switch having a peeling control function according to the present invention can be applied in various ways, and the most preferred embodiment will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of a haptic switch having a peeling control function according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a haptic switch having a peeling control function includes an exterior panel (100), a frame (200), a touch film (300), a force sensor (400), an actuator (510, 520), and a control unit (600).

The exterior panel (100) forms the exterior of the haptic switch. Since the haptic switch is generally configured as a built-in type, it corresponds to the exposed portion of the built-in haptic switch, and various images for each function of the switch are arranged and expressed on it.

The frame (200) is coupled to the inner surface of the exterior panel (100), and may be formed in the form of a cover that protects the touch film (300) and the pressure sensor (400), and may be configured by coupling the actuator (510, 520) and the control unit (600).

The touch film (300) is configured between the exterior panel (100) and the frame (200), and can be configured to adhere particularly to the inner surface of the exterior panel (100). It detects a change in electrostatic capacity that occurs when a user touches the exterior panel (100), and transmits the detected detection signal to the control unit (600).

The pressure sensor (400) is configured between the exterior panel (100) and the frame (200), and detects external force applied to the exterior panel by the user when the user touches the exterior panel (100), and can be configured to be in close contact with the inner surface of the touch panel (300).

The actuator (510, 520) is configured in the frame (200) and transmits vibrations generated by itself to the frame (200) (box-shaped arrow in FIG. 1). The vibration transmitted to the frame (200) is transmitted to the exterior panel (100) through the frame (200), thereby providing a feeling function in which the user feels the vibration.

The control unit (600) controls the operation of the actuator (510, 520) to vibrate the exterior panel (100) at a certain intensity when the user's operation is confirmed based on the detection signals of the touch film (300) and the pressure sensor (400). The specific function will be described in more detail below.

Figure 2 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of the operation of the control unit shown in Figure 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, when a user touches the exterior panel (100) with a finger or the like (S110), the control unit (600) can check the change in electrostatic capacity in the touch film (300) (S120) and the change in pressure in the pressure sensor (400) (S130).

Accordingly, when both a change in electrostatic capacitance and a change in pressure are confirmed (detected) (S140), the control unit (600) can confirm the touch position (S150) and control the vibration intensity of the actuator (510, 520) in response to the touch position (S160).

In this way, the control unit (600) can control the operation of the actuator according to the user's touch position (S150) so that a feeling (vibration) of a set intensity occurs at the corresponding touch position (S170). For example, if the position of the actuator and the touch position are far apart, the actuator can be vibrated strongly. As another example, if the position of the actuator and the touch position are close, the actuator can be vibrated weakly.

If a certain period of time has passed (S140) after the detection signal of the touch film (300) is received (S110), the control unit (600) determines that the electrostatic capacity has changed due to a metal object or magnetic substance other than the user's finger, and outputs an alarm or warning message to inform the user (driver) that a foreign substance, etc., is placed on the exterior panel (100) of the hamstick switch (S180).

Figure 3 is a configuration diagram showing an example to which Figure 1 is applied.

Referring to FIG. 3, a touch film (300) may be placed on the back surface (lower surface in FIG. 3) of the exterior panel (100), a pressure sensor (400) may be placed on the back surface of the touch film (300), and a frame (200) may be formed to protect the touch film (300) and the pressure sensor (400) and may be coupled to the exterior panel (100).

At this time, the joining position (a1) of the exterior panel (100) and the frame (200) and the joining position (a2) of the frame (200) and the actuator (510, 520) may be arranged to be staggered from each other.

More specifically, the joining position (a2) of the frame (200) and the actuator (510, 520) may be configured to be located inside the joining position (a1) of the exterior panel (100) and the frame (200).

When the two positions (a1, a2) are arranged in such a way that they are staggered from each other, the vibration of the actuator (510, 520) is transmitted to a point (a1) unrelated to the touch area, so that interference problems due to overlapping of the touch area and the fixed part of the actuator (e.g., adding an escape hole in the touch film, etc.) can be prevented.

In addition, the joining position (a3) of the control unit (600) can also be configured to be staggered from the two positions (a1, a2) described above, and the joining position (a4) of the exterior panel (100) can be configured to be located further outside the joining position (a1) of the exterior panel (100) and the frame (200).

As a result, by dispersing and staggering the coupling positions between each component, the effects of interference or attenuation due to the coupling can be minimized.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a specific embodiment of step 'S120' shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a specific embodiment of step 'S130' shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 4, when the control unit (600) detects a change in electrostatic capacitance by a detection signal of the touch film (300) (S121), it can compare the change in the corresponding electrostatic capacitance with a threshold value (S122).

At this time, if the amount of change in electrostatic capacitance is greater than the threshold value (S122), the control unit (600) determines that the corresponding detection signal is due to a touch by the user (driver), confirms the touch location (S123), and can determine the touch area (S124).

If the change in electrostatic capacitance is smaller than the threshold value (S122), the control unit (600) may determine that the change in electrostatic capacitance is an unintended operation, such as a change caused by a foreign substance, and maintain the standby state (S125).

Referring to FIG. 5, when the control unit (600) detects a change in pressure by a detection signal from a pressure sensor (400) (S131), it can compare the amount of change in the corresponding pressure with a threshold value (S132).

At this time, if the amount of change in pressure is greater than the threshold value (S132), the control unit (600) determines that the detection signal is due to the user's (driver's) touch and confirms that the user is currently pressing the desired button (S133).

If the amount of change in pressure is smaller than the boundary value (S112), the control unit (600) determines that the change in pressure is an unintended change due to an external factor and can maintain the standby state (S135).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a specific embodiment of step 'S160' shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 7 is a graph explaining a method for setting the vibration displacement of an actuator.

First, referring to FIG. 7, in the present invention, the vibration displacement during operation of the actuator (510, 520) can be set to have a safety margin (S) between the boundary values of the push vibration point (P) and the release vibration displacement (W).

For example, as the user presses the switch, the vibration of the actuator (510, 520) may change along the solid arrows shown in the graph.

Accordingly, when the user operates the switch and presses it, a push vibration occurs at the push point (P), and a release vibration occurs at the release point (R), which is the moment the user lifts his/her finger off the switch. If the ranges of the push vibration point and the release vibration displacement overlap, the push vibration may occur again at the release point.

Therefore, by setting a safety margin between the boundary values of the push vibration point and the release vibration displacement, it is possible to prevent malfunction in which push vibration occurs at the release point.

Referring to FIG. 6, the control unit (600) confirms the touch position by the user's operation through the touch film (300) (S150), confirms the vibration displacement of the actuator (510, 520) (S161), and then controls the operation of each actuator based on at least one of the position information including the relative distance between the actuator (510, 520) and the touch position, and the structural information including at least one of the shape and the joint structure of the exterior panel (100) and the frame (200) (S162) (S164).

At this time, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, when there are two actuators (510, 520), the control unit (600) can control the operation of each actuator (510, 520) so that the combined vibration generated from the actuators (510, 520) corresponds to the set vibration intensity.

For example, the control unit (600) can check the distance between one actuator (510) and the touch position and check the intensity of vibration applied to the touch position by the actuator (510).

Additionally, the control unit (600) can check the distance between another actuator (520) and the touch position and check the intensity of vibration applied to the touch position by the actuator (520).

Thereafter, the control unit (600) compares the sum of the vibration intensities (summed vibration) applied to the touch position by each actuator (510, 520) with the feeling of the set intensity set to be provided to the user, and if the summed vibration and the intensity of the set feeling are different, the control unit (600) can calculate the necessary vibration intensity for each actuator (510, 520) within the previously set vibration displacement to match the summed vibration to the intensity of the set feeling (S163).

The control unit (600) controls each actuator (510, 520) based on the required vibration intensity calculated in this manner to adjust the intensity of the combined vibration (S164), thereby controlling the combined vibration applied by each actuator (510, 520) at the touch position to have a feeling of the desired set intensity (S170).

At this time, the control unit (600) can check the touch position of the touch film (300) and the relative distance between each actuator (510, 520), and calculate the combined vibration by applying a vibration attenuation amount for each distance to the intensity of the vibration generated from each actuator (510, 520).

In addition, the control unit (600) can calculate the combined vibration by further applying a structural vibration damping amount corresponding to at least one of the shape and joint structure of the exterior panel (100) and the frame (200).

Thereafter, the control unit (600) calculates the required vibration intensity for each actuator (510, 520) to match the calculated combined vibration to the feeling of the set intensity, thereby controlling the actuators (510, 520) to provide the desired feeling at the touch position.

The haptic switch having a feeling control function according to the present invention has been described above. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the technical configuration of the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical idea or essential features of the present invention.

Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive.

100 : Exterior panel 200 : Frame
300 : Touch film 400 : Pressure sensor
510, 520: Actuator 600: Control unit

Claims (10)

exterior panel;
A frame joined to the inner surface of the above exterior panel;
A touch film configured between the above-mentioned exterior panel and frame, which detects changes in electrostatic capacity;
A pressure sensor (force sensor) configured between the exterior panel and the frame and detecting external force applied to the exterior panel;
At least one actuator configured in the above frame and transmitting vibration to the exterior panel through the frame; and
After a detection signal is input by one of the touch film and the pressure sensor, if a detection signal is input by the other of the touch film and the pressure sensor within a certain period of time, and both the detected change in electrostatic capacity and the change in pressure exceed the threshold value, a control unit is included, which confirms this as a user's operation and controls the operation of the actuator to vibrate the exterior panel at a certain intensity;
The above frame is positioned so as not to come into contact with the touch film and the pressure sensor,
The above frame is fixedly connected to the outer area of the area where the touch film is placed among the inner surfaces of the above exterior panel,
The above actuator is fixedly connected to the opposite side of the surface of the frame facing the touch film,
A haptic switch having a feeling control function, characterized in that the joining position at which the frame is fixed to the exterior panel and the joining position at which the actuator is fixed to the frame are arranged to be staggered when the exterior panel is viewed from the front.
In paragraph 1,
The above control unit,
A haptic switch having a feeling control function characterized by identifying a touch position, which is a position where electrostatic capacity changes in the above touch film, and controlling the vibration intensity of an actuator in response to the touch position.
delete In paragraph 1,
A haptic switch having a feeling control function, characterized in that the joining position of the frame and the actuator is located inward from the joining position of the exterior panel and the frame.
In paragraph 1,
The vibration displacement of the above actuator is,
A haptic switch having a feeling control function, characterized in that the boundary values of the push vibration point and the release vibration displacement are set to have a safety margin.
In paragraph 5,
The above control unit,
After confirming the touch location by the user's operation through the above touch film and confirming the vibration displacement of the actuator,
A haptic switch having a feeling control function, characterized in that the operation of each actuator is controlled based on at least one of position information including a relative distance between an actuator and a touch position, and structural information including at least one of a shape of an exterior panel and a frame and a joining structure.
In paragraph 1,
The above actuator comprises at least two,
The above control unit,
A haptic switch having a feeling control function characterized in that the combined vibration generated from the above actuators controls the operation of each actuator so that the combined vibration corresponds to a set vibration intensity.
In Article 7,
The above control unit,
A haptic switch having a feeling control function characterized by checking the touch position of the above touch film and the relative distance between each actuator, and calculating a combined vibration by applying a distance-specific vibration attenuation amount according to each relative distance to the intensity of vibration generated from each actuator.
In Article 8,
The above control unit,
A haptic switch having a feeling control function characterized in that a combined vibration is calculated by further applying a structural vibration damping amount corresponding to at least one of the shapes and joint structures of the above-mentioned exterior panel and frame. delete

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