FR3061825A1 - SAFETY COVER FOR THE TOUCH-CONTROL GUIDING OF THE GEARBOX CONTROL OF A MOTOR VEHICLE BY SMARTPHONE OR TOUCH TABLET - Google Patents

Abstract

A touch-sensitive cover (11) for facilitating an operator's access to a plurality of predetermined control areas (23) distributed over the active surface of the touch screen (22) of an electronic terminal (21). ordering equipment. Each control zone (23) allows the operator to activate, by contact, a feature of the equipment. The cover (11) has a wall (12) bounded by peripheral edges (13). It is dimensioned so that the terminal (21) can be inserted therein, the touch screen (22) being placed in contact with the inner face (121) of the wall (12). The wall (12) has openings (14i) disposed at its surface and configured to allow the operator's finger to contact the touch screen (22) at the control areas (23). The openings (14i) are connected to each other by guide grooves (15) arranged on the outer surface (121) of the wall (12) of the cover (11) so that the operator can move his finger one control zone (23) to another by sliding it along the guide grooves (15).

Description

® Agent (s): RENAULT SAS.

® SAFETY COVER FOR THE TOUCH GUIDANCE OF THE CONTROL OF THE GEARBOX OF A MOTOR VEHICLE BY SMARTPHONE OR TOUCH TABLET.

FR 3,061,825 - A1

Cap (11) for tactile guidance to facilitate operator access to a plurality of determined control zones (23) distributed over the active surface of the touch screen (22) of an electronic terminal (21) of equipment control. Each control zone (23) allows the operator to activate, by contact, a functionality of the equipment. The cover (11) has a wall (12) bounded by peripheral edges (13). It is dimensioned so that the terminal (21) can be inserted therein, the touch screen (22) being placed in contact with the internal face (121) of the wall (12). The wall (12) has openings (14i) arranged on its surface and configured to allow the operator's finger to come into contact with the touch screen (22), at the level of the control zones (23). The openings (14i) are connected to each other by guide grooves (15) arranged on the external surface (121) of the wall (12) of the cover (11) so that the operator can move his finger d 'one control area (23) to another by sliding it along the guide grooves (15).

Safety cover for tactile guidance of the control of the gearbox of a motor vehicle by smartphone or touch pad

ΟΟΛΜΛΕ OR 1 WVœWWOAf [001] The invention relates to the general field of devices which can be controlled remotely by means of a terminal with a touch screen, smartphone or tablet for example, provided with the corresponding control software application. It relates more particularly to the general field of the automobile and relates to the equipment or bodies of an automobile the operation of which can be directly controlled by the driver via a dedicated interface.

CONTEXT OF E / NVENTION ...... ΑΠΤ ANTEHIEI / H [002] In the context of tests of prototypes of motor vehicles equipped with a gearbox control by touch screen tablet, it has been found that, After the phase of interest aroused by the novelty of such equipment, the use of this type of command quickly confused the drivers in charge of the tests.

In particular in certain driving conditions requiring, on the part of the driver, sustained attention to the road and to the road environment, the use of an interface consisting of a simple touch screen has proved to be tricky. otherwise dangerous.

Unanimously, users have estimated that such equipment could be dangerous in certain circumstances and that, at the very least, such equipment did not inspire complete confidence in the user.

For all of the drivers who tested the prototypes incorporating this equipment, the major drawback was the lack of a cognitive approach to handling and handling such a command. This lack of cognitive approach proves to be the cause of many gearshift errors, in particular caused by the rapid and involuntary pressing on active areas of the touch screen of the control device used, a tablet or a smartphone for example.

As a result, the drivers considered stressed that, to remedy this drawback, they had been forced to increase their concentration on the implementation of the device, to the detriment of the attention paid to the road, this additional attention is sometimes further amplified by problems of readability of the touch screen due to the external brightness.

FHESENTA NOT OF THE INVENTION An object of the invention is to propose a means making it possible to increase the ergonomics of an electronic device with a touch screen intended to serve as a control interface with equipment of a vehicle. , order entry being carried out by the device via its touch screen.

Another object of the invention is to provide a removable means allowing the electronic device to be used to fulfill other functions than controlling a given piece of equipment or being used for other uses.

For this purpose the invention relates to a tactile guide cover to facilitate the access of an operator to a plurality of determined control zones, scattered over the active surface of a touch screen of an electronic terminal. for controlling equipment, each control zone being configured to act on a functionality of the equipment when it is brought into contact with an operator's finger, said tactile guide cover being characterized in that it comprises a wall bounded by peripheral edges and being configured so that the terminal can be inserted into said cover, the touch screen being placed in contact with the internal face of the wall of the cover, said wall having openings arranged on its surface and dimensioned so as to allow the operator's finger to come into contact with the touch screen, at the level of said control zones, said openings being connected to each other res by networks of guide grooves formed on the external surface of the wall of the cover and arranged so that the operator can move his finger blind from one control area to another by sliding the latter along the guide grooves.

Advantageously, the hood openings corresponding to the same operating mode of the equipment, are interconnected by the same set of grooves.

Preferably, the support wall also includes a tactile marking area allowing the operator to locate a reference position on the surface of said wall.

Preferably, a tactile guide cover according to the invention is configured in such a way that, when it is mounted on the front face of the control terminal, its presence is detected and the control terminal automatically launches the application for which the cover is intended, and displays the corresponding control zones.

Advantageously, a tactile guide cover according to the invention is made of plastic, aluminum or titanium.

Another subject of the invention is a touchscreen electronic device for controlling the operation of a vehicle equipment, comprising a touchscreen control terminal configured to transmit to the equipment a plurality of operating commands, each operating command corresponding to a zone, the activation of a command being carried out by the driver by placing a finger on the corresponding zone of the touch screen, as well as a tactile guide cover according to the invention, the device comprising fixing means making it possible to maintain it in a fixed position determined by the driver.

Advantageously, the controlled equipment being the gearbox of said vehicle, the control zones distributed over the active zone of the touch screen of the control terminal correspond to the various commands accessible by touch contact to the driver, necessary to use the gearbox in either of the available operating modes.

Preferably, the said gearbox being able to operate in manual mode or in automatic mode, the control zones of the touch screen of the control terminal are configured to ensure two distinct operating modes:

- a first manual mode controlled by at least two control zones, a control zone + allowing to raise the reports and a control zone - allowing to lower the reports;

a second operation in automatic mode, controlled by at least four control zones, respectively controlling the neutral position N, the driving of the vehicle in forward gear D, the driving of the vehicle in reverse gear R, the positioning of the gearbox in Parking mode P.

Preferably, the automatic operating mode also incorporates a command to activate the regenerative braking function, accessible to the driver by a dedicated control zone.

Advantageously, the openings of the tactile guide cover corresponding to the two control zones relating to the operation in manual mode are connected together by a first set of guide grooves, while the openings corresponding to the zones controlling the operation in automatic mode are interconnected by a second set of guide grooves separate from the first.

DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE FIGES The characteristics and advantages of the invention will be better appreciated thanks to the description which follows, a description which presents the invention through a particular, non-limiting application, to the control of a gearbox, and which is based on the appended figures which present:

- Figures 1 and 2, views of the outer and inner faces of the cover according to the invention in a configuration corresponding to the application described;

- Figure 3, a front view of a touch screen terminal (smartphone) showing the application corresponding to the cover according to the invention;

- Figure 4, a front view of an assembly consisting of a touch screen terminal (smartphone) equipped with the cover according to the invention, illustrating the principle of use of the device thus formed;

- Figure 5, an illustration showing a touch screen control terminal equipped with the cover according to the invention, installed in a motor vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION As has been said previously, the remainder of the description presents the technical characteristics of the invention through a particular application to a control unit of a motor vehicle gearbox. It is however understood that the scope and extent of the invention, defined by the claims only, are in no way limited by the scope of this description.

As illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, the cover 11 is adapted to the digital terminal model 21 used and the application considered.

In the context of the invention this application is an application with which the operator interacts via the touch screen 22 which equips the latter.

Once launched, the application in question activates certain areas 23 of the screen 22, which are associated with particular functionalities of the application considered.

The application considered here consists in controlling a motor vehicle gearbox, said gearbox being able to operate according to two distinct and exclusive operating modes from one another, a sequential manual mode and a automatic mode.

The operation of the gearbox according to the two modes is managed by an electronic management unit, controlled by the driver of the vehicle via the digital terminal 11, a smartphone or a touch pad for example.

As illustrated in Figure 3, Access to different features is achieved by contact with a finger of the driver, the index for example, on one or the other of the areas 23 of the screen 22 defined by the application considered, a gearbox management application in the example chosen here.

This application allows the driver to access the two operating modes:

- manual mode (sequential) for which the driver has two + controls and respectively for raising or lowering the gearbox ratios;

- the automatic mode for which the automatic operation of the gearbox is conventionally controlled by means of the P, R, N and D commands and possibly the B command (case of gearboxes with energy recovery under braking).

Interface software takes into account the driver's commands and acts on the operation of the gearbox as a function of the latter.

The role of the cover 11 according to the invention is to facilitate an intuitive movement of the driver's finger from one contact area to another in the context of a given operating mode.

To this end, the cover 11 is configured to cover the upper face of the digital terminal 21, and cover the touch screen 22.

It thus comprises a flat wall 12, having an external face 121 and an internal face 122, coming to be pressed against the touch screen 22 as well as a peripheral rim 13 intended to ensure the maintenance in place of the cover on the terminal.

According to the invention the wall 12 of the cover 11 has openings 14i arranged so that, when the cover is mounted on the terminal 2, each zone 23 of the touch screen corresponding to the activation of a functionality data of the application is placed opposite an opening 14i.

The number and arrangement of the openings 14i formed on the cover 11 obviously depend on the application considered and the user interface displayed when launching this application.

Thus, in the example considered, illustrated by FIGS. 1 to 3, the cover 11 has an opening 14i for each function 23 necessary, for each operating mode, for controlling the gearbox of the vehicle.

According to the invention also, the shape of each opening 14i formed in the wall 12 is defined so that the operator's finger can easily come into contact with the corresponding tactile zone 23.

In a preferred embodiment, for reasons of simplicity, the openings 14i have one and the same shape, circular for example, and identical dimensions (diameter).

Alternatively, the openings 14i formed in the wall 12 of the cover 11 may however have shapes and sizes which allow them to be differentiated tactilely.

According to the invention, the openings 14i formed in the wall 12 of the cover 11 are connected in groups to each other by grooves 15 formed on the external surface 121 of the wall 12.

The grooves 15 are configured so as to form small channels along which the driver's finger can easily slide to move from one opening 14i to another.

The grooves 15 are arranged on the outer surface of the cover so that, for a given operating mode, the corresponding openings 14i are connected to each other according to a defined diagram, intended to facilitate the use of the functions attached to this operating mode.

In this way, with a short handling period, the driver can move his finger from one touch zone 23 to another without having to necessarily operate a visual check.

According to the invention, the grooves 15 can have any shape which can be defined according to the connection scheme adopted. However, for ergonomic reasons, the grooves 15 are preferably rectilinear, which facilitates the sliding of the driver's finger.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, the openings 14i are grouped functionally into two groups, each group being associated with a mode of operation of the gearbox. The grooves 15 are also divided into two groups. A first group connects the openings 141, 142, 143 and 144 corresponding to the touch zones 23 linked to the automatic operating mode (zones P, R, N and D), while a second group connects the openings 146 and 147 corresponding to the zones Tactiles 23 linked to the manual operating mode (zones + and [0039] Thus when the driver wishes to operate the gearbox in a given operating mode and wishes to move his finger to pass from a first function to a second function , it is advantageously sufficient for him to slide his finger, blindly, over the network of grooves 15, from the opening 14i corresponding to the first function to the opening 14j corresponding to the second function.

According to the invention, the arrangement of the various tactile zones 23 on the surface of the screen being defined in accordance with a given ergonomics, the grooves 15 relating to a given operating mode are arranged so that two openings 14i linked to each other by a single groove 15 do not preferably correspond to two antagonistic functions.

Thus for example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, in the automatic operating mode, the openings 144 and 142 corresponding respectively to the forward (D) and reverse (R) functions are not directly linked to each other. another by a single groove 15 but by means of two successive grooves joining these two openings to an opening 143 corresponding to a neutral position (N).

In addition to the openings 14i and the grooves 15, the cover 11 according to the invention also includes a locating zone 16 having a particular grain size easily identifiable by touch.

According to the invention, this area is preferably dimensioned in such a way that when the driver's hand comes into contact with the cover 11, even when blind, in other words even if the driver is not looking in the direction of the touchscreen terminal 21 , it comes into contact with the marking area 16.

Figure 4 shows an assembly 41 consisting of a control terminal 21 equipped with a tactile guide cover 11. As illustrated in the figure, the particular graininess of the marking area 16 advantageously allows the driver to '' easily identify and, knowing the position of this area on the surface 12 of the cover 11 relative to the openings 14i formed on this same surface, blindly position his hand, so as to place a finger, the index finger for example, on the opening 14i corresponding to the function it wishes to activate, by sliding, if necessary, its index finger along the grooves 15 associated with the chosen operating mode.

Thanks to its various structural characteristics described in the preceding paragraphs, the cover 11 according to the invention advantageously makes it possible to facilitate the implementation, by a driver, of a touch screen control terminal intended to control the operation of equipment, the operation of the vehicle gearbox for example.

It mainly eliminates the disadvantage of the lack of roughness of the touch screen, which significantly affects the ability to blindly identify the various touch zones 23 placed on the surface of the screen.

This lack of roughness often forces the driver, when he wants to activate a particular function, to visually locate the corresponding zone 23 in order to be able to direct his finger there. In doing so he is forced to pay less attention to traffic.

In this way, the attention that the driver must pay to the handling of the control terminal is advantageously limited, to the benefit of greater attention paid to traffic.

Furthermore it facilitates the handling of the control terminal by the driver. In fact, due to the presence of zones and reliefs that can be identified by touch, the blind identification of the active zones of the touch screen is made easier.

From a material point of view, the cover according to the invention is preferably made of a light material, not liable to disturb the operation of the touch screen forming the screen 22 of the terminal 21.

It can in particular be made of a plastic material having a certain elasticity so that it can be adjusted on the surface of the touch screen 22.

The material used can be, in this case, opaque or else transparent or even translucent. A transparent or translucent cover advantageously makes it possible to take advantage of the light scattered by the terminal screen which makes it easier for the driver to locate the terminal in a low light environment (driving at night).

Alternatively, it can for example be made of metal or non-ferrous alloy of the aluminum alloy or titanium type, for example.

In addition to these main technical characteristics, the cover 11 according to the invention may include other optional characteristics which respond, for example, to the specific features of the touch screen terminal 21 used.

The cover can thus, for example, have openings 17 and 18, corresponding to areas of the front face of the terminal 21 which must not, for functional reasons, be hidden.

This is the case for example of the areas of the front face where certain detectors are located.

This is also the case for the area where a microphone or speaker is located.

Similarly, the edge 13 of the cover 11 can have cutouts allowing access to certain control buttons such as the on / off button or the sound level control button of the terminal 21.

The cover 11 can also, optionally also be configured in such a way that, when it is mounted on the front face of the terminal, its presence is detected and the latter automatically launches the application to which the hood is intended.

To this end, in the case where the terminal 21 considered is a smartphone type device, the cover 11 may, for example, include in its structure a magnetic element, disposed under the internal surface 122 of the wall 12 of the cover 11, of such that, when the cover 11 is mounted on the front face of the terminal 21, the presence of this element is detected by the terminal.

Thanks to the improvement in ergonomics that it provides, the cover 11 according to the invention makes it possible to envisage various positions of the control terminal 21 inside the vehicle.

The terminal 21 considered can thus be mounted in the vehicle in different places, by means of appropriate holding means.

FIG. 5 presents, by way of example, a view of a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle in which the touch control terminal 21 is positioned on a support in place of a traditional gear lever.

Claims (10)

1. Cover (11) for tactile guidance to facilitate access by an operator to a plurality of determined control zones (23), scattered over the active surface of a touch screen (22) of an electronic control terminal of an item of equipment, each control zone (23) being configured to act on a functionality of the equipment when it is brought into contact with an operator's finger, said cover (11) for tactile guidance being characterized in that that it has a wall (12) bounded by peripheral edges (13) and being configured so that the terminal (21) can be inserted into said cover, the touch screen (22) being placed in contact from the internal face (121) of the wall (12) of the cover (11), said wall comprising openings (14i) arranged on its surface and dimensioned so as to allow the operator's finger to come into contact with the touch screen (22), at said control zones (23), said openings res (14i) being connected to each other by networks of guide grooves (15) formed on the external surface (121) of the wall (12) of the cover (11) and arranged so that the operator can move his finger blind from one control zone (23) to another by sliding the latter along the guide grooves (15). 2. tactile guide cover (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that, the openings (14i) of the cover (11) corresponding to the same operating mode of the equipment, are interconnected by the same set of grooves (15). 3. Tactile guide cover (11) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that, the support wall (12) also comprises a tactile marking area (16) allowing the operator to locate a reference position on the surface of said wall. 4. Tactile guide cover (11) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is configured in such a way that, when it is mounted on the front face of the control terminal (21), its presence is detected and the control terminal (21) automatically launches the application for which the cover is intended, and displays the corresponding control zones (23). 5. Tactile guide cover (11) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is made of plastic, aluminum or titanium. 6. Touchscreen electronic device for controlling the operation of a vehicle equipment, comprising a control terminal (21) with a touch screen (22) configured to transmit to the equipment a plurality of operating commands, each operating command corresponding to a zone (23), the activation of a command being carried out by the driver by placing a finger on the corresponding zone (23) of the touch screen (22), as well as a tactile guide cover (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 4; the device comprising fixing means making it possible to maintain it in a fixed position determined by the driver. 7. Electronic touch device according to claim 6, characterized in that, the controlled equipment being the gearbox of said vehicle, the control zones (23) distributed over the active zone of the touch screen (22) of the terminal. control (21) correspond to the various controls accessible by tactile contact to the driver, necessary to use the gearbox in one or other of the available operating modes. 8. Touchscreen electronic device according to claim 7, characterized in that, the said gearbox being able to operate in manual mode or in automatic mode, the control zones (23) of the touchscreen (22) of the control terminal (21) are configured to ensure two distinct operating modes: - a first manual mode controlled by at least two control zones (23), a control zone (+) making it possible to raise the reports and a control zone (-) making it possible to lower the reports; - a second operation in automatic mode, controlled by at least four control zones (23), respectively controlling neutral position (N), driving the vehicle forward (D), driving the vehicle running rear (R), positioning the gearbox in Parking mode (P). 9. Touch electronic device according to claim 8, characterized in that the automatic operating mode also incorporates an activation command for the regenerative energy braking function, accessible to the driver by a dedicated control zone (23). 10. Tactile electronic device according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the openings (146, 147) of the tactile guide cover (11) corresponding to the two control zones (23) relating to the operation in manual mode are interconnected by a first set of guide grooves, while the openings (141, 142, 143 and 144) corresponding to the zones (23) controlling the operation in automatic mode are interconnected by a second set of guide grooves distinct from the first. 2/2