Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
  • G06F3/041—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
  • G06F3/044—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means by capacitive means
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
  • G06F3/033—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor
  • G06F3/0354—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
  • G06F3/03547—Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
  • G06F3/041—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
  • G06F3/041—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
  • G06F3/0412—Digitisers structurally integrated in a display

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a human-machine interface provided with a display device arranged opposite a frame.
• Such an interface is commonly used in many sectors of activity involving the touch control of a device, for example in the field of home automation or manipulation of computer tools.
• the invention aims more particularly, although not exclusively, the use of such an interface for the control of the various systems (navigation, audio or multimedia, air conditioning) of a motor vehicle, the interface can then be integrated into the the passenger compartment of the vehicle and the display device being a tactile interaction device.
• a human-machine interface for the tactile control of a device generally comprises a tactile interaction device comprising an at least partially transparent tactile sensor provided with two non-parallel networks of conductive tracks, spaced apart by insulating spacers so that when a user presses on the sensor, some tracks of these two networks come into contact, so that when an electrical signal is emitted from the end of a track of one of the networks, this signal can be detected by the end of one track of the other network and the existence of a contact at the intersection of these two tracks is detected.
• This touch sensor is disposed above a display on which appear the plurality of graphic objects to handle, this manipulation being managed by an electronic control circuit connecting the touch sensor, the display and the various equipment to be controlled through of the tactile interaction device.
• the interface For integration into a cabin or any other medium, the interface includes a frame, the opening is for viewing by a user.
• the tactile interaction device is arranged facing the frame, without particular consideration as to the position of the upper face of the interaction device with respect to the upper face of the frame, the latter being generally above .
• the fact that the upper face of the frame is located above that of the interaction device has the disadvantage of generating a surface discontinuity at the upper part of the man-machine interface, this part being the one oriented towards the user. This discontinuity gives this upper part a non-smooth and non-uniform appearance, which is detrimental to the overall aesthetics of the interface.
• the tactile interaction device could be adjusted so that its upper face is at the same level as the upper face of the frame, the whole being covered with a film whose function is to smooth and standardize the upper part of the interface.
• the object of the invention is to remedy these drawbacks and concerns a man-machine interface provided with a display device, for example a screen or a tactile interaction device, disposed opposite a frame, the interaction device and the frame being arranged so that the upper part
• a display device for example a screen or a tactile interaction device, disposed opposite a frame, the interaction device and the frame being arranged so that the upper part
• This interface has a smooth, uniform aesthetic appearance and no visual defects.
• the man-machine interface of the type defined above is remarkable in that the upper face of the display device, advantageously embodied by the interaction device or a screen, is arranged substantially above the upper face of the frame and in that said device and said frame are covered with a smoothing film.
• the invention ensured that the upper face of the frame is disposed sufficiently below that of the device so that it remains after integration of the various elements within the interface, that is to say say by including the positioning tolerances of these two faces with respect to each other.
• the aforementioned air zones are always present, but this time they are delimited on the top by the smoothing layer, on the underside by the frame and on the side by the interaction device.
• these air zones are no longer on the edges of the tactile interaction device, where they confer an unsightly appearance or visual discomfort, but on the edges of the frame, whose appearance can be made opaque and where they can therefore be made invisible.
• the present invention does not propose to annihilate or shrink the air zones considered aesthetically harmful, but instead to deport these areas to a place where they no longer generate unsightly effects or visible blur of the user vis-à-vis the display device, including tactile interaction.
• the display device in particular the tactile interaction device, is covered with a layer for adjusting the position of the upper face of said device relative to the upper face of the frame. Therefore, according to the invention, the upper face of this adjustment layer is positioned above that of the frame. smoothing layer covering both the device, the frame and said adjustment layer.
• the frame is covered with a masking layer or the smoothing film comprises a masking layer, which makes it possible to hide the edge of the frame on which the air zones which have an unsightly or hazy effect have been removed. , and thus completely hide these air zones.
• the masking layer also covers at least a portion of the upper face of the display device, in particular the tactile interaction device, which provides a margin of safety to guarantee the coverage of the zone of air that the invention to translate above the frame.
• the distance between the upper face of the display device, in particular the tactile interaction device, and the upper face of the frame is advantageously provided.
• the display device in particular the tactile interaction device comprises an at least partially transparent touch sensor disposed above a display.
• the display device is a tactile interaction device.
• the interaction device has at least one portion facing the underside of the frame, said portion is fixed to said lower face of said frame.
• the frame thus plays an additional role in supporting the tactile interaction device, said device being suspended from said frame, which makes it impossible to move the device relative to the frame and thus allows a constant play to be maintained between them in all circumstances, although they have quite different expansion coefficients (in general, the device is mainly made of glass, the plastic frame).
• this housing has in its upper part a shoulder for the support of the frame.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a man-machine interface according to one embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic sectional view of the edges of the frame and of the tactile interaction device integrated into the interface of FIG. 1;
• FIG. 3 is a schematic view from above of the interface of FIG. 1;
• FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of the edges of the frame and of the tactile interaction device integrated into a man-machine interface according to the preceding, for comparative purposes;
• FIG. 5 is a schematic view from above of the interface of FIG. 4.
• the human-machine interface of FIG. 1 comprises a housing 3 having an internal recess inside which the elements constituting the interface are installed, in particular a display device, in particular a tactile interaction device, tactile interaction that integrates a touch sensor 1, a display 13 and an electronic control circuit 16.
• a tactile interaction device as a non-limiting example of the display device, the latter can also be a display or a screen.
• the display 13 is installed in the housing 3 resting against a shoulder 15 formed in the recess of the latter.
• the technology used for this display is for example of the backlit screen type, LCD screen, plasma screen, or generally of the multifunction screen type, that is to say displaying a multiplicity of information such as navigation , audio management and / or thermal management (of the passenger compartment of the vehicle for example).
• a printed circuit or electronic card 16 on which is disposed an electrical connector 17 for connecting the human-machine interface to the network of the motor vehicle.
• a cover 18 closes the rear portion of the housing 3, said cover 18 having a through hole of the connector 17. Note that this cover is disposed on the rear face of the human-machine interface, that is to say giving access to the technical part of the interface. Opposite is disposed the upper part, facing the user, that is to say the one facing the user of the interface.
• the display 13 is capped by the touch sensor 1. Air and water sealing is practiced between the display 13 and the touch sensor 1, more particularly the face 19 of the display 13 is oriented towards the user and the back of the touch sensor 1. This seal is achieved by means of a seal 20 arranged peripherally on the face 19.
• the sensor is thus able to detect the position of the finger of the user through a network of conductors placed between the main plate and the secondary plate, in a horizontal and vertical arrangement, for example.
• the touch sensor 1 is electrically connected to the electronic card 16 by means of a multi-conductor hose 25, the latter being connected to the electronic card by a removable electrical connector 26. In this way, the touch sensor 1 has a sensitive face 21. all contact, oriented towards the user, and a rear face 22, turned towards the display 13.
• the touch sensor 1 is attached to a frame 2, which plays a supporting role of the tactile interaction device, and which takes the form of a flat and rigid element, with a thickness of between 0.20 and 0.50. mm.
• This element is a thin metal plate, for example stainless steel.
• the frame 2 has two large faces called upper face 4 and lower face 5.
• the upper face 4 is the one facing the user and is accessible to the touch by the latter.
• the lower face 5 is a face substantially parallel to the sensitive face 21 of the touch sensor 1, this lower face 5 being turned towards said touch sensor 1.
• the upper face 4 is the one facing the passenger compartment of the vehicle while the underside 5 is the one facing the inside of the dashboard.
• the housing 3 has a shoulder 23 which receives the frame 2. This shoulder 23 defines a cavity whose length and width are substantially equal to the length and width of the frame 2.
• the touch sensor 1 is fixed on the lower face 5 of the frame 2.
• This attachment can be provided by any type of means adapted to secure two parts together.
• a bead or points of adhesive 24 provide the mechanical connection between the sensitive face 21 of the touch sensor and the lower face 5 of the frame.
• the glue points 24 can be replaced or supplemented by an adhesive tape.
• the frame 2 has an opening 6 delimited by an edge 7.
• the edge 7 surrounds the opening 6 peripherally. This edge 7 covers the peripheral edge of the touch sensor 1.
• the space created by the opening 6 at the touch sensor 1 is filled by an adjustment layer 9 - or filling - arranged so as to define together with the edge 7 and the upper face 4 of the frame 2 a flat and smooth surface.
• This adjustment layer 9 comprises a transparent and flexible film made from a polycarbonate strip or polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
• PET polyethylene terephthalate
• a smoothing film 8 is disposed on the upper face 4 of the frame 2 so as to cover the opening 6 and the edge 7. Since this film extends over the entire surface of the frame 2, it is understood that the dimensions of the film 8 and the dimensions of the frame 2 are substantially equal. As this film covers the opening 6, it bears on the adjustment layer 9 thus forming a totally smooth surface and uniform to the touch for the user.
• the film 8 is a transparent film that may have a single property or a combination of properties, among which:
• the tactile interaction device is provided with an adjustment layer 9 and suspended (via the touch sensor 1) to the frame 2, but the person skilled in the art will know how to adapt this variant to the case where the device is otherwise fixed to the housing and in the case where no adjustment layer is used, that is to say in the case where the upper part of the device consists of the display device or the interaction device tactile, that is to say the touch sensor 1.
• This adjustment layer 9 is arranged so that, after integration (including positioning tolerances), its upper face is located above that of the frame 2 Furthermore, the edge of the frame 2 and the layer 9 are not glued to each other, so that there is a gap between them.
• the assembly is coated with the smoothing film 8 so as to smooth the discontinuities of the upper part of the interface and thus make said part smooth and uniform.
• This air zone 27 is therefore not on the adjustment layer 9 (which overhangs the touch sensor 1 and the display 13, and forms the upper part of the tactile interaction device) but on the frame 2, where the unsightly effect or visual disturbances can be easily annihilated.
• a film or a masking layer 28 by screen printing or projection of paint, disposed between the frame 2 and the smoothing film 8 so as to mask said frame 2 (which may be transparent), as well as possibly the edge of the adjustment film 9, and consequently all the air zones 27.
• the aesthetic rendering resulting from this particular arrangement presents a first transparent zone (on the left) corresponding to the superposition of the adjustment layer 9 and the smoothing film 8, as well as a corresponding second opaque zone. the superposition of the masking layer 28 and the smoothing film 8.
• the invention thus allows to observe two perfectly distinct areas, without defects or discontinuities.
• FIGS. 4 and 5 This solution is to be compared to the opposite case, shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, which can appear when no attention is paid to the relative position of the upper face of the adjustment layer 9 and the frame 2.
• FIG. 4 shows an area zone 27 delimited on the top by the smoothing film 8, on the underside by the adjustment layer 9 and on the side by the frame 2.
• This air zone 27 is therefore on the adjustment layer 9 (which overhangs the touch sensor 1 and the display 13), where the unaesthetic effect or the optical disturbances can be visible, and it extends all the more on the adjustment layer 9 that the distance between the upper faces respectively of the layer 9 and the frame 2 is high.
• a masking layer 28 may be used, this covering not only the frame 2 but also the edges of the layer 9, but this solution can not be satisfactory in the case where at least a part of the zone The air 27 would extend too far along the layer 9, it being understood that the masking layer 28 can not hide an excessive surface of the tactile interaction device for obvious reasons of optimization of the available surface.
• FIG. 5 presents the same two zones as those represented in FIG. 3, but also an unsightly or fuzzy intermediate zone 29, corresponding to the superposition of the adjustment layer 9, the air layer 27 and the smoothing film 8, this zone 29 being able to extend randomly along the periphery of the adjustment layer 9 (and therefore of the tactile interaction device or the screen), which significantly impairs the overall aesthetics and optical performance of the interface.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Position Input By Displaying (AREA)
• User Interface Of Digital Computer (AREA)

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Citations (2)

Family Cites Families (48)

• 2010
  • 2010-03-31 FR FR1001313A patent/FR2958425B1/fr active Active
• 2011
  • 2011-03-30 WO PCT/FR2011/000187 patent/WO2011124783A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2011-03-30 US US13/638,164 patent/US9189111B2/en active Active
  • 2011-03-30 JP JP2013501887A patent/JP5986558B2/ja active Active
  • 2011-03-30 EP EP11730343.8A patent/EP2553549B1/fr active Active
  • 2011-03-30 CN CN201180027178.XA patent/CN103038729B/zh active Active

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