METHOD FOR GENERATING A HAPTIC FEEDBACK ON A VEHICLE PART

Abstract

The proposed solution in particular relates to a method for generating a haptic feedback on a vehicle part including an operating element that is accessible for a user for manual actuation, and in response to an electronically detected actuation of the operating element, a feedback haptically perceptible for the user is generated in that the vehicle part and the operating element is adjusted back and forth in a power-operated way or is put into vibration.

Claims

1. An apparatus with a haptic feedback on a vehicle part, comprising: An operating element on the vehicle part is accessible for a user for manual actuation and in response to an electronically detected actuation of the operating element a feedback haptically perceptible for the user is generated in that the vehicle part including the operating element is adjusted back and forth in a power-operated way or is put into vibration.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes a power-operated back-and-forth adjustment of the vehicle part that is effected in response to an individual electronic actuation of the operating element.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes a power-operated back-and-forth adjustment of the vehicle part that is effected along an adjustment axis in mutually opposite adjustment directions along which the vehicle part can be adjusted in a power-operated way independently of an actuation of the operating element.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes a power-operated back-and-forth adjustment of the vehicle part in an electromotive drive provided for the adjustment of the vehicle part is actuated for less than 10 ms for rotation in a first direction of rotation and for less than 10 ms for rotation in an opposite second direction of rotation.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a duration of the actuation of the drive is dependent on an adjustment position of the vehicle part.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein in response to an adjustment position of the vehicle part, the duration of the actuation of the drive for a rotation in the one direction of rotation is greater or less than the duration of the actuation of the drive for a rotation in the other direction of rotation.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the adjustment of the vehicle part in an electromotive drive is provided and is configured to controlled via a pulse-width-modulated signal; and in response to a power-operated back-and-forth adjustment of the vehicle part, the electromotive drive is actuated for less than 30 periods via two half-pulses for rotations in two mutually opposite directions of rotation.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes a first haptic feedback provided by the power-operated back-and-forth adjustment of the vehicle part; and an electromotive drive provided for the adjustment of the vehicle part and is actuated via a particular first signal course for rotations in two mutually opposite directions of rotation, which differ from at least one second signal course via which the electromotive drive is actuated when a second haptic feedback is provided via an adjustment of the vehicle part, which differs from the first haptic feedback in a way perceptible for a user.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vehicle part is put into vibration via a speaker that is provided for outputting sound audible for a human ear and is operated with a frequency of less than 20 Hz in order to put the vehicle part into vibration.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus includes the speaker is mechanically coupled to the vehicle part in order to put the vehicle part into vibration.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operating element is provided on a vehicle door, in particular on a vehicle part in the form of a pane or on a vehicle part in the form of a door outer skin.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus includes at least one piezo element on a carrier of a window lifter configured to adjust the pane, wherein the carrier is connected to the pane, in order to put the pane into vibration.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein at least one piezo element is arranged between a portion of the carrier and a portion of the pane.

14. A system for generating a haptic feedback, comprising: a vehicle part; an operating element on the vehicle part, wherein the operating element is configured to be actuated manually by a user; and an electronic control unit configured to generate a feedback haptically perceptible for the user in response to the actuation of the operating element, in that the vehicle part including the operating element is adjusted back and forth or is put into vibration in a power-operated way.

15. (canceled)

16. A system for generating a haptic feedback, comprising: an operating element configured to be actuated manually by a user, wherein the operating element is further configured to initiate a signal to operate a window lifter drive; and an electronic control unit configured to generate a haptic feedback in response to an actuation of the operating element, wherein both the window lifter drive and the operating element is either (i) adjusted back and forth, or (ii) is put into vibration in a power-operated way.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the system includes a piezo element configured to vibrate a pane of the vehicle in response to detecting actuation of the operating element.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the operating element includes a touchpad or a part of a display projection.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the window lifter drive includes a drive motor and is configured to, in response to actuation of the operating element, perform micro-stroke movements in a form of a sinusoidal half-pulse.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the haptic feedback includes outputting vibration on a door of the vehicle utilizing a sound emitted from a vehicle speaker.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the sound is less than 20 Hz.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In the drawings:

[0029] FIG. 1 illustrates a side view shows a vehicle with a vehicle door, which comprises a design variant of a proposed system;

[0030] FIG. 2 illustrates a window pane of the vehicle door of FIG. 1 with components of a window lifter drive for the adjustment of the window pane, wherein at least one piezo element is provided on a carrier of the window lifter drive in order to put the pane into vibration for generating a haptic feedback.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] FIG. 1 sectionally shows a vehicle F with a design variant of the proposed solution. The vehicle F comprises a lateral vehicle door T with an adjustable pane 1. Into this pane 1 an operating element 2 is integrated as part of a touchpad or forms part of a display projection. For example, the operating element 2 can be used to control different door or vehicle functions from outside the vehicle F.

[0032] To provide the user with a haptic feedback on the operating element 2 upon actuation of the operating element 2 via a hand H of a user, an electronic control unit 3 is provided. In the case of an electronically detected actuation of the operating element 2 by the hand H, this electronic control unit 3 can adjust the pane 1 and hence the operating element 2 back and forth (once or several times) and/or put it into vibration in a haptically perceptible way. A back-and-forth adjustment of the pane 1 along mutually opposite adjustment directions V1 and V2 here is effected by utilizing a window lifter drive 10 present anyway. In one design variant, this window lifter drive 10 comprises a drive motor, for example a brushless 3-phase d.c. motor (BLDC motor) which, upon successful electronic detection of an actuation of the operating element 2, is actuated to perform micro-stroke movements for a haptic feedback. For example, the adjustment path of these micro-stroke movements can be set in the form of a sinusoidal half-pulse. Via the electronic control unit 3, the pane 1 for example can be adjusted for less than 1.5 ms (e.g. 1.25 ms at a frequency of 200 Hz) and hence by merely about 0.2 mm, in order to provide a user with a haptically perceptible feedback on the hand H touching the pane 1.

[0033] Thus, the window lifter drive 10 present anyway is utilized for the haptic feedback, which for providing the haptic feedback is actuated with signal courses that are not utilized in conventional operation, i.e. for adjusting the pane 1 in order to clear or close the window opening. For a haptic feedback, the pane 1 merely covers an adjustment path s or a corresponding micro-stroke of about 0.2 mm. As compared to a maximum possible total adjustment path length from a completely closed end position to a maximally lowered end position of about 0.45 m, this is merely an extremely small fraction of the total adjustment path length.

[0034] For generating a haptic feedback, a speaker 5 of the vehicle door T can be used alternatively or in addition. This speaker 5 is provided for audio output in the vehicle interior. Via the electronic control unit 3, the speaker 5 furthermore can be actuated for emitting sound in the range of below 20 Hz not audible for humans, in order to thereby put the pane 1 into vibration for generating a haptic feedback. The speaker 5, which otherwise is provided for the audio output in the vehicle interior of the vehicle F and hence for emitting sound in the audible range, consequently is utilized here for generating a haptic feedback on the pane 1 for emitting sound in the non-audible low-frequency range.

[0035] Alternatively or additionally, not only the pane 1, but for example also a door outer skin of the vehicle door T can selectively be put into vibration via the speaker 5. A corresponding haptic feedback on the door outer skin then can be provided for example in the case of an electronically detected actuation of a door handle 4 of the vehicle door T.

[0036] In a development corresponding to FIG. 2, alternatively or additionally, a piezo element 100 is provided for the vibration of the pane 1 in response to a detected actuation of the operating element 2. This piezo element 100 is arranged on a carrier 11 of the window lifter drive 10 provided for the adjustment of the pane 1. The piezo element 100 here is arranged on the carrier 11 shiftably guided along a guide rail 12 of the window lifter drive in such a way that the piezo element 100 is present between a portion of the carrier 11 and a connecting portion 1A of the pane 1 connected to the carrier 11. In this way, the piezo element 11 can not only be accommodated on the carrier 11 in a comparatively simple way. Rather, a direct abutment against the connecting portion 1A also is possible in order to introduce structure-borne sound into the pane 1 for generating a vibration.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0037] 1 pane [0038] 1A connecting portion [0039] 10 window lifter drive [0040] 100 piezo element [0041] 11 carrier [0042] 12 guide rail [0043] 2 touchpad/display projection (operating element) [0044] 3 electronic control unit [0045] 4 door handle [0046] 5 speaker [0047] F vehicle [0048] H hand [0049] s adjustment path/micro-stroke [0050] T vehicle door [0051] V1, V2 adjustment direction