ROTARY CONTROL DEVICE

Abstract

The invention relates to a rotary control device (1) for a vehicle comprising a user interface surface (3), in particular a knob, that is embodied to rotate with respect to a housing (5) of the device (1) around a rotational axis (7) of the device (1), further comprising a sensor unit (9) for monitoring the orientation and/or rotational movement of the user interface surface (3) with respect to the housing (5), a processing unit (11), and a communications interface (13) for transmitting control signals (Ts) according to an output (Op) from the processing unit (11), said output (Op) being generated by the processing unit (11) on the basis of sensor data (Ds) from the sensor unit (9).

Claims

1. A rotary control device comprising: a user interface surface configured to rotate with respect to a housing of the device around a rotational axis of the device; a sensor unit configured to monitor at least one of an orientation or a rotational movement of the user interface surface with respect to the housing; a processing unit configured to generate an output on a basis of sensor data from the sensor unit; a communications interface configured to transmit control signals according to the output from the processing unit; and a magnetorheological actuator comprising: a rotational element that is mechanically connected to the user interface surface and serves to interact with a magnetorheological fluid of the magnetorheological actuators; and an assembly configured to at least one of generate or manipulate properties of a magnetic field acting on the magnetorheological fluid such that the magnetorheological actuator serves to modulate torque transmission between the user interface surface and the housing according to haptic-feedback signals received by the device via the communications interface.

2. The rotary control device according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to output governing signals for governing the assembly on the basis of the sensor data from the sensor unit.

3. The rotary control device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit further comprises a sensor configured to monitor a torque applied to the user interface surface.

4. The rotary control device according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to output governing signals for governing the assembly to manipulate the magnetic field acting on the fluid to fluctuate to provide a vibrational haptic feedback to a user applying torque to the user interface surface.

5. The rotary control device according to claim 1, wherein a mechanical connection between the user interface surface and the rotational element comprises an elastic element that reduces a torsional rigidity of the mechanical connection with respect to the rotational axis.

6. The rotary control device according to claim 5, wherein the elastic element is configured to store and release energy applied to the user interface surface by a user of the device.

7. The rotary control device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit of the is configured to monitor an acceleration of the rotational movement of the user interface surface with respect to the housing.

8. The rotary control device according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to output governing signals that control the assembly to manipulate the magnetic field such that the torque transmission is, in an alternating manner, removed and increased to a predetermined value at intervals, such that when a torque is applied to the user interface surface from an external source, the user interface surface moves incrementally at intervals.

9. The rotary control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a servo actuator configured to apply torque to the user interface surface in accordance with governing signals output by the processing unit of the device.

10. The rotary control device according to claim 1, wherein the rotational element comprises a chamber containing the magnetorheological fluid, wherein the rotary control device further comprises a static element fixedly arranged with respect to the housing and arranged at least partially within the chamber, such that the torque transmission between an inner surface of the chamber of the rotational element and the static element is dependent on the properties of the magnetic field.

11. The rotary control device according to claim 1, wherein the rotational element is configured to rotate within a chamber of the magnetorheological actuator containing the magnetorheological fluid, said chamber being fixedly arranged with respect to the housing, such that the torque transmission between the rotational element and an inner surface of the chamber is dependent on the properties of the magnetic field.

12. A system for a vehicle comprising: the rotary control device according to claim 1; a graphical user interface unit comprising a display and a processing unit; and a communications pathway between the rotary control device and the graphical user interface unit.

13. The system according to claim 12 wherein the graphical user interface unit transmits haptic-feedback signals to the rotary control device via the communications pathway.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the rotary control device transmits control signals to the graphical user interface unit, and wherein the display of the graphical user interface unit displays a visual feedback according to the control signals received from the rotary control device.

Description

[0026] Certain embodiments of the invention will next be explained in detail with reference to the following figures. They show:

[0027] FIG. 1 a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the inventive rotary control device;

[0028] FIG. 2 a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the inventive rotary control device;

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the inventive rotary control device 1 having a user interface surface 3, which can be moved and rotated by a user or operator of a vehicle. The user interface surface can be rotated around a rotational axis 7 of the device 1 to various orientations Al -. The user interface surface 3 can furthermore be moved by a user or operator of the vehicle between a first, second and third position P1, P2, P3.

[0030] The device 1 comprises a housing 5, which at least partially encloses a processing unit 11 mounted on a substrate 15, which is a printed circuit board. The processing unit 11 is connected to a communications interface 13. Via the communications interface 13 signals such as control signals Ts can be transmitted and received. The processing unit 11 is further connected to a sensor unit 9 which serves to monitor the rotational movement and/or orientation of the user interface surface with respect to the housing 5. The sensor unit 9 transmits sensor data Ds to the processing unit 11 and on the basis of this sensor data Ds, the processing unit 11 can generate control signals to transmit via the communications interface 13.

[0031] The device further comprises an assembly 17 for generating and manipulating a magnetic field in a chamber 19 of the housing 5. The chamber contains a magnetorheological fluid 21 also known as MRF. Positioned partially within the chamber is a rotational element 23. The rotational element 23 is mechanically connected to the user interface surface 3 and rotates with the rotation of the interface 3.

[0032] Corresponding to changes in properties of the magnetic field caused by the assembly 17, such as field strength and direction, the magnetorheological fluid 12 varies in viscosity so to speak. Therefore, in a corresponding way, the fluid transfers more or less torque between the user interface surface 3 and the housing 5 of the device 1. This is due to the changing sheer forces within the fluid and between the fluid and the chamber wall. Since the housing 5 of the device is generally fixedly mounted within the vehicle, the assembly can be considered to modulate a sort of braking force acting on the user interface surface 3. Such systems comprising MRF 21 in a chamber 19, rotational elements 23, and assemblies 17 for manipulating the magnetic field within the chamber 19 are often referred to as MRF-Actuators. The processing unit 11 is embodied to output governing signals for controlling the assembly 17. The assembly 17 can, for example, be driven by a circuit on the substrate 15 feeding the assembly 17 with a pulsed width modulated (PWM) current or voltage in accordance with the governing signals from the processing unit 11.

[0033] The device further comprises a servo actuator 25 which engages with the rotational element 23 and can therefore apply torque to the user interface surface 3.

[0034] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the inventive rotary control device which corresponds to the first embodiment with the exception that an elastic element 27 is shown. The elastic element 27 serves to reduce the torsional rigidity between the user interface surface 3 and the MRF actuator, which, when the torque transmission is set at a high value, corresponds to the torsional rigidity between the user interface surface 3 and the housing 7.

[0035] When the assembly causes the magnetic field to fluctuate such that the value of the torque transmission fluctuates, then the elastic element will absorb a fraction of the energy input into the system by the external force applying the torque. This energy will then be released such that a torque opposing the externally applied torque is applied to the user interface surface by the elastic element.

REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0036] 1 Rotary control device

[0037] 3 user interface surface

[0038] 5 housing

[0039] 7 rotational axis

[0040] 9 sensor unit

[0041] 11 processing unit

[0042] 13 communications interface

[0043] 15 substrate/PCB

[0044] 17 assembly for generating/manipulating magnetic field

[0045] 19 chamber

[0046] 21 magnetorheological fluid

[0047] 23 rotational element

[0048] 25 servo actuator

[0049] 27 elastic element

[0050] X1 first direction

[0051] X2 second direction

[0052] P1 first position

[0053] P2 second position

[0054] P3 third position