阅读说明：本技术 旋转控制装置 (Rotation control device ) 是由 赖纳·黑弗舍尔 阿图尔·诺伊曼 于 2018-05-23 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种用于车辆的旋转控制装置(1),该旋转控制装置包括用户接口表面(3),更特别包括旋钮,所述用户接口表面(3)被设计成绕装置(1)的转动轴线(7)相对于装置(1)的外壳(5)旋转。所述旋转控制装置进一步包括用于监视用户接口表面(3)相对于外壳(5)的定向和/或转动的传感器单元(9)、处理单元(11)以及用于根据来自处理单元(11)的输出(Op)传输控制信号(Ts)的通信接口(13),其中,所述输出(Op)由处理单元(11)基于来自传感器单元(9)的传感器数据(Ds)生成。(The invention relates to a rotary control device (1) for a vehicle, comprising a user interface surface (3), more particularly a knob, said user interface surface (3) being designed to rotate relative to a housing (5) of the device (1) about a rotation axis (7) of the device (1). The rotation control device further comprises a sensor unit (9) for monitoring the orientation and/or rotation of the user interface surface (3) with respect to the housing (5), a processing unit (11), and a communication interface (13) for transmitting a control signal (Ts) in dependence on an output (Op) from the processing unit (11), wherein the output (Op) is generated by the processing unit (11) based on sensor data (Ds) from the sensor unit (9).)

1. A rotating control device for a vehicle, comprising a user interface surface which is embodied to rotate about a rotational axis of the device relative to a housing of the device,

the rotational control apparatus further comprises a sensor unit for monitoring orientation and/or rotation of the user interface surface relative to the housing, a processing unit, and a communication interface for transmitting control signals in accordance with output from the processing unit, the output being generated by the processing unit based on sensor data from the sensor unit,

wherein the rotary control device further comprises a magnetorheological actuator,

wherein the magnetorheological actuator comprises a rotating element mechanically connected to the user interface surface for interacting with a magnetorheological fluid of the magnetorheological actuator, and

wherein the magneto-rheological actuator comprises an assembly for generating and/or manipulating a characteristic of a magnetic field acting on the magneto-rheological fluid such that the magneto-rheological actuator is for adjusting a torque transfer between the user interface surface and the housing,

characterized in that the actuator is implemented to generate and/or manipulate a characteristic of the magnetic field in dependence on a vehicle state signal received by the device via the communication interface and based on sensor data from the sensor unit, the sensor data being indicative of a current orientation of the user interface surface and/or a rotation of the user interface surface from a first orientation to a second orientation.

2. The rotating control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the device is embodied such that the vehicle status signal is transferred to the processing unit when the vehicle status signal is received via the communication interface, and

the processing unit is embodied to compare the information contained in the vehicle status signal with predetermined values of a set of parameters stored in a memory unit of the device, and

the processing unit is implemented to output a manipulation signal to the component in dependence on a result of the comparison.

3. The rotating control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the processing unit is implemented to compare information included in a vehicle status signal, which is indicative of a current speed value of the vehicle, with a predetermined value of a speed threshold parameter stored in a memory of the device, and

when the speed value exceeds the threshold value, the processing unit is implemented to output a manipulation signal to a component causing the component to manipulate a characteristic of the magnetic field such that rotation of the user surface interface from the first orientation to the second orientation is inhibited.

4. The rotating control device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the processing unit is implemented to output a manipulation signal to a component, such that the component manipulates the property of the magnetic field such that, based on a current orientation of the user interface surface, a rotation of the user interface from the first orientation to the second orientation is inhibited.

5. The rotating control device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the processing unit is implemented to output a manipulation signal to a component, such that the component manipulates the characteristics of the magnetic field such that, based on a current operating mode of the vehicle, turning of the user surface interface from the first orientation to the second orientation is inhibited.

6. The rotating control device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the processing unit is implemented to output a manipulation signal to a component, such that the component manipulates the characteristic of the magnetic field such that, based on data stored in a memory of the device in relation to a control signal that was just previously sent from the communication interface, a rotation of the user surface interface from the first orientation to the second orientation is inhibited.

7. The rotating control device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device is embodied to send a control signal for selecting an operating mode of the vehicle.

8. The rotating control device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that when the device receives a vehicle status signal indicating that the vehicle is travelling in a forward direction at a speed above a predetermined speed threshold, in particular when the vehicle is in a forward gear operating mode, the processing unit outputs a manipulation signal to the assembly to inhibit the user interface surface from being turned to a second orientation for selecting a reverse gear operating mode, and/or

The processing unit actively ignores sensor data that indicates: despite the inhibition provided via the actuator, the user interface surface has been rotated to an orientation for selecting a reverse operating mode.

9. The rotating control device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that when the device receives a vehicle status signal indicating that the vehicle is driving in reverse direction at a speed above a predetermined speed threshold, in particular when the vehicle is in a reverse operating mode, the processing unit outputs a manipulation signal to the component to inhibit the user interface surface from being turned to an orientation for selecting a forward operating mode, and/or

The processing unit actively ignores sensor data that indicates: despite the inhibition provided via the actuator, the user interface surface has been rotated to an orientation for selecting a forward range mode of operation.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a rotary control device for a vehicle, comprising a user interface surface which is embodied to rotate about a rotational axis of the device relative to a housing of the device, the rotary control device further comprising a sensor unit for monitoring the orientation and/or rotation of the user interface surface relative to the housing, a processing unit and a communication interface for transmitting control signals in dependence on an output from the processing unit, said output being generated by the processing unit based on sensor data from the sensor unit, wherein the rotary control device further comprises a magneto-rheological actuator, wherein the magneto-rheological actuator comprises a rotary element which is mechanically connected to the user interface surface and is adapted to interact with magneto-rheological fluid of the magneto-rheological actuator, and wherein the magneto-rheological actuator comprises an assembly, the assembly is for generating and/or manipulating a characteristic of a magnetic field acting on the magnetorheological fluid such that the magnetorheological actuator is used to adjust torque transfer between the user interface surface and the housing.

Background

A haptic interface for control is known, for example, from european patent publication EP2065614a1, in which an assembly for manipulating the characteristics of a magnetic field is disclosed, the purpose of which is to regulate the torque transmission between a rotating element and the housing of the haptic interface.

Such a control device based on a magnetorheological actuator can select and issue control signals in a wide variety of ways. However, in certain control applications, particularly in vehicles capable of selecting an operating mode using such devices, it is desirable to limit the selection capabilities of the devices in order to prevent the user from entering commands that may cause damage to the system or machine being controlled. In vehicles, the lack of such a limitation may even lead to life-threatening situations.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to introduce a rotation control device that can be operated more safely.

The object of the invention is achieved by a rotation control device as defined by the subject matter of the independent claims. The dependent claims and the description define advantageous embodiments of the system.

The object is therefore achieved by a rotary control device for a vehicle, comprising a user interface surface which is embodied to rotate about an axis of rotation of the device relative to a housing of the device, the rotary control device further comprising a sensor unit for monitoring the orientation and/or rotation of the user interface surface relative to the housing, a processing unit and a communication interface for transmitting control signals in dependence on an output from the processing unit, said output being generated by the processing unit based on sensor data from the sensor unit, wherein the rotary control device further comprises a magneto-rheological actuator, wherein the magneto-rheological actuator comprises a rotary element which is mechanically connected to the user interface surface and is adapted to interact with a magneto-rheological fluid of the magneto-rheological actuator, and wherein, the magneto-rheological actuator comprises an assembly for generating and/or manipulating a characteristic of a magnetic field acting on the magneto-rheological fluid such that the magneto-rheological actuator is used for adjusting the torque transmission between the user interface surface and the housing, wherein the actuator is implemented to generate and/or manipulate the characteristic of the magnetic field in dependence on vehicle state signals received by the device via the communication interface and based on sensor data from the sensor unit, the sensor data being indicative of a current orientation of the user interface surface and/or a rotation of the user interface surface from a first orientation to a second orientation.

The vehicle status signal can for example contain information about the speed and operating mode of the vehicle. When a street vehicle having a transmission module for transmitting torque from a drive unit of the vehicle along a drive train to the wheels of the vehicle is travelling at high speed in a forward direction, it would be devastating for the transmission module if an operating mode for driving in a reverse direction were implemented. Accordingly, when actuating the MRF actuator, the rotation control device can take this information into account accordingly. Advantageously, with a rotary control as defined above, in such a case the operator or user of the vehicle cannot turn the user interface surface into an orientation for selecting the reverse operating mode.

In the sense of the present invention, the position of the user interface surface refers to the placement of the user interface surface in a plane spatially displaced from the housing of the device by a specified distance. The orientation of the user interface surface in the sense of the present invention refers to the initial setting of the reference housing relative to the user interface surface, the rotational displacement of the user interface surface around the rotational axis of the device in a specific angular rotation.

The magnetorheological fluid defines the behavior of the rotary control device. To this end, the voltage supplied to the assembly is varied to induce an ambient magnetic field that changes the viscosity of the fluid. Depending on the magnetic field, in particular on the properties of the magnetic field (such as strength and/or direction), the MRF can be varied between liquid and solid state, which can be controlled very precisely. In the fluid state, the MRF transmits little to no torque between the rotating element and the housing. However, as the viscosity increases and the fluid approaches a solid state, shear forces within the fluid and between the fluid and the rotating element and between the fluid and the housing or a member fixedly attached to the housing increase. This results in an increased torque transfer between the user interface surface and the housing.

The device can be used to select an operating mode of the vehicle, such as the following: a forward range operating mode in which torque is transmitted from a drive unit of the vehicle to propel the vehicle in a forward direction; a reverse operating mode in which torque is transmitted from a drive unit of the vehicle in order to propel the vehicle in a reverse direction; a neutral operation mode in which no torque is transmitted from a drive unit of the vehicle; a parking operation mode in which a torque transmission unit attached to a drive unit of a vehicle is mechanically blocked; or another mode of operation.

When the position and/or orientation of the user interface surface remains constant in the absence of a force applied to the device from an external source, then this position and/or orientation of the user interface surface can be referred to as a stable position. On the other hand, when the user interface surface is not held in a certain position or orientation, such as because a mechanism of the device internally applies a force, such position and/or orientation can be referred to as unstable.

A safety-relevant function of the vehicle in the sense of the invention can be, for example, selection of an operating mode of the vehicle, steering, accelerating or braking of the vehicle. The non-safety function of the vehicle can be, for example, navigation or control of a multimedia interface.

In the sense of the present invention, the communication path can be, for example, a hard wire, such as a data bus and/or a wireless data transmission channel, for transmitting data. In many modern street vehicles, the CAN data bus is a preferred type of communication path.

In the sense of the present invention, the user interface surface or knob can comprise an outer surface of an annular and/or half-shell structure accessible to an operator (i.e., user) of the vehicle. The user interface surface can further include a formation beneath an outer surface of the user interface surface.

In an embodiment of the rotation control device of the invention, the device is embodied such that when vehicle status signals are received via the communication interface they are transferred to the processing unit, and the processing unit is embodied to compare the information contained in the vehicle status signals with predetermined values of a set of parameters stored in a memory unit of the device, and the processing unit is embodied to output a manipulation signal to the component depending on the result of the comparison.

In an embodiment of the rotation control apparatus of the invention, the processing unit is implemented to compare information included in the vehicle status signal indicative of a current velocity value of the vehicle with a predetermined value of a velocity threshold parameter stored in a memory of the apparatus, and when the velocity value exceeds the threshold, the processing unit is implemented to output a manipulation signal to the component, causing the component to manipulate a characteristic of the magnetic field such that rotation of the user surface interface from the first orientation to the second orientation is inhibited.

In an embodiment of the rotation control device of the invention, the processing unit is implemented to output the manipulation signal to the component such that the component manipulates the property of the magnetic field such that rotation of the user surface interface from the first orientation to the second orientation is inhibited based on a current orientation of the user interface surface.

In an embodiment of the rotation control device of the invention, the processing unit is implemented to output the manipulation signal to the component such that the component manipulates the characteristic of the magnetic field such that rotation of the user surface interface from the first orientation to the second orientation is inhibited based on a current operating mode of the vehicle.

In an embodiment of the inventive rotation control device, the processing unit is implemented to output the manipulation signal to the component such that the component manipulates the characteristic of the magnetic field such that rotation of the user surface interface from the first orientation to the second orientation is inhibited based on data stored in a memory of the device in relation to the control signal transmitted from the communication interface immediately before.

In an embodiment of the rotation control device of the invention, the device is implemented to transmit a control signal for selecting an operation mode of the vehicle.

In an embodiment of the rotation control apparatus of the invention, when the apparatus receives a vehicle status signal indicating that the vehicle is travelling in a forward direction at a speed above a predetermined speed threshold, in particular when the vehicle is in a forward gear operating mode, the processing unit outputs a manipulation signal to the assembly to inhibit the user interface surface from being turned to the second orientation for selecting the reverse gear operating mode, and/or the processing unit actively ignores sensor data indicating that: despite the inhibition provided via the actuator, the user interface surface has been rotated to an orientation for selecting the reverse operating mode.

In an embodiment of the inventive rotary control device, when the device receives a vehicle status signal indicating that the vehicle is travelling in a reverse direction at a speed above a predetermined speed threshold, in particular when the vehicle is in a reverse operating mode, the processing unit outputs a manipulation signal to the component to inhibit the user interface surface from being turned to an orientation for selecting a forward operating mode, and/or the processing unit actively ignores sensor data indicating that: despite the inhibition provided via the actuator, the user interface surface has been rotated to an orientation for selecting a forward gear mode of operation.

Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail below with reference to the following drawings. The drawings show:

fig. 1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a rotation control device according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a diagrammatic view of an embodiment of a rotating control device 1 of the invention with a user interface surface 3, which user interface surface 3 can be moved and rotated by a user or operator of a vehicle. The user interface surface is rotatable about the axis of rotation 7 of the device 1 to various orientations, for example for selecting an operating mode of the vehicle. Further, the user interface surface 3 is movable by a user or operator of the vehicle between a first position P1, a second position P2, and a third position P3.

The device 1 comprises a housing 5, which housing 5 at least partly encloses a processing unit 11 mounted on a substrate 15, which substrate 15 is a printed circuit board. The processing unit 11 is connected to a communication interface 13. A signal such as the control signal Ts can be transmitted and received via the communication interface 13.

In particular, the communication interface 13 is capable of receiving a vehicle status signal. The vehicle state signals can be forwarded to the processing unit 11, where the information contained in these signals can be taken into account when issuing the control signals for controlling the behavior of the components.

The processing unit 11 is further connected to a sensor unit 9, which sensor unit 9 is used to monitor the rotation 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 based on the sensor data Ds, the processing unit 11 is able to generate control signals to be transmitted via the communication interface 13.

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. The rotating element 23 is partially located within the chamber. The turning element 23 is mechanically connected to the user interface surface 3 and rotates with the rotation of the interface 3.

It can be said that the viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid 12 changes in response to changes in the characteristics of the magnetic field (such as field strength and direction) induced by the assembly 17. Thus, in a corresponding manner, the fluid transfers more or less torque between the user interface surface 3 of the device 1 and the housing 5. This is due to changes in shear forces within the fluid and between the fluid and the chamber walls. Since the housing 5 of the device is normally mounted in a fixed manner in the vehicle, the assembly can be considered to regulate a braking force acting on the user interface surface 3. Such a system comprising the MRF 21 in the chamber 19, the rotating element 23 and the assembly 17 for manipulating the magnetic field inside the chamber 19 is generally referred to as an MRF actuator. The processing unit 11 is implemented to output manipulation signals for controlling the components 17. For example, the component 17 can be driven by a circuit on the substrate 15, which feeds a Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) current or voltage to the component 17 in accordance with the manipulation signal from the processing unit 11.

The device further comprises a servo actuator 25, which servo actuator 25 is engaged with the turning element 23 and is thus able to apply a torque to the user interface surface 3.

Reference numerals

1 rotation control device

3 user interface surface

5 outer cover

7 axis of rotation

9 sensor unit

11 processing unit

13 communication interface

15 base plate/PCB

17 assembly for generating/manipulating a magnetic field

19 chamber

21 magnetorheological fluid

23 rotating element

25 servo actuator

X1 first direction

Second direction of X2

P1 first position

P2 second position

P3 third position