# US 10,963,050 B2 · Device and method for controlling a motor vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,963,050 B2 - Document ID: US10963050B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/515,361 - Filed: 2015-10-02 - Published: 2017-08-17 - Granted: 2021-03-30 - Earliest claimed: 2014-10-02 - Assignees: Dav - Applicants: Dav - Inventors: Nour-Eddine El-Ouardi; Stéphanie Dabic - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10963050B2 ## CPC - G06F 3/016: {Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user} - B60K 35/10: Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor - B60K 35/25: using haptic output - B60K 35/26: using acoustic output - B60K 35/80: Arrangements for controlling instruments - B60Q 9/00: Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 {, e.g. haptic signalling} - G06F 3/0416: {Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers} - G06F 3/0488: using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures - G06F 3/167: {Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback} - B60K 2360/1438: Touch screens - G06F 2203/014: Force feedback applied to GUI - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES - B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL ## Abstract The invention relates to a motor vehicle control device comprising: a touch surface (2) for detecting contact from a finger of a user and locating the contact on the touch surface (2); and a haptic and/or audio feedback module (4) configured such as to cause the touch surface (2) to vibrate and/or such as to generate audio feedback to the user, in response to contact with the touch surface (2), characterized in that said motor vehicle control device comprises a control unit (5) configured such as to control the haptic and/or audio feedback module (4) such that the value of at least one parameter of the haptic and/or audio feedback depends on the distance (D) between the location (P1) of the finger of the user and a target area (Zc) for controlling the touch surface (2). The invention also relates to a control method. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A control device for a motor vehicle comprising: a touch surface for detecting a contact of a finger of a user and a location of the contact on the touch surface, the touch surface comprising a target zone, a non-haptic zone, and two corridor zones, wherein the non-haptic zone has an angle defined by two boundaries between the non-haptic zone and the two corridor zones, wherein the non-haptic zone provides no haptic feedback and no audio feedback; a haptic and/or audio feedback module configured to generate haptic signals, that make the touch surface vibrate and/or generate audio feedback to the user, in response to the contact being in a corridor zone among the two corridor zones on the touch surface; and a driver unit configured to drive the haptic and/or audio feedback module such that the corridor zone is associated with a predetermined value of at least one parameter of haptic and/or audio feedback, wherein the angle of the non-haptic zone points toward the target zone such that moving the finger between the two corridor zones across the non-haptic zone repetitively toward the target zone results in discontinuity of the haptic signals with repetitively decreasing separations between the haptic signals. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The control device as claimed in one of claim 1, wherein the value of at least one parameter varies by levels. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a parameter of the audio feedback is chosen from the group consisting of: an intensity of the volume, a phase, a frequency, a duration, and a duration between two identical signals, and/or a parameter of the haptic feedback is chosen from the group consisting of: an intensity of the acceleration, a frequency, an amplitude, a duration, and a duration between two identical signals, the phase. ### Claim 4 A method for controlling a control device for a motor vehicle, the method comprising: detecting a contact of a finger of a user and a location of the contact on a touch surface, the touch surface comprising a target zone, a non-haptic zone, and two corridor zones, wherein the non-haptic zone has an angle defined by two boundaries between the non-haptic zone and the two corridor zones, wherein the non-haptic zone provides no haptic feedback and no audio feedback; and generating haptic signals as a haptic and/or audio feedback in response to the contact being in a corridor zone among the plurality of corridor zones, wherein the corridor zone is associated with a predetermined value of at least one parameter of haptic and/or audio feedback, wherein the angle of the non-haptic zone points toward the target zone such that moving the finger between the two corridor zones across the non-haptic zone repetitively toward the target zone results in discontinuity of the haptic signals with repetitively decreasing separations between the haptic signals. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The control method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the value of at least one parameter varies by levels. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch surface comprises a force sensing resistor (FSR) layer, wherein the FSR layer detects the contact of the finger. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of corridor zones are organized such that when the finger crosses a first corridor zone to a second corridor zone among the plurality of corridor zones, a change in a haptic vibration identifies that the finger is approaching the target zone. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the non-haptic zone is adjacent to a first edge and a second edge of the corridor zone, and wherein the target zone is adjacent to a third edge of the corridor zone.