Multi-functional touchpad controller for automobile
AssigneeElan Microelectronics Corporation
InventorsI-Hau Yeh, Tso-Chieh Yang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A touchpad has a smart man-machine interface. Through a computer system in an automobile, the smart man-machine interface controls systems and multimedia equipments in the automobile, such as an air conditioner and an audio/video player. The interface provides several control modes, such as to control with a keypad, with a writing pad or with a mouse. And the computer system can be connected with a few sets of the touchpad and a display through wire lines or wireless connections.
Claims20
A multi-functional touchpad controller for an automobile, comprising:
- a touchpad module, said touchpad module being an input device for an automobile computer, a positioning navigator, and a multimedia and communication system;
- an automobile audio/video module, said automobile audio/video module processing audio/video signals;
- a first automobile display module, said first automobile display module displaying image, navigation map and information from said automobile computer;
- a remote control module, said remote control module having a wireless output unit to control said touchpad controller remotely;
- a response module, said response module showing a response through a signal selected from a group consisting of a sound signal, an optical signal and an image signal;
- and
- a central controlling module, said central controlling module having a wireless unit to receive signals from a device selected from a group consisting of said touchpad module and said remote control module, said central controlling module transferring transformed signals to said first automobile display module and said automobile audio/video module.
The touchpad controller according to cIaim 15,
- wherein said wireless output unit transmits signals through a wireless connection selected from a group consisting of an IrDA connection, a blue tooth connection, a wireless personal area networking (Zigbee) and a radio connection.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.