Morphing Vehicle User Interface

• US 20110082627A1
• Filed: 03/16/2010
• Published: 04/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tesla Motors Incorporated (Tesla Inc.)
• Inventors: Johnston, Vincent George, Small, Evan
• Granted Patent: US 9,079,498 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/48
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/143 Touch sensitive instrument input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1438 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A method for operating a vehicle user interface is provided, the user interface utilizing a touch-screen display mounted within the vehicle. In one aspect, the visual or visual/interactive properties of the interface change after the user initiates interface interaction. In another aspect, the interface allows a user to utilize any of a variety of different control interaction techniques, all to achieve the same function.

Claims

1. A method of operating a vehicle user interface, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a touch-screen display mounted within a vehicle;

displaying a general vehicle subsystem interface corresponding to a single vehicle subsystem on said touch-screen display;

displaying a plurality of touch-screen function controllers on said general vehicle subsystem interface, wherein each of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers corresponds to each of a plurality of vehicle subsystem functions, and wherein all of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers correspond to said single vehicle subsystem;

accepting a first touch of a user via a first of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers, wherein said first of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers corresponds to a single vehicle function of said single vehicle subsystem;

transforming said general vehicle subsystem interface to a specific vehicle subsystem interface in response to said first user touch, wherein said specific vehicle subsystem interface corresponds to said single vehicle function;

accepting additional user touch input via said specific vehicle subsystem interface, wherein said additional user touch input only affects said single vehicle function; and

transforming said specific vehicle subsystem interface to said general vehicle subsystem interface after a preset period of time has elapsed since acceptance of a last user touch input via said specific vehicle subsystem interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of transforming said general vehicle subsystem interface to said specific vehicle subsystem interface further comprises the step of enlarging said first of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers from a first size to a second size.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of transforming said general vehicle subsystem interface to said specific vehicle subsystem interface further comprises the step of eliminating a portion of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers from said specific vehicle subsystem interface, wherein said portion of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers eliminated from said specific vehicle subsystem interface do not control said single vehicle function.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of transforming said general vehicle subsystem interface to said specific vehicle subsystem interface further comprises the step of adding a second plurality of touch-screen function controllers to said specific vehicle subsystem interface, wherein each of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers provides control over said single vehicle function.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said additional user touch input utilizes a touch-and-slide control interaction technique, and wherein said method further comprises the step of varying control speed over said single vehicle function in response to input speed of said additional user touch input.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of transforming said general vehicle subsystem interface to said specific vehicle subsystem interface further comprises the steps of:

determining a control interaction technique corresponding to said first user touch, wherein said control interaction technique is one of a plurality of input techniques; and

selecting a feature set for said specific vehicle subsystem interface in response to said control interaction technique determining step.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of transforming said general vehicle subsystem interface to said specific vehicle subsystem interface further comprises the steps of:

determining a control interaction technique corresponding to said first user touch, wherein said control interaction technique is one of a plurality of input techniques; and

adding a second plurality of touch-screen function controllers to said specific vehicle subsystem interface, wherein each of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers provides control over said single vehicle function, and wherein selection of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers is in response to said control interaction technique determining step.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said control interaction technique is a tapping input technique, and wherein at least a portion of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers utilize said tapping input technique.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said control interaction technique is a tapping input technique, and wherein all of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers utilize said tapping input technique.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said control interaction technique is a touch-and-slide input technique, and wherein at least a portion of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers utilize said touch-and-slide input technique.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein said control interaction technique is a touch-and-slide input technique, and wherein all of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers utilize said touch-and-slide input technique.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein said control interaction technique is a touch-and-hold input technique, and wherein at least a portion of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers utilize said touch-and-hold input technique.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein said control interaction technique is a touch-and-hold input technique, and wherein all of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers utilize said touch-and-hold input technique.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said single vehicle subsystem is selected from the group consisting of climate control subsystems and audio subsystems.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said preset period of time is less than 10 seconds.

16-19. -19. (canceled)