VEHICLE USER INTERFACE UNIT FOR A VEHICLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20110242102A1
• Filed: 03/30/2011
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hess, Wolfgang
• Granted Patent: US 9,030,465 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• 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: B60K 35/211 producing three-dimensional [3D] effects, e.g. stereoscopic images
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/163 Determination of attitude using inertial means G01C9/00; control of attitude G05D1/49
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/349 Multi-view displays for displaying three or more geometrical viewpoints without viewer tracking for viewing without the aid of special glasses using fly-eye lenses H04N13/307
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/366 using viewer tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Abstract

A vehicle user interface unit for a vehicle electronic device. The vehicle user interface unit includes a three-dimensional (“3D”) display unit having a display, and is configured to display an image for perception by a user as a virtual 3D image. The virtual 3D image is at least partially located in front of the display when the user observes the display. A display control unit is configured to control the generation of the image by the 3D display unit. The virtual 3D image includes a 3D object having at least two regions located in different spatial planes. Each region includes a plurality of interaction elements. An input unit is configured to detect the location of a user-controlled object and to interpret the detection of a predefined variation of the user-controlled object as a selection of one of the interaction elements in the virtual 3D image.

Claims

1. A vehicle user interface unit for a vehicle electronic device, comprising:

a three-dimensional (“

3D”

) display unit having a display, the 3D display unit being configured to display an image configured for perception by a user as a virtual 3D image at least partially located in front of the display when the user observes the display;

a display control unit configured to control the generation of the image by the 3D display unit where the virtual 3D image includes a 3D object having at least two regions located in different spatial planes, each region having a plurality of interaction elements; and

an input unit configured to detect the location of a user-controlled object and to interpret the detection of a predefined variation of the user-controlled object as a selection of one of the interaction elements in the virtual 3D image.

2. The vehicle user interface unit of claim 1 where the predefined variation of the user-controlled object includes the movement of the user-controlled object to within a predetermined distance of an interaction element in the virtual 3D image, the input unit being further configured to interpret the detection of such a movement as a selection of the corresponding interaction element.

3. The vehicle user interface unit of claim 1 where the display control unit is configured to generate the image indicating an active region in which the interaction elements are selectable and the information elements of the at least one other region are not selectable, where the active region is the region located closer to an observing user in the virtual 3D image.

4. The vehicle user interface unit of claim 1 where the display control unit is configured to generate the image where the 3D object is a polyhedron, a cube, or a cuboid, and where each of the regions corresponds to a face of the polyhedron.

5. The vehicle user interface unit of claim 4 where the display control unit is configured to generate the image where the polyhedron is oriented with one of the faces facing the observing user, the face facing the observing user being an active region in which the interaction elements are selectable.

6. The vehicle user interface unit of claim 1 where the input unit is configured to detect a second predefined variation of the user controlled object and to interpret the second predefined variation as a command to change the spatial arrangement of the at least two regions.

7. The vehicle user interface unit of claim 4 where the display control unit is configured to change the spatial arrangement of the at least two regions by rotating the polyhedron to orient a different face of the polyhedron having different interaction elements to face the observing user.

8. The vehicle user interface unit of claim 6 where the input unit is configured to detect the positioning of a finger of the observing user at a boundary or a corner of one of the regions and the movement of the finger over a predetermined distance as the second predefined variation of the user-controlled object.

9. The vehicle user interface unit of claim 1 where the vehicle user interface unit is configured to provide an acoustical feedback to the user when the user-controlled object comes to within a predetermined distance of an element of the 3D object in the virtual 3D image or when a selection of one of the interaction elements is detected.

10. The vehicle user interface unit of claim 1 where the input unit includes a stereoscopic camera configured to monitor an area adjacent to a position at which the virtual 3D image is created for detecting the location and a variation of the user-controlled object.

11. The vehicle user interface unit of claim 1 further comprising:

a camera for monitoring the viewpoint from which the user observes the display, where the user interface unit is configured to determine the position at which the virtual 3D image is seen by the user observing the display on the basis of the detected viewpoint of the user.

12. The vehicle user interface unit of claim 1 where the 3D display unit is an autostereoscopic 3D display unit.

13. The vehicle user interface unit of claim 1 where the 3D display unit is housed in a face plate of the vehicle electronic device.

14. A method of operating a vehicle user interface unit of a vehicle electronic device comprising:

generating a virtual three-dimensional (“

3D”

) image at least partially located in front of a display of a 3D display unit used to generate the virtual 3D image;

controlling the generation of the virtual 3D image to include a 3D object having at least two regions located in different spatial planes, each region having a plurality of interaction elements; and

detecting the location of a user controlled object and interpreting the detection of a predefined variation of the user controlled object as a selection of one of the interaction elements in the virtual 3D image.

15. A vehicle infotainment system comprising:

an infotainment control system for performing infotainment functions; and

a vehicle user interface unit for providing user access to control of the infotainment functions, the vehicle user interface unit having;

a three-dimensional (“

3D”

) display unit having a display, the 3D display unit being configured to display an image configured for perception by a user as a virtual 3D image at least partially located in front of the display when the user observes the display;

a display control unit configured to control the generation of the image by the 3D display unit where the virtual 3D image includes a 3D object having at least two regions located in different spatial planes, each region having a plurality of interaction elements; and

an input unit configured to detect the location of a user-controlled object and to interpret the detection of a predefined variation of the user-controlled object as a selection of one of the interaction elements in the virtual 3D image.

16. The vehicle infotainment system of claim 15 where the predefined variation of the user-controlled object includes the movement of the user-controlled object to within a predetermined distance of an interaction element in the virtual 3D image, the input unit being further configured to interpret the detection of such a movement as a selection of the corresponding interaction element.

17. The vehicle infotainment system of claim 15 where the display control unit is configured to generate the image indicating an active region in which the interaction elements are selectable and the information elements of the at least one other region are not selectable, where the active region is the region located closer to an observing user in the virtual 3D image.

18. The vehicle infotainment system of claim 15 where the display control unit is configured to generate the image where the 3D object is a polyhedron, a cube, or a cuboid, and where each of the regions corresponds to a face of the polyhedron.

19. The vehicle infotainment system of claim 18 where the display control unit is configured to generate the image where the polyhedron is oriented with one of the faces facing the observing user, the face facing the observing user being an active region in which the interaction elements are selectable.

20. The vehicle infotainment system of claim 15 where the input unit includes a stereoscopic camera configured to monitor an area adjacent to a position at which the virtual 3D image is created for detecting the location and a variation of the user-controlled object.

21. A vehicle cabin comprising:

an electronic device having a vehicle user interface unit for providing user access to control of the functions of the electronic device,

the vehicle user interface unit having;

a three-dimensional (“

3D”

) display unit having a display, the 3D display unit being configured to display an image configured for perception by a user as a virtual 3D image at least partially located in front of the display when the user observes the display;

a display control unit configured to control the generation of the image by the 3D display unit where the virtual 3D image includes a 3D object having at least two regions located in different spatial planes, each region having a plurality of interaction elements; and

an input unit configured to detect the location of a user-controlled object and to interpret the detection of a predefined variation of the user-controlled object as a selection of one of the interaction elements in the virtual 3D image.

22. The vehicle cabin of claim 21 where the predefined variation of the user-controlled object includes the movement of the user-controlled object to within a predetermined distance of an interaction element in the virtual 3D image, the input unit being further configured to interpret the detection of such a movement as a selection of the corresponding interaction element.

23. The vehicle cabin of claim 21 where the display control unit is configured to generate the image indicating an active region in which the interaction elements are selectable and the information elements of the at least one other region are not selectable, where the active region is the region located closer to an observing user in the virtual 3D image.

24. The vehicle cabin of claim 21 where the display control unit is configured to generate the image where the 3D object is a polyhedron, a cube, or a cuboid, and where each of the regions corresponds to a face of the polyhedron.

25. The vehicle cabin of claim 24 where the display control unit is configured to generate the image where the polyhedron is oriented with one of the faces facing the observing user, the face facing the observing user being an active region in which the interaction elements are selectable.

26. The vehicle cabin of claim 21 where the input unit includes a stereoscopic camera configured to monitor an area adjacent to a position at which the virtual 3D image is created for detecting the location and a variation of the user-controlled object.