METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PROVIDING A USER INTERFACE

• US 20130067407A1
• Filed: 04/30/2011
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Dehmann, Rainer
• Granted Patent: US 9,310,989 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/11 Instrument graphical user interfaces or menu aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/11 Graphical user interfaces or menu aspects
• 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 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

A method for providing a user interface, wherein a real subset of a set having several objects can be displayed by a control device of a display unit, a graphic element is displayed by way of the position of a first graphic sub-element relative to a second graphic sub-element, and the displayed subset is changed by an operating process. Objects are divided into n disjoint subsets, wherein n is a natural number greater than 2 and n positions are defined relative to the second graphic sub-element, and the first graphic sub-element is displayed only for one of these n positions if no operating process for changing the subset is carried out, wherein the positioning of the first graphic sub-element on one of the n positions shows which of the n subsets is currently being displayed.

Claims

1. A method for providing a user interface, the method comprising:

displaying a subset of a set having a large number of objects can be by a display device, wherein the objects are divided into n disjunct subsets, where n is a natural number which is greater than 2;

displaying a graphical element via the display device, wherein the graphical element represents which subset is currently displayed by virtue of a relative position of a first graphical sub-element in relation to a second graphical sub-element; and

altering the displayed subset in response to an operator control process

wherein n positions are defined relative to the second graphic sub-element, and the first graphical sub-element is displayed only at one of these n positions if no operator control process for altering the subset is performed, wherein the positioning of the first graphical sub-element on one of the n positions represents which of the n subsets is currently being displayed on the display device.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first graphical sub-element is displaced smoothly relative to the second graphical sub-element in response to the operator control process input via an input device, and wherein, following completion of the operator control process, the first graphical sub-element is automatically displayed on a particular position from the n positions based on a position of the first graphical sub-element at the completion of the operator control process.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one dimension of the first graphical sub-element relative to that dimension of the second graphical sub-element in at least one direction represents the number of objects in the currently displayed subset relative to the total number of objects in the set.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second graphical sub-element is divided into n segments.

5. The method of claim 4, the wherein at least one dimension of the first graphical sub-element corresponds to the at least one dimension of a segment of the n segments of the second graphical sub-element.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first graphical sub-element is presented at one of the n positions in a form superimposed on a segment of the n segments.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the n segments are in the form of buttons, and wherein the method further comprises receiving an indication of an operation of at least one of the buttons, wherein the operation indication indicates an operator'"'"'s selection of the subset of the objects that is to be displayed on the display device,

wherein, the alteration of the subset is performed as a result of selection of a segment of the n segments of the second graphical sub-element and prompts performance of an animation in which the first graphical sub-element is moved to the relevant position from the n positions on the display device.

17. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the n segments are in the form of buttons, and wherein the method further comprises receiving an indication of an operation of at least one of the buttons, wherein the operation indication indicates an operator'"'"'s selection of the subset of the objects that is to be displayed on the display device,

wherein, the alteration of the subset is performed as a result of selection of a segment of the n segments of the second graphical and prompts performance of an animation in which the first graphical sub-element is moved to the relevant position from the n positions on the display device.

8. An apparatus for displaying subsets of a set having a large number of objects by a display device, wherein the objects are divided into n disjunct subsets, where n is a natural number which is greater than 2, the apparatus comprising:

a user interface including;

a display device; and

a control apparatus that controls display on the display device,

wherein the control apparatus controls display of a subset of the set having a large number of objects and to display a graphical element which represents which subset is currently displayed by a relative position of a first graphical sub-element in relation to a second graphical sub-element; and

an input device that receives input from an operator to select an operator control process which alters the subset displayed on the display device,

wherein the objects are divided into n disjunct subsets, where n is a natural number which is greater than 2, and the control apparatus controls display on the display device such that n positions are defined relative to the second graphical sub-element, and the first graphical sub-element is displayed only at one of these n positions if selection of no operator control process for altering the subset is received via the input device, wherein positioning of the first graphical sub-element on one of the n positions represents which of the n subsets is currently displayed on the display device.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the input device comprises a touch-sensitive surface provided on a surface panel of the display device.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first graphical sub-element is displaced smoothly relative to the second graphical sub-element in response to the operator control process input via an input device, and

wherein, following completion of the operator control process, the first graphical sub-element is automatically displayed on a particular position from the n positions based on a position of the first graphical sub-element at the completion of the operator control process.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein at least one dimension of the first graphical sub-element relative to that dimension of the second graphical sub-element in at least one direction represents the number of objects in the currently displayed subset relative to the total number of objects in the set.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second graphical sub-element is divided into n segments.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one dimension of the first graphical sub-element corresponds to the at least one dimension of a segment of the n segments of the second graphical sub-element.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first graphical sub-element is presented at one of the n positions in a form superimposed on a segment of the n segments.

18. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the first graphical sub-element is displaced smoothly relative to the second graphical sub-element in response to the operator control process input via an input device, and

wherein, following completion of the operator control process, the first graphical sub-element is automatically displayed on a particular position from the n positions based on a position of the first graphical sub-element at the completion of the operator control process.

19. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein at least one dimension of the first graphical sub-element relative to that dimension of the second graphical sub-element in at least one direction represents the number of objects in the currently displayed subset relative to the total number of objects in the set.

20. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the second graphical sub-element is divided into n segments.

10. A vehicle comprising:

an apparatus for displaying subsets of a set having a large number of objects by a display device, wherein the objects are divided into n disjunct subsets, where n is a natural number which is greater than 2, the apparatus comprising;

a user interface including;

a display device; and

a control apparatus that controls display on the display device,

wherein the control apparatus controls display of a subset of the set having a large number of objects and to display a graphical element which represents which subset is currently displayed by a relative position of a first graphical sub-element in relation to a second graphical sub-element; and

an input device that receives input from an operator to select an operator control process which alters the subset displayed on the display device,

wherein the control apparatus controls display on the display device such that n positions are defined relative to the second graphical sub-element, and the first graphical sub-element is displayed only at one of these n positions if selection of no operator control process for altering the subset is received via the input device, wherein positioning of the first graphical sub-element on one of the n positions represents which of the n subsets is currently displayed on the display device.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the input device comprises a touch-sensitive surface provided on a surface panel of the device apparatus.