Operating device in a vehicle

• US 6,998,976 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2003
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Ito, Yuji, Kamiya, Akira, Kawai, Takayoshi, Koshobu, Nobuaki
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUNG
• Application Number:
  US10/669,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20040095366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 340/461, 340/990, 340/995.1, 340/691.6, 345/156, 345/685
• US Class Current: 340/461
• 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

Abstract

An operating device in a vehicle has hierarchical display screens. The hierarchical display screens have operation items for operating an operational object. An operation item on a lower-level screen is displayed on the top screen, based on the number of use of the operation item.

Claims

1. An operating device in a vehicle for operating multiple systems;

comprising,

a display unit including hierarchical display screens indicating screen-calling items to call a display screen of a system of said multiple systems and operating items to operate the system of said multiple systems, wherein a level 0 screen of the hierarchical display screens has at least the screen-calling items,

an operating panel to select and use said screen-calling items and operating items on the display screens, and

an electronic control unit receiving signals from the operating panel and controlling the display unit, wherein the number of times of use of each operation item in every system is counted and, if an operation item has been used more frequently than other operation items in every system, the more frequently used operation item is moved to a higher-level screen.

2. The operating device in the vehicle of claim 1, wherein said display unit further has a level 1 screen to which the level 0 screen moves by using said screen-calling items on the level 0 screen and a level 2 screen being a lower screen than the level 1 screen, the level 1 and 2 screens having operating items and screen-calling items to call a lower level screen of the same system or a display screen of a different system of the multiple systems.

3. The operating device in the vehicle of claim 2, wherein if the screen-calling items on the level 1 screen are used, it is determined whether an operating item is used on a screen to which the level 0 screen moves by using said screen-calling items on the level 1 screen.

4. The operating device in the vehicle of claim 1, wherein the timing of said move of the operation item to the higher-level screen is determined based on a predetermined condition.

5. The operating device in the vehicle of claim 4, wherein said predetermined condition is to move the operation item only once during a predetermined period.

6. The operating device in the vehicle of claim 1, wherein said multiple systems contain at least two systems of a navigation system, an air conditioning system and an audio system.

7. The operating device in the vehicle of claim 1, further comprising electric control units controlling each of said multiple systems having two way communications with said electronic control unit controlling the display unit.

8. The operating device in the vehicle of claim 1, wherein said electronic control unit controlling the display unit comprises a portable storage medium or a device to store counted times of use of each operational item.

9. The operating device in the vehicle of claim 1, wherein a level 1 screen comprises a condition indicating area graphically indicating present conditions and an operation indicating area indicating operation items.

10. An operating device in a vehicle for operating a plurality of systems, the operating device comprising:

a display unit having multiple level display screens for each of the plurality of systems, each of the multiple level display screens having screen-calling items to call a different one of the multiple level display screens, a portion of the multiple level display screen having operating items to operate a respective system of the plurality of systems;

an operating panel to select and use the screen-calling items and the operating items on the multiple level display screens;

an electronic control unit receiving signals from the operating panel and controlling the display unit;

wherein

the number of times of use of each operation item of each of the plurality of systems is counted and if a first operation item has been used more frequently than a second operation item, the first operation item is moved to a higher-level screen.