Control appropriateness illumination for corrective response

• US 8,108,098 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Childress, Rhonda L., Kumhyr, David Bruce, Nesbitt, Pamela Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOUIE, WAE LENNY
• Application Number:
  US11/854,276
• Publication Number:
  US 20090069976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,602 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/37, 701/38, 701/42, 700/85, 340/438, 340/461, 340/576
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer code product for a data processing system provide feedback to an operator of a vehicle indicating the appropriateness of an attempted actuation of a vehicle control. A current operating state of the vehicle is first identified. Responsive to identifying the current operating state, preferred control actions corresponding to the current operating state are identified. Responsive to receiving a notification of an attempted actuation of the vehicle control, the attempted actuation is compared to the preferred control actions. If the attempted actuation is one of the preferred control actions, an indicator is illuminated with a first color. If the attempted actuation is not one of the preferred control actions, the indicator is illuminated with a second color.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for providing feedback to an operator of a vehicle indicating the appropriateness of an attempted actuation of a vehicle control, the method comprising:

identifying a current operating state of the vehicle;

responsive to identifying the current operating state, identifying preferred control actions corresponding to the current operating state;

receiving a notification of an attempted actuation of the vehicle control;

responsive to receiving the notification, identifying whether the attempted actuation is one of the preferred control actions;

responsive to identifying that the attempted actuation is one of the preferred control actions, illuminating an indicator with a first color; and

responsive to not identifying that the attempted actuation is one of the preferred control actions, illuminating the indicator with a second color.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying the current operating state is in response to receiving operation parameters from the vehicle, the operating state being identified based on the operation parameters.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the current operating state is selected from a database of possible operating states.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the database is an associative array, a search tree, a look-up table, or a hash map.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the notification is provided from a force feedback sensor attached to the vehicle control.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the indicator is one or more low voltage light sources.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the indicator is a light emitting diode.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first color is green and the second color is red.

9. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer usable program code for providing feedback to an operator of a vehicle indicating the appropriateness of an attempted actuation of a vehicle control, the computer program product comprising;

computer usable program code for identifying a current operating state of the vehicle;

computer usable program code, responsive to identifying the current operating state, for identifying preferred control actions corresponding to the current operating state;

computer usable program code for receiving a notification of an attempted actuation of the vehicle control;

computer usable program code, responsive to receiving the notification, for identifying whether the attempted actuation is one of the preferred control actions;

computer usable program code, responsive to identifying that the attempted actuation is one of the preferred control actions, for illuminating an indicator with a first color; and

computer usable program code, responsive to identifying that the attempted actuation is not one of the preferred control actions, for illuminating the indicator with a second color.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer usable program code for identifying a current operating state of the vehicle is responsive to receiving operation parameters from the vehicle, the operating state being identified based on the operation parameters.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the current operating state is selected from a database of possible operating states.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the database is an associative array, a search tree, a look-up table, or a hash map.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the notification is provided from a force feedback sensor attached to the vehicle control.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the indicator is one or more low voltage light sources.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the indicator is a light emitting diode.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the first color is green and the second color is red.

17. A data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a communications unit connected to the bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device includes computer usable program code for providing feedback to an operator of a vehicle indicating the appropriateness of an attempted actuation of a vehicle control; and

a processor unit connected to the bus, wherein the processor unit executes the computer usable program code to identify a current operating state of the vehicle, responsive to identifying the current operating state, identify preferred control actions corresponding to the current operating state, receive a notification of an attempted actuation of the vehicle control, responsive to receiving the notification, identify whether the attempted actuation is one of the preferred control actions, responsive to identifying that the attempted actuation is one of the preferred control actions, illuminate an indicator with a first color, and responsive to not identifying that the attempted actuation is one of the preferred control actions, illuminate the indicator with a second color.

18. The data processing system of claim 17, wherein the processor unit executing the computer usable program code to identify the current operating state is responsive to receiving operation parameters from the vehicle, the operating state being identified based on the operation parameters, and wherein the current operating state is selected from a database of possible operating states.

19. The data processing system of claim 17, wherein the database is an associative array, a search tree, a look-up table, or a hash map.

20. The data processing system of claim 17, wherein the indicator is one or more light emitting diodes, and wherein the first color is green and the second color is red.