In-vehicle apparatus and control method of in-vehicle apparatus

• US 8,339,369 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2007
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nezu, Yoshiyuki, Sasaki, Makoto, Yamazaki, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US11/959,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20080100591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,834 Days
• Field of Search: 345/30, 345/156, 345/157, 345/161, 345/173, 345/613, 348/734, 701/36, 701/117, 701/200, 701/208, 701/210, 701/716, 701/810, 701/136, 701/5, 701/1, 725/52, 715/810, 715/840, 715/767, 715/830, 715/853, 700/17, 700/83, 379/219, 379/220.01, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/11 Instrument graphical user interfaces or menu aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1438 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/162 Visual feedback on control action
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/55 Remote control arrangements
• 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 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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

An in-vehicle apparatus and a control method of an in-vehicle apparatus, which is applied to a multimedia terminal having, for example, a function of navigation equipment and a function of video playback so as to improve usability to a user in a case of accepting an operation through a touch panel and a remote commander. A touch panel menu screen suitable for an operation through a touch panel and a remote commander menu screen suitable for an operation through a remote commander are switched to be displayed so as to accept an operation by a user.

Claims

1. A control method of an apparatus which displays a plurality of menus on a display and, in response to a selection of a menu from said plurality of menus by operations through a touch panel and a remote commander, performs processing corresponding to the selected menu, the method comprising the steps of:

switching, in response to an operation by a user, between displaying on the display a touch panel menu screen which has the plurality of menus arranged in a first layout and displaying on the display a remote commander menu screen which has the plurality of menus arranged in a second layout different form said first layout, the arrangement of the plurality of menus in the second layout changing in a predetermined sequence in accordance with an operation of the remote commander; and

accepting the operation by the user through a currently displayed menu screen.

2. The control method of an apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said touch panel menu screen displays said plurality of menus in the same size.

3. The control method of an apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said remote commander menu screen displays said plurality of menus so that a menu to which a focus is set can be visibly checked, and said focus is switchable by an operation of said remote commander.

4. The control method of an apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection of the menu through said touch panel is accepted on said remote commander menu screen.

5. The control method of an apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

switching from said touch panel menu screen to said remote commander menu screen is performed in response to the operation by the user through said remote commander, and

switching from said remote commander menu screen to said touch panel menu screen is performed in response to the operation by the user through said touch panel.

6. The control method of an apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel menu screen and the remote commander menu screen provide identical menu options.

7. The control method of an apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switching further comprises switching between displaying, on an entire display area of the display, the touch panel menu screen, and displaying, on an entire display area of the display, the remote commander menu screen in response to the operation by the user.

8. The control method of an apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel is integrated into the display.