Method for displaying information in a vehicle and display device for a vehicle

• US 8,477,108 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2008
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Wller, Christoph, Lemke, Katja, Dehmann, Rainer, Kuhn, Mathias
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H
• Application Number:
  US12/674,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20110205162A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,820 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/173, 345/174, 178/18.06, 178/19.03, 701/36, 715/700, 715/841, 715/848
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 2370/1531 Three-dimensional displays
• 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: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

In a method for displaying information in a motor vehicle, a plurality of objects are represented graphically with the aid of a display mounted in a motor vehicle. A user-interface device generates graphics data which control the display such that the graphical objects are shown disposed on a virtual, perspectively displayed ring, and that in response to an input with the aid of an input device, an arithmetic logic unit of the user-interface device alters the graphics data such that the graphical objects on the virtual ring rotate like a carousel. A corresponding display device is provided.

Claims

1. A method for displaying information in a motor vehicle, comprising:

graphically representing a plurality of objects in a display mounted in the motor vehicle;

generating, by a user-interface device, graphics data adapted to control the display to show graphical objects disposed on a virtual, perspectively displayed ring; and

altering, by an arithmetic logic unit of the user-interface device, the graphics data in response to an input by an input device to rotate the graphical objects on the virtual ring in the manner of a carousel;

wherein a duration of a total rotation is between 2 and 3 seconds.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the duration of the total rotation is between 2.4 and 2.6 seconds.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the duration of the total rotation is 2.5 seconds.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

activating one graphical object by the input device; and

after the activating, pushing graphically into a background the other objects.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising after the activating of the one graphical object, hiding the virtual ring and displaying only the activated graphical object.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising, during the hiding of the virtual ring and the displaying of only the activated graphical object, enlarging the activated graphical object while displacing the other graphical objects of the ring until only the activated graphical object is graphically displayed.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

in a display state in which only an activated graphical object is displayed, implementing an input for the carousel-manner rotation of the objects, merging into the carousel-manner display the graphical object last activated, rotating the graphical objects on the virtual ring in a carousel manner by one position, making the virtual ring invisible, and displaying only a next graphical object.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, after a carousel-manner rotation of the graphical objects on the virtual ring, automatically activating the graphical object displayed in a foreground after a time interval has elapsed.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the input includes a touching of the display.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the input includes a gesture of a body part of a user performed in front of the display, the method further comprising sensing and evaluating the gesture by the input device.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the sensing of the gesture includes detecting a capacitive coupling between the body part and a receiving device.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the sensing of the gesture includes detecting emission of infrared radiation and reflection of the infrared radiation by the body part of the user.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising displaying information from a driver-assistance system by at least a portion of the graphical objects.

14. A method for displaying information in a motor vehicle, comprising:

graphically representing a plurality of objects in a display mounted in the motor vehicle;

generating, by a user-interface device, graphics data adapted to control the display to show graphical objects disposed on a virtual, perspectively displayed ring;

altering, by an arithmetic logic unit of the user-interface device, the graphics data in response to an input by an input device to rotate the graphical objects on the virtual ring in the manner of a carousel;

inputting, by an input device, a line on the display; and

calculating an angle by which the objects are rotated according to the formula;

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein only the length of a horizontal component aligned parallel to the width of the display is represented by the parameter S.

16. A method for displaying information in a motor vehicle, comprising:

graphically representing a plurality of objects in a display mounted in the motor vehicle;

generating, by a user-interface device, graphics data adapted to control the display to show graphical objects disposed on a virtual, perspectively displayed ring;

altering, by an arithmetic logic unit of the user-interface device, the graphics data in response to an input by an input device to rotate the graphical objects on the virtual ring in the manner of a carousel; and

calculating successive angles of rotation to calculate graphics data for successive intermediate images to represent the rotation according to the following formulae;

17. A method for displaying information in a motor vehicle, comprising:

graphically representing a plurality of objects in a display mounted in the motor vehicle;

generating, by a user-interface device, graphics data adapted to control the display to show graphical objects disposed on a virtual, perspectively displayed ring;

altering, by an arithmetic logic unit of the user-interface device, the graphics data in response to an input by an input device to rotate the graphical objects on the virtual ring in the manner of a carousel;

measuring a speed of the motor vehicle; and

ascertaining a duration of a total rotation as a function of the speed of the motor vehicle.

18. A display device for a motor vehicle, comprising

a display mounted in the motor vehicle and adapted to graphically represent information;

a user-interface device adapted to generate graphics data for graphical objects displayable on the display;

an input device coupled to the user-interface device;

wherein the user-interface device is adapted to generate graphics data to control the display to show a plurality of graphical objects disposed on a virtual, perspectively displayed ring;

wherein the user-interface device includes an arithmetic logic unit adapted to alter the graphics data as a function of an input by the input device to rotate the graphical objects on the virtual ring in the manner of a carousel; and

wherein a duration of a total rotation is between 2 and 3 seconds.

19. The display device according to claim 18, wherein the input device includes a touch-sensitive surface of the display.

20. The display device according to claim 18, wherein the input device includes a device adapted to sense and evaluate a gesture of a body part of a user performed in front of the display.

21. The display device according to claim 20, wherein the input device includes a receiver device to which a signal is transmittable capacitively from the body part of the user when the body part is near the receiver device.

22. The display device according to claim 20, wherein the input device includes an infrared-light source and a receiver adapted to detect infrared light to detect the gesture of the body part of the user.

23. The display device according to claim 18, further comprising a proximity sensor adapted to detect an operating intention of a user based on an approach of a body part of the user.

24. The display device according to claim 18, wherein the user-interface device is coupled to at least one driver-assistance system, and the user-interface device is adapted to generate graphics data to display information from the driver-assistance system by at least a portion of the objects.

25. A display device for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a display mounted in the motor vehicle and adapted to graphically represent information;

a user-interface device adapted to generate graphics data for graphical objects displayable on the display;

an input device coupled to the user-interface device;

wherein the user-interface device is adapted to generate graphics data to control the display to show a plurality of graphical objects disposed on a virtual, perspectively displayed ring;

wherein the user-interface device includes an arithmetic logic unit adapted to alter the graphics data as a function of an input by the input device to rotate the graphical objects on the virtual ring in the manner of a carousel;

wherein the input device is adapted to determine a line on the display, and the arithmetic logic unit is adapted to calculate an angle by which the graphical objects are rotated according to the following formula;

26. A display device for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a display mounted in the motor vehicle and adapted to graphically represent information;

a user-interface device adapted to generate graphics data for graphical objects displayable on the display;

an input device coupled to the user-interface device;

wherein the user-interface device is adapted to generate graphics data to control the display to show a plurality of graphical objects disposed on a virtual, perspectively displayed ring;

wherein the user-interface device includes an arithmetic logic unit adapted to alter the graphics data as a function of an input by the input device to rotate the graphical objects on the virtual ring in the manner of a carousel;

wherein the arithmetic logic unit is adapted to calculate graphics data for successive intermediate images for successive angles of rotation to represent the rotation according to the following formulae;

27. A display device for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a display mounted in the motor vehicle and adapted to graphically represent information;

a user-interface device adapted to generate graphics data for graphical objects displayable on the display;

an input device coupled to the user-interface device;

wherein the user-interface device is adapted to generate graphics data to control the display to show a plurality of graphical objects disposed on a virtual, perspectively displayed ring;

wherein the user-interface device includes an arithmetic logic unit adapted to alter the graphics data as a function of an input by the input device to rotate the graphical objects on the virtual ring in the manner of a carousel;

wherein the display device includes an interface adapted to receive data concerning a speed of the motor vehicle, wherein the arithmetic logic unit is adapted to ascertain at least one of (a) a duration of a total rotation and (b) a duration of rotation as a function of the speed data.