In-vehicle information system

• US 8,909,422 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2010
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Auto Tech Group LLC
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Morimoto, Kazunari, Inoue, Hideharu, Shigeeda, Tetsuya, Shimizu, Toshiyuki, Sukeno, Junji, Koike, Masahide
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kan, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US13/639,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20130211670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,664 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/459, 701/467, 701/532, 705/39, 705/52, 709/217, 340/928, 340/995.24, 340/995.28, 257/40, 345/8, 345/173, 345/156, 434/362
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B61D 37/00 Other furniture or furnishings
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0072 On-board train data handling
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/009 On-board display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00

Abstract

An in-vehicle information system that notifies passengers in a vehicle of guidance information, including a display input unit having a display unit that displays the guidance information and an input unit that covers the display unit and detects touch operations by the passengers to be output as input operation information, and an information control unit that switches and outputs the guidance information to the display unit according to driving states of the vehicle and classifies the guidance information into first information to be provided to the passengers according to the input operation information and second information to be provided to the passengers according to the driving states of the vehicle to output the first information to the display unit according to the input operation information.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle information system that monitors a driving state of a vehicle and displays various types of information visualized on a display unit in the vehicle according to predetermined timings and the driving state, the in-vehicle information system comprising:

a display input unit covering a part or all of a screen area of the display unit and detecting touch operations as operation information; and

an information output unit that outputs the various types of information classified in advance into optional guidance information that can be displayed again by accessing the touch operation and optionally-eliminated guidance information that cannot be displayed again by accessing the touch operation, wherein the optional guidance information and the optionally-eliminated guidance information are different subsets of the various types of information,

displays the various types of information including both the optional guidance information and the optionally-eliminated guidance information on the display unit according to the predetermined timings when the input unit does not detect the operation information by the touch operation, and

displays again the optional guidance information, which has been previously displayed, on the display unit when the input unit detects the operation information by the touch operation.

2. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 1, wherein, at a time of display output of the optional guidance information to the display unit, the information output unit stops outputting the optional guidance information and automatically returns to a normal information display screen and a normal display operation that outputs the various types of guidance information including both the optional guidance information and the optionally-eliminated guidance information to the display unit according to said predetermined timings, when no touch operation has been received by the input unit by users after a predetermined period of time.

3. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 1, wherein

a plurality of the display input units to which touch operations can be performed are mounted on the vehicle, and

the information output unit automatically returns to the normal information display screen and the normal display operation that is synchronized with a normal information display switching timing of various types of information being displayed on other display input units that have not received a touch operation.

4. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 3, wherein, when an event requiring display of emergency guidance information to be transferred to the users occurs during an operation of synchronizing switching with the normal information display switching timing, the information output unit prioritizes switching to the emergency guidance information over waiting to synchronize display of the various types of information with the normal information display switching timing.

5. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 1, wherein

a touch-operation available area visualized with a predetermined fixed phrase or a predetermined fixed graphic is clearly indicated in a part of a screen area of the display unit, and

the information output unit outputs the optional guidance information desired by a user to the display unit according to a touch operation to the touch-operation available area.

6. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 1, wherein

a touch-operation available area visualized with a translucent predetermined fixed phrase or a translucent predetermined fixed graphic is clearly indicated in a part of a screen area of the display unit, and

the information output unit outputs the optional guidance information desired by a user to the display unit according to a touch operation to the touch-operation available area.

7. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 1, wherein

a transparent touch-operation available area is provided in a part of a screen area of the display unit, and

the information output unit outputs the optional guidance information desired by a user to the display unit according to a touch operation to the touch-operation available area.

8. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 1, wherein

a transparent touch-operation available area is provided in a part or all of a screen area of the display unit, and

the information output unit outputs the optional guidance information desired by a user to the display unit according to a direction of a touch operation.

9. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 1, wherein

a transparent touch-operation available area is provided in a part or all of a screen area of the display unit, and

the information output unit outputs the optional guidance information desired by a user to the display unit according to a direction and an acceleration of a touch operation.

10. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 1, wherein

a predetermined driving period of the vehicle is classified as a touch-panel operable period and the other period is classified as a touch-panel inoperable period, in the display input unit, and

the information output unit enables access to the optional guidance information during the touch-panel operable period and inhibits access to the optional guidance information during the touch-panel inoperable period.

11. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 10, wherein the information output unit causes superimposed display of information indicating inoperability as information visualized with a predetermined fixed phrase or a predetermined fixed graphic during the touch-panel inoperable period.

12. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 10, wherein the information output unit causes superimposed display of information preannouncing impossibility of touch operations and information prompting the users to ensure security as information visualized with predetermined fixed phrases or predetermined fixed graphics from a timing that is a predetermined period before the touch-panel inoperable period starts.

13. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 2, wherein

a plurality of the display input units to which touch operations can be performed are mounted on the vehicle, and

the information output unit automatically returns to the normal information display screen and the normal display operation that is synchronized with a normal information display switching timing of various types of information being displayed on other display input units that have not received a touch operation.

14. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 13, wherein, wherein, when an event requiring display of emergency guidance information to be transferred to the users occurs during an operation of synchronizing switching with the normal information display switching timing, the information output unit prioritizes switching to the emergency guidance information over waiting to synchronize display of the various types of information with the normal information display switching timing.

15. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 2, wherein

a touch-operation available area visualized with a predetermined fixed phrase or a predetermined fixed graphic is clearly indicated in a part of a screen area of the display unit, and

the information output unit outputs the optional guidance information desired by a user to the display unit according to a touch operation to the touch-operation available area.

16. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 2, wherein

a touch-operation available area visualized with a translucent predetermined fixed phrase or a translucent predetermined fixed graphic is clearly indicated in a part of a screen area of the display unit, and

the information output unit outputs the optional guidance information desired by a user to the display unit according to a touch operation to the touch-operation available area.

17. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 2, wherein

a transparent touch-operation available area is provided in a part of a screen area of the display unit, and

the information output unit outputs the optional guidance information desired by a user to the display unit according to a touch operation to the touch-operation available area.

18. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 2, wherein

a transparent touch-operation available area is provided in a part or all of a screen area of the display unit, and

the information output unit outputs the optional guidance information desired by a user to the display unit according to a direction of a touch operation having a direction.

19. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 2, wherein

a transparent touch-operation available area is provided in a part or all of a screen area of the display unit, and

the information output unit outputs the optional guidance information desired by a user to the display unit according to a direction and an acceleration of a touch operation.

20. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 2, wherein

a predetermined driving period of the vehicle is classified as a touch-panel operable period and the other period is classified as a touch-panel inoperable period, in the display input unit, and

the information output unit enables access to the optional guidance information during the touch-panel operable period and inhibits access to the optional guidance information during the touch-panel inoperable period.

21. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 20, wherein the information output unit causes superimposed display of information indicating inoperability as information visualized with a predetermined fixed phrase or a predetermined fixed graphic during the touch-panel inoperable period.

22. The in-vehicle information system according to claim 20, wherein the information output unit causes superimposed display of information preannouncing impossibility of touch operations and information prompting the users to ensure security as information visualized with predetermined fixed phrases or predetermined fixed graphics from a timing that is a predetermined period before the touch-panel inoperable period starts.