On-screen gear selector for automatic transmission
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- an on-screen gear selector for an automatic transmission of a vehicle, including;
a touch screen;
an on-screen gear selector for selectively being displayed on the touch screen, the on-screen gear selector having a minimized position and a pop-up mode; and
a plurality of icons,each of the plurality of icons representing a mode of operation of the automatic transmission,the plurality of icons selectively displayed on the touch screen,the plurality of icons being part of the on-screen gear selector;
wherein each of the plurality of icons is touched to configure the transmission to operate in a mode of operation represented by the touched icon, andonly the icon representing a current mode of operation is displayed on the touch screen when the on-screen gear selector is in the minimized position, andwhen the on-screen gear selector is in the minimized position,the displayed icon representing the current mode of operation is touched to configure the touch screen such that all of the plurality of icons are displayed on the touch screen; and
wherein the on-screen gear selector is placed in the minimized position after a predetermined amount of driving time in the mode of operation represented by the displayed icon, allowing other functions to be displayed on the touch screen; and
wherein the on-screen gear selector chances from the minimized position to pop-up mode when the speed of the vehicle is below a predetermined value.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An on-screen gear selector for an automatic transmission, which provides an interface between the driver and the automatic transmission. The gear selector provides the current selection by the driver to the transmission control unit. The virtual on-screen gear selector provides safety and security features, and is incorporated into the software of the gear selector, such as not allowing the transmission to change from park until the brake pedal is depressed, or not allowing the transmission to change from drive to a lower gear or reverse if the speed of the vehicle is above a predetermined value, thereby avoiding damage to the transmission. The use of the on-screen gear selector also provides the benefit of reducing space and weight of the vehicle, by having less mechanical parts.
19 Citations
18 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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an on-screen gear selector for an automatic transmission of a vehicle, including; a touch screen; an on-screen gear selector for selectively being displayed on the touch screen, the on-screen gear selector having a minimized position and a pop-up mode; and a plurality of icons, each of the plurality of icons representing a mode of operation of the automatic transmission, the plurality of icons selectively displayed on the touch screen, the plurality of icons being part of the on-screen gear selector; wherein each of the plurality of icons is touched to configure the transmission to operate in a mode of operation represented by the touched icon, and only the icon representing a current mode of operation is displayed on the touch screen when the on-screen gear selector is in the minimized position, and when the on-screen gear selector is in the minimized position, the displayed icon representing the current mode of operation is touched to configure the touch screen such that all of the plurality of icons are displayed on the touch screen; and wherein the on-screen gear selector is placed in the minimized position after a predetermined amount of driving time in the mode of operation represented by the displayed icon, allowing other functions to be displayed on the touch screen; and wherein the on-screen gear selector chances from the minimized position to pop-up mode when the speed of the vehicle is below a predetermined value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An on-screen gear selector for an automatic transmission of a vehicle, comprising:
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a touch screen; an on-screen gear selector for selectively being displayed on the touch screen the on-screen gear selector having a minimized position and a pop-up mode; and a plurality of icons selectively displayed on the touch screen, each of the plurality of icons being part of the on-screen gear selector; and an indicator used on one of the plurality of icons, the indicator displayed on the touch screen in proximity to one of the plurality of icons; wherein each of the plurality of icons represents a mode of operation of the automatic transmission, and wherein each of the plurality of icons is touched to configure the transmission to operate in a mode of operation represented by the touched icon, and only the icon representing the current mode of operation displayed on the touch screen when the on-screen gear selector is in the minimized position, and when the on-screen gear selector is in the minimized position, the displayed icon representing the current mode of operation is touched to configure the touch screen such that all of the one or more plurality of icons are displayed on the touch screen; and wherein the on-screen gear selector is placed in the minimized position after a predetermined amount of driving time in the mode of operation represented by the displayed icon, allowing other functions to be displayed on the touch screen; and wherein the on-screen gear selector changes from the minimized position to pop-up mode when the speed of the vehicle is below a predetermined value. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An on-screen gear selector for an automatic transmission, comprising:
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an instrument panel; a touch screen mounted as part of the instrument panel; an on-screen gear selector for selectively being displayed on the touch screen; a plurality of icons, each one of the plurality of icons representing a mode of operation of an automatic transmission, the plurality of icons being part of the on-screen gear selector; and an outline surrounding at least one of the plurality of icons, the outline providing an indication in which mode of operation the automatic transmission is configured to operate; wherein one of the plurality of icons is selected by a touch on the touch screen to configure the automatic transmission to operate in the corresponding mode of operation, and the outline surrounds the icon which is selected, and wherein each of the plurality of icons is touched to configure the transmission to operate in a mode of operation and only the icon representing a current mode of operation is displayed on the touch screen when the on-screen gear selector is in the minimized position, and when the on-screen gear selector is in the minimized position, the displayed icon representing the current mode of operation is touched to configure the touch screen such that all of the plurality of icons are displayed on the touch screen; and wherein the on-screen gear selector is placed in the minimized position after a predetermined amount of driving time in the mode of operation represented by the displayed icon, allowing other functions to be displayed on the touch screen; and wherein the on-screen gear selector changes from the minimized position to pop-up mode when the speed of the vehicle is below a predetermined value. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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Specification