Adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument display
First Claim
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1. An adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument display method performed within a vehicle having an instrument panel display that displays digital representations of gauges, using widgets, in lieu of physical gauges, the method comprising:
- continuously sensing, using at least one sensor, for a change in gripping force exerted by a driver on a steering wheel of the vehicle by a driver operating the vehicle;
determining, using at least one processor in the vehicle, that the change in gripping force by the driver has occurred based upon a detecting of an increased grip force exerted on the at least one sensor within a window of time;
based upon a result of the determining, automatically modifying at least one of presence, position, size and/or location of at least one widget in the instrument panel display from a current set of widgets displayed within the instrument panel display to a set of widgets representing a set of sport gauges, wherein each of the widgets has associated with it an importance value, maintained in non-transitory storage, that establishes, relative to every other widget, a widget'"'"'s presence and position within the instrument panel display, wherein the change from the current set of widgets to the set of widgets representing the set of sport gauges is effected by modifying importance values of the current set of widgets and the set of widgets representing the sport gauges.
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Abstract
An adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument display method and system are described that continuously looks for a specified physical action of a driver operating the vehicle and, upon determining that the specified physical action of the driver has occurred, automatically effects a change to at least one widget in the instrument panel display of the vehicle.
35 Citations
16 Claims
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1. An adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument display method performed within a vehicle having an instrument panel display that displays digital representations of gauges, using widgets, in lieu of physical gauges, the method comprising:
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continuously sensing, using at least one sensor, for a change in gripping force exerted by a driver on a steering wheel of the vehicle by a driver operating the vehicle; determining, using at least one processor in the vehicle, that the change in gripping force by the driver has occurred based upon a detecting of an increased grip force exerted on the at least one sensor within a window of time; based upon a result of the determining, automatically modifying at least one of presence, position, size and/or location of at least one widget in the instrument panel display from a current set of widgets displayed within the instrument panel display to a set of widgets representing a set of sport gauges, wherein each of the widgets has associated with it an importance value, maintained in non-transitory storage, that establishes, relative to every other widget, a widget'"'"'s presence and position within the instrument panel display, wherein the change from the current set of widgets to the set of widgets representing the set of sport gauges is effected by modifying importance values of the current set of widgets and the set of widgets representing the sport gauges. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument display system comprising:
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multiple sensors placed within the vehicle; at least one processor within the vehicle; an instrument panel display within the vehicle and coupled to the at least one processor, the instrument panel display interoperating with the at least one processor to display widgets as digital representations of gauges within the instrument panel display, each of the widgets having associated therewith at least one importance value that is used to establish at least presence and placement of widgets within the instrument panel display, based upon their respective importance values relative to all other widgets'"'"' importance values, and effect a change in one or more of presence or placement within the instrument panel display based upon changes in any of the importance values; the multiple sensors interoperating with the at least one processor to detect a specified physical action of a driver operating the vehicle such that, when the specified physical action of the driver is detected, the processor will cause a change to automatically be made with respect to at least one importance value associated with at least one widget in the instrument panel display and, depending upon the at least one importance value relative to all other importance values associated with other widgets, automatically, and without further driver action, modify placement of the at least one widget relative to at least one other widget in the instrument panel display. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification