Adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument display
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument display method performed by a processing system within a vehicle having an instrument panel display that displays digital representations of gauges, using widgets, in lieu of physical gauges, the method comprising:
- detecting, using at least one sensor associated with the vehicle instrument display, a location and view direction of a driver'"'"'s eyes;
continuously sensing, using the at least one sensor, for presence of an obstruction between the driver'"'"'s eyes and any widget displayed within the instrument panel display for greater than a specified time amount, wherein each of the widgets has an associated importance value that establishes a relative priority relationship among widgets that can be displayed within the instrument panel display;
when an obstruction is sensed, using the at least one sensor, between the driver'"'"'s eyes and a widget displayed within the instrument panel display, then, based upon a result of the sensing, using the at least one processor, examining an importance value associated with the widget relative to importance values associated with other widgets present in the instrument panel display; and
if the importance value associated with the widget indicates that the widget is more important than at least one unobstructed widget displayed within the instrument panel display, using the at least one processor, automatically moving the widget in the instrument panel display to a new unobstructed location.
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Abstract
An adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument display method and system are described that continuously looks for any obstruction between a driver and a widget displayed within the instrument panel display of the vehicle and, upon detection of an obstruction, will move the widget to a new, unobstructed, location.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. An adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument display method performed by a processing system 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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detecting, using at least one sensor associated with the vehicle instrument display, a location and view direction of a driver'"'"'s eyes; continuously sensing, using the at least one sensor, for presence of an obstruction between the driver'"'"'s eyes and any widget displayed within the instrument panel display for greater than a specified time amount, wherein each of the widgets has an associated importance value that establishes a relative priority relationship among widgets that can be displayed within the instrument panel display; when an obstruction is sensed, using the at least one sensor, between the driver'"'"'s eyes and a widget displayed within the instrument panel display, then, based upon a result of the sensing, using the at least one processor, examining an importance value associated with the widget relative to importance values associated with other widgets present in the instrument panel display; and if the importance value associated with the widget indicates that the widget is more important than at least one unobstructed widget displayed within the instrument panel display, using the at least one processor, automatically moving the widget in the instrument panel display to a new unobstructed location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An adaptive, automatically-reconfigurable, vehicle instrument display system located within a vehicle, the system comprising:
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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; multiple sensors within the vehicle, associated with the instrument panel display, and oriented in a direction towards a driver of the vehicle; the multiple sensors interoperating with the at least one processor to detect when any obstruction is interposed between at least one widget displayed in the instrument panel display and the driver'"'"'s eyes and determine, based upon the sensors and a position of the driver'"'"'s eyes, whether there is a location within the instrument panel display that is an unobstructed location such that the at least one widget can be moved to the unobstructed location within the instrument panel display and, if the at least one widget can be moved to the unobstructed location within the instrument panel display, the at least one processor will temporarily move the at least one widget to the unobstructed location within the instrument panel display. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification