Method and device for providing a user interface in a vehicle

• US 9,475,390 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2010
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Wehling, Ulrike, Fabian, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Awad, Amr
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOW, WING H
• Application Number:
  US13/383,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20120274549A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,302 Days
• Field of Search: 345 7- 9, 345173-178, 715/860, 715/863
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03032 Manufacturing of fuel tanks
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/11 Instrument graphical user interfaces or menu aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/141 Activation of instrument input devices by approaching fingers or pens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/143 Touch sensitive instrument input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1526 Dual-view displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/20 Optical features of instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/21 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/33 Illumination features
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/333 Lasers
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/55 Remote control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/785 on or in relation to the windshield or windows
• 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 35/22 Display screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/654 the user being the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/656 the user being a passenger
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883

Abstract

In a method for providing a user interface in a vehicle, control objects and/or display objects can be displayed on a display surface (1) arranged in the vehicle, a gesture in a detection space (12) arranged in front of the display surface (1) is detected, the detected gesture is associated with a control object and/or display object and a control command, and the control command is carried out.

Claims

1. A method for providing a user interface in a vehicle, the method comprising:

simultaneously displaying a driver side display view and a passenger side display view on a same display surface arranged in the vehicle, wherein the driver side display view is visible to a driver but shielded from a passenger by an optical barrier, and the passenger side display view is visible to the passenger but shielded from the driver by the optical barrier, and wherein the driver side display view and the passenger side display view include different display contents, such that different information is simultaneously displayed to the driver and the passenger, the display contents comprising at least one of operating objects and display objects;

detecting an object-related gesture in a detection space located in front of the display surface without using a contact sensor, the detected object-related gesture being related to at least one of an operating object and a display object, and

identifying and executing a control command corresponding to the detected object-related gesture,

detecting a view-sharing gesture in the detection space without using a contact sensor,

detecting whether the driver or the passenger carries out the view-sharing gesture,

identifying and executing a view-sharing command corresponding to the detected view-sharing gesture, wherein executing the view-sharing command comprises (a) when the view-sharing gesture is carried out by the passenger and comprises a horizontal movement in the direction of the passenger side, causing the current display contents of the driver side display view to also be displayed in the passenger side display view, such that the current display contents in the passenger side display view are replaced by the current display contents in the driver side display view, and (b) when the view-sharing gesture is carried out by the driver and comprises a horizontal movement in the direction of the driver side, causing the current display contents of the passenger side display view to also be displayed in the driver side display view, such that the current display contents in the driver side display view are replaced by the current display contents in the passenger side display view.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of the object-related gesture and the view-sharing gesture comprises a movement carried out by the hand of a user.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the operating object comprises a motion element controllable by the object-related gesture and the movement carried out during the object-related gesture moves the motion element on the display surface.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein an object-related gesture comprising a horizontal movement is assigned to the control command, which causes showing an animated display object for explaining vehicle functions in at least one of an optical and acoustic manner.

5. The method according to claim 4, comprising detecting whether the object-related gesture is performed by a driver or a passenger, and displaying an animated display in response to a waving closer gesture removing the animated display in response to a waving away gesture.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein a part of a listing is displayed on the display surface and wherein the method comprises detecting a scrolling gesture and scrolling the displayed listing in response to detecting the scrolling gesture.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein an operating object for adjusting the loudness of an acoustic output is displayed and a control command that causes the loudness to be increased is assigned to a gesture comprising a movement in a defined direction and a control command that causes the loudness to be decreased is assigned to a gesture comprising a movement in the opposite direction.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein an operating object for muting of an acoustic output is displayed and a control command that causes a muting is assigned to a gesture comprising a movement in a defined direction and a control command that neutralizes the muting is assigned to a gesture comprising a movement in the opposite direction.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein an operating object for signaling an incoming telephone call is displayed and a control command that causes the telephone call to be accepted is assigned to a gesture in which a movement is carried out that corresponds to taking off a handset.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the steps of detecting a view-sharing gesture in the detection space and identifying and executing a view-sharing command comprise:

identifying a driver side view-sharing gesture comprising a horizontal movement in the direction of the passenger and, in response to the detected driver side view-sharing gesture, replacing the current display contents in the passenger side display view with the current display contents in the driver side display view, or

identifying a passenger side view-sharing gesture comprising a horizontal movement in the direction of the driver and, in response to the detected passenger side view-sharing gesture, replacing the current display contents in the driver side display view with the current display contents in the passenger side display view.

11. A device for providing a user interface in a vehicle, comprising:

a display surface configured to simultaneously display a driver side display view and a passenger side display view, wherein the driver side display view is visible to a driver but shielded from a passenger by an optical barrier, and the passenger side display view is visible to the passenger but shielded from the driver by the optical barrier, and wherein the driver side display view and the passenger side display view include different display contents, such that different information is simultaneously displayed to the driver and the passenger, the display contents comprising at least one of operating objects and display objects, wherein the display surface is arranged in the vehicle,

a gesture detection device configured to detect object-related gestures in a detection space that is arranged in front of the display surface without using a contact sensor, each object-related gesture being related to at least one of an operating object and a display object,

an analysis apparatus configured to identify a control command corresponding to each detected object-related gesture, and

a control device configured to execute each control command corresponding to each detected object-related gesture,

the gesture detection device further configured to detect a view-sharing gesture in the detection space and to detect whether the driver or the passenger has carried out the view-sharing gesture,

the analysis apparatus further configured to identify a view-sharing command corresponding to the detected view-sharing gesture, and

the control device further configured to execute the identified view-sharing command, wherein executing the view-sharing command comprises (a) when the view-sharing gesture is carried out by the passenger and comprises a horizontal movement in the direction of the passenger side, causing the current display contents of the driver side display view to also be displayed in the passenger side display view, such that the current display contents in the passenger side display view are replaced by the current display contents in the driver side display view, and (b) when the view-sharing gesture is carried out by the driver and comprises a horizontal movement in the direction of the driver side, causing the current display contents of the passenger side display view to also be displayed in the driver side display view, such that the current display contents in the driver side display view are replaced by the current display contents in the passenger side display view.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein each of the object-related gesture and the view-sharing gesture comprises a movement carried out by the hand of a user.

13. The device according to claim 11, wherein the operating object comprises a motion element controllable by an object-related gesture and the movement carried out during the object-related gesture moves the motion element on the display surface.

14. The device according to claim 11, wherein an object-related gesture comprising a horizontal movement is assigned to the control command, which causes showing an animated display object for explaining vehicle functions in at least one of an optical and acoustic manner.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the device is further configured to detect whether the object-related gesture is performed by a driver or a passenger, and displaying an animated display in response to a waving closer gesture removing the animated display in response to a waving away.

16. The device according to claim 11, wherein the device is further configured to display a part of a listing is displayed on the display surface and wherein the method comprises detecting a scrolling gesture and scrolling the displayed listing in response to detecting the scrolling gesture.

17. The device according to claim 11, wherein the device is further configured to display an operating object for adjusting the loudness of an acoustic output and a control command that causes the loudness to be increased is assigned to a gesture comprising a movement in a defined direction and a control command that causes the loudness to be decreased is assigned to a gesture comprising a movement in the opposite direction.

18. The device according to claim 11, wherein the device is further configured to display an operating object for muting of an acoustic output and a control command that causes a muting is assigned to a gesture comprising a movement in a defined direction and a control command that neutralizes the muting is assigned to a gesture comprising a movement in the opposite direction.

19. The device according to claim 11, wherein the analysis apparatus and control device are configured to identify and execute a view-sharing command corresponding to the detected view-sharing gesture by:

identifying a driver side view-sharing gesture comprising a horizontal movement in the direction of the passenger and, in response to the detected driver side view-sharing gesture, replacing the current display contents in the passenger side display view with the current display contents in the driver side display view, or

identifying a passenger side view-sharing gesture comprising a horizontal movement in the direction of the driver and, in response to the detected passenger side view-sharing gesture, replacing the current display contents in the driver side display view with the current display contents in the passenger side display view.