User interface for a vehicle system

• US 9,626,198 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2011
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hess, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): HAWN, PATRICK D
• Application Number:
  US13/229,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20120065815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,048 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2, 701 36, 701418, 701487, 701538
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/11 Instrument graphical user interfaces or menu aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1442 Emulation of input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/589 Wireless data transfers
• 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 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/85 Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/00 Dashboards as road-vehicle superstructure sub-units B62D25/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A vehicle computing device and a method of providing a user interface to a vehicle system to control at least one function of the vehicle system are provided. The vehicle computing device communicates with a mobile client device over a wireless data connection. At the vehicle computing device, control instructions are provided. The control instructions comprise instructions for displaying at least one graphical control element at the client device to control the at least one function of the vehicle system. The vehicle computing device can be configured to transmit the control instructions to the client device over the wireless data connection.

Claims

1. A vehicle computing device adapted to provide a user interface to a vehicle system to control at least one function of the vehicle system, comprising:

a transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with a mobile client device over a wireless data connection;

a processing unit that communicates with the mobile client device via the transceiver, where the processing unit (i) receives from the client device via the wireless data connection a request to provide user interface data for controlling the vehicle system, (ii) transmits control instructions via the wireless data connection to the client device, the control instructions comprising instructions for displaying at least one graphical control element at the client device to control the at least one function of the vehicle system, wherein the control instructions are interpreted by a platform independent application running on the client device, (iii) receives input data from the client device comprising a detected user input corresponding to an actuation of the graphical control element detected by the client device, (iv) provides the user input to the vehicle system to enable control of the at least one function of the vehicle system by the client device, and (v) receives from the vehicle system information to be given out to the client device and includes in the control instructions to be transmitted to the client device control, instructions for displaying the received information at the client device; and

a web server operated by the processing unit, the control instructions defining contents of a web page provided by the web server,

where the request received from the client device comprises a request message from a web client operated on the client device to the web server, the processing unit being configured to include the control instructions in a response message to be transmitted from the web server to the web client of the client device,

where the control instructions comprise instructions in one of a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) format and a JAVA format, and

where the control instructions further comprise control instructions to assign at least one function of the vehicle system to a mechanical control element of the client device.

2. The vehicle computing device of claim 1, where the processing unit provides the control instructions such that the control instructions define a structured document.

3. The vehicle computing device of claim 1, where the data connection is a wireless local area network connection.

4. The vehicle computing device of claim 1, where the processing unit receives authorization data from the client device to transmit the control instructions to the client device only if the received authorization data corresponds to a predetermined authorization.

5. The vehicle computing device according to claim 1, where the processing unit receives authorization data from the client device and provides user specific settings for the vehicle system and user specific access to the vehicle system in accordance with a user profile identified by the authorization data.

6. The vehicle computing device of claim 1, where the vehicle system is at least partly implemented by an application running on the processing unit of the vehicle computing device.

7. The vehicle computing device of claim 1, where the vehicle system is selected from a group that includes a vehicle navigation system, a vehicle multimedia system, a vehicle communication system, a driver assistance system, a vehicle infotainment system, a vehicle information system, and a vehicle telemetry system.

8. The vehicle computing device of claim 1, where the processing unit receives from the vehicle system information to be given out to the user and includes in the control instructions to be transmitted to the client device control instructions for displaying the received information at the client device, without displaying the received information on a server side display.

9. A method of providing a user interface for a vehicle system for controlling at least one function of the vehicle system, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a vehicle computing device configured to communicate with a mobile client device over a wireless data connection;

providing in the vehicle computing device, control instructions comprising instructions for displaying at least one graphical control element at the client device to control the at least one function of the vehicle system;

configuring the control instructions such that they can be interpreted by a platform independent application operable on the client device; and

configuring the vehicle computing device such that the vehicle computing device transmits the control instructions via the wireless data connection to the client device in response to receiving a request for user interface data from the client device; and

further comprising the step of configuring the vehicle computing device so as to receive from the vehicle system information to be given out to the client device, the step of configuring the control instructions being performed such that the control instructions include control instructions for displaying the received information at the client device,

where the step of configuring the vehicle computing device further comprises the step of providing a web server on the vehicle computing device, where the request for user interface data includes a request message from a web client operated on the client device, where the control instructions are configured to be comprised in a response message from the web server to the web client of the client device, where the control instructions comprise instructions in one of a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) format and a JAVA format, and where the control instructions further comprise control instructions to assign at least one function of the vehicle system to a mechanical control element of the client device.

10. The method according to claim 9, where the step of configuring the control instructions is performed such that the control instructions define a structured document.

11. The method according to claim 9, where the step of configuring the control instructions is performed such that the control instructions define contents of a web page, the platform independent application being a web browser.

12. A method of operating a vehicle computing device for providing a user interface to a vehicle system to control at least one function of the vehicle system, the vehicle computing device being configured to communicate with a mobile client device over a wireless data connection, the method comprising:

receiving from the client device via the wireless data connection a request to provide user interface data for controlling the vehicle system;

transmitting control instructions via the wireless data connection to the client device, the control instructions comprising instructions for displaying at least one graphical control element at the client device for controlling the at least one function of the vehicle system, wherein the control instructions are interpreted by a platform independent application running on the client device;

receiving input data from the client device comprising a received user input corresponding to an actuation of the graphical control element detected by the client device; and

providing the received user input to the vehicle system, thereby enabling the control of the at least one function of the vehicle system by the client device,

receiving from the vehicle system information to be given out to the client device and included in the control instructions to be transmitted to the client device for displaying the received information at the client device,

where the step of configuring the vehicle computing device further comprises the step of providing a web server on the computing device, where the request for user interface data includes a request message from a web client operated on the client device, where the control instructions are configured to be comprised in a response message from the web server to the web client of the client device, where the control instructions comprise instructions in one of a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) format and a JAVA format, and where the control instructions further comprise control instructions to assign at least one function of the vehicle system to a mechanical control element of the client device.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the method further comprises performing the following steps at the client device:

receiving the control instructions transmitted by the vehicle computing device;

interpreting the control instructions via the platform independent application running on the client device to generate image data comprising the at least one graphical control element;

displaying the generated image data;

detecting the actuation of one of the displayed graphical control elements by a user as a user input; and

transmitting input data comprising the detected user input to the vehicle computing device.