Vehicle user interface (UI) management

• US 10,698,507 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2017
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Miller, Ross Cameron, Conway, Matthew, Ewing, Jr., Richard Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Olson, Jason C
• Application Number:
  US15/828,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20180088693A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 345173
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/11 Instrument graphical user interfaces or menu aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/111 for controlling multiple devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1442 Emulation of input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/151 Instrument output devices for configurable output
• 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 35/20 Output arrangements, i.e. from vehicle to user, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/81 for controlling displays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/145 related to small screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/10 Automotive applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

According to one or more aspects, a system for vehicle user interface (UI) management includes an interface component, an operation component, a presentation logic, and a rendering component. The interface component may include a display portion located at a first position and an input portion located at a second position different than the first position. The input portion may receive one or more user inputs and include a touch sensitive portion, a first button, and a second button. The operation component may select one or more modes for a UI based on one or more of the user inputs. The presentation logic may generate one or more objects based on a selected mode and presence information associated with one or more of the user inputs. The rendering component may render one or more of the objects to form a composite image at the display portion.

Claims

1. A system for vehicle user interface (UI) management, comprising:

a touchpad receiving a user input;

a presentation logic generating a graphic element based on presence information indicative of whether a user is in contact with the touchpad;

an operation component selecting a mode of operation for the UI based on the presence information indicative of whether the user is in contact with the touchpad from among an ambient sub-mode and a user engaged sub-mode; and

a rendering component rendering the graphic element on a display based on the mode of operation,

wherein in the ambient sub-mode, the rendering component renders the graphic element as an object which cannot be selected,

wherein in the user engaged sub-mode, the rendering component renders the graphic element as a control object configured to be selected and control an active application,

wherein the presentation logic or the rendering component are implemented via a processing unit and a memory.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the rendering component renders the graphic element as a command object which is part of a composite image on the display.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the command object is a shortcut icon.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the touchpad comprises a touch sensitive portion, a first button, and a second button.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphic element is a background object.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operation component selects the mode of operation for the UI based on the user input.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the rendering component renders the graphic element on the display based on the mode of operation for the UI.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the rendering component renders the graphic element on the display based on an amount of time the user is in contact with the touchpad.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the rendering component ceases rendering the graphic element on the display when the user is not in contact with the touchpad.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the rendering component renders the graphic element on the display by fading in or fading out the graphic element.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein when the touchpad receives a multi-touch user input, the rendering component renders a different graphic element on the display when the user is in contact with the touchpad.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the presentation logic generates a subsequent frame for the graphic element by adjusting a color, an opacity, line weight, orientation, position, scale, stroke style, or a size of the graphic element.

13. A method for vehicle user interface (UI) management, comprising:

receiving a user input from a touchpad;

generating a graphic element based on presence information indicative of whether a user is in contact with the touchpad;

selecting a mode of operation for the UI based on the presence information indicative of whether the user is in contact with the touchpad from among an ambient sub-mode and a user engaged sub-mode; and

rendering the graphic element on a display based on the mode of operation;

wherein in the ambient sub-mode the graphic element is rendered as an object which cannot be selected,

wherein in the user engaged sub-mode the graphic element is rendered as a control object configured to be selected and control an active application.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising rendering the graphic element as a command object which is part of a composite image on the display.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the graphic element is a shortcut icon or a background object.

16. The method of claim 13, comprising selecting the mode of operation for the UI based on the user input.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising rendering the graphic element on the display based on the mode of operation for the UI.

18. The method of claim 13, comprising ceasing the rendering of the graphic element on the display when the user is not in contact with the touchpad.

19. The method of claim 13, comprising:

receiving a multi-touch user input; and

in response to receiving the multi-touch user input, rendering a different graphic element on the display when the user is in contact with the touchpad.

20. A system for vehicle user interface (UI) management, comprising:

a touchpad receiving a user input;

a presentation logic generating a graphic element based on presence information indicative of whether a user is in contact with the touchpad;

an operation component selecting a mode of operation for the UI based on the presence information indicative of whether the user is in contact with the touchpad from among an ambient sub-mode and a user engaged sub-mode; and

a rendering component rendering the graphic element as a command object or a background object on a display based on the mode of operation,

wherein in the ambient sub-mode, the rendering component renders the graphic element as an object which cannot be selected,

wherein in the user engaged sub-mode, the rendering component renders the graphic element as a control object configured to be selected and control an active application,

wherein the presentation logic or the rendering component are implemented via a processing unit and a memory.