Facilitating interaction with a vehicle touchscreen using haptic feedback

• US 10,817,063 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2019
• Issued: 10/27/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2019
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation (AB Volvo)
• Original Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation (AB Volvo)
• Inventors: Strandberg, Mats
• Primary Examiner(s): Bolotin, Dmitriy
• Application Number:
  US16/272,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20200257364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/11 Instrument graphical user interfaces or menu aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/113 Scrolling through menu items
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/115 Selection of menu items
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1438 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1442 Emulation of input devices
• 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 35/25 using haptic output
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/00 Dashboards as road-vehicle superstructure sub-units B62D25/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 : using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 : Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Techniques are described for interacting with a vehicle touchscreen. According to one or more embodiments, a system is provided comprising a processor that executes computer executable components stored in at least one memory, including a display control component that selects graphical touch controls to include in a graphical user interface (GUI) for rendering on the touchscreen based on activation of a haptic feedback mode for interfacing with the touchscreen, wherein the graphical touch controls correspond to controls for one or more applications or functions associated with the vehicle. The system further comprising a positioning component that determines a location of a finger on or over the touchscreen relative to the graphical touch controls as displayed on the touchscreen, and a haptic feedback component that causes a vibration unit of the vehicle to provide vibration feedback based on the location corresponding to a graphical touch control of the graphical touch controls.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates interfacing with a touchscreen of a vehicle, comprising:

a processor that executes computer executable components stored in at least one memory;

a display control component that selects one or more graphical touch controls to include in a graphical user interface (GUI) to render on the touchscreen based on activation of a haptic feedback mode that interfaces with the touchscreen, wherein the one or more graphical touch controls correspond to controls for one or more applications or functions associated with the vehicle;

a positioning component that determines a location of a finger on or over the touchscreen relative to the one or more graphical touch controls as displayed on the touchscreen; and

a haptic feedback component that causes a vibration unit of the vehicle to provide vibration feedback based on the location corresponding to a graphical touch control of the one or more graphical touch controls and the activation of the haptic feedback mode.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further provides a visual mode to interface with the vehicle touchscreen and wherein based on the activation of the haptic feedback mode, the display control component adapts a first configuration of the GUI as configured for display in accordance with the visual mode to a second configuration as configured for display in accordance with the haptic feedback mode, wherein the second configuration includes the one or more graphical touch controls.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the second configuration differs from the first configuration with respect to one or more elements of the GUI selected from a group consisting of:

an application or function of the vehicle represented by at least one graphical touch control of the one or more graphical controls, a number of the one or more graphical touch controls, a size of the one or more graphical touch controls, and an arrangement of the one or more graphical touch controls.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an activation component that activates the haptic feedback mode based on context of the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the context of the vehicle is based on one or more contextual factors selected from a group consisting of:

a mobility state of the vehicle, a driving mode of the vehicle, a location of the vehicle, a current level of traffic, a current weather condition, a location of the vehicle, and a route of the vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the display control component further selects the one or more graphical touch controls based on a preference of a driver of the vehicle regarding a preferred application or a preferred function of the vehicle for use in the haptic feedback mode.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a machine learning component that employs machine learning and artificial intelligence to learn the preference of the driver based on historical usage information regarding historical interaction with the touchscreen by the driver.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the display control component further determines a number of the one or more graphical touch controls to include in the GUI based on the activation of the haptic feedback mode.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the display control component further determines at least one of:

an arrangement of the one or more graphical touch controls, or a size of the one or more graphical touch controls, based on the activation of the haptic feedback mode.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the display control component further selects the one or more graphical touch controls based on a context of the vehicle in association with the activation of the haptic feedback mode.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the context of the vehicle is based on one or more contextual factors selected from a group consisting of:

a mobility state of the vehicle, a driving mode of the vehicle, a location of the vehicle, a current level of traffic, a current weather condition, a location of the vehicle, and a route of the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a machine learning component that employs machine learning and artificial intelligence to determine relevance of respective applications and functions of a plurality of applications and functions of the vehicle to the context of the vehicle, and wherein the display control component further selects the one or more graphical touch controls based on a determination that the one or more applications or functions are more relevant to the context relative to other applications or functions of the plurality of applications and functions.

13. A computer-implemented method that interfacing with a touchscreen of a vehicle, the method comprising employing a processor to execute computer executable components stored in at least one memory to perform the following acts:

selecting one or more graphical touch controls to include in a graphical user interface (GUI) to render on the touchscreen based on activation of a haptic feedback mode that interfaces with the touchscreen, wherein the one or more graphical touch controls correspond to controls for one or more applications or functions associated with the vehicle;

determining a location of a finger on or over the touchscreen relative to the one or more graphical touch controls as displayed on the touchscreen; and

directing a vibration unit located on or within the vehicle to generate vibration feedback based on the location corresponding to a graphical touch control of the one or more graphical touch controls and the activation of the haptic feedback mode.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

providing a visual mode for interfacing with the vehicle touchscreen in addition to the haptic feedback mode; and

based on the activation of the haptic feedback mode, adapting a first configuration of the GUI as configured for display in accordance with the visual mode to a second configuration as configured for display in accordance with the haptic feedback mode, wherein the second configuration includes the one or more graphical touch controls.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second configuration differs from the first configuration with respect to one or more elements of the GUI selected from a group consisting of:

an application or function of the vehicle represented by at least one graphical touch control of the one or more graphical controls, a number of the one or more graphical touch controls, a size of the one or more graphical touch controls, and an arrangement of the one or more graphical touch controls.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

activating the haptic feedback mode based on a context of the vehicle, wherein the context of the vehicle is based on one or more contextual factors selected from a group consisting of;

a mobility state of the vehicle, a driving mode of the vehicle, a location of the vehicle, a current level of traffic, a current weather condition, a location of the vehicle, and a route of the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the selecting further comprises selecting the one or more graphical touch controls based on a preference of a driver of the vehicle regarding a preferred application or a preferred function of the vehicle for use in the haptic feedback mode.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

employing machine learning and artificial intelligence to learn the preference of the driver based on historical usage information regarding historical interaction with the touchscreen by the driver.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

based on the activation of the haptic feedback mode, determining at least one of;

a number of the one or more graphical touch controls for including in the GUI, an arrangement of the one or more graphical touch controls, or a size of the one or more graphical touch controls.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the selecting further comprises selecting the one or more graphical touch controls based on a context of the vehicle in association with the activation of the haptic feedback mode.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the context of the vehicle is based on one or more contextual factors selected from a group consisting of:

a mobility state of the vehicle, a driving mode of the vehicle, a location of the vehicle, a current level of traffic, a current weather condition, a location of the vehicle, and a route of the vehicle.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

employing machine learning and artificial intelligence to determine relevance of respective applications and functions of a plurality of applications and functions of the vehicle to the context of the vehicle, and wherein selecting further comprises selecting the one or more graphical touch controls based on a determination that the one or more applications or functions are more relevant to the context relative to other applications or functions of the plurality of applications and functions.

23. A computer program product that facilitates interfacing with a touchscreen of a vehicle, the computer program product comprising readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to:

select one or more graphical touch controls to include in a graphical user interface (GUI) to render on the touchscreen based on activation of a haptic feedback mode that interfaces with the touchscreen, wherein the one or more graphical touch controls correspond to controls for one or more applications or functions associated with the vehicle;

determine a location of a finger on or over the touchscreen relative to the one or more graphical touch controls as displayed on the touchscreen; and

cause a vibration unit located on or within the vehicle to generate vibration feedback based on the location corresponding to a graphical touch control of the one or more graphical touch controls and the activation of the haptic feedback mode.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the program instructions further cause the processor to:

employ machine learning and artificial intelligence to determine relevance of respective applications and functions of a plurality of applications and functions of the vehicle to a context of the vehicle in association with the haptic feedback mode; and

further select the one or more graphical touch controls based on a determination that the one or more applications or functions are more relevant to the context relative to other applications or functions of the plurality of applications and functions.