Method for operating a control system for a vehicle and control system for a vehicle

• US 9,041,674 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2013
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Wller, Christoph
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khoo, Stacy
• Application Number:
  US13/887,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20130253673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 178 1801- 1901, 700/83
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/143 Touch sensitive instrument input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1438 Touch screens
• 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: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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

Abstract

A method for operating an operator control system having a graphical display unit and a touch-sensitive interface, wherein coordinates from information presented on the display unit are associated with coordinates of the touch-sensitive interface. Also disclosed is an operator control system for a vehicle having a graphical display unit that presents a piece of information for a user; a touch-sensitive interface that detects a touch by the user; and a control unit coupled to the display unit and the touch-sensitive interface, the control unit controlling presentation of at least one operator control panel on the display unit.

Claims

1. A method for operating an operator control system for a vehicle, wherein the operator control system comprises a graphical display unit and a touch-sensitive interface, wherein coordinates from information presented on the display unit are associated with coordinates of the touch-sensitive interface, the method comprising:

presenting a plurality of operator control panels on the display unit, wherein the plurality of operator control panels are provided for a user to touch to operate operator control functions;

detecting of a touch on the touch-sensitive interface by the user;

determining whether any of the plurality of operator control panels has been hit during the touch based on comparison of coordinates of the touch with coordinates of the plurality of operator control panels;

recognizing the touch as a mishit based on a determination that the touch-sensitive interface has been touched outside coordinates of the plurality of operator control panels;

determining distances between the coordinates of the touch and each of the plurality of operator control panels;

identifying the operator control panel having a shortest distance to the coordinates of the touch;

selecting for enlargement the operator control panel having the shortest distance;

and

enlarging presentation of the selected operator control panel if a mishit is determined, wherein the enlargement produces an enlarged presentation of only the selected operator control panel from among the plurality of operator control panels, and

wherein only the selected operator control panel is enlarged and the enlarged presentation of that operator control panel is enlarged such that the enlarged presentation comprises the coordinates of the touch previously determined to be the mishit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein enlargement of the selected operator control panel for the enlarged presentation is performed based on a distance between the coordinates of the selected operator control panel and the coordinates of the detected touch.

3. An operator control system for a vehicle, the control system comprising:

a graphical display unit that presents a piece of information for a user;

a touch-sensitive interface that detects a touch by the user, wherein coordinates from information presented on the display unit are associated with coordinates of the touch-sensitive interface; and

a control unit coupled to the display unit and the touch-sensitive interface, the control unit controlling presentation of a plurality of operator control panels on the display unit, wherein the plurality of operator control panels are provided for the user to touch to operate control functions,

wherein the control unit controls operation of the touch-sensitive interface to detect a touch on the touch-sensitive interface by the user,

wherein the control unit determines whether any of the plurality of operator control panels has been hit during the touch by comparing coordinates of the touch with coordinates of the plurality of operator control panels,

wherein the control unit recognizes the touch as a mishit based on a determination that the touch-sensitive interface has been touched outside coordinates of the plurality of operator control panels,

wherein the control unit determines distances between the coordinates of the touch and each of the plurality of operator control panels;

wherein the control unit identifies the operator control panel having a shortest distance to the coordinates of the touch;

wherein the control unit selects for enlargement the operator control panel having the shortest distance;

wherein the control unit further controls presentation of the selected operator control panel in enlarged form on the display unit if a mishit is determined, and

wherein the selected operator control panel is one of a plurality of operator control panels and wherein enlargement produces an enlarged presentation of only the selected operator control panel from the plurality of operator control panels, and

wherein only the selected operator control panel is enlarged and the enlarged presentation of that operator control panel is enlarged such that the enlarged presentation comprises the coordinates of the touch previously determined to be the mishit.

4. The operator control system of claim 3, wherein enlargement decreases as the distance between the coordinates of the selected operator control panel and the coordinates of the detected touch increases.

5. The operator control system of claim 3, wherein enlargement of the presentation of the selected operator control panel is also based on a state of the operator control system, wherein the state of the operator control system is altered based on input from the user.

6. The operator control system of claim 3, wherein the operator control system determines which operator control panels are operated more frequently and presents at least one operator control panel of those more frequently operated control panels in enlarged form.