Morphing vehicle user interface

• US 9,079,498 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2010
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tesla Motors Incorporated (Tesla Inc.)
• Inventors: Small, Evan, Johnston, Vincent George
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Bao Long T
• Application Number:
  US12/725,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20110082627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,854 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/143 Touch sensitive instrument input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1438 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/143 Touch sensitive input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/1438 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: 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 a vehicle user interface is provided, the user interface utilizing a touch-screen display mounted within the vehicle. In one aspect, the visual or visual/interactive properties of the interface change after the user initiates interface interaction. In another aspect, the interface allows a user to utilize any of a variety of different control interaction techniques, all to achieve the same function.

Claims

1. A method of operating a vehicle user interface, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a touch-screen display mounted within a vehicle;

displaying a vehicle subsystem interface on said touch-screen display; and

displaying a plurality of touch-screen function controllers on said vehicle subsystem interface, wherein each of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers corresponds to at least one of a plurality of vehicle subsystem functions, and wherein each of at least a portion of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers accept each of a plurality of different control interaction techniques to perform the same vehicle subsystem function, wherein said plurality of different control interaction techniques include at least a tapping control interaction technique and a touch-and-slide control interaction technique, wherein the same vehicle subsystem function performed by the plurality of different control interaction techniques has a value, wherein the tapping control interaction technique comprises increasing or decreasing the value depending on where a tap is made on the touch-screen display, and wherein the touch-and-slide control interaction technique comprises increasing or decreasing the value depending on a direction of a sliding motion made on the touch-screen display;

wherein at least one of the portion of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers is configured so that an active input region expands during interaction whereas an appearance of the touch-screen display remains unchanged, such that for a preset period of time after a user touches the touch-screen function controller a larger region of the touch-screen display becomes the active input region although the appearance of the touch-screen display remains unchanged.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

accepting a touch of a user via one of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers, wherein said one of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers corresponds to a single vehicle function of a single vehicle subsystem; and

enlarging said one of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers from a first size to a second size in response to said touch.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

accepting a touch of a user via one of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers, wherein said one of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers corresponds to a single vehicle function of a single vehicle subsystem; and

eliminating a subset of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers from said vehicle subsystem interface, wherein said subset of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers eliminated from said vehicle subsystem interface do not control said single vehicle function.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

accepting a touch of a user via one of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers, wherein said one of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers corresponds to a single vehicle function of a single vehicle subsystem; and

adding a second plurality of touch-screen function controllers to said vehicle subsystem interface in response to said touch, wherein each of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers provides control over said single vehicle function.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of accepting a touch input of a user via one of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers, wherein said one of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers corresponds to a single vehicle function of a single vehicle subsystem, wherein if said touch input utilizes said touch-and-slide control interaction technique said method further comprises the step of varying control speed over said single vehicle function in response to an input speed corresponding to a sliding motion of said touch input.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

accepting a touch of a user via one of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers, wherein said user utilizes one of said plurality of different control interaction techniques, and wherein said one of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers corresponds to a single vehicle function of a single vehicle subsystem;

identifying a specific control interaction technique of said plurality of different control interaction techniques that corresponds to said touch of said user; and

modifying at least a subset of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers to emphasize said specific control interaction technique.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

accepting a touch of a user via one of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers, wherein said user utilizes one of said plurality of different control interaction techniques, and wherein said one of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers corresponds to a single vehicle function of a single vehicle subsystem;

identifying a specific control interaction technique of said plurality of different control interaction techniques that corresponds to said touch of said user; and

adding a second plurality of touch-screen function controllers to said vehicle subsystem interface, wherein each of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers provides control over said single vehicle subsystem, and wherein each of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers utilizes said specific control interaction technique.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said specific control interaction technique is said tapping control interaction technique, and wherein at least a portion of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers utilize said tapping control interaction technique.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said specific control interaction technique is said tapping control interaction technique, and wherein all of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers utilize said tapping control interaction technique.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said specific control interaction technique is said touch-and-slide control interaction technique, and wherein at least a portion of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers utilize said touch-and-slide control interaction technique.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein said specific control interaction technique is said touch-and-slide control interaction technique, and wherein all of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers utilize said touch-and-slide control interaction technique.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of different control interaction techniques further includes a touch-and-hold control interaction technique, and wherein said method further comprises the steps of:

accepting a touch of a user via one of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers, wherein said user utilizes said touch-and-hold control interaction technique, and wherein said one of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers corresponds to a single vehicle function of a single vehicle subsystem;

adding a second plurality of touch-screen function controllers to said vehicle subsystem interface, wherein each of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers provides control over said single vehicle subsystem, and wherein at least a portion of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers utilize said touch-and-hold control interaction technique.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of different control interaction techniques further includes a touch-and-hold control interaction technique, and wherein said method further comprises the steps of:

accepting a touch of a user via one of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers, wherein said user utilizes said touch-and-hold control interaction technique, and wherein said one of said plurality of touch-screen function controllers corresponds to a single vehicle function of a single vehicle subsystem;

adding a second plurality of touch-screen function controllers to said vehicle subsystem interface, wherein each of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers provides control over said single vehicle subsystem, and wherein all of said second plurality of touch-screen function controllers utilize said touch-and-hold control interaction technique.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said vehicle subsystem interface is selected from the group consisting of climate control subsystem interfaces and audio subsystem interfaces.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of different control interaction techniques further includes a touch-and-hold control interaction technique.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the same vehicle subsystem function performed by the plurality of different control interaction techniques comprises a temperature control.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein within the preset period of time after the user touches the touch-screen function controller:

an additional touch anyplace within an upper half of the touch-screen display causes the value to increase, and an additional touch anyplace within a lower half of the touch-screen display causes the value to decrease.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein within the preset period of time after the user touches the touch-screen function controller:

a rightward motion sliding input anywhere on the touch-screen display causes the value to decrease, and a leftward motion sliding input anywhere on the touch-screen display causes the value to increase.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein within the preset period of time after the user touches the touch-screen function controller:

the interaction with the touch-screen function controller continues for as long as the user'"'"'s finger remains in contact with the touch-screen display, regardless of whether the finger remains in contact with the displayed touch-screen function controller.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the interaction comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

an upward motion sliding input causes the value to increase;

a rightward motion sliding input causes the value to increase;

a downward motion sliding input causes the value to decrease; and

a leftward motion sliding input causes the value to decrease.