CN115973056A

CN115973056A - Method for controlling vehicle, electronic device and vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN115973056A
Application number: CN202111205860.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李亚双
Original assignee: Shanghai Jusheng Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shanghai Jusheng Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-10-15
Filing date: 2021-10-15
Publication date: 2023-04-18
Also published as: WO2023060960A1

Abstract

A method for controlling a vehicle, an electronic device and a vehicle. The embodiment of the disclosure provides a method for controlling a vehicle, an electronic device and the vehicle. The method includes presenting information related to operation of the vehicle on a display device of the vehicle; acquiring an operation signal generated by operating a ball-like operation component positioned at a steering wheel of the vehicle; determining one of a plurality of options related to the operation of the vehicle involved in the presented information from the acquired operation signal; and controlling operation of the vehicle and/or updating information presented by a display device of the vehicle in accordance with the determined option. In this way, the user of the vehicle can complete the operation related to the operation of the vehicle without taking hands off the steering wheel, and the safety and convenience of operating the vehicle are improved.

Description

Method for controlling vehicle, electronic device and vehicle

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of vehicles, and more particularly, to a method for controlling a vehicle, an electronic device, and a vehicle.

Background

With the vigorous development of the automobile industry, people increasingly adopt automobiles as transportation means for traveling, so that the convenience of traveling is improved. More and more automobiles are equipped with a display device (i.e., a center screen or in-car screen) at a center console location to provide a richer user experience. The display device typically manipulates and adjusts the content displayed therein by touching and/or buttons disposed beside the display device. This results in a safety hazard in that the user's hands must be removed from the steering wheel to operate the content in the display device.

In order to improve safety, some automobiles are equipped with buttons on the steering wheel. However, these buttons provided on the steering wheel can control at most only part of the functions of the vehicle operation and display device. The user needs to operate some functions which cannot be operated by using the buttons, and the user needs to leave the steering wheel by hand, so that safety hazards exist.

In addition, more and more users are traveling around on a net. The users of online taxi appointment processing are usually completed by means of mobile phones. When a user needs to operate a car rental order, the user needs to leave the steering wheel by hand to operate the mobile phone, so that potential safety hazards are brought.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and electronic device for controlling a vehicle to at least partially solve the above problems, and other potential problems, of the prior art.

In one aspect of the disclosure, a method for controlling a vehicle is provided. The method includes presenting information related to operation of the vehicle on a display device of the vehicle; acquiring an operation signal generated by operating a ball-like operation component positioned at a steering wheel of the vehicle; determining one of a plurality of options related to the operation of the vehicle involved in the presented information from the acquired operation signal; and controlling operation of the vehicle and/or updating information presented by a display device of the vehicle in accordance with the determined option.

In some embodiments, the ball-like operating assembly includes at least one ball-like operating member.

In some embodiments, the ball-like operating assembly further comprises at least one key-like operating member.

In some embodiments, the operation of the ball-like operating assembly comprises at least one of: dial-up, dial-down, dial-left, dial-right, short press, long press, or double click.

In some embodiments, the plurality of options includes an option presented on the display device and a hidden option.

In some embodiments, controlling operation of the vehicle includes at least one of: adjusting a volume of a speaker of the vehicle, switching played audio content, activating voice control, controlling an air conditioner of the vehicle, controlling a lift and a heating of a window of the vehicle, adjusting a seat and a rearview mirror of the vehicle, adjusting a force of the steering wheel, controlling interior and exterior lighting of the vehicle, processing a phone call, or processing a rental car order.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises obtaining order information related to the rental car order from the external device; and presenting the order information on a display device of the vehicle, the order information comprising a plurality of options available for selection; acquiring an operation signal generated by an operation of the ball-like operation member; determining a selected option of the plurality of options according to the acquired operation signal; and processing the rental order according to the selected option.

In some embodiments, processing the rental order includes sending information related to the selected option to the external device.

In a second aspect of the disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device comprises at least one processing unit, and at least one memory coupled to the at least one processing unit and adapted to store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processing unit, cause the at least one processing unit to: presenting information related to operation of the vehicle on a display device of the vehicle; acquiring an operation signal generated by operating a ball-like operation component positioned at a steering wheel of the vehicle; determining one of a plurality of options related to the operation of the vehicle involved in the presented information from the acquired operation signal; and controlling operation of the vehicle and updating information presented by a display device of the vehicle in accordance with the determined option.

In some embodiments, the operation of the ball-like operating assembly comprises at least one of: dial-up, dial-down, dial-left, dial-right, short press, long press, or double click press.

In some embodiments, the at least one processing unit is further configured to obtain order information related to the rental car order from the external device; and presenting the order information on a display device of the vehicle, the order information comprising a plurality of options available for selection; acquiring an operation signal generated by an operation of the ball-like operation member; determining a selected option of the plurality of options according to the acquired operation signal; and processing the rental order according to the selected option.

In some embodiments, the at least one processing unit is further configured to send information related to the selected option to the external device.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle is also provided. The vehicle comprises a ball-like operating assembly arranged at a steering wheel of the vehicle; a display device arranged to facilitate viewing by a user of the vehicle; and an electronic device according to the second aspect hereinbefore.

According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer readable medium has stored thereon computer readable instructions which, when executed by a processing unit, cause the processing unit to perform the method of the first aspect as described above.

It should be understood that this summary is not intended to identify key or critical features of the embodiments of the disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description.

Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent by describing in greater detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings, in which like reference numerals generally represent like parts in exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a schematic view of a cockpit of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of a ball-like operating member according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of controlling operation of a vehicle via a ball-like operating assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 shows a flow chart of a method for controlling a vehicle according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

fig. 5 shows a screen displayed by the display device of the vehicle according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate schematic diagrams of updating a screen presented by a display device by controlling a ball-like operating assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates a song-playing related interface displayed by a display device of a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 9 illustrates a contact list-related interface displayed by a display device of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 10 to 13 illustrate a rental-order-related interface displayed by a display device of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 14 shows a schematic block diagram of an electronic device that may be used to implement embodiments of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to various exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings. It should be understood that these examples are described merely to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and further implement the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. It should be noted that where feasible, similar or identical reference numerals may be used in the figures and that similar or identical reference numerals may indicate similar or identical functions. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the present disclosure described herein.

The conventional display device of the automobile usually requires the user to leave the steering wheel for operation, which has a risk of accidents during driving, and affects the safety of vehicles and personnel. Although some content of the display device is controlled or adjusted by arranging the operation buttons on the steering wheel of some automobiles, the operation buttons have single functions, for example, only media playing, bluetooth phone or voice control and other functions can be performed through the buttons on the steering wheel, and for other functions than the functions, the user still needs to leave the steering wheel by hand to complete the operation. Thus, this arrangement does not completely eliminate the safety hazard.

In addition, current online car booking users typically use cell phones to process car rental orders. For example, when the user is ready to exit the car, the corresponding "exit" button is clicked on the cell phone. When the user receives the passenger, the user clicks a 'receive passenger' button on the mobile phone to start charging. After the user has transported the passenger to the destination, the phone can click the "arrive at destination" button accordingly to complete the billing. In addition, when the user is ready to settle an order, the "initiate receipt" button or the like needs to be clicked on the mobile phone.

Handling the order by the handset necessarily requires the user's hands to be off the steering wheel, which presents a safety risk as in the case of operating a display device. In addition, most of the user's operations are performed in the driving diagram, which further increases the possibility of safety accidents.

To address or at least partially address the above and other potential problems in the prior art, a vehicle 100 and a method for controlling the vehicle 100 are provided according to embodiments of the present disclosure to improve the safety of driving the vehicle 100. In addition, when the vehicle 100 is used as a net appointment vehicle, a user (i.e., a net appointment driver) does not need to process an order through a mobile phone any more, and all operations with a taxi order can be completed only by controlling the display device 102 through the ball-like operation member 101 at the steering wheel, so that the user can operate the taxi order and all functions and operations related to the display device 102 without leaving the steering wheel, thereby improving the safety of driving the vehicle 100.

A vehicle 100 and a method of controlling the vehicle 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows a partially simplified schematic view of a cockpit of a vehicle 100. As shown in fig. 1, components related to the improvement of a vehicle 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure mainly include a ball-like operating assembly 101 disposed on a steering wheel, a display device 102, and at least one processing unit (not shown), among other necessary components. The processing unit may be part of the electronics of the vehicle 100. In addition to the processing unit, the electronics of the vehicle 100 may also include at least one memory.

The ball-like operating assembly 101 in some embodiments primarily includes at least one ball-like operating member 1011. The ball-like operation member 1011 refers to an operation member capable of performing at least four-way flicking (or four-way sliding) and downward pressing operations and generating corresponding signals or performing similar functions. The four-way dialing can generate different operation signals respectively by dialing up, dialing down, dialing left and dialing right. Fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary ball-like operating mechanism. As shown in fig. 2, in some embodiments, the ball-like operating member 1011 may have a ball-like member and a rocker or the like disposed on the ball-like member. The ball-like component is deflected by applying forces in different directions to the rocker so as to switch on the corresponding circuit or trigger the corresponding sensor to generate the corresponding operating signal. It should be understood that the ball-type operating mechanism of the type illustrated in FIG. 2 is illustrative only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Any other suitable component or mechanism capable of performing the above-described actions and generating a corresponding operation signal may be included in the ball-like type operation mechanism in the embodiments of the present disclosure. The ball-like type operating member 1011 may not have a spherical appearance or structure as long as the above-described function can be achieved.

For example, in some embodiments, the ball-like operating component 1011 may be a touch sensitive component. The touch sensitive component is a component on which a finger can slide, and the component can not generate deflection in the process of sliding the finger, but generates different operation signals according to different movement directions of the finger. The ball-like component of such a touch sensitive component may be a touch pad or the like.

In some embodiments, the ball-like operating element 1011 may also be a four-way button. Different keys in the four-way keys are respectively pressed to realize the effect of four-way toggle. For example, pressing a left key corresponds to a toggle left effect, i.e., a corresponding operation signal is generated. By analogy, the four-way button can also realize the effect of four-way stirring. In addition, the center of the four-way key can also be pressed to realize a downward pressing operation. That is, the ball-like operating mechanism mentioned in the embodiments of the present disclosure is only capable of performing at least four-way toggle (or four-way sliding) and press-down operations and generating corresponding signals.

The inventive concept of the present disclosure will be described below mainly by taking the ball-like type operating mechanism shown in fig. 2 as an example, it should be understood that other cases are similar and will not be described in detail below.

On conventional automobiles, such an operating member with a four-way toggle is generally capable of adjusting the mirror angle. However, such a four-way toggle operating mechanism in a conventional automobile is typically only used to adjust the angle of the rear view mirror and is not capable of adjusting or controlling the function and operation of the vehicle 100 via the display device 102.

As mentioned in the foregoing, the ball-like operation member 1011 of the present disclosure can output different operation signals by four-way dialing, and at the same time, can be pressed to output corresponding operation signals. The press may include a short press, a long press, a double tap press, or a multi tap press. The ball-like operating mechanism can output different operating signals through different pressing modes. The processing unit can implement different functions via the display device 102 according to different operation signals generated by dialing and pressing.

In some embodiments, the ball-like operating member 1011 is also capable of eight-way dialing. The eight-direction dialing can be performed towards four directions of left-up, right-up, left-down and right-down in addition to the four directions mentioned above, and corresponding operation signals are generated. Of course, the inventive concept of the present disclosure is mainly described by the ball-like type component capable of four-way toggling or sliding, which is similar to other cases and will not be described in detail below.

In addition, the ball-like operation member 101 may also include a plurality of (e.g., two) ball-like operation members 1011. The two ball-like type operating members 1011 may be located at positions of the steering wheel close to the left and right hand operations, respectively, so as to facilitate the user's operation without leaving the steering wheel, as shown in fig. 1. By using at least one ball-like operating member 1011, the user can control and adjust the display device 102 more conveniently without leaving the steering wheel, so that the operation of the vehicle 100 can be adjusted by the display device 102 in a more intuitive manner, the user can perform various operations on the vehicle 100 via the display device 102 without leaving the steering wheel, and safety and user experience are improved.

In the case where there are two ball-like operation members 1011, different functions can be realized by operating the two ball-like operation members 1011, respectively. For example, by long-pressing the ball-like operation member 1011 on the left side, information on whether or not to "leave" a rental car can be displayed on the display device 102. By pressing the right dome-like operation member 1011 with a long press, information related to media playback, a call voice control function, and the like can be displayed on the display device 102. Hereinafter, the inventive concept of the present disclosure will be described mainly by taking the control of one of the ball-like type operation parts 1011 as an example, it should be understood that the case of two ball-like type operation parts 1011 is also similar, and will not be described separately below.

In some embodiments, to further facilitate adjustment of the operation of the vehicle 100 via the display device 102, the ball-like operating assembly 101 may further include at least one key-like operating member 1012, as shown in fig. 1. The key-like operation unit 1012 is a unit capable of generating different operation signals by pressing operation. The pressing operation similar to that of the ball-like operation member 1011 mentioned above may include, but is not limited to: short press, long press, double tap press, and multi tap press. These different operations are all capable of generating corresponding operation signals. The processing unit is capable of controlling the operation of the vehicle 100 through the display device 102 according to these operation signals, as shown in fig. 3.

The operation of the vehicle 100 may include, but is not limited to, at least one of: adjusting the volume of the speakers of the vehicle 100, switching the audio content played, activating voice control, controlling the air conditioning of the vehicle 100, raising and lowering the windows of the vehicle 100, adjusting the seats of the vehicle 100, adjusting the intensity of the steering wheel, controlling the interior and exterior lighting of the vehicle 100, processing a phone call or processing a rental car order, and the like. Controlling the air conditioner of the vehicle 100 may include controlling the temperature, the wind speed, and the inner or outer circulation of the air conditioner.

For example, in some embodiments, adjusting the seat of the vehicle 100 may include adjusting the angle, height, fore-aft position, seat heating, or seat ventilation of the seat. Adjusting the rearview mirror includes adjusting the angle of the rearview mirror and/or anti-glare functions. Adjusting the steering wheel strength may include adjusting the strength of the user when operating the steering wheel to turn. Adjusting interior lighting of the vehicle 100 may include adjusting the orientation, brightness, or color of an ambience light, etc., of a reading light inside the vehicle 100. It will of course be appreciated that the above mentioned functions are only illustrative and not exhaustive. Operation of vehicle 100 may implement any other suitable functionality in addition to the functionality described above.

The display device 102 is capable of displaying information related to the operation of the vehicle 100, including information related to the operation of the vehicle and/or a plurality of options. The display device 102 may refer to one or more screens disposed at a center console location of the vehicle 100. Such information and options may be displayed directly on the display device 102 for viewing by the user. In some cases, the options may also be hidden and not displayed on the display device 102. For example, one of the options may be an option of performing voice control in response to the user long-pressing at least one of the ball-type operation part 1011 or the key-type operation part 1012. That is, the options related to the operation of the vehicle may include being displayed directly on the display device 102, or may include not being displayed on the display device 102. The above-mentioned hidden option for voice control of long press is only one example of such an option and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Any other suitable hiding option is also possible. For example, in some alternative embodiments, functions such as displaying a reverse image on the display device 102 and performing a "departure" operation in a car rental order may be performed by pressing the key-like operation member 1012 or the ball-like operation member 1011 for a short time or a long time.

A method of controlling the vehicle 100 is also provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be performed by a processing unit of the vehicle 100. For example, the method may be programmed as instructions readable by a computer and stored in memory. When a processing unit executes the instruction, the steps of the method corresponding to the instruction are executed. Fig. 4 shows a flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 4, at block 410, the processing unit may present information related to the operation of the vehicle 100 on the display device 102 of the vehicle 100, which may relate to a plurality of options related to the operation of the vehicle 100. These options may be displayed directly on the display device 102. For example, these options may be not only the contents of the buttons for the user to select "yes", "no", "confirm", or "cancel", but also various levels of menus for instructing various functions of the operation of vehicle 100, and the items in the menus.

As mentioned previously, some of these options may also be hidden from display on the display device 102. For example, in some embodiments, the user may invoke voice control or rental order related options by manipulating the display device 102 to display certain screens. These options may not be displayed in the display screen but only activated in response to a user-specific operation. As will be further explained below.

At block 420, the processing unit may obtain an operation signal generated by the operation of the ball-like operating assembly 101 located at the steering wheel of the vehicle 100. These operations are performed by the user driving the vehicle 100. In this way, it is possible to make various operations of the vehicle 100 without the user's hands being away from the steering wheel, to thereby improve safety and convenience. At block 430, the processing unit determines one of a plurality of options in the presented information related to the operation of the vehicle 100 based on the acquired operation signal. For example, the displayed information includes one dialog window and two options. The content displayed in the dialog window is "whether to proceed with the next operation". The selectable options include "yes" or "no" arranged horizontally, and the processing unit will default to the selected option being "yes". At this time, the user performs a right jog and a short press operation. The processing unit acquires both operation signals and thereby determines that the option selected by the user is "no".

For example, in some embodiments, the option is a "drive out" option associated with a rental car order, which is hidden and activated by long press of the ball-type operating element 1011 if the displayed information is some display screen. In this case, the "departure" option is also one of a plurality of options in the presented information that are relevant to the operation of the vehicle. In this way, in the case where the information presented on the display device 102 is information on a certain vehicle screen, the user presses the ball-like operation member 1011 for a long time, and the processing unit determines the "departure" option from the acquired operation signal. Next, at block 440, the processing unit may adjust the display of the display device 102 according to the user selected option and/or control the operation of the vehicle 100 according to the operation signal. Corresponding to the above-mentioned example, the processing unit controls the operation of the vehicle (e.g., initiating an order pickup) and/or updates information presented by the display device 102 (e.g., adjusted to let the user confirm whether to initiate an order pickup).

It is of course mentioned above that the step of determining the selected one of the plurality of options may comprise a plurality of sub-steps depending on the acquired operation signal. For example, two substeps may be included, corresponding to the previous example. One of the sub-steps is that after the user dials to the right, the control unit may update the information presented on the display device 102 accordingly, for example, to change the selected option from "yes" to "no". Then another sub-step is that after the pressing operation by the user, the processing unit determines that the selected option is "no".

The implementation of the above method will now be described by way of a few examples with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the following description is intended to be illustrative only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be exhaustive of all of the functions performed by the vehicle 100 in accordance with the present disclosure. In addition to the examples described below, other suitable operations may also be implemented and will not be described separately below.

The first example will describe the operation of a menu for controlling the on-board functions of the vehicle 100. Assume that the interface displayed in the initial state of the display device 102 is as shown in fig. 5. As shown in fig. 5, a central large area of the display device 102 may display information of the vehicle 100 or the played media content while under such a display screen. Menu options may be displayed on the lower side of the central region (or any other side or sides such as the left, right, or upper side). As mentioned above, in the case where the display device 102 displays a certain screen, there are also some options that may not be displayed on the display device 102, for example, the above-mentioned option of the outgoing voice control at the time of the long press type ball type operation part 1011.

For menu options displayed on the display device 102, the user can switch and confirm a plurality of options by operating the ball-like type operating element 1011. For example, when the display device 102 is in the display screen as shown in fig. 5, the user can switch menu options on the lower side of the display device 102 by toggling the ball-like type operating member 1011 to the right. It will be appreciated that "dial to the right" to switch menu options is for the menu options shown in figure 5 to be arranged in a lateral manner, and that when the options are arranged in a vertical orientation, the desired option may be switched or selected by a dial-up or dial-down operation. After a desired option is selected, the option can be selected by pressing down the ball-like operation member 1011. It should be understood that "selecting" herein means highlighting the menu or displaying in a color or manner that can be distinguished from other menus. "select" means that the selected menu is determined after, for example, pressing the ball-like operating member 101 and the processing unit can perform corresponding operations accordingly.

Fig. 6 exemplarily shows a process of switching different menus by dialing the ball-like type operating part 1011 to the right. When a desired menu is selected, the user can select the menu by pressing (for example, pressing a short time) or dialing down the ball-like operating element 1011, and a sub-list or a sub-menu corresponding to the selected menu is displayed on the display device 102. For example, in a case where a first option among the menu options on the lower side is selected, the user displays a menu corresponding to the option by dialing down the ball-like type operating member 1011, as shown in the lower three panels in fig. 6. In the case where the corresponding menu is displayed, the corresponding option in the menu is selected by continuing to dial the ball-like operation member 1011.

In some embodiments, when the display device 102 is in the display screen shown in fig. 5, the user may also dial the ball-like operating part 1011 downward to enter a hidden menu or a shortcut menu. The shortcut menu may be provided with options corresponding to the shortcut operations, such as playing songs, renting car orders, and the like. After the display device 102 displays the shortcut menu, similarly, the user may also dial the ball-like operating element 1011 left and right or up and down to select a desired option. And selects the option by pressing to enable the vehicle 100 to perform the corresponding operation, as shown in fig. 7.

For example, in some embodiments, displayed in the sub-menu are options regarding turning on/off an outer cycle of the air conditioner, or turning on/off a function of defrosting a front windshield. For the corresponding button, when the outer cycle of the air conditioner is in an on state, the button may display "turn off the outer cycle", and vice versa. The user can select the button to turn off the outer circulation of the air conditioner by dialing and pressing the ball-like type operating member 1011. After the outer loop is closed, the content displayed by the button may be adjusted to "open the outer loop". The user can operate accordingly according to the desire.

In some embodiments, the user may customize various options in the shortcut menu. For example, in a case where a certain option is selected, a menu is called up by the long press ball type operation member 1011 to change an operation option defined by the menu option or hide the menu option, or the like, as shown in the upper right-hand large view in fig. 7.

Further, in some embodiments, when the display device 102 is playing media, the user can turn the volume of the media up by dialing up the ball-like operating feature 1011 or turn the volume of the media down by dialing down the ball-like operating feature 1011. The user can also switch the played media content by dialing the ball-like operating part 1011 to the left or to the right. The user can also press the ball-like type operating part 1011 for a short time to pause the playing of the media contents and continue playing the media contents when pressed again. These operations described above may all be embodied in the display device 102, as shown in FIG. 8. The user can also display the lyrics of a played song or the like by long-pressing the ball-like operation section 1011 or other suitable button operation section.

Of course, it should be understood that the above description of embodiments relating to actions corresponding to these operations is illustrative only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Any other suitable operation and its corresponding action or operation signal are also possible. For example, in some embodiments, the user may also display or turn off lyrics or the like by toggling up or down the ball-like operating member 1011. In addition, the operations and the corresponding operation signals mentioned above and below are also only schematic, and other operations and corresponding operation signals may also exist, which will not be described in detail below.

In some embodiments, the ball-like operating component 101 can be used for receiving or making a call. For example, upon receiving an incoming call, the processing unit may display information about the call in an appropriate location on the display device 102 and provide options for the user to select. The user can select the corresponding option to answer or hang up through the ball-like operating part 1011. The user can directly receive a call by pressing the ball-like operation member 1011 with a long press. During a call, the user can hang up the telephone by long-pressing the ball-like operation member 1011 or a predetermined button operation member. Before answering a call, the user can reject the call by pressing the ball-like operation member 1011 or a predetermined button operation member for a long time.

The user may also display the address book on the display device 102 by pressing the appropriate button actuator. In this case, the user can select a corresponding person to make a call to the person by dialing up or down the ball-like operation member 1011. In addition, after the user selects an item in the address book by dialing down the ball-like operation member 1011, the user pops up the operation menu by pressing the ball-like operation member 1011 for a long time, so as to perform corresponding operations on the item, such as collection, deletion or modification, as shown in fig. 9.

In some embodiments, as mentioned previously, the user may also activate the voice control function of the vehicle 100 by long-pressing the ball-like operating member 1011 while the display device 102 is displaying certain display screens. In a state where the voice control function is activated, the user can directly control the operation of the vehicle 100 through voice. When the user needs to cancel the activated state, the user can cancel the activated state by pressing the ball-like operation member 1011 for a long time.

Of course, it should be understood that the examples regarding the above-mentioned operating ball-type operating component 101 (e.g., long press, short press, double-click, and all-directional dialing, etc.) are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The operation signal that the user can correspondingly output for some operations can be predefined. The predefined operation signal may be related to the content displayed by the display device 102.

For example, the ball-like operation section 1011 that the user presses a certain side for a long time in a case where the display device 102 displays some screens is defined as a function related to the order of a rental car. When the display device 102 displays a navigation route, the ball-like operation member 1011 that is long on one side is defined as a function of adding a new destination or a new route. Of course, it should be understood that the operating components, pressing manners, and associated interfaces mentioned above with respect to customization are merely illustrative, not exhaustive, and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Any other suitable operating means, pressing means and associated interface are also possible. For example, the user may define the function of switching the route by double-clicking the ball-like operation member 1011 on one side in the case where the navigation route is displayed.

It can be seen that through the various settings of the menus and submenus, operation and setting of various functions of the vehicle 100 can be achieved. This enables the user to operate and set various functions of the vehicle 100 without having to leave the steering wheel, improving the safety of driving the vehicle 100 and the convenience of operation.

An embodiment of processing a rental car order using the method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to fig. 10 to 13. Assume that the user selects a "departure" operation associated with a rental car order via an option on the quick menu. At this time, the processing unit may adjust the content displayed on the display device 102, for example, displaying the interface shown in fig. 10, wherein the "ok" option is highlighted to indicate the selected state. Of course, the interface shown in fig. 10 may be popped up by pressing a certain button operation member or by pressing the ball-like operation member 1011 for a long time. For example, the user can flick the screen shown in fig. 10 by long pressing the ball-like operation member 1011 on the left side of the steering wheel. This makes the operation of the vehicle 100 more convenient. Of course, the user may set the "departure" state to be entered directly without displaying the interface displayed in fig. 10 when the "departure" operation is performed.

When the user selects the "confirm" operation by pressing the ball-like type operating element 1011, the processing unit transmits information that the user wants to "get out" of the car to an external device such as a server, and acquires order information related to a rental car order from the external device. For example, the server may search for a suitable order based on the user's settings and location, and the server may send the order information to the processing unit of the vehicle 100. The processing unit, upon receiving the order information, presents the order information in the display device 102, and the order information includes a plurality of options, such as shown in fig. 11. At this time, the user can switch, select, or select the option by operating the ball-like operation member 101. The processing unit further determines that the option selected by the user is 'yes' according to the acquired operation signal, and processes the order according to the selected option.

In some embodiments, processing the order may include sending information about the user-selected option to an external device, such as a server. In response to the user selecting to pick up an order, the server will again send information relating to the order to the processing unit of the vehicle 100. The processing unit will display this information in the display device 102, for example the route for the passenger a and the position of the passenger a in the display device 102. The user may proceed to passenger a via the displayed route.

In the process of receiving passenger a again, if passenger a calls the user, the processing unit will display the relevant content of the call on the appropriate position of the display device 102. For example, the displayed phone related information may be displayed near the upper edge of the display device 102, as shown in fig. 12, in order not to obscure the display of the route. The user can perform corresponding 'answering' or 'hanging up' operation by operating the ball-like operation component 101.

When a passenger is received, the user can perform an operation of "receiving the passenger" by pressing the corresponding button operation section. It should be understood that the instructions or the generated operation signals corresponding to the respective operations of the button operation part and the ball-like operation part 1011 can be customized by the user. The customized operation signals of the button operation member and the ball-like operation member 1011 may be different depending on the scene or the display interface of the display device 102. For example, the user may dial up the ball-like operation member 1011 to perform a "receive passenger" operation in an order processing scenario.

After the "get-to-passenger" operation is performed, the processing unit may adjust the display interface of the display device 102 to display the route to the destination a of the passenger a. In some embodiments, a plurality of possible routes may be displayed on the display device 102, and the user may select an appropriate route through the ball-like operating assembly 101 at the will of the passenger a. In the process of going to the destination a, the processing unit may also remind the passenger or the user to wear a mask or the like by displaying corresponding information on the display device 102.

After the passenger a is transported to the destination a according to the selected route, the user can trigger the "destination" button operation by appropriately operating the ball-like operation member 101, for example, by pressing the ball-like operation member 1011 or one of the button operation members. The processing unit will send information related to the button operation to the server, and the server will calculate the required fee and send the fee-related order information to the processing unit. The processing unit may display the fee-related information in the display device 102, as shown in fig. 13.

The user can select an appropriate payment means by adjusting the ball-like type operation member 1011 according to the will of the passenger a. For example, when the processing unit determines that the selected payment method is the payment method a through the operation signal, the processing unit may display the two-dimensional payment code corresponding to the payment method a on the display device 102. Passenger a who gets in vehicle 100 can charge for this formation by scanning the two-dimensional code.

As can be seen from the above-described processes, by the ball-like type operating assembly 101, the display device 102, the processing unit, and the method of controlling the vehicle 100, the user can perform all operations with a rental car order without using a cellular phone and without leaving the steering wheel by hand at all. This can significantly improve the safety of driving and the user experience.

FIG. 14 shows a schematic block diagram of an example electronic device 800 that may be used to implement embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus 800 may be used to implement the method shown in fig. 4. As shown, the device 800 includes a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 801. The central processing unit 801 may be at least one of the processing units mentioned in the foregoing, which may perform various suitable actions and processes according to computer program instructions stored in a Read Only Memory (ROM) 802 or computer program instructions loaded from a storage unit 808 into a Random Access Memory (RAM) 803. In the RAM 803, various programs and data necessary for the operation of the device 800 can also be stored. The CPU 801, ROM 802, and RAM 803 are connected to each other via a bus 804. An input/output (I/O) interface 805 is also connected to bus 804.

A number of components in the device 800 are connected to the I/O interface 805, including: an input unit 806, such as a keyboard, a mouse, or the like; an output unit 807 such as various types of displays, speakers, and the like; a storage unit 808, such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or the like; and a communication unit 809 such as a network card, modem, wireless communication transceiver, etc. The communication unit 809 allows the device 800 to exchange information/data with other devices via a computer network such as the internet and/or various telecommunication networks.

The processing unit 801 performs the various methods and processes described above, such as the processes 600 and 700. For example, in some embodiments, processes 600 and 700 may be implemented as a computer software program tangibly embodied in a machine-readable medium, such as storage unit 808. In some embodiments, part or all of the computer program can be loaded and/or installed onto device 800 via ROM 602 and/or communications unit 809. When the computer program is loaded into RAM 803 and executed by CPU 801, one or more steps of processes 600 and 700 described above may be performed. Alternatively, in other embodiments, CPU 801 may be configured to perform processes 600 and 700 in any other suitable manner (e.g., by way of firmware).

The functions described herein above may be performed, at least in part, by one or more hardware logic components. For example, without limitation, exemplary types of hardware logic components that may be used include: a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an Application Specific Standard Product (ASSP), a system on a chip (SOC), a load programmable logic device (CPLD), and the like.

Program code for implementing the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, causes the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram to be performed. The program code may execute entirely on the machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

In the context of this disclosure, a computer-readable medium may be a tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of a machine-readable storage medium would include an electrical connection based on one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. Under certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation can also be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination.

It is to be understood that the above detailed embodiments of the disclosure are merely illustrative of or explaining the principles of the disclosure and are not limiting of the disclosure. Therefore, any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement and the like made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Also, it is intended that the following claims cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the scope and boundaries of the claims or the equivalents of the scope and boundaries.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a vehicle, comprising:

presenting information related to operation of the vehicle on a display device (102) of the vehicle;

acquiring an operation signal generated by an operation of a ball-like operation assembly (101) located at a steering wheel of the vehicle;

determining one of a plurality of options related to the operation of the vehicle involved in the presented information from the acquired operation signal; and

controlling operation of the vehicle and/or updating information presented by a display device of the vehicle in accordance with the determined option.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ball-like operating component (101) comprises at least one ball-like operating member (1011).

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the ball-like operating assembly (101) further comprises at least one key-like operating member (1012).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation of the ball-like operating component (101) comprises at least one of: dial-up, dial-down, dial-left, dial-right, short press, long press, or double click.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of options comprises an option presented on the display device (102) and a hidden option.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling operation of the vehicle comprises at least one of: adjusting a volume of a speaker of the vehicle, switching played audio content, activating voice control, controlling an air conditioner of the vehicle, controlling a lift and a heating of a window of the vehicle, adjusting a seat and a rearview mirror of the vehicle, adjusting a force of the steering wheel, controlling interior and exterior lighting of the vehicle, processing a phone call, or processing a rental car order.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring order information related to a car rental order from external equipment; and

presenting the order information on a display device (102) of the vehicle, the order information including a plurality of options available for selection;

acquiring an operation signal generated by an operation of a ball-like operation member (101);

determining a selected option of the plurality of options according to the acquired operation signal; and

and processing the rental order according to the selected option.

8. The method of claim 7, processing the rental order comprising:

transmitting information related to the selected option to the external device.

9. An electronic device, comprising:

at least one processing unit, and

at least one memory coupled to the at least one processing unit and adapted to store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processing unit, cause the at least one processing unit to:

controlling operation of the vehicle and updating information presented by a display device of the vehicle in accordance with the determined option.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the ball-like operating assembly (101) comprises at least one ball-like operating member (1011).

11. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the ball-like operating member (101) further comprises at least one key-like operating member (1012).

12. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein operation of the ball-like operating component (101) comprises at least one of: dial-up, dial-down, dial-left, dial-right, short press, long press, or double click.

13. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the plurality of options includes an option presented on the display device (102) and a hidden option.

14. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein controlling operation of the vehicle comprises at least one of: adjusting a volume of a speaker of the vehicle, switching played audio content, activating voice control, controlling an air conditioner of the vehicle, controlling a lift and a heating of a window of the vehicle, adjusting a seat and a rearview mirror of the vehicle, adjusting a force of the steering wheel, controlling interior and exterior lighting of the vehicle, processing a phone call, or processing a rental car order.

15. The electronic device of claim 9, the at least one processing unit further configured to:

determining a selected option of the multiple options according to the acquired operation signal; and

and processing the rental order according to the selected option.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, the at least one processing unit further configured to:

transmitting information related to the selected option to the external device.

17. A vehicle, comprising:

a ball-like operating assembly (101) arranged at a steering wheel of the vehicle;

a display device (102) arranged to facilitate viewing by a user of the vehicle; and

the electronic device of any of claims 9-16.

18. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processing unit, cause the processing unit to perform the method of any of claims 1-8.