DE102021100581A1 - conveying textual information - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for conveying textual information comprises the steps of presenting the textual information in a presentation area in which a focus area is predetermined; and shifting the displayed textual information in the display area in such a way that they successively pass the focus area; with the information in the focus area being presented more clearly than outside.

Description

The present invention relates to the communication of textual information. In particular, the invention relates to the communication of information on board a vehicle.

A vehicle is equipped with a variety of auxiliary functions to improve comfort, entertainment or safety on board. A function can provide a visual, audible or haptic output to a person on board. While a haptic output is usually only used to control attention, a larger amount of information can be transmitted acoustically. An optical output is particularly useful when information that can be displayed graphically is to be provided.

If the information to be output is of a textual nature, for example because a textual message is to be output to a person or, for example, a status is to be advantageously described in language, the information can be displayed in the form of text.

In particular, if the information is to be output to a driver of the vehicle, it must be ensured that his attention is distracted from what is happening outside the vehicle for as little as possible. This can also apply if the output is made using a head-up display.

Various speed reading methods are known for quickly absorbing textual information, which are designed in particular for literary texts. Such methods are not very suitable for information that is usually intended to be conveyed to a person on board a vehicle. In addition, most known methods are hardly adaptable to a reader.

An object on which the present invention is based is therefore to specify an improved technique for conveying textual information, in particular for use on board a vehicle. The invention solves this problem by means of the subject matter of the independent claims. Subclaims reflect preferred embodiments.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for conveying textual information comprises the steps of displaying the textual information in a display area in which a focus area is predetermined; and shifting the displayed textual information in the display area in such a way that they successively pass the focus area. The information in the focus area is presented more clearly than outside.

A person reading the textual information can focus their attention on the focus area and need not move their eyes over the display area. A saccadic eye movement, for example when transitioning between the end of one line and the beginning of another line, may not be necessary. In contrast to a known display in the manner of a ticker, information that was not yet in the focus area or has already left it again is still legible, but at the same time is presented less concisely, so that it represents less of a distraction. The reader can concentrate on the information presented in the focus area in an improved manner. Thus, a speed at which the information is moved through the focus area can be relatively high without the reader missing information or having to make a special effort to absorb it.

On board a vehicle, the reader can relate in particular to a driver of the vehicle. The information can be related to a condition of the vehicle. By conveying the textual information according to the method, this (person?) can pay better attention to the surroundings of the vehicle. The safety of the vehicle can be increased as a result.

It is particularly preferred that the information in the display area is displayed in an increasingly unclear manner as the distance from the focus area increases. Different variants are conceivable. For example, the ambiguity can only be increased up to a predetermined level and then kept constant regardless of the distance. In a further variant, gradual ambiguities in and against a reading direction can be designed differently. For example, only information that was already presented in the focus area can be presented less clearly once it has left it again. Information that is yet to enter the focus area, on the other hand, can be presented completely clearly or only moderately unclear. A distance-dependent ambiguity is also possible.

The textual information is preferably represented by characters. The characters can include letters, numbers and/or punctuation marks, for example. In a corresponding manner, formula symbols or symbols, for example, can also be included. A character may generally include a graphical representation expressed in two-dimensional, and more preferably monochrome can be. A character can include any written character and is not necessarily limited to, for example, Latin letters or Arabic numerals. For example, Chinese, Malaysian or Arabic characters can also be displayed.

A direction in which the information in the display area is shifted through the focus area is usually based on the character used. For example, Latin script can be shifted horizontally from right to left, while Japanese or Chinese characters can be shifted bottom to top or right to left, depending on the context. In the present application, a reading direction in lines from left to right is assumed purely by way of example, it being possible for a number of lines to be arranged from top to bottom. A text to be displayed can therefore be shifted from right to left in each line and from the left end of a line to the right end of a line above it.

In a further preferred embodiment, a clarity of displayed characters is reduced by a reduced contrast, a reduced edge sharpness or a reduced size of the characters compared to a background. In other words, characters in the focus area can be displayed with increased contrast, increased edge sharpness, or enlarged. In further embodiments, the characters in the focus area can also be attributed differently. For example, Latin characters can be bold, underlined, or italicized. Combinations are also possible.

It should be noted that dynamic transition effects are generally possible, so that when a character or a group of characters enters or leaves the focus area, they may not necessarily be displayed suddenly, but rather changed by means of a transition. It should also be noted that the shifting can be continuous, character-by-character or character-group-by-character. A character group usually includes a word or a phrase.

The information may be shifted through the focus area depending on a reader's reading speed. The reading speed can be predetermined. In one embodiment, the reading speed is associated with a particular reader. Different readers may have different reading speeds.

In one variant, an input regarding a displacement speed desired by the reader is recorded. The textual information can then be shifted depending on the desired speed. This speed can be changed depending on an external event. If, for example, other information is to be processed by the reader at the same time, the shifting speed can be reduced.

In a further embodiment, a viewing direction of the reader is determined and the displacement speed is determined on the basis of a deviation of the determined viewing direction from a predetermined point in the focus area. The predetermined point can, for example, comprise a center point of the focus area or lie on its left or right edge. If, on average over time, the reader looks at a point that lies in the reading direction from the predetermined point, the displacement speed can be increased. On the other hand, if the reader frequently looks at a point that is distant from the predetermined point in the opposite direction to the reading direction, the displacement speed can be reduced. In particular, the translation speed can be reduced to zero if the reader's gaze is further away from the focus area than predetermined. For example, the scrolling can be interrupted if the reader takes their eyes off the display area, for example.

The textual information can include words, in which case an entire word can be displayed in the focus area. A practiced reader can recognize a word as a whole, so that in this way the speed of conveying the information to the reader can be increased. However, displaying information in smaller units can also be useful, for example if a very long word is to be displayed, for example the name of an ingredient in a drug. In this case, the word can be broken down into separate components. The components can include independent words or syllables. A letter-by-letter representation may also be used in certain embodiments.

In a variant of this embodiment, several words can also be displayed simultaneously in the focus area if they belong to one another semantically. It is preferred that they are adjacent in the text. For example, the French negation "ne pas" can be displayed in the focus area at the same time if there is nothing else between the words.

In general, it is preferred that the display area extends in the horizontal and vertical direction next to the focus area. The information can correspond to a intended reading direction can be displayed in rows or columns in the display area.

Information that is displayed in the focus area can be output acoustically in parallel. For this purpose, the information can be automatically converted using text-to-speech. The displacement speed can be limited to a value that is specified by a maximum hearing speed. By using different channels of perception, the information can be communicated particularly urgently or particularly reliably.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a device for conveying textual information comprises a display device for displaying textual information, the display device having a display area in which a focus area is predetermined; and a control device for shifting textual information displayed in the display area in such a way that it successively passes the focus area. The information in the focus area is presented more clearly than outside.

The display device can, for example, comprise a two-dimensional display, for example in the form of a screen or a touchscreen. In a further embodiment, the display device can also comprise a head-up display, for example.

The control device can be set up to carry out a method described herein in whole or in part. For this purpose, the control device can include a programmable microcomputer or microcontroller, and the method can be in the form of a computer program product with program code means. The computer program product can also be stored on a computer-readable data carrier. Features or advantages of the method can be transferred to the device or vice versa.

The device can use a known display device that is set up in particular for graphical representation. The display can be in colour, in shades of gray or monochrome. The device can be used advantageously in places where limited textual information is to be transmitted quickly to a reader. The information can in particular relate to a technical issue or transmit a message to a reader.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle includes an apparatus as described herein. The vehicle can in particular include a motor vehicle, for example a passenger car, a truck, a bus or a motorcycle.

Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to the use of a device described herein for conveying driving information to a driver on board a vehicle. The vehicle can be controllable autonomously and the driving information can relate to a driving status of the vehicle, a planned route or an upcoming maneuver of the vehicle, for example. In one embodiment, the driving information relates to a handover of control of the vehicle to the driver.

• 1 ein System;
• 2 eine beispielhafte Abfolge von Darstellungen textueller Informationen;
• 3 beispielhafte Variationen von klarer und unklarer Darstellung von Informationen;
• 4 beispielhafte Variationen eines Fokusbereichs; und
• 5 ein Ablaufdiagramm eines Verfahrens zur Vermittlung von textuellen Informationen

illustriert.The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

• 1 a system;
• 2 an exemplary sequence of representations of textual information;
• 3 exemplary variations of clear and unclear presentation of information;
• 4 exemplary variations of a focus area; and
• 5 a flowchart of a method for conveying textual information

illustrated.

1 FIG. 1 shows a system 100 that includes a vehicle 105 and a device 110 . Vehicle 105 is shown schematically from a driver's perspective. A steering wheel is shown in a left area and a console of vehicle 105 is shown in a right area.

The device 110 includes a control device 115 and a display device 120. An input device 125 for actuation by a person on board the vehicle 105, in particular a driver, is optionally provided. Purely by way of example, the input device 125 in the present case comprises two buttons; in other embodiments, any other input device 125 can also be selected, which can also be placed somewhere other than on a steering wheel of the vehicle 105 .

An optional camera 130 can be provided to determine a viewing direction of the driver. The camera 130 preferably works in the infrared wavelength range and can have dedicated lighting. Instead of the camera 130, another scanning device can also be used, for example a LiDAR sensor.

An optional interface 135 can be connected to another device onboard the vehicle 105 to determine information to be communicated to the driver.

A display area 140 is defined on the display device 120 which can cover all or part of an existing display area of the display device 120 . A focus area 145 is defined within the display area 140 . A position of the focus area 145 with respect to the display device 120 is preferably predetermined, with the size of the focus area 145 being able to be variable under certain circumstances.

It is proposed to display textual information 150 on the display device 120 in a way that enables rapid and reliable transmission to a reader, in particular a driver of the vehicle 105 . For this purpose, the information 150 is to be shifted in the display area 140 counter to a predetermined reading direction in such a way that it successively passes the focus area 145 . A person fixing the focus area 145 can thus optically perceive the information 150 in the natural reading order. It is particularly preferred that the information 150 is displayed more clearly within the focus area 145 than in the surrounding display area 140 . In this way, the person reading can access parts of the text that are in front of or behind the focus area 145 with respect to the displacement direction, without being greatly distracted by this information 150 .

2 shows an exemplary sequence of representations of textual information 150. The information 150 represented by way of example is symbolically represented in the present case by a dummy text, as is usually used for sentence purposes. The information 150 is organized into three rows, with the focus area 145 formed approximately in the middle of the second row.

In the first representation 205, the word “temporary” in the focus area 145 is emphasized and is therefore represented more clearly than the surrounding text. In a second representation 210, the entire text has been shifted by one word to the left, with the first word of the first line of the first representation 205 no longer being represented. The word “invidunt” is located in the focus area 145, which is located in the reading direction (to the right) next to the word previously highlighted.

Correspondingly, in a third representation 215 the word “ut” which is adjacent in the reading direction and in a fourth representation 220 the word “labore” which is again adjacent in the reading direction are shown in the focus area 145 . With each stepping forward of a word displayed in the focus area 145, information 150 that is in the reading direction from the focus area 145 is pushed towards the latter. The move can affect one or more rows. In this way, the space that becomes free at the end of the display area 140 can be filled with further information 150 . At the same time, parts of the information 150 that are opposite to the reading direction with respect to the focus area 145 are pushed further away from it. Information 150 that is shifted beyond the beginning of the presentation area 140 can be deleted.

3 FIG. 14 shows exemplary variations of clear and unclear presentation of information 150. The focus area 145 can be highlighted by a marker 302 as shown so that a reader can recognize the focus area 145. FIG. The illustrated marker 302 includes, by way of example, an ellipse displayed around a portion of the information 150 to be focused; however, in other embodiments, the marker 302 may have another shape, such as a rectangle. The marker 302 may also include some other visual cue, such as a crosshair or a shaded area.

In a first representation 305, a word that is located in the focus area 145 is shown enlarged. In a second representation 310, the word in the focus area 145 is shown with increased edge sharpness. In practice, this can be achieved by reducing an edge sharpness of the information 150 outside the focus area 145 . For example, the text outside of the focus area 145 may be blurred, blurred, or rendered with reduced resolution. In a third representation 315, the word in the focus area 145 is shown in bold. Other attributes can also be used, such as underlining or italics. In other words, the word in the focus area 145 can be represented using a predetermined attribute.

Mixed embodiments are also possible. For example, the word in focus area 145 may be enlarged and bold.

4 14 shows exemplary variations of the focus area 145. In representations 405, 410 and 415, one word is in each case in the focus area 145. The words are of different lengths, with the focus area 145 dynamically taking on a suitable size in order to accommodate the predetermined word. A scaling of the focus area 145 above or below a respective predetermined size can be prevented.

In a fourth representation 420, three words that belong semantically to one another are in the focus area 145. For this purpose, the focus area 145 can be enlarged and under certain circumstances also shifted in or against the reading direction.

5 shows a flowchart of a method 500 for conveying textual information 150. The method 500 can be used on board a vehicle 105 in particular.

In a step 505, information 150 to be displayed can be determined. In principle, the information 150 can be of any nature as long as it is suitable for textual representation.

In a step 510, a textual representation of the information 150 can be determined. For example, a corresponding message can be determined for a status or error code. A numerical value can be converted accordingly. Speech information that is acoustically present can be automatically recognized and converted into text.

In a step 515 the specific information 150 can be displayed on the display area 140 . At the beginning of the method 500, usually no part of the information 150 is displayed from the focus area 145 in the opposite direction to the reading direction. A start of the textual information 150 can be displayed in the focus area 145 or directly next to it in the reading direction.

In a step 520, a displacement speed can be determined. The panning speed may be determined in response to user controllable input or automatically by observing a reader's gaze direction. Additional influences can also be evaluated. For example, the scrolling speed can be stopped after a predetermined period of time to allow the reader to take a break. Particularly urgent information can be moved more quickly than less urgent information. If the reader has to absorb other information at the same time, the shifting speed can be reduced.

In a step 525 the information 150 can be shifted through the focus area 145 . The shift can be by character, syllable, word or word group. The information 150 is displayed more clearly in the focus area 145 than in the surrounding display area 140 . Both a movement of the information 150 and a change in the way it is presented can be controlled in a fluent or abrupt manner in different embodiments.

Reference List

100

system

105

vehicle

110

contraption

115

control device

120

display device

125

input device

130

camera

135

interface

140

viewport

145

focus area

150

textual information

205

first presentation

210

second representation

215

third representation

220

fourth representation

302

mark

305

first presentation

310

second representation

315

third representation

405

first presentation

410

second representation

415

third representation

420

fourth representation

500

procedure

505

determine information to be displayed

510

determine textual representation

515

display on display area

520

determine the displacement speed

525

move through focus area

Claims (14)

Method (500) for conveying textual information (150), with the following steps: - displaying (515) the textual information (150) in a display area (140) in which a focus area (145) is predetermined; - Moving (525) the displayed textual information (150) in the display area (140) such that they successively pass the focus area (145); - The information (150) in the focus area (145) being displayed more clearly than outside. Method (500) according to claim 1 , the information (150) in the display area (140) being displayed increasingly unclearly as the distance from the focus area (145) increases. Method (500) according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the textual information (150) is represented by means of characters and a clarity of represented characters is reduced by a reduced contrast, a reduced edge sharpness or a reduced size of the characters compared to a background. Method (500) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the information (150) is shifted in dependence on a reading speed of a reader through the focus area (145). A method (500) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein an input relating to a reader desired scrolling speed is detected. A method (500) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a viewing direction of the reader is determined and the translation speed is determined (520) on the basis of a deviation of the determined viewing direction from a predetermined point in the focal area (145). Method (500) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the textual information (150) comprises words and in each case a whole word is displayed in the focus area (145). Method (500) according to claim 7 , wherein several words belonging to one another semantically are displayed in the focus area (145). Method (500) according to one of the preceding claims, in which a marking (302) is displayed which points to the focus area (145). Method (500) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the display area (140) extends in the horizontal and vertical direction next to the focus area (145) and the information (150) is displayed in rows or columns in the display area (140) according to an intended reading direction . Method (500) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein information (150) presented in the focus area (145) is output acoustically in parallel. Device (110) for conveying textual information (150), the device (110) comprising the following elements: - A display device (120) for displaying textual information (150), the display device (120) having a display area (140) in which a focus area (145) is predetermined; and - a control device (115) for shifting textual information (150) displayed in the display area (140) in such a way that they successively pass the focus area (145); - The information (150) in the focus area (145) being displayed more clearly than outside. Vehicle (105) comprising a device (110). claim 12 . Use of a device (110) according to claim 12 for communicating driving information to a driver on board a vehicle (105).

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