DE102021214603A1 - Vehicle with an operating device and a display device and method for operating a vehicle device of a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vehicle 1 with an operating device 2 and a display device 3, the display device 3 comprising a display surface 4 arranged in the interior of the vehicle 1 for providing a human-machine interface. Vehicle devices 6 can be controlled by means of the operating device 2 and the operating device 2 is coupled to the display device 3 in order to visualize operator actions carried out by means of the operating device 2 . The operating device 2 includes a plurality of redundant operating elements 8, with the same operating action being able to be carried out with each of the redundant operating elements 8. The invention also relates to a method for using the vehicle 1.

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle with an operating device and a display device, the display device comprising a display surface arranged in the interior of the vehicle for providing a human-machine interface. Vehicle devices can be controlled using the operating device, and the operating device is coupled to the display device in order to visualize operating actions carried out using the operating device. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for operating a vehicle device of a vehicle.

In the vehicle there are vehicle devices which can be operated by the driver or the occupants and which provide information for the driver or the occupants. The information is usually displayed on a central display area in the front area of the vehicle. Operating elements are arranged within the driver's reach in order to select buttons visualized on the display surface for the vehicle devices, to call up their information or to enter new information. The display area with the associated control elements thus provides a man-machine interface.

It is necessary for the driver to be able to access the vehicle devices in different situations, for example when stationary and while driving. The display must therefore be clear and the operation intuitive.

The increasing display areas in modern vehicles present the type of operation with new challenges. If the operating element is provided by a touch-sensitive surface arranged on the display area, it is more difficult for the occupant to reach all areas of this touch-sensitive surface. Instead, in this case, a remote control element, such as a rotary pushbutton, is attached separately to the display surface.

In addition, a development towards autonomous driving can be seen. In this case, it is no longer necessary for the driver's seating position to be close to the steering wheel. The driver and also the other occupants can assume different seating positions, for example a relaxed sitting position in the reclined state. As a result, the operating devices, which are arranged at the front of the steering wheel or in the front central area, can no longer be reached or can only be reached with difficulty. In particular, a touch-sensitive surface arranged on the display surface can no longer be reached comfortably in these sitting positions.

In the US 2020/0218488 A1 a method for inputting a computer in a vehicle is described for this purpose, the display of a second electronic device, which can be seen by the user from a position in the vehicle, being operated with a first electronic device. It is operated through a multimodal application that allows the user to interact with the display of the second electronic device. Different input modes such as touchpad, computer mouse or voice and gesture control can be used in combination.

In the U.S. 2012/0174004 A1 describes a method for selecting a feature on a graphical projection display. This is controlled via an input device such as a trackball or a keyboard. Based on the occupant's eye position and the position of the cursor on the projection display, the feature is selected.

In the U.S. 2017/0350718 A1 an information procurement system for the procurement and provision of information on points of interest in the vicinity of vehicles is described. For example, the system can be launched and operated via voice or gestures, or by selecting an application on a screen, but also by an electronic mouse, trackball, eye tracking, or combinations of these applications.

However, many common operating concepts, especially eye tracking, are not very intuitive and not reliable.

The object of the invention is to provide a device and a method with which vehicle devices can be operated more conveniently.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a vehicle having the features of claim 1 and a method having the features of claim 9. Advantageous refinements and developments are specified in the dependent claims.

In the vehicle according to the invention, the display device comprises a display surface arranged in the interior of the vehicle for providing a human-machine interface. Vehicle devices can be controlled by means of the operating device and the operating device is coupled to the display device in order to use the Control device to visualize executed operator actions. The operating device includes a number of redundant operating elements, with the same operating action being able to be carried out with each of the redundant operating elements.

In this document, redundancy means the simultaneous presence of functionally identical or comparable resources of a technical system if these are not normally required during trouble-free operation. In this case, there are functionally identical control elements in the vehicle for operating the vehicle devices. One control element alone could operate the vehicle device completely, so that the other redundant control elements are not necessary for this control action. In this case, the additional presence of the resources serves to give the vehicle occupants greater freedom of choice when operating the controls.

The operating device, which includes the redundant operating elements, has in particular a control device. This couples the operating elements of the operating device to the vehicle devices so that they can be controlled in response to an operator action.

The display area can be arranged in the front area of the vehicle, which is used as a central display for operator actions of relevant human-machine interactions. It can be divided into several partial areas.

The occupants of the vehicle can operate vehicle devices via the human-machine interface. For this purpose, buttons for a wide variety of vehicle devices are provided on the display surface of the display device.

Within the meaning of the invention, a button is understood to be a control element of a graphical user interface. A button differs from elements and areas for pure information display, so-called display elements, in that they can be selected. When a button is selected, a function associated with it is performed. The function can only lead to a change in the information display. The buttons can also be used to control devices whose operation is supported by the information display. The buttons can thus replace conventional mechanical switches. Furthermore, it can be provided that a button can be marked. In this case, the assigned function is not yet executed. However, the selected button is highlighted compared to other buttons. A button can be marked and/or selected by means of a cursor control or by direct operation of a touch-sensitive display surface.

An operator action performed with a redundant operator control element is recorded and visualized on the display area, for example by labeling or marking the button. The vehicle device can then be controlled either directly or by renewed confirmation by the operating element.

Vehicle devices can be any devices operated in the vehicle, for example they can include a multimedia system, a navigation system, a system for adjusting the vehicle lights and a system for selecting the driving mode.

As a result, the vehicle devices can advantageously be controlled using the same type of operating elements, but at different positions in the vehicle; the controls are therefore in particular locally redundant. The controls can thus be operated by a vehicle occupant, in particular the driver, conveniently and in the same way at different locations in the interior of the vehicle. Furthermore, redundant controls may be provided for different occupants. For the passengers, the vehicle equipment that can be operated may be restricted to the vehicle equipment that is not required for controlling the vehicle.

According to one embodiment of the vehicle according to the invention, several vehicle seats are arranged in the interior of the vehicle and the redundant operating elements are assigned to one of the vehicle seats.

Vehicle equipment in a vehicle should not only be accessible to the driver, but also to a certain extent to the front passenger and other passengers. In this case, therefore, operating elements are required for each occupant of the vehicle. By assigning the redundant controls to a vehicle seat, it is advantageously achieved that at least one of the controls can be conveniently operated from the seat assigned to them in any seating position. An occupant therefore has a number of redundant operating elements available from his vehicle seat for controlling the vehicle devices and can advantageously select the one which is most convenient for him to reach. Furthermore, it can be determined individually for each vehicle seat which vehicle devices can be controlled from the respective vehicle seat, for example all vehicle devices should be controllable from the driver's seat, but only a limited selection of vehicle devices from the front passenger seat.

According to a further development of the vehicle according to the invention, one of the redundant controls is mounted in the interior of the vehicle by means of an adjustment device such that the position of one control element can be adjusted by means of the adjustment device.

The control element is installed in the vehicle in a fixed but movable manner; it is not mobile, i.e. it cannot be passed from one occupant to another or removed, as is the case with a tablet computer, for example. Furthermore, it is permanently assigned to a vehicle seat. The adjusting device now makes it possible for the position of the operating element to be adapted to the needs of the respective occupant. The user can use the adjustment device to move the control element, for example, forwards and backwards or to the right and left, but he can also adjust the height of the control element or swivel it. Advantageously, the position of the control element can be adapted to the individual needs of the occupant, for example to his size, so that comfortable operation is made possible.

According to a further embodiment of the vehicle according to the invention, the adjustment device has a displacement device on which one operating element can be displaced.

The operating element is mounted on the displacement device, for example on a rail. The displacement device is located, for example, on the left or right of the driver's seat and the control element can thus be displaced further forwards or backwards.

If the occupant is in an upright sitting position, the operating element is arranged further forward on the seat, for example. If the driver is in a reclined position, for example during autonomous driving, the control element can be placed further back on the seat. The operating element can advantageously always be reached comfortably, regardless of the seating position of the occupant. The permanently installed displacement device and the installation of the operating element on the rail make it particularly easy to move the operating element. It is also ensured that the operating element is only in positions in the vehicle that do not impede its operation, for example blocking the field of vision or blocking the operation of another device.

According to a development of the vehicle according to the invention, one of the operating elements is a trackball. Furthermore, several operating elements that are assigned to the same vehicle seat can each be a trackball. An input device is therefore available, to which a ball is attached, which is rotated with the fingers. A cursor, for example, can then be controlled on the display surface in a manner similar to that of a computer mouse. The trackball can also have a depress function in addition to selecting a selected button. Advantageously, the vehicle device can be completely controlled by means of the buttons shown on the display area via one operating element. For example, there is no need to operate a touch-sensitive screen when it is out of reach. Furthermore, the space required for the trackball is small and it can therefore be easily installed at a wide variety of locations in the vehicle without impeding further operation of the vehicle. Incidentally, the use of the trackball is not prone to errors and is intuitive.

The redundant controls can also include rotary pushbuttons or other mechanical controls. The redundant operating elements do not have to be of the same type either, they can also be selected multimodally. However, all redundant controls are functionally the same. All vehicle devices that can be controlled with one of the control elements can also be controlled with another, redundant control element.

According to a further development of the vehicle according to the invention, redundant operating elements are arranged on the steering wheel and on the left and right of one of the vehicle seats.

For example, the control element can be located to the left and right of the driver's vehicle seat. A left-handed person might choose the left-hand control element, and a right-handed person the right-hand one. Another control element on the steering wheel can be operated, for example, when the driver is in an upright position far in front of the vehicle, for example when he is not using the autonomous driving system. This is when the controls on the steering wheel are the easiest to reach.

The redundant controls on the left and right of the vehicle seats can be located on the driver's side and on the passenger side or on the back seat. Each individual vehicle seat can therefore have several redundant controls. All occupants benefit from the convenient, easy-to-reach layout of the controls.

According to a further embodiment of the vehicle according to the invention, the operating device includes a gaze tracking unit for detection Sensing the position and the line of sight of the eyes of a vehicle occupant, the operating device being designed to determine a button displayed by the display device on which the line of sight of the eyes of a vehicle occupant is directed.

Instead of activating the button with a mechanically operated operating element, for example the trackball, a gaze tracking unit can also be used as an alternative. In the case of a large display area in particular, a preselection can be made with the eye tracking unit. For example, the display area can be divided into the main available topics, such as entertainment, security and settings. One of the main topics can be selected with the gaze tracking unit, the selection can be confirmed with the redundant control element and further settings can be made. Advantageously, the vehicle devices can be activated quickly and easily in this way.

According to a further development of the vehicle according to the invention, the position of the vehicle seat can be changed and the position of the operating elements can be adapted to the change in position of the vehicle seat by means of the adjusting device.

It is common for vehicle seats in vehicles to be repositionable. For example, they are adapted to the size of the occupants, especially the driver, so that a safe and comfortable driving style is possible. For autonomous driving, the seating position can be changed to a much greater extent, for example to adopt a relaxed seating position, since in this case it is not necessary to operate the steering wheel. Nevertheless, it is necessary or desirable that the operating elements for controlling the vehicle devices can still be reached, for example if the multimedia device is to be operated.

The displacement of the vehicle seat can therefore be linked to the displacement of the controls. The operating element is preferably displaced on the displacement device along the displacement direction of the vehicle seat. If, for example, the driver's seat is moved backwards during autonomous driving, the control element also automatically moves backwards. The previously selected setting of the adjustment device and thus the position of the operating device relative to the occupant is retained. A smaller person can therefore still easily reach the control unit, which was previously adjusted to their size, even after the seat has been moved. The occupant can thus still operate the control element comfortably from the new position. When the seat position is shifted, the position of the control element does not have to be adjusted again to the respective occupant. This leads to more convenient operation, for example when changing frequently from autonomous to non-autonomous driving mode. Furthermore, it is ensured that at least one of the redundant controls can also be used in a z. B. far back offset position is easily accessible.

In the method according to the invention, a display surface arranged in the interior of the vehicle displays operating information via a man-machine interface, several redundant operating elements of an operating device are arranged in the interior of the vehicle and an operating action executed with one of the redundant operating elements is recorded. This is visualized on the display area and the vehicle equipment is controlled based on the recorded operator action.

The method according to the invention serves in particular to implement the system according to the invention. It has the same advantages as the system according to the invention.

During the use of a vehicle, the method according to the invention ensures that at least one occupant can control the available vehicle devices from a variety of seating positions in a particularly convenient manner.

According to a development of the method according to the invention, the position and the line of sight of the eyes of a vehicle occupant are detected and a button displayed by the display device is determined, to which the line of sight of the vehicle occupant's eyes is directed, with the specific button for further operation using one of the redundant operating elements is marked.

The detection of the position and line of sight of the vehicle occupant's eyes enables a further possibility of operating the buttons on the display surface in addition to operating them with the operating elements. The methods are preferably used in combination one after the other. The occupant can quickly and easily activate the display device by detecting the line of sight and/or make an initial selection of the buttons for the vehicle device to be operated. He then uses one of the redundant operating elements assigned to him for the fine selection, since smaller buttons, for example, can be selected better with these. By pressing, for example pressing the operator nelements, the selected button is activated.

• 1 zeigt ein Ausführungsbeispiel des erfindungsgemäßen Fahrzeugs mit einer Bedien- und Anzeigeeinrichtung und
• 2 zeigt eine Innenansicht des Ausführungsbeispiels des erfindungsgemäßen Fahrzeugs.

The invention will now be explained using exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings.

• 1 shows an embodiment of the vehicle according to the invention with an operating and display device and
• 2 shows an interior view of the embodiment of the vehicle according to the invention.

First, an embodiment of the vehicle according to the invention with reference to the 1 and 2 explained:

The vehicle 1 includes a plurality of sliding vehicle seats 9 with variable seating positions for the occupants of the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 also includes a plurality of vehicle devices 6 and an operating device 2 with a control unit 7 for controlling the vehicle devices 6 by the occupant(s).

For this purpose, the operating device 2 comprises a plurality of redundant operating elements 8 for an occupant, e.g. B. the driver. They are assigned to the vehicle seat 9 of this occupant. One of the controls 8 for the driver is arranged on the steering wheel 12, two more are arranged on the left and right of the vehicle seat 9 of the driver. The controls 8, which are assigned to the other vehicle seats 9, are located on the left and right of the vehicle seats 9 of the occupants. The operating elements 8 each assigned to a vehicle seat are redundant, ie they can all achieve the same functional effect with regard to the control of the vehicle devices 6 .

In the exemplary embodiment described here, the operating elements 8 are trackballs, which are additionally equipped with a pressing function. In a further exemplary embodiment, the operating elements 8 can also be multimodal; in this case, a trackball is attached to the steering wheel 12 and a rotary pushbutton is attached to the side of the vehicle seat 9.

In addition, the operating device 2 also includes a gaze tracking unit 13. This detects the position and line of sight of the eyes of a vehicle occupant and determines a button 14 on the display device 3 to which the line of sight of the vehicle occupant's eyes is directed.

The lateral operating elements 8 are installed in the vehicle 1 in a fixed but movable manner. The side controls 8 next to the vehicle seat 9 of the driver are mounted on an adjustment device 10 for adjusting the position of the respective control element 8. The adjustment device 10 allows the position to be changed forwards and backwards, to the left and right and pivoting of the control element 8.

A displacement device 11 is attached to the adjustment device 10, on which the operating element 8 can be displaced via a rail. The operating element 8 is displaced on the rail along the displacement direction of the vehicle seat. The displacement device 11 is coupled to the vehicle seat 9 in order to also displace the position of the operating element 8 when the position of the vehicle seat 9 changes.

The operating device 2 and thus the operating elements 8 are coupled to a display device 3 which has a display surface 4 . This provides the occupants with a human-machine interface for operating the vehicle devices 6 . The display area 4 has several partial areas. Buttons 14 are displayed on the display area 4, with which operator actions for the operation of vehicle devices 6 are visualized.

The buttons 14 are selected by one of the redundant operating elements 8 or the gaze tracking unit 13. The button can initially only be identified or marked; the selection can then be made using the pusher of a control element 8 . The selection is then sent to the control unit 7, which controls the vehicle device 6.

• In einem ersten Schritt S1 stellt der Fahrer seinen Fahrzeugsitz 9 zum Fahren des Fahrzeugs 1 in eine aufrechte Sitzposition. Durch das Einstellen der Position des Fahrzeugsitzes 9 werden die Bedienelemente 8 links und rechts des Fahrzeugsitzes 9 automatisch auf einer Schiene mit verschoben, sie befinden sich nun auch im vorderen Bereich, sodass sie für den Fahrer komfortabel zu erreichen sind. Da der Fahrer relativ klein ist, erhöht er die Position der Bedienelemente 8 mit Hilfe der Verstelleinrichtung 10, zudem schwenkt er das Bedienelement 8 mit der Verstelleinrichtung 10 näher an den Fahrzeugsitz 9 heran.

An exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention is explained below, with further details of the exemplary embodiment of the vehicle according to the invention being described:

• In a first step S1 the driver places his vehicle seat 9 in an upright sitting position for driving the vehicle 1 . By adjusting the position of the vehicle seat 9, the controls 8 are automatically moved to the left and right of the vehicle seat 9 on a rail; they are now also in the front area, so that the driver can easily reach them. Since the driver is relatively small, he increases the position of the operating elements 8 with the aid of the adjusting device 10, and he also pivots the operating element 8 with the adjusting device 10 closer to the vehicle seat 9.

In a second step S2, the driver would like to start the music while driving. To do this, he uses the trackball on the steering wheel 12 to turn off the button 14 for music on the display area 4 choose. Alternatively, he could also have used the redundant operating elements 8 on the left and right of his vehicle seat 9, but the operating element 8 on the steering wheel 12 is easier for the occupant to operate during the driving situation. By selecting the button 14 using the trackball, a signal is sent to the control unit 7, which activates the music.

In a third step S3, the driver switches to autonomous driving mode. Since it is no longer necessary to operate the steering wheel 12, he pushes the vehicle seat 9 far back to make the seating position more comfortable. Since the displacement of the vehicle seat 9 is coupled to the displacement device 11 of the operating elements 8 on the left and right of the vehicle seat 9, these automatically move backwards into a new position that can be comfortably reached from the new seating position.

In a fourth step S4, the driver would like to search for the nearest charging station for the electric vehicle used in this exemplary embodiment. Because of the new seating position, he can no longer comfortably reach for the trackball on the steering wheel 12 . He therefore looks at the “charging station” button 14 on the display area 4. The eye tracking unit 13 detects the position and viewing direction of the driver's eyes and uses this to determine the button 14 on the display area 4 that the driver is currently looking at. The gaze tracking unit 13 sends a signal to the control unit 7 which controls the display device 3 . The button 14 for searching for charging stations is then now marked with a light border on the display area 4 . The driver is left-handed and therefore uses the control element 8 on the left side of his vehicle seat 9 in the following; alternatively, he could also have used the control element 8 on the right side, or even that on the steering wheel 12 .

The operating element 8 to the left of the vehicle seat 9 is a trackball with an additional pressing function. In a fifth step S5, the driver uses the trackball to select the previously marked button 14 for searching for charging stations by pressing the trackball. With the help of the trackball, he can now navigate in the open program using a cursor and search for the desired charging station.

The control element 8 is particularly easy for the driver to reach, since an adjustment to the size and preferences of the driver was made using the adjustment device 10 before the journey and the new seating position of the driver was taken into account using the displacement device 11 .

In a seventh step S7, the passenger would like to change the music being played in parallel. The front passenger has also moved his vehicle seat 9 backwards and taken up a comfortable sitting position. Using the gaze tracking unit 13, he selects the button 14 for music. The display area 4 is divided into two sub-areas, one for the driver to select charging stations and another for the passenger to select music. The right-handed passenger uses the trackball on the right side of the vehicle seat 9 to select a new performer. The music system is controlled by the control unit 7 so that the selected artist is played.

Reference List

1

vehicle

2

operating device

3

display device

4

display area

6

in-vehicle equipment

7

control unit

8th

controls

9

vehicle seats

10

adjusting device

11

sliding device

12

steering wheel

13

Gaze Tracking Unit

14

button

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• US20200218488A1 [0006]
• US20120174004A1 [0007]
• US20170350718A1 [0008]

Claims (10)

Vehicle (1) with an operating device (2) and a display device (3), wherein the display device (3) comprises a display surface (4) arranged in the interior of the vehicle (1) for providing a man-machine interface, with the operating device (2) Vehicle devices (6) can be controlled and the operating device (2) is coupled to the display device (3) in order to visualize operating actions carried out by means of the operating device (2), characterized in that the operating device (2) has a number of redundant operating elements ( 8), wherein the same operator action can be performed with each of the redundant operator controls (8). device after claim 1 , characterized in that several vehicle seats (9) are arranged in the interior of the vehicle (1) and the redundant operating elements (8) are assigned to one of the vehicle seats (9). device after claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that one of the redundant operating elements (8) is mounted in the interior of the vehicle (1) by means of an adjusting device (10) such that the position of one operating element (8) can be adjusted by means of the adjusting device (10). device after claim 3 , characterized in that the adjustment device (10) has a displacement device (11) on which one operating element (8) can be displaced. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one of the operating elements (8) is a trackball. Device according to one of claims 2 until 5 , characterized in that redundant operating elements (8) are arranged on the steering wheel (12) and on the left and right of one of the vehicle seats (9). Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the operating device (2) comprises a gaze tracking unit (13) for detecting the position and the viewing direction of the eyes of a vehicle occupant, the operating device (2) being designed to use one of the display device (3) to determine displayed button (14) to which the line of sight of the vehicle occupant's eyes is directed. Device according to one of claims 3 until 7 , characterized in that the position of the vehicle seat (9) can be changed and the position of the operating elements (8) can be adapted to the change in position of the vehicle seat (9) by means of the adjusting device (10). Method for operating a vehicle device (6) of a vehicle (1), in which a display surface (4) arranged in the interior of the vehicle (1) displays operating information via a human-machine interface (5), several redundant operating elements (8) of an operating device (2) are arranged in the interior of the vehicle (1) and an operating action carried out with one of the redundant operating elements (8) is recorded, which is visualized on the display area (4), and the vehicle device (6) is controlled based on the detected operator action. procedure after claim 9 , characterized in that the position and the line of sight of a vehicle occupant's eyes are detected and a button (14) displayed by the display device (3) is determined, to which the line of sight of the vehicle occupant's eyes is directed, the specific button (14) is marked for further operation by means of one of the redundant operating elements (8).

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