WO2022179657A1

WO2022179657A1 - User interface, means of transport and steering wheel for a means of transport, having a transparent display device

Info

Publication number: WO2022179657A1
Application number: PCT/DE2022/100090
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thomas Hilger; Elisabeth Schmidt; Stefan Breitschaft; Felix Staudacher
Original assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
Priority date: 2021-02-23
Filing date: 2022-02-02
Publication date: 2022-09-01
Also published as: DE102021104330A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a user interface (12), to a means of transport and to a steering wheel (11) for a means of transport. The steering wheel comprises a steering wheel rim (1), an impact absorber (2) and a transparent display device (4), the display device (4) being arranged in a steering wheel spoke (3) connecting the impact absorber (2) to the steering wheel rim (1).

Description

User interface, means of transport and steering wheel for a means of transport with transparent

display device

description

The present invention relates to a user interface, a means of transportation and a steering wheel for a means of transportation. In particular, the present invention relates to a possibility of preventing or reducing the covering of areas located behind a steering wheel by a steering wheel spoke.

At the driver's workplace in modern means of transport, instrument clusters or combination displays are usually arranged behind the steering wheel. Depending on the seating position/eye position of a user, the instrument cluster/combination display, shift paddles, steering column lever or an actuating device for adjusting the steering wheel can run the risk of being covered by the steering wheel rim and in particular the steering wheel spoke. The steering wheel spoke in particular covers the instrument cluster depending on the current steering angle. For this reason, the steering wheel spokes are usually arranged at the 3 o'clock position, the 6 o'clock position and the 9 o'clock position so that they do not cover the instrument cluster/combination display when driving straight ahead.

In addition, steering wheels of modern vehicles are provided with a large number of operating elements and sometimes also display elements. Such multifunction steering wheels (MFL) use the steering wheel spokes and sometimes also the impact absorber to receive user inputs.

Furthermore, transparent display devices are known in the prior art, as shown for example in US 2015/0009189A1, WO 2010/131735A1, WO 2018/141823A1, US 6,308,444B1, US 2010/137033A and KR 2016/0041235A. US 2010/137033A1 and CN 106994946A show user interfaces with a sensor system for determining the finger position or localization in the vehicle context.

Proceeding from the aforementioned prior art, it is an object of the present invention to improve the presentation of information technology at the driver's workplace and to alleviate the restrictions on the visual design of a driver's workplace.

The aforementioned object is achieved according to the invention by a steering wheel for a means of locomotion. The means of transportation can be, for example, a passenger car, a transporter, a truck, an aircraft and/or water vehicle. The steering wheel has a steering wheel rim and an impact absorber. A transparent display device is arranged in a steering wheel spoke between the impact absorber and the steering wheel rim. The display device can have a matrix display, for example. Alternatively or additionally, the display device can have a display surface which is embedded in a transparent base body. The display surface can, for example, be designed in such a way that it is designed to be self-illuminating or reflective. In particular, indirect lighting of the display area can reveal a predefined structure within the transparent display device. The display surface can have a number of levels, which in particular can be set up to be illuminated by different indirect lighting means. In this way, depending on information to be displayed or an input option to be made available for selection, a corresponding light source can be activated in the steering wheel. In order to display different states, elements of the display device can be illuminated using different colors and/or using an intensity that varies over time. In particular, depending on the state of the steering wheel or the means of transportation, a highly transparent state can be activated for the transparent display device, in which, for example, all lighting devices for optically highlighting elements contained in the display area are switched off. Elements located behind the steering wheel according to the invention, in particular the combination instrument and/or the combination display, can thus be viewed by the user/driver in the best possible way.

The dependent claims show preferred developments of the invention. In particular, the display device can represent an area within a window in the steering wheel spoke or form the entire steering wheel spoke. In other words, the steering wheel spoke is partially or completely transparent and at least partially set up to display information/icons and/or optional content by means of a transparent display. This increases the user's ability to see behind-the-wheel elements and surface areas.

The display device can preferably include a transparent digitizer, in particular a transparent touch screen. In other words, the display device configured in this way can determine a position of a finger or thumb placed on the display device. As an alternative or in addition, a mechanical determination of the pressure exerted by the user on the display device can be provided. In connection with the position of the finger or thumb determined via the transparent digitizer, the user's operating intention with regard to a symbol displayed within the display device or a correspondingly marked button can be determined.

The display device can preferably also be set up, depending on a rotational position of the steering wheel, to display a display content at a position of the display unit that is predefined for the rotational position. In other words, for example, a spatial position of the display content with respect to the means of transportation is recorded while the display device rotates together with the steering wheel. Thus, the user can always optically grasp the display content at one and the same position and, in particular, also operate it there while the steering wheel is being turned. This requires a high-resolution rotational position detection of the steering wheel, which is determined anyway in modern steering systems for steering assistance. Alternatively or additionally, the rotational position of the steering wheel can also be detected using a camera. This increases the ergonomics of the steering wheel proposed according to the invention and can reduce the user's reaction time until successful detection or operation of a display content.

Alternatively or additionally, the display device can be set up to display a display content or an operating element at a position predefined for the hand position, depending on the hand position of the user of the steering wheel. In other words, becomes sensory current position of a left or a right hand of the user is detected. This can be done, for example, using a camera or using a contact signature of the user's tissue on a sensor surface (eg digitizer or capacitive sensor in the steering wheel rim). Depending on the position of the hand, the position for displaying a display content or operating element on the transparent display device can now be defined automatically. In particular, before a curve or when driving through a long curve (on the freeway or a freeway entrance), the user can grip the steering wheel in an ergonomic position and still find the display/controls in the position relative to his hand position in which he also has them usually found when driving straight ahead. A so-called "blind operation" can therefore also take place in ergonomically challenging situations.

In particular, it can be provided that the display elements/control elements shown on the transparent display device are shown with reduced intensity in predefined areas or in predefined rotational positions of the steering wheel. In particular, it has proven to be advantageous to reduce the opacity/intensity of the display/control elements in the area between a user's eye position and a combination display/combination instrument of a driver's workplace or to switch off their display completely. In this way, the information displayed in the instrument cluster can be captured by the user in the best possible way through the transparent display device. For this purpose, the user's eye position can be continuously detected by a camera or by other suitable sensors and the display of the transparent display device can be adjusted in terms of intensity whenever the transparent display device is arranged in front of the instrument cluster from the user's point of view.

Of course, the aforementioned reduction in intensity can also be predefined independently of the user's eye position. In particular, those areas of the transparent display device that are in a predefined spatial relationship with respect to the combination display can always be switched to be transparent or no display/control elements can be displayed on them.

Preferably, a priority of a display content shown on the instrument cluster (e.g. in connection with a priority of a transparent display device) decide whether the intensity of the display content shown on the transparent display device should be reduced or whether it should be switched off entirely (possibly locally). Thus, important messages in the instrument cluster can be recorded undisturbed by the user.

The display device can preferably extend over at least two steering wheel spokes. Here, one (e.g. the left) steering wheel spoke, as is known in the prior art, can concentrate on displaying/receiving information relating to driving the vehicle, while the other (e.g. the right) steering wheel spoke controls the operation of the infotainment system and the output of information from the same.

The two steering wheel spokes can in particular be connected to one another or merge into one another by means of an uninterrupted transparent display as the display device. This transparent display device can have polycarbonate and/or polyacrylic and have targeted impurities for scattering the light at predefined positions. Irrespective of the selected base material of the display device, these impurities can be introduced as foreign bodies or be produced subsequently, for example through the use of lasers.

Optionally, the transparent display device can also at least partially enclose the impact absorber. Preferably, the impact absorber can also be bordered without interruption by the transparent display device in order to enlarge the display surface that is available. As a result, the areas of the display device adjoining the steering wheel rim can be made slimmer, which can make handling the steering wheel rim easier.

The display device can preferably be set up, depending on a detected body part which is currently in contact with the surface of the display device, to detect an input intention of the user or not to detect this at the moment. For example, a fingertip or finger on the display may imply an intention to operate, while touching with a palm of the hand may imply an accidental touch. In other words, a touch of a first type at a location is taken to prompt the display of a control or understood as user input, while a touch of a second type occurs same position of the display device is not interpreted as user input or does not lead to the display of the operating element. Accidental triggering of a function or undesired display of display/control elements can thus be effectively prevented.

Particularly preferably, the display device can be set up to output haptic feedback in response to a predefined touch, in particular a predefined pressure level. This can be done, for example, by means of an electromotive shaker (e.g. a piezo motor, an electrodynamic shaker, etc.) or by means of a conventional, elastically mounted surface, which allows a predefined, "crisp" pressure point to be felt.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a user interface is proposed which has a steering wheel and a sensor. The steering wheel is designed according to the above statements. The sensor is used to determine an eye position of a user and/or a rotational position of the steering wheel and/or a hand position of a user. In this way, the user interface can adapt/cause/switch off a display on the display device depending on information supplied by the sensor. The features, feature combinations and the resulting advantages of the user interface according to the invention correspond to those of the first-mentioned aspect of the invention in such a way that, to avoid repetition, reference is made to the above explanations.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a means of locomotion is proposed which has a steering wheel according to the first-mentioned aspect of the invention or a user interface according to the second-mentioned aspect of the invention. The means of transportation can be designed as a car, van, motorcycle, truck, aircraft and/or water vehicle. With regard to the means of transport, too, the features, combinations of features and advantages result in a corresponding manner.

Further details, features and advantages of the invention result from the following description and the figures. Show it:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective representation of a driver's workplace of a means of transportation designed according to the invention; FIG. 2 shows a sectional side view of an exemplary embodiment of a steering wheel according to the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a steering wheel designed according to the invention with a transparent display device completely enclosing the impact absorber;

FIG. 4 shows a plan view of a driver's workplace as a user interface designed according to the invention with a variable appearance depending on a steering angle;

FIG. 5 shows a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a steering wheel designed according to the invention with two separate, non-transparent, transparent display devices;

FIG. 6 shows a plan view of an operating situation of the steering wheel shown in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 shows a top view of a “non-operating situation” of the steering wheel shown in FIG.

FIG. 1 shows a user at a driver's workplace 12 of a passenger car 10 designed according to the invention as a means of transportation, who holds the steering wheel rim 1 of a steering wheel 11 designed according to the invention at the 3 o'clock position and at the 9 o'clock position. A transparent display device 4 is provided as a steering wheel spoke 3 between an impact absorber 2 and a 12 o'clock position. An instrument cluster 6 is arranged behind the display device 4 . An interior camera 8 is used to determine the position of the user's eyes and, depending on predefined information about the current position of the steering wheel 11 and the instrument cluster 6, a decision is made as to whether the content currently displayed on the display device 4 threatens the user's ability to view the instrument cluster 6 to thwart. In the position shown, a displayed display content would be superimposed on information displayed on the instrument cluster 6 . Therefore, depending on the steering angle, the transparent display device 4 can be brought into a temporary state in which it appears as transparent as possible.

Figure 2 shows a sectional side view of a driver's workplace 12 of a car 10, in which both in the 6 o'clock position and in the 12 o'clock position Position a transparent display device 4 connects the impact absorber 2 to the steering wheel rim 1 . A user would thus always have to see the instrument cluster 6 at least partially through the transparent display device 4 above the impact absorber 2 while the passenger car 10 is traveling straight ahead.

FIG. 3 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a steering wheel 11 designed according to the invention, in which the steering wheel rim 1 is suspended as a transparent display device 4 by a shaped element surrounding the impact head 2 . The steering wheel rim 1 is connected to the transparent display device 4 at the 3 o'clock position, the 6 o'clock position and the 9 o'clock position. In the remaining areas, the impact absorber 2 is surrounded by a structure of the transparent display device 4 in the shape of a circular ring, on which optional content can be displayed and/or user inputs can be received by touching the touch-sensitive surface (not shown separately).

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of a user interface 12 designed according to the invention, in which the steering wheel 11 has two transparent display devices 4 which are each arranged at the 3 o'clock position and at the 9 o'clock position and each have a linear upper edge and a linear lower edge. In the position shown with solid lines (driving straight ahead), a display element 5 is shown with high intensity, for example, since it does not overlay any information displayed in the instrument cluster 6 at this position. After turning the steering wheel 11 according to the double arrow P, the right-hand transparent display device 4 reaches the 12 o'clock position, so that the display content 5' is superimposed on the display of the instrument cluster 6. In order not to prevent the user from viewing the instrument cluster 6, the display content 5' is shown here with reduced intensity. After leaving the 12 o'clock position, the display content 5' can be displayed again with increased intensity, provided it is ensured that there is a high probability that no information behind it is overlaid in a disadvantageous manner.

FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of a steering wheel 11 designed according to the invention, in which two transparent display devices arranged at the 3 o'clock position and the 9 o'clock position are framed by non-transparent components of the two steering wheel spokes 3 . The non-transparent areas of the steering wheel spokes 3 allow easy routing of electrical lines for shaker as a signal generator or Steering wheel heating devices and information lines for sensors to determine the fact that a hand of the user contacts the steering wheel rim 1 / includes.

FIG. 6 shows the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 4, in which an interior camera 8 detects the hand 7 of the user at a 12 o'clock position. In order to enable a particularly ergonomic operation of the display content 5, it is also determined that the user's thumb extends over that area of the transparent display device 4 in which the display content 5 is also displayed on the transparent display device 4 when driving straight ahead (but then on the 3 o'clock position). Since there is now a high probability that the user will want to operate the display content 5, the display content 5 is shown with conventional or increased intensity, although it overlays the content of the instrument cluster (not shown). Thus, depending on the operating situation, the optical detection of the display content 5 is given preference over an unrestricted view of the user in the instrument cluster.

FIG. 7 shows the arrangement shown in FIG. 6, in which the user places the thumb of his hand 7 on the steering wheel rim 1 . The ball of his hand touches the transparent display device 4 at the point where the display content 5 or 5' would normally be shown. By evaluating the image of the interior camera 8, the absence of an operating intention on the part of the user is determined and the display content 5 or 5' is not shown on the transparent display device 4. This is due to the fact that touching with the heel of the hand or the root of the thumb would be unusual for user inputs and would be too unspecific anyway to address one of the buttons of the display content 5 sufficiently clearly. Thus, accidental operation of the display content 5 by the user's hand in this situation is avoided.

The technological design of the transparent display device 4 can correspond to the state of the art mentioned at the outset or can take place in another way known to the person skilled in the art. Reference list:

1 steering wheel rim

2 baffles

3 steering wheel spoke

4 transparent indicator

5, 5' display content

6 instrument cluster

7 user's hand

8 interior camera

10 cars

11 steering wheel

12 User interface/driver's station

P double arrow

Claims

Patent Claims:

1. steering wheel for a means of transportation (10) comprising

• a steering wheel rim (1),

• an impact absorber (2) and

• a transparent display device (4), the display device (4) being arranged in a steering wheel spoke (3) connecting the impact absorber (2) to the steering wheel rim (1).

2. Steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the display device (4) forms the steering wheel spoke (3).

3. Steering wheel according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display device (4) comprises a transparent digitizer, in particular a transparent touch screen.

4. Steering wheel according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the display device (4) is set up, depending on a rotational position of the steering wheel (11), a display content (5), in particular an operating element, at a predefined position on the transparent display device that has been modified by information technology for the rotational position (4) to display.

5. Steering wheel according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the display device (4) is set up, depending on a hand position of a user of the steering wheel (11) to display a display content (5), in particular a control element, at a position predefined for the hand position.

6. Steering wheel according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the display device (4) is set up to display a display content (5), in particular a control element, in areas between a user's eye position and a combination display (6) or combination instrument of a driver's workplace with a reduced intensity .

7. Steering wheel according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the display device (4) extends over at least two steering wheel spokes (3), in particular continuously.

8. Steering wheel according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the display device (4) borders the impact absorber (2), in particular continuously.

9. Steering wheel according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the display device (4) is set up to display a control element in response to a predefined first type of touch by a hand (7) of a user at a position of the display device (4) and in response to a predefined second type of touch by the user's hand at the position of the display device (4) does not display the operating element.

10. Steering wheel according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the display device (4) is set up to output haptic feedback in response to a predefined touch, in particular a predefined pressure.

11. User interface comprising a steering wheel (11) according to any one of the preceding claims and a sensor (8) for determining

- an eye position of a user and/or

- a turning position of the steering wheel and/or

- A hand position of a user, the user interface (12) being set up to adapt a display on the display device (4) as a function of information supplied by the sensor (8).

12. Means of locomotion comprising a steering wheel according to any one of claims 1 to 10 and/or a user interface (12) according to claim 11.