US 2013/0239732 A1Published application

System for driver-vehicle interaction

AssigneeVolvo Car Corporation

InventorsMikael Gordh, Risto Vahtra

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Abstract

A system for driver-vehicle interaction has a soft key arrangement located on a steering wheel and a display key arrangement located on a dashboard and having a layout corresponding to that of the soft key arrangement. The vehicle has multiple function modes each of which has a set of selectable options in order to affect a behavior of the vehicle. Each function mode is associated with a respective layout of the display key arrangement in order to display the set of options. For each function mode layout, each display key is illustrates and corresponds to a selectable option for each soft key. Actuation of the soft key arrangement both commands changes between the function modes and selects among the available selectable options within the chosen function mode.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A system for driver-vehicle interaction in a vehicle, comprising:

a soft key arrangement adapted for location proximate a steering wheel of the vehicle and having at least two soft keys, the soft key arrangement operatively controlling at least two function modes in a first set of vehicle system function modes, each of the function mode associated with a set of selectable options in order to affect a behavior of the vehicle in each function mode;
and
a display key arrangement adapted for location proximate a dashboard of the vehicle and having at least two display keys, the display key arrangement having a positional layout corresponding to a positional layout of the soft key arrangement, each function mode further being associated with a respective positional layout for the display key arrangement in order to display the set of selectable options, whereby, for each function mode positional layout, each display key is adapted to illustrate and correspond to a currently available selectable option of the set of selectable options for each soft key, such the soft key arrangement is actuatable to choose a desired one of the function modes and to select at least one of the currently available selectable options associated with the chosen function mode.

A system for driver-vehicle interaction in a vehicle, comprising a first and a second key arrangement, each key arrangement comprising a soft key arrangement and a corresponding display key arrangement, the soft key arrangements adapted for location proximate a steering wheel of the vehicle and the display key arrangements adapted for location proximate a dashboard of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle has function modes, each function mode being associated with a set of selectable options in order to affect a behavior of the vehicle in each function mode, the functions modes being grouped into a first set and a second set of function modes so as to form a group of related subjects between function modes within each one of the first and second set of function modes, the first key arrangement operatively controlling the first set of function modes and the second key arrangement operatively controlling the second set of function modes.

A system for driver-vehicle interaction in a vehicle, comprising:

a first soft key arrangement adapted for location on a first side of a steering wheel of the vehicle and having a plurality of soft keys actuatable by a driver to control a first plurality of function modes of the vehicle and to control at least one set of options selectable within each function mode of the first plurality;
a first display key arrangement adapted for location on a first side of a dashboard of the vehicle and having a plurality of display keys disposed in a positional layout corresponding to a positional layout of the soft keys of the first soft key arrangement, the first display key arrangement having a plurality of appearances associated with the respective function modes of the first plurality in order to display the set of selectable options such that each display key illustrates and corresponds to at least one of the set of selectable options associated with each soft key;
a second soft key arrangement adapted for location on a second side of a steering wheel of the vehicle and having a plurality of soft keys actuatable by a driver to control a second plurality of function modes of the vehicle and to control at least one set of options selectable within each function mode of the second plurality;
and
a second display key arrangement adapted for location on a second side of a dashboard of the vehicle and having a plurality of display keys disposed in a positional layout corresponding to a positional layout of the soft keys of the second soft key arrangement, the second display key arrangement having a plurality of appearances associated with the respective function modes of the second plurality in order to display the set of selectable options such that each display key illustrates and corresponds to at least one of the set of selectable options associated with each soft key.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/606,762Filed 7 Sep 2012
Priority: EP 11180894.512 Sep 2011
Published: 19 Sep 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

G05G 1/02
Controlling members, e.g. knobs or handles; Assemblies or arrangements thereof; Indicating position of controlling members: controlling members…
B60K 35/10
Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles: input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle,…
B60K 35/60
Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles: instruments characterised by their location or relative…
B60K 2360/11
Indexing scheme associated with groups B60K35/00 or B60K37/00 relating to details of instruments or dashboards: instrument graphical user…

Family

US 8,950,542 B2Related patent
US 2013/0239732 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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