U.S. patent application number 09/814233 was filed with the patent office on 2002-09-26 for dynamic human-machine interface device and method.
Invention is credited to Bergmann, Carsten, Oberschachtsiek, Andre.
Application Number | 20020138178 09/814233 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25214492 |
Filed Date | 2002-09-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020138178 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bergmann, Carsten ; et
al. |
September 26, 2002 |
Dynamic human-machine interface device and method
Abstract
A dynamic HMI device includes an interface section, which is
configured to display an interface of at least one applet
configured to control at least one function of a motor vehicle. The
dynamic HMI device further includes a memory unit, which includes:
a first memory section configured to store data representing at
least one vehicle-specific parameter; a second memory section
configured to store data for each of a plurality of vehicles
representing a respective appearance of the at least one applet;
and a third memory section configured to store data representing at
least one application, each application corresponding to a
respective applet. The interface section is configured to display
the interface of the at least one applet in accordance with one of
the plurality of vehicles corresponding to the vehicle-specific
parameter represented by the data stored in the first memory
section. A method for providing a dynamic human-machine interface
includes the steps of: storing data representing at least one
vehicle-specific parameter in a first memory section of a memory
unit; storing data for each of a plurality of vehicles representing
a respective appearance of at least one applet in a second memory
section of the memory unit; storing data representing at least one
application in a third memory section of the memory unit, each
application corresponding to a respective applet; reading the data
from the first memory section; reading the data from the second
memory section representing the appearance of the at least one
applet corresponding to one of the plurality of vehicles in
accordance with the data read from the first memory section;
reading the data from the third memory section corresponding to the
at least one applet; and displaying the interface of the at least
one applet corresponding to the one of the plurality of vehicles in
accordance with the data read from the first, second and third
memory sections.
Inventors: |
Bergmann, Carsten;
(Campbell, CA) ; Oberschachtsiek, Andre; (Gifhorn,
DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KENYON & KENYON
ONE BROADWAY
NEW YORK
NY
10004
US
|
Family ID: |
25214492 |
Appl. No.: |
09/814233 |
Filed: |
March 21, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
701/1 ;
701/31.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60R 16/0231
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
701/1 ;
701/33 |
International
Class: |
G06F 019/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A dynamic human-machine interface device, comprising: an
interface section, the interface section being configured to
display an interface of at least one applet, the applet being
configured to control at least one function of a motor vehicle; and
a memory unit, the memory unit including: a first memory section
configured to store data representing at least one vehicle-specific
parameter; a second memory section configured to store data for
each of a plurality of vehicles representing a respective
appearance of the at least one applet; and a third memory section
configured to store data representing at least one application,
each application corresponding to a respective applet; wherein the
interface section is configured to display the interface of the at
least one applet in accordance with one of the plurality of
vehicles corresponding to the at least one vehicle-specific
parameter represented by the data stored in the first memory
section.
2. The dynamic human-machine interface device according to claim 1,
further comprising a data processing unit configured to execute the
at least one applet.
3. The dynamic human-machine interface device according to claim 1,
further comprising at least one output device.
4. The dynamic human-machine interface device according to claim 1,
further comprising at least one input device.
5. The dynamic human-machine interface device according to claim 1,
wherein the first memory section, the second memory section and the
third memory section are provided in a motor vehicle.
6. The dynamic human-machine interface device according to claim 1,
wherein at least one of the first memory section, the second memory
section and the third memory section is provided in a motor vehicle
and at least one of the first memory section, the second memory
section and the third memory section is provided external to the
motor vehicle.
7. The dynamic human-machine interface device according to claim 6,
further comprising a server device configured to communicate
between the interface section and the at least one of the first
memory section, the second memory section and the third memory
section provided external to the motor vehicle.
8. The dynamic human-machine interface device according to claim 6,
wherein the first memory section and the third memory section are
provided in the motor vehicle and the second memory section is
provided external to the motor vehicle.
9. The dynamic human-machine interface device according to claim 8,
further comprising a server device configured to communicate
between the second memory section and the interface device.
10. The dynamic human-machine interface device according to claim
9, wherein the memory unit further comprises a fourth memory
section provided external to the motor vehicle, the server device
further configured to communicate between the fourth memory section
and the interface device.
11. The dynamic human-machine interface device according to claim
10, wherein the fourth memory section is configured to store data
representing at least one additional application, each additional
application corresponding to a respective applet.
12. A method for providing a dynamic human-machine interface,
comprising the steps of: storing data representing at least one
vehicle-specific parameter in a first memory section of a memory
unit; storing data for each of a plurality of vehicles representing
a respective appearance of at least one applet in a second memory
section of the memory unit; storing data representing at least one
application in a third memory section of the memory unit, each
application corresponding to a respective applet, each application
including at least one function; reading the data from the first
memory section; reading the data from the second memory section
representing the appearance of the at least one applet
corresponding to one of the plurality of vehicles in accordance
with the data read from the first memory section; reading the data
from the third memory section corresponding to the at least one
applet; and displaying the interface of the at least one applet
corresponding to the one of the plurality of vehicles in accordance
with the data read from the first, second and third memory
sections.
13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step
of providing an output via at least one output device.
14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step
of receiving an input via at least one input device.
15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the first memory
section, the second memory section and the third memory section are
provided in a motor vehicle.
16. The method according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the
first memory section, the second memory section and the third
memory section is provided in a motor vehicle, and at least one of
the first memory section, the second memory section and the third
memory section is provided external to the motor vehicle.
17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the first memory
section and the third memory section are provided in the motor
vehicle and the second memory section is provided external to the
motor vehicle.
18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step
of storing data representing at least one additional application in
a fourth memory section, the fourth memory section being provided
external to the motor vehicle, each additional application
corresponding to a respective applet.
19. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step
of adding data to at least one of the first memory section, the
second memory section and the third memory section.
20. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step
of revising the data stored in at least one of the first memory
section, the second memory section and the third memory section.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a dynamic human-machine
interface device and method.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
[0002] Static human-machine interface (HMI) devices and methods are
generally used in numerous applications, including automotive
applications. These static HMI devices and methods rely on a
hard-programmed display, which is directly and inseparably linked
to the application programs that operate the display. Such devices
and methods, therefore, cannot be used in combination with a
client/server architecture. Furthermore, software applications
written for operating these devices cannot generally be reused for
other devices.
[0003] It is therefore an object of the present invention to
provide a dynamic HMI device and method in which the application is
independent of the display.
[0004] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
dynamic HMI device and method in which the applications may be
displayed in accordance with a selective one of a plurality of
vehicles.
SUMMARY
[0005] The above and other beneficial objects of the present
invention are achieved by providing a dynamic HMI device and method
as described herein. In one embodiment, the dynamic HMI device
includes an interface section, which is configured to display an
interface of at least one applet configured to control at least one
function of a motor vehicle. The dynamic HMI device further
includes a memory unit, which includes: a first memory section
configured to store data representing a vehicle-specific parameter;
a second memory section configured to store, for each of a
plurality of vehicles, data representing a respective appearance of
the at least one applet; and a third memory section configured to
store data representing at least one application, each application
corresponding to a respective applet, each application including at
least one function. The interface section is configured to display
the interface of the at least one applet in accordance with one of
the plurality of vehicles corresponding to the vehicle-specific
parameter represented by the data stored in the first memory
section.
[0006] The method according to the present invention includes the
steps of: storing data representing at least one vehicle-specific
parameter in a first memory section of a memory unit; storing data
for each of a plurality of vehicles representing an appearance of
at least one applet in a second memory section of the memory unit;
storing data representing at least one application in a third
memory section of the memory unit, each application corresponding
to a respective applet, each application including at least one
function; reading the data from the first memory section; reading
the data from the second memory section representing the appearance
of the at least one applet corresponding to one of the plurality of
vehicles in accordance with the data read from the first memory
section; reading the data from the third memory section
corresponding to the at least one applet; and displaying the
interface of the at least one applet corresponding to the one of
the plurality of vehicles in accordance with the data read from the
first, second and third memory sections.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a first example embodiment of
a dynamic human-machine interface device according to the present
invention; and
[0008] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a second example embodiment of
the dynamic human-machine interface device according to the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] Those skilled in the art will gain an appreciation of the
present invention from a reading of the following description when
viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of FIGS. 1 and
2. The individual reference characters designate the same or
similar elements throughout the several views.
[0010] Referring to FIG. 1, there is seen a schematic view of a
first example embodiment of a dynamic human-machine interface
device 10 according to the present invention. The dynamic HMI
device 10 includes a memory unit, which includes a first memory
section 12, a second memory section 18 and a third memory section
34. The first memory section 12 is configured to store data
representing at least one vehicle-specific parameter, such as, for
example, data representing a make, a model, a trim level, an option
package, etc. of a vehicle, e.g., an automobile. It should be
understood that although FIG. 1 illustrates that the first memory
section 12 is configured to store the vehicle-specific parameter
corresponding to one of three vehicle v.sub.1, v.sub.2, v.sub.3,
the first memory section 12 may be configured to store data
representing the vehicle-specific parameter corresponding to one of
any number of vehicles. The first memory section 12 may store the
data representing the vehicle-specific parameter in accordance with
an XSL (eXtensible Stylesheet Language) standard. The dynamic HMI
device 10 also includes a transform section 16, which may be
configured, for example, according to an XSLT (eXtensible
Stylesheet Language Transformation) function. The transform section
16 is configured to read the data from the first memory section 12
via line 14.
[0011] The second memory section 18 is configured to store first
data 28, second data 30 and third data 32. The first data 28
represents a generic HMI, the second data 30 represents a
definition of an applet appearance, as more fully described below,
and the third data 32 represents a destination link, as also more
fully described below. The second memory section 18 may be
configured to store the first data 28, the second data 30 and/or
the third data 32 in accordance with an XML (eXtensible Markup
Language) standard. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the transform section
16 is configured to read the first data 28 from the second memory
section 18 via line 38.
[0012] The dynamic HMI device includes a browser section 22. The
transform section 16, which, as indicated above, is configured to
read the data from the first memory section 12 and from the second
memory section 18, is further configured to output data to the
browser section 22 via line 20. The transform section 16 may be
configured to output data to the browser section 22 in accordance
with an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) standard.
[0013] The browser section 22 is configured to read the second data
30 from the second memory section 18 via line 40 and to output to
the second memory section 18 via the line 40. As indicated above,
the second data 30 may include data representing the definition of
an applet appearance. Thus, the browser section 22 displays an
applet 24 in accordance with the second data 30 read from the
second memory section 18. The second data 30 may include data
representing the definition of a plurality of applet appearances,
each applet appearance corresponding to a respective one of the
plurality of vehicles representable by the data stored in the first
memory section 12. Thus, the browser section 22 may be configured
to read the second data 30 stored in the second memory section 18
in accordance with the data read from the first memory section 12
by the transform section 16.
[0014] The applet 24 may include interface elements, such as, for
example, buttons. The applet 24 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes four
buttons 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d. It should be appreciated that any
appropriate number of interface elements may be provided. Each
interface element, such as the buttons 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d, may
correspond to a predetermined function and/or to a predetermined
link. The second memory section 18 stores the second data 32, which
represent the destination links or functions corresponding to the
interface elements. The browser section 22 is configured to read
the third data 32 from the second memory section 18 via line 42.
The browser section 22 may be configured to read the second data 30
from the second memory section 18, output to the second memory
section 18 and/or read the third data 32 from the second memory
section via the lines 40, 42 in accordance with a DOM (Document
Object Model) standard.
[0015] The dynamic HMI device 10 further includes a third memory
section 34, which is configured to store data representing a
plurality of applications A.sub.1, A.sub.2, A.sub.3, each including
at least one function. It should be appreciated that although FIG.
1 illustrates the third memory section 34 storing data representing
three applications A.sub.1, A.sub.2, A.sub.3, the third memory
section 34 may be configured to store data representing any
appropriate number of applications. The applications A.sub.1,
A.sub.2, A.sub.3 may include, for example, an audio control
application, a navigation application, an e-mail application, etc.
The data representing the applications A.sub.1, A.sub.2, A.sub.3
may be stored in the third memory section 34 in the form of, for
example, JAVA code. The browser section 22 is configured to
communicate with the third memory section 34 via line 36. It should
be appreciated that a data processing unit (CPU) 44 may be provided
to control the functions of the dynamic HMI device 10 via line 46
and that at least one input device may be provided for receiving an
input from a user. The input device may include, for example, a
touch screen, a mouse, a keyboard, a voice input device, etc.
Furthermore, at least one output device may be provided for
providing an output to the user. The output device may include, for
example, a display device, an audio output device, etc.
[0016] By providing data representing the applet appearance in the
second data 30 of the second memory section 18 for each of a
plurality of vehicles v.sub.1, v.sub.2, v.sub.3, one of which is
corresponds to the data stored in the first memory section 12,
along with data representing the generic HMI in the first data 28
of the second memory section 18, the dynamic HMI device 10
according to the present invention may display the applications
A.sub.1, A.sub.2, A.sub.3 in accordance with the vehicle v.sub.1,
v.sub.2, v.sub.3 in which the dynamic HMI device 10 is installed
based on the vehicle-specific parameter represented by the data
stored in the first memory section 12.
[0017] The first data 28 of the second memory section 18 may
include data representing, for example, images, text, background
graphics, etc. The data stored in the first memory section 12 may
define, for example, the appearance of the applet 24 that is
vehicle-specific and independent of the applications A.sub.1,
A.sub.2, A.sub.3 represented by the data stored in the third memory
section 34. Thus, the applications A.sub.1, A.sub.2, A.sub.3, when
being executed as applets 24 by the browser section 22, appear in a
common format in accordance with the data representing the
vehicle-specific parameter stored in the first memory section 12.
Thus, a corporate identity, for example, may be maintained for all
applications A.sub.1, A.sub.2, A.sub.3 corresponding to each
vehicle v.sub.1, v.sub.2, v.sub.3. That is, each application
A.sub.1, A.sub.2, A.sub.3 may be executed and displayed by the
browser section 22 according to vehicle model line, brand line,
trim level, option package, etc.
[0018] It should be appreciated that any one or more of the first
memory section 12, the second memory section 18 and the third
memory section 34 may be integrated into a single logical or
physical memory unit, such as, for example, an electronic memory
device, a magnetic memory device, an optical memory device, a
magneto-optical memory device, etc. Any one or more of the first
memory section 12, the second memory section 18 and the third
memory section 34 may be wholly or partially removable,
semipermanent, permanent, etc. Furthermore, any one or more of the
first memory section 12, the second memory section 18 and the third
memory section 34 may be installed in the vehicle in which the
dynamic HMI device 10 is installed or located remotely
therefrom.
[0019] Referring to FIG. 2, there is seen a schematic view of a
second example embodiment of the dynamic HMI device 10'. In FIG. 2,
like elements are noted with an accompanying prime. As illustrated
in FIG. 2, the dynamic HMI device 10' includes a first memory
section 12', a browser section 22', a third memory section 34' and
a CPU 44'. The CPU 44' communicates with the browser section 22'
via line 46', the browser section 22' communicates with first
memory section 12' via line 14', and the browser section 22'
communicates with third memory section 34' via line 36'. These
components are illustrated as being provided in vehicle 100.
External to vehicle 100 is an infrastructure 102, which includes a
server device 48 configured to communicate with the browser section
22' via request line 50 and via response line 52. The server device
48 may include, for example, a web server, and the request line 50
and response line 52 may be configured as wireless communication
lines, such as, for example, RF communication lines. The server
device 48 is further configured to communicate with a logic unit 54
via line 56, and the logic unit 54 is configured to communicate
with second memory section 18' via line 58. The second memory
section 18' is configured to store the first data 28', the second
data 30' and the third data 32', as more fully described above. The
browser section 22' is configured to communicate with the second
memory section 18' via the server device 48 and logic device 54.
The infrastructure 102 further includes a fourth memory section 60,
which is configured to communicate with the logic unit 54 via line
62. The fourth memory section 60 may be configured to store data
representing, for example, additional or revised applications
A.sub.4, A.sub.5, A.sub.6. Thus, it should be appreciated that the
dynamic HMI device 10' may provide access to the applications
A.sub.1, A.sub.2, A.sub.3, A.sub.4, A.sub.5, A.sub.6 for
administrative purposes, may provide for the addition and/or
maintenance of dynamic content, such as, for special event, may
provide for changing, updating and/or maintaining the appearance of
the HMI and may provide for the addition of new services without
access to the individual vehicles.
[0020] Thus, the aforementioned objects and advantages of the
present invention are most effectively attained. Although two
example embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed
and described herein, it should be understood that this invention
is in no sense limited thereby and that its scope is to be
determined by that of the appended claims. It should be further
understood that numerous modifications may be made to the present
invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.
* * * * *