This application claims the benefit of priority to German Application no. 10 2005 019 870.8, filed in the German language on Apr. 28, 2005, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The invention relates to an information system for controlling at least one electronic device with a computing unit which is connected to a memory unit, a control device and a display device.
DE 103 02 110 A1 discloses a menu-controlled communication device in which a menu content which is divided into menu levels can be displayed on a display device. If it is not possible to display all the menu entries simultaneously on the display device, the possibility of scrolling is provided, i.e. the menu entries are arranged in the form of a list and in each case an excerpt from this list is displayed. The respectively preceding or subsequent invisible element in the list can be moved into the visible excerpt by activating an operator control device. In DE 103 02 110 A1, a running indicator of variable length is used to indicate graphically how many menu entries are contained in the currently displayed menu level. The width of the running indicator is also variable. It indicates which of the menu levels is currently displayed. However, the display of the running indicator reduces the clarity and thus the ability to intuitively perceive the content of the display device.
The invention relates to an information system for controlling at least one electronic device with a computing unit which is connected to a memory unit, a control device and a display device, the computing unit reading out, from the memory unit, an operator control menu which is a hierarchically structured operator control menu comprising at least two menu levels, each with at least two menu elements, displaying the menu elements from at least one of the menu levels as a current menu level on the display device, reading in a menu element selected from the current menu level by means of the operator control device, selecting the menu level which is subordinate to the menu element as the menu level which is now current, and displaying its menu elements, and graphically indicating the depth of the current menu level within the operator control menu on the display device.
The present invention therefore specifies an information system of the type mentioned at the beginning with an improved display of the depth of the current menu level.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the computing unit causes an outline to be displayed around a graphic display element, the outline representing the depth of the current menu level. As a result, the addition of a supplementary display element, such as for example the running indicator, is eliminated. The improvement in the clarity which is achieved in this way ensures that the screen content can be perceived more quickly. Since the displayed display elements are retained as they are and only the outline of one or more display elements is varied, a constant graphic appearance is provided, which also improves the ability of the operator to perceive. This is advantageous in particular in environments or in electronic devices in which a user cannot look at the display device continuously. For this reason, the invention is preferably applied in vehicles such as motor vehicles and sailing craft in which a plurality of electronic devices are controlled by means of a common operator control and display device.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the outline is formed from a plurality of closed surrounding lines which are located one inside the other, the number of surrounding lines corresponding to the depth of the current menu level. In this context, when there is a change to a deeper menu level, a surrounding line is preferably added, and when there is a change to a higher menu level a surrounding line is removed. In this case, it is possible not only to perceive the menu depth intuitively, as is the case when the width of the running indicator changes, but absolute information is also provided. The structure of the hierarchical operator control menu thus becomes more transparent and is easier for a user to take in.
In a further embodiment, the outline has a different color depending on the depth of the current menu level. The changes in color may be effected here on a single outline or else with respect to the change in the number of surrounding lines. The color coding of the outline increases the ability of the operator to perceive the current menu depth intuitively.
Instead of or together with the change in the color of the outline, in one development it is proposed to produce a spatial effect by means of the outline, as is achieved for example by a shadow display, the level of the graphic display element which is represented by the spatial effect being adapted to the depth of the current menu level. This measure also gives an intuitively more quickly perceived impression of the current menu depth.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the display element which is to be surrounded by the outline represents the operator control device. In this way, the relationship between the change of the current menu level as a result of the activation of the operator control device and the change of the displayed outline is represented graphically and becomes directly comprehensible.
This effect can be enhanced even more if the geometric shape of the graphic display element corresponds to the geometric shape of the operator control device. Thus, for example a circular display element is used in the case of a rotary actuator and a rectangular display element is used in the case of an operator control key.
In one embodiment, the graphic display element which is provided with a variable outline is a box around the menu elements which are assigned to the current menu level. In this way, the information of the menu level is thus linked directly to the display of the menu elements which can be found in this menu level, and this can also be perceived quickly by the user.
In a further embodiment, the size of the graphic display element is adapted to the depth of the current menu level. In the case of the surrounding lines which are located one inside the other, this can be used to keep the external size of the graphic display element, including the surrounding lines, constant by positioning an additional surrounding line directly around the graphic display element and at the same time making the graphic display element smaller. The clarity is thus not adversely affected.
The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiments and the drawings, in which:
The menu elements of the respective current menu level are distributed between two graphic display elements 70 and 80 which are surrounded by rectangles. Between the graphic display elements 70 and 80 there is a circle 90, as a third graphic display element, with a surrounding line 120, the circle 90 representing the operator control device 30 and having the same geometric shape as the cover surface 100 of the operator control device 30. A pointer element 110 indicates which of the menu elements 1 to 8 is currently selected. In
Instead of or in addition to the multiplication of the surrounding lines around the circle 90, the rectangular boxes around the menu elements, that is to say the graphic display elements 70 and 80, can also be adapted to the depth of the current menu level. In order to indicate the three-level nature of the operator control menu, it is proposed, for example, to display the boxes 70 and 80 in red in the first menu level, in yellow in the second menu level and in green in the third menu level.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2005 019 870.8 | Apr 2005 | DE | national |