Patent Application
20150234488
The present disclosure relates to a system for integrating a smart device with a vehicle.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure, which is not necessarily prior art.
Portable smart devices, such as smart phones, tablets, and other portable computing devices, are often sources of distraction, particularly to teenage drivers. Accordingly, teenage drivers report the highest level of phone use during accidents and near accidents. Sending and responding to text messages, as well as setting up and scanning music play lists, are just a few ways teenage drivers may become distracted. Applications that minimize driver distraction, particularly distraction by teenage drivers, will likely increase driver focus on the primary task of driving. The present teachings thus advantageously provide for systems, devices, and methods for accessing functionality of a smart device in a manner that will minimize driver distraction.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
The present teachings provide for a system for accessing functionality of a smart device in a vehicle. The system includes a connection system for connecting the smart device to a vehicle system. A vehicle interface is configured to access functionality of the smart device when the smart device is connected to the vehicle system. A controller of the vehicle interface is configured to access and control functionality of the smart device when the smart device is connected to the vehicle system.
The present teachings also provide for a system for accessing functionality of a smart device in a vehicle. The system includes a connection system for connecting the smart device to a vehicle system including at least one of communication, entertainment, or navigation functionality. A vehicle interface including a display is configured to access features of the smart device when the smart device is connected to the vehicle system. A touchpad of the vehicle interface is configured to access and control functionality of the smart device when the smart device is connected to the vehicle system.
The present teachings further provide for a system for accessing functionality of a smart device in a vehicle. The system includes a connection system for connecting the smart device to a vehicle system including at least one of communication, entertainment, or navigation functionality. A vehicle interface includes a display configured to access features of the smart device when the smart device is connected to the vehicle system. A storage location is configured to secure at least one smart device. A touchpad of the vehicle interface is configured to access and control functionality of the smart device when the smart device is connected to the vehicle system. The touchpad includes at least one customizable button, a main touch area, and at least one touch sensitive raised outer edge. The touchpad is configured to detect at least the following: horizontal, vertical, and circular touches at the main touch area; touch pressure; gestures; touches representing at least one of characters, symbols, letters, or numbers; a sliding touch along the at least one touch sensitive outer edge as a scroll command; and a sliding touch from the main touch area to the at least one touch sensitive raised outer edge as a command to change a display screen of the vehicle interface.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The passenger cabin 10 can include a storage location 14 for the smart device 12. The storage location 14 can be a ceremonial location for storing and securing the smart device 12 located at any suitable position throughout the passenger cabin 10. For example, the storage location 14 can be located at a center counsel between a driver's seat and a front passenger's seat, at an overhead location, or at door panels of the vehicle. With continued reference to
The passenger cabin 10 includes any suitable connection device or system 30 configured to connect the smart device 12 to any suitable vehicle system, such as a vehicle communications system, entertainment system (including over the air broadcast radio and/or Internet radio), navigation system, climate control system, information system, heads-up display system, or any other suitable onboard system. The connection system 30 can be any suitable wired or wireless connection system. For example, any suitable wireless connection system, or combination of wireless connection systems, can be used, such as a Bluetooth connection system including a Bluetooth receiver/transmitter located at any suitable position throughout the passenger cabin 10, such as proximate to the storage location 14 as illustrated in
Once the smart device 12 has been connected, occupants of the passenger cabin 10 can be notified of the connection in any suitable manner, such as with any suitable visual and/or audio notification. For example, the passenger cabin 10 can include connection indicators 36 located at A-pillars of the passenger cabin 10, which can illuminate after the connection has been made. The connection indicators 36 can include light emitting diodes (LED), for example.
The connection between the smart device 12 and the vehicle system can be performed and managed with any suitable device, such as a system control module 40. The system control module 40 can be any suitable controller, processor, and/or computing device configured to manage and carry out connection of the smart device 12 to any particular system of the passenger cabin 10, such as the vehicle communications system, entertainment system, navigation system, climate control system, information system, heads-up display system, or any other suitable onboard system.
The passenger cabin 10 further includes one or more vehicle interfaces configured to access and/or control functionality of the smart device 12 when the smart device 12 is connected, as well as access and/or control any other suitable vehicle system, such as the vehicle communications system, entertainment system, navigation system, climate control system, information system, heads-up display system, etc. For example, the vehicle interface can include a dashboard display 42, an instrument cluster 44, a heads up display (HUD) 46, a microphone 48 at rearview mirror 50 (or at any other suitable location within the passenger cabin 10), one or more audio speakers 52, a touchpad 70, a wheel or knob 72, controls 74 mounted to steering wheel 76, or any other suitable controller.
The dashboard display 42 can be located at any suitable position about a dashboard of the passenger cabin 10, such as at a generally centered position between driver and front passenger seats as illustrated. The dashboard display 42 can be configured in any suitable manner in order to allow occupants within the passenger cabin 10 to access and control functionality of the connected smart device 12, or any other suitable vehicle system. For example, the dashboard display 42 can include a plurality of windows or tiles, such as a selected tile 54 and one or more additional available tiles 56. Each tile 54/56 can include one or more functions of the smart device 12, with similar and related functions being included on the same tile. For example, the selected tile 54 can include functions related to searching for and playing songs and/or movies stored on the smart device 12. One of the available tiles 56 may include communications functionality, such as retrieving contact information from an address book, retrieving and/or composing a text message, and/or initiating and/or answering a telephone call. Another one of the available tiles 56 may include navigation functionality, and yet another one of the available tiles 56 may include functionality for searching the internet. Separate ones of the available tiles 56 may include functionality for each application present on the smart device 12.
The available tiles 56 and the functionality of the selected tile 54 may be selected in any suitable manner, such as by using any suitable controller of the vehicle interface, including the wheel or knob 72, controls 74 of the steering wheel 76, or the touchpad 70 as described herein. The available tiles 56 and the functionality of the selected tile 54 can also be selected using voice commands input at the microphone 48. Audio confirmation of the selection can be generated by the speakers 52.
With respect to the instrument cluster 44 and the HUD 46, they can be configured in any suitable manner to access functionality of the smart device 12 as well. For example, the instrument cluster 44 and/or the HUD 46 can include a navigation display configured to display navigation information retrieved from the smart device 12.
Functionality of the smart device 12 can further be accessed using voice commands input through the microphone 48. Voice feedback can be generated at the smart device 12 or by the system control module 40, and broadcast from speakers 52. Any suitable voice feedback can be generated, such as confirmation of selected functionality and/or navigation voice commands.
With reference to
The touchpad 70 can be any suitable touchpad manufactured in any suitable manner. For example, the touchpad 70 may include an outer covering, an intermediate tactile layer configured to detect finger touches and movement, and a pressure pad bottom layer. Therefore, the touchpad 70 is configured to measure pressure of a touch, as well as locations of individual touches, sliding touches, and gestures in any direction, such as horizontal, vertical, circular, and in any other direction, as well as touches that change direction. The touchpad 70 is also configured to recognize touches representing characters, letters, symbols, and/or hand signals/signs, such as sliding touches and/or gestures. The touchpad 70 may be configured to provide haptic feedback to a user thereof, such as when the user uses the touchpad 70 to select a particular function of the smart device 12.
The touch sensitive edges 82 and 88 provide numerous advantages. For example, the edges 82 and 88 provide a physical bumper or stop for a user's finger, which when contacted by the user's finger notifies the user that his or her finger has reached an edge of the touchpad 70. The edges 82 and 88 can thus facilitate operation of the touchpad 70 without the need to look at the touchpad 70, thereby minimizing driver distraction by allowing a driver to keep his or her eyes on the road.
The touchpad 70 can further include one or more buttons 84, which can be customizable. Any suitable number of buttons 84 can be included, such as three buttons 84A, 84B, and 84C as illustrated. The buttons 84A-84C can be located at any suitable position proximate to the main touch area 80, such as slightly below the main touch area 80 as illustrated. To facilitate locating the buttons 84A-84C without having to look at them, which will allow a driver to keep his or her eyes on the road, the buttons 84A-84C may be raised with respect to the main touch area 80 and the touch sensitive outer edges 82 and 88, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
Exemplary use of the touchpad 70 will now be described. In order to navigate through the available tiles 56 before choosing the selected tile 54, the touchpad 70 can be used in any suitable manner, such as by touching any one of the touch sensitive outer edges 82/88. For example, in order to select available tiles 56 on a right-hand side of the selected tile 54, the outer edge 82 positioned on the right-hand side of the main touch area 80 can be touched. To select available tiles 56 on a left-hand side of the selected tile 54 as displayed on the dashboard display 42, the outer edge 82 on a left-hand side of the main touch area 80 may be touched. The touches at the outer edges 82/88 can be configured as a sliding touch starting at an area of the main touch area 80 spaced apart from the outer edges 82/88, and sliding towards any of the outer edges 82/88. The available tiles 56 can also be scrolled through with a sliding touch arranged along any one or more of the edges 82.
If the dashboard display 42 is configured differently than as illustrated in
The dashboard display 42 may also be configured such that the tiles 54 and 56 are arranged as circular tiles along a circle or a wheel displayed on the dashboard display 42. Thus the circular tiles 54 and 56 may be cycled through in a circular manner. When the dashboard display 42 is configured in this circular manner, the main touch area 80 can be provided with a circular shape as illustrated in
After one of the available tiles 56 is chosen as the selected tile 54, features of the selected tile 54 can be selected using the touchpad 70 in any suitable manner. For example, if the selected tile 54 includes a plurality of songs or playlists to be played, the songs and/or playlists can be cycled through with a sliding touch in a horizontal, vertical, or circular direction about the main touch area 80. The horizontal, vertical, and circular touches can control a cursor or highlighted area on the dashboard display 42, for example. Alternatively, any one of the outer edges 82 or the circular outer edge 88 can be touched, or the sliding touch may be made along the edges 82 or 88. Desired functionality can be selected in any suitable manner, such as by tapping the main touch area 80, tapping the outer edges 82/88, or pressing one of the buttons 84A-84C.
The touchpad 70 can be used to access functionality of the smart device 12, and also can be used in a similar manner to access any functionality made available apart from the smart device 12 by any system of the vehicle, such as navigation functionality provided by a navigation system installed within the passenger cabin 10, an entertainment system installed within the passenger cabin 10 including a radio of the passenger cabin 10, the HUD 46, features of the instrument cluster 44, and system settings of the vehicle, for example. The touchpad 70 can thus be used to access and control any suitable system of the vehicle. The touchpad 70 can further provide search functionality. The touch pad 70 can be used to run any suitable search, such as, for example, a search for functionality available for control, a song or playlist search, an address/location search, a business search, a restaurant search, a landmark search, an Internet search, etc. The search request can be input using the touch pad 70 in any suitable manner. For example, the search request can be input using the character recognition and/or gesture recognition features of the main touch area 80 of the touch pad 70.
Default actions for the buttons 84A-84C can include home, back, search, and/or select for example. The buttons 84A-84C can have a number of different operating states, which can include the following: selected, unselected, and viewed. The viewed state can enable a user to touch any one of the buttons 84A-84C to identify what functions it performs without selecting the function. The function of the touched button 84A-84C can be conveyed to persons in the passenger cabin 10 in any suitable manner, such as by being displayed on the dashboard display 42 or the HUD 46, for example. The viewing configuration can be determined based on an amount of force exerted on any one of the buttons 84A-84C.
The present teachings are advantageous because they remove potential distractions in a variety of different ways. For example, the present teachings remove potential distractions presented when a driver holds the smart device 12 in his or her hand by providing the storage location (or ceremonial location) 14 for the smart device 12 that allows the smart device 12 to connect to the vehicle, such as by way of a wireless connection. Features of the smart device 12 that are compatible with the vehicle's communications and entertainment system (such as messaging, music selection, etc.), or any other suitable vehicle system, are accessible through the pressure-sensitive touchpad 70, which manipulates the vehicle center stack display, such as the dashboard display 42 for example. The present teachings thus increase driver safety by allowing the driver to operate his/or her smart device 12 without holding it, which eliminates a major source of distraction. Functionality from the smart device 12 is still available to the driver, but through systems of the vehicle, such as the vehicle's communications and entertainment system, for example.
The description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.
The terminology used is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). The term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors interpreted accordingly.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/940,689 filed on Feb. 17, 2014, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61940689 | Feb 2014 | US |
