Patent Application
20100235045
The present invention generally relates to an information display system for a vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to a customizable system for accessing content from remote servers.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art which may be related to various aspects of the present invention which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Vehicles, such as cars, trucks, SUVs, minivans, and boats, among others, are usually purchased with an in-vehicle information and entertainment system, or “infotainment” system that combines a fixed user interface with information sources located in the vehicle. For example, a mobile information system may have a connected CD player, satellite radio, and AM/FM radio connected to a central display panel. The central display panel may have a touch screen, associated buttons, or both, to allow each of these sources to be selected and played over an audio system that includes an amplifier and installed speakers. In some cases, a DVD player may be built into the vehicle to allow movies to be played. Further, an attached GPS unit may allow the system to determine the present location of the vehicle. In combination with map information that is generally provided on an optical disk in the vehicle, the GPS may provide navigation information to the operator. In many cases, the system will allow an operator to access display screens that provide controls for some of the vehicle parameters, such as the climate controls.
However, the configuration of the user interface for the systems described above is currently determined by the vehicle designers. Thus, if a driver does not like the user interface, their only choice is to not purchase the vehicle. Additionally, the information sources available to the vehicles are generally limited to the on-board sources, such as the CD/DVD players, map disk, and the like.
Other types of mobile systems, such as 3-G phones, may allow a large amount of general information to be obtained, but are not convenient for use in cars. For example, such phones have small screens that are generally not suitable for viewing by more than one person at a time and do not play DVDs or CDs. The phones are also not integrated with the accessories and controls in vehicles. Further, the controls are not particularly suited for use during driving. General purpose computing devices, such as laptops, may solve some of these problems, but are not integrated with the controls in vehicles, do not have user customizable control interfaces, and are difficult to operate while driving.
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a mobile information display system for a vehicle that includes a radio network interface and a user interface. The user interface includes two or more interface screens that may be selected to control access to content or vehicle controls, wherein the interface screens are customizable by accessing a service provider, and downloaded from the service provider over the radio network interface.
In other embodiments, the interface screens may be downloaded when selected by the user, while in other embodiments, the screens may be downloaded to the mobile information display system in a single access and stored in a memory. In this embodiment, the stored screens may be updated by new screens from the service provider. The mobile information display system may have a touch-screen for data entry, a global position system to determine vehicle position, or both. The mobile information display system may download content from the service provider as html encoded pages that may include
In other embodiments the mobile information system includes a primary network interface device and a secondary display system. The secondary display system includes a secondary display, and a secondary audio system, wherein the secondary audio system has a headphone jack for connecting an individual listening device to the secondary display. The secondary display also includes a secondary network interface device, which is configured to interface to the primary network interface device, and a secondary processor configured to obtain content from the mobile information display system through the secondary network interface device and render the content on the display screen, through the audio system, or both.
Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a method for customizing a mobile information display system in a vehicle. The method includes accessing a service provider over a wide area network, making content selections on the service provider for content to be accessible by a mobile information display system in a vehicle, designing an appearance of an interface screen on the service provider for the mobile interface display system, and downloading the interface screen from the service provider to the mobile information display system.
In embodiments, accessing the service provider includes navigating to a website and providing appropriate credentials to access the configuration pages. Other embodiments include selecting content to be provided to the mobile information display system from the service provider, which may include creating links to files located on servers outside of the service provider, for example, to files located on a home or office server or to content provided by another service provider. Embodiments also provide for the design of interface screens, for example, by creating a list of content to appear in windows on the interface screen, creating a list of controls to appear on the interface screen, and locating the windows and the controls on the interface screen.
A third exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a vehicle that includes an ignition system and a mobile information display system. The mobile information display system includes a display, a radio network interface, and a processor, wherein, when the ignition system is powered, the processor is configured to access a service provider over the radio network interface, download a user interface screen, and display the user interface screen on the display.
Another embodiment provides an internal network in the vehicle that is operatively coupled to the mobile information display system. A secondary display system may then be operatively coupled to the internal network. The secondary display system includes a display screen and a secondary audio system, wherein the secondary audio system comprises a headphone jack for connecting an individual listening device to the secondary display. The secondary display system also includes a secondary processor configured to obtain content from the mobile information display system through the internal network and render the content on the display screen, through the secondary audio system, or both.
The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of the present invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become apparent and be better understood by reference to the following description of one embodiment of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, in one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting in any manner the scope of the invention.
One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions may be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a mobile information display system that may be configured by a user to have customized interface screens and to display individualized content. For example, upon starting of the ignition system of a vehicle, the mobile information display system may access a remote server at a service provider using a radio network interface to download interface screens that have previously been designed by a user. Further, the mobile information display system may download information and content from the server provider, or from other sites, including, for example, navigational information, destination information, calendar and alarm entries, e-mail messages, voice mail messages, personal networking pages, internet phone service, internet audio programs, and internet video programs, among others.
The MIDS 200 will have a radio network interface 212 to communicate with the mobile radio network. Further, the MIDS 200 may include a number of other systems to enhance operability. Such systems may include a global position system, or GPS, 214 for use by a navigation program in determining the vehicle location and mapping routes to destination. The MIDS 200 may also include a radio system 216 that may include AM, FM, and satellite radio systems. The use of information accessed over the radio network interface 212 does not preclude the use of onboard information and entertainment systems. For example, the MIDS 200 may include one or more optical drives 218 to access information such as navigational maps, music CDs, DVDs, or writable CD drives, e.g., for downloading and storing program information. Such local storage may enhance the use of the MIDS 200 in areas where signal accessibility may be intermittent, such as in mountainous regions. The MIDS 200 may also include a vehicle systems interface 220 to access and control various vehicle systems, such as the climate controls, window defrosting controls, and engine information displays, among others.
The MIDS 200 may have a screen memory to store information for the current user interface screen, with the user interface existing outside of the MIDS 200. For example, the user interface may exist, wholly or partially, on the computers of the service provider. In this embodiment, for example, the MIDS 200 may be functioning as a web browser, with content downloaded from the remote server in the form of pages that have content encoded in html, xml, java, pearl, or other browser coding schemes.
In another embodiment, the MIDS 200 may have a flash memory 222 to store the current user interface. This enables the MIDS 200 to be operational even if the radio network interface 212 is unable to communicate with the mobile radio network. The user interface configuration in the flash memory 222 may be updated over the radio network interface 212 or may be accessible to allow removal, reprogramming, and replacement. The MIDS 200 may also have other memory units, such as the optical disk drives 218 or a separate content storage unit 224. The content storage unit 224 may include flash memory units or hard drives, among others. The content storage unit 224 may be used to store content downloaded from the service provider or from other content providers, such as websites.
The MIDS 200 will have a processor configured to obtain content from a remote server over the radio network interface 212 and render the content on the display screen 204, through the audio system 210, or both. Further, the processor may coordinate the operation of the units described above. For example, the processor may obtain a map from a service provider or web site, obtain a current location for the vehicle from the GPS system, and render a navigation screen that displays the location of the vehicle on the map. In another example, the processor may access content from a service provider, store the content in the content storage 224 and render the content through the display 204, the audio system 210, or both, at a later point in time. As a third example, the processor may render a control screen on the display 204 allowing the user to make an operational change to a vehicle system, such as selecting a temperature setting for the environmental controls. Further examples of operations that may be controlled by the processor are discussed with respect to
The display screen 204 of the user interface 202 does not have to be the only point for information display. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, one or more secondary displays 226 may be coupled to the MIDS 200 through a network 228. The network 228 may be based on any number of network technologies. For example, a universal serial bus, or USB, may be used to carry Ethernet packets containing TCP/IP encoded data between the MIDS 200 and the secondary displays 226. In this configuration, the MIDS 200 would act as an in-vehicle server, downloading information from the remote server 102, or other sites, and providing that information in the form of html encoded pages to the secondary display systems 226.
The secondary screens 226 may include a processor to render visual content from the MIDS 200 on a display screen and an audio system to play audio content, either separately from the displayed content or as part of a video program. The audio system of the secondary display systems 226 may have a headphone jack to allow content to play without interfering with content playing on the MIDS 200 or on any other of the secondary display systems 226. Controls for the secondary display systems 226 may be built into the display, such as controls along the edge of the display or the use of a touch screen. Alternately, the controls for the secondary display systems 226 may be mounted into a proximate structure, such as a center console or an armrest, to allow ease of access.
Using the MIDS 200 as a central server to provide content to the secondary screens 226 allows passengers to have individual entertainment programs operational on separate screens. Further, the secondary display screens 226 may be configured to allow users to request the content from the service provider, without the need for the vehicle operator to intervene. This may lower the complexity of the operation of the MIDS 200 for the operator of the vehicle, e.g., the driver or captain.
The method 300 continues with the user making selections of the content that will be accessible to the MIDS. As discussed herein, such content may include navigational information, destination information, calendar and alarm entries, e-mail messages, voice mail messages, personal networking pages, internet phone service, internet audio programs, satellite radio services, video-on-demand services, and internet video programs, among others.
The user may choose to accept standard configuration screens offered by the service provider for the content selections chosen. Alternatively, the user may wish to design interface screens that more specifically match the user's desires, as indicated in block 306. Other choices may be made to customize the look and feel of the interface screen, such as appearance themes, or skins, fonts, colors, and links between screens.
The final step in the process is to access the MIDS to download the interface screens from the service provider. If the MIDS is only acting as a web terminal, the screens are downloaded to the MIDS when a particular screen is requested. If the MIDS contains a flash memory to store a user interface, the user interface, including all interface screens and available content choices, may be downloaded in a single access to the MIDS, as indicated in block 308. The downloading may generally be carried out by powering the vehicle, such as activating the ignition system, as discussed further with respect to
After initialization, in block 404, the MIDS may display a general interface screen that allows the user to select information, content, or control screens. As discussed herein, the screens may be downloaded from a service provider when requested, or in embodiments using a flash memory, the screens may be stored in the flash memory to await selection. Examples of such screens are discussed with respect to
Other screens that may be accessed from a general interface screen may include an interactive map, as indicated in block 412 and a destination screen, as indicated in block 414. The map and destination screens may be directly accessible from each other, as indicated by line 416. This may allow, for example, a user to enter a destination then return to an interactive map to see an interactive map showing the route to the destination. In another example, the destination screen may be selected from the interactive map to display information on the current location.
If secondary screens are networked to the MIDS, a specific control screen for the secondary screens may be accessible from the general interface screen, as indicated in block 418. This screen may have sub-screens that contain controls for each of the individual secondary screens networked, as indicated in blocks 420 and 422. These controls may be in addition to control screens that may be displayed on the secondary screens themselves.
The buttons on the general interface screen 500 may include various general control buttons, such as a mute button 502 that silences the audio programs, for example, from the speakers. Another general control button that may be included in exemplary embodiments allows a user to turn content on 504, allowing access to audio, video, or web based content. The access to content may be ended by selecting an off button 506, which may be configured to terminate content only on the MIDS, or on all displays networked to the MIDS.
The general interface screen 500 may also include buttons configured to switch from the general interface screen 500 to other interface screens. For example, the general interface screen 500 may include a button to switch to a screen displaying user defined controls 508. An example of the content that may be display on such a screen is discussed further with respect to
The general interface screen 500 may also include a button 510 configured to access an interactive map, as discussed further with reference to
The general interface screen 500 may also contain buttons leading to control screens that have been designed by the vehicle manufacturer. For example, the general interface screen 500 may contain a button 516 leading to a screen that allows a user to originate or answer telephone calls from the vehicle. Other buttons may allow access to previously designed screens for the climate controls 518, or to set-up 520 the system, e.g., to set the language, clock, navigational controls, and the like.
The user designed control screen 600 may provide both information on the current status of the system and control over the system. For example, the satellite radio sub-screen 602 may show the current channel 608, and display information provided from the satellite downlink, such as the performing artist 610 and name 612 of the current song. Controls may be placed on the sub-screen 602 to adjust the volume 614 and station 616. Such controls may, for example, use intuitive graphical shapes to indicate raising 618 or lowering 620 the volume, or increasing 622 or decreasing 624 the channel.
The climate control sub-screen 604 may show the current temperature 626 in the vehicle. Another control may show the speed 628 of the blower as well as provide control over the blower speed. For example, a user may press one end of the fan speed indicator bar 628 to raise the blower speed, e.g., at the plus 630, or press the other end to lower the blower speed, e.g., at the minus sign 632. Other controls may be placed on the climate control sub-screen 604 to control functions such as the operational mode 634 of the climate control system, the temperature 636, a front defroster 638, and a rear defroster 640.
Generally, the interactive map screen 700 will display a map 702 and may display a series of controls 704. The controls 704 may be continuously visible or only display under certain conditions, such as when the user touches the display. The controls may include, for example, buttons for zooming in 706 or zooming out 708 the map 702. Alternatively, magnification changes may be controlled by other means, such as drawing a box 710 around an area of interest with a fingertip, after which the map 702 displays the area in the box 710 over the full display. Other controls that may be provided on the interactive map screen 700 include, for example, buttons for initiating voice guidance 712, displaying a destination entry screen 712, controlling the selection of a route 714, or for returning to the general interface screen, as indicated by button 716.
The destination screen 800 may have a number of buttons to assist in information entry and retrieval. For example, a series of fields 802 may allow the entry of information about a destination, such as the name and address. Navigation buttons 804 may be included for conveniently moving between fields and for displaying the map screen 700. A keypad 806 may be displayed on the destination screen 800 for the entry of data into the fields 802. Further, a button 808 may be included to return the display to the general interface screen 500.
If secondary displays are networked with the MIDS, a user may wish to create control screens that provide monitoring and control of the secondary display screens from the MIDS display.
In the embodiment illustrated in
Further controls may be included to enable the user of the MIDS to control the content and play on each of the secondary displays. Such controls may include volume buttons 914, for example, to lower a volume if the operator determines that one of the users of the secondary displays may have the volume set too high. Other controls may include buttons to play 916, pause 918, or stop 920 playing of content on the secondary screens. As illustrated, the user may decide to include a listen button 922 to allow the content on the secondary screen for which it is selected to be played through the main speakers of the MIDS. As for the other screens, a button 924, may be included on the secondary screen controls 900 to return the display to the general interface screen 500.
While the invention may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following appended claims.
