Human-machine interface device for in-vehicle infotainment systems

Abstract

A human-computer interaction device for a vehicle information entertainment system, comprising: a user operation component, which provides a user operation medium for a user to operate the vehicle information entertainment system, the operation medium having a piano key type operation interface; and a controller, which communicates with the vehicle information entertainment system through a vehicle data bus, and when the user performs a combination key operation through the user operation component, identifies a control instruction related to an information entertainment function corresponding to the combination key operation, and sends the control instruction to the vehicle information entertainment system. The human-computer interaction device can simplify user operation and improve driving safety.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the development of human-computer interaction interface technology, and particularly to a human-computer interaction device for in-vehicle infotainment systems. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, depending on the hardware configuration of the in-vehicle infotainment system, users can generally control the system via buttons or touchscreen. Furthermore, feedback information or function demonstrations for the corresponding operations can be obtained through the display screen included in the in-vehicle infotainment system.

[0003] However, with the continuous introduction of new technologies, the application functions and services offered by in-vehicle infotainment systems are becoming increasingly rich. Most mainstream car models integrate numerous infotainment functions such as radio, music playback, and climate control into their in-vehicle infotainment systems. Consequently, the user interface of in-vehicle infotainment systems contains an ever-growing number of menus.

[0004] The resulting problem is that, whether using buttons or touchscreens, users need to spend a significant amount of time navigating the user interface to find the desired application function from numerous menus. On one hand, this is inconvenient for users; on the other hand, while driving, this operation can distract them, potentially leading to traffic accidents. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The problem solved by this invention is to provide a human-computer interaction device for in-vehicle infotainment systems, so as to simplify user operation and improve driving safety.

[0006] To address the aforementioned problems, the present invention provides a human-computer interaction device for an in-vehicle infotainment system, comprising:

[0007] User operation components provide a medium for users to operate the in-vehicle infotainment system, the medium having a keyboard-style interface;

[0008] The controller communicates with the in-vehicle infotainment system via the vehicle data bus. When the user performs a combination key operation through the user operation component, it identifies the control command related to the infotainment function corresponding to the combination key operation and sends the control command to the in-vehicle infotainment system.

[0009] Compared with existing technologies, the above solution has the following advantages: the piano-key style operation interface allows users to easily complete all key combinations with one hand; furthermore, users can directly access the application functions and services provided by the in-vehicle infotainment system through key combinations on the operation interface, achieving quick operation without the need for multiple menu operations as in existing technologies. Therefore, the human-machine interaction device simplifies user operation. Furthermore, while driving, quick operation can minimize user distraction and improve driving safety. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the human-computer interaction device of the present invention;

[0011] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the implementation of the controller recognizing user combination key operations in one embodiment of the human-computer interaction device according to the present invention;

[0012] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the implementation of a combination key operation prompting the user via a white key display in another embodiment of the human-computer interaction device according to the present invention;

[0013] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the implementation of a combination key operation prompting the user via a white key display in another embodiment of the human-computer interaction device according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0014] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that implementation of the invention may not include some of these specific details. Furthermore, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described. Rather, the invention can be conceived to be practiced with any combination of the following features and elements, regardless of whether they relate to different embodiments. Therefore, the following aspects, features, embodiments, and advantages are illustrative only and should not be construed as elements or limitations of the claims unless expressly set forth in the claims.

[0015] The inventors of this invention believe that the user interfaces of existing in-vehicle infotainment systems mostly categorize application functions into broad classes. This results in the user's desired final service (such as listening to a radio program on a specific frequency) often being located in a second- or even third-level submenu. Consequently, users are forced to navigate through multiple levels of submenus to find and select the desired application service. For users unfamiliar with menu hierarchies, the time required to locate and select the final service can be even longer.

[0016] Analysis of the various application services provided by in-vehicle infotainment systems reveals that most application services can be covered by simply adding two variables to the system's core functions. For example, when listening to the radio, the user's desired final application service is limited to a few options such as "radio + volume adjustment," "radio + channel switching," and "radio + favorite channels." Each of these final application services can be determined by combining "radio" with another function option. Based on this, the inventors of this invention believe that by combining main function buttons (typically broad categories such as radio, music playback, and air conditioning adjustment) with auxiliary function buttons (optional options within each category), users can directly determine their desired final application service without having to navigate through multiple menu items as in existing technologies.

[0017] Reference Figure 1 As shown, according to one embodiment of the human-computer interaction device of the present invention, it includes:

[0018] User operation component 10 provides an operation medium for users to operate the in-vehicle infotainment system 30, the operation medium having a piano key-style operation interface;

[0019] The controller 20 communicates with the in-vehicle infotainment system 30 via the vehicle data bus. When the user performs a combination key operation through the user operation component 10, the controller identifies the control command related to the infotainment function corresponding to the combination key operation and sends the control command to the in-vehicle infotainment system.

[0020] In the above embodiments, the control commands refer to control commands corresponding to the aforementioned final application function services. For example, a control command to turn on a certain radio station frequency, or a control command to operate the air conditioner in economy mode. Therefore, when the user presses a combination of buttons, the controller can directly control the in-vehicle infotainment system to activate the corresponding application function services by recognizing the control commands. The method of controlling the in-vehicle infotainment system through these control commands is essentially no different from the method of controlling the in-vehicle infotainment system using existing human-computer interaction devices such as buttons / touchscreens. For the controller, it only needs to ensure that the sent control commands meet the requirements of the in-vehicle infotainment system. This will not be elaborated further here.

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating the implementation of a controller recognizing user combination key press operations according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. (Refer to...) Figure 2As shown, taking a piano key operation interface consisting of 4 white keys and 3 black keys in the user operation component 10 as an example, the corresponding operation signal can be generated based on the current state value of each key during user operation and sent to the controller 20 for recognition. For example, the state value of a white key when it is not pressed is defined as "0", and the state value when it is pressed is defined as "1". Assuming that for the 4 white keys, the state value of the leftmost white key is defined as the highest bit of the operation signal, and the state value of the rightmost white key is defined as the lowest bit of the operation signal, then the operation signal when all white keys are initially not pressed is "0000". When the first and second white keys from the left are pressed as a combination key, the corresponding operation signal is "1100". Therefore, the controller 20 can identify which white keys are pressed through the operation signal. Then, the state values ​​of the black keys are added using the same definition to form the operation signal of the entire piano key operation interface. Then, the operation signal when all keys are initially not pressed is "000000". When the leftmost white key and the leftmost black key are pressed as a combination, the corresponding operation signal is "110000". Furthermore, if the function requires two operations to be performed using the black key, such as the same black key corresponding to both volume increase and volume decrease, two state values ​​can be used to represent the black key. Therefore, the entire keyboard operation interface can have a maximum of 10 operation signals. With the control commands corresponding to each key combination already set, the controller 20 can identify which white / black keys are pressed through the operation signals and thus determine the control command corresponding to the combination key operation. The setting of control commands corresponding to each operation signal can be achieved by pre-storing a list of control commands for each key combination in the controller 20.

[0022] Therefore, the controller may include: a communication unit connected to the vehicle data bus, which may be a CAN bus or a LIN bus; and an identification unit storing a list of control commands related to various key combinations for infotainment functions. When a user performs a key combination operation through the user operation component, the identification unit determines the control command corresponding to the key combination operation based on the control command list, and sends the determined control command to the vehicle infotainment system via the vehicle data bus through the communication unit. Furthermore, the controller's structural configuration can be adjusted according to the actual implementation of the user operation component.

[0023] For example, the user operation component can be physical piano keys. To detect the current state of the physical keys, a limit switch can be installed under each key, and the limit switch is electrically connected to the recognition unit in the controller. The limit switch sends the detected state value of the corresponding key to the recognition unit as an electrical signal. At this time, a decoding circuit can be configured in the recognition unit to parse the operation signal composed of the electrical signals sent by each limit switch, and finally determine the pressed black / white key combination. Figure 2 Taking a physical piano key consisting of 4 white keys and 3 black keys as an example, a 10-bit decoding circuit can be configured in the recognition unit to parse the operation signal. To further improve the user experience, capacitive sensing can be used to partially or completely replace limit switches, depending on the actual design requirements. This allows users to perform a key operation simply by touching a white or black key, without actually pressing it. For example, capacitive sensing can detect the user's touch on different areas of the same black key to determine different operations (e.g., increasing or decreasing volume). In this case, a capacitive sensor can be configured in the recognition unit for capacitive sensing to recognize touch operations. Regarding the overall implementation of the controller, the aforementioned decoding circuit, capacitive sensor, and a communication chip suitable for in-vehicle data communication (e.g., a CAN communication chip) can be integrated on the control board.

[0024] To facilitate user operation, corresponding function labels can be printed on each black and white key, allowing users to identify the key corresponding to the desired function. To further enhance the user experience, a display screen showing the function labels can also be installed on each white key. Figure 2 Taking the piano key interface shown as an example, LCD screens can be installed on all four white keys to display the corresponding functions of each white key. For example, the four white keys could display the radio function (FM), the music playback function (MP3), the air conditioning control function (AIR), and the user settings function (FUNC). Similarly, in terms of the overall implementation of the controller, a driving circuit for the corresponding LCD screen can be added to the control board to support the display of function labels. That is, when a white key is detected, its corresponding function label is displayed on the LCD screen of that white key through the driving circuit.

[0025] For example, the user operation component can also be a touch screen display providing a piano key interface. When the user touches the piano key interface, the touch screen display recognizes the user's touch operation in the corresponding area of ​​the piano key interface and sends a touch signal to the recognition unit. At this time, a software algorithm for parsing the touch signal can be configured in the recognition unit to determine the user's touch area on the piano key interface and ultimately determine the selected black / white key combination. The essence of recognizing the user's touch area through a software algorithm is no different from recognizing the user's menu touch operation in the user interface of an in-vehicle infotainment system in existing technologies; it can be implemented with reference to existing technologies and will not be elaborated further here.

[0026] For cases where the user-operated component is a physical piano key with a display screen or a touch screen, the present invention provides a further optimized embodiment. According to this embodiment, when any white key is operated, the controller, after recognizing the operated white key, displays a function identifier on other white keys that can be combined with that function to form a control command, based on the function corresponding to that white key, to prompt the user and facilitate the user's combination key operations.

[0027] For example, refer to Figure 3 As shown, assuming a piano key interface consisting of 4 white keys and 3 black keys, the 4 white keys initially display the radio function (FM), music playback function (MP3), air conditioning control function (AIR), and user settings function (FUNC), respectively. When the user presses a white key displaying the FM function icon (or the FM function icon appears after being pressed), the controller, after recognizing that the user has pressed the white key representing the FM function, will adjust the display on the other white keys and display the radio-related function icons on those other white keys. For example... Figure 3 As shown in the upper middle diagram, the other white keys currently display function icons for radio channels: 101.7, 103.7, and 105.7. When the user holds down the white key displaying the FM function icon and then presses another white key displaying the 101.7 function icon, a combination key operation is completed. This activates the FM 101.7 radio channel. Upon recognizing this combination key operation, the controller sends the corresponding control command to activate FM 101.7 to the in-vehicle infotainment system via the vehicle data bus (e.g., CAN or LIN). Upon receiving this control command, the in-vehicle infotainment system activates the radio function, sets the current radio channel to FM 101.7, and plays radio programs through the vehicle's speakers. Similarly, users can also quickly listen to radio programs by combining the white key displaying the FM function icon with other white keys displaying radio channel function icons (103.7 or 105.7).

[0028] Similarly, for example Figure 3 As shown in the image below, when the white key displaying the MP3 function icon is pressed (or the MP3 function icon is displayed after pressing), other white keys can display functions such as pause (||) and loop playback. and fast forward These are function icons that work in conjunction with music playback. Users can set music to loop by pressing and holding down the white key displaying the MP3 function icon, and then continuing to press another white key displaying the loop playback function icon.

[0029] As can be seen from the examples above, displaying suggestive function indicators on other white keys after a user presses a white key makes it easier for the user to perform combination key operations, further improving the user's operating experience.

[0030] Similarly, according to other embodiments of the present invention, when any white key is operated, after the controller identifies the function corresponding to the operated white key, in addition to displaying its own function identifier on the operated white key, it also displays the function identifier of the adjacent black key, so that it can be combined with the function of the white key itself to form a control command.

[0031] For example, refer to Figure 4 As shown, when a user presses the white key displaying the MP3 function icon (or the MP3 function icon appears after being pressed), the controller, after recognizing that the user has pressed the white key representing the MP3 function, will display the volume adjustment function on that white key. The function indicator is used to display the function represented by the black key to the left or right of the white key. Therefore, by holding down the white key displaying the MP3 function indicator while continuing to press the black key to the left or right, the user can adjust the volume of the currently playing music.

[0032] Of course, to further optimize the user experience, the above-mentioned display prompts for function identification on other white keys and display prompts for function identification on the white key being operated and the adjacent black keys can be implemented simultaneously.

[0033] Furthermore, considering user safety while driving, in addition to providing the aforementioned shortcut operation of the key combinations, according to other embodiments of the present invention, a feedback tone can be given to the user when performing key combination operations to help the user confirm their key operation through sound. Specifically, the controller is communicatively connected to the vehicle speaker. The controller stores audio data (e.g., some simple electronic sounds or voice) corresponding to each key. When the user performs a key combination operation, the controller retrieves the corresponding audio data based on the key pressed by the user and plays it through the vehicle speaker. Still using... Figure 2 Taking the piano key interface shown as an example, the simplest implementation is to assign the audio to each white key in sequence, corresponding to "Do", "Ruai", "Mi", and "Fa", and to each black key in sequence, corresponding to "Sou", "La", and "Xi". Alternatively, corresponding voice prompts can be assigned to the white and black keys. This way, when the user presses a key, its corresponding function will be announced via voice.

[0034] Of course, instead of setting separate feedback sounds for each white and black key, a corresponding feedback sound can be set for each control command associated with a combination of keys. In this way, when the user completes a combination key operation, the controller retrieves the audio data corresponding to the current control command based on its recognition result and plays it through the vehicle's speakers. Of course, setting feedback sounds for each white and black key and setting feedback sounds for each control command can also be used in combination.

[0035] While the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not limited thereto. Any modifications and alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention should be included within the scope of protection of the invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the invention should be determined by the scope defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A human-computer interaction device for an in-vehicle infotainment system, characterized in that, include: User operation component, which provides a medium for users to operate the in-vehicle infotainment system, the medium having a piano key-style interface, wherein the user operation component is a physical piano key, and each white key of the physical piano key has a display screen that displays function indicators; The controller communicates with the in-vehicle infotainment system via an in-vehicle data bus. When a user performs a combination key operation via the user operation component, the controller identifies the control command related to the infotainment function corresponding to the combination key operation and sends the control command to the in-vehicle infotainment system. The combination key operation includes: a combination key operation between two white keys on the physical piano keys, or a combination key operation between a white key and a black key on the physical piano keys. When any white key is operated, the controller identifies the function corresponding to the operated white key and displays a first function identifier on the operated white key that can be combined with that function to form a first control command. The first function identifier is the function of the black key adjacent to the operated white key. Furthermore, a second function identifier is displayed on other white keys on the piano-style operation interface that can be combined with that function to form a second control command.

2. The human-computer interaction device for an in-vehicle infotainment system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Each black key of the physical piano keyboard has a function identifier.

3. The human-computer interaction device for an in-vehicle infotainment system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The controller includes: a communication unit connected to the vehicle data bus; and an identification unit storing a list of control commands related to various key combinations for infotainment functions. When a user performs a key combination operation through the user operation component, the identification unit determines the control command corresponding to the key combination operation based on the control command list, and sends the determined control command to the vehicle infotainment system via the vehicle data bus through the communication unit.

4. The human-computer interaction device for an in-vehicle infotainment system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The controller is also connected to a vehicle speaker; the controller stores audio data corresponding to each button, and when the user operates the button through the user operation component, the controller plays the corresponding audio through the vehicle speaker; or, the controller stores audio data of each control command, and when the controller recognizes the control command corresponding to the combination button operation, the controller plays the corresponding audio through the vehicle speaker.

5. The human-computer interaction device for an in-vehicle infotainment system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control commands are the control commands for the final application function services corresponding to the infotainment function.

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