Method for positioning a digital display content on a display device of a motor vehicle, control device and motor vehicle with control device

Abstract

Method for positioning a digital display content (33, 42) on a display device of a motor vehicle (11) which is controlled by a control device of the motor vehicle (11), wherein the display device has several display areas (12, 13, 14, 15), wherein the digital display content (33) is removed from one of the display areas (12, 13, 14, 15) and positioned or moved to one of the other display areas (12, 13, 14, 15), wherein touch-sensitive displays (12, 13) and side displays (14, 15) designed as TFT displays or LCD displays are provided in an interior of the motor vehicle (11) with the display areas (12, 13, 14, 15), wherein the following steps are performed to user-defined individual adjustment of a position of the display content (33, 42): - Activating a move function depending on a user action (32) to release the digital display content (33) for setting the position; - Detecting a marker position (30) determined by a gaze direction (35) of the user (31), as the individual position of the digital display content (33) defined by the user (31), by means of at least one eye-tracking sensor (36) in the interior of the motor vehicle (11); and - Positioning the digital display content (33) onto the marker position (30) by the control device, whereby no displacement path is necessary over which the digital display content (33) must be moved for positioning.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for positioning a digital display content on a display device of a motor vehicle. The invention further relates to a control device for controlling a digital display content of a display device of a motor vehicle, as well as a motor vehicle with a display device and a control device according to the invention.

[0002] In motor vehicles, digital display content is often set to a defined, fixed location on a display surface, which may be a screen, a display, or another similar device. However, with other devices that have display surfaces, such as computers, it is known that a user can move digital display content within a display surface or display, or even between multiple displays. This allows the user to move or position a particular piece of digital display content to a position that is most convenient for them. Such a position is a user-defined, individual position. With computers or mobile devices such as tablets or smartphones, this movement or positioning is known to be achieved using a computer mouse or gesture control, for example, by moving a finger on a touch surface or touch display.However, this requires the user to have one hand to operate the computer mouse or one finger.

[0003] Such a known method for moving digital display content from its current position to a new, individually defined position is not possible in motor vehicles and would be unsuitable, especially while driving, using known means. Particularly when display surfaces are arranged in such a way that the user cannot reach them with their hand or finger from a predetermined user position, it is not possible to move or position the digital display content on a specific display surface by sliding the mouse. Computer mice are not intended for use in motor vehicles. Especially when a vehicle has a large number of spatially separated display surfaces, it would be complicated and time-consuming to move digital display content to an individually defined position using a movement path that spans multiple display surfaces.

[0004] A method for supporting a user during interaction with a graphical user interface is also known from US patent 2017 / 0075420 A1. This method combines the user's gaze direction data with user input to execute context-sensitive actions related to objects and object parts. Thus, the user can, for example, select, activate, zoom, and move objects and object parts on the graphical user interface. Moving objects and object parts is accomplished by the user moving their head.

[0005] German patent DE 10 2007 005 028 A1 describes a method and a device for displaying information on a projection surface in a vehicle for a single person. The person's gaze direction is detected, and the information is projected by a projector onto an opaque projection surface in the vehicle, located in or near the person's line of sight. Thus, no digital display content is shown on a screen or screen; rather, information is projected onto an opaque surface in the vehicle interior. The projector's beam pattern inherently limits the selection of possible projection surfaces within the vehicle. Furthermore, it constitutes an additional component in the vehicle interior, which is detrimental both in terms of wear and tear and passenger safety.Depending on the projection direction or angle, there may also be adverse distortions of the information during the display, which then have to be corrected again in a time-consuming manner.

[0006] The object of the invention is to provide a method for positioning a digital display content on a display device, wherein the digital display content is moved or positioned to a position individually defined by a user, without the user having to move the display content over a displacement path.

[0007] The invention provides a method for positioning digital display content on a vehicle's display device. The display device is controlled by the vehicle's control unit. To allow for user-defined, individual adjustment of the display content's position, a displacement function is first activated based on a user action. This function moves or removes the digital display content from its current position. This means that a user or driver of the vehicle indicates through this action that they wish to move or reposition the digital display content. Subsequently, a release occurs, enabling or allowing the digital display content to be moved or repositioned.

[0008] When the pan function is activated, an eye-tracking sensor detects the user's gaze direction. An eye-tracking sensor is a sensor known to those skilled in the art, designed to detect a gaze direction or a point the user is looking at. This is achieved using an eye-tracking sensor, for example, a camera, which captures at least one of the user's eyes and thus recognizes the user's gaze direction. A marker position is then determined based on this gaze direction. The marker position is the user-defined, individual position of the digital display content to which it is to be panned or positioned.

[0009] Once the marker position is detected, the digital display content can be positioned there. To do this, the control device can receive the marker position from the eye-tracking sensor and move or position the digital display content from its original position to the new position, i.e., the marker position. Positioning means that no actual movement is required. The control device can move the digital display content from its original position and, after or even before the removal, display it at the marker position. Positioning can be repeated until the user indicates that the marker position is suitable. Positioning can also end at the position reached when the user's action ceases.Positioning can also occur at the first detected marker position if it is located on a display area, allowing for repositioning after the move function is reactivated. Positioning at the marker position can be prevented if it is not on a display area; in this case, the digital display content can remain in its original position.

[0010] The invention provides that the display device has multiple display surfaces. These multiple display surfaces are arranged spatially separated or distributed within the interior of the vehicle. For example, display surfaces can be used on a center console, on a door, and / or on the vehicle roof. At least some of the display surfaces can also be arranged in such a way that a user in a driving position cannot touch them. The digital display content can be moved from one of the multiple display surfaces to another. For example, the user can indicate that the digital display content is moved from a display located on a center console of the vehicle to a display located on the roof or on a side door of the vehicle by looking at the respective display after activating the movement function.This offers the advantage that the user only needs to touch the display next to them to activate the panning function, and the digital display content is then moved or positioned to the marker position, which the user only needs to look at. This allows the user to select marker positions that would be inaccessible with one hand, as they only need to direct their gaze to the desired position.

[0011] The multiple display surfaces in the interior of the motor vehicle are designed as touch-sensitive displays and / or TFT displays and / or LCD displays and / or head-up displays.

[0012] This method offers the advantage that a user does not need to move or position the digital display content using a physical movement path. Furthermore, the user does not need to move a finger to the desired new position (i.e., the marker position) or guide a mouse pointer or cursor there using an input device. Instead, the marker position can be indicated, specified, or determined simply and intuitively by their gaze. This is particularly advantageous when the marker position is on a display area that the user cannot reach from their seated position.

[0013] The invention also includes further developments of the method, which result in additional advantages.

[0014] In a further development of the method, the user action for activating the move function involves a predetermined touch by the user on a touch surface of the display device. A touch surface of the display device is, for example, a display with a touch function or a touchpad function. The predetermined touch can be characterized by the user touching the digital display content in its original position for a predetermined duration. For example, the user presses or places a finger on the position where the digital display content they wish to move or reposition is located for one or two seconds. The user's pressure activates the move function. In this way, the user can activate the move function simply and intuitively.Activation can also be achieved by a predetermined, for example, double-tapping, this position. The user's gaze direction defines the marker position when the move function is activated. As soon as the user action ceases with the move function activated—in this case, when the user no longer touches the display or touch surface—the digital display content is positioned at the marker position defined by the user's gaze direction when they released the touch surface. Thus, the user can specify the desired marker position. If activation occurs through multiple taps, positioning can take place at the marker position reached when another multiple tap is detected. Therefore, a single user action can both activate and deactivate the move position.

[0015] A further development of the procedure stipulates that the user action comprises a predetermined gesture and / or movement. This gesture and / or movement corresponds to the digital display content in a local or spatial manner. For example, in this case, the user action is a sliding movement that the user can perform with one or more fingers in the direction of a marker position they have specified. The user can, for instance, position their finger at the location where the digital display content was originally located and then move it with a sliding gesture towards the marker position. The movement is thus a swiping motion on the touch surface, which only needs to be indicated and does not need to be carried out all the way to the marker position.The advantage of this is that the user can intuitively reposition the digital display content by confirming the marker position, which is detected by the eye-tracking sensor, with their gesture. The swiping motion can also be in a direction other than the direction of the marker position. This can be advantageous if the touch surface is positioned in such a way that a gesture in the direction of the marker position is not possible, for example, if the display surface with the marker position is located on a vehicle roof.

[0016] A further development of the method involves using a position the user is looking at as the marker position. A reference point of the digital display content is then positioned at this location. This reference point can be a center point. This offers the advantage, especially with larger digital displays, that the new position of the digital display content is clearly defined. For example, if the digital display content is square, the center of the square is positioned at the marker position, so that the square shape is formed symmetrically around the marker position. However, the reference point can also be a corner point or a point defined by the user within the digital display content.

[0017] A further development of the method, not according to the invention, provides that the display device has a display surface on which the digital display content is positioned or moved. This means that the digital display content can be moved on a single display surface, which could be, for example, a screen or a display. Here, too, it is not necessary that the positioning occurs via a movement path. A user can therefore activate the movement function and then, by their gaze direction on the display surface, i.e., on the same display, define a marker position to which the digital display content is to be positioned.

[0018] A further development of the method involves using a so-called head-up display (HUD) as at least one of the multiple display surfaces. A well-known head-up display is a display system that allows the user to maintain their head posture or gaze direction because the information is projected into their field of vision. In a motor vehicle, this field of vision can be located, for example, behind the windshield or a side window. A digital display can be shown and positioned on a head-up display. If a user wants to move a digital display element onto the head-up display, they can easily indicate this by directing their gaze towards the respective head-up display.The training offers the particular advantage that head-up displays, since they are based on a projection, cannot be touched by the user; thus, it is possible to intuitively move or position digital display content on such a head-up display simply by positioning it by looking, without any further input device.

[0019] A further development of the procedure provides user feedback, i.e., the procedure outputs feedback when positioning is possible. The respective marker position can also be displayed on the display device simultaneously. Displaying the marker position can be achieved, for example, by showing the digital display content in a predetermined format at that marker position. The predetermined format could be, for instance, the digital display content in a different color, with a predetermined transparency, or in a different size than the original digital display content. This shows the user where the respective digital display content could be positioned. Thus, if the set marker position corresponds to the new position of the digital display content predetermined by the user, the user can release the touch surface, thereby setting the new position.Feedback can also be provided by, for example, playing an audio signal when the digital display content is at or locked onto a possible or permitted marker position. Haptic feedback can also be provided, such as by placing an actuator on the touch surface used by the user to activate the movement function. This actuator could then vibrate or emit another haptic signal when a possible permitted marker position is reached. The advantage of this is that the user can be certain that positioning the digital display content at the marker position they defined will actually occur or has already occurred successfully.

[0020] The invention also includes a control device designed to control digital display content on a display unit of a motor vehicle. The control device is designed to perform the method according to the invention.

[0021] The invention also includes a motor vehicle with a display device for displaying digital content, which is controlled by a control device, as well as a control device. The control device is the control device according to the invention.

[0022] The invention also includes further developments of the control device and the motor vehicle according to the invention, which have features already described in connection with the further developments of the method according to the invention. For this reason, the corresponding further developments of the control device and the motor vehicle according to the invention are not described again here.

[0023] The following are exemplary embodiments of the invention described. This is illustrated by: Fig. 1 a schematic representation of the interior of a motor vehicle with several display areas; Fig. 2. A schematic representation of the interior of a motor vehicle with a marker position on a head-up display; and Fig. 3 A schematic representation of the interior of a motor vehicle with a marker position on a center console display.

[0024] The exemplary embodiments described below are preferred embodiments of the invention. In these exemplary embodiments, the described components each represent individual features of the invention that can be considered independently of one another. Each of these features further develops the invention independently and can therefore be considered part of the invention individually or in a combination other than that shown. Furthermore, the described embodiments can also be supplemented by other features of the invention already described.

[0025] In the figures, functionally identical elements are each provided with the same reference symbols.

[0026] Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of the interior 10 of a motor vehicle 11 with several display surfaces. Touch-sensitive displays 12 and 13 are provided in the interior 11. A touch-sensitive display can, for example, be a touchscreen. Side displays 14 and 15 are also provided, which can be, for example, TFT or LCD displays. A central display 16 can also be an LCD or TFT display. A windshield display 17 and a roof display 18 are also shown. Head-up displays 19, 20, and 21 belonging to the motor vehicle 11 are also shown. The head-up displays 20 and 21 are in the driver's field of vision when looking through the windshield. The head-up display 19 is in the driver's field of vision when looking through a side window.

[0027] Fig. Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of the interior 10 of the vehicle 11 with a marker position 30 on the head-up display 20. A user 31 activates a shift function by means of a user action 32. This indicates that the user 31 wants to shift or reposition a digital display content 33 of the side display 15. The user looks with their eye 34 at the marker position 30. The gaze direction 35 is detected by an eye-tracking sensor 36. This also detects the marker position 30.

[0028] Fig.Figure 3 shows a schematic representation of the interior 10 of the motor vehicle 11 with a marker position 40 on a center console display 41, which can also be a center console indicator. The user 31 touches the touch-sensitive display 12 with a digital display content 42 in a user action 43 at the local or spatial position or in a predetermined proximity to the position where the display content 42 is located. The user action 43 activates a shift function. Subsequently, the user 31 looks with their eye 34 in a gaze direction 44 at the position to which they want to shift the digital display content 42, i.e., at the marker position 40. The gaze direction 44 is detected by the eye-tracking sensor 36 (not shown), and thus the marker position 40 is also detected.

[0029] In one embodiment of the method, the display content 33 is positioned in its original position on the side display 15. The user 31 indicates, by user action 32, that the display content 33 should be repositioned by the method. By user action 32, the user activates a moving function. User action 32 can consist of the user holding the original position with the display content 33 for a predetermined duration or touching this original position on the side display 15, which is touch-sensitive. The predetermined duration can be, for example, 1 second or 2 seconds. The user action can also consist of tapping the position twice.

[0030] When the shift function is activated, the eye-tracking sensor 36 detects the user's eye 34 and / or gaze direction 35, thereby recognizing the marker position 30, which lies in the gaze direction 35 or is defined by a gaze direction point towards which the user 31 is looking with their eye 34. In this embodiment, the marker position 30 is located on the head-up display 20. The user thus looks through the windshield at the head-up display 20 and indicates that the digital display content 33 should be positioned on this head-up display. The gaze direction 35 defines whether the marker position 30 is located on a right-hand position of the head-up display 20, on a left-hand position, or on another position of the head-up display 20.

[0031] If the marker position 30 lies on a location where the digital display content 33 can be repositioned, i.e., on a display area where positioning is permitted or possible, the user 31 receives feedback in this embodiment indicating that a possible or permitted marker position 30 has been reached. A possible or permitted marker position 30 is reached in this embodiment when it lies on one of the vehicle's display areas. In this case, feedback can be, for example, an audio signal and / or a vibration of the touch surface that the user 31 touches during user action 32 and / or an illumination of the marker position 30. Such feedback can also occur if the marker position lies on a predetermined detent function.For example, snap-in functions can be predefined on the display areas, such as a display area in the upper left position, a display area in the middle position, or a display area in other positions. If marker position 30 is not a possible or permitted marker position 30, i.e., if it is not located at a position where a display area is provided, feedback can be provided, for example, in the form of a different audio signal and / or a different type of haptic feedback indicating that the marker position is not possible for positioning the digital display content 33 there.

[0032] If, after receiving feedback, the user 31 recognizes that the digital display content 33 can be positioned at the marker position 30 defined by them, they can complete user action 32 as confirmation of positioning or final positioning, for example, if this action involved touching the original position of the display content 33. If user action 32 involved, for example, double-tapping the original position of the digital display content 33, the confirmation can also be a second double, single, or multiple taps at the original position. Thus, according to the procedure, the digital display content 33 is moved from the side display 15 to the head-up display 20 or repositioned on the head-up display 20, thereby also moving it away from its original position. The marker position 30 is defined by the gaze direction 35, which is determined by the eye 34 of the user 31.

[0033] The invention thus makes it possible to move digital content from a location specified, for example, by a vehicle manufacturer, to a position individually specified by a vehicle user. It is also possible to move digital content between multiple displays or indicators of the vehicle or to position it on a different display area. According to the method, it is not necessary to use an input device such as a computer mouse. The method allows a user to freely decide where the digital content should be positioned on a display area of ​​the vehicle. The user can indicate their defined individual position by simply looking at that position, which is used as a marker position in the method.This marker position, or such a defined eye-tracking marker point, is detected by an eye-tracking sensor and transmitted to a control unit of the vehicle or display device that controls the position of the digital content. This allows the control unit to reposition the digital content at the marker position. Using the eye-tracking function, a user can move digital content to this position simply by looking at the corresponding location after activating the move function. This makes it possible to quickly and easily reposition digital display content, even on particularly large displays, displays that are spatially far apart, or displays that are located far from the user during use.This method allows digital display content to be positioned within a so-called augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) display, even if the user cannot reach it by touch. The advantage is that digital content can be moved to different positions within a vehicle interior with its various displays of different sizes and formats. This allows the vehicle user to individually determine the positions of the digital display content. The method utilizes intuitive user gestures that are not tied to a specific cultural background, making it easy and straightforward for users from diverse cultural backgrounds without requiring them to learn specific user actions.

[0034] Overall, the examples show how the invention provides a method by which a user can easily and intuitively activate a move function to move or reposition digital content and can indicate a new position or a marker position on which the digital content is to be repositioned by means of their gaze direction.

Claims

[1] Method for positioning a digital display content (33, 42) on a display device of a motor vehicle (11) which is controlled by a control device of the motor vehicle (11), wherein the display device has several display areas (12, 13, 14, 15), wherein the digital display content (33) is removed from one of the display areas (12, 13, 14, 15) and positioned or moved to one of the other display areas (12, 13, 14, 15), wherein touch-sensitive displays (12, 13) and side displays (14, 15) designed as TFT displays or LCD displays are provided in an interior of the motor vehicle (11) with the display areas (12, 13, 14, 15), wherein the following steps are carried out to user-defined individual adjustment of a position of the display content (33, 42): - Activating a move function depending on a user action (32) to release the digital display content (33) for setting the position; - Detecting a marker position (30) determined by a gaze direction (35) of the user (31), as the individual position of the digital display content (33) defined by the user (31), by means of at least one eye-tracking sensor (36) in the interior of the motor vehicle (11); and - Positioning the digital display content (33) onto the marker position (30) by the control device, whereby no displacement path is necessary over which the digital display content (33) must be moved for positioning. [2] Method according to claim 1, wherein the user action (32) to activate the shift function comprises a predetermined touch action of the user (31) on a touch surface (15) of the display device. [3] Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the user action (32) comprises a predetermined gesture and / or movement of the user (31), wherein the gesture and / or movement corresponds spatially to the digital display content (33). [4] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the marker position (30) is a position which the user (31) is looking at and a reference point of the digital display content (33) is positioned on this marker position (30). [5] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the multiple display areas (12, 13, 14, 15) are arranged spatially separately in the motor vehicle (11). [6] Method according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the multiple display surfaces is a head-up display (20), and the digital display content (33) is removed from a display surface (12, 13, 14, 15) and positioned onto the at least one head-up display (20). [7] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a feedback device outputs a predetermined feedback signal at least when positioning at the marker position (30) is possible. [8] Control device designed to control a digital display content (33) on a display device of a motor vehicle (11), characterized by that the control device is configured to perform a method according to one of the preceding claims. [9] Motor vehicle (11) with a display device for displaying a digital display content (33) which is controlled by a control device, characterized by that the control device is a control device according to claim 8.

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