Automotive touchscreen display device

Abstract

Touchscreen display device (DEC) for motor vehicles comprising a first touchscreen part (EC1) displaying information necessary for driving the vehicle and a second touchscreen part (EC2) adjacent to the first, displaying a determined number of adjacent screen pages (PG1-PG5) filling the display area (SA2) of the second screen part and dedicated respectively to one or more vehicle functions and settings;said first part of the screen comprising at least one touch control button (TLC) supporting a graphic representation of a component or piece of equipment (BAT) of the vehicle under control, and said second part of the screen being further capable of displaying, for a specified period of time, and superimposed on the current display on the display surface of the second part of the screen, at least one piece of information relating to an operating parameter of said component or piece of equipment under control following activation of the button. (Figure 3);

Description

Title of the invention: Touch display screen device for a motor vehicle

[0001] The present invention relates generally to HMIs (Human Machine Interface) arranged in the cockpits, or passenger compartments, of motor vehicles and is more particularly concerned with a touch screen display device grouping together the main information usually displayed on a motor vehicle instrument cluster and the information usually displayed on a central screen of the vehicle, also called a multimedia screen.

[0002] The term "instrument cluster", or simply "cluster", is generally associated with the terms "dashboard" or "instrument panel" or even "cluster", in Anglo-Saxon terminology.

[0003] Currently, in a motor vehicle dashboard, the displays of information necessary for driving the vehicle (speed, number of revolutions per minute, fuel level, etc.) are increasingly in virtual form (i.e. as images) via an instrument cluster taking the form of a reconfigurable screen of the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) type with an active matrix, generally of the TFT (Thin Film Transistor) type. In addition, the dashboard generally also has a set of indicators and warning lights which inform the driver about the operation of components and / or equipment of the vehicle and about the driving parameters of the vehicle. These indicators and warning lights are integrated into the LCD-TFT screen in the form of icons, or pictograms, which can appear selectively in the display surface of the cluster.

[0004] The instrument panel is generally arranged on the dashboard, opposite the driver when the latter is seated at the wheel of the vehicle.

[0005] This handset, which can be small in size, is completed by a central touch screen, or multimedia screen, of generally rectangular shape, generally arranged in the center of the dashboard.

[0006] The multimedia screen makes it possible in particular to display a certain number of screen pages each successively displaying information relating, respectively, to functionalities of the vehicle. This information is provided by the vehicle's multimedia system, also called the infotainment system ("infotainment system" in English terminology) which manages the exchanges between the driver and the vehicle.

[0007] For example, there are pages dedicated to driving assistance (navigation, vehicle trajectory control, safety distances, rearview, etc.), pages dedicated to the comfort of the vehicle's occupants: (air conditioning, seat temperature, etc.), pages dedicated to audio and infotainment (radio, telephone, etc.) and also pages dedicated to technical status and configuration information relating to a vehicle component or equipment (setting timers, safety distances, etc.).

[0008] For example, in the case of a vehicle comprising an electric powertrain, and for certain types of driving, it may be important to be able to monitor in real time the state of the traction battery (or power battery) of the vehicle such as the temperature of the battery cells, the charge level of the battery (or SOC Battery, "State Of Charge" in English terminology), the voltage delivered by the battery cells, etc. This various technical information is for example displayed in the form of graphic representations taking the form of "digital" gauges.

[0009] In this type of display, each of the pages must be selected by the user on the central screen from a touch control button arranged on the touch screen, at the edge of the screen and / or from a “physical” button arranged near the screen, on the steering wheel or in the vicinity of the steering wheel, or even on the central console of the vehicle.

[0010] With this type of display, the user cannot directly access the display of the page dedicated to the traction battery operating status gauges. To be able to access the display of this page, the user must perform several successive operations from a menu offered on the central screen. Furthermore, this type of display does not allow the technical information (the gauges) to be displayed simultaneously with the navigation, audio, infotainment, etc. information.

[0011] The invention proposes a solution for simplifying the display and optimizing the ergonomics of the display of driving information, comfort driving assistance, etc. and technical information on a single screen in the vehicle.

[0012] To this end, the present invention has as its first object a touch screen display device for a motor vehicle comprising a first touch screen portion displaying information necessary for driving the vehicle and a second touch screen portion adjacent to the first, displaying a determined number of adjacent screen pages filling the display surface of the second screen portion and dedicated respectively to one or more functionalities and settings of the vehicle; said first screen portion comprising at least one touch control button supporting a graphic representation of a component or equipment of the vehicle under control, and said second screen portion being further capable of displaying, for a determined duration, and superimposed on the current display on the display surface of the second screen portion, at least one item of information relating to an operating parameter of said organ or equipment under control following activation of the button.

[0013] According to one characteristic, the display of the information relating to the operating parameter of said organ or equipment under control disappears after a determined, configurable duration, or following a new activation of the button.

[0014] According to another characteristic, the touch control button supports a graphic representation of a traction battery of the vehicle and the information displayed superimposed on the current display on the display surface of the second screen part defines at least one digital gauge relating to an operating state parameter of the battery.

[0015] According to another characteristic, three digital gauges are displayed in relation respectively to the state of charge of the battery, the temperature of the battery cells and the voltage delivered by the battery cells.

[0016] According to another characteristic, the display surface of the second screen part displays pages whose content is chosen from audio information, infotainment information, navigation information, driving assistance information, control information and / or configuration information for vehicle functions.

[0017] According to another characteristic, the second screen part further displays a strip capable of displaying indicator lights relating to the information displayed by the pages; said strip, of generally rectangular shape, extending above the pages in the display surface of the second screen part.

[0018] According to another characteristic, the screen device has a rectangular shape and the length of the second screen part of the screen device is greater than the length of the first screen part of the screen device.

[0019] According to another characteristic, the first screen part is capable of displaying information similar to that displayed on a motor vehicle dashboard instrument cluster, and the second screen part is capable of displaying information similar to that displayed on a multimedia screen of a motor vehicle.

[0020] Another subject of the present invention is a motor vehicle comprising a display screen device as described above.

[0021] According to one characteristic, the vehicle is a vehicle comprising an electric powertrain.

[0022] The invention offers the user a more ergonomic and intuitive means of supervising a set of so-called technical information while allowing him to continue to use other functionalities offered by the infotainment system simultaneously.

[0023] Thanks to the present invention, the state of a vehicle equipment or component, such as the traction battery, can be monitored on the screen device by allowing tactile interaction with the indicator dedicated to this equipment. The user can easily display or hide this information as needed, without disrupting access to other vehicle functions. This approach makes the driving experience more fluid and user-friendly, thus improving safety and convenience for the user.

[0024] Other advantages and characteristics of the present invention may emerge more clearly from the description which follows, given solely by way of non-limiting example and made with reference to the drawings in which:

[0025] [Fig.l] illustrates a schematic interior view of a motor vehicle passenger compartment comprising a touch screen display device according to the invention;

[0026] [Fig.2] illustrates an embodiment of the touch display screen device according to the invention in a first display phase; and

[0027] [Fig.3] illustrates the embodiment of [Fig.2] in a second phase display.

[0028] [Fig.l] illustrates a schematic interior view of a passenger compartment HAB of a motor vehicle VHL comprising a touch screen display device DEC according to the invention.

[0029] The DEC screen device is generally rectangular in shape and extends transversely in the central part of the dashboard PDB, from the steering wheel VOL of the VHL vehicle. It alone constitutes the dashboard TBD of the VHL vehicle.

[0030] It may optionally be supplemented with a head-up display (HUD) type screen, DTH, arranged on the dashboard PDB behind the steering wheel VOL and so as to appear above the steering wheel VOL, in the driver's field of vision.

[0031] [Fig.2] illustrates an embodiment of the DEC display screen device according to the invention.

[0032] It combines the display of the main driving information offered by the traditional instrument cluster in a first screen part EC1, and the display of the information offered by the traditional central screen, or multimedia screen of a vehicle, in a second screen part EC2, adjacent to the first EC1.

[0033] With this type of touch screen display device DEC according to the invention, the first screen part EC1, functionally similar to a traditional instrument panel, is no longer arranged opposite the steering wheel VOL, being centered relative to the steering wheel VOL, but is substantially offset to the right of the steering wheel (for a left-hand drive vehicle) and towards the top of the dashboard PDB so as to remain in the driver's field of vision while driving.

[0034] The rectangular display surface S AF of the DEC touch display screen device, corresponding substantially to the “overall” surface of the DEC screen device.

[0035] The DEC touch display screen device according to the invention is generally presented as a very long rectangular touch panel installed on the PDB dashboard. It uses, for example, a display technology of the TFT LCD (Thin Film Transistor Light-Emitting Diode) type or equivalent of the OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) type or even AMOLED (Active Matrix OLED), associated with a touch detection layer.

[0036] Its length is for example substantially equal to four times its width.

[0037] The display surface S AF is divided into at least a first portion SA1, the leftmost of the touch display screen device DEC, corresponding to the first screen portion EC1, and a second portion SA2, adjacent to the first SA1, extending to the right of the first portion SA1 and defining the remaining portion of the display surface SAF, corresponding to the second screen portion EC2.

[0038] The first part SA1 of the display surface SAF is intended for displaying driving information and indicators and warning lights capable of informing the driver about the operation of the vehicle and the driving parameters. It has substantially the same layout as a traditional instrument panel touch screen.

[0039] The second display part SA2 is intended for displaying a determined number of adjacent screen pages PG1-PG5 dedicated respectively to one or more functionalities of the VHL vehicle and whose dimensions and arrangement are adapted to the type of information carried by the pages PG1-PG5 and to a determined graphic design set by the manufacturer of the motor vehicle.

[0040] The term "page" is used here by analogy with the pages of a traditional central screen, pages which in this type of screen are displayed in succession one after the other on the screen following a command made from a menu displayed on the central screen or from dedicated command buttons.

[0041] In the second display part SA2 (EC2) of the touch screen display device DEC according to the invention, all pages PG1-PG5 are displayed simultaneously but the content of pages PGA-PG5 can change.

[0042] For example, there are pages dedicated to displaying information on current functionalities and pages dedicated to controlling functionalities defining touch control buttons of the vehicle that the user can select directly from the page that is already displayed on the second display part SA2 (EC2).

[0043] The content of a page dedicated to displaying information can, once a functionality command is selected, change content and display information relating to the functionality ordered.

[0044] Thus, there are pages dedicated to the audio system or to the infotainment of the vehicle such as the display of the title of a piece of music selected by the user from a pre-recorded playlist or the radio station selected from the list of stored stations, the name and / or the telephone number of a contact selected from a telephone directory, pages dedicated to driving assistance such as the route followed by the vehicle fixed by the navigation system, the trajectory control of the vehicle, the safety distances, the rear view, etc., pages dedicated to the comfort of the occupants of the vehicle: air conditioning, temperature of the seats, etc., pages dedicated to the configuration in relation to a component or equipment of the vehicle, etc.

[0045] The pages may contain images or photos, graphic representations such as pictograms for orders, or others.

[0046] In certain cases, for example, when the VHL vehicle has an electric powertrain, and for certain types of driving: sporty driving, testing, off-road, etc. and occasionally, it may be important to be able to monitor in real time (control) the state of the vehicle's traction battery, such as the temperature of the battery cells (Battery Temp), the battery charge level (Battery SOC), the voltage delivered by the battery cells (Battery Voltage), etc., and thus adapt one's driving accordingly.

[0047] In order not to overload, "pollute", the display of current information in the second screen part EC2 with "technical" information which is only intended to be displayed punctually and in certain specific cases, the touch screen display device DEC according to the invention advantageously comprises, in the first screen part EC1, a light indicator TLC bearing a pictogram representative of a battery BAT also serving as a touch control button and which, when activated by the user UTI, controls the display of gauges relating to the battery BAT under control, on the second screen part EC2 in a window FEN displayed (opening) superimposed on one or more pages PG1, PG2 of the second screen part EC2, as illustrated in [Fig.3].

[0048] In the example considered in [Fig.3], three digital gauges JG1, JG2 and JG3, relating to the traction battery BAT, are displayed by being aligned horizontally in the second part of the screen EC2, immediately to the right of the first part of the screen EC1.

[0049] The first gauge JG1, the leftmost in the figure, indicates the level, or state of charge of the BAT battery (SOC Battery in English terminology): here 20%.

[0050] The second gauge JG1, immediately following to the right of the first gauge JG1, indicates the temperature of the battery cells BAT (Battery Temp): here -20°C

[0051] And, the third gauge JG3, immediately following to the right of the second gauge JG2, indicates the voltage delivered by the cells of the battery BAT (Battery Voltage): here 10.5 V.

[0052] Other information may be displayed in the form of gauges or other graphic representations such as, for example, “virtual” needle dials, bar graphs, etc.

[0053] The display of gauges JG1, JG2 and JG3 can be deactivated manually by the user UTI by activating the TLC touch button again or, automatically, after a specific display duration that can be configured at the end of which gauges JG1, JG2 and JG3 disappear from the second part of screen EC2.

[0054] The second part of the touch screen EC2 further supports a BDL strip displaying indicator lights, not shown, relating to the information displayed by the pages PG1-PG5.

[0055] Such a BDL strip is arranged, in the example of [Fig.3], by a rectangular display strip extending above the pages PG1-PG4 in the display surface SA2 of the second screen part EC2.

[0056] The present invention thus provides better visibility and readability of technical information without impacting the display of other information. It also makes it possible to improve the user experience by providing additional information on the state of a component or equipment, in real time for the driver.

Claims

Claims

1. Touchscreen display device (DEC) for a motor vehicle (VHL) comprising a first touchscreen portion (EC1) displaying information necessary for driving the vehicle (VHL) and a second touchscreen portion (EC2) adjacent to the first (EC1), displaying a determined number of adjacent screen pages (PG1-PG5) filling the display surface (SA2) of the second screen portion (EC2) and dedicated respectively to one or more functionalities and settings of the vehicle (VHL);said first screen part (EC1) comprising at least one touch control button (TLC) supporting a graphic representation of a component or equipment (BAT) of the vehicle (VHL) under control, and said second screen part (EC2) being further capable of displaying, for a determined duration, and superimposed on the current display on the display surface (SA2) of the second screen part (EC2), at least one item of information relating to an operating parameter of said component or equipment (BAT) under control following activation of the button (TLC).;

2. Touch screen display device (DEC) according to the preceding claim, in which the display of the information relating to the operating parameter of said organ or equipment (BAT) under control disappears after a determined, configurable duration, or following a new activation of the button.

3. Touch screen display device (DEC) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the touch control button (TLC) supports a graphical representation of a traction battery (BAT) of the vehicle (VHL) and wherein the information displayed overlaying the current display on the display surface (SA2) of the second screen part (EC2) defines at least one digital gauge (JG1, JG2, JG3) relating to an operating state parameter of the battery (BAT).

4. A touch screen display device (DEC) according to the preceding claim, wherein three digital gauges (JG1-JG3) are displayed in relation to the state of charge of the battery (BAT), the temperature of the battery cells (BAT) and the voltage output by the battery cells (BAT) respectively.

5. A touch display screen device (DEC) according to any preceding claim, wherein the display surface (SA2) of the second screen part (EC2) displays pages (PG1-PG5) whose content is chosen from audio information, infotainment information, navigation information, driving assistance information, control information and / or vehicle functionality setting information (VHL).

6. Touch screen display device (DEC) according to the preceding claim, wherein the second screen part (EC2) further displays a strip (BDL) capable of displaying indicator lights relating to the information displayed by the pages (PG1-PG5); said strip (BDL), of generally rectangular shape, extending above the pages (PG1-PG5) in the display surface (SA2) of the second screen part (EC2).

7. Touch display screen device (DEC) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the screen device (DEC) has a rectangular shape and in that the length of the second screen part (EC2) of the screen device (DEC) is greater than the length of the first screen part (EC1) of the screen device (DEC).

8. Touchscreen display device (DEC) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first screen portion (EC1) is capable of displaying information similar to that displayed on a motor vehicle dashboard instrument cluster, and wherein the second screen portion (EC2) is capable of displaying information similar to that displayed on a multimedia screen of a motor vehicle.

9. Motor vehicle (VHL) comprising a touch screen display device (DEC) according to one of the preceding claims.

10. Motor vehicle (VHL) according to the preceding claim, in which the vehicle (VHL) is a vehicle comprising an electric powertrain.

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