Touchscreen display device managing a one-pedal driving mode of an electric or hybrid vehicle

Abstract

Touchscreen display device (DEC) for an electric or hybrid motor vehicle, comprising a first touchscreen portion (EC1) displaying information necessary for driving the vehicle and a second touchscreen portion (EC2), adjacent to the first (EC1), displaying a determined number of adjacent screen pages (PG4-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; said first screen portion (EC1) displaying a touchscreen control button (TOP) dedicated to a determined driving mode of the vehicle, known as a one-pedal driving mode, capable of controlling the display, on the second screen portion (EC2), superimposed on the current display of the second screen portion (EC2), and for a determined duration, at least one window (FNR) comprising at least one display area dedicated to the one-pedal driving mode. (Figure 4)

Description

Title of the invention: Touch screen display device managing a one-pedal driving mode of an electric or hybrid 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 managing a one-pedal driving mode of an electric or hybrid vehicle; said screen device also 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 so-called one-pedal driving mode, also referred to by the English terminology “One-Pedal Drive” or “One-Pedal”, allows an electric or hybrid vehicle to be driven with a single pedal (the accelerator pedal) to accelerate or slow down the vehicle without using the brake pedal.

[0003] The technology implemented in the “One-Pedal Drive” driving mode makes it possible to increase the autonomy of the traction battery thanks to regenerative braking which makes it possible to recover the kinetic energy of the vehicle each time the accelerator pedal is released (deceleration) to transform it into electrical energy; the level of deceleration (power of the regenerative braking) being adjustable by the user.

[0004] The term “instrument cluster”, or simply “cluster”, is generally associated with the terms “dashboard” or “instrument panel” or even “cluster”, in Anglo-Saxon terminology.

[0005] Currently, in a motor vehicle dashboard, the displays of the 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 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.

[0006] The instrument panel is generally arranged on the dashboard, opposite the driver when the latter is seated at the wheel of the vehicle.

[0007] This handset, which can be reduced in size, is completed by a central touch screen, or multimedia screen, generally rectangular in shape, generally arranged in the center of the dashboard.

[0008] 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.

[0009] 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 heating temperature, etc.), pages dedicated to audio and infotainment (radio, telephony, etc.) and also pages dedicated to technical status and configuration information relating to a driving mode of a vehicle with an electric or hybrid engine: thermal or electric, and in particular the “One-Pedal Drive” driving mode with regenerative braking.

[0010] 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.

[0011] With this type of display, the user cannot directly access the display of the page dedicated to the “One-Pedal Drive” function. 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 simultaneous display of information related to the “One-Pedal Drive” function and navigation, audio, infotainment, etc. information.

[0012] Some vehicles also offer means of adjusting the level of deceleration (regenerative braking power) thus making it possible to adjust the level of braking force when the user releases the accelerator pedal.

[0013] This adjustment is made either by paddles on the steering wheel or via a menu or submenu on the central screen.

[0014] The settings for this function are not very intuitive and are spread across different media: part is located on the central screen (activation / deactivation of the function), part is located on the steering wheel (the paddles, to adjust the power) and another part of the information is found on the instrument panel (the indicator light).

[0015] The invention proposes a solution making it possible to group together all of the management operations (display and control) of the “One Pedal Drive” driving mode on a single, “large” central touchscreen; a screen combining a simplified version of a classic handset and the content of a central multimedia screen.

[0016] For this purpose, the present invention has as its first object a touch screen display device for an electric or hybrid 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 displaying a touch control button dedicated to a determined driving mode of the vehicle, called a one-pedal driving mode, capable of controlling the display, on the second screen portion, superimposed on the current display of the second screen portion, and for a determined duration, of at least a first display window comprising at least one display area dedicated to the one-pedal driving mode.

[0017] According to one characteristic, the first display window is capable of displaying, in a first display area of the first display window, a touch control button arrangement for selection for activating or deactivating the one-pedal driving mode by a user of the device.

[0018] According to another characteristic, the first display window is able to display, in addition, when the one-pedal driving mode has been selected, in a second display area of the first display window, a touch control button arrangement for adjusting the deceleration level by the user.

[0019] According to another characteristic, the tactile control button arrangement, for adjusting the deceleration level, comprises a scale of deceleration adjustment levels and at least one tactile control pad cooperating with said scale to allow the user to adjust the deceleration level.

[0020] According to another characteristic, the touch control button is capable of further controlling a second display window capable of displaying, in a display area substantially centered in the second display window, textual information explaining a malfunction of the one-pedal driving mode following activation of the touch control button, presenting a visual rendering suggestive of a malfunction, by the user of the device.

[0021] According to another characteristic, the touch control button displays an orange color suggestive of a malfunction of the one-pedal driving mode.

[0022] The second subject of the invention is an electric or hybrid motor vehicle comprising a touch screen display device as described above.

[0023] The present invention has the advantage of providing a more ergonomic and intuitive solution for the user in the use of the “One-Pedal Drive” driving mode.

[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 a touch display screen device according to the invention;

[0027] [Fig.3] illustrates a type of access for the management (display and control) of a mode one-pedal driving via a touch control indicator / button of the touch display screen device according to the invention;

[0028] [Fig.4] illustrates a first display configuration in which a window display in connection with the management of the one-pedal driving mode, is displayed on the touch screen display device according to the invention; and

[0029] [Fig.5] illustrates a second display configuration in which a window displaying information related to a malfunction of the one-pedal driving mode, is displayed on the touch screen display device according to the invention.

[0030] [Fig.l] illustrates a schematic interior view of a passenger compartment, or cockpit, HAB of a VHL motor vehicle comprising a DEC touch display screen device according to the invention.

[0031] The touch screen display device DEC is generally rectangular in shape and extends transversely in the central part of the dashboard PDB, from the steering wheel VOL of the vehicle VHL. It alone constitutes the dashboard TBD of the vehicle VHL.

[0032] 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.

[0033] In the embodiment of a touch screen display device DEC according to the invention, illustrated in [Fig.2], the touch screen display device DEC groups together 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.

[0034] With this type of touch screen display device DEC according to the invention, the first screen part EC1, similar to a traditional handset, is no longer arranged opposite the steering wheel VOL ([Fig.l]), being centered relative to the steering wheel VOL, but is substantially offset to the right of the steering wheel VOL (for a left-hand drive vehicle) and toward the top of the dashboard PDB so as to remain in the driver's field of vision while driving.

[0035] The rectangular display surface S AF of the touch screen display device DEC corresponds substantially to the “overall” surface of the touch screen display device DEC.

[0036] The DEC touch display screen device according to the invention is generally presented as a very long rectangular touch panel installed on the dashboard PDB. It implements 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.

[0037] Its length is for example substantially equal to four times its width.

[0038] The display surface SAF 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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 on the screen following a command made from a menu or dedicated command buttons.

[0042] In the second display part SA2 (EC2) of the touch display screen device DEC according to the invention, all pages PG1-PG5 are displayed simultaneously but the content of pages PGA-PG5 can change.

[0043] For example, there are pages dedicated to displaying information on current functionalities and pages dedicated to controlling functionalities defining touch control buttons of the VHL vehicle that the user can select directly from the page that is already displayed on the second display part SA2 (EC2).

[0044] The content of a page dedicated to the display of information may, once a selected feature command, change content and display information related to the ordered feature.

[0045] Thus, there are pages dedicated to the audio system or to the infotainment of the VHL 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 VHL vehicle set by the navigation system, the trajectory control of the VHL vehicle, the safety distances, the rear-view mirror, etc., pages dedicated to the comfort of the occupants of the VHL vehicle: air conditioning, seat temperature, etc., pages dedicated to the configuration in relation to a component or equipment of the VHL vehicle, etc.

[0046] The pages may contain images or photos, graphic representations such as pictograms relating to orders, or others.

[0047] [Fig.2] illustrates an embodiment of a touch screen display device DEC according to the invention comprising, in the first screen part EC1, a TOP indicator displaying a graphic object in the form of a pictogram representative of the one-pedal driving mode or “One-Pedal Drive”.

[0048] The pictogram schematically represents a foot outline, in an intermediate position between a downward-pointing arrow and an upward-pointing arrow: the downward-pointing arrow symbolizing a press on the accelerator pedal in acceleration mode and the upward-pointing arrow symbolizing a release of the accelerator pedal (deceleration) in regenerative braking mode.

[0049] Advantageously, as illustrated in [Fig. 3], the TOP indicator also serves as a touch control button (or touch control indicator) and which, when activated by the user UTI, following a long press or a short press, controls the display of a display window FNR (first display configuration) superimposed on the other pages displayed on the second part of the screen EC2 ([Fig. 4]).

[0050] A “long” press is defined relative to a “short” press. A “short” press is a “furtive” press while a “long” press requires the user UTI’s finger to be held on the TOP button for at least a determined duration until the FNR display window is displayed.

[0051] In the example, illustrated in [Fig.4], the FNR display window has two display areas.

[0052] A first display zone (at the top left of the FNR display window in the example considered) is intended for activating or deactivating the “One-Pedal Drive” driving mode which, in this example, is symbolized by a SEL selector with an ON / OFF touch control button.

[0053] A second display area (substantially centered in the FNR display window in the example considered) is intended for adjusting the deceleration level (regenerative braking power) which, in this example, is symbolized by a graphical representation of a scale of sensitivity levels, here an adjustment bar BAR, with an adjustment touchpad, here a CTA touch cursor, capable of sliding along the adjustment bar BAR, between first and second ends of the bar BAR, identified respectively by “-” and “+”, respectively defining minimum and maximum levels of adjustment of the deceleration level (regenerative braking power).

[0054] The second display area may be displayed only when the SEL selection touch button is "ON" or become tactilely active only when the SEL selection touch button is "ON".

[0055] Thus, from a single touch control button TOP, displayed in the first part of screen EC1, the user UTI can control the activation / deactivation of the “One-Pedal Drive” mode and the adjustment of the deceleration level.

[0056] [Fig. 5] illustrates a second display configuration of the touch screen display device DEC, in which the touch control button TOP, dedicated to the “One-Pedal Drive” mode, is displayed in the first part of the screen EC1, with a visual rendering suggestive of a malfunction, for example with an “orange” color to draw the attention of the user UTI to a malfunction of the “One-Pedal Drive” mode. The orange color is that which is usually used by the warning lights of a motor vehicle instrument panel, to alert the driver of a malfunction of the vehicle which does not prohibit the vehicle from being driven but recommends that the driver visit a garage.

[0057] Pressing the TOP touch control button displays an information display window FNI, recognizable by the thumbnail representing the letter “i”, centered in a circle, in a first display area, at the bottom right of the information display window FNI in the example considered, to allow the UTI user to read an explanatory text message “Explanations ...” on the potential cause of the malfunction: faulty traction battery, cut-off of the traction battery charging circuit, ... in a second display area, which in the example considered is substantially centered in the information display window FNI.

[0058] The display duration of the display windows, FNR or FNI, in the second part of the EC2 screen is set by default in the factory, or can be set by the USG user among the imposed determined duration ranges.

[0059] Indeed, it is important for safety that the display duration has the least possible impact on driving the vehicle.

[0060] The user UTI can at any time interrupt the display of a display window FNR, FNI either by pressing the touch control button TOP again or by pressing any accessible part of the display surface SA2 of the second screen part EC2. A control button dedicated to closing a display window FNR or FNI can also be displayed on each of the display windows FNR, FNI (a pictogram in the form of a cross for example)

[0061] The present invention thus provides direct access to the one-pedal driving mode controls with better visibility and readability of the control and alert information without impacting the display of other information provided to the driver.

Claims

Claims

1. Touchscreen display device (DEC) for an electric or hybrid motor vehicle, 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 functions and settings of the vehicle (VHL);said first screen part (EC1) displaying a touch control button (TOP) dedicated to a determined driving mode of the vehicle, called one-pedal, capable of controlling the display, on the second screen part (EC2), superimposed on the current display of the second screen part (EC2), and for a determined duration, of at least a first display window (FNR) comprising at least one display zone dedicated to the one-pedal driving mode.;

2. Device (DEC) according to claim 1, wherein the first display window (FNR) is adapted to display, in a first display area of the first display window (FNR), a selection touch control button arrangement (SEL) for activating or deactivating the one-pedal driving mode by a user (UTI) of the device (DEC).

3. Device (DEC) according to the preceding claim, in which the first display window (FNR), is capable of displaying, in addition, when the one-pedal driving mode has been selected, in a second display area of the first display window (FNR), an arrangement (BAR, CTA) of touch control button for adjusting the deceleration level by the user (UTI).

4. Device according to the preceding claim, in which the arrangement (BAR, CTA) of touch control button, for adjusting the deceleration level, comprises a scale (BAR) of deceleration adjustment levels and at least one touch control pad (CTA) cooperating with said scale (BAR) to allow the user (UTI) to adjust the deceleration level.

5. Device (DEC) according to claim 1, in which the touch control button (TOP) is capable of further controlling a second display window (FNI) capable of displaying, in a display area sens- possibly centered in the second display window (FNI), textual information explaining a malfunction of the one-pedal driving mode following activation of the touch control button (TOP), presenting a visual rendering suggestive of a malfunction, by the user (UTI) of the device (DEC).

6. Device (DEC) according to the preceding claim, in which the touch control button (TOP) displays an orange color suggestive of a malfunction of the one-pedal driving mode.

7. Electric or hybrid motor vehicle (VHL) comprising a touch screen display device (DEC) according to one of the preceding claims.

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