Vehicle system with multiple display devices

The vehicle system addresses the challenge of interacting with large and multiple displays by using a central display with configuration interfaces to control content on other displays, improving user interaction and accessibility.

WO2026143221A1PCT designated stage Publication Date: 2026-07-02HARMAN BECKER AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS INC

Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
WO · WO
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
HARMAN BECKER AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS INC
Filing Date
2025-12-26
Publication Date
2026-07-02

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Abstract

A vehicle system includes a first display configured to interact with a user via a configuration panel, wherein the configuration panel includes a plurality of configuration interfaces; a second display configured to output a plurality of content entries each corresponding to one of the plurality of configuration interfaces; and one or more controllers programmed to responsive to receiving a user touch input directed to modify one of the plurality of configuration interfaces via the first display, adjust one of the plurality of content entries corresponding to the one of the plurality of configuration interfaces output via the second display.
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Description

VEHICLE SYSTEM WITH MULTIPLE DISPLAY DEVICESCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[00011 This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 739,275 filed on December 27, 2024, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference herein.TECHNICAL FIELD10002] The present disclosure generally relates to a vehicle system. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a vehicle system involving multiple displays.BACKGROUND[0003J Modern vehicles are provided with infotainment systems that enable various functions. The infotainment systems may be operably connected to one or more devices for interacting with vehicle users. For instance, the infotainment systems may be connected to one or more displays configured to output visual information to the vehicle users. The infotainment systems may be further connected to one or more loudspeakers configured to output audio information to the vehicle users.[0004J Conventionally, the user may interact with one or more display via one or more input devices such as a touch pad and a button. Some vehicle displays are provided with touch input capabilities to allow the user to make inputs direction via the touch screen in addition to or in lieu of the input devices. As the displays are becoming larger in size and increasing in number, the user (e g., the driver) may be unable to easily reach some displays for touch input.SUMMARY

[0005] A vehicle system includes a first display configured to interact with a user via a configuration panel, wherein the configuration panel includes a plurality of configurationinterfaces; a second display configured to output a plurality of content entries each corresponding to one of the plurality of configuration interfaces; and one or more controllers programmed to responsive to receiving a user touch input directed to modify one of the plurality of configuration interfaces via the first display, adjust one of the plurality of content entries corresponding to the one of the plurality of configuration interfaces output via the second display.[0006| A method for a vehicle includes outputting, via a second display, a plurality of content entries arranged horizontally; outputting, via a first display, a configuration panel including a plurality of configuration interfaces each corresponding to one of the plurality of content entries; and responsive to receiving, via the first display, a user touch input directed to modify one of the plurality of configuration interfaces, adjusting, via one or more controllers, one of the plurality of content entries corresponding to the one of the plurality of configuration interfaces output via the second display.

[0007] A non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions when executed by one or more controllers of a vehicle, cause the vehicle to output, via a second display, a plurality of content entries arranged horizontally; output, via a first display, a configuration panel including a plurality of configuration interfaces each corresponding to one of the plurality of content entries; and responsive to receiving, via the first display, a user touch input directed to modify one of the plurality of configuration interfaces, adjust one of the plurality of content entries corresponding to the one of the plurality of configuration interfaces output via the second display.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] For a better understanding of the invention and to show how it may be performed, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0009] Figure 1 illustrates an example block topology of a vehicle system of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0010] Figure 2 illustrates an example schematic diagram of the vehicle system of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.[001 I] Figure 3 illustrates an example schematic diagram of the display interfaces of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 4 illustrates an example schematic diagram of the display interfaces of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 5 illustrates an example schematic diagram of the display interfaces of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.[09141 Figure 6 illustrates an example schematic diagram of a configuration panel of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 7 illustrates an example schematic diagram of another configuration panel of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 8 illustrates an example schematic diagram of yet another configuration panel of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 9 illustrates an example schematic diagram of yet another configuration panel of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 10 illustrates an example schematic diagram of yet another configuration panel of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figures 11A and 11B illustrate an example schematic diagram of yet another configuration mechanism of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.[0020J Figure 12 illustrates an example schematic diagram of yet another configuration panel of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION|002l] Embodiments are described herein. It is to be understood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples and other embodiments may take various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale. Some features could be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art.

[0022] Various features illustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures may be combined with features illustrated in one or more other figures to produce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated or described. The combinations of features illustrated provide representative embodiments for typical applications. Various combinations and modifications of the features consistent with the teachings of this disclosure, however, could be desired for particular applications or implementations.

[0023] The present disclosure proposes, among other things, a vehicle system involving a plurality of displays / screens. More specifically, the present disclosure proposes a vehicle system for operating a plurality of displays to improve the user experience.[0024| Referring to Figure 1, an example block topology of a system 100 of one embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. A vehicle 102 may include various types of automobiles, crossover utility vehicle (CUV), sport utility vehicle (SUV), truck, recreational vehicle (RV), boat, plane, or other mobile machine for transporting people or goods. In many cases, the vehicle 102 may be powered by an engine. As another possibility, the vehicle 102 may be a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) powered by both an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors, such as a series hybrid electric vehicle (SHEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), a parallel / series hybrid vehicle (PSHEV), or a fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV). It should be noted that the illustrated system 100 is merely an example, and more, fewer, and / or differently located elements may be used.[0025| As illustrated in Figure 1, the vehicle 102 may be provided with a vehicle system 104 including one or more processors 106 configured to perform instructions, commands, and other routines in support of the processes described herein. For instance, the vehicle system 104 may be configured to execute instructions of applications 108 to provide features such as vehicle operation controls, multimedia, or the like. Such instructions and other data may be maintained in a nonvolatile manner using a variety of types of computer-readable storage medium 110. The computer-readable medium 110 (also referred to as a processor-readable medium or storage) includes any non-transitory medium that participates in providing instructions or other data that may be read by the processor 106 of the vehicle system 104. Computer-executable instructions may be compiled or interpreted from computer programs created using a variety of current and future programming languages and / or technologies.[0026J The vehicle system 104 may be provided with one or more in-vehicle networks 105 configured to enable the communication between various components of the vehicle 102. The in-vehicle network 105 may be configured to support various communication protocols. For instance, the in-vehicle network 105 may be configured to support, but is not limited to, one or more of an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) network, a controller area network (CAN), an Ethernet network, and a media-oriented system transport (MOST), as some examples. Furthermore, the in-vehicle network 105, or portions of the in-vehicle network 105, may be a wireless network accomplished via Bluetooth low-energy (BLE), Wi-Fi, or the like.[0027| The vehicle system 104 may be provided with various features allowing the vehicle users to interface with the vehicle system 104. For example, the vehicle system 104 may receive input from human machine interface (HMI) controls 112 connected to the in-vehicle network 105 and configured to provide for user interaction with the vehicle 102. As an example, the vehicle system 104 may interface with one or more buttons, switches, knobs, touch screen or other HMI controls configured to invoke functions on the vehicle system 104 (e.g., navigation, audio / video playback, etc.).[0028| Any number of controllers (shown or not shown) within the vehicle system 104 may also drive or otherwise communicate with one or more displays 114 configured to provide visual outputto vehicle users by way of a video controller 116 through the in-vehicle network 105. In some cases, the displays 114 may include a touch screen further configured to receive user touch input via the video controller 116, while in other cases the displays 114 may include screens only, without touch input capabilities. In addition, any number of controllers of the vehicle system 104 may also drive or otherwise communicate with one or more cameras 117 configured to provide video input by way of the video controller 116 through the in-vehicle network 105. The cameras 117 may include one or more interior cameras configured to capture images / videos inside the vehicle cabin. Additionally or alternatively, the cameras 117 may include one or more exterior cameras configured to capture images / videos outside the vehicle 102.[0029| Any number of controllers within the vehicle system 104 may also drive or otherwise communicate with one or more loudspeakers 118 configured to provide audio output to vehicle users by way of an audio controller 120 through the in-vehicle network 105. Any number of controllers within the vehicle system 104 may also drive or otherwise communicate with one or more microphones 121 configured to receive an audio input by way of the audio controller 120 through the in-vehicle network 105.[0030| The vehicle system 104 may also be provided with navigation and route planning features through a navigation controller 122 connected to the in-vehicle network 105 and configured to calculate navigation routes responsive to user input via e.g., the HMI controls 112, and output planned routes and instructions via the loudspeaker 118 and / or the display 114 through the audio controller 120 and / or the video controller 116. Location data that is needed for navigation may be determined by the communication with multiple satellites. Map data used for route planning may be stored in the storage 110 as a part of the vehicle data 125. Navigation software may be stored in the storage 110 as one of the vehicle applications 108.100311 The vehicle system 104 may also be provided with wireless communication capabilities via a wireless transceiver 124 connected to the in-vehicle network 105 and configured to wirelessly communicate with a mobile device 128 of vehicle users via a wireless connection 126. The mobile device 128 may be any of various types of portable computing devices, such as cellular phones, tablet computers, wearable devices, smart watches, laptop computers, portable music players, orother device capable of communication with the vehicle system 104. The wireless transceiver 124 may be configured to support a variety of wireless communication protocols including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, radio-frequency identification (RFID), near-field communication (NFC), and communicate with a compatible wireless transceiver (not shown) of the mobile device 128 to enable various functions. For instance, the vehicle user may perform audio and / or video phone calls by mobile device 128 through the vehicle system 104. Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle system 104 may be configured to access a cloud network 130 via the mobile device 128 through wireless connection technologies such as cellular network.

[0032] The vehicle system 104 may also be provided with a telematics control unit (TCU) 132 connected to the in-vehicle network 105 and configured to control telecommunication between vehicle 102 and the cloud network 130 through a wireless connection 134 (e.g., using a modem) in addition to or in lieu of via the mobile device 128. For instance, the vehicle system 104 may download and / or upload data from / to the cloud network 130 via the TCU 132 or through the mobile device 128. It is noted that the term cloud network is used as a general term in the present disclosure and may include any computing network involving servers, carriers, routers, computers, controllers, circuitry or the like configured to store data and perform data processing functions and facilitate communication between various entities.

[0033] Referring to Figure 2, an example schematic diagram 200 of the vehicle system of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. With continuing reference to Figure 1, the vehicle system 104 in the present example includes a plurality of displays 114. More specifically, the vehicle system 104 may include a first display 114a located in a central console below a dashboard 202, and a second display 114b located above the dashboard 202 and below the windshield 204 of the vehicle 102. As illustrated in Figure 2, the second display 114b may include an ultra-wide display screen extending the entire length (or almost the entire length) of the dashboard 202. For instance, the second display 114b may be a 48-inch display device. In an alternative example, the ultra-wide second display 114b may include a plurality of display devices to achieve substantially the same effect. For instance, two or more display devices may be placed side-by-side to achieve the ultra-wide screen effect. Additionally or alternatively, the second display 114b may be implemented via one or more head-up displays (HUD) projecting visualelements into the windshield 204. For instance, the bottom portion of the windshield 204 may be used as the second display 114b based on the HUD projection. Additionally or alternatively, the second display 114b may be implemented via a combination of one or more conventional displays (e.g., liquid crystal displays) and one or more head-up displays under essentially the same concept.

[0034] Due to the size and stretched-out aspect ratio of the second display 114b, the total display area of the second display 114b may be divided into a plurality of display areas / sections. In the present example, the second display 114b may be divided into four display areas and each display area may independently or collectively operate. The second display 114b may include an instrument cluster area 206 located on the driver side (e.g., left side) above a steering wheel 210 of the vehicle 102. The instrument cluster area 206 may be configured to display an instrument cluster 208 including a collection of gauges and graphics indicative of the information and condition of the vehicle 102. The instrument cluster 208 may be customizable based on the user’s preferences. The vehicle system 104 maybe configured to allow the user to select one of a plurality of preconfigured instrument cluster options 208 for displaying in the instrument cluster area 206.

[0035] The second display 114b may further include a first area 212a located adjacent to the instrument cluster area 206 and configured to display a first screen 214a. The second display 114b may further include a second area 212b located adjacent to the first area 212a and configured to display a second screen 214b. The second display 114b may further include a third area 212c located adjacent to the second area 212b and configured to display a third screen 214c.

[0036] Each of the screens 214 located at the display area 212 may be individually customized to display various content to provide the vehicle users with a multi-media experience. Due to the size of the second display 114b and location of the display areas 212, it may be hard for the user to reach the display 114b by hand and make a touch input to the vehicle system 104. Therefore, the second display 114b may be a display only without the touch input capability. Instead, the vehicle system 104 may be configured to receive the user input via the first display 114a in support of the touch screen capability to configure the various screens 214 displayed via the second display 114b. In the present example, the first display 114a may be configured to display a configuration panel 215 including a plurality of configurator interfaces 216 that allows the user to adjust and / orcustomize the content of the screens 214. In the present example, the configuration panel 215 may display a first configurator interface 216a that is configured to adjust the content of the first screen 214a. The configuration panel 215 may further display a second configurator interface 216b that is configured to adjust the content of the second screen 214b. The configuration panel 215 may further display a third configurator 216c interface that is configured to adjust the content of the third screen 214c. While the instrument cluster 208 may also be configured and adjusted via the configuration panel 215, such configurations and adjustments may be performed via other means and therefore will not be described therein.

[0037] Referring to Figure 3, an example schematic diagram 300 of the display interfaces of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. With continuing reference to Figures 1 and 2, the present diagram 300 illustrates operations of the configurator interfaces 216 to adjust the content displayed via the screens 214. In the present example, each screen 214 of the second display 114b may be configured to display a content (or content entry) 302. More specifically, the first screen 214a may be configured to display a first content 302a; the second screen 214b may be configured to display a second content 302b; and the third screen 214c may be configured to display a third content 302c.

[0038] The content 302 may include a variety of entries of information related and / or unrelated to the operation of the vehicle 102. As a few non-limiting examples, the content 302 may include one or more of navigation information entry generated by the navigation controller 122 providing driving instructions (e.g., tum-by-turn) to the vehicle user. The content 302 may further include an audio play information entry indicative of an audio program being output via the one or more loudspeakers 118. For instance, the audio play information may include texts and images corresponding to the audio program (e g., music, radio channel) being played. The content 302 may further include a weather entry such as weather report of a geographic area in which the vehicle 102 is currently located or the destination is located. The content 302 may further include a phone entry displaying information indicative of the mobile device 128 wirelessly connected to the vehicle system 104. Various information related to the mobile device 128 may be displayed in the phone entry. For instance, the phone entry may include the contact, call history, messages, voice mails or the like associated with the mobile device 128. Additionally or alternatively, thephone entry may include one or more multi-media content (e.g., audio, video) received from the mobile device 128 via the wireless connection 126. The content 302 may further include a camera entry indicative of images / videos captured by the one or more cameras 117. The content 302 may further include one or more vehicle information entry displaying information indicative of operating status of the vehicle 102. For instance, the vehicle information entry may display the vehicle fuel status (e.g., battery state of charge (SOC), charging / discharging status of a hybrid drivetrain), tire pressure, autonomous driving status or the like.

[0039] The various entries of the content 302 may be selected and adjusted via the configurator interface 216 displayed on the first display 114a. In the present example, the each of the configurator interfaces 216 may display a content thumbnail 304 that corresponds to the respective content 302 displayed via the second display 114b. More specifically, the first configurator interface 216a may be configured to display a first content thumbnail 304a corresponding to the first content 302a displayed in the first screen 214a. The second configurator interface 216b may be configured to display a second content thumbnail 304b corresponding to the second content 302b displayed in the second screen 214b. The third configurator interface 216c may be configured to display a third content thumbnail 304c corresponding to the third content 302c displayed in the third screen 214c. The content thumbnails 304 may include one or more size-reduced image representative of the corresponding respective content 302 such that the thumbnail 304 generally resembles the corresponding content 302. Alternatively, the thumbnail 304 may include one or more predefined icon, image or text that does not resemble corresponding content 302.[0040J In one or more examples, the configurator panel 215 may be configured to allow the user to switch and select one or more content 302 by making a swipe input in the corresponding configurator interface 216. The user may swipe the content thumbnails 304 vertically up and down to change the corresponding content 302. As illustrated in the Figure 3, the content 302 displayed in the third screen 214c may be switched by the user input made on the third configurator interface 216c. The user may switch between the third content 302c and a fourth content 302d by swiping between the first content thumbnail 304c and a fourth content thumbnail 304d.

[0041] The configurator panel 215 may be collapsed to the top of the first display 114 when the user is not configuring the contents 302 such that the screen space may be more efficiently used to display other information. The configurator panel 215 may be expanded and collapsed using a sliding tab (or expansion button) 306. Additionally, the sliding tab 306 may also be configured to allow the user to adjust the size of the configurator panel 215 by swiping up and down. The user may swipe down the sliding tab 306 to increase the size of the configurator panel 215 up to the full screen (or near full screen); and swipe up the sliding tab 306 to reduce the size of the co configurator panel 215. Although the configurator panel 215 is located at the top portion of the first display 114a, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The configurator interface 216 may be located elsewhere (e.g., at the bottom portion).[00421 Referring to Figure 4, an example schematic diagram 400 of the display interfaces of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. With continuing reference to Figures 1 to 3, the first display 114a may be configured to display four configurator interfaces 216 that correspond to four screens 214 displayed via the second display 114b (not shown). Due to the width restriction of the first display 114a, the four configurator interfaces 216 may not be displayed at the same time. In the present example, the user may selectively switch between the configurator interfaces 216 to display by making left-and-right swiping action onto the first display 114a in support of touch screen technology. For instance, the configurator panel 215 of the first display 114a may be configured to display three configurator interfaces 216a, 216b, and 216c. In order to display and operate the fourth configurator interface 216d, the user may swipe any of the currently displayed configurator interfaces 216a, 216b, and 216c to the left such that the configurator interfaces scroll to the right by one slot to display the fourth configurator interface 216d.|0043J Referring to Figure 5, an example schematic diagram 500 of the display interfaces of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. With continuing reference to Figures 1 to 4, the configurator panel 215 in the present example further provides a merge button 502 configured to merge / lock two (or more) configuration interfaces 216, such that the two (or more) screens 214 displayed on the second display 114b may be merged / locked. For instance, if the user prefers to display the first content 302a and second content 302b together, the first content 302a and the second content 302b may be merged / locked. In other words, the first content 302a and thesecond content 302b will always be displayed together. The user may enable the merging / locking by tapping on the merge button 502. To unmerge / unlock the content, the user may tap the merge button 502 again.

[0044] Referring to Figure 6, an example schematic diagram 600 of a configuration panel 215 displayed via the first display 114a of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. With continuing reference to Figure 1 to 5, the configuration panel 215 illustrates a more detailed example output via the first display 114a. The configuration panel 215 may include a top button / bar 602 configured to allow the user to open and close the configuration interface 216. The configuration panel 215 may further include an expansion button 604 configured to allow the user to expand and collapse the configuration interface 216. The configuration panel 215 may further include a merge button 606 configured to allow the user to merge / lock two (or more) configuration interfaces 216. The configuration panel 215 may further include a preset panel 608 illustrating one or more preset configurations (to be discussed in detail below).|0045] Referring to Figure 7, an example schematic diagram 700 of the configuration panel 215 showing the user entry point of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. With continuing reference to Figures 1 to 6, the schematic diagram 700 illustrates a plurality of screens output via the first display 114a in response to user input. The first display 114a may illustrate a first screen 702 with the configuration panel 215 collapsed with only the top button 602 visible. In response to detecting the user making a touch input to the top button 602, the configuration panel 215 may be expanded as shown in a second screen 704. In response to detecting the user making a touch input to the merge button 502, the configuration panel 215 may merge two or more configuration interfaces 216 as shown in a third screen 706. In response to detecting the user making a touch input again to the merge button 502, the configuration panel 215 may unmerge the two or more configuration interfaces 216 as shown in the fourth screen 708.

[0046] Referring to Figure 8, an example schematic diagram 800 of yet another configuration panel 215 showing the expanding and collapsing of the configuration panel displayed via the first display 114a of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. With continuing reference to Figures 1 to 7, the schematic diagram 800 illustrates a plurality of screens output viathe first display 114a in response to user input. The first display 114a may illustrate a first screen 802 with the configuration panel 215 collapsed with only the top button 602 visible. In response to detecting the user making a touch input to the top bar button 602, the configuration panel 215 may be expanded as shown in a second screen 804. In response to detecting the user making a touch input to the expansion button 306, the configuration panel 215 may adjust its size accordingly as shown in a third screen 806. As an example, the user may drag the configuration panel 215 down all the way down via the expansion button to display the configuration panel 215 full screen (or near full screen). In response to detecting the user making a touch input again to the expansion button 306 (e.g., dragging up), the configuration panel 215 may reduce the size of the configuration panel 215 accordingly as shown in the fourth screen 808.[0047| Referring to Figure 9, an example schematic diagram 900 of yet another configuration panel 215 showing the opening and closing of one or more configuration interfaces of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. In addition to the top button 602, the vehicle system may further allow the user to launch the configuration panel via an application icon 910 as illustrated in a first screen 902. In response to the user making an input to the application icon 910, the configuration panel 215 may be popped down as illustrated in the second screen 904. Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle system may provide a quick access button 912 to allow the user to expand and collapse the configuration panel 215 as illustrated in a third screen 906 and a fourth screen 908.[0048| Referring to Figure 10, an example schematic diagram 1000 of yet another configuration panel showing the configuring personal presets of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. With continuing reference to Figures 1 to 9, the configuration panel 215 includes a plurality of preset configurations 1002 in the present example. The present configuration 1002 may include various personalized configuration (e g., content, merge status) previously saved by the user. The user may launch and select a preset configuration 1002 by making a touch input to one of the corresponding icons 1002. To save the current configuration into a preset, the user may press and hold one of the icons for more than a predefined duration. For instance, if the user wants to save the current configuration into the third preset 1002c, he may press and hold the preset3 icon 1002c for more than a threshold (e.g., 2 seconds) and the system will automatically record the current configuration into the third preset 1002c.

[0049] Referring to Figures 11A and 11B, an example schematic diagram 1100 of yet another mechanism showing interacting with the vehicle using steering wheel control 1106 of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. With continuing reference to Figures 1 to 10, in the present example, the user may use a steering wheel control 1106 to interact with the vehicle and adjust the content 302 displayed on the second display 114b in addition to or in lieu of using the configuration panel 215. The vehicle may be provided with a steering wheel control 1106 including one or more of buttons, knobs, switches or the like configured to receive user input. As illustrated in a first screen 1102, for instance, the steering wheel control 1106 may include one or more left / right switches configured to allow the user to select one of the areas 212 to focus on displayed on the second display 114b as indicated by a cursor 1108. The steering wheel control 1106 may further include one or more up / down switches configured to allow the user to change the content 302 in the focused area 212. In the present example as illustrated in the second screen 1104, the content 302 may be switched from a driving mode to a navigation instruction. Correspondingly, the configuration interface 216 output via the first display 114a may also switch based on the content 302 switch output via the second display 114b.10050] Figure 1 IB further illustrates various example screens of the content switchable using the up / down switch of the steering wheel control 1106. For instance, the steering wheel control 1106 may be configured to allow the user to display a navigation route map content 302 as illustrated in the third screen 1112. The steering wheel control 1106 may be further configured to allow the user to display a route overview content 302 as illustrated in the fourth screen 1114. The steering wheel control 1106 may be further configured to allow the user to display a turn-by-turn instruction content 302 as illustrated in the fifth screen 1116. The steering wheel control 1106 may be further configured to allow the user to display a clock content 302 as illustrated in the sixth screen 1118. The steering wheel control 1106 may be further configured to allow the user to display a media content 302 as illustrated in the seventh screen 1120. The steering wheel control 1106 may be further configured to allow the user to display a weather forecast content 302 as illustrated in theeighth screen 1122. The steering wheel control 1106 may be further configured to allow the user to display a compass content 302 as illustrated in the ninth screen 1124.

[0051] Referring to Figure 12, an example schematic diagram 1200 of yet another configuration panel of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. With continuing reference to Figures 1 to 11, the configuration panel 21 may be configured to allow the user to drag and drop one or more configuration interfaces 216. As illustrated in the first screen 1202, the configuration panel 215 is in a regular mode without having the drag-and-drop function enabled. To enable the drag-and-drop function, as illustrated in the second screen 1204, the user may press and hold one of the configuration interfaces 216 for a duration longer than a predefined threshold (e.g., 2 seconds), and the configuration panel 215 enters an adjustment mode. As illustrated in the third screen 1206, the user may drag and drop one or more configuration interfaces 216 to a desired location. In the case that two or more configuration interfaces 216 are merged, the drag-and-drop operation will treat the merged interfaces 216 as a single entity. In this way, the user may more quickly adjust the content 302 without needing to manually switch the content via each respective configuration interface 216.[0052| It is recognized that the controllers as disclosed herein may include various microprocessors, integrated circuits, memory devices (e.g., FLASH, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), or other suitable variants thereof), and software which co-act with one another to perform operation(s) disclosed herein. In addition, such controllers as disclosed utilizes one or more microprocessors to execute a computerprogram that is embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium that is programmed to perform any number of the functions as disclosed. Further, the controller(s) as provided herein includes a housing and the various number of microprocessors, integrated circuits, and memory devices ((e.g., FLASH, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM)) positioned within the housing. The controller(s) as disclosed also include hardware-based inputs and outputs for receiving and transmitting data, respectively from and to other hardware-based devices as discussed herein.

[0053] While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms encompassed by the claims. The words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. The words processor and processors may be interchanged herein, as may the words controller and controllers.[0054| As previously described, the features of various embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention that may not be explicitly described or illustrated. While various embodiments could have been described as providing advantages or being preferred over other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more desired characteristics, those of ordinary skill in the art recognize that one or more features or characteristics may be compromised to achieve desired overall system attributes, which depend on the specific application and implementation. These attributes may include, but are not limited to strength, durability, marketability, appearance, packaging, size, serviceability, weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. As such, embodiments described as less desirable than other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more characteristics are not outside the scope of the disclosure and may be desirable for particular applications.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A vehicle system comprising:a first display configured to interact with a user via a configuration panel, wherein the configuration panel includes a plurality of configuration interfaces;a second display configured to output a plurality of content entries each corresponding to one of the plurality of configuration interfaces; andone or more controllers programmed to:responsive to receiving a user touch input directed to modify one of the plurality of configuration interfaces via the first display, adjust one of the plurality of content entries corresponding to the one of the plurality of configuration interfaces output via the second display.

2. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the one of the plurality of configuration interfaces includes a first thumbnail image that corresponds to a first content entry.

3. The vehicle system of claim 2, wherein the one or more controllers are further programmed to:responsive receiving a vertical swipe on the first thumbnail image on the configuration interface via the first display, replace the first content entry with second content entry and replace the first thumbnail image with a second thumbnail image corresponding to the second content entry.

4. The vehicle system of claim 3, wherein the first thumbnail image is a size-reduced image of the first content entry to resemble an appearance of the first content entry, and the second thumbnail image is a predefined icon corresponding to the second content entry without resembling an appearance of the second content entry.

5. The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein the first display is further configured to simultaneously output a first number of configuration interfaces, and the second display isfurther configured to simultaneously output a second number of content entries, the second number is greater than the first number, the one or more controllers are further programmed to:responsive receiving a horizontal swipe on one of the configuration interface via the first display, horizontally scroll the configuration panel to hide one of the plurality of configuration interfaces and show another configuration interface previously hidden.

6. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the configuration panel further includes a merge button, the one or more controllers are further programmed to:responsive the user touch input on the merge button, merge the two of the plurality of content entries such that the two are displayed next to each other without allowing another content entries to be added therebetween.

7. The vehicle system of claim 1, further include a steering wheel control configured to receive a user input; the one or more controllers are further programmed to:responsive to receiving the user input via the steering wheel control, modify one of the content entry output via the second display, and a corresponding configuration interface output via the first display.

8. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the second display includes a head-up display.

9. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the second display is an ultra- wide display substantially across an entire width of a dashboard of the vehicle.

10. A method for a vehicle, comprising:outputting, via a second display, a plurality of content entries arranged horizontally; outputting, via a first display, a configuration panel including a plurality of configuration interfaces each corresponding to one of the plurality of content entries; and responsive to receiving, via the first display, a user touch input directed to modify one of the plurality of configuration interfaces, adjusting, via one or more controllers, one of theplurality of content entries corresponding to the one of the plurality of configuration interfaces output via the second display.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one of the plurality of configuration interfaces includes a first thumbnail image that corresponds to a first content entry.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:responsive receiving a vertical swipe of the first thumbnail image on the configuration interface via the first display, replacing the first content entry with second content entry and replacing the first thumbnail image with a second thumbnail image corresponding to the second content entry.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first thumbnail image is a size-reduced image of the first content entry to resemble an appearance of the first content entry, and the second thumbnail image is a predefined icon corresponding to the second content entry without resembling an appearance of the second content entry.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the configuration panel further includes a merge button, the method further comprising:responsive the user touch input on the merge button, locking the two of the plurality of content entries such that the two are displayed next to each other without allowing another content entries to be added therebetween.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:responsive to receiving a user input via a steering wheel control, modifying one of the content entry output via the second display, and a corresponding configuration interface output via the first display.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions when executed by one or more controllers of a vehicle, cause the vehicle to:output, via a second display, a plurality of content entries arranged horizontally; output, via a first display, a configuration panel including a plurality of configuration interfaces each corresponding to one of the plurality of content entries; and responsive to receiving, via the first display, a user touch input directed to modify one of the plurality of configuration interfaces, adjust one of the plurality of content entries corresponding to the one of the plurality of configuration interfaces output via the second display.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the one of the plurality of configuration interfaces includes a first thumbnail image that corresponds to a first content entry.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions when executed by the one or more controllers of the vehicle, cause the vehicle to:responsive receiving a vertical swipe of the first thumbnail image on the configuration interface via the first display, replace the first content entry with second content entry and replacing the first thumbnail image with a second thumbnail image corresponding to the second content entry.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the configuration panel further includes a merge button, the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprising instruction when executed by the one or more controllers of the vehicle, cause the vehicle to:responsive the user touch input on the merge button, lock the two of the plurality of content entries such that the two are displayed next to each other without allowing another content entries to be added therebetween.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first display simultaneously outputs a first number of configuration interfaces, and the second display simultaneously outputs a second number of content entries, the second number is greaterthan the first number, the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprising instruction when executed by the one or more controllers of the vehicle, cause the vehicle to:responsive receiving a horizontal swipe on one of the configuration interface via the first display, horizontally scroll the configuration panel to hide one of the plurality of configuration interfaces and show another configuration interface previously hidden.