Global Input Gesture Control for Vehicle Menu Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Navigating hierarchical menu structures in vehicle graphical user interfaces can lead to driver distraction due to complexity, making it difficult to access basic functions quickly and intuitively.
Innovation Solution
Implementing global input gestures on a touch-sensitive surface that are interpreted consistently across menus, allowing users to perform functions like selecting objects or accessing submenus independently of current display content, with features such as simultaneous multi-touch detection and designated areas for global input execution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If hierarchical menu structures are used to organize vehicle functions, then the system can accommodate multiple devices and functions, but the complexity of navigation increases and driver distraction occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control interface into two distinct parts: a touch-sensitive surface for direct manipulation and a display area for visual feedback. This segmentation allows drivers to interact with the system using simple tactile gestures without needing to navigate complex hierarchical menus visually, thereby reducing cognitive load and distraction while maintaining comprehensive function coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The touch-sensitive surface acts as an intermediary between the driver and the vehicle's complex control systems. Instead of requiring drivers to navigate through multiple menu levels on the display, the touch surface provides direct access to functions through tactile interactions, mediating the complexity away from the driver's attention.
2Ease of operation
If multiple separate operating elements are provided for each vehicle device, then each function can be accessed directly, but the number of controls becomes unmanageably large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate operating elements into a single integrated touch-sensitive surface. This consolidation reduces the number of physical controls from many separate elements to one unified interface, making the system manageable while preserving direct access to various vehicle functions through the touch surface's gesture capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The touch-sensitive surface serves as a universal control element that can access all vehicle functions regardless of which menu or display content is currently shown. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate dedicated controls for each device while maintaining ease of access to all functions.
3Loss of information
If the display shows detailed menu information, then the driver can see available functions, but the driver's attention is diverted from the road
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the primary interaction interface from the visual display and places it on the touch-sensitive surface. This extraction allows the display to show minimal information necessary for awareness while the bulk of the interaction occurs through tactile gestures on the touch surface, reducing visual demand and driver distraction while maintaining access to all menu information.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for controlling a graphical user interface, wherein a menu is defined, in which several objects (7) of the menu are each associated with a function, and a global input gesture is associated with at least a part of the objects (7), wherein the input gesture can be executed on a touch-sensitive surface (5) of an input device and different display contents can be displayed on a display surface (2). In the method according to the invention, a global input gesture executed on the touch-sensitive surface (5) is captured and, independently of the currently rendered display content on the display surface (2), a function is executed, which is associated with the object (7) that is associated with the captured input gesture. The invention further relates to an operating device for executing said method.