Method for reproducing information in a motor vehicle, and motor vehicle designed to carry out the method

Abstract

A method for reproducing information in a motor vehicle (1), said information being assigned to classes of information and being presented on a display (2, 7), wherein the information is reproduced on a base display (9) arranged at the base of the windshield, Wherein each class of information is assigned a sub-area of the base display (9), and the information is reproduced in the sub-area (18, 19, 20) corresponding to the class of information assigned to the information to be displayed.

Claims

1. A method for reproducing items of information in a motor vehicle, comprising: associating classes of information with the items of information, wherein a respective class of information is associated with one of driver-relevant information, passenger-relevant information and information of general interest, and reproducing the items of information on a ribbon-shaped base display formed as a liquid crystal display located at a base of a windshield of the motor vehicle, wherein a sub-area of the base display is assigned to a respective class of information and the items of information are reproduced in the sub-area that corresponds to the class of information associated with the items of information to be displayed, wherein the driver-relevant information is displayed in the sub-area of the base display facing a driver seat, wherein the passenger-relevant information is displayed in the sub-area of the base display facing a passenger seat, and wherein the information of general interest is displayed in the sub-area of the base display that is located between the sub-area of the base display facing a driver seat and the sub-area of the base display facing a passenger seat.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein different sub-areas that correspond to different classes of information are horizontally spaced apart.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the driver-relevant information comprises at least one feature selected from outputs from a navigation system, a vehicle speed, an engine speed, a fuel level, a total mileage and a status variable.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the driver-relevant information comprises a vehicle-relevant or driving-safety-relevant warning message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the passenger-relevant information comprises outputs from an infotainment system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information of general interest comprises at least one feature selected from a time, a date, an inside temperature, an ambient temperature and a trip mileage.

7. A motor vehicle, comprising: a ribbon-shaped base display formed as a liquid crystal display located at a base of a windshield of the motor vehicle and configured to display items of information on the base display, with the base display being divided into ribbon-shaped sub-areas, wherein a sub-area of the base display is assigned to a respective class of information, and two input units configured to associate classes of information with the items of information, and said input units capturing control inputs to control the base display so as to reproduce the items of information in the sub-area that corresponds to the class of information associated with the items of information to be displayed, wherein the items of information to be displayed are divided into driver-relevant information, passenger-relevant information and/or information of general interest, with a respective class of information being associated with each of the driver-relevant information, the passenger-relevant information and the information of general interest, wherein the driver-relevant information is displayed in the sub-area of the base display facing a driver seat, wherein the passenger-relevant information is displayed in the sub-area of the base display facing a passenger seat, and wherein the information of general interest is displayed in the sub-area of the base display that is located between the sub-area of the base display facing a driver seat and the sub-area of the base display facing a passenger seat.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) Further advantages and details of the invention will be described hereinafter with reference to exemplary embodiments and the drawings, which show in:

(2) FIG. 1 schematically, a perspective view of a vehicle interior in which a display is arranged at the base of the windshield,

(3) FIG. 2 schematically, a motor vehicle with the base display and a control unit driving the base display.

(4) Mutually corresponding parts are designated in all figures with the same reference symbols.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(5) FIG. 1 shows a front region of a vehicle interior of a motor vehicle 1. The exemplary motor vehicle 1 includes a plurality of display units for outputting items of information inside the vehicle. Accordingly, a display 2 is provided in a combination instrument 3 that is integrated in the instrument panel 4 and disposed behind a steering wheel 5. Another display 7, especially for reproducing items of information of an infotainment system or a navigation system of the motor vehicle 1, is provided in the region of a center console 6.

(6) A ribbon-shaped liquid crystal display unit is disposed in the lower area of a windshield 8, referred to as a base display 9. The base display 9 extends at least across the width of the windshield 8 and is thus arranged in the peripheral field of view of a driver seated on a driver seat 10. The items of information displayed on the base display 9 can then also be easily viewed by a passenger seated on a passenger seat 11. Additional components of the infotainment system are arranged in the center console 6. FIG. 1 shows by way of example an audio system 12 of the infotainment system, which can be used to reproduce music titles inside the vehicle.

(7) Input elements 14, 15 of an input unit 13 that are also located in the area of the center console 6 are used to operate information systems and/or assistance systems, such as in particular the infotainment system, a navigation system and/or the like, of the motor vehicle 1 and serve to adapt the items of information reproduced inside the vehicle, wherein the display devices 2, 7, 9 are controlled accordingly. A turn-push-controller 14 is shown as an example which is designed to detect user-side control inputs. In particular, the presentation of the information displayed on the base display 9 is changed depending on the performed control input, wherein base display 9 is driven by a control unit 16 shown in FIG. 2. An additional input element is configured as a touchpad 15 and thus has a touch-sensitive surface. When pressure is applied on the touch-sensitive surface, finger movements from a user, in particular from the driver or the passenger, are detected as signals, which are then supplied to the control unit 16 for controlling the display units 2, 7, 9.

(8) In an alternative embodiment, the touch pad 19 is constructed as an illuminated touch screen that can be easily found, in particular when driving at night.

(9) Furthermore, an input unit 13 schematically illustrated in FIG. 2 is provided for speech detection and speech recognition, which is designed to detect voice commands used to control the items of information reproduced inside the vehicle.

(10) The display 2, the base display 9 and the other display 7 are formed as liquid crystal displays (LCD). Analog pointer instruments 17 arranged in the combination instrument 3 are used to display a vehicle speed and an engine speed.

(11) The base display 9 shown in FIG. 1 is divided into three horizontal sub-areas 18, 19, 20 arranged side by side. The sub-areas 18, 19, 20 describe a virtual division of the continuous and ribbon-shaped base display 9 that is not directly discernable. Each sub-area 18, 19, 20 is used to display items of information from a particular category of information. It will be understood that items of information can also be assigned to several categories of information. The illustrated exemplary representation corresponds to a classification of the items of information to be displayed into three categories of information, each including driver-relevant information, passenger-relevant information and information of general interest.

(12) For sake of clarity of the representation, the driver-relevant information is displayed in a first sub-area 18 of the base display 9 arranged directly facing the driver's seat 10. This ensures that at least the driver can easily read the displayed items of information.

(13) The passenger-relevant information is displayed in a second sub-area 20 of the base display 9 arranged facing the passenger seat 11. There, the items of information displayed there can thus be easily perceived at least by the passenger.

(14) Likewise, items of information of general interest are displayed in a third sub-area 19 of the base display 9 disposed between the first sub-area 18 and the second sub-area 20. The items of information displayed in the third sub-area 19 can also be easily read by the vehicle occupants seated in the rear area of the motor vehicle 1. In particular, the items of information displayed in the third sub-area 19 can be perceived by passengers seated on a back seat 21 shown schematically in FIG. 2.

(15) FIG. 2 shows in form of a schematic diagram the motor vehicle 1, which is designed for implementing the method for reproducing items of information. The control unit 16 is configured to selectively drive the sub-areas 18, 19, 20 of the base display 9. In this way, the driver-relevant items of information are reproduced in the first sub-area 18, the passenger-relevant items of information in the second sub-area 20 and the items of information of general interest in the central third sub-area 19. By way of example, the control unit 16 is connected to two input units 13. The base display 9 can then be controlled in response to control inputs captured with the input units 13.

(16) One of the two input units 13 is configured for voice recognition and includes a microphone 22 as an input element. The other of the two exemplary input units 13 includes the turn-push-controller 14 previously shown in FIG. 1 and the touchpad 15.

(17) It will be understood that the exemplary embodiments described herein with reference to the figures are to be construed as merely illustrative and not in any way limiting of the invention. In particular, as a further development of the invention, it is contemplated to replace conventional indication devices and the displays 2, 7, respectively, with the base display 9. Accordingly, the conventional analog pointer instruments 17 can be replaced by reproducing the vehicle speed and the engine speed in the first sub-area 18.

(18) In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, driver-relevant items of information include outputs from a navigation system, the vehicle speed, the engine speed, a fuel level, a total mileage and/or a status variable, in particular a vehicle-relevant and/or driving-safety-relevant warning message. Passenger-relevant items of information are outputs from the infotainment system, in particular channel lists, videos, movies and/or Web pages of the Internet or the Worldwide Web. Items of information of general interest include a time, a date, an inside temperature, an ambient temperature and/or trip mileage of the vehicle.

(19) It will be understood that the exemplary list of items of information is not exhaustive and that, of course, other suitable classifications into individual classes of information can be made.