Configuration of haptic feedback and visual preferences in vehicle user interfaces

Abstract

Methods and systems for a driver or impairment assistive on board vehicle display, inactive control surface, and customization of a vehicle interface based on one or more of user impairment, user medical condition, user age, user physical condition, user driving characteristic and driving history are provided.

1 . A method, comprising:
 detecting, by a microprocessor executable media controller subsystem, a change in state of a vehicle, a driver of the vehicle having a graphical user interface on board and/or in communication with a computer network controlled by computer on board the vehicle;   in response, reconfiguring, by the media controller subsystem, the graphical user interface by at least one of the following actions to reduce driver distraction and/or make content displayed by the graphical user interface more visible to the driver:   (i) apply screen magnification to at least part of the content displayed on the graphical user interface;   (ii) render at least part of the displayed content in a larger font and/or icon size;   (iii) initiate a screen reader to audibly provide and/or describe at least part of the displayed content to the driver;   (iv) initiate haptic feedback to provide and/or describe at least part of the displayed content to the driver;   (v) disable unnecessary animation effects from at least a part of the displayed content;   (vi) remove a background image from while leaving a foreground image in at least part of the displayed content;   (vii) enable a longer period for notification dialog boxes to remain open in the displayed content;   (viii) enable a longer contact period of a digit of the driver to select a selectable object in the displayed content;   (ix) disable automatic arrangement of windows when a mouse cursor is moved to an edge of the displayed content;   (x) enable activate a window in at least part of the displayed content by hovering over the window with a mouse cursor;   (xi) enable keyboard web page navigation in the displayed content;   (xii) enable a high contrast between text and a background color in at least part of the displayed content;   (xiii) change a color and transparency of a border of a window in at least part of the displayed content;   (xiv) change a thickness of a focus rectangle around a currently selected item in a dialog box in the displayed content;   (xv) change a color, size, and/or thickness of an on-screen mouse pointer in the displayed content;   (xvi) change a keyboard setting displayed in the displayed content and/or in communication with the displayed content;   (xvii) ignore a color, font style, font size, and/or format of a web page of the displayed content in accordance with a predetermined style sheet;   (xviii) increase a size of a selectable object in at least part of the displayed content;   (xix) enable blind typing on the graphical user interface; and   (xx) remove one or more selectable objects from the displayed content.   
     
     
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         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the driver is not visually impaired and wherein action (xiv) is performed and wherein the keyboard setting is enabling one or more of enable sticky keys, toggle keys, mouse keys, and filter keys of a displayed keyboard or keyboard in communication with the displayed content. 
     
     
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         22 . A vehicle configured to perform the steps of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         23 . A tangible and non-transient computer readable medium comprising microprocessor executable instructions that, when executed perform the steps of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         24 . A method, comprising:
 mapping, by a microprocessor executable media controller subsystem, a graphical user interface on board and/or in communication with a computer network controlled by computer on board the vehicle with a segmented control surface, whereby each segment corresponds to an item of content displayed on the graphical user interface;   tracking, by a microprocessor executable media controller subsystem, a position of a body part of a user on the control surface relative to the control surface segments;   determining, by a microprocessor executable media controller subsystem, that the body part of the user is located on a first segment; and   in response, at least one of providing displayed content corresponding to the first segment and selecting a selectable object corresponding to the first segment.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the control surface is electrically, magnetically, and electromagnetically nonresponsive to contact of the user's body part. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the control surface is optically nonresponsive to contact of the user's body part. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the control surface is part of an arm rest and/or dashboard and/or window and/or seat and wherein the graphical user interface is virtual and not displayed to the user. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the control surface is part of an arm rest and/or dashboard and/or window and/or seat and wherein the graphical user interface is displayed to the user on a screen on board the vehicle. 
     
     
         29 . A vehicle configured to perform the steps of  claim 24 . 
     
     
         30 . A tangible and non-transient computer readable medium comprising microprocessor executable instructions that, when executed perform the steps of  claim 24 . 
     
     
         31 . A method, comprising:
 (a) determining, by a microprocessor executable media controller subsystem, that a user is driving a vehicle; and   (b) in response, the microprocessor executable media controller subsystem performing one or more of the following steps:
 (i) removing a video channel but not an audio channel from media content to be displayed on a screen associated with the user; 
 (ii) applying screen magnification to content displayed on the screen associated with the user; 
 (iii) reconfiguring the screen and/or content to provide a large font and/or icon size for the displayed content compared to the displayed content when the user is not driving the vehicle; 
 (iv) removing unnecessary animations from the content to be displayed on the screen; 
 (v) removing background images from, while leaving at least one foreground image in, the content to be displayed on the screen; 
 (vi) compared to the displayed content when the user is not driving the vehicle, reconfiguring the screen and/or content to provide higher contrast to make the displayed content more visible to the user; 
 (vii) initiating a screen reader to audibly describe currently displayed content to the user; 
 (viii) compared to the period for notification dialog boxes to remain open on the screen when the user is not driving the vehicle, enabling a longer period for notification dialog boxes to remain open on the screen; 
 (ix) changing the color and/or transparency of window borders on the displayed content; 
 (x) changing the thickness of a focus rectangle around a currently selected object in a dialog box displayed on the screen; 
 (xi) changing the color, size and/or thickness of an on-screen mouse pointer displayed on the screen; 
 (xii) changing a keyboard setting of a keyboard displayed on the screen; 
 (xiii) formatting a web page, in the content to be displayed, differently from the web page format received from a web server; 
 (xiv) compared to the size of a mouse-selectable screen object when the user is not driving the vehicle, increasing a size of a mouse-selectable screen object to provide a larger target; 
 (xv) enabling mouse keys to move the mouse cursor on the screen; 
 (xvi) enabling one or more of sticky keys, toggle keys, and filter keys; and 
 (xvii) enabling the screen to receive input written by the user's finger as an inputted command or request. 
   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the user is not visually impaired and wherein the user is determined to be driving the vehicle when the user is determined to be in a driver's seat of the vehicle. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the user is not visually impaired and wherein the user is determined to be driving the vehicle when the vehicle is at least one of in gear and in motion. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 (c) determining, by the media controller subsystem, that the user is no longer driving the vehicle; and   (d) in response to step (c), the media controller subsystem performing one or more of the following steps:
 (i) no longer removing a video channel from media content to be displayed; 
 (ii) no longer applying screen magnification to content to be displayed; 
 (iii) reconfiguring the display to provide a smaller font and/or icon size for the content to be displayed compared to the font and/or icon size used when the user is driving the vehicle; 
 (iv) no longer removing unnecessary animations from the content to be displayed; 
 (v) no longer removing background images from the content to be displayed; 
 (vi) reconfiguring the screen to provide lower contrast compared to the contrast used when the user is driving the vehicle; 
 (vii) disabling the screen reader; 
 (viii) compared to the period for notification dialog boxes to remain open on the screen when the user is driving the vehicle, enabling a shorter period for notification dialog boxes to remain open on the screen; 
 (ix) compared to the color and/or transparency of window borders on the displayed content when the user is driving the vehicle changing the color and/or transparency of window borders on the displayed content; 
 (x) compared to the thickness of a focus rectangle around a currently selected object in a dialog box displayed on the screen color and/or transparency of window borders on the displayed content when the user is driving the vehicle, changing the thickness of a focus rectangle around a currently selected object in a dialog box displayed on the screen; 
 (xi) compared to the color, size and/or thickness of an on-screen mouse pointer displayed on the screen when the user is driving the vehicle, changing the color, size and/or thickness of an on-screen mouse pointer displayed on the screen; 
 (xii) compared to the keyboard setting of a keyboard displayed on the screen when the user is driving the vehicle, changing a keyboard setting of a keyboard displayed on the screen; 
 (xiii) no longer formatting a web page, in the content to be displayed, differently from the web page format received from a web server; 
 (xiv) compared to the size of a mouse-selectable screen object when the user is driving the vehicle, decreasing a size of a mouse-selectable screen object to provide a larger target; 
 (xv) disabling mouse keys to move the mouse cursor on the screen; 
 (xvi) disabling the one or more of sticky keys, toggle keys, and filter keys; and 
 (xvii) disabling the screen to receive input written by the user's finger as an inputted command or request. 
   
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the user is determined not to be driving the vehicle when the vehicle is at least one of not in gear, parked, and not in motion. 
     
     
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         53 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the user is determined to be in a driver's seat of the vehicle when the user is located within a predetermined area and/or zone, and wherein the determining step (a) bases the determination on whether the user is located within the predetermined area and/or zone of the vehicle on one or more of signal strength of a signal from a computational device associated with the user as received by an access point of the vehicle, a received satellite-based position of the computational device, triangulation based on relative received signal strengths of a signal from the computational device as received by multiple access points of the vehicle, image processing of images of the predetermined area and/or zone, user presence and/or location information received by an on board vehicle sensor, and input received from a user of the computational device. 
     
     
         54 . A vehicle comprising the media controller subsystem operable to perform the steps of  claim 31 . 
     
     
         55 . A tangible and non-transient computer readable medium comprising microprocessor executable instructions to perform the steps of  claim 31 .