1. A vehicle computing device adapted to provide a user interface to a vehicle system to control at least one function of the vehicle system, comprising:
a transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with a mobile client device over a wireless data connection; and
a processing unit that communicates with the mobile client device via the transceiver, where the processing unit (i) receives from the client device via the wireless data connection a request to provide user interface data for controlling the at least one vehicle system, (ii) transmits control instructions via the wireless data connection to the client device, the control instructions comprising instructions for displaying at least one graphical control element at the client device to control the at least one function of the vehicle system, wherein the control instructions are interpreted by a platform independent application running on the client device, (iii) receives input data from the client device comprising a detected user input corresponding to an actuation of the graphical control element detected by the client device; and (iv) provides the received user input to the vehicle system to enable control of the function of the vehicle system by the client device.
2. The vehicle computing device of claim 1, where the processing unit provides the control instructions such that the control instructions define a structured document.
3. The vehicle computing device of claim 1, further comprising a web server operated by the processing unit, the control instructions defining contents of a web page provided by the web server.
4. The vehicle computing device of claim 3, where the request received from the client device comprises a request message from a web client operated on the client device to the web server, the processing unit being configured to include the control instructions in a response message to be transmitted from the web server to the web client of the client device.
5. The vehicle computing device of claim 1, where the processing unit receives from the vehicle system information to be given out to the user and to include in the control instructions to be transmitted to the client device control instructions for displaying the received information at the client device.
6. The vehicle computing device of claim 1, where the data connection is a wireless local area network connection.
7. The vehicle computing device of claim 1, where the processing unit receives authorization data from the client device to transmit the control instructions to the client device only if the received authorization data corresponds to a predetermined authorization.
8. The vehicle computing device according to claim 1, where the processing unit receives authorization data from the client device and provides user specific settings for the vehicle system andor user specific access to the vehicle system in accordance with a user profile identified by the authorization data.
9. The vehicle computing device of claim 1, where the control instructions further comprise control instructions to assign at least one function of the vehicle system to a mechanical control element of the client device.
10. The vehicle computing device of claim 1, where the vehicle system is at least partly implemented by an application running on the processing unit of the vehicle computing device.
11. The vehicle computing device of claim 1, where the vehicle system is selected from a group comprising a vehicle navigation system, a vehicle multimedia system, a vehicle communication system a driver assistance system, a vehicle infotainment system, a vehicle information system, and a vehicle telemetry system.
12. A method of providing a user interface for a vehicle system for controlling at least one function of the vehicle system, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a vehicle computing device configured to communicate with a mobile client device over a wireless data connection;
providing in the vehicle computing device control instructions comprising instructions for displaying at least one graphical control element at a client device to control the at least one function of the vehicle system;
configuring the control instructions such that they can be interpreted by a platform independent application operable on a client device; and
configuring the vehicle computing device such that the vehicle computing device transmits the control instructions via the wireless data connection to a client device in response to receiving a request for user interface data from the client device.
13. The method according to claim 12, where the step of configuring the control instructions is performed such that the control instructions define a structured document.
14. The method according to claim 12, where the step of configuring the control instructions is performed such that the control instructions define the contents of a web page, the platform independent application being a web browser.
15. The method according to claim 12, where the step of configuring the vehicle computing device further comprises the step of providing a web server on the computing device, where the request for user interface data being a request message from a web client operated on the client device, and wherein the control instructions are configured to be comprised in a response message from the web server to the web client of the client device.
16. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of configuring the vehicle computing device so as to receive from the vehicle system information to be given out to the user, the step of configuring the control instructions being performed such that the control instructions include control instructions for displaying the received information at the client device.
17. A method of operating a vehicle computing device for providing a user interface to a vehicle system to control at least one function of the vehicle system, the vehicle computing device being configured to communicate with a mobile client device over a wireless data connection, the method comprising:
receiving from the client device via the wireless data connection a request to provide user interface data for controlling the at least one vehicle system;
transmitting control instructions via the wireless data connection to the client device, the control instructions comprising instructions for displaying at least one graphical control element at the client device for controlling the at least one function of the vehicle system, wherein the control instructions are interpreted by a platform independent application running on the client device;
receiving input data from the client device comprising a detected user input corresponding to an actuation of the graphical control element detected by the client device; and
providing the received user input to the vehicle system, thereby enabling the control of the function of the vehicle system by the client device.
18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the method further comprises performing the following steps at the client device:
receiving the control instructions transmitted by the vehicle computing device;
interpreting the control instructions via the platform independent application running on the client device to generate image data comprising the at least one graphical control element;
displaying the generated image data;
detecting the actuation of one of the displayed graphical control elements by a user as a user input; and
transmitting input data comprising the detected user input to the vehicle computing device.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for creating multiple different heads-up display images at different apparent distances from a viewer, comprising:
generating a first image using a first subset of modulating elements of an array of image pixel modulating elements of a spatial light modulator;
generating a second image using a second subset of modulating elements of the array of image pixel modulating elements of the spatial light modulator, the second subset of modulating elements separated from the first subset of modulating elements, such that the second image is separately generated from the first image;
directing light from the first image along a first optical path onto a transparent display surface to form a first virtual image at a first apparent distance within a field of view of a viewer looking through the display surface;
directing light from the second image along a second optical path, shorter than the first optical path, onto the transparent display surface to form a second virtual image at a second apparent distance within the field of view of the viewer looking through the display surface.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the array of image pixel modulating elements comprises an array of micromirrors of a digital micromirror device.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first image is a far virtual image, and the second image is a near virtual image.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein directing light along the first optical path includes directing light onto a first portion of a first mirror and onto a first portion of a second mirror; and directing light along the second optical path includes directing light onto a second portion of the first mirror and onto a second portion of the second mirror.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein directing light along the first optical path further includes directing light onto a third mirror positioned outside of the second optical path; and directing light along the second optical path further includes directing light onto a fourth mirror positioned outside of the first optical path.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the third and fourth mirrors are relatively moveable to set the relative path lengths of the respective first and second optical paths.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein directing light along the first optical path includes directing light through a transparent display cover and then onto a windshield, from which the light directed along the first optical path enters the field of view of the viewer.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein directing light along the second optical path includes directing light through the transparent display cover and then onto the windshield, from which the light directed along the second optical path enters the field of view of the viewer.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first apparent distance is about 8 to 30 meters ahead of the viewer, and the second apparent distance is about 2 to 4 meters ahead of the viewer.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the display surface is a windshield of an automobile, the display cover is the cover of an automobile heads-up display system, and the first and second images are directed to form the far and near virtual images at different apparent distances from a driver seated behind a steering wheel of the automobile and observing the oncoming roadway through the windshield.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the far virtual image includes at least one of direction information, warning information or graphics appearing on a road area observed ahead of the driver.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the far virtual image appears superimposed over an object of interest on the road.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the far virtual image appears as a highlighted outline of a road sign overlapped onto a road sign.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the near virtual image includes instrument panel or sensor data.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the near virtual image appears ahead of the driver, below the far virtual image.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the near virtual image appears over the roadway at a position near to a front hood of the automobile.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the near virtual image includes an alphanumerical display of at least one of current odometer speed, radiator coolant temperature or oil pressure.
18. The method of claim 3, wherein the first and second optical paths are established by mirrors configured so that mirrors used to establish a path length for one of the first and second optical paths are selectively movable relative to mirrors used to establish a different path length for the other of the first and second optical paths.
19. A system for creating multiple different heads-up display images at different apparent distances from a viewer, comprising:
a spatial light modulator having an array of image pixel modulating elements configured for generating a first image using a first subset of the modulating elements, and for generating a second image using a second subset of the modulating elements, the first subset of the modulating elements separated from the second subset of the modulating elements such that the second image is separately generated from the first image;
first optical elements defining a first optical path configured for directing light from the first image onto a transparent display surface to form a first virtual image at a first apparent distance within a field of view of a viewer looking through the display surface;
second optical elements defining a second optical path, shorter than the first optical path, configured for directing light from the second image onto the transparent display surface to form a second virtual image at a second apparent distance within the field of view of the viewer looking through the display surface.
20. The system of claim 19, wherein the array of image pixel modulating elements comprises an array of micromirrors of a digital micromirror device; the first optical elements include a first mirror; and the second optical elements include a second mirror; and further including a mechanical mechanism for moving the first mirror relative to the second mirror to set the relative lengths of the first and second optical paths.