Method and apparatus for providing information related to an in-vehicle function

1. A method for providing information related to an in-vehicle function, wherein a controller executes the following steps:

visually displaying on a multi-touch screen a representation of a portion of the vehicle comprising a plurality of operating sections including a plurality of vehicle functions and a HELP icon;

selecting one of the vehicle functions in response to a user action that includes a dragging motion on the multi-touch screen between the HELP icon the selected vehicle function;

accessing information related to the selected vehicle function; and

employing a preferred mode to communicate the information related to the selected vehicle function to the user.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein accessing information related to the selected vehicle function comprises accessing information related to the selected vehicle function from an in-vehicle database.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein accessing information related to the selected vehicle function comprises accessing information related to the selected vehicle function from an off-board database.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dragging motion on the multi-touch screen comprises dragging the HELP icon onto the vehicle depicting the selected vehicle function.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dragging motion on the multi-touch screen comprises dragging the selected vehicle function onto the HELP icon.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising querying the user to confirm that the accessed information related to the selected vehicle function is correct prior to employing the preferred mode to communicate the information related to the selected vehicle function to the user.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein querying the user to confirm that the accessed information related to the selected vehicle function is correct comprises communicating an overview of the preferred information and preferred mode to the user and requesting the user to tap the HELP icon to confirm the preferred information and preferred mode.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein querying the user to confirm that the accessed information related to the selected vehicle function is correct comprises communicating an overview of the preferred information and preferred communication mode to the user and prompting the user to provide an audio response.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein querying the user to confirm that the accessed information related to the selected vehicle function is correct comprises communicating an overview of the preferred information and mode to the user and prompting the user to provide a tactile response.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising visually displaying a complete vehicle schematic drawing on the multi-touch screen, said complete vehicle schematic drawing employable for selecting other vehicle functions in response to a user action that includes a dragging motion on the multi-touch screen between the HELP icon and the selected other vehicle function.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising automatically selecting the preferred mode to communicate the information related to the selected vehicle function to the user.

12. A processor-implemented method for employing an in-vehicle touch-sensitive audio-visual interactive display device configured to display a virtual vehicle, the method comprising:

visually depicting a plurality of vehicle functions and a HELP icon on said display device;

selecting one of the vehicle functions in response to a user action that includes a dragging motion on the display device between the HELP icon and the selected vehicle function;

accessing information related to the selected vehicle function; and

communicating the information related to the selected vehicle function to the user.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein accessing information related to the selected vehicle function comprises accessing information related to the selected vehicle function from an in-vehicle database.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein accessing information related to the selected vehicle function comprises accessing information related to the selected vehicle function from an off-board database.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the dragging motion on the display device between the HELP icon and the selected vehicle function comprises dragging the HELP icon onto a displayed representation of a portion of the vehicle depicting the selected vehicle function.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the dragging motion on the display device between the HELP icon and the selected vehicle function comprises dragging a displayed representation of a portion of the vehicle depicting the selected vehicle function onto the HELP icon.

17. The method of claim 12 , further comprising querying the user to confirm that the accessed information related to the selected vehicle function is correct prior to communicating the information related to the selected vehicle function to the user.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein querying the user to confirm that the accessed information related to the selected vehicle function is correct comprises communicating an overview of the information to the user and requesting the user to tap the HELP icon to confirm the information.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein querying the user to confirm that the accessed information related to the selected vehicle function is correct comprises communicating an overview of the information to the user and prompting the user to provide an audio response.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein querying the user to confirm that the accessed information related to the selected vehicle function is correct comprises communicating an overview of the information to the user and prompting the user to provide a tactile response.