Patent ID: 8159475

Claim:
A device for providing a vehicle operator with information about various functional elements, the device comprising: a display screen system in a motor vehicle having a display screen that displays an overview image, wherein the overview image graphically depicts a plurality of vehicle areas corresponding to the functional elements; a rotatable actuator in the motor vehicle operatively coupled with the display screen system, the actuator being rotatable by the vehicle operator arbitrarily about its axis in order to individually select the plurality of vehicle areas; and wherein the plurality of vehicle areas are highlighted in the overview image and are individually selectable by the rotational movement of the actuator, and further wherein the information provided to the vehicle operator is an enlarged detail of a portion of the overview image containing the individually selected vehicle area and corresponding functional element, the enlarged detail being displayed on the display screen and said corresponding functional element triggers a function performed by the motor vehicle when selected by the vehicle operator.