FR3096860A1 - Method and device for communicating information relating to one or more journeys - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and device (11) for vehicle communication. The method includes receiving information identifying a user, such as one of the drivers of the vehicle. This information is for example received from a mobile device (10) via a wireless link. Identifying information is compared to a set of identifiers, each identifier in the set being associated with a particular user profile. Trip data is associated with each profile, that is, the data of trips made by the user associated with the profile. The user profile corresponding to the identification information is selected and the trip data associated with the selected profile is then transmitted, for example to the mobile device (10) that transmitted the identification information. Figure for the abstract: Figure 1

Description

Method and device for communicating information relating to one or more routes

The invention relates to communication methods and devices for vehicles, in particular of the automotive type. The invention relates in particular to the communication of information relating to one or more journeys made by different people.

Technology background

Contemporary vehicles record a lot of information relating to the vehicle, and in particular information concerning the journeys made by the vehicle.

It is also common for several drivers to use the same vehicle, for example in the case of rental cars or when several members of the same family occasionally use the family car(s). In such situations, a person may have access to information relating to journeys made by one or more other people, which is not desired, particularly in the context of the protection of personal data.

An object of the present invention is to secure the transmission of data relating to one or more journeys made with a vehicle.

Another object of the present invention is to guarantee the transmission of data relating to one or more journeys made with a vehicle to the person who has made this or these journeys.

According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a communication method for a vehicle, the method being implemented by at least one computer of the on-board system of the vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

- receipt of identification information from a user;

- comparison of the information with a set of identifiers, each identifier of the set being associated with a determined user profile;

- selection of the user profile associated with the user's identification information;

- transmission of data representative of at least one path associated with the selected profile.

Alternatively, the identification information is received from a mobile device over a wireless link.

According to yet another variant, the data representative of at least one path associated with the selected profile is transmitted to the mobile device according to the wireless link.

According to an additional variant, the data representative of at least one path associated with the selected profile are transmitted at the end of the at least one path if the mobile device is connected to the at least one computer.

According to another variant, the data representative of at least one path associated with the selected profile is transmitted on the next connection of the mobile device to the at least one computer if the mobile device is not connected to the least one computer at the end at least one trip.

According to yet another variant, the method further comprises a step of rendering a message informing that the data representative of at least one path associated with the selected profile will be transmitted to the mobile device at the end of the at least one path.

According to yet another variant, the identification information is received from a man-machine interface.

According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a computer comprising a memory associated with at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to implement at least part of the steps of the method as described according to the first aspect of the invention.

According to a third aspect, the invention relates to an on-board system in a vehicle comprising the computer as described according to the second aspect of the invention.

According to a fourth aspect, the invention relates to a vehicle, for example of the automobile type, comprising one or more computers as described above according to the second aspect of the invention or the on-board system as described above according to the third aspect of the invention.

According to a fifth aspect, the invention relates to a computer program which comprises instructions adapted for the execution of the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the invention, this in particular when the computer program is executed by at least one processor.

Such a computer program can use any programming language, and be in the form of source code, object code, or intermediate code between source code and object code, such as in a partially compiled form, or in any other desirable form.

According to a sixth aspect, the invention relates to a computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded a computer program comprising instructions for the execution of the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the invention.

On the one hand, the recording medium can be any entity or device capable of storing the program. For example, the medium may comprise a storage means, such as a ROM memory, a CD-ROM or a ROM memory of the microelectronic circuit type, or even a magnetic recording means or a hard disk.

On the other hand, this recording medium can also be a transmissible medium such as an electrical or optical signal, such a signal being able to be conveyed via an electrical or optical cable, by conventional or hertzian radio or by self-directed laser beam or by other ways. The computer program according to the invention can in particular be downloaded from an Internet-type network.

Alternatively, the recording medium may be an integrated circuit in which the computer program is incorporated, the integrated circuit being adapted to execute or to be used in the execution of the method in question.

Brief description of figures

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description of the non-limiting embodiments of the invention below, with reference to the appended figures 1 to 3, in which:

schematically illustrates a mobile device in communication with a computer of an on-board vehicle system, according to a particular embodiment of the present invention;

schematically illustrates the computer of FIG. 1, according to a particular embodiment of the present invention;

illustrates a flowchart of the different steps of a communication method implemented in the computer of FIG. 1, according to a particular embodiment of the present invention.

A communication method for a vehicle and at least one computer of an on-board vehicle system implementing the method will now be described in the following with reference jointly to FIGS. 1 to 3.

According to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the communication method is implemented by one or more computers of an on-board vehicle system. The method comprises receiving identification information from a user , for example one of the drivers of the vehicle. This information is for example received from a mobile device (for example a smart telephone (“smartphone”) via a wireless link. The identification information is compared to a set of identifiers, each identifier of the whole being associated with a particular user profile. Journey data is associated with each profile, that is to say the data of the journeys made by the user associated with the profile. The user profile corresponding to the The identification information is selected and the path data(s) associated with the selected profile are then transmitted, for example to the mobile device having transmitted the identification information.

The selection of a user profile according to an identifier makes it possible to transmit to the user only the data relating to the journeys he or she has made, thus guaranteeing the other users of the vehicle that their data remains confidential.

schematically illustrates a mobile device 10 in communication with a computer 11, according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a mobile device 10 which corresponds for example to a smart object (for example a smart telephone) connected to the on-board system of the vehicle via a wireless radio link. The radiofrequency signal is in a frequency band belonging to the High Frequencies (HF, between 3 MHz and 30 MHz), very High Frequencies (VHF, between 30 MHz and 300 MHz), Ultra High Frequencies (UHF, between 300 MHz and 3 GHz) or Super High Frequencies (SHF, between 3 GHz and 30 GHz). Typically, the radiofrequency signal conforms to the Bluetooth® protocol using a frequency channel belonging to the 2.4 GHz frequency band or to the Wifi® protocol (IEEE 802.11) using for example a frequency channel belonging to frequency band 2, 4GHz or 5GHz.

The mobile device 10 is in communication with a computer 11 of the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) type. An ECU is made up of an electronic computer and one or more on-board software programs that perform the functions for which the computer is responsible.

According to a particular embodiment, the mobile device 10 is in communication with a telematic control unit, called TCU (from the English "Telematic Control Unit"), which acts as the relay between the mobile device 10 and the computer 11 for the exchange of data and information between the computer 11 and the mobile device 10. The computer 11 and the TCU communicate and exchange data via one or more computer buses, for example a bus-type communication bus CAN data (from English "Controller Area Network" or in French "Réseau de Contrôleurs"), CAN FD (from English "Controller Area Network Flexible Data-Rate" or in French "Réseau de Contrôleurs à Flow de Data flexible”) (according to ISO 11898 standard), FlexRay (according to ISO 17458 standard) or Ethernet (according to ISO/IEC 802-3 standard).

According to another alternative embodiment, the mobile device 10 and the computer 11 are in communication by means of a cellular network of the LTE type (from the English “Long-Term Evolution” or in French “Evolution à long terme”) 4G or 5G. According to this variant, the computer 11 receives and transmits data (directly or via the TCU) via the Internet with an OTA type connection (from English "over-the-air", or in French " by air”). The OTA type connection uses for example one or more wireless communication protocols such as Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi® (based on IEEE 802.11), LTE, LTE-Advanced (or in French LTE-advanced).

The mobile device 10 connects to the on-board system of the vehicle via a Bluetooth® or Wi-Fi® type connection for example. The connection is for example automatic when the person carrying the mobile device 10 enters the vehicle or manual on command of the person carrying the mobile device 10. When the connection is established, the mobile device 10 transmits information to the computer 11 (for example a 4, 8 or 10 bit code) uniquely identifying the mobile device 10 and the carrier of the mobile device 10. This information is for example transmitted to the computer 11 via a dedicated software application installed on the mobile device 10. The transmission of the information is advantageously secure and encrypted.

The computer 11 compares the identifier received with a set of identifiers stored in memory 110 of the computer. The identifiers stored in the computer 11 are each associated with a particular user profile. The identifier/profile information pairs are for example recorded in a LUT (Look-Up Table) type correspondence table.

If the identifier received corresponds to an identifier of the correspondence table, then the mobile device 10 is associated with the corresponding profile which becomes the profile selected from among the set of profiles stored in the computer 11. If the identifier received does not correspond to no identifier stored in the computer 11, then a new profile corresponding to the received identifier is generated. The new profile is for example generated automatically or upon confirmation by the person carrying the mobile device 10 (the confirmation request is for example displayed in a man-machine interface displayed on a screen of the mobile device 10 or on a screen of the vehicle).

The profile corresponding to the identifier received notably comprises a set of information relating to the journey(s) made by the user or the driver identified via the identifier transmitted by the mobile device 10. This information comprises For example :

- location of the departure and arrival of the trip;

- time of departure and arrival;

- fuel consumption;

- the mileage traveled;

- the stops made along the route (location, time and/or duration for example); and or

- route information.

If data relating to one or more journeys previously made by the user associated with the selected profile have not been transmitted to the mobile device 10 (for example data not transmitted to the mobile device at the end of this or these journeys), then these data are transmitted to the mobile device 10. If the data relating to the journeys made previously have already been transmitted, then no data is transmitted at this moment to the mobile device 10.

The user identified via the identifier transmitted by the mobile device 10 then performs the journey he or she wishes to make. The data relating to this so-called current path are recorded in the memory of the computer 11. At the end of this current path, the data relating to this current path are transmitted to the mobile device 10 if the latter is still connected to the vehicle's on-board system (or to the computer 11). The data is for example transmitted before the vehicle engine is switched off. If the mobile device 10 is no longer connected to the computer 11 when the latter attempts to transmit the data relating to the current route, then these data are stored in memory and will be transmitted to the mobile device 10 during a next connection after the device mobile 10 has transmitted the identifier to the computer 11. The transmission of these data is for example carried out automatically or after a confirmation request. For example, a message (voice or text for example) is returned to ask if the user (that is to say the driver) carrying the mobile device 10 wishes that the data relating to the current journey be transmitted to the mobile device.

According to a variant embodiment, a message (text or voice) is delivered at the start of the journey (that is to say once the profile corresponding to the user identified via the identifier transmitted by the mobile device 10 has been selected) to inform the user carrying the mobile device 10 that the data relating to the current journey will be transmitted to the mobile device 10 at the end of the journey or when the vehicle engine is switched off.

According to another variant embodiment, the identification information of the user (also called the driver) of the vehicle is entered by the latter via an HMI man-machine interface, for example via an HMI displayed on a screen (for example touch screen) on board the vehicle comprising the computer 11.

schematically illustrates a computer 2 of an on-board vehicle system, according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention. Computer 2 advantageously corresponds to computer 11 of FIG. 1.

The computer 2 is for example configured for the implementation of the steps/operations of the method described with regard to one of FIGS. 1 and/or 3. Examples of such a computer 2 include, without being limited thereto, equipment on-board electronics such as a vehicle on-board computer, an electronic computer such as an ECU. The elements of the computer 2, individually or in combination, can be integrated in a single integrated circuit, in several integrated circuits, and/or in discrete components. The computer 2 can be made in the form of electronic circuits or software (or computer) modules or else a combination of electronic circuits and software modules. According to different particular embodiments, the computer 2 is coupled in communication with other similar devices or systems, for example via a communication bus or via dedicated input/output ports.

The computer 2 comprises one (or more) processor(s) 20 configured to execute instructions for carrying out the steps of the method and/or for executing the instructions of the software or software embedded in the computer 2. The processor 20 can include integrated memory, an input/output interface, and various circuits known to those skilled in the art. The computer 2 further comprises at least one memory 21 corresponding for example to a volatile and/or non-volatile memory and/or comprises a memory storage device which can comprise volatile and/or non-volatile memory, such as EEPROM, ROM , PROM, RAM, DRAM, SRAM, flash, magnetic or optical disk.

The computer code of the on-board software or software comprising the instructions to be loaded and executed by the processor is for example stored in the memory 21.

According to a particular and non-limiting embodiment, the computer 2 comprises a block 22 of interface elements for communicating with external devices, for example a remote server or the "cloud", odometer sensors, a GPS sensor and/or or any other sensor. Block 22 interface elements include one or more of the following interfaces:

- RF radio frequency interface, for example of the Bluetooth® or Wi-Fi® type, LTE (from English "Long-Term Evolution" or in French "Evolution à long terme"), LTE-Advanced (or in French LTE-advanced );

- USB interface (from the English "Universal Serial Bus" or "Universal Serial Bus" in French);

- HDMI interface (from the English “High Definition Multimedia Interface”, or “Interface Multimedia Haute Definition” in French);

- LIN interface.

Data are for example loaded to the computer 2 via the interface of block 22 using a Wi-Fi® network such as according to IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth® or a mobile network such as a 4G network (or LTE Advanced according to 3GPP release 10 – version 10) or 5G.

According to another particular embodiment, the computer 2 comprises a communication interface 23 which makes it possible to establish communication with other devices (such as other computers of the on-board system or a TCU) via a communication channel 230. The communication interface 23 corresponds for example to a transmitter configured to transmit and receive information and/or data via the communication channel 230. The communication interface 23 corresponds for example to a wired network of the CAN or CAN FD type. .

According to an additional particular embodiment, the computer 2 can supply output signals to one or more external devices, such as a display screen, one or more loudspeakers and/or other peripherals respectively via interfaces output not shown.

illustrates a flowchart of the different steps of a communication method for a vehicle, according to a first particular and non-limiting example of embodiment of the present invention. The method is for example implemented in the device 2.

In a first step 31, user identification information (corresponding for example to a driver of the vehicle) is received. This information corresponds, for example, to an identifier transmitted via a mobile device worn by the user. According to a variant, this information corresponds to an identifier+password pair entered by the user via an MMI or to a biometric fingerprint. The information is for example received from the mobile device, from a TCU of the on-board system or from an input interface (touch screen, voice interface for example or biometric fingerprint sensor for example).

In a second step 32, the information received in step 31 is compared with a set of identifiers, each identifier of the set being associated with a determined user profile. Each identifier in the set identifies a unique driver of the vehicle.

In a third step 33, the user profile associated with the identification information received in step 31 is selected following the comparison in step 32. If the result of the comparison does not return any saved profile, a new profile is advantageously generated.

In a fourth step 34, data representative of one or more paths are transmitted, for example to the mobile device. The data representative of the path or paths associated with the selected profile are for example transmitted to the mobile device via a wireless link. The data for a current journey are transmitted at the end of the current journey (or when the vehicle engine is switched off) if the mobile device is connected to the computer (or to the on-board system) of the vehicle at the end of this current journey. Otherwise, the data of the current trip will be transmitted to the mobile device during a next connection and identification of the mobile device to the computer.

Thus, only the data of the journey(s) made by the identified user are transmitted to him. When another user (driver) drives the vehicle to make one or more journeys, steps 31 to 34 are advantageously repeated and the data relating to the journey(s) made by this new user of the vehicle are sent to him. transmitted. The confidentiality of the data is thus guaranteed, the data transmitted to a particular person only relating to journeys made by this particular person and not to another driver of the same vehicle.

The invention also relates to a vehicle, for example an automobile or more generally a land motor vehicle, comprising the device 2 of FIG. 2.

Claims (10)

Communication method for a vehicle, said method being implemented by at least one computer (11) of an on-board system of said vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:
- reception (31) of a user's identification information;
- comparison (32) of said information with a set of identifiers, each identifier of said set being associated with a determined user profile;
- selection (33) of the user profile associated with said user identification information;
- transmission (34) of data representative of at least one path associated with said selected profile. A method according to claim 1, wherein said identification information is received from a mobile device (10) over a wireless link. Method according to claim 2, for which said data representative of at least one path associated with said selected profile is transmitted to said mobile device (10) according to said wireless link. Method according to one of Claims 2 to 3, for which the said data representative of at least one path associated with the said selected profile are transmitted at the end of the said at least one path if the said mobile device (10) is connected to the said at least one computer (11). Method according to claim 4, for which said data representative of at least one path associated with said selected profile are transmitted on the next connection of said mobile device (10) to said at least one computer (11) if said mobile device (10) does not is not connected to said at least one computer at the end of said at least one journey. Method according to one of Claims 2 to 5, further comprising a step of rendering a message informing that said data representative of at least one path associated with said profile will be transmitted to said mobile device (10) at the end of said at least a trip. Method according to claim 1, for which said identification information is received from a man-machine interface. On-board vehicle system computer (2), said computer (2) comprising a memory (21) associated with at least one processor (20) configured to implement the steps of the method according to any one of Claims 1 to 7. Motor vehicle comprising the computer according to claim 8. Computer program product comprising instructions adapted for the execution of the steps of the method according to one of Claims 1 to 7, when the computer program is executed by at least one processor.