FR3102588A1 - Method and device for selecting a user profile for a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for selecting a user profile. To this end, a connected object (11) is detected by the vehicle (10), the connected object being for example carried by the driver of the vehicle (10). A user profile associated with the connected object (11) is automatically selected following detection of the connected object (11). One or more parameters associated with the selected user profile are loaded for example to adjust one or more vehicle equipment (10) as desired by the person wearing the connected object (11). Figure for the abstract: Figure 1

Description

Method and device for selecting a user profile for a vehicle

The invention relates to a method and a device for selecting a user profile for a vehicle, in particular an automobile.

Technology background

Contemporary vehicles, or at least some of them, carry equipment or systems whose settings can be personalized according to the users of this equipment or systems. By way of example, it is possible to adjust the positioning of the seats of the vehicle, for example the driver's seat, and to save the adjustment according to the user. The adjustment parameters such as for example the distance to the steering wheel, the height can be saved in different numbered memories. A user entering the vehicle can then select one of the memories so that the seat is adjusted according to the parameters that he has selected and stored. According to another example, the multimedia system of a vehicle can also be personalized, each user having the possibility of creating a user profile in which he saves his preferences, for example the list of favorite radio stations, the color of the rear- plan of the multimedia system screen, the sound volume and so many others.

To select a saved user profile, the user must perform one or more actions (e.g. selection of a profile in a menu by touch, selection of a pre-programmed memory button). These selections, often manual, are not user-friendly and can be dangerous when the vehicle is in motion.

An object of the present invention is to improve the selection of a user profile in a vehicle.

Another object of the present invention is to improve the user-friendliness of interactive systems on board a vehicle and the safety of the vehicle and its passengers in general.

According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a method for selecting a user profile for a vehicle, the method being implemented by the vehicle, the method comprising the following steps:

- detection of a connected object;

- selection of a user profile associated with the connected object;

- loading of at least one parameter of the selected user profile.

According to a variant, the detection of the connected object comprises a connection of the object connected to the vehicle via a wireless connection.

According to another variant, the wireless connection is a Bluetooth connection.

According to an additional variant, the method further comprises a step of associating the connected object with the user profile.

According to an additional variant, the method further comprises a step of adjusting at least one item of equipment of the vehicle as a function of the at least one parameter.

According to yet another variant, the method further comprises a step of unlocking the vehicle from the connected object.

According to a further variant, the connected object corresponds to:

- a smart phone; Or

- a connected watch.

According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a device for selecting a user profile for a vehicle, the device comprising a memory associated with a processor configured for the implementation of the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the invention.

According to a third aspect, the invention relates to a vehicle, for example of the automotive type, comprising a device as described above according to the second aspect of the invention.

According to a fourth 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 fifth 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 connected object in connection with a vehicle, according to a particular embodiment of the present invention;

schematically illustrates a device for selecting a user profile of the vehicle of FIG. 1, according to a particular embodiment of the present invention;

illustrates a flowchart of the different steps of a method for selecting a user profile of the vehicle of FIG. 1, according to a particular embodiment of the present invention.

A method and a device for selecting a user profile will now be described in what follows with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The same elements are identified with the same reference signs throughout the description which follows. .

According to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the invention, a method for selecting a user profile comprises the detection, by a vehicle (for example a motor vehicle or a truck) of a connected object (also called a smart device , from the English "smart device"), the connected object being for example worn by the driver of the vehicle. Detection is done, for example, by establishing a wireless connection between the connected object and the vehicle, via a Wifi® or Bluetooth® type connection. A user profile associated with the connected object is automatically selected following detection of the connected object. One or more parameters associated with the selected user profile are loaded to, for example, adjust one or more equipment or systems on board the vehicle as desired by the person wearing the connected object.

The selection of a use profile associated with a connected object detected automatically by the vehicle, without any action by the person wearing the connected object, allows the automatic loading of the parameters associated with the user profile, which avoids the person wearing the connected object to select manually or by any action the desired user profile(s).

schematically illustrates a connected object 11 connected by a wireless link to a vehicle 10, according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention.

The vehicle 10 is a vehicle with a combustion engine, with an electric motor(s) or else a hybrid vehicle with a combustion engine and one or more electric motors.

The vehicle 10 is a vehicle suitable for driving in autonomous mode or in manual mode.

The vehicle 10 advantageously comprises a device, for example a computer, configured to communicate with the connected object via a wireless connection. The wireless connection is for example a Wifi® connection (according to the IEEE 802.11 standard), a Bluetooth® connection, a ZigBee connection (according to the IEEE 802.15.4 standard) or even an NFC type connection (from the English "Near -Field Communication" or in French CCP "Communication en Champ Proche").

The connected object 11 is for example by a person wishing to enter the vehicle 10 or use the vehicle 10 to make a trip. The connected object 11 corresponds for example to a mobile telecommunications device, for example a smart telephone or "smartphone", a tablet, a connected watch.

According to a particular optional embodiment, the connected object 11 is configured to unlock the vehicle 10. To this end, the connected object exchanges information in the form of radio frequency signals with the ADML system (Hands-Free Access and Starting system , or PEPS in English for "Passive Entry Passive Start)) of the vehicle 10 to lock or unlock the latter remotely. Unlocking is for example automatic when the vehicle 10 detects the presence of the connected object at a determined distance from the vehicle 10, for example a few meters.

In a first operation, the connected object 11 is detected by the vehicle 10, for example when the person wearing the connected object enters the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10.

The detection is for example implemented when the connected object 11 and the vehicle 10 establish a wireless connection, for example a Bluetooth® connection. To this end, the Bluetooth® communication module of the vehicle 10 transmits an inquiry request asking the connected object to transmit its Bluetooth device address, called BD_ADDR "Bluetooth Device Address"), thus allowing the vehicle 10 to identify the connected object 11.

According to a variant embodiment, the connected object has been previously paired with the vehicle 10 (during a previous connection) during a pairing phase during which an encryption key called PIN code (from the English "Personal Information Number ”) has been entered into the connected object via a man-machine interface, known as an HMI.

The Bluetooth® connection module of the vehicle 10 is for example activated automatically when opening a door (for example the driver's door) of the vehicle 10.

In a second operation, the user profile associated with the connected object 11 identified in the previous operation is selected. The user profile is for example selected from a set of user profile(s) comprising one or more user profiles. A set of parameters is advantageously associated with each user profile, these parameters allowing the automatic adjustment of one or more equipment or systems on board the vehicle 10.

Each user profile of at least part of the user profiles of the set is associated with a determined and unique connected object. Thus, the detection of a connected object makes it possible to automatically select the user profile associated with it. The association of the user profiles with the connected objects is for example stored in the memory of a computer of the on-board system of the vehicle 10 in a correspondence table, called LUT (from the English "Look-Up Table"), a user profile being associated with a single connected object in this table.

The association between a determined connected object and a determined user profile is for example implemented beforehand and once and for all via a man-machine interface of the vehicle's on-board system 10 (for example via a touch screen connected to the on-board system) , for example by the person carrying the connected object.

The selection of the user profile associated with the connected object 11 makes it possible to retrieve all the adjustment parameters entered by the person wearing the connected object, this person having for example created the use profile via the vehicle's HMI 10.

In a third operation, the parameter(s) of the user profile selected in the second operation are loaded, that is to say retrieved from a memory or from a storage area of the on-board system.

According to a variant embodiment, this or these parameters are retrieved from a memory or from a remote storage area, for example from the "cloud" (or "nuage" in French). According to this variant, a wireless connection is established by the vehicle 10 to connect to the "cloud" and retrieve the parameters of the selected profile, for example according to an LTE type connection (from the English "Long-Term Evolution" or in French "Long Term Evolution") 4G or 5G.

The loading of the parameters of the selected profile allows for example the automatic adjustment of one or more equipment or on-board systems of the vehicle 10, such as for example:

- one or more vehicle seats;

- interior and/or exterior mirrors;

- The air conditioning ;

- multimedia system;

- audio experience;

- the navigation system; and or

- the ambient lighting of the passenger compartment.

schematically illustrates a device 2 configured to select a user profile for a vehicle, according to a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention. The device 2 corresponds for example to a device on board the vehicle 10.

The device 2 is for example configured for the implementation of the operations described with regard to FIG. 1 and/or the steps of the method described with regard to FIG. 3. Examples of such a device 2 comprise, without being limited thereto , on-board electronic equipment such as a vehicle's on-board computer, an electronic computer such as an ECU, a Telematic Control Unit (TCU), a smart phone (from the English "smartphone"), tablet, laptop. The elements of device 2, individually or in combination, can be integrated in a single integrated circuit, in several integrated circuits, and/or in discrete components. The device 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 device 2 is coupled in communication with other similar devices or systems, for example via a communication bus or through dedicated input/output ports.

The device 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 device 2. The processor 20 can include integrated memory, an input/output interface, and various circuits known to those skilled in the art. The device 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 on the first memory 21.

According to a particular and non-limiting embodiment, the device 2 comprises a block 22 of interface elements for communicating with external devices, for example a remote server or the "cloud", other devices similar to the device 2 and embedded in vehicles other than the one on board the device 2. The interface elements of block 22 include one or more of the following interfaces:

- RF radiofrequency 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-avanced );

- USB interface (from English "Universal Serial Bus" or "Bus Universel en Série" in French);

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

- LIN interface (from English "Local Interconnect Network", or in French "Réseau interconnecté local").

Data are for example loaded to the device 2 via the interface of block 22 using a Wi-Fi® network such as according to IEEE 802.11, an ITS G5 network based on IEEE 802.11p or a mobile network such as a 4G network (or LTE Advanced according to 3GPP release 10 – version 10) or 5G, in particular an LTE-V2X network.

According to another particular embodiment, the device 2 comprises a communication interface 23 which makes it possible to establish communication with other devices, such as for example the GPS-type location system, the mobile communication system (GSM, GPRS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LTE, LTE-V, ITS G5)) or the radars of the radar system 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 type (from the English "Controller Area Network" or in French "Réseau de Contrôleurs") or CAN FD (from English "Controller Area Network Flexible Data-Rate" or in French "Réseau de Contrôleurs à Flow de Data Flexible").

According to an additional particular embodiment, the device 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 method for selecting a user profile for a vehicle, according to a particular and non-limiting example embodiment of the present invention. The method is advantageously implemented in the vehicle 10 and/or in the device 2.

In a first step 31, a connected object is detected by the vehicle, for example when establishing a wireless connection.

In a second step 32, a user profile associated with the connected object detected in step 31 is selected. The selected user profile corresponds for example to the profile of the person wearing the detected connected object, this profile grouping together all the vehicle settings parameters desired by the person wearing the connected object.

In a third step 33, the user profile parameter(s) selected in step 32 are loaded, for example retrieved from a memory or from a storage area.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above but extends to a method for controlling a vehicle equipment adjustment system, and to the device configured for the implementation of such a process.

The invention also relates to a system comprising the connected object 11 and the vehicle 10, the mobile device 11 being linked to the vehicle 10 via one or more wireless connections.

The invention also relates to a vehicle comprising the device 2.

Claims (10)

A method of selecting a user profile for a vehicle (10), said method being implemented by said vehicle (10), said method comprising the following steps:
- detection (31) of a connected object (11);
- selection (32) of a user profile associated with said connected object (11);
- loading (33) of at least one parameter of said selected user profile. A method according to claim 1, wherein said detecting the connected object (11) comprises connecting said connected object (11) to said vehicle (10) via a wireless connection. A method according to claim 2, wherein said wireless connection is a Bluetooth connection. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 3, further comprising a step of associating said connected object (11) with said user profile. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a step of adjusting at least one piece of equipment of said vehicle (10) as a function of said at least one parameter. Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a step of unlocking said vehicle (10) from said connected object (11). Method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, for which said connected object (11) corresponds to:
- a smart phone; Or
- a connected watch. Device (2) for selecting a user profile for a vehicle, said device (2) comprising a memory (21) associated with at least one processor (20) configured for the implementation of the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7. Vehicle (10) comprising the device (2) 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.