FR3106913A1 - Method and device for selecting a feature on board a motor vehicle using a control button of said motor vehicle, and motor vehicle incorporating it - Google Patents

Abstract

There is disclosed a method and a device for selecting (43,44) on board a motor vehicle using a control button of said motor vehicle, and depending on the type of support (41,42) on the button by a user, a specific functionality such as for example navigation, present and executed in the vehicle in on-board form (45), on the one hand, and the same functionality present on the smartphone in the form of an application and executed in mirroring (46), on the other hand. For example, the first type of press (41) on the control button is a short press, relative to the second type of press (42) on the control button which is a long press. Figure for the abstract: Fig. 4

Description

Method and device for selecting a functionality on board a motor vehicle using a control button of said motor vehicle, and motor vehicle incorporating it

The present invention relates generally to the field of man-machine interfaces for motor vehicles, and more particularly to controls and buttons for controlling functionalities implemented in motor vehicles.

More particularly, the invention proposes a method and a device for selecting a functionality on board a motor vehicle using a control button of said motor vehicle, as well as a motor vehicle incorporating said device and a computer program product implementing the method.

Motor vehicles have long had a multimedia system which includes an operating system, a touch screen, a GPS navigator (which includes satellite guidance functions, road maps, traffic information, danger zone alerts, etc.), multimedia features (which allow you to listen to the radio, music tracks, view photos and videos), a communication module (which allows you to manage incoming or outgoing telephone calls, contact information , etc.), a vehicle equipment management utility such as air conditioning, ADAS (“ Advanced Driver Assistance System ”), etc.

More recently, vehicles have incorporated a connectivity kit (or hands-free kit) with a user's connected object, typically their smartphone, for example via the Bluetooth™ protocol for pairing the smartphone with the vehicle. This kit allows in particular the management of telephone calls and the use of the user's contacts from his own smartphone as soon as it is connected to the on-board multimedia system. This allows the user's favorite applications to be launched and run on their smartphone present in the vehicle, and thus improve their driving experience.

Screen replication (or " mirroring ") is a function found on the touch screens of high-end vehicles, which makes it possible to replicate the display of applications on a smartphone connected to the vehicle. This function allows the driver to continue to use the applications usually used directly on his smartphone even during his car journeys, while using the human-machine interface (HMI) of the vehicle's multimedia system. It allows him in particular to make telephone calls, exchange SMS messages, listen to music stored on the smartphone or accessible via an application installed on the smartphone, while using the on-board voice recognition and the touch screen of the HMI of the vehicle multimedia system to control functions or dictate messages which are then sent through their smartphone.

Thus, compatible smartphone functions and applications become accessible from the touch screen of the vehicle's dashboard, the ergonomics of which are suitable for use by the driver while driving the vehicle. In addition to offering better visibility than on the smartphone screen, this allows the user to interact with his applications in complete safety: by voice or gesture, he can launch a web radio, dictate an SMS to send or be read an SMS received by voice synthesis, without taking your eyes off the road.

In order to implement mirroring, the on-board multimedia system must interact with the operating system of the smartphone, and it must therefore implement at least a reduced version of it, which supposes the installation of an ad-hoc software layer in the on-board multimedia system, for example in a virtual machine executed by a processor of said system, or equivalent.

In the state of the art, Carplay™ is thus known, which is an embedded version of iOS, the operating system for smartphones of the Apple™ brand, for motor vehicle users with an iPhone™ type smartphone, Apple Inc.

We also know Android Auto™, compatible with smartphones equipped with the Android™ operating system from Google Inc..

Finally, the multimedia system can incorporate Mirrorlink™ technology, which has been standardized by the “Car Connectivity Consortium” (or CCC, for “ Car Connectivity Consortium ”). Mirrorlink™ is the industry standard for smartphone connectivity in automotive vehicles. It is already available on many models of vehicles and smartphones around the world, and provides access to a growing number of compatible applications (“ Apps ” in English and for short). In addition to mobile phone manufacturers, CCC members include the world's major automakers.

Thanks to mirroring, a panel of compatible applications used daily by the user on his smartphone can thus be replicated on the vehicle's touch screen, in a format adapted to driving, in order to allow him to interact with them, safer during his driving experience.

One type of app that is particularly popular with users is browser apps. They provide routes for a projected trip, and real-time guidance information during the trip. The performance of such applications on smartphones is sufficient to meet the expectations of many users. However, the use of this functionality of the Smartphone is charged to the user generally according to the volume of downloaded data. In addition, the use of the Smartphone requires radio coverage of the area in which the vehicle is traveling, which may be lacking in certain remote areas, in the mountains, or in tunnels, for example.

However, the same functionality also exists through the on-board navigation system in the vehicle, which does not have the above drawbacks

This is why, depending on the context of use, a user may prefer to use the functionality available on board, or the same functionality available through his Smartphone. In the first case, a simple press on a corresponding control button, provided on the dashboard of the vehicle, is generally sufficient. In the second case, on the other hand, you must first establish the connection (i.e., the pairing) of the Smartphone to the multimedia system of the vehicle in mirroring, then launch the mirroring application, then finally launch the navigation application in mirroring. These operations are tedious and mobilize the attention of the user, which can be detrimental to safety when said user is the driver of the vehicle, while driving.

In order to spare the user these operations, it is possible to program another control button on the console of the multimedia system which makes it possible to launch the execution of this sequence of operations by a simple press by the user on this extra button. Nevertheless, such a solution has a disadvantage in terms of cost and can also be difficult to implement for reasons of space requirement at the front face of the multimedia system of the vehicle.

The invention aims to propose a simple and elegant solution making it possible to overcome the drawbacks mentioned above.

The document US20140062872 describes a control acquisition system on the steering wheel making it possible to change the display, to display among other things the content of a smartphone (according to a method illustrated by FIG. 15 and described in the description in paragraphs[0155- 0166]).

The document US20130135093 describes a system and a method in which displays are different depending on a short, long or double press on a button. This does not apply to smartphones or any other form of mirroring.

The invention proposes a method and a device making it possible to select, by the same button and according to the type of pressing of the button by a user, a determined functionality such as for example navigation, implemented in the vehicle in the form embedded, on the one hand, and the same functionality present on the smartphone in the form of an application and executed in mirroring, on the other hand.

More specifically, there is proposed a method for selecting a functionality on board a motor vehicle using a control button of said motor vehicle, said method comprising:
the launch and execution of the functionality from on-board means, in response to a first type of press by a user on the command button;
- the launch and execution of the same functionality from a mobile application available on a connected device which is paired with the motor vehicle, with automatic launch and execution of a screen mirroring function by which the display on a screen of the connected device is replicated on a screen of the motor vehicle, in response to a second type of press by a user on said control button.

In other words, the invention introduces diversity into the use of the same and unique control button, which makes it possible, in the context of the invention, to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art noted in the introduction without requiring a button additional.

Embodiments, individually or in combination, further provide that:
the first type of press on the control button can be a short press, relative to the second type of press on the control button which can be a long press;
the first type of press on the control button can be a single press, then the second type of press on the control button can be a multiple press comprising a plurality of single presses made in a determined time interval;
the second type of press on the control button can be a double press comprising two single presses spaced in time by a maximum of two seconds;
-the feature may be a navigation feature
-the screen of the motor vehicle can be a touch screen; and or,
the control button can be a virtual button, for example on the touch screen of the motor vehicle.

In a second aspect, the invention also relates to a device for a motor vehicle having a control button for selecting a functionality on board said vehicle, the device comprising means configured to implement all the steps of a method according to the first aspect above. This device can be implemented in a computer configured for this purpose, for example, the computer of the multimedia system which manages the infotainment on board the vehicle.

A third aspect of the invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising a device according to the second aspect above.

In a fourth and last aspect, the invention also relates to a computer program product comprising one or more sequences of instructions stored on a memory medium readable by a machine comprising a processor, said sequences of instructions being adapted to carrying out all the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the invention when the program is read from the memory medium and executed by the processor.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent on reading the description which follows. This is purely illustrative and should be read in conjunction with the attached drawings on which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a context of use of a method according to embodiments, in a motor vehicle;
Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a front of an infotainment system of the vehicle of Figure 1;
FIG. 3 is a schematic representation illustrating the screen replication of a smartphone of a user of the vehicle on the screen of the infotainment system of said vehicle; And,
FIG. 4 is a diagram of steps illustrating modes of implementation of the method.

In the description of embodiments which follows and in the Figures of the appended drawings, the same or similar elements bear the same reference numerals in the drawings.

With reference to FIG. 1, a motor vehicle 10 comprises, arranged under the cap 11 of the dashboard, a combined instrument panel 12 and the front face or facade, or even console 13 of a multimedia system or infotainment system. . A user 14, for example the driver of the vehicle seated behind substantially in front of the instrument cluster 12, can reach with his hand a touch screen and/or one or more physical control buttons of the console 13, so as to enter commands , enter information, select commands from drop-down lists displayed on the touch screen, and more. generally, the console 13 and have towards the center of the dashboard of the vehicle in order to be able to be reached also by the hand of the front passenger.

In a context of use in which the method according to embodiments of the invention can be executed, it is assumed that the user 14 has a smart mobile phone or Smartphone 15. It is further assumed that the Smartphone 15 is present on board the vehicle, for example in the pocket of the user's clothing, or in a bag placed at the feet of the front passenger or on the front passenger seat, or even at the rear of the vehicle. It is assumed in any case that the Smartphone 15 is within radio range of an antenna of the multimedia system of the vehicle to communicate with said system, for example by Bluetooth ^TM .

Figure 2 shows an example of a front face of a multimedia system such as the front face 13 of the multimedia system of the vehicle 10 of Figure 1. In this example, the front face 13 comprises a screen 20 in its center, which is for example a touch screen allowing the selection of commands via virtual buttons and the entry of information via a virtual keyboard displayed on said screen 20. In addition, on one side or on both sides of the screen 20, the front face 13 comprises a or more physical buttons.

Thus in the example, on the left side of the screen 20 and from top to bottom, the front face 13 comprises for example a physical button 21 to launch the GPS navigation functionality by means on board the vehicle, a physical button 22 to launch the functionality for playing music or other multimedia content and/or listening to the radio, as well as a physical button 23 for launching an ADAS functionality.

Furthermore, on the right side of the screen 20 and from top to bottom, the front face 13 comprises a physical button 24 to launch an on-board air conditioning adjustment functionality, a physical button 22 to allow at any time to return displaying a welcome screen on the screen 20, as well as a physical button 26 to launch a telephony application to manage telephone calls and SMS messages.

Buttons 21 to 26 are pressed by the user with a finger. These buttons are designed in such a way as to present a frank contact and to avoid the phenomena of rebound during such a press. It should be noted that the front face can also include virtual buttons such as buttons 27 and 28 to enter commands or launch functionalities by simple tactile contact by the user.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the modes of implementation of the invention are not limited by the number, the nature, the shape, or the layout of the physical or virtual buttons, or of the screen. Furthermore, the man-machine interface of the multimedia system may include other means not presented here, such as, for example, means for acquiring the user's voice, voice recognition and sound reproduction of natural voice messages or synthesized.

Furthermore, it goes without saying that the invention is not limited either by the exact nature or the name of the system in question: the example of a multimedia system or infotainment system does not is in no way limiting. In particular, depending on the type of vehicle (utility, agricultural or construction vehicle, a similar system but of a different nature or name may be affected by the implementation of the invention.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the screen replication between the Smartphone 15 of the user present on board the vehicle, on the one hand, and the screen 20 of the front face 13 of the multimedia system on board the vehicle, on the other hand. 'on the other hand, which results from the mirroring function. As can be seen, the screen page displayed on Smartphone 15 is reproduced identically on at least part of the surface of screen 20.

To obtain this result, the on-board multimedia system must support, for example, Carplay™ technology, Android Auto™ technology and/or Mirrorlink™ technology which were presented in the introduction, and where any other standardized or proprietary equivalent technology which allows to use smartphone applications, directly on the car's screen, with the vehicle's human-machine interface which is better suited to use while driving.

With reference to the step diagram of Figure 4, we will now describe examples of implementation of the method according to the invention. This implementation concerns the case where a functionality exists on board the vehicle as being able to be implemented by on-board means on the one hand, and also exists on the Smartphone of a user present in the vehicle (said Smartphone of course extends activated and fully operational), for example in the form of an installed application. The process allows the selection of the launch and the execution of one or the other of these two possible ways to benefit from the functionality: either from the embedded system, or from the Smartphone connected in mirroring to said embedded system. We consider more particularly the non-limiting example of the navigation function.

In a step 40, first of all, the connection (or pairing) of the smartphone is established with the infotainment system of the vehicle, by activating the mirroring function. This connection can be established via the Bluetooth™ protocol, automatically (except for the very first time the smartphone is connected). As a variant, the connection can be established by connecting the smartphone to the on-board infotainment system by wire, for example by a USB cable or by any other physical link supporting a serial or other communication protocol.

Activation of the mirroring function can result from a configuration of a connection option, entered for example via the HMI of the on-board system when the smartphone is first connected, so that it does not require specific intervention each time. connection.

The next step includes the pressing by the user of a control button of the infotainment system, for example the physical button 21 of FIG. 2. By pressing this button, the user manifests his intention to launch the navigation function in order to benefit from it on board the vehicle to help him make his journey.

The continuation of the procedure then depends on the type of press made by the user on the control button concerned. By type of press, we mean the way in which the user's gesture of pressing with a finger, one or more times, on the button is characterized. This way can be characterized either by the number of supports, or by its (or their) intensity, or even by its (or their) speed, or finally by a combination of these factors which gives at least two distinct support sequences , which can be distinguished by ad-hoc technical means.

In the case of step 41, the user performs a first type of press on the command button. In response, the navigation functionality is launched in step 43 and executed in step 45 from onboard means of the infotainment system of the motor vehicle.

In the case of step 42, on the contrary, the user performs a second type of pressing on the command button. In response, the navigation functionality is launched at step 44 and executed at step 46 from a mobile application available on the smartphone 15 which is paired with the motor vehicle. Also, launching and executing the navigation functionality in step 44 and step 46, respectively, is accomplished with launching and executing the screen mirroring function. In other words, the display on the screen of the smartphone is replicated on the screen 20 of the motor vehicle during step 46.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, the first type of pressing on the control button carried out in step 41 can be a short press, whereas the second type of pressing on the control button carried out in step 42 can be a long press. These terms "short" and "long" used above in reference to the pressing of the control button, are obviously appreciated in a relative way, one compared to the other. For example, the first type of press may be a brief press consisting of pressing the button with the finger and raising the finger immediately, without keeping it pressed on the button, while the second type of press may be a pressure which is maintained for a determined duration, for example one second or two seconds.

In another form of implementation, the first type of press on the control button can be a single press, then the second type of press on the control button can be a multiple press. A multiple tap includes a plurality of single taps made within a specified time interval. For example, the second type of press on the control button can be a double press comprising two single presses spaced in time by, for example, a maximum of two seconds.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention is not intended to be limited by the examples given above, and that any possible variant making it possible to distinguish between two types of pressing on the control button can be implemented instead of these examples.

In addition, and as already mentioned above, the functionality concerned which is indicated here is a navigation functionality, but any other functionality can be envisaged as long as it exists both in the on-board system and in the Smartphone. of the user.

It also goes without saying that a smartphone is only one example of connected devices that can be used and that other examples are possible such as a connected tablet, a laptop, a personal digital assistant, etc.

In addition, and in particular when the screen of the on-board system of the motor vehicle is a touch screen, the control button can be a virtual button, for example on said touch screen, like buttons 27 and 28 in FIG. 2 for example.

In general, the present invention has been described and illustrated in this detailed description and in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in possible embodiments. The present invention is not, however, limited to the embodiments shown. Other variants and embodiments can be deduced and implemented by those skilled in the art on reading this description and the accompanying drawings.

Claims (10)

A method of selecting a feature on board a motor vehicle (10) using a control button (21) of said motor vehicle, said method comprising:
- the launch (43) and the execution (45) of the functionality from on-board means, in response to a first type of press (41) by a user (14) on the command button;
- the launching (42) and the execution (44) of the same functionality from a mobile application available on a connected device (15) which is paired with the motor vehicle, with automatic launching and execution of a screen replication whereby the display on a screen of the connected device is replicated on a screen (20) of the motor vehicle, in response to a second type of press (42) by a user on said control button. Method according to claim 1, in which the first type of pressing (41) on the control button is a short press, with respect to the second type of pressing (42) on the control button which is a long pressing. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first type of press (41) on the control button is a single press, then the second type of press (42) on the control button is a multiple press comprising a plurality of simple presses performed in a determined time interval. Method according to claim 3, in which the second type of press (42) on the control button is a double press comprising two single presses spaced in time by a maximum of two seconds. A method according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the functionality is navigation functionality. A method according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the screen (20) of the motor vehicle is a touch screen. Method according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the control button is a virtual button (27,28), for example on the touch screen (20) of the motor vehicle. Device for motor vehicle (10) having a control button (21) for the selection of a functionality on board said vehicle, comprising means configured to implement all the steps of a method according to any one of claims 1 at 7. Motor vehicle (10) comprising a device according to claim 8. Computer program product comprising one or more sequences of instructions stored on a memory medium readable by a machine comprising a processor, said sequences of instructions being adapted to carry out all the steps of the method according to any one of Claims 1 to 7 when the program is read from the memory medium and executed by the processor.