GB2578124A

GB2578124A - Controller for a human machine interface

Info

Publication number: GB2578124A
Application number: GB1816883.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Natarajan Ganesan
Original assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Ltd
Current assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Ltd
Priority date: 2018-10-17
Filing date: 2018-10-17
Publication date: 2020-04-22
Also published as: GB201816883D0

Abstract

The present invention relates to a controller 102 and a method for controlling a human machine interface 112 of a vehicle, such as a touchscreen, in which one or more advertisement devices 118, such as billboards, in proximity to the vehicle are identified. The advertisement devices may be identified based on the geographic location of the vehicle, a signal transmitted from the device 118, or images captured by a camera 122. A first data set relating to the content of the one or more advertisement devices such as geographic location, operating times, telephone number, website address, is obtained. A first information signal is generated in dependence on the first data set, and the first information signal output via an output of the human machine interface, wherein the first information signal comprises one or more input options for selection by the user. The options may include planning a route, making a telephone call or accessing a website.

Description

CONTROLLER FOR A HUMAN MACHINE INTERFACE TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a controller for a human machine interface in a vehicle. Particularly, but not exclusively, the disclosure relates to a controller for obtaining content information relating to one or more advertisement devices, and outputting said content information to a user via a human machine interface. Aspects of the invention relate to a controller for controlling a human machine interface, to a system for controlling a human machine interface, to a method for controlling a human machine interface, to a computer readable medium and to a vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Along most modern roads, it is common for advertisement boards, or "bill boards" to be located at various points containing advertisements for companies offering different products and services. Such advertisement boards may contain a variety of different information, for example, a location associated with a place of business, contact information, a web address, or any other information relating to the company and its product or service.

However, these advertisement boards may only be visible to the occupants of a vehicle for a limited amount of time as the vehicle drives past, which can be a particularly small amount of time on roads where the vehicles are moving at high speeds. As such, by the time an occupant of the vehicle has viewed the advert, there is often not enough time to make a note of any information contained on the advertisement board. Similarly, it is not appropriate for a driver of a vehicle to be looking at the advertisement boards for any sustained period of time. In cases where the driver is the only occupant of the vehicle, the driver may be required to safely stop the vehicle should they want to look for information about the company associated with the advertisement, such as information with which to contact the company or information to enable them to navigate to an associated place of business.

Accordingly, there is a need to improve the ways in which a driver or an occupant of a vehicle can view and use the information relating to advertisement boards located along a road.

At least in certain embodiments, the present invention seeks to overcome or ameliorate at least some of the shortcomings of the state of the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and embodiments of the invention provide a controller, a system, a method, a computer readable medium and a vehicle as claimed in the appended claims.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided controller for controlling a human machine interface of a vehicle, the controller being configured to: identify one or more advertisement devices in proximity to the vehicle, obtain a first data set relating to the content of the one or more advertisement devices, generate a first information signal in dependence on the first data set, and output the first information signal via an output of the human machine interface, wherein the information signal comprises one or more input options for selection by a user.

As such, any advertisement devices that are located near to a vehicle, for example, along a road on which the vehicle is travelling, are identified and information relating to their content is obtained. This information is then processed and outputted to the occupants of the vehicle via an output of a human machine interface located within the vehicle, including a number of input options for selection by the occupants. In this respect, the human machine interface may comprise a display with touch screen functionality, an audio input/output means or any other means for receiving user inputs and outputting information to the user. In doing so, the occupants of the vehicle are able to review information relating to the content of the advertisement device after the vehicle has driven past, and subsequently control the human machine interface based on the content of the advertisement. Consequently, there is no need for the occupants, the driver in particular, to look at the advertisement board for a sustained period in order to take in the information that the advertisement provides.

It will be appreciated that the controller may comprise any suitable means for performing the above functions, for example, the controller may comprise one or more input means, for example electrical inputs, configured to receive data identifying the one or more advertisement devices and the first data set, a processor configured to generate the first information signal, and one or more output means, for example electrical outputs, configured to output the first information signal. In this respect, the output means may be configured to output the first information signal in a form ready for output by the human machine interface. Alternatively, the first information signal is output to a processing means of the human machine interface configured to render an image and/or audio to be output. Optionally, the controller may also comprise a memory for storing the received and determined data.

In some embodiments, the controller comprises an electronic processor having an electrical input for receiving data identifying the one or more advertisement devices in proximity to the vehicle, and receiving the first data set relating to the content of the one or more advertisement devices, and an electronic memory device electrically coupled to the electronic processor and having instructions stored therein, wherein the electronic processor is configured to access the memory device and execute the instructions stored therein such that it is operable to generate the first information signal in dependence on the first dataset, and output the first information signal via an output of the human machine interface, wherein the first information signal comprises one or more input options for selection by a user.

In some embodiments, the controller is configured to receive location data indicative of a location of the vehicle, and obtain information relating to a location of the one or more advertisement devices in dependence thereon. That is to say, the controller is configured to determine that vehicle is in proximity to the one or more advertisement boards based on the location of the vehicle and the location of one or more advertisement devices.

In some embodiments, the information relating to the location of the one or more advertisement devices may be obtained from one or more of: a navigation system of the vehicle, a database held on the vehicle, and a database held remotely from the vehicle.

In some embodiments, the controller is configured to receive one or more images of the one or more advertisement devices, and process the one or more images to obtain the first data set relating to the content of the one or more advertisement devices.

In this respect, the one or more images may be captured by an image capture device associated with the vehicle. For example, the image capture device may be an on-board camera configured to capture images of the road ahead of the vehicle.

The controller may also be configured to receive a first signal transmitted by a transmitter associated with the one or more advertisement devices. As such, controller may automatically detect the signal when the vehicle is within the range of the signal transmitted by the advertisement device.

The first signal may comprise an identifier identifying the one or more advertisement devices. The first signal may comprise the first data set relating to the content of the one or more advertisement devices. That is to say, content information may be embedded within the signal transmitted by the advertisement device. In other embodiments, the controller may be configured to transmit a request for the first data set in dependence on the received identifier. For example, the controller may be configure to transmit a request to a remote database in which information relating to the content of the one or more advertisement devices is stored and updated on a regular basis.

In some embodiments, the first data set comprises at least one geographic location. That is, the first data set comprises a geographic location associated with the company to which the advertisement relates. For example, the advertisement may relate to a shop, hotel, restaurant, bar, or other place of business and the geographic location may relate to a physical location, or address, of the company.

Consequently, the one or more input options may comprise an option to plan a route to the at least one geographic location. The controller may thus be configured to receive a user input selecting the option to plan a route to the at least one geographic location, and output a request to a navigation system to calculate a route to the at least one geographic location. This allows the user to navigate to the place of business associated with the advertisement without themselves having to look up the location and input the location to a navigation system. Beneficially when the driver is the only occupant of the vehicle, this avoids unnecessary distraction to the driver, or disruption to their journey by the need to stop the vehicle in order to input a new location to the navigation system.

The first data set may comprise one or more of: at least one data location at which further data relating to the one or more advertisement devices is accessible, at least one telephone number, or a set of opening times. For example, the data location may be a public web address, a private network accessible over a virtual private network (VPN), a cloud based database and the like. The one or more input options may comprise one or more of: an option to call the at least one telephone number, and an option to access the at least one data location. In this respect, the controller may be configured to output a request to a telecommunication device upon receiving a user input selecting the option to call the at least one telephone number, and configured to output a request to a computing device upon receiving a user input selecting the option to access the at least one data location. As such, the occupants of the vehicle are able to contact the company associated with the advertisement or obtain further information about the company without needing to spend time looking for that information themselves. Again, this is beneficial in helping to avoid unnecessary distraction to the driver, or disruption to the journey.

The controller may be configured to obtain a second data set upon receiving a user input selecting the one or more input options, wherein the second data set relates to real time information relating to the content of the one or more advertisement devices. For example, the real time information may include information relating to whether the place of business associated with the advertisement is open or closed, or information regarding reservation availability. For example, if the advertisement relates to a hotel, the real time information may include whether the hotel has any vacant rooms.

The controller may be configured to generate a second information signal in dependence on the second data set, and output the second information signal via an output of the human machine interface.

In some embodiments, the controller is configured to generate the second information signal in dependence on one or more of: a geographical location of the vehicle, a speed of the vehicle, and a third data set indicating traffic information. For example, the second information signal may comprise an indication as to whether it is possible for the vehicle to arrive at the place of business associated with the advertisement before it closes based on the current traffic and the speed at which the vehicle is travelling.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for controlling a human machine interface of a vehicle, the system comprising a human machine interface, and a controller as outline above.

The human machine interface may comprise an in-vehicle display unit. The system may comprise a navigation system.

In some embodiments, the system comprises an imaging system, wherein the imaging system comprises an image capture device.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer-implemented method for controlling a human machine interface of a vehicle, the method comprising identifying one or more advertisement devices in proximity to the vehicle, obtaining a first data set relating to the content of the one or more identified advertisement devices, generating an information signal in dependence on the first data set, and outputting the information signal via an output of the human machine interface, wherein the information signal comprises one or more input options for selection by a user.

In an embodiment, the method comprises receiving location data indicative of a location of the vehicle; and obtaining information relating to a location of the one or more advertisement devices in dependence thereon. The information relating to the location of the one or more advertisement devices may be obtained from one or more of: a navigation system of the vehicle, a database held on the vehicle, and a database held remotely from the vehicle.

In another embodiment, the method comprises receiving one or more images of the one or more advertisement devices; and processing the one or more images to obtain the first data set relating to the content of the one or more advertisement devices.

The method may comprise capturing the one or more images using an image capture device associated with the vehicle.

Alternatively, or in addition, the method may comprise receiving a first signal transmitted by a transmitter associated with the one or more advertisement devices. The first signal may comprise an identifier identifying the one or more advertisement devices. Furthermore, the first signal may comprises the first data set relating to the content of the one or more advertisement devices.

In another embodiment, the method comprises transmitting a request for the first data set in dependence on the received identifier.

The first data set may comprise at least one geographic location. In this case, the one or more user selectable input options may comprise an option to plan a route to the at least one geographic location. The method may comprise outputting a request to a navigation system to calculate a route to the at least one geographic location in dependence on receiving a user input selecting the option to plan a route to the at least one geographic location.

In an embodiment, the first data set comprises one or more of: at least one data location at which further data relating to the one or more advertisement devices is accessible, at least one telephone number, or a set of opening times. In this case, the one or more user selectable input options may comprise one or more of: an option to call the at least one telephone number, and an option to access the at least one data location.

The method may comprise outputting a request to a telecommunication device upon receiving a user input selecting the option to call the at least one telephone number.

Alternatively, or in addition, the method may comprise outputting a request to a computing device upon receiving a user input selecting the option to access the at least one data location.

In an embodiment, the method comprises obtaining a second data set upon receiving a user input selecting the one or more input options, wherein the second data set relates to real time information relating to the content of the one or more advertisement devices. The method may comprise generating a second information signal in dependence on the second data set; and outputting the second information signal via an output of the human machine interface. The second information signal may be generated in dependence on one or more of: a geographical location of the vehicle, a speed of the vehicle, and a third data set indicating traffic information.

According to yet a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method as outlined above. The computer readable medium may comprise a non-transitory computer readable medium.

According to a still further aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle, comprising a controller as outlined above, or comprising a system as outlined above, or configured to perform a method as outlined above.

Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and/or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and/or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and/or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic of a system for controlling a human machine interface in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic of a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 is a flow diagram of a method of controlling a human machine interface in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 4 is a flow diagram is a method of controlling a human machine interface in response to a user input in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and Figure 5 is an example of an output of a human machine interface in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 is a schematic of a system 100 for controlling a human machine interface. Figure 2 shows a vehicle 200 comprising a part of the system 100, as will be described in more detail below. As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle 200 is a car, however it will be appreciated that the present invention may be applied to a wide range of vehicles, including other road-going vehicles including vans, lorries, motorcycles, etc. along with other vehicles such as waterborne vehicles, for example.

The system 100 comprises a control means, otherwise referred to as a controller, in the form of a computing device 102. The computing device 102 comprises a computer readable medium 104, a processor 106, a memory 108 and a communications unit 110. The computer readable medium 104 may comprise an electronic memory device communicably coupled to the processor 106. The processor 106 is configured to access the memory device and execute the instructions stored therein such that it is operable to perform the functionality described herein, namely to control a human machine interface of a vehicle. The computing device 102 is in communication with a human machine interface 112. In this respect, the human machine interface 112 may be connected to the computing device 102 by wired or wireless means, the communications unit 110 being configured to allow wired or wireless communication between the computing device 102 and the human machine interface 112. The computing device 102 is configured to receive instructions from the human machine interface 112, and output information to the human machine interface 112. In this respect, the human machine interface 112 comprises input means for receiving inputs from a user, and means for outputting information to a user. For example, the human machine interface 112 may comprise input means and / or means for outputting information in the form of a display having touch screen capabilities such that the display is configured to both receive user inputs and / or output information. The human machine interface 112 may also be configured for audio input and output, alone or in combination with the touch screen capabilities. In this case the input means of the human machine interface may comprise an electronic input for receiving a signal from a microphone, and the means for outputting information from the human machine interface may comprise an electronic output for sending a signal to an audio amplifier or loudspeaker.

In further embodiments the human machine interface may comprise one or more buttons (not shown) configured to receive a user input.

The system 100 also comprises a navigation system 114 in communication with the computing device 102, connected by wired or wireless means. In this respect, the communications unit 110 may be further configured to allow wireless communication between the computing device 102 and the navigation system 114. It will be appreciated that the navigation system 114 may be a separate device, for example, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or a Global Positioning System (GPS) device, attached to the dashboard of the vehicle 200, or integrated as part of the computing device 102 such that it is controlled via the human machine interface 112.

The computing device 102 may also be in communication with a number of other devices located within the vehicle 200 including, but not limited to, an imaging system 122 and a telecommunication device 124. The imaging system 122 and telecommunication device 124 may both be connected to the computing device 102 via wired or wireless means. The imaging system 122 may comprise, for example, an on-board camera configured to capture images outside the vehicle 200, as will be described in more detail below. The telecommunication device 124 may be a separate device, for example a mobile telephone attached to the dashboard of the vehicle 200, or integrated as part of the computing device 102 such that it is controlled via the human machine interface 112.

The system 100 operates in conjunction with one or more advertisement devices 118. An advertisement device 118 may be any structure suitable for displaying advertisement content such as a painted or paper board, or a digital board. The advertisement device 118 may be configured to communicate with the computing device 102 via a wireless network 116 when the vehicle 200 is within range of a signal transmitted by the advertisement device 118. Alternatively, the advertisement device 118 may comprise some other means for transmitting a signal, for example, a radio frequency (RF) transmitter (not shown), to be detected by a component, such as the communication unit 110, of the vehicle 200.

The system 100 also comprises a remote map server 120 in communication with the computing device 102 via the wireless network 116. The remote map server 120 contains map data and information relating to features of the map, and may be kept up to date by the navigation service provider.

As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle 200 comprises the computing device 102. As described above, vehicle 200 may also comprise the human machine interface 112, the navigation system 114, the imaging system 122 and the telecommunication device 124. However, it will be appreciated that the computing device 102, human machine interface 112, the navigation system 114, the imaging system 122 and the telecommunication device 124 may not be integrated in the vehicle 200, and may alternatively be one or more separate devices.

Figure 3 shows a method 300 for controlling a human machine interface 112, wherein information relating to the content of an advertisement device 118 is obtained and output to the occupants of a vehicle via the human machine interface 112. The method may be embodied in the form of a set of instructions stored within an electronic memory device of the computer readable medium 104, the memory device being electrically coupled to the processor 106. The processor 106 is configured in use to access the memory device and execute the instructions stored therein such that it is operable to perform the functionality of the method as described hereinafter.

The method 300 begins at step S302 in which an advertisement device 118 is identified.

In some embodiments, the advertisement device 118 is identified based on the geographical location of the vehicle 200 received from the navigation system 114. In this respect, the navigation system 114 tracks the vehicle 200 and outputs data indicative of the location of the vehicle 200 to the processor 106. Upon receiving the location data, the processor 106 will send a request to the navigation system 114 or the remote map server 120 to identify any advertisement devices 118 located within the vicinity of the geographical location, for example, any advertisement devices 118 located along the road on which the vehicle 200 is travelling, or on other nearby roads. In this respect, information relating to the location of the advertisement devices 118 may be stored within a memory of the navigation system 114 itself, or as part of the map data stored in the remote map server 120. Alternatively, information relating to the location of the advertisement devices 118 may be held within some other database held on the vehicle 200 or remotely from the vehicle 200.

In other embodiments, the advertisement device 118 is identified based on a signal transmitted from a transmitter located on the advertisement device 118. As such, when the vehicle 200 is within range of the signal transmitted by advertisement device 118, the processor 106 is configure to receive the transmitted signal and determine the location of the advertisement device 118 therefrom.

In other embodiments, the advertisement device 118 is identified based on one or more images captured by the imaging system 122. As the vehicle 200 drives along a road, the imaging system 122 is configured to capture images of the road ahead of the vehicle 200. The processor 114 is configured to receive the images and process the images to identify any advertisement devices 118 in said images in a known manner.

Once an advertisement device 118 has been identified, the processor 106 is further configured to obtain information relating to the content of advertisement device 118 at step S304. In some embodiments, the processor 106 is configured to retrieve content information stored in the navigation system 114 or the remote map server 120. In other embodiments, the content information is embedded within the signal transmitted by the advertisement device 118 itself. In other embodiments, the processor 106 is configured to process the images captured by the imaging system 122 and use image recognition technology to determine the content therefrom.

The content information may comprise a location associated with the company to which the advertisement relates, contact details for that company such as a telephone number, an address for a website or other similar data location, and the hours of business. In some embodiments, the initial content information may solely comprise an address for a website or other similar data location, from which the processor 106 is configured to retrieve further content information. For example, the data location may be a public web address, a private network accessible over a virtual private network (VPN), a cloud based database and the like. It will be appreciated that the content information may comprise any information relating the company to which the advertisement relates, as well as the product or service offered by that company.

Once the content information has been obtained, the processor 106 is configured to generate a first information signal at step S306, and output the first information signal to the occupants of the vehicle 200 via the human machine interface 112 at step S308. The first information signal comprises information relating to the location and content of the advertisement device 118 and provides one or more options for selection by an occupant of the vehicle 200. For example, the first information signal may comprise an option to calculate a route to a location associated with the advertisement device 118, an option to call a telephone number (for example via the telecommunication device 124) associated with the advertisement device 118, and an option to access a website or other similar data location associated with the advertisement device 118.

In some embodiments, the processor 106 is configured to output a map 500 to a display of the human machine interface 112, the map comprising one or more icons 502 indicating the location of an advertisement device 118, as illustrated by Figure 5. Upon selection of an icon 502 by an occupant of the vehicle 200, the processor 106 may then output the options for selection as described above.

In some embodiments, the processor 106 may be configured to output an image or a video to a display of the human machine interface 112, wherein the image or video shows the advertisement that was shown by the advertisement device 118.

At step S310, the processor 106 is configured to receive a user input via the human machine interface 112 selecting one of the options described above. Upon receipt of the user input, the processor 106 is configured to output a request to the relevant device to carry out the received instructions (S312). For example, upon receipt of a user input selecting an option to calculate a route to a location, the processor 106 transmits a request to the navigation system 114 to calculate a route to the geographic location, as will be described in more detail with reference to Figure 4. Upon receipt of a user input selecting an option to call a telephone number, the processor 106 will transmit a request to the telecommunication device 124 to dial the telephone number. Upon receipt of a user input selecting an option to access a website or other similar data location, the processor 106 will itself connect to the website via the wireless network 116, or alternatively, send a request to some other computing device (not shown) to access the website.

Figure 4 shows a method 400 of controlling the human machine interface 112 in response to receiving a user input selecting an option to plan a route to a geographic location associated with the content of an advertisement device 118.

As described above, the processor receives a user input via the human machine interface 112 selecting an option to calculate a route to the geographic location (S402). Upon receiving the user input, the processor 106 transmits a request to the navigation system 114 to calculate a route to the geographic location (S404). The navigation system 114 calculates the route based on the current location of the vehicle 200 and transmits the route back to the processor 106 (S406). The processor 106 then outputs this route to the human machine interface 112 for output to the occupants of the vehicle 200 (S408).

Upon receipt of the calculated route, the processor 106 may be further configured to retrieve real time data relating to the route, the vehicle and/or the destination (S410). For example, the processor 106 may obtain data relating to the destination, for example, from a website associated with the destination. For example, where the destination is a place of business, the data may include the opening hours. As another example, where the destination is a hotel, a restaurant, a bar, a café or the like, the data may include information relating to reservation availability. The processor 106 may also obtain data relating to the route, such as live traffic information and roadwork information. The processor 106 may also retrieve data relating to the vehicle 200 itself such as the speed at which the vehicle 200 is travelling or the amount of fuel in the tank.

The processor 106 is then configured to calculate a second information signal based on the retrieved data (S412) and output this second information signal to the human machine interface 112 (S414). The second information signal may comprise the real time data itself or any information that can be derived from the retrieved real time data. For example, the second information signal may comprise an indication of whether the vehicle 200 will arrive at the destination before the place of business closes based on the current traffic along the route and the speed at which the vehicle 200 is travelling. As another example, the second information signal may comprise the reservation availability at the destination and an option to request a reservation for selection by an occupant of the vehicle 200.

In some embodiments, the processor 106 may be configured to collect data identifying which of the advertisement devices 118 with which the occupants of the vehicle 200 interacts, that is, the advertisement devices 118 for which user inputs are received. Such data may be transmitted to companies for market research, for example, to assess the effectiveness of their advertisements.

Further aspects and preferred features of the invention will be apparent from the appended claims.

Claims

Claims 1. A controller for controlling a human machine interface of a vehicle, the controller being configured to: identify one or more advertisement devices in proximity to the vehicle; obtain a first data set relating to the content of the one or more advertisement devices; generate a first information signal in dependence on the first data set; and output the first information signal via an output of the human machine interface, wherein the first information signal comprises one or more input options for selection by a user.
2. A controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to: receive location data indicative of a location of the vehicle; and obtain information relating to a location of the one or more advertisement devices in dependence thereon.
3. A controller according to claim 2, wherein the information relating to the location of the one or more advertisement devices is obtained from one or more of: a navigation system of the vehicle, a database held on the vehicle, and a database held remotely from the vehicle.
4. A controller according to any preceding claim, wherein the controller is configured to: receive one or more images of the one or more advertisement devices; and process the one or more images to obtain the first data set relating to the content of the one or more advertisement devices.
5. A controller according to claim 4, wherein the one or more images are captured by an image capture device associated with the vehicle.
6. A controller according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the controller is configured to receive a first signal transmitted by a transmitter associated with the one or more advertisement devices.
7. A controller according to claim 6, wherein the first signal comprises an identifier identifying the one or more advertisement devices.
8. A controller according to claims 6 or 7, wherein the first signal comprises the first data set relating to the content of the one or more advertisement devices.
9. A controller according to claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to transmit a request for the first data set in dependence on the received identifier.
10. A controller according to any preceding claim, wherein the first data set comprises at least one geographic location.
11. A controller according to claim 10, wherein the one or more input options comprise an option to plan a route to the at least one geographic location.
12. A controller according to claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to: receive a user input selecting the option to plan a route to the at least one geographic location; output a request to a navigation system to calculate a route to the at least one geographic location.
13. A controller according to any preceding claim, wherein the first data set comprises one or more of: at least one data location at which further data relating to the one or more advertisement devices is accessible, at least one telephone number, or a set of opening times.
14. A controller according to claim 13, wherein the one or more input options comprise one or more of: an option to call the at least one telephone number, and an option to access the at least one data location.
15. A controller according to claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to output a request to a telecommunication device upon receiving a user input selecting the option to call the at least one telephone number.
16. A controller according to claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to output a request to a computing device upon receiving a user input selecting the option to access the at least one data location.
17. A controller according to any preceding claim, wherein the controller is configured to obtain a second data set upon receiving a user input selecting the one or more input options, wherein the second data set relates to real time information relating to the content of the one or more advertisement devices.
18. A controller according to claim 17, wherein the controller is configured to: generate a second information signal in dependence on the second data set; and output the second information signal via an output of the human machine interface.
19. A controller according to claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to generate the second information signal in dependence on one or more of: a geographical location of the vehicle, a speed of the vehicle, and a third data set indicating traffic information.
20. A system for controlling a human machine interface of a vehicle, the system comprising: a human machine interface; and a controller according to any of claims 1 to 19.
21. A system according to claim 20, wherein the human machine interface comprises an in-vehicle display unit.
22. A system according to claims 20 or 21, wherein the system comprises a navigation system.
23. A system according to any of claims 20 to 22, wherein the system comprises an imaging system.
24. A system according to claim 23, wherein the imaging system comprises an image capture device.
25. A computer-implemented method for controlling a human machine interface of a vehicle, the method comprising: identifying one or more advertisement devices in proximity to the vehicle; obtaining a first data set relating to the content of the one or more identified advertisement devices; generating an information signal in dependence on the first data set; and outputting the information signal via an output of the human machine interface, wherein the information signal comprises one or more input options for selection by a user.
26. A computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of claim 25.
27. A vehicle, comprising a controller according to any of claims 1 to 19, or comprising a system according to any of claims 20 to 24, or configured to perform a method according to claim 25.