KR20180062678A - Apparatus for providing cluster information using sound wave communication and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus for providing cluster information using sound wave communication and a method thereof, wherein a driver can check cluster information while driving a vehicle even though a display device of a digital cluster of which durability is relatively shorter than the vehicle is out of order, or the CPU of the digital cluster is out of order.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for providing information on a cluster of a vehicle using a sound wave communication,

More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for providing information on a vehicle cluster using a sound wave communication, and more particularly, The present invention provides a vehicle cluster information providing apparatus using sound wave communication and a method thereof for enabling cluster information to be confirmed during operation.

The vehicle cluster is installed at the front of the driver's seat. A cluster of cars visually displays the signals detected from sensors, sensors, and other equipment installed in various devices of an automobile. The cluster includes a speedometer, a RPM, a water temperature gauge indicating the temperature of the coolant, a fuel gauge indicating the fuel filling state, a shift indicator indicating the shift step, and a lamp for indicating and warning the operation status of various instruments and devices do.

Conventional clusters are being digitized and equipped with high performance CPU and display devices. Typically, the lifetime of a car is different from that of a digital cluster. In the case of a digital cluster with a relatively short life span, if the lifetime of the digital cluster is short or it is damaged due to external force, the digital cluster information is transmitted to the smartphone using the sound wave communication and displayed through the smart phone, It should be able to convey information that can be done. Relatively microcomputer (MICOM) is stable and has a long life.

Korean Patent No. 10-0764687 (registered on October 1, 2007)

The present invention has been proposed in the background as described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a sound image processing apparatus and a sound image processing method that enable a driver to check cluster information during operation even if a failure occurs in a display device of a digital cluster having a relatively shorter life time than an automobile, Provided is an apparatus and method for providing information on a vehicle cluster using communication.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for providing information on a vehicle cluster using a sound wave communication, the apparatus including: an output unit including a display device and a sound output device; A transmitter for converting the data into a binary signal and outputting it as a sound wave signal; A data processing unit for receiving operating state information and part state information of an automotive part from an engine control unit (ECU), a shift control unit (TCU), an electronic steering device (EPS) or an ABS control device of an automobile and storing the information;

An output control unit for searching the storage unit for the cluster screen display information, the alarm sound selection information, and the volume control information corresponding to the result of analyzing the operation state information and the part status information of the automobile parts inputted from the data processing unit, ; And a failure detection processor for detecting a failure of the display device and transmitting the detection result to the data processor,

The data processor encodes, codes, and modulates the cluster screen data when the failure detection processing information of the display device is input from the failure detection processor, and transmits the cluster screen data to the smartphone through the transmitter.

In the apparatus for providing information on a cluster of vehicles using sound wave communication according to the present invention, when the data processing unit does not input the detection result from the failure detection processing unit for a predetermined period, it is determined that communication with the failure detection processing unit is not possible. , Channelized and modulated, and transmitted to a smart phone via a transmitter.

The apparatus for providing information on a cluster of vehicles using sound wave communication according to the present invention is characterized in that the fault detection processing unit detects a current applied to the backlight unit of the display unit to determine whether a failure occurs in the display unit.

A method of providing automotive cluster information using sound wave communication according to the present invention includes receiving operating state information and part state information of an automotive part and storing the received information in the storage unit; Detecting a failure of the CPU of the display device or the automotive cluster; Generating cluster screen data when the failure detection information of the CPU of the display device or the automobile cluster is input, encrypting, channelizing, and modulating the generated data; Converting the modulated data into a binary signal to generate a sound wave signal, and transmitting the sound wave signal to the smartphone.

According to the apparatus and method for providing information on a cluster of a vehicle using the sound wave communication of the present invention, there are the following advantages.

First, if a display device of a digital cluster having a relatively short life span is shorter than an automobile, a driver informs the smartphone of the cluster information of the vehicle cluster so that the driver can safely operate while confirming the cluster information.

Second, even if the CPU of the digital cluster fails, the driver informs the smartphone of the driver through the sound communication of the cluster screen information through the relatively stable MICOM, so that the driver can operate safely while confirming the cluster information.

Third, because it uses sound wave communication, it does not need AP connection or pairing process, so it can easily transmit car driving information, and the influence of signals on other devices is small.

1 is an exemplary view for explaining the outside of a vehicle.
2 is an exemplary view for explaining the interior of the automobile.
3 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of a vehicle cluster information providing apparatus using sound wave communication according to the present invention.
4 is a diagram for explaining a method of providing information on a car cluster using sound wave communication according to the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention is capable of various modifications and various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout.

Fig. 1 is an exemplary view for explaining the outside of the automobile, and Fig. 2 is an exemplary view for explaining the inside of the automobile.

Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle 1 includes a body having a built-in and an exterior, and a chassis in which a mechanical device necessary for traveling is installed except for the body. The exterior 110 of the vehicle body includes a front panel 111, a bonnet 112, a roof panel 113, a rear panel 114, a trunk 115, front / rear / left / right doors 116, A window glass 117 installed, a filler 118, and a side mirror 119 which provides a rear view of the automobile 1. The window glass 117 includes a quarter window glass installed between the filler and the filler but not capable of opening and closing, a rear window glass disposed on the rear side, and a front window glass disposed on the front side. The chassis of a vehicle includes a power generating device, a power transmitting device, a traveling device, a steering device, a braking device, a suspension device, a transmission device, a fuel device, and front and rear right and left wheels.

Various safety devices for the safety of the driver and the driver include an airbag control device for the driver's safety such as a driver in the event of a vehicle collision and an electronic stability control device (ESC: Electronic Stability Control) and various safety devices. In addition, the automobile 1 may further include a proximity sensor for detecting rear or side obstacles or other vehicles, and a rain sensor for detecting rainfall and precipitation.

An automobile (1) includes an electronic control unit (ECU) for controlling the driving of a power generating device, a power transmitting device, a traveling device, a steering device, a braking device, a suspension device, Electronic Control Unit). The vehicle 1 includes a multimedia reproducing apparatus integrally performing a DMB function, an audio function, a video function, and a navigation function. The vehicle 1 includes a power supply device electrically connected to the driver interface device, the air conditioner, the audio device, the interior lighting, the starting motor, and other electronic devices to supply electric power for driving.

2, the interior body 120 of the vehicle body includes a seat 121 (121a, 121b) on which a driver sits, a dashboard 122, a tachometer 122, a tachometer, a speedometer, (Clusters 123) in which a door open warning lamp, an engine oil warning lamp and a fuel shortage warning lamp are arranged, and a warning light (warning lamp) A steering wheel 124 for manipulating the direction of the car, audio and a center fascia 125 with a throttle of the air conditioner. The cluster 123 may be implemented in a digital manner. These digital clusters display the operating status information and part status information of the automotive parts. The center fascia 125 is located between the driver's seat 121a and the passenger seat 121b in the dashboard 122 and has a head unit 126 for controlling the audio apparatus, the air conditioner,

The center fascia 125 may be provided with a fan, a cigar jack, or the like. The center fascia 125 is provided with a multi terminal 127 for performing data communication between the driver interface device 200 and the terminal of the driver. The multi terminal 127 is located adjacent to the head unit 126 and may be disposed adjacent to the operator interface device 200 and electrically connected to the operator interface device 200 and the external device via a connector or cable Can be connected. The external device includes a storage device, a mobile communication terminal, an MP3 player, and the like, and the storage device includes a card type memory and an external hard disk, and the mobile communication terminal includes a smart phone, a notebook, a tablet and the like.

3, the vehicle cluster information providing apparatus 340 using the sound wave communication according to the present invention includes a data processing unit 341, a storage unit 342, a transmitter 343, a parking check processing unit 344, A control unit 345, an output unit 346 including a display device and a sound output device. The display device may be implemented including a display of either an LCD display, an LED display, or an OLED display and a head-up display. The sound output apparatus may be implemented by including a sound source chip electrically connected to a speaker and having a plurality of sound source data recorded therein, an amplifier, and a controller for designating an address of one sound source chip based on the input signal.

The data processing unit 341 is connected to the vehicle information providing module 310 through a CAN (Controller Area Network) network 320. The vehicle information providing module 310 may include an engine control unit (ECU), a transmission control unit (TCU), an electric power steering (EPS) (Anti-lock Brake System) control device.

The vehicle information providing module 310 provides information on the operating state of the automotive parts and information on the parts state. For example, the operating condition information and the component condition information of the automotive part include automobile driving record information, replacement period information of consumable parts, and vehicle condition information. The vehicle running record information includes, for example, a running distance of the vehicle, running speed, rapid acceleration information, shift information, and direction indication information. The replacement cycle information of the consumable part includes, for example, replacement cycle information for engine oil, cooling water, battery, brake pad, and tire. Vehicle condition information includes status information for footbrakes, parking brakes, fuel levels, seat belts, doors, and windows, for example.

A CAN (Controller Area Network) network 320 provides digital serial communication between various instrumentation control equipment in an automobile. In the CAN (Controller Area Network) network 320, all the parts connected to the CAN in the vehicle are connected to a physical layer, a data link layer, a transport layer A transport layer, a node management, a network management, an interaction layer, and an application layer support protocol layers to exchange information with each other and perform communication.

The user information input unit 330 receives user information. The user information input unit 330 may include a touch screen and a voice recognizer. The speech recognizer may be implemented with a STT (Speech to Text) module.

The data processing unit 341 receives an operation state of an automobile part from an engine control unit (ECU), a shift control unit (TCU), an electronic steering device (EPS) or an ABS control device of an automobile through a CAN (Controller Area Network) And stores the information and the part status information in the storage unit 342.

The storage unit 342 may be embodied as a solid state drive (SSD) as a first storage medium and a hard disk drive (HDD) as a second storage medium. Solid-state drives (SSDs) are priced at roughly the equivalent of 256 gigabytes and 2 terabytes of hard disk drives (HDDs). That is, the storage capacity difference between solid state drive (SSD) and hard disk drive (HDD) is about 10 times. Accordingly, a sufficient storage capacity can be secured by using a hard disk drive (HDD) as a second storage medium having a storage capacity larger than that of the first storage medium.

The transmitter 343 converts the data into a binary signal and outputs it as a sound wave signal. It is possible to use a high frequency between 1600hz and 2000hz as well as communicate a mixture of two frequencies between 600hz and 1600hz like a dual tone multi frequency (DTMF) signal. Further, the present invention can use an audible frequency between 20 Hz and 20 kHz and a frequency not lower than 20 Hz and not less than 20 kHz.

The sound wave signal output as the binarized signal outputs a predetermined frequency corresponding to '1' and a predetermined frequency corresponding to '0' in order to include data information composed of '0' and '1'. Therefore, the transmitter 100 uses a predetermined frequency when transmitting '0', and uses another frequency when transmitting '1'. For example, if the frequency of '0' is 17khz and the frequency of 1 is set to 18khz, frequency information of 17khz, 18khz, 17khz, and 17khz is included to output 1011 binarization information as an acoustic signal. And sequentially outputs the resulting sound wave signals. The sound wave signal outputted here is uniformly output by the user at a predetermined time.

The output control unit 345 outputs the cluster screen display information, the alarm sound selection information, and the volume control information corresponding to the result of analyzing the operation state information and the component state information of the automobile parts inputted from the data processing unit 341, And provides it to the output unit 346. For example, the operating condition information and the component condition information of the automotive part include automobile driving record information, replacement period information of consumable parts, and vehicle condition information. The vehicle driving record information may include a driving distance, a traveling speed, a rapid acceleration information, a shift information, and a direction indication information of the vehicle. The replacement cycle information of the consumable part may include replacement cycle information for the engine oil, the cooling water, the battery, the brake pad, and the tire. The vehicle status information may include status information on seat belt wear, foot brake, parking brake, fuel amount, door, window.

For example, the output control unit 345 may perform a volume adjustment operation in a condition where a door or a window is open after confirming whether a door or a window is open when a warning sound is generated for not wearing a seat belt.

The failure detection processing unit 344 is configured to detect occurrence of a failure of the display device and transmit the detection result to the data processing unit 341, for example. The failure detection processing unit 344 detects a current applied to the backlight device of the display device, for example, to determine whether a failure occurs in the display device. That is, it is determined whether a current is applied to the backlight device of the display device to determine whether the device is malfunctioning.

The data processing unit 341 encrypts, channelizes, and modulates the cluster screen data when the failure detection information of the display device is inputted from the failure detection processing unit 344, and transmits it to the smart phone through the transmitter 343.

The data processing unit 341 can determine that communication with the failure detection processing unit 344 is not possible if the detection result is not input from the failure detection processing unit 344 for a predetermined period of time. Encodes and modulates the cluster screen data, and transmits it to the smartphone through the transmitter 343. [

 4, when the vehicle is turned on, the vehicle cluster information providing method using the sound wave communication according to the present invention is executed by the engine control unit ECU, the shift control unit TCU, the electronic steering device EPS) or the ABS control device and stores them in the storage unit (S411).

Thereafter, the occurrence of a failure of the CPU of the display device or the automotive cluster is detected (S413). When the failure detection information of the CPU of the display device or the automobile cluster is input, cluster screen data is generated (S415), and the generated data is encrypted, channelized, and modulated (S417). Converts the modulated data into a binary signal to generate a sound wave signal, and transmits the sound wave signal to the smartphone (S419).

WiFi requires an SSID search and connection process for accessing the AP, and in the case of Bluetooth, it can be connected to a smartphone and other devices only through a pairing step. However, since the present invention uses sound wave communication, it is not necessary to perform AP connection or pairing process, and it is possible to easily transmit vehicle driving information, and the influence of signals on other devices is small.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Accordingly, the true scope of the present invention should be determined only by the appended claims.

Claims (4)

An output unit including a display device and a sound output device;
A transmitter for converting the data into a binarized signal and outputting it as a sound wave signal;
A data processing unit for receiving operating state information and part state information of an automotive part from an engine control unit (ECU), a shift control unit (TCU), an electric steering system (EPS)
An output control unit for searching the storage unit for the cluster screen display information, the alarm sound selection information, and the volume control information corresponding to the result of analyzing the operation state information and the part status information of the automobile part inputted from the data processing unit and providing the search result to the output unit; And
And a failure detection processor for detecting a failure of the display device and transmitting the detection result to the data processor,
Wherein the data processing unit comprises:
When the failure detection information of the display device is inputted from the failure detection processing unit, the cluster screen data is encrypted, channelized, and modulated, and transmitted to the smart phone through the transmitter,
Wherein the vehicle cluster information providing apparatus comprises: The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the data processing unit comprises:
If the detection result is not input from the failure detection processing unit for a predetermined period of time, it is determined that the communication with the failure detection processing unit is not possible. The cluster screen data is encrypted, channelized and modulated and transmitted to the smart phone through the transmitter that,
Wherein the vehicle cluster information providing apparatus comprises: The method according to claim 1,
The fault detection processing unit,
Detecting a current applied to the backlight device of the display device to determine whether the display device has a failure,
Wherein the vehicle cluster information providing apparatus comprises: Receiving operation state information and part state information of an automobile part and storing the received information in the storage unit;
Detecting a failure of the CPU of the display device or the automotive cluster;
Generating cluster screen data when the failure occurrence detection information of the CPU of the display device or the automobile cluster is inputted, encrypting, channelizing, and modulating the generated data; And
Generating a sound wave signal by converting the modulated data into a binary signal, and transmitting the sound wave signal to a smartphone;
The method comprising the steps of:

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