Vehicle prototype development assisting method and system

Abstract

The invention provides a vehicle prototype development assisting method and system. The method includes listening for an indication made by a user using a prototype design tool that is intended to associate a selected user interface element in a prototype development design drawing with a particular hardware function of the vehicle; in response to monitoring an indication of the user that the selected user interface element is intended to be associated with the particular hardware function, providing a mechanism to the user for the user to select a hardware function module; and triggering implementation of the selected hardware function after the user associates the selected user interface element with the selected hardware function module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to vehicle prototype development, and more particularly, to a vehicle prototype development assistance method and system. Background Art

[0002] Today, software development in the automotive industry takes a long time. From idea generation to product launch, it takes 2 years or even longer. During this period, customer needs are likely to change, resulting in an unsatisfactory customer experience for the final product and inefficiency for automakers.

[0003] In software prototyping, especially in the field of UI (user interface) / UX (user experience) design, designers and engineers are allowed to use UI / UX simulation tools (such as Figma) to quickly build UI / UX for new applications. However, these tools cannot interact with the vehicle's hardware, they only recreate UI / UX interactions. For example, when designers and / or engineers use UI / UX simulation tools for design, they cannot directly test whether a certain UI or UX element can actually call certain hardware functions of the vehicle.

[0004] Other tools that enable deeper integration, such as ProtoPie, must be integrated into the vehicle with significant effort and hardware changes. Today, the automotive industry lacks a solution that seamlessly and deeply integrates and simulates the functionality of a complete automotive electrical / electronic architecture system (E / E system). Summary of the invention

[0005] This Summary is provided to introduce some concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for assisting prototype development implemented by an in-vehicle system, comprising: monitoring a user's indication using a prototype design tool for associating a selected user interface element in a prototype development design drawing with a specific hardware function of a vehicle; and in response to monitoring the user's indication for associating the selected user interface element with a specific hardware function, providing the user with a mechanism for selecting a hardware function module.

[0007] According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises: after the user associates the selected user interface element with a selected hardware function module, triggering implementation of the selected hardware function.

[0008] According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the hardware function module includes a common hardware function module and / or a custom hardware function module encapsulated in a hardware abstraction layer HAL of the vehicle-mounted system.

[0009] According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises: the user accessing the prototyping tool via a browser installed in the in-vehicle system.

[0010] According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the mechanism for providing the user with a hardware function module for the user to select further includes: providing a list including one or more hardware function module names corresponding to the hardware function module.

[0011] According to a further embodiment of the present invention, providing the user with a mechanism for selecting a hardware function module further comprises: providing an input box for the user to input a local link corresponding to the hardware function module to be associated with the selected user interface element.

[0012] According to a further embodiment of the present invention, triggering the implementation of the selected hardware function further comprises: in response to the user clicking on the selected user interface element, triggering the implementation of the selected hardware function.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, a prototype development assistance system implemented in a vehicle-mounted system is provided, comprising: a hardware function association indication monitoring component, the hardware function association indication monitoring component being configured to monitor the indication made by the user using the prototype design tool for associating the selected user interface element in the prototype development design diagram with the specific hardware function of the vehicle; and a hardware function module selection component, the hardware function module selection component being configured to provide the user with a mechanism for the user to select a hardware function module in response to monitoring the indication of the user for associating the selected user interface element with the specific hardware function. .

[0014] According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the system further comprises: a hardware function triggering component, wherein the hardware function triggering component is configured to trigger the implementation of the selected hardware function after the user associates the selected user interface element with the selected hardware function module.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an in-vehicle system, comprising: the prototype development assistance system as described above; a browser application; and a hardware function module encapsulated in a hardware abstraction layer HAL of the in-vehicle system.

[0016] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle is provided, comprising: the in-vehicle system as described above; and an in-vehicle display.

[0017] These and other features and advantages will become apparent by reading the following detailed description and by reference to the associated drawings.It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are illustrative only and are not restrictive of the aspects of what is claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to understand the manner in which the above features of the present invention are used in detail, the above briefly summarized contents can be described in more detail with reference to various embodiments, some of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings only show some typical aspects of the present invention and should not be considered to limit its scope, because the description may allow for other equally effective aspects.

[0019] Figure 1 A data flow diagram 100 for prototyping assistance according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0020] Figure 2 An in-vehicle display and a display of a computer used by a user are shown;

[0021] Figure 3 An embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 1 A block diagram of a prototype development assistance system 102;

[0022] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method 400 for assisting prototype development according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0023] Figure 5 A block diagram of an exemplary computing device according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and the features of the present invention will be further revealed in the following specific description.

[0025] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings showing exemplary embodiments of the present invention. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, but is defined by the appended claims. Therefore, embodiments other than those shown in the drawings, such as modified versions of the illustrated embodiments, are still encompassed by the present invention.

[0026] References in this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., mean that the embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it should be understood that the particular feature, structure, or characteristic can be implemented in conjunction with other embodiments within the knowledge of a person skilled in the relevant art, whether or not explicitly described.

[0027] Unless otherwise stated, the term "A or B" used throughout this specification refers to "A and B" and "A or B" but does not mean that A and B are exclusive.

[0028] Related terms:

[0029] Automotive electrical and electronic architecture (also known as E / E architecture): refers to the overall layout of the vehicle's electrical and electronic systems, which integrates various sensors, processors, wiring connections, electrical and electronic distribution systems, and software and hardware in the vehicle to achieve the vehicle's functions, calculations, power, and energy distribution.

[0030] The Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) is an interface layer between the operating system kernel and the hardware circuit, and its purpose is to abstract the hardware. It hides the hardware interface details of a specific platform and provides a virtual hardware platform for the operating system, making it hardware-independent and portable on multiple platforms. From the perspective of software and hardware testing, the testing of software and hardware can be completed based on the hardware abstraction layer, making it possible to conduct software and hardware testing in parallel.

[0031] Generally speaking, in the automotive industry, six stages are required from product demand research to product launch. Through potential market demand analysis, the first stage, namely customer demand confirmation, is entered. After that, high-level concepts are defined based on the customer needs confirmed in the first stage to enter the second stage, namely, dependency identification. Through the analysis of the dependencies identified in the second stage and the clarification of related concepts, the third stage, namely, the development of software products, is entered. After the software product is developed, the fourth stage is entered, that is, the developed software is incorporated into the automotive E / E architecture for debugging. After debugging and program error repair, the fifth stage, namely product launch, is entered. Finally, it is put on the market and customer feedback is obtained to enter the sixth stage, analyzing market feedback. Among them, the second to fourth stages can be considered as the prototype development stage of the software product. However, at present, there is no good way to test automotive hardware before the fourth stage, and it may be troublesome and difficult to adjust the software product when the fourth stage is incorporated into the automotive E / E architecture for debugging. In addition, due to the overall system complexity and excellent software security of the E / E systems built into today's automobiles, third-party software is not easy to integrate and operate in these E / E systems.

[0032] The prototype development assistance system proposed by the present invention can be used as a connector between UI / UX simulation tools (such as Figma) and car interfaces to interact. The prototype development assistance system is integrated into the car software architecture, so that it can directly communicate with the car application API. By using the present invention, designers and / or engineers can debug vehicle hardware during the prototyping stage between the above-mentioned stage 2 to stage 4, thereby shortening the time of the entire development cycle and making the testing of the overall car E / E architecture more efficient.

[0033] Figure 1 A data flow diagram 100 for prototyping assistance according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The data flow as a whole is implemented in a vehicle-mounted system installed in a vehicle that has not been put on the market (e.g., a test vehicle or a prototype vehicle, etc.). In the context of the present invention, the vehicle-mounted system may be developed based on the Android system and may be installed with software tools such as a browser (e.g., IE, etc.), a VPN (referring to a virtual private network) application, etc.

[0034] See also Figure 1 The vehicle display 101 can present the prototype development design drawing designed by the designer / engineer (hereinafter collectively referred to as the user). In the context of the present invention, the vehicle display 101 can be a vehicle display of a test vehicle, a prototype vehicle, etc.

[0035] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the user can open the browser installed in the vehicle system through the vehicle display 101 (for example, by touch, voice, etc.), log in to the prototype design website or prototype design tool used by the user through the Internet or VPN application, and read the prototype development design drawing designed by the user. In this way, the prototype development design drawing presented by the vehicle display 101 is consistent with the prototype development design drawing presented by the user on his own computer (for example, notebook, IPAD, etc.). For example, see Figure 2 , the left side is the in-vehicle display, and the right side is the display of the computer where the user designs. It can be seen that by the user logging into the prototype design tool in the in-vehicle system, the in-vehicle display and the display of the computer where the user designs can present the same prototype development design drawing.

[0036] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the user can directly perform prototype development and design through the vehicle-mounted system. For example, by installing a prototype design tool in the vehicle-mounted system, the user can directly perform prototype development and design in the test vehicle.

[0037] After the in-vehicle display 101 displays the prototype development design drawing designed by the user, the user can select an element on the design drawing and intend to associate the element with a specific hardware function. For example, the user can select an icon on the design drawing and issue an instruction to associate it with a specific hardware function in various ways (e.g., menu options, gestures, voice, etc.). The prototype development assistance system 102 installed in the in-vehicle system can monitor the instruction and present a mechanism for the user to select the associated hardware function module, so that the user can associate the icon with the specific hardware function.

[0038] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the prototype development assistance system 102 can be instantiated as an Android-based application local to the vehicle system. The prototype development assistance system 102 can include a local HTTP server and an in-vehicle API, so that the hardware function module can be locally called and connected and communicated with other applications / tools. When the user logs into the prototyping tool, the prototype development assistance system 102 can be automatically / manually activated to monitor the user's instructions on associating the user interface UI element with the hardware function in real time.

[0039] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the hardware function module 103 is implemented in the hardware abstraction layer (HAL) of the vehicle system. It is known to those skilled in the art that the hardware abstraction layer is an abstracted layer structure between the Android kernel and the upper layer. It provides a unified interface to the upper layer, and the upper layer application does not need to know how the lower layer hardware specifically works, thereby shielding the implementation details of the lower layer. Since some hardware manufacturers do not want to make their core code public, if the code is placed in the kernel space, it is necessary to follow the GUN License, which will damage the interests of the manufacturer. Therefore, in response to manufacturers, Google proposed the concept of HAL in the Android architecture, dividing the support for hardware into user space and kernel space, and HAL belongs to the user space here, so the manufacturer can implement the core code in HAL without opening the source code to the outside world. Generally speaking, in HAL, various types of hardware are described in the form of hardware modules. For example, HAL may include modules for various hardware such as sensors, windows, seats, air conditioning equipment, etc. in the vehicle.

[0040] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in HAL, some hardware function modules are public hardware function modules developed by Google for automobile manufacturers, that is, these public hardware function modules can be understood as open source, and each automobile manufacturer can directly call and use them. However, in the present invention, some hardware function modules are customized by the manufacturer. Since different automobile manufacturers may have their own proprietary hardware, the proprietary hardware may have proprietary properties and interfaces, and the manufacturer may implement the customized hardware function modules for specific hardware in HAL.

[0041] After the user associates the selected icon with a particular hardware function, the prototype development assistance system 102 may trigger the associated hardware function 104 (e.g., Figure 1 An example of this is "opening the skylight" 105) to conduct tests within the E / E architecture in real time.

[0042] Figure 3 An embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 1 The block diagram of the prototype development auxiliary system 102 is shown. The system 102 may include a hardware function association indication monitoring component 301, a hardware function module selection component 302 and a hardware function triggering component 303. It is fully understood by those skilled in the art that the division of the above components is only explained for the purpose of clarity. The functions of one or more of the above components may be combined into a single component or split into more components / subcomponents. Moreover, one or more of the above components may be implemented in software, hardware or a combination thereof. In addition, the data flow between the components may be carried out in a manner known in the art, which is not discussed in the present invention.

[0043] As described above, the prototyping assistance system 102 may be implemented as a native application in an in-vehicle system.

[0044] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the hardware function association indication monitoring component 301 may be configured to monitor the user's indication of associating the selected user interface element with a specific hardware function. For example, the user may select an interface element in a prototype development design drawing in a prototype design tool and indicate through various actions that the selected interface element is to be associated with the vehicle's hardware function.

[0045] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the hardware function module selection component 302 may be configured to provide a mechanism for the user to select an associated hardware function module in response to monitoring a user's indication that the selected user interface element is intended to be associated with a specific hardware function, so that the user can associate the selected user interface element with the specific hardware function.

[0046] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the hardware function module selection component 302 may be configured to provide the user with a list of hardware function module names corresponding to the available hardware function modules. For example, the list may include: "Open the sunroof", "Turn on the air conditioner", "Turn on the radio", "Turn on seat heating", etc. The hardware function modules listed in the list include public hardware function modules and / or custom hardware function modules encapsulated in the HAL. Among them, the custom hardware function modules can be defined by the automobile manufacturer for the specific hardware and / or specific hardware functions of the developed vehicle, and the public hardware function modules can be pre-defined by, for example, Google and other companies, and open sourced for use by various manufacturers.

[0047] Preferably, the hardware function module name list can sort one or more hardware function module names in the list according to the context of the interface element selected by the user, so that the hardware function module names with a higher possibility of selection are arranged in front. For example, if the user has associated an interface element with the "increase volume" hardware function module, when the user intends to associate the hardware function module with another interface element near the interface element, the "lower volume" hardware function module name can be displayed at the front of the list to facilitate the user to select. For another example, if the user has associated a hardware function module (for example, "open the sunroof") with an interface element, but then the user chooses to associate the hardware function module with the interface element again, it can be understood that the user needs to modify the previously associated hardware function module, then the hardware function module associated with the previously selected hardware function module (for example, the hardware function module name associated with the window (for example, "open all windows")) can be displayed at the front of the list.

[0048] Preferably, the hardware function module name list may display the public hardware function module names and the custom hardware function module names separately, or may provide options for the user to choose to display only the public hardware function module names, only the custom hardware function module names, or both.

[0049] Preferably, the hardware function module name list can provide a method for users to search for hardware function module names, so that users can quickly locate required hardware functions.

[0050] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the hardware function module selection component 302 can be configured to provide an input box for the user to directly input a local link corresponding to the desired hardware function module to associate the hardware function module with the selected interface element. For example, the user can directly input "open url:localhost:open windows" to associate with the hardware function module of "open all car windows".

[0051] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the hardware function triggering component 303 may be configured to trigger the implementation of a specific hardware function after the user associates the selected interface element with a specific hardware function module.

[0052] Preferably, the hardware function trigger component 303 can be configured to receive a trigger instruction to trigger the implementation of the specific hardware function. For example, the hardware function trigger component 303 can be configured to trigger the implementation of the specific hardware function when the user selects the name of the specific hardware function module, when the user saves the association between the selected interface element and the specific hardware function module, or when the user clicks on the selected interface element.

[0053] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method 400 for assisting prototype development according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The method 400 may be implemented by an in-vehicle system.

[0054] At 405 , indications by a user using a prototyping tool are monitored for an intent to associate a selected user interface element in a prototyping design with a specific hardware function of a vehicle.

[0055] For example, a user can access and log in to the prototype design tool through a browser installed in the vehicle system, access the prototype development design drawing that he is designing or has designed, select an interface element (e.g., an icon, a virtual button, etc.) in the design drawing, and select an option such as "add hardware function module" to indicate that the selected interface element is intended to be associated with a hardware function module. The prototype development assistance system 102 in the vehicle system can continuously or periodically monitor such instructions when the user uses the prototype design tool.

[0056] At 410 , in response to monitoring a user's indication of associating a selected user interface element with a specific hardware function, a mechanism is provided for the user to select an associated hardware function module, so that the user can associate the selected user interface element with the specific hardware function module.

[0057] Continuing with the above example, the user may select the "turn on air conditioning" hardware function module, thereby associating the selected interface element with "turn on air conditioning".

[0058] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the hardware function modules available for user selection include common hardware function modules and / or custom hardware function modules encapsulated in the HAL of the vehicle-mounted system.

[0059] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the mechanism may include displaying a list of one or more hardware function module names, wherein the one or more hardware function module names may be sorted according to the context of the interface element selected by the user.

[0060] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the mechanism may include an input box for the user to input a local hardware function module link.

[0061] At 415 , after the user associates the selected interface element with the selected hardware function module, implementation of the selected hardware function is triggered.

[0062] Continuing with the above example, in response to the user associating the selected interface element with the "turn on air conditioning" hardware function module, the vehicle system will trigger the vehicle's air conditioning to implement the specific hardware implementation of "turn on air conditioning".

[0063] In summary, the present invention can load the prototype design directly into the vehicle's onboard system without the need for additional third-party applications to be integrated into the vehicle's E / E architecture, so that the prototype design can be more efficiently combined with the vehicle's hardware functions, thereby improving design efficiency and convenience.

[0064] In addition, the present invention can be used for all automobile onboard host systems connected to the Internet. In addition, the present invention can also be used for software application prototype design on mobile phones based on the Android system.

[0065] Figure 5 A block diagram of an exemplary computing device according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown, which is one example of a hardware device applicable to various aspects of the present invention.

[0066] refer to Figure 5, a computing device 500 will now be described, which is an example of a hardware device applicable to various aspects of the present invention. The computing device 500 can be any machine that can be configured to perform processing and / or computing, and can be but is not limited to a workstation, a server, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant, a smart phone, a vehicle-mounted computer, or any combination thereof. The various methods / apparatus / server / client devices described above can be implemented in whole or in part by the computing device 500 or a similar device or system.

[0067] The computing device 500 may include components that may be connected or communicated via one or more interfaces and a bus 502. For example, the computing device 500 may include a bus 502, one or more processors 504, one or more input devices 506, and one or more output devices 508. The one or more processors 504 may be any type of processor and may include, but are not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors and / or one or more special-purpose processors (e.g., a dedicated processing chip). The input device 506 may be any type of device capable of inputting information to the computing device and may include, but are not limited to, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen, a microphone, and / or a remote controller. The output device 508 may be any type of device capable of presenting information and may include, but are not limited to, a display, a speaker, a video / audio output terminal, a vibrator, and / or a printer. The computing device 500 may also include or be connected to a non-transient storage device 510, which may be any storage device that is non-transient and capable of data storage, and may include, but is not limited to, a disk drive, an optical storage device, a solid-state memory, a floppy disk, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape or any other magnetic medium, an optical disk or any other optical medium, a ROM (read-only memory), a RAM (random access memory), a cache memory, and / or any memory chip or cassette, and / or any other medium from which a computer can read data, instructions, and / or code. The non-transient storage device 510 may be detachable from the interface. The non-transient storage device 510 may have data / instructions / code for implementing the above methods and steps. The computing device 500 may also include a communication device 512. The communication device 512 can be any type of device or system that can communicate with internal devices and / or with a network and can include but is not limited to a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device and / or a chipset, such as a Bluetooth device, an IEEE 1302.11 device, a WiFi device, a WiMax device, a cellular communication device and / or the like.

[0068] When the computing device 500 is used as an in-vehicle device, it can also be connected to external devices (e.g., a GPS receiver, sensors for sensing different environmental data (such as an accelerometer, a wheel speed sensor, a gyroscope, etc.)). In this way, the computing device 500 can, for example, receive positioning data and sensor data indicating the vehicle's form condition. When the computing device 500 is used as an in-vehicle device, it can also be connected to other devices (e.g., an engine system, wipers, an anti-lock brake system, a vehicle climate setting system, etc.) for controlling the travel and operation of the vehicle (e.g., vehicle climate settings). When the computing device 500 is used as an in-vehicle device, it can also access the Internet or access a prototyping tool through a VPN.

[0069] In addition, the non-transitory storage device 510 may have map information and software components so that the processor 504 can implement route guidance processing. In addition, the output device 506 may include a display for displaying a map, displaying a positioning mark of the vehicle, and displaying an image indicating the driving status of the vehicle. The output device 506 may also include a speaker or a headphone interface for audio guidance.

[0070] The bus 502 may include, but is not limited to, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, an Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, a Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus. In particular, for vehicle-mounted devices, the bus 502 may also include a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus or other structures designed for automotive applications.

[0071] The computing device 500 may also include a working memory 514 , which may be any type of working memory capable of storing instructions and / or data that facilitate the operation of the processor 504 and may include, but is not limited to, a random access memory and / or a read-only storage device.

[0072] Software components may be located in the working memory 514, including but not limited to an operating system 516, one or more application programs 518, drivers and / or other data and codes. Instructions for implementing the above methods and steps may be included in the one or more application programs 518, and the modules / units / components of the aforementioned various devices / servers / client devices may be implemented by the processor 504 reading and executing the instructions of the one or more application programs 518.

[0073] It should also be recognized that changes may be made according to specific needs. For example, custom hardware may also be used, and / or specific components may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or any combination thereof. In addition, connections to other computing devices, such as network input / output devices, etc. may be employed. For example, programming hardware (e.g., programmable logic circuits including field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and / or programmable logic arrays (PLAs)) with assembly language or hardware programming languages ​​(e.g., VERILOG, VHDL, C++) may be used to implement part or all of the disclosed methods and devices using logic and algorithms according to the present invention.

[0074] Although various aspects of the present invention have been described so far with reference to the accompanying drawings, the above-described methods, systems and devices are merely examples, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these aspects, but is limited only by the appended claims and their equivalents. Various components may be omitted or replaced by equivalent components. In addition, the steps may be implemented in an order different from the order described in the present invention. In addition, various components may be combined in various ways. It is also important that, as technology develops, many of the components described may be replaced by equivalent components that appear later.

Claims

1. A method for assisting prototype development implemented by an in-vehicle system, comprising: monitoring a user using a prototyping tool for instructions intended to associate a selected user interface element in a prototype development design drawing with a specific hardware function of the vehicle; as well as In response to monitoring an indication by the user that the selected user interface element is intended to be associated with a specific hardware function, a mechanism is provided to the user for the user to select a hardware function module.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: After the user associates the selected user interface element with the selected hardware function module, implementation of the selected hardware function is triggered.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The hardware function modules include common hardware function modules and / or custom hardware function modules encapsulated in the hardware abstraction layer HAL of the vehicle-mounted system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The user accesses the prototyping tool via a browser installed in the in-vehicle system.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The mechanism for providing the user with a hardware function module for the user to select further includes: providing a list including one or more hardware function module names corresponding to the hardware function module.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Providing the user with a mechanism for selecting a hardware function module further includes: providing an input box for the user to input a local link corresponding to the hardware function module to be associated with the selected user interface element.

7. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that Triggering the implementation of the selected hardware function further includes: in response to the user clicking the selected user interface element, triggering the implementation of the selected hardware function.

8. A prototype development assistance system implemented in a vehicle system, comprising: a hardware function association indication monitoring component configured to monitor an indication made by a user using a prototyping tool for associating a selected user interface element in a prototyping design drawing with a specific hardware function of a vehicle; as well as The hardware function module selection component is configured to provide a mechanism for the user to select a hardware function module in response to monitoring the user's indication of associating the selected user interface element with a specific hardware function.

9. The prototype development assistance system as claimed in claim 8, further comprising: A hardware function triggering component is configured to trigger the implementation of the selected hardware function after the user associates the selected user interface element with the selected hardware function module.

10. The prototype development assistance system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The hardware function modules include common hardware function modules and / or custom hardware function modules encapsulated in the hardware abstraction layer HAL of the vehicle-mounted system.

11. The prototype development assistance system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The mechanism for providing the user with a hardware function module for the user to select further includes: providing a list including one or more hardware function module names corresponding to the hardware function module.

12. The prototype development assistance system according to claim 8, characterized in that: Providing the user with a mechanism for selecting a hardware function module further includes: providing an input box for the user to input a local link corresponding to the hardware function module to be associated with the selected user interface element.

13. A vehicle-mounted system, comprising: A prototype development assistance system as described in any one of claims 8 to 12; Browser application; as well as A hardware function module encapsulated in the hardware abstraction layer HAL of the vehicle-mounted system.

14. The vehicle-mounted system according to claim 13, characterized in that: The hardware function modules include common hardware function modules and / or custom hardware function modules.

15. A vehicle comprising: The vehicle-mounted system as claimed in claim 14; as well as Car display.

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