Automobile infotainment video player system

Abstract

An automotive infotainment video player system (100) includes: a video server (10) configured to store a plurality of different videos; a display device (20) configured to simultaneously display at least two different videos; an input device (30) configured to receive a user input for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server (10) for display; and a processing unit (40) configured to operate the display device to receive at least two different videos from the video server (10) and simultaneously display the received videos in response to a user input for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server (10) for display.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of video player systems for displaying and analyzing automotive infotainment applications.

[0002] More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a video database for analyzing automotive infotainment systems and a video player capable of in-video navigation and integrated translation. Background Art

[0003] Automotive manufacturers and suppliers around the world face the challenge of obtaining a well-founded market overview of competitors’ innovations in developing so-called automotive infotainment systems – which include displays and controls in cars, among other things – in order to make their own vehicles commercially successful. Possible sources of information are mainly limited to competitor websites, online video databases, trade fairs and, of course, the competitor vehicles themselves. When analyzing competitor vehicles, manufacturers and suppliers have to make great efforts to record as many user interactions as possible in the form of photos or videos in order to communicate the discovered innovations to the analysts. In some cases, even smaller features of the infotainment system are reproduced in the form of so-called “click dummies”. Despite these efforts, there is still a lack of information, as the cost of fully documenting infotainment systems is often too high for individual suppliers or manufacturers, and only a small number of relevant foreign competitor vehicles can be analyzed.

[0004] To address the lack of information on car infotainment systems, Screens GmbH has been operating an online video database called ScreensStudio for use by global automakers and suppliers since February 2019. The database provides its users with comprehensive video footage of around 30 to 40 new car models each year, in which drivers are tested performing almost all possible interactions with the vehicle's infotainment system.

[0005] These recordings or videos are available in online video databases and document the car infotainment system's response to user or driver input or interaction. These recordings can capture up to ten viewpoints simultaneously to document how all displays and controls in the vehicle respond to the user's interaction with the car infotainment system. Furthermore, these recordings can also capture the vehicle's surroundings to document the impact of the user's interaction with the car infotainment system.

[0006] However, depending on the user's interaction, different displays of the documented automotive infotainment system may change their content simultaneously, such that a user watching a single video may not understand the interaction between the different displays, may not recognize any lag time, or may not be able to relate the information and notifications in the vehicle's displays to current traffic conditions.

[0007] Since a complete documentation of an infotainment system would require hours of video captured from multiple angles, it is difficult to find scenes that belong together - even with multiple video players, it is impossible to play them synchronously. Furthermore, when showing a specific user interaction, the user does not know in which of the other captured displays the content may also have changed in response to the current user interaction, and therefore cannot even selectively select a second or third camera view that may be relevant. Editing all views into one video would reduce the size of the individual videos so much that the image content is no longer clearly discernible. Such a long single video makes it difficult to compare multiple cars.

[0008] In addition, the car infotainment systems of some foreign automakers' vehicles may not be able to be changed to English or other languages ​​because they are only sold in their respective domestic markets, further increasing the workload and cost of analyzing foreign competing vehicles. Summary of the invention

[0009] It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide an improved automotive infotainment video player system that enhances the display of recordings captured from the vehicle's infotainment system.

[0010] A solution is defined by the independent claim. Further embodiments are described in the dependent claims.

[0011] According to a first aspect, an automotive infotainment video player system includes: a video server configured to store multiple different videos; a display device configured to simultaneously display at least two different videos; an input device configured to receive user input for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server for display; and a processing unit configured to operate the display device to receive at least two different videos from the video server and simultaneously display the received videos in response to user input for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server for display.

[0012] The video server can be a local or remote server connected to the display device and / or the processing unit. The video server can include one or more non-transitory storage devices configured to store digital video data of multiple different videos. Optionally, the video server can be connected to the display device and / or the processing unit via the Internet or other network connections.

[0013] The display device may include one or more screens configured to display and / or playback videos stored on the server. Optionally, the display device may include a data storage device and / or a display processor configured to store or buffer video data. The display device may be configured to receive, parse and / or decode video data and / or video data streams received from the video server.

[0014] Input devices may include any device that allows a user to interact with the video player system and / or allows a user to input commands or data to the video player system. For example, the video player system may include a computer mouse, keyboard, or touch screen.

[0015] The processing unit may be integrated into a video server or a display device. The processing unit may include at least one integrated circuit processor and / or processor storage (or "memory") configured to store or buffer video data. The processing unit may be configured to receive, parse and / or decode video data or a video data stream received from a video server.

[0016] Further, the processing unit may be configured to operate the display device to start displaying at least two different videos simultaneously.

[0017] An advantage of the infotainment video player system is that videos showing different perspectives can be displayed or played synchronously. Videos showing different perspectives or aspects of the automotive infotainment system can be displayed simultaneously and can be started and stopped together or synchronously based on a single user input or user interaction. Further, during video playback, each of the different perspectives can be replaced by one of the other perspectives.

[0018] Thus, a user of the video player system can identify the effects of the user's interaction with the car infotainment system on different elements of the car infotainment system and / or different components of the vehicle. In other words, the different videos to be displayed by the display device can be videos showing different aspects or effects of the user's or driver's interaction with the car infotainment system, which aspects or effects are recorded by different videos.

[0019] For example, the display device of the video player system can simultaneously display or play back three videos: a first video shows the user's interaction with the touch screen to operate the vehicle's headlights, a second video shows the vehicle's headlights being activated in response to the user's interaction from an external perspective, and a third video shows the activation of a corresponding headlight indicator symbol in the vehicle's main control screen or panel.

[0020] Since in a vehicle, usually the user or driver operates only one interactive display or control element at a time, and the other displays only show the corresponding reaction, the display device or screen of the video player system can be divided into a first or main video area (main player) and two smaller auxiliary video areas (feature players), for example. The operated display can be automatically shown in the main player. In addition, during playback, the user can move the video from the main player to the feature player, for example via a drag-and-drop interaction, so that the displayed videos exchange positions on the display device or screen.

[0021] Additionally, standard use cases for different vehicles can be displayed side by side in a video player and played synchronously. Displaying use cases for different vehicles can be used to compare different automotive infotainment systems for vehicles.

[0022] The video data of the video stored on the video server may include information indicating which video or video segment is relevant to another video or a segment of another video. In one embodiment, the video data of each video includes information indicating which videos and video segments are relevant to different video segments of the video.

[0023] Alternatively or additionally, information indicating which video or video segment is related to another video or segment of another video may be stored by at least one of a processing unit, a video server, or a display device. When a user selects a video to be displayed by a display device, it may be determined based on the information indicating which video or video segment is related to another video or segment of another video which at least two videos from the video server are displayed simultaneously. It may be determined by at least one of a processing unit, a video server, or a display device which at least two videos from the server are displayed simultaneously. The at least two displayed videos may include a video selected by the user and at least one video related to the selected video.

[0024] The display device may be further configured to display at least one selection element, wherein the user input for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server may be based on a user interaction with the displayed selection element.

[0025] The selection element may be a video tree indicating the relationship between different videos stored on the video server.

[0026] For example, when a user starts interacting with a car infotainment video player system, the data structure can be intuitively displayed in the form of a selection element or a video tree, for example, via a display device. If the user selects an interaction or a video to be played from the video tree or the selection element, the corresponding information can be forwarded to the video server, for example, via a processing unit or an input device.

[0027] The input device may be further configured to receive user input for setting or defining a combination of at least two different videos stored on the video server, the combination to be displayed by the display apparatus in response to selecting one of the stored videos.

[0028] In response to user input, such as in response to selecting an interaction or video to be played from the video tree or selection element, the processing unit can send a signal to the display device to inform the set or combination of different videos to be played, such as a set or combination of at least two different videos related to or linked to the selected interaction or video. Further, the processing unit can operate the display device to display multiple video players, each player is configured to show or display at least one video of the at least two different videos related to or linked to the selected interaction or video.

[0029] In response to signaling an interaction or video to be played, the display device may signal a video server to transmit a set or combination of at least two videos to be played, such as a set or combination of at least two different videos related to or linked to the selected interaction or video.

[0030] Optionally, the processing unit may be configured to operate the display device to start displaying the at least two different videos after receiving the at least two different videos from the video server has been completed or after receiving a predetermined amount of video data for each of the at least two different videos from the video server.

[0031] In other words, when the display device receives and / or buffers enough video data to display or show at least two different videos at the same time, global playback, i.e., parallel playback, of at least two different videos from the video server can be started. The video data that the display device must receive and / or buffer may include audio and subtitle tracks.

[0032] Optionally, the display device may be configured to simultaneously display at least two different videos and accompanying text information. The accompanying text information may be generated based on video data of at least one of the two different videos.

[0033] The accompanying text information may be generated based on text information that is visible when at least one of the two different videos is displayed.

[0034] For example, the accompanying text information may represent a translation of text visible when at least one of the two different videos is displayed into another language (different from the original language shown in the video).

[0035] The video to be displayed by the display device can be converted into individual video frames or images, for example by means of a processor or processing unit of the display device, and then OCR processed by an optical character recognition (OCR) engine or program operated by means of a processor or processing unit of the display device.

[0036] The OCR engine or program can be configured to recognize predefined patterns, such as predefined character patterns, in individual video frames or images and temporarily store their locations, i.e., the locations of the detected patterns in the video frames or images, in a memory of the display device or processing unit.

[0037] Further, the OCR engine or program may be configured to determine whether a pattern identified in the analyzed individual frame or image may also be identified in a predetermined number of frames or images following the analyzed individual frame or image.

[0038] For example, the OCR engine or program can be configured to determine whether the pattern detected in the frame or image being analyzed can also be detected in a predetermined number of 30 to 60 frames or images that are consecutive or adjacent to the frame or image being analyzed. For example, it can be determined whether the pattern can be detected at least 30 times in 60 frames or images.

[0039] If a pattern has been identified in a predetermined number of consecutive or adjacent frames or images, the OCR engine or program may re-evaluate the predetermined number of adjacent or consecutive frames or images to determine whether the pattern can be identified in a separate frame or image. To re-evaluate whether the pattern can be identified in a separate frame or image, the OCR engine or program may include at least one of the following: for example, considering patterns identified at different locations in the frame or image, considering the direction of movement of the video focus ("optical flow"), using a Kalman filter to eliminate the video background around the pattern, and using an artificial intelligence (AI)-based pattern recognition method.

[0040] Based on the number of consecutive frames or images in which the OCR engine or program was able to recognize the pattern, and in particular based on the number of consecutive frames or images in which the OCR engine or program was able to recognize the pattern when re-evaluating a predefined number of frames or images, the OCR engine or program can decide whether to consider the recognized pattern as confirmed.

[0041] Thus, even if an OCR engine or program fails to recognize a pattern or incorrectly recognizes a pattern across multiple frames or images, it may be determined with a high degree of reliability whether one or more characters are shown in a video.

[0042] Based on the recognized pattern deemed confirmed, the OCR engine or program may generate text information that may be displayed by way of a display device while displaying the video or video frame based on which the determined or recognized character or characters are based.

[0043] Further, the OCR engine or program can be configured to translate the generated text information by means of a translation method, such as an AI-based translation method. The translated text information can be displayed by means of a display device when displaying a video based on which one or more characters have been determined or recognized.

[0044] The video stored on the video server can be linked to at least one markup mask. Each markup mask may include at least one user-interactive display segment. The markup mask linked to the corresponding video can be played on top of the video displayed or shown by the display device so that the user can interact with the user-interactive display segment of the markup mask when the video is displayed. In other words, the display device can be configured to superimpose the displayed video with the markup mask linked to the displayed video so that the segment of the display device forms a user-interactive display portion or segment. The input device can be configured to receive user input, which includes the interaction of a user with a markup mask of a video linked to the video displayed by the display device.

[0045] The display device may be further configured to display the user-interactive display segment when displaying at least two different videos. However, in some embodiments, the user-interactive display segment may not be visible when the display device displays a video.

[0046] The marking mask may be generated based on the video data of the video stored on the video server.Alternatively, the marking mask and / or the user-interactive segment may be generated by means of a computer-implemented method, for example by means of an AI-based computer-implemented method.

[0047] At least one user-interactable display segment may be formed and / or positioned to correspond to an object that is visible when one of the videos is displayed.

[0048] For example, at least one user-interactive display segment may be formed and / or positioned to correspond to a control element or button of the car infotainment system shown when the video is displayed. For example, at least one user-interactive display segment may be formed and / or positioned to correspond to a menu item of a touch display of the car infotainment system shown when the video is displayed.

[0049] At least one of the shape of the at least one user-interactive display segment and the position of the at least one user-interactive display segment may be variable during the playback time of the video. For example, the shape and / or position of the at least one user-interactive display segment of the marking mask may change over time to correspond to the shape and / or position of an object visible at the time of one of the displayed videos.

[0050] The processing unit may be configured to operate the display device in response to the user input to perform at least one of the following: stop displaying at least two different videos, continue displaying at least two different videos, adjust the volume of the sound output, adjust the playback speed of different videos, synchronously advance at least two different videos, and synchronously rewind at least two different videos. Further, the processing unit may be configured to operate the display device in response to the user input received by the input device to advance or navigate to another segment of the video or change the displayed video.

[0051] For example, at least one user-interactive display segment may be linked to a predefined segment of a video stored on a video server. Specifically, a user-interactive object formed and positioned to correspond to a menu item of a touch display shown when displaying a video may be linked to a video or video segment showing a control menu or submenu corresponding to a control menu or submenu activated in response to a user or driver's interaction with a displayed menu item of a touch display shown in the video.

[0052] When the user interacts with the user-interactive display segment via an input device, such as by activating or clicking a computer mouse at the location of the user-interactive display segment, the video displayed by the display device may be synchronously advanced or navigated to a video segment linked to the user-interactive display segment. Alternatively, if the user-interactive display segment is linked to another video stored on a video server, the processing unit may signal the display device that a collection or combination of different videos, such as a collection or combination of at least two different videos linked to the user-interactive display segment, will be played.

[0053] The advantage of linking a video to a marker mask and / or a user-interactive display segment is that an enhanced usability and immersive user experience is achieved when browsing videos stored on a video server. A user can browse videos or video clips according to a series of interactions corresponding to the user interactions that may be achieved by the car infotainment system shown in the video stored on the video server. Therefore, the user can focus on the video shown by the display device without searching for the next required interaction in the navigation tree. Instead, the user can interact directly with the items or control elements shown in the displayed video to navigate to other videos or video sequences showing the reactions of the recorded car infotainment system.

[0054] A method performed by an automotive infotainment video player system comprises the following steps:

[0055] -Store multiple different videos on a video server;

[0056] - receiving user input via an input device for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server for display; and

[0057] - In response to receiving a user input for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server for display, simultaneously displaying at least two different videos using the display device.

[0058] A computer program product includes a program code portion for executing the method when the computer program product is executed on one or more computing devices. The computer program product may be stored on a computer readable recording medium.

[0059] According to a second aspect, an automotive infotainment video player system includes: a video server configured to store at least one video linked to at least one marking mask, the marking mask including at least one user-interactive display segment; a display device configured to display the video linked to the at least one marking mask; an input device configured to receive user input, the user input including user interaction with the user-interactive display segment of the marking mask linked to the video displayed by the display device; and a processing unit configured to operate the display device in response to the user input received by the input device.

[0060] The video server can be a local or remote server connected to the display device and / or the processing unit. The video server can include one or more non-transitory storage devices configured to store digital video data of multiple different videos. Optionally, the video server can be connected to the display device and / or the processing unit via the Internet or other network connections.

[0061] The display device may include one or more screens configured to display and / or playback videos stored on the server. Optionally, the display device may include a data memory and / or display processor configured to store or buffer video data. The display device may be configured to receive, parse and / or decode video data and / or video data streams received from the video server.

[0062] Input devices may include any device that allows a user to interact with the video player system and / or allows a user to input commands or data to the video player system. For example, the video player system may include a computer mouse, keyboard, or touch screen.

[0063] The processing unit may be integrated into a video server or a display device. The processing unit may include at least one integrated circuit processor and / or processor storage (or "memory") configured to store or buffer video data. An integrated circuit processor (e.g., of a display) may be configured to receive, parse and / or decode video data or a video data stream received from a video server.

[0064] The marker mask linked to the video can be played on top of the video displayed or shown by the display device so that the user can interact with the user-interactive display section of the marker mask when the video is displayed. In other words, the display device can be configured to overlay the displayed video with the marker mask linked to the displayed video so that the section of the display device forms a user-interactive display portion or section. The input device can be configured to receive user input, which includes user interaction with the user-interactive display section of the marker mask linked to the video displayed by the display device.

[0065] The display device may be further configured to display at least one user-interactive display segment when displaying at least two different videos. However, in some embodiments, the user-interactive display segment may not be visible when the display device displays a video.

[0066] The marking mask may be generated based on video data of a video stored on a video server and displayed by a display device. Optionally, the marking mask and / or at least one user-interactive segment may be generated by means of a computer-implemented method, such as by means of an AI-based computer-implemented method.

[0067] At least one user-interactable display segment may be formed and / or positioned to correspond to an object that is visible when one of the videos is displayed.

[0068] For example, at least one user-interactive display segment may be formed and / or positioned to correspond to a control element or button of the car infotainment system shown when the video is displayed. For example, at least one user-interactive display segment may be formed and / or positioned to correspond to a menu item of a touch display of the car infotainment system shown when the video is displayed.

[0069] At least one of the shape of the at least one user-interactive display segment and the position of the at least one user-interactive display segment may be variable during the playback time of the video. For example, the shape and / or position of the at least one user-interactive display segment of the marking mask may change over time to correspond to the shape and / or position of an object visible when one of the videos is displayed.

[0070] The processing unit may be further configured to operate the display device in response to user input received by the input device to perform at least one of the following: start displaying a video, stop displaying a video, continue displaying a video, adjust the volume of a sound output, adjust the playback speed of a displayed video, advance a displayed video, rewind a displayed video. Further, the processing unit may be configured to operate the display device in response to user input received by the input device to advance the video or navigate to another segment of the video or change the displayed video.

[0071] When the user interacts with the user-interactive display segment via an input device, such as by activating or clicking a computer mouse at a location on the display segment with which the user can interact, the video displayed by the display device may be synchronously advanced or navigated to a video segment linked to the user-interactive display segment. Alternatively, if the user-interactive display segment is linked to another video stored on a video server, the processing unit may signal the display device that a different video, such as the video linked to the user-interactive display segment, is to be played.

[0072] The advantage of linking a video to a marker mask and / or a user-interactive display segment is that an enhanced usability and immersive user experience is achieved when browsing videos stored on a video server. A user can browse videos or video clips according to a series of interactions corresponding to the user interactions that may be achieved by the car infotainment system shown in the video stored on the video server. Therefore, the user can focus on the video shown by the display device without searching for the next required interaction in the navigation tree. Instead, the user can interact directly with the items or control elements shown in the displayed video to navigate to other videos or video sequences showing the reactions of the recorded car infotainment system.

[0073] The display device may further be configured to simultaneously display a video and accompanying text information. The accompanying text information may be generated based on video data of at least one video. In other words, the different videos to be displayed by the display device may be videos showing different aspects or effects of the user or driver's interaction with the automotive infotainment system, which aspects or effects are recorded by different videos.

[0074] The accompanying text information may be generated based on text information visible when the video is displayed.

[0075] Alternatively, the accompanying textual information may represent a translation of the text visible when the video is displayed into another language (different from the original language in which the video is shown).

[0076] The video to be displayed by the display device can be converted into individual video frames or images, for example by means of a processor or processing unit of the display device, and then processed by an OCR engine or program operated by means of a processor or processing unit of the display device.

[0077] The OCR engine or program can be configured to recognize predefined patterns (e.g., predefined character patterns) in individual video frames or images and temporarily store their locations (i.e., the locations of the detected patterns in the video frames or images) in a memory of a display device or processing unit.

[0078] Further, the OCR engine or program may be configured to determine whether a pattern identified in the analyzed individual frame or image may also be identified in a predetermined number of frames or images following the analyzed individual frame or image.

[0079] For example, the OCR engine or program can be configured to determine whether the pattern detected in the analyzed frame or image can also be detected in a predetermined number of 30 to 60 frames or images that are consecutive or adjacent to the analyzed frame or image. For example, it can be determined whether the pattern can be detected at least 30 times in 60 frames or images.

[0080] If a pattern has been identified in a predetermined number of consecutive or adjacent frames or images, the OCR engine or program may re-evaluate the predetermined number of adjacent or consecutive frames or images to determine whether the pattern can be identified in a separate frame or image. To re-evaluate whether the pattern can be identified in a separate frame or image, the OCR engine or program may include at least one of the following: for example, considering patterns identified at different locations in the frame or image, considering the direction of movement of the video focus ("optical flow"), using a Kalman filter to eliminate the video background of the pattern, and using an artificial intelligence (AI)-based pattern recognition method.

[0081] Based on the number of consecutive frames or images in which the OCR engine or program was able to recognize the pattern, and in particular based on the number of consecutive frames or images in which the OCR engine or program was able to recognize the pattern when re-evaluating a predefined number of frames or images, the OCR engine or program can decide whether to consider the recognized pattern as confirmed.

[0082] Thus, even if an OCR engine or program fails to recognize a pattern or incorrectly recognizes a pattern across multiple frames or images, it may be determined with a high degree of reliability whether one or more characters are shown in a video.

[0083] Based on the recognized pattern deemed confirmed, the OCR engine or program may generate text information that may be displayed by a display device while displaying the video or video frame based on which the one or more characters that have been determined or recognized are based.

[0084] Further, the OCR engine or program can be configured to translate the generated text information by means of a translation method, such as an AI-based translation method. The translated text information can be displayed by means of a display device while displaying a video based on which one or more characters have been determined or recognized.

[0085] The video server may be configured to store a plurality of different videos. The display device may be configured to display at least two of the different videos simultaneously.

[0086] Each video in the plurality of different videos may be linked to at least one markup mask including at least one user-interactive display segment.

[0087] Optionally, the processing unit may be configured to operate the display device to start displaying at least two different videos simultaneously.

[0088] The processing unit may be configured to operate the display device to start displaying the at least two different videos after receiving the at least two different videos from the video server has been completed or after receiving a predetermined amount of video data for each of the at least two different videos from the video server.

[0089] An advantage of displaying two different videos simultaneously is that videos showing different perspectives can be displayed or played synchronously. Videos showing different perspectives or aspects of the automotive infotainment system can be displayed simultaneously and can be started and stopped together or synchronously based on a single user input or user interaction. Further, during video playback, each of the different perspectives can be replaced by one of the other perspectives.

[0090] Thus, a user of the video player system may identify the effects of the user's interactions with the automotive infotainment system on different elements of the automotive infotainment system and / or different components of the vehicle.

[0091] Since in a vehicle, usually the user or driver operates only one interactive display or control element at a time, and the other displays only show the corresponding reaction, the display device or screen of the video player system can be divided into a first or main video area (main player) and two smaller auxiliary video areas (feature players), for example. The operated display can be automatically shown in the main player. In addition, during playback, the user can move the video from the main player to the feature player, for example via a drag-and-drop interaction, so that the displayed videos exchange positions on the display device or screen.

[0092] The video data of the video stored on the video server may include information indicating which video or video segment is relevant to another video or a segment of another video. In one embodiment, the video data of each video includes information indicating which videos and video segments are relevant to different video segments of the video.

[0093] Alternatively or additionally, information indicating which video or video segment is related to another video or segment of another video may be stored by at least one of a processing unit, a video server, or a display device. When a user selects a video to be displayed by a display device, it may be determined based on the information indicating which video or video segment is related to another video or segment of another video which at least two videos from the video server are displayed simultaneously. It may be determined by at least one of a processing unit, a video server, or a display device which at least two videos from the server are displayed simultaneously. The at least two displayed videos may include a video selected by the user and at least one video related to the selected video.

[0094] The display device may be further configured to display at least one selection element, wherein the user input for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server may be based on a user interaction with the displayed selection element.

[0095] The selection element may be a video tree indicating the relationship between different videos stored on the video server.

[0096] For example, when a user starts interacting with a car infotainment video player system, the data structure can be intuitively displayed in the form of a selection element or a video tree, for example, via a display device. If the user selects an interaction or a video to be played from the video tree or the selection element, the corresponding information can be forwarded to the video server, for example, via a processing unit or an input device.

[0097] The input device may be further configured to receive user input for setting or defining a combination of at least two different videos stored on the video server, the combination to be displayed by the display apparatus in response to selecting one of the stored videos.

[0098] In response to user input, such as in response to selecting an interaction or video to be played from the video tree or selection element, the processing unit can send a signal to the display device to inform the set or combination of different videos to be played, such as a set or combination of at least two different videos related to or linked to the selected interaction or video. Further, the processing unit can operate the display device to display multiple video players, each player is configured to show or display at least one video of the at least two different videos related to or linked to the selected interaction or video.

[0099] In response to signaling an interaction or video to be played, the display device may signal a video server to transmit a set or combination of at least two videos to be played, such as a set or combination of at least two different videos related to or linked to the selected interaction or video.

[0100] A method performed by an automotive infotainment video player system comprises the following steps:

[0101] storing at least one video on a video server, the video linked to at least one markup mask, the markup mask comprising at least one user-interactive display segment;

[0102] displaying, using a display device, a video linked to at least one marker mask;

[0103] inputting user input via an input device, the user input comprising user interaction with a user-interactive display segment of a markup mask linked to a video displayed by a display device; and

[0104] The display apparatus is operated using the processing unit in response to user input received by the input device.

[0105] A computer program product includes a program code portion for executing the method when the computer program product is executed on one or more computing devices. The computer program product may be stored on a computer readable recording medium. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0106] In the following, the present disclosure will be further described with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0107] Figure 1 schematically illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a video player system;

[0108] Figure 2 schematically illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a display device;

[0109] Figure 3 Illustration for operation Figure 2 The method of the embodiment shown;

[0110] Figure 4 schematically illustrates an exemplary marking mask superimposed on a video displayed by a display device; and

[0111] Figure 5 Illustration for operation Figure 4 The method of the embodiment shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0112] Figure 1Schematically illustrated is an exemplary embodiment of a video player system 100. The video player system 100 includes a video server 10, a display apparatus 20, an input device 30, and a processing unit 40.

[0113] In the example shown, the video server 10 is a local network server configured to store multiple videos that record the reaction of the car infotainment system to the input or interaction of the user or driver. However, in other embodiments, the video server 10 may also be a remote network server or online server configured to store multiple videos.

[0114] Further, Figure 1 A display device 20 is shown. In the example shown, the display device 20 is a computer display screen configured to display multiple videos. However, in other embodiments, the display device may include multiple display screens and / or other devices configured to display videos.

[0115] The video server 10 and the display device 20 are connected to a processing unit 40. The processing unit 40 may be integrated into a computer or a computer system, or provided by a computer or a computer system. In other embodiments, the processing unit may be integrated into the display device 20, the video server 10, or the input device 30.

[0116] in addition, Figure 1 An input device 30 is shown. In the example shown, the input device 30 is a keyboard configured to receive user input. However, in other examples, the system 100 may include any other type of input device configured to receive user input, such as a computer mouse, a voice recognition device, a joystick, or a touch screen. In some embodiments, the input device may be integrally formed with the display device 20, such as where the input device is formed by a touch screen.

[0117] like Figure 1 As shown, the processing unit 40 is connected to the input device 30, the display apparatus 20 and the video server 10. Further, the processing unit 40 is configured to receive information about user input or user interaction with the input device 30, and to operate the display apparatus 20 and the video server 10.

[0118] Figure 2 An exemplary embodiment of a display device 20 operated by a processing unit 40 is shown. The display device 20 displays three different video players, namely, a main player, a first feature player, and a second feature player. Each of the three video players is configured to show or display a video stored on the video server 10. In other words, Figure 2 The illustrated display device 20 is configured to display three different videos simultaneously.

[0119] Furthermore, the display device 20 displays a video tree T indicating which videos are stored on the video server 10 and which responses of the car infotainment system to driver or user inputs or interactions are recorded via the stored videos.

[0120] Furthermore, the video tree T indicates the relationship between different videos stored on the video server. For example, the video tree T may indicate which of the different stored videos shows a certain aspect of the reaction of the car infotainment system to a certain user interaction, such as activating the car navigation system. Since the activation of the car navigation system may, for example, have an impact on the information shown on the head-up display, the touch screen activating the navigation system, and the indications visible on the vehicle's main control panel, the different videos documenting the functions of the head-up display, the touch screen, and the main control panel are related to the user or driver's interaction with the touch screen for activating the navigation system.

[0121] In other words, the video tree T may indicate which of the stored videos are related to a certain interaction with the car navigation system.

[0122] When a user selects an interaction or video from the video tree T, the processing unit 40 operates the display device 20 to receive a set of videos from the video server 10, wherein each received video is related to the selected interaction or video, i.e., each received video shows an aspect of the selected interaction or the impact of the interaction recorded with the selected video.

[0123] The display device 20 can adjust the number of players, i.e., the number of different videos to be displayed, to the number of videos received from the video server or the number of videos related to the selected interaction or video. Optionally, the display device 20 can further adjust the size of the video player, i.e., the size of the displayed video, according to the number of videos received from the video server or the number of videos related to the selected interaction or video.

[0124] As an alternative to automatically adjusting the number and / or size of different video players or displayed videos, the user can select the video to be displayed from a collection of related videos. Further, the user can manually adjust the corresponding sizes of the different players or videos to be displayed and distribute the videos to be displayed to different players or parts of the display device 20.

[0125] The display device 20 is configured to display a set of different videos simultaneously so that the user of the video player system 100 can simultaneously experience different aspects and effects of the user or driver's interaction with the documented automotive infotainment system. To ensure that the different videos displayed by the display device 20 can be played back simultaneously, the display device begins to display the videos simultaneously after receiving the video data or at least a predetermined amount of video data from the video server 10.

[0126] To further enhance the user's experience of the described automotive infotainment system, the display device 20 can be configured to display accompanying text information when displaying different videos. The accompanying text information can be superimposed on the displayed video. Alternatively, the text information can be displayed separately from different players or displayed videos.

[0127] Figure 3 Illustration for operation Figure 2 Method S100 of the illustrated embodiment.

[0128] In a first step S102, a plurality of videos are stored on the video server 10. In a subsequent step S104, a user input is received for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server for display. In a further step S106, in response to receiving a user input for selecting one of the videos stored on the server, at least two different videos from the video server are simultaneously displayed.

[0129] Figure 4 An example of the display device 20 that displays a video on which a marking mask M is superimposed is shown.

[0130] The marker mask M is superimposed on the video displayed by the display device 20. Further, the marker mask M includes a user-interactive object / segment S. However, when the video is displayed, neither the marker mask M nor the user-interactive segment S itself is visible.

[0131] The user-interactive segment S is superimposed on the operable elements of the car infotainment system recorded by the displayed video. For example, the user-interactive segment S can be superimposed on a (e.g., clickable) button or icon of a touch screen that is shown in the displayed video. Further, the shape and position of the user-interactive segment S are adjusted to the operable elements shown in the displayed video. Therefore, although the user-interactive object itself is invisible to the user of the video player system, the operable elements shown in the displayed video indicate which segments of the displayed video and / or the superimposed marking mask can be interacted with.

[0132] The user may interact with the user interactable display section S of the marking mask M via the input device 30. If the input device 30 comprises a computer mouse, the user may interact with the user interactable display section S by clicking on the location of the user interactable display section S indicated by the object shown in the displayed video.

[0133] The processing unit 40 is configured to operate the display device 20 in response to user interactions with one or more user-interactive display segments S. For example, the processing unit may operate the display device 20 to advance or navigate the displayed video to another video segment or to change the displayed video, i.e., to display another video or video segment stored on the video server 10.

[0134] In other words, the user-interactive display segment may be linked to a predefined segment of a video stored on a video server. For example, a user-interactive object formed and positioned to correspond to a menu item of a touch display shown when displaying a video may be linked to a video or video segment showing a control menu or submenu corresponding to a control menu or submenu activated in response to a driver's interaction with a displayed menu item of the touch display shown in the video.

[0135] The marking mask M and the user-interactive display segment S can simplify the browsing of the video recording the car infotainment system. The user can browse the video or video clips according to a series of interactions corresponding to the user interactions that are possible by the car infotainment system shown in the video stored on the video server. Therefore, the user can focus on the video shown by the display device without searching for the next required interaction in the navigation tree. Instead, the user can directly interact with the items or control elements shown in the displayed video to navigate to other videos or video sequences showing the reactions of the recorded car infotainment system.

[0136] Figure 5 Illustration for operation Figure 4 Method S200 of the illustrated embodiment.

[0137] In a first step S202, at least one video linked to at least one marker mask is stored on a video server, the marker mask comprising at least one user-interactive display segment. In a subsequent step S204, the video linked to the at least one marker mask is displayed by a display device. In a further step S206, a user input is received, the user input comprising a user interaction with a user-interactive display segment of the marker mask linked to the displayed video. In a further step 208, the display device is operated in response to the user input.

[0138] In view of the foregoing, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may include one or more of the following:

[0139] Embodiment A1: An automotive infotainment video player system comprises: a video server configured to store a plurality of different videos; a display device configured to simultaneously display at least two different videos; an input device configured to receive user input for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server for display; and a processing unit configured to operate the display device to receive at least two different videos from the video server and simultaneously display the received videos in response to user input for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server for display.

[0140] Embodiment A2: A system as described in Embodiment A1, wherein the processing unit is configured to operate the display device to perform at least one of the following: start displaying at least two different videos simultaneously, start displaying at least two different videos after receiving at least two different videos from a video server, and start displaying at least two different videos after receiving a predetermined amount of video data for each of the at least two different videos from the video server.

[0141] Embodiment A3: A system as described in Embodiment A1 or A2, wherein the display device is further configured to display at least one selection element, and wherein the user input for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server is based on the user's interaction with the displayed selection element.

[0142] Embodiment A4: The system of Embodiment A3, wherein the selection element is a video tree indicating the relationship between different videos stored on the video server.

[0143] Embodiment A5: A system as described in any of Embodiments A1 to A4, wherein the input device is further configured to receive user input for setting a combination of at least two different videos stored on the video server, and the combination will be displayed by the display device in response to selecting one of the stored videos.

[0144] Embodiment A6: A system as described in any one of Embodiments A1 to A5, wherein the display device is further configured to simultaneously display at least two different videos and accompanying text information, and the accompanying text information is generated based on video data of at least one of the two different videos.

[0145] Embodiment A7: A system as described in Embodiment A6, wherein the accompanying text information is generated based on text information visible when at least one of the two different videos is displayed.

[0146] Embodiment A8: The system of Embodiment A7, wherein the accompanying text information represents a translation of text visible when at least one of the two different videos is displayed into another language.

[0147] Embodiment A9: A system as described in any of Embodiments A1 to A8, wherein each of the videos stored on the video server is linked to at least one marking mask, each marking mask includes at least one user-interactive display segment, and wherein the input device is configured to receive user input, the user input including user interaction with a user-interactive display segment of a marking mask in a marking mask linked to one of the videos displayed by the display device.

[0148] Embodiment A10: The system of Embodiment A9, wherein the display device is further configured to display the user-interactive display segment when displaying at least two different videos.

[0149] Embodiment A11: The system of Embodiment A10, wherein the marking mask is generated based on video data of a video stored on a video server.

[0150] Embodiment A12: The system of any of Embodiments A9 to A11, wherein at least one user-interactable display segment is formed to correspond to an object visible when one of the videos is displayed.

[0151] Embodiment A13: The system of any one of Embodiments A9 to A12, wherein at least one of a shape of at least one user-interactive display segment and a position of at least one user-interactive display segment is variable during a playback time of the video.

[0152] Embodiment A14: A system as described in any one of Embodiments A1 to A13, wherein the processing unit is configured to operate the display device in response to user input to perform at least one of the following: stop displaying the at least two different videos, continue displaying the at least two different videos, adjust the volume of the sound output, adjust the playback speed of different videos, synchronously advance the at least two different videos, and synchronously rewind the at least two different videos.

[0153] Embodiment A15: A method performed by an automotive infotainment video player system, the method comprising: storing a plurality of different videos on a video server; receiving, via an input device, user input for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server for display; and in response to receiving user input for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server for display, using a display device to simultaneously display at least two different videos.

[0154] Embodiment A16: A computer program product comprising program code portions for performing the method according to embodiment A15 when the computer program product is executed on one or more computing devices.

[0155] Embodiment A17: A computer program product as described in Embodiment A16, wherein the computer program product is stored on a computer readable recording medium.

[0156] Embodiment B1: An automotive infotainment video player system comprises: a video server configured to store at least one video linked to at least one marking mask, the marking mask comprising at least one user-interactive display segment; a display device configured to display the video linked to at least one marking mask; an input device configured to receive user input, the user input comprising user interaction with the user-interactive display segment of the marking mask linked to the video displayed by the display device; and a processing unit configured to operate the display device in response to the user input received by the input device.

[0157] Embodiment B2: The system of Embodiment B1, wherein the display device is further configured to display at least one user-interactive display segment when displaying the video.

[0158] Embodiment B3: The system of Embodiment B1 or B2, wherein the marking mask is generated based on video data of the video.

[0159] Embodiment B4: The system of any of Embodiments B1 to B3, wherein at least one user-interactable display segment is formed to correspond to an object visible when the video is displayed.

[0160] Embodiment B5: The system of any one of Embodiments B1 to B4, wherein at least one of a shape of at least one user-interactive display segment and a position of at least one user-interactive display is variable during the playback time of the video.

[0161] Embodiment B6: The system of any one of Embodiments B1 to B5, wherein the display device is further configured to simultaneously display at least one video and accompanying text information, wherein the accompanying text information is generated based on video data of the at least one video.

[0162] Embodiment B7: A system as described in Embodiment B6, wherein the accompanying text information is generated based on text information visible when the video is displayed.

[0163] Embodiment B8: A system as described in Embodiment B7, wherein the accompanying text information represents a translation of text visible when the video is displayed into another language.

[0164] Embodiment B9: The system of any one of Embodiments B1 to B8, wherein the video server is configured to store a plurality of different videos, and wherein the display device is configured to display at least two of the different videos simultaneously.

[0165] Embodiment B10 The system of Embodiment B9, wherein each video in the plurality of different videos is each linked to at least one marker mask, the marker mask comprising at least one user-interactive display segment.

[0166] Embodiment B11: A system as described in Embodiment B9 or B10, wherein the processing unit is further configured to operate the display device to receive at least two different videos from the video server and simultaneously display the received videos in response to user input for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server for display.

[0167] Embodiment B12: A system as described in Embodiment B11, wherein the processing unit is configured to operate the display device to perform at least one of the following: start displaying the at least two different videos simultaneously, start displaying the at least two different videos after receiving the at least two different videos from the video server, and start displaying the at least two different videos after receiving a predetermined amount of video data of each of the at least two different videos from the video server.

[0168] Embodiment B13: A system as described in any of Embodiments B1 to B12, wherein the processing unit is further configured to operate the display device in response to user input received by the input device to perform at least one of the following: start displaying a video, stop displaying a video, continue displaying a video, adjust the volume of the sound output, adjust the playback speed of the displayed video, advance the displayed video, and rewind the displayed video.

[0169] Embodiment B14: A method performed by an automotive infotainment video player system, the method comprising: storing at least one video on a video server, the video being linked to at least one tag mask, the tag mask comprising at least one user-interactive display segment; using a display device to display the video linked to at least one tag mask; inputting user input through an input device, the user input comprising user interaction with the user-interactive display segment of the tag mask linked to the video displayed by the display device; and using a processing unit to operate the display device in response to the user input received by the input device.

[0170] Embodiment B15: A computer program product comprising program code portions for performing the method according to embodiment B14 when the computer program product is executed on one or more computing devices.

[0171] Embodiment B16: The computer program product of Embodiment B15, wherein the computer program product is stored on a computer-readable recording medium.

[0172] It is believed that the advantages of the technology proposed herein will be fully understood from the above description, and it will be apparent that various changes can be made to the form, construction and arrangement of its exemplary aspects without departing from the scope of the present disclosure or sacrificing all of its advantageous effects. Since the technology proposed herein can be varied in many ways, it can be recognized that the present disclosure should be limited only by the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. An automotive infotainment video player system (100), comprising: A video server (10), the video server being configured to store a plurality of different videos; A display device (20), the display device being configured to display at least two different videos simultaneously; An input device (30) configured to receive a user input for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server for display; as well as A processing unit (40) configured to operate the display device to In response to a user input for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server for display, at least two different videos are received from the video server and the received videos are simultaneously displayed.

2. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein: The processing unit (40) is configured to operate the display device (20) to perform at least one of the following: Starting to display the at least two different videos simultaneously, After receiving the at least two different videos from the video server (10) has been completed, starting to display the at least two different videos, and After receiving a predetermined amount of video data for each of the at least two different videos from the video server, display of the at least two different videos begins.

3. The system (100) of claim 1 or 2, wherein: The display device (20) is further configured to display at least one selection element, and wherein: The user input for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server is based on a user interaction with a displayed selection element.

4. The system (100) of claim 3, wherein: The selection element is a video tree (T) indicating the relationship between the different videos stored on the video server (10).

5. The system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The input device (30) is further configured to receive a user input for setting a combination of at least two different videos stored on the video server, the combination to be displayed by the display apparatus (20) in response to selecting one of the stored videos.

6. The system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The display device (20) is further configured to simultaneously display the at least two different videos and accompanying text information, wherein the accompanying text information is generated based on video data of at least one of the two different videos.

7. The system (100) of claim 6, wherein: The accompanying text information is generated based on text information visible when at least one of the two different videos is displayed, Wherein, optionally, the accompanying text information represents a translation of a text visible when at least one of the two different videos is displayed into another language.

8. The system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The videos stored on the video server (10) are each linked to at least one marker mask (M), each marker mask comprising at least one user-interactive display segment (S), and The input device (30) is configured to receive user input, the user input comprising user interaction with a user-interactive display section of a marker mask linked to one of the videos displayed by the display device.

9. The system (100) of claim 8, wherein: The display device (20) is further configured to display the user-interactive display segment (S) when displaying the at least two different videos, Optionally, the marking mask (M) is generated based on video data of the video stored on the video server.

10. The system (100) according to any one of claims 8 or 9, wherein: The at least one user-interactable display segment (S) is formed to correspond to an object that is visible when one of the videos is displayed.

11. The system (100) according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein: At least one of a shape of the at least one user-interactive display segment (S) and a position of the at least one user-interactive display segment is variable during a play time of the video.

12. The system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein: The processing unit (40) is configured to operate the display device (20) in response to user input to perform at least one of the following: ceasing to display the at least two different videos, continuing to display the at least two different videos, Adjust the volume of the sound output, adjusting the playback speed of the different videos, advancing the at least two different videos synchronously, and The at least two different videos are rewound synchronously.

13. A method (S100) performed by a car infotainment video player system (100), the method comprising: Storing (S102) a plurality of different videos on a video server (10); receiving (S104) a user input for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server for display via an input device (30); as well as In response to receiving the user input for selecting one of the videos stored on the video server for display, at least two different videos are simultaneously displayed (S106) using a display device (20).

14. A computer program product comprising program code portions for performing the method as claimed in claim 13 when the computer program product is executed on one or more computing devices.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, the computer program product being stored on a computer readable recording medium.

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