System and procedures for operating a system

Abstract

System comprising a motor vehicle (12) and a communication device (14), wherein the communication device (14) comprises a body (18), a head (20) seated on the body (18) which includes a screen device (22) for displaying an optical message for communication with a vehicle occupant of the motor vehicle (12), a movement device (24) configured to move the head (20) relative to the body (18), a control device configured to control the movement device (24) and / or the screen device (22), an interface device via which a mechanical and an electrical connection for power supply and / or data transmission between the communication device (14) and the motor vehicle (12) can be reversibly established, and a storage device.on which several different displays and / or movement sequences for a movement of the head (20) relative to the body (18) are stored, wherein the control device is configured to receive a control signal from the motor vehicle (12), to select one of the displays stored in the memory device depending on the received control signal and to trigger the output of the display and / or to select one of the movement sequences stored in the memory device and to trigger the execution of the movement sequence, wherein , - the communication device (14) is configured to read out extension information stored on an extension storage device of an extension component (46) and transmit it to the motor vehicle (12); - the motor vehicle is designed (12) to request a data set from a higher-level server facility (26) depending on the extension information and to transmit this data set received from the server facility (26), which characterizes at least one optical display and / or at least one movement sequence, from the motor vehicle (12) to the communication device (14).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a system comprising a motor vehicle and a communication device, as well as a method for operating a system.

[0002] From US patent 2011 / 0 144 856 A1, a three-dimensional physical figure for communicating with a vehicle occupant in a motor vehicle is known, wherein the three-dimensional physical figure is fixed in a position within the motor vehicle. The three-dimensional physical figure is configured to communicate visually and / or audibly with a driver or a vehicle occupant of the motor vehicle.

[0003] Furthermore, a device for conveying information to the driver of a motor vehicle is known from DE 10 2007 037 073 A1. The device comprises a control unit and a display unit controlled by the control unit. The display unit has at least one three-dimensionally formed direction indicator element that is movable in at least one degree of freedom. The display unit also has a drive element for moving the direction indicator element. A spatial direction to be displayed to the driver can be determined by the control unit. The drive element of the display unit can be controlled by the control unit to align the direction indicator element in the spatial direction to be displayed.

[0004] Furthermore, WO 2016 / 202 450 A1 discloses a method for controlling an interface device of a motor vehicle. This method involves capturing at least one physiological parameter of a vehicle occupant, in particular the driver, using a sensor device. The method also includes determining the mental state of the vehicle occupant by analyzing the captured physiological parameter. Finally, the method includes controlling an output device of the interface device to influence at least one output depending on the analyzed mental state of the vehicle occupant.

[0005] Furthermore, JP 2021-99228A discloses an agent system for a vehicle that includes an agent with a three-dimensional structure. This agent is located in the driver's cabin and has movable parts such as a head, arms, and body. The agent also includes several drive units that allow the head, body, and arms to be moved, and the eyelids to be opened and closed. The agent can provide information, respond to voice or touch input, and is controlled by a control unit.

[0006] Furthermore, an information device is known from JP 2002-104 103 A, which is used in a vehicle and comprises a three-dimensional notification object. The device can be attached in the front area of ​​the passenger compartment, for example on the dashboard, by means of fixings. It has a body and arms that are movable by motors. The information device serves to direct the occupant's attention to vehicle-related information and at the same time positively influence their entertainment and mood.

[0007] Furthermore, an information device comprising a main body and several display elements is known from WO 2020 / 195 462 A1. The display elements, such as arms, a head, or ears, are movably attached to the main body. In addition, the information device can be equipped with a microphone, a loudspeaker, and display elements for voice interaction. The information device can direct the driver's attention by means of visual gestures and acoustic signals, thereby, for example, improving vehicle safety.

[0008] The object of the present invention is to create a solution which enables a motor vehicle occupant to communicate with a communication device in a particularly simple and comprehensive way.

[0009] This problem is solved according to the invention by the subject matter of the independent claims. Further possible embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims, the description, and the figures. Features, advantages, and possible embodiments set forth in the description for one of the subject matter of the independent claims are to be regarded, at least analogously, as features, advantages, and possible embodiments of the respective subject matter of the other independent claims, as well as of any possible combination of the subject matter of the independent claims, optionally in conjunction with one or more of the dependent claims.

[0010] The invention relates to a system comprising a motor vehicle, in particular a motor car, especially a passenger car, and a communication device.

[0011] The communication device is a physical avatar. It comprises a body, a head mounted on the body which includes a screen for displaying a visual message for communication with a vehicle occupant, and a movement device configured to move the head relative to the body. Specifically, the movement device is configured to move the head in six degrees of freedom, and thus in the three spatial directions relative to the body, as well as to pivot it in these spatial directions relative to the body. Furthermore, the communication device includes a control device configured to control the movement device and / or the screen.Furthermore, the communication device includes an interface device through which a mechanical and an electrical connection for power supply and / or data transmission can be reversibly established between the communication device and the motor vehicle. In particular, it is provided that the motor vehicle includes at least one counterpart interface device with which the interface device of the communication device can engage. Through this engagement of the interface device of the communication device with the counterpart interface device of the motor vehicle, a current-carrying connection as well as a mechanical connection between the communication device and the motor vehicle can be established. Electrical energy can be supplied from the motor vehicle to the communication device via this current-carrying connection.The communication device can be fixed in its position relative to the vehicle via the mechanical connection. Furthermore, the communication device includes a storage unit on which several different displays and / or movement sequences for head movements relative to the body are stored. The respective displays can be, for example, images, videos, or animations to be displayed via the head's screen. The respective movement sequences can characterize one or more consecutive head movements relative to the body.The control unit is configured to receive a control signal from the motor vehicle, select one of the displays stored in the control unit based on the received control signal, and trigger the display output, and / or select one of the movement sequences stored in the memory unit and trigger the execution of the movement sequence. In other words, the respective movement sequences or the respective optical displays are stored in the communication device, whereby the display of one of the stored optical displays or the execution of one of the stored movement sequences is triggered by the control signal transmitted from the motor vehicle to the communication device.Because the respective optical displays and movement sequences are already stored in the communication device, the control signal can be transmitted from the vehicle to the communication device with very little data to trigger the output of at least one optical display or the initiation of at least one movement sequence. This eliminates the need to transmit a comprehensive control signal from the vehicle to the communication device, which would otherwise characterize the display to be shown on the screen and / or the movement sequence to be initiated. As a result, transmitting only a minimal amount of data from the vehicle to the communication device allows for particularly quick and easy triggering of the optical display or the initiation of the movement sequence.

[0012] In a possible further development of the invention, the interface device is configured to establish both a mechanical and a wireless connection between the communication device and the motor vehicle. The interface device thus enables a particularly comprehensive connection between the communication device and the motor vehicle. For example, the interface device can include a so-called multi-hub module, which is designed to be plugged into the corresponding interface device of the motor vehicle, which may also be configured as a multi-hub module. The motor vehicle can include a so-called brought-in-device interface for establishing the wireless connection with the communication device via a radio link. This interface is configured to establish the wireless connection with the interface device of the communication device.It is possible to attach the communication device to the vehicle via a mechanical connection and to transfer electrical energy from the vehicle to the communication device. Data transmission can also occur wirelessly. For example, data transmission via Bluetooth Low Energy can be achieved wirelessly.

[0013] In a further possible embodiment of the invention, the motor vehicle comprises a computing unit configured to select an action for the communication device in response to a detected input from a vehicle occupant or in response to a detected behavior of the vehicle occupant, and to provide a control signal characterizing the action to the control unit of the communication device. Thus, the electronic computing unit of the motor vehicle can determine how the communication device should react to the detected input or the detected behavior of the vehicle occupant, in particular to communicate with the vehicle occupant. Computing power used to determine an action appropriate to the detected behavior or input of the vehicle occupant is therefore utilized within the motor vehicle.Subsequently, depending on the detected action, the vehicle provides a control signal to the communication device. This triggers the communication device's control unit to determine which optical display or movement sequence, from among the multiple optical displays or movement sequences stored in the memory unit, corresponds to the action characterized by the control signal. The communication device's control unit then triggers the output of the optical display or the execution of the movement sequence associated with the action characterized by the control signal. Thus, the communication device, and in particular its control unit, requires very little processing power.As a result, the communication device can be designed to be particularly simple, since a large part of the computing power is performed by the vehicle's computer system.

[0014] In a further possible embodiment of the invention, the system additionally comprises a higher-level server unit, which is connected to the motor vehicle via a first data connection, and the motor vehicle is connected to the communication device via a second data connection. This second data connection between the motor vehicle and the communication device can, in particular, be established wirelessly. The motor vehicle is thus equipped to communicate with both the higher-level server unit and the communication device via their respective data connections. This higher-level server unit can, in particular, be a so-called cloud platform.This cloud platform can be configured to intelligently process complex requests from the vehicle, particularly from the vehicle's electronic computing unit, and to provide data to the vehicle, especially its electronic computing unit. The communication device is thus connected to the higher-level server system via the vehicle.Because the vehicle is connected to the higher-level server system and can therefore utilize resources of the higher-level server system, the vehicle can, in response to a detected input from the vehicle occupant or in response to the behavior of the vehicle occupant, select an action that is particularly well suited to the input or the determined behavior, which is executed by means of the communication device by outputting an optical display associated with the action or by executing a movement sequence characterized by the action.

[0015] In a further possible embodiment of the invention, the vehicle is provided with several counterpart interface devices at different positions within the vehicle interior, each of which can be engaged with the interface device of the communication device. This means that the communication device can be positioned and electrically connected to the vehicle by engaging the respective counterpart interface devices at different locations within the vehicle. This enables particularly simple and convenient use of the communication device in different areas of the vehicle interior.

[0016] The invention further relates to a method for operating a system as already described in connection with the system according to the invention. In this method, a control signal is received from the motor vehicle by means of the control unit of the communication device, and depending on the received control signal, a display stored in the memory device is selected and the output of the display is triggered by means of the screen device, and / or a movement sequence stored in the memory device is selected and the execution of the movement sequence is triggered by means of the motion device.The vehicle thus triggers the display of a selected visual message via the screen and / or the execution of a head movement relative to the body via the motion control system by providing the control signal. Because the respective display or movement sequence is stored in the communication device's memory, the control signal only needs to contain a very small amount of data, allowing it to be transmitted very quickly from the vehicle to the communication device. Therefore, transmitting extensive data from the vehicle to the communication device to trigger the display of a visual message or the execution of a head movement relative to the body is unnecessary.This allows the output of the respective optical display or the execution of the respective movement to be triggered particularly quickly after a decision has been made about which optical display to show or which movement sequence to execute.

[0017] In a possible further development of the invention, it is provided that the vehicle evaluates the voice input of the vehicle occupant and provides the control signal depending on the evaluation. This enables the vehicle to trigger a process in which the visual display output by the communication device or the movement sequence executed by the communication device is particularly well adapted to the detected voice input of the vehicle occupant. This allows for communication between the vehicle occupant and the communication device that is perceived as particularly natural by the vehicle occupant. The vehicle occupant can thus be given the impression that the communication device is reacting to the content of the voice input by outputting the visual display or by executing the movement sequence.

[0018] In a further possible embodiment of the invention, the vehicle provides the control signal based on information it has received from a higher-level server. In other words, the vehicle receives the information from the server and can thus utilize the server's knowledge. This allows the vehicle to generate the control signal based on current conditions characterized by the information. This significantly reduces the risk of the communication device responding to an outdated signal, which could be perceived as inaccurate by vehicle occupants.

[0019] According to the invention, the communication device reads out and transmits extension information stored on an extension memory device of an extension component to the motor vehicle. The extension component can, in particular, be a so-called physical add-on. For example, the extension component can have the form of a helmet that can be placed on the head of the communication device. The extension component comprises the extension memory device on which the extension information is stored. For example, the extension information can characterize the type of extension component. The extension memory device can, for example, be designed as a chip, in particular as an RFID chip or an NFC chip.The communication device can, for example, include a chip reader with which the chip of the expansion component can be read. The communication device transmits the determined expansion information to the vehicle, which in turn requests a data set from the server based on the received expansion information. The vehicle then transmits a data set received from the server in response to the requested data set back to the communication device. This data set received by the server via the vehicle characterizes at least one optical display and / or at least one movement sequence. This optical display or movement sequence characterized by the data set can be specific to the expansion component.This means that the optical display or movement sequence characterized by the data set can differ from all other optical displays and movement sequences already stored in the communication device. Thus, the optical appearance of the communication device can be adapted to the extension component using the optical display characterized by the data set. Alternatively or additionally, a gesture of the communication device characterized by the movement sequence can be adapted to the extension component using the movement sequence characterized by the data set; for example, by adapting a characteristic property of the communication device characterized by the movement sequence.

[0020] By using the respective extension components, the appearance or at least one of the represented characteristics of the communication device can be customized in a particularly simple and diverse way.

[0021] In this context, it is specifically intended that the optical display and / or the movement sequence characterized by the data set are stored in the communication device's memory. Thus, the optical display or the movement sequence can remain stored in the communication device's memory even after the expansion component is removed. This enables particularly simple, continuous, or repeated use of the optical display and / or the movement sequence characterized by the data set.

[0022] Further features of the invention may become apparent from the following description of the figures and from the drawings. The features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description, as well as the features and combinations of features shown below in the description of the figures and / or in the figures themselves, can be used not only in the combinations specified, but also in other combinations or individually, without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0023] The drawing shows in: Fig. 1 a schematic view of a motor vehicle cockpit in which a communication device is arranged; Fig. 2 a schematic view of communication links between the motor vehicle and a higher-level server facility as well as with mobile electronic devices; Fig. 3 a schematic view of a communication link between the motor vehicle and the communication device; Fig. 4 a schematic view of communication paths between the motor vehicle and the communication device; and Fig. 5 another schematic view of communication paths between the motor vehicle, the communication device and the higher-level server facility.

[0024] Identical or functionally equivalent elements are marked with the same reference symbols in the figures.

[0025] In Fig. Figure 1 shows a section of the cockpit 10 of a motor vehicle 12, in which a communication device 14 is attached to a dashboard 16 in the cockpit 10. The communication device 14 and the motor vehicle 12 are part of a common system. As shown in Fig. 1. The communication device 14, which can be recognized particularly well, comprises a body 18 and a head 20 sitting on the body 18. The head 20 includes a screen unit 22 for communicating with a vehicle occupant of the motor vehicle 12. The screen unit 22 is configured to output a visual display. Fig. 2. The optical display in the form of eyes is output by means of the screen device 22. The communication device 14 further comprises a movement device 24, which is configured to move the head 20 relative to the body 18. The communication device 14 further comprises a control device and a storage device, which are arranged within the head 20 and / or within the body 18 and are therefore in Fig. 1 are not explicitly shown. Furthermore, the communication device 14 includes an interface device, which is used in the Fig. 1 shown in the illustration is plugged into a counterpart interface device of the motor vehicle 12 in the dashboard 16 and is therefore also in Fig. 1 is not explicitly shown.

[0026] The control unit is configured to control the motion device 24 and / or the display device 22. The interface device is configured to establish a reversible mechanical and electrical connection to the motor vehicle 12. The electrical connection can serve to supply power to the communication device 14 and / or to transmit data between the communication device 14 and the motor vehicle 12. The storage device contains various optical displays that can be output via the display device 22 and / or movement sequences that can be executed via the motion device 24 for a movement of the head 20 relative to the body 18.The control unit is further configured to receive a control signal from the motor vehicle 12, to select one of the displays stored in the memory device depending on the received control signal and to trigger the output of the display by means of the screen device 22 and / or to trigger one of the movement sequences stored in the memory device and to trigger the execution of the movement sequence by means of the movement device 24.

[0027] The system can additionally include a higher-level server facility 26, which in this case is a cloud platform. The vehicle 12 can be connected to this higher-level server facility 26 via a first data connection 28. The vehicle 12 is connected to the communication device 14 via a second data connection 30.

[0028] In the present case, it is provided that the motor vehicle 12 includes several counterpart interface devices at different positions in a vehicle interior of the motor vehicle 12, each of which can be brought into engagement with the interface device of the communication device 14.

[0029] The motor vehicle 12 can also be connected via a Brought-in Device interface 32 to at least one mobile electronic device 34, such as an identification device 36 and / or a smartphone 38. The motor vehicle 12 is connected to the respective mobile electronic devices 34 in particular via Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy.

[0030] In Fig. Figure 3 schematically shows the connection between the motor vehicle 12, in particular an electronic computing device 40, and the communication device 14. The electronic computing device 40 of the motor vehicle 12 can be configured to control or execute an infotainment system of the motor vehicle 12 and / or to control or execute a digital assistant of the motor vehicle 12. The electronic computing device 40 enables fast local processing of voice inputs from vehicle occupants as well as communication of data characterizing the voice inputs to the cloud. The second data connection 30 between the communication device 14 and the electronic computing device 40 can be established via the brought-in-device interface 32.A mechanical anchoring of the communication device 14 in the vehicle interior of the motor vehicle 12 and a transfer of energy from the motor vehicle 12 to the communication device 14 can be achieved via an electromechanical interface 42, which is formed by the interface device and the counterpart interface device. The communication device 14 is a physical avatar on whose storage device animations and / or video sequences are stored locally as potential optical displays. Playback of the respective animations or video sequences by means of the screen device 22 is triggered by the electronic computing device 40, by the electronic computing device 40 providing or transmitting a control signal to the communication device 14 that characterizes and triggers the playback.The electronic computing device 40 is specifically designed to select an action for the communication device 14 in response to a detected input from a vehicle occupant or a behavior of the vehicle occupant and to provide a control signal characterizing the action for the control unit of the communication device 14.

[0031] The Bought-in-Device interface 32 is specifically designed to establish a wireless connection between the motor vehicle 12, in particular the electronic computing device 40, and the communication device 14 or the respective mobile electronic terminal 34. The interface of the communication device 14 is, in turn, designed to establish the second data connection 30 with the Bought-in-Device interface 32 of the motor vehicle 12, in particular in the form of a wireless connection. Thus, the interface is designed to establish both a mechanical and a wireless connection between the communication device 14 and the motor vehicle 12.

[0032] In operation, it is intended that the control signal from the motor vehicle 12 is received by means of the control unit of the communication device 14 and, depending on the received control signal, a display stored in the memory device is selected and the output of the display is triggered and / or a movement sequence stored in the memory device is selected and the execution of the movement sequence is triggered.

[0033] It is possible that the vehicle 12, in particular the electronic computing unit 40, evaluates the voice input of the vehicle occupant and provides the control signal depending on the evaluation, thereby ensuring that the action of the communication device 14 triggered by the control signal is particularly well adapted to the voice input of the vehicle occupant. In this context, it can be provided, in particular, that the control signal is provided by the vehicle 12, in particular the electronic computing unit 40, depending on information that the vehicle 12 or the electronic computing unit 40 has received from the higher-level server unit 26, in particular via the first data connection 28.

[0034] As in Fig. If the communication device 14 can still be recognized, it can communicate with an expansion component 46 via near-field communication 44 or read information from an expansion memory unit of the expansion component 46. The communication device 14 can transmit the read expansion information to the electronic computing unit 40, which requests a data set from the server unit 26 depending on the expansion information. The data set received from the server unit 26, which characterizes at least one optical display and / or at least one movement sequence, can in turn be transmitted by the electronic computing unit 40 to the communication device 14. The optical display and / or the movement sequence characterized by the data set can then be stored in the memory unit of the communication device 14.

[0035] In Fig. Figure 4 shows communication between a digital assistant 48, executed by means of the electronic computing device 40, and the communication device 14, which represents a physical avatar. The digital assistant 48 can receive data from several data sources 50. The digital assistant 48 can perform speech recognition 52, interpret 54 the captured speech input, and execute function-specific logic 56. Furthermore, the digital assistant 48 can generate speech output 58, which can be provided to a loudspeaker device 60. The digital assistant 48 can also generate an HMI display for a human-machine interface 64 of the motor vehicle 12 (62). The human-machine interface 64, which can also be referred to as a Human Machine Interface (HMI), comprises at least one screen device by means of which the generated HMI display (62) can be output.The digital assistant 48 is further configured to generate an emotional state for the physical avatar (66) and to perform avatar control 68 by providing the control signal. This allows movement and gaze direction 70, state visualization 72, and function-specific animation 74 of the physical avatar to be triggered or set.

[0036] The described invention is based on the understanding that interaction with digital assistants 48 in motor vehicles 12 primarily takes place via speech and is therefore purely verbal. A lack of nonverbal communication can lead to users often perceiving the interaction as unnatural. Avatars can increase the degree of naturalness. For example, digital avatars on a screen can give the assistant facial expressions. However, authentic gestures require a moving physical body. The physical avatar provided by the communication device 14 has pronounced, easily perceptible, and readily understandable gestures and is also designed to be minimalist, accident-proof, and minimally distracting, allowing it to be integrated into the interior of the motor vehicle 12.

[0037] The communication device 14 is a cylindrical figure that can be integrated as a physical avatar on the instrument panel of the motor vehicle 12. The physical avatar is designed to allow for a high degree of flexibility in the display of digital content and a high degree of mechanical movement, while maintaining a minimalist design. The avatar consists of the main components: head 20, body 18, and interface device. The interface device is designed as a proprietary connector. This design enables movement of the head 20 in all six degrees of freedom relative to the body 18 and the display of digital content on the curved screen device 22, which is part of the avatar's head 20.

[0038] The system's communication architecture consists of three main components that communicate with each other: the vehicle 12, the higher-level server unit 26, and the communication device 14, as well as, optionally, mobile electronic devices 34. The central element is the vehicle 12 with the electronic computing unit 40, on which the function of the digital assistant 48 can be operated. The physical avatar is intended as an extension of the digital assistant 48, representing a basic function. The integration of the physical avatar into the vehicle 12 is achieved, on the one hand, electromechanically via a generic multi-hub interface—thus by bringing the interface unit into contact with the counterpart interface unit—and, on the other hand, via a generic infotainment data interface for various brought-in devices, which is referred to as the brought-in device interface 32.The avatar has local storage where video animations and movement sequences are stored. The avatar is controlled by the electronic computing unit 40 via the brought-in-device interface 32. All data and functions of the digital assistant 48 are processed in the electronic computing unit 40. Speech input and output, as well as function-specific events, are processed by the electronic computing unit 40. The electronic computing unit 40 is connected to the server unit 26. This allows certain requests, such as weather information, to be processed online. During user interaction, the animations and movement sequences stored on the avatar are retrieved from the electronic computing unit 14 using a unique ID, which is characterized in particular by the control signal.

[0039] In Fig. Figure 4 illustrates the communication between the digital assistant 48 and the physical avatar. The digital assistant 48 has various data sources 50 and a central intelligence component. This central intelligence component is responsible for speaker recognition (52), semantic interpretation of the speech input (54), and other function-specific logic (56). Using domain and function-specific information, as well as information about the speaker or recipient of a communication message, such as driver or passenger, and the intended emotion of the avatar, the digital assistant 48 defines which movement and animation sequences should be triggered on the avatar.Based on this, the speech output (58) of the HMI display 62 is generated for displays of the digital assistant 48, which are external to the communication device 14, as well as the generation of the appropriate emotional state 66 for the avatar, such as happy, serious, sad. The digital assistant 48 includes an avatar control component that, based on this information, can determine an appropriate movement sequence, a state visualization, and a function-specific animation of the avatar and trigger it via the brought-in-device interface 32.

[0040] The physical avatar can be extended by means of extension components 46. These extension components 46 can also be referred to as add-ons. Each of these add-ons can integrate an encoded NFC track as an extension storage device, which can be read by an NFC reader integrated into the avatar's head. Using this read extension information, new digital elements can be loaded and played on the avatar's screen device 22. When the extension component 46 is first inserted, the contents are downloaded from the higher-level server device 26 and, depending on the type of data set received, stored in the vehicle 12 via a storage device of the communication device 14 for future use of the respective extension component 46.

[0041] Using the Brough-in-Device interface 32, mobile electronic devices 34 such as the smartphone 38 and the digital key 36 can be connected. In this way, user authentication can be carried out when using security-critical functions, such as payment transactions.

[0042] The Bought-in-Device (BID) interface 32 is an infotainment interface for wireless data connection via Bluetooth Low Energy and, if necessary, WLAN to the electronic computing unit 40. The BID interface 32 enables the connection and operation of a wide variety of end devices, such as wearables or multi-hub devices, for example, fragrance diffusers, physical avatars, control panels, or projectors. A simple and secure pairing process ensures a secure connection and data transmission via the BID interface 32. Certificates issued via blacklisting / whitelisting prevent the use of pirated copies of end devices communicating with the vehicle 12.

[0043] In Fig.Figure 5 shows a networking concept. Depending on the location of a Bluetooth Low Energy chip in the vehicle 12, the physical avatar communicates directly with the electronic computing unit 40 or via a ConMod 2.0 76. The electronic computing unit 40 can also be referred to as an ICP. If necessary, certificate verification can be implemented via an online connection between the vehicle 12 and the cloud, and thus the higher-level server 26, via the ConMod 2.0 76. New end devices can be paired by the user 78 via input at the human-machine interface 64.

[0044] The Brought-in-Device interface 32 allows end devices to be connected to the vehicle 12 via Bluetooth Low Energy and to be connected at various locations within the vehicle 12, such as on a dashboard or in the area of ​​a rear seat. The Brought-in-Device interface 32 enables the subsequent integration of end devices such as the physical avatar into the vehicle 12 and the necessary communication between these end devices and the electronic computing unit 40, in particular an infotainment system of the vehicle 12.

[0045] Overall, the invention demonstrates how connectivity of a physical avatar can be implemented. Reference symbol list 10 Cockpit 12 Motor vehicle 14 Communication device 16 Dashboard 18 bodies 20 heads 22 Screen setup 24 Movement device 26 Server setup 28 first data connection 30 second data connection 32 Brought-in-Device interface 34 mobile electronic device 36 digital keys 38 Smartphone 40 electronic computing equipment 42 electromechanical interface 44 Near-field communication 46 Extension component 48 digital assistant 50 Data source 52 Speaker recognition 54 Interpretation of speech input 56 function-specific logic 58 Generating a speech output 60 speaker setup 62 Generation of an HMI display 64 Human-Machine Interface 66 Generation of an emotional state 68 Avatar control 70 Movement and gaze direction 72 State Visualization 74 function-specific animations 76 ConMod 2.0 78 users

Claims

System comprising a motor vehicle (12) and a communication device (14), wherein the communication device (14) comprises a body (18), a head (20) seated on the body (18) which includes a screen device (22) for displaying an optical message for communication with a vehicle occupant of the motor vehicle (12), a movement device (24) configured to move the head (20) relative to the body (18), a control device configured to control the movement device (24) and / or the screen device (22), an interface device via which a mechanical and an electrical connection for power supply and / or data transmission between the communication device (14) and the motor vehicle (12) can be reversibly established, and a storage device.on which several different displays and / or movement sequences for a movement of the head (20) relative to the body (18) are stored, wherein the control unit is configured to receive a control signal from the motor vehicle (12), to select one of the displays stored in the memory device depending on the received control signal and to trigger the output of the display and / or to select one of the movement sequences stored in the memory device and to trigger the execution of the movement sequence, wherein - the communication device (14) is configured to read out extension information which is stored on an extension memory device of an extension component (46) and to transmit it to the motor vehicle (12); - the motor vehicle is designed to(12) depending on the extension information, to request a data set from a higher-level server facility (26) and to transmit this data set received from the server facility (26), which characterizes at least one optical display and / or at least one movement sequence, from the motor vehicle (12) to the communication device (14). System according to claim 1, wherein the interface device is configured to establish a mechanical connection as well as a wireless connection between the communication device (14) and the motor vehicle (12). System according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the motor vehicle (12) comprises a computing device (40) which is configured to select an action for the communication device (14) in response to a detected input from a vehicle occupant or a behavior of the vehicle occupant and to provide a control signal characterizing the action for the control unit of the communication device (14). System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the system additionally comprises a superior server facility (26) which is connected to the motor vehicle (12) via a first data connection (28), wherein the motor vehicle (12) is connected to the communication device (14) via a second data connection (30). System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the motor vehicle (12) has several counterpart interface devices at different positions in a vehicle interior of the motor vehicle (12), each of which can be engaged with the interface device of the communication device (14). A method for operating a system according to one of the preceding claims, in which a control signal is received from the motor vehicle (12) by means of the control unit of the communication device (14) and, depending on the received control signal, a display stored in the storage device is selected and the output of the display is triggered and / or a movement sequence stored in the storage device is selected and the execution of the movement sequence is triggered, wherein the extension information, which is stored on the extension storage device of the extension component (46), is read out by means of the communication device (14) and transmitted to the motor vehicle (12), a data set is requested from a higher-level server device (26) by means of the motor vehicle (12) depending on the extension information and this data set received from the server device (26),which is characterized by at least one optical display and / or at least one movement sequence, transmitted from the motor vehicle (12) to the communication device (14). Method according to claim 6, wherein a voice input from the vehicle occupant is evaluated by means of the motor vehicle (12) and the control signal is provided depending on the evaluation. Method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the control signal is provided by means of the motor vehicle (12) depending on information which the motor vehicle (12) has received from a superior server facility (26). Method according to one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the optical display and / or the movement sequence characterized by the data set is stored in the storage device of the communication device (14).

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