Vehicle display systems and control logic for generating digital window markers for connected vehicle applications

Abstract

This paper presents vehicle display systems for generating digital window tokens that enable connected vehicle applications, methods for manufacturing / using such display systems, and vehicles equipped with such display systems. One method for operating a vehicle display system involves a passenger cabin telematics unit receiving a selection from a vehicle occupant to execute a desired transaction with a principal. Upon receiving the occupant selection, the telematics unit, in response, selects a digital window token with a virtual barcode to complete the desired transaction. The telematics unit also responds to the occupant selection by determining the real-time location of the host vehicle and determining when the host vehicle has completed a predefined dynamic vehicle action.Upon confirmation that the vehicle has completed the dynamic vehicle action and that the vehicle's real-time location is within a predefined proximity to the main party, the vehicle display system shows the digital window marker in the occupant side window.

Description

INTRODUCTION

[0001] This disclosure relates generally to display systems for motor vehicles. In particular, aspects of this disclosure relate to in-vehicle display systems for the transparent or projected display of digital signs on vehicle windows.

[0002] Modern motor vehicles, such as the contemporary automobile, can be constructed with a body shell—either as a body-on-frame or a single-body design—that contains a passenger compartment for seating and securing the vehicle's occupants. A windshield (or, in some countries, "front windscreen") is fitted between the front A-pillars of the body shell. This windshield prevents the unwanted intrusion of wind, rain, and debris while providing an aerodynamically shaped window through which the driver can view the road. Below the windshield and in front of the driver's seat is an instrument panel (colloquially known as the "instrument cluster" or "IP"), which contains an assortment of digital or electromechanical dials, gauges, displays, and indicators for conveying information about the vehicle to the driver.A vehicle telecommunications and information unit (“telematics”) can be installed in the center pillar section of the dashboard to provide occupants with an on-board computing device that provides a mix of services, including feedback and control for various in-vehicle subsystems.

[0003] To increase driver awareness of vehicle system operation and environmental driving conditions, some modern vehicles supplement the telematics unit and IP with a head-up display (HUD) system. This system uses a transparent, see-through display panel to show information within the driver's field of vision through the windshield. Vehicle HUDs are designed to display information within the driver's field of vision while driving forward, thus reducing unnecessary eye-scanning and looking at the instrument panel and pillar.Due to the inherent cost and complexity of integrating a separate transparent display panel for a head-up display (HUD), some vehicles instead use a reflected light-emitting diode (LED) alert display (RLAD) to provide warnings and notifications to drivers by projecting LED source light onto an inner surface of the vehicle's windshield. While HUD and RLAD systems provide drivers with real-time vehicle system feedback, they are typically unable to display information on other vehicle windows or provide connected vehicle functionality. DESCRIPTION

[0004] The following describes vehicle display systems with control logic for generating digital window tags that enable connected vehicle applications, methods for operating and manufacturing such vehicle display systems, and motor vehicles equipped with such display systems. As a non-restrictive example, a resident vehicle display system uses a transparent display panel or projection display unit to display a linear, multi-layer, or matrix barcode on the driver's-side window of a vehicle door assembly. This digital barcode may be specific to the host vehicle or to a vehicle occupant and may be automatically displayed by the display system when the occupant wishes to procure goods or services from a third party.The vehicle owner, driver, or passenger (collectively, "occupant" or "user") can select which of several digital barcodes is displayed using an in-vehicle infotainment head unit (IHU) or a dedicated software application ("app") running on the occupant's portable smartphone or tablet computer. These user interfaces can also be used to specify when the digital barcode is displayed (e.g., through manual selection, based on a geographically defined or geographically restricted location, selected times / dates, etc.) and how it is displayed (e.g., color, size, format, etc.). The digital barcode can be linked to a personal user account through which the occupant can pay the third party for the desired goods / services.

[0005] Historical user behavior data and crowdsourced data can be collected, filtered, and fed into a statistical machine learning (ML) algorithm trained to predict user behavior. This predictive data can then be used, for example, to generate barcode usage options and other system functionality. To enhance security, a digital barcode can be displayed as a direct response to a vehicle occupant confirming that it is a desired action. The digital barcode display can also be provided in response to a preselected vehicle action, such as operating a gearshift lever or button (e.g., the driver shifting the vehicle into neutral or park) or lowering a vehicle window by a predefined threshold (e.g.,The driver opens the driver's-side window three-quarters of the way to facilitate a direct transaction without obstructing the display of the digital barcode. It may be desirable for all user interactions with the vehicle's digital window branding function to be performed by the vehicle telematics unit (IHU), thus eliminating the need to operate a personal smartphone or laptop. A third-party attendant can scan the digital barcode to complete the desired transaction; the IHU can simultaneously issue a visual or audible confirmation message.

[0006] Aspects of this disclosure relate to methods for manufacturing and methods for using any of the motor vehicles and vehicle side window display systems described herein. An example presents a method for operating a vehicle display system of a "host" vehicle. The host vehicle has a body with a passenger cabin, a windshield, and multiple occupant side windows. This representative method includes, in any order and in any combination with any of the options and features disclosed above and below: receiving, for example, via a touchscreen display panel, microphone, or other user input device of a telematics unit located in the passenger cabin, a selection from a vehicle occupant to execute a desired transaction with a principal party; selecting, for example,via the telematics unit in response to receiving the occupant selection, a digital window token containing a virtual barcode created to complete the desired transaction; retrieving, e.g., via the telematics unit from a geolocation device in response to receiving the occupant selection, location data indicating a real-time location of the host vehicle; determining, e.g., via the telematics unit in response to receiving the occupant selection, when the host vehicle has completed one or more predefined dynamic vehicle actions; and displaying the digital window token in the occupant side window, e.g., via the vehicle display system in response to the host vehicle completing the dynamic vehicle action(s), and indicating that the vehicle's real-time location is within a predefined proximity of the host vehicle.

[0007] Aspects of this disclosure also extend to computer-readable media (CRM) containing controller-executable instructions for providing digital window tokens to execute connected vehicle applications. In one example, a non-volatile CRM stores instructions executable by a resident controller of an in-vehicle telematics unit. When executed by the resident controller, these CRM-stored instructions cause the telematics unit to perform operations, including: receiving, via a user input device of the telematics unit, a user selection from a vehicle occupant to execute a desired transaction with a principal; and selecting, in response to receiving the user selection, a digital window token containing a virtual barcode designed to complete the desired transaction.Retrieving, in response to receiving the user selection, location data indicating the real-time vehicle location of the motor vehicle; determining, in response to receiving the user selection, when the motor vehicle has completed a predefined dynamic vehicle action; and instructing the vehicle display system to display the digital window marker in the occupant side window in response to the motor vehicle completing the predefined dynamic vehicle action, and that the real-time vehicle location is within a predefined proximity to the real-time location of the principal party.

[0008] Additional aspects of this disclosure are directed toward motor vehicles equipped with in-vehicle display systems for generating digital window markers that enable connected vehicle applications. As used herein, the terms “vehicle” and “motor vehicle” may be used interchangeably and synonymously to include any relevant vehicle platform, such as passenger cars, commercial vehicles, industrial vehicles, tracked vehicles, agricultural equipment, aircraft, watercraft, etc. By way of example, a motor vehicle includes a vehicle body with a passenger cabin, several wheels attached to the vehicle body (e.g., via corner modules coupled to a single-body or body-to-frame chassis), and other standard original equipment.A propulsion unit, which may be an electric traction motor and / or an internal combustion engine (ICE) assembly, is located within the vehicle body and drives the wheel(s) to propel the vehicle. The vehicle may also include a front windscreen extending over the front end of the passenger cabin and a driver-side vehicle door assembly with an occupant side window located laterally outside the driver's seat.

[0009] Continuing the discussion of the preceding example, the vehicle is also equipped with a vehicle display system located within the passenger cabin, comprising a transparent display panel or projection display unit facing the driver-side occupant window. Also located within the passenger cabin is a telematics unit programmed to receive a selection from a vehicle occupant to execute a desired transaction with a principal party (e.g., purchasing a product or service from a retail entity). Upon receiving the occupant's selection, the telematics unit, in response, selects a digital window token containing a virtual barcode designed to complete the requested transaction.The telematics unit also responds to receiving the occupant selection by retrieving location data that displays the vehicle's real-time location and determining when the vehicle has completed one or more predefined dynamic vehicle actions. Upon confirming that the vehicle has completed a predefined dynamic vehicle action and that the vehicle's real-time location is within a predefined proximity of the main party, the telematics unit instructs the vehicle's in-vehicle display system to display the digital window marker in the occupant's side window.

[0010] For each of the disclosed vehicles, systems, and methods, the predefined dynamic vehicle action can include slowing the vehicle, changing a vehicle powertrain operating mode, and / or moving the position of the occupant side window. For example, changing the vehicle powertrain operating mode can include shifting the vehicle into park or neutral, or turning the vehicle off. Moving the window position can include lowering the window to or beyond a predefined threshold position. Slowing the vehicle, on the other hand, can include bringing the vehicle to a complete stop. As another option, selecting a digital window tag can include generating a digital tag and an associated virtual barcode in real time, with the virtual barcode customized to the vehicle occupant and / or the desired transaction.Alternatively, selecting a digital window marker may involve accessing a local or remote storage device to retrieve a virtual barcode that is linked to a personal user account of the vehicle occupant.

[0011] For each of the disclosed vehicles, systems, and methods, the vehicle display system may include a transparent display panel (e.g., a transparent micro-LED, OLED, or EL display panel) facing the occupant's side window, thereby displaying the digital window marker. Alternatively, the vehicle display system may include a projection display unit (e.g., a miniature pico- or hologram projector and window-mounted projection film) facing the occupant's side window, projecting the digital window marker onto the window. As another option, the telematics unit may respond to receiving a user selection by outputting (e.g., via a touchscreen display or audio component) a user-selectable "window marker" option to use a digital marker to complete the desired transaction. Upon receiving the selection of this option by a vehicle occupant (e.g.,By pressing a soft key on the telematics touchscreen or making a verbal selection using a cabin microphone, the telematics unit can simultaneously select the digital window marker. The telematics unit can also respond to the vehicle's real-time location being within a predefined proximity of the principal's real-time location by issuing a user-selectable "complete transaction" option; if the vehicle occupant selects this option (e.g., via manual, audible, or visual user input), the telematics unit can respond by displaying the digital window marker in the occupant's side window.

[0012] For each of the disclosed vehicles, systems, and methods, it is assumed that the vehicle's real-time location is within a predefined proximity to the principal party's real-time location if the vehicle's location violates a virtual geofence that, for example, defines the geographic perimeter of a building or loading bay belonging to the principal party. Alternatively, the predefined proximity can be a fixed location such as a parking lot, kiosk, loading bay, driveway, or drive-thru window. As another option, the telematics unit can first authenticate a user identity of the vehicle occupant and, once verified, display one or more user-selectable options for executing one or more transactions with one or more principal parties.After the digital window brand is displayed, the telematics unit can receive a wireless notification confirming that the virtual barcode has been scanned by an attendant of the principal party. In response, the telematics unit can issue a visual, haptic, or audible confirmation alert to the vehicle occupants, indicating that the requested transaction has been authorized / completed.

[0013] For each of the disclosed vehicles, systems, and procedures, the host vehicle can also receive historical data on vehicle occupant behavior and / or crowdsourced data on third-party behavior and, if desired, aggregate and preprocess the received data (e.g., clean, filter, discretize, reformat, etc.). This data is then fed into a trained machine learning model to predict vehicle occupant behavior, such as which virtual barcode to select for a particular transaction, how to display a digital window marker, and / or when to display a digital window marker. As a further option, a vehicle occupant can enter one or more user-selectable settings to configure one or more system settings that specify when to display the digital window marker.In this case, the display of the digital window marker is at least partially restricted based on one or more system settings selected by the occupant.

[0014] The foregoing description does not represent every embodiment or aspect of the present disclosure. Rather, the foregoing description merely provides a summary of some of the novel concepts and features set forth herein. The foregoing features and advantages, as well as other features and associated advantages of this disclosure, will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrated examples and representative modes of carrying out the disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the attached claims. Furthermore, this disclosure expressly includes all combinations and subcombinations of the elements and features presented above and below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. Figure 1 is a partially schematic side view illustration of a representative motor vehicle with a resident vehicle display system and a network of in-vehicle controls, user interface devices and communication devices for providing digital window markers for executing connected vehicle applications according to aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of a representative vehicle display system for generating digital window markers according to aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a control protocol for a representative vehicle display system for generating digital window markers for connected vehicle applications, which may correspond to non-volatile, memory-stored instructions executable by a resident or remote microprocessor, control module, logic circuit, central controller, or other integrated circuit (IC) device or network of circuits / modules / microprocessors / controllers / devices (collectively, "Controller") according to aspects of the disclosed concepts.

[0015] The present disclosure is accessible in various modifications and alternative forms, and some representative embodiments of the disclosure are shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail herein. It is understood, however, that the novel aspects of this disclosure are not limited to the specific forms illustrated in the drawings listed above. Rather, this disclosure covers all modifications, equivalents, combinations, permutations, groupings, and alternatives that fall within the scope of this disclosure, as included, for example, by the attached claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] This disclosure can be implemented in many different forms. Representative embodiments of the disclosure are shown in the drawings and are described in detail herein, it being understood that these embodiments are provided as an illustration of the disclosed principles and not as limitations of the broad aspects of the disclosure. To this extent, elements and limitations described, for example, in the sections Summary, Introduction, Description, Brief Description of the Drawings, and Detailed Description, but not expressly set forth in the claims, should not be incorporated into the claims individually or collectively by conclusion, inference, or otherwise. Furthermore, the use of terms such as "first," "second," "third," etc., is not permitted.not used as such in the description or the claims to establish a serial or numerical limitation; unless expressly stated otherwise, these designations may be used to facilitate reference to similar features in the description and the drawings and to distinguish between similar elements in the claims.

[0017] For the purposes of this disclosure, unless expressly excluded: the singular includes the plural and vice versa (e.g., indefinite articles 'a' and 'an' should generally be interpreted as meaning 'one or more'); the words 'and' and 'or' are to be understood as both subjunctive and disjunctive; the words 'any' and 'all' are to mean 'any' and 'all'; and the words 'including', 'containing', 'comprising', 'exhibiting', and the like are to each mean 'including without limitation'. Finally, directional adjectives and adverbials, such as front, back, inside, outside, starboard, port, vertical, horizontal, up, down, forward, rear, left, right, etc., may exist in relation to a motor vehicle, such as a motor vehicle's direction of travel when the vehicle is operationally oriented on a horizontal road surface.

[0018] Referring to the drawings, in which the same reference numerals in the different views refer to the same features, it is stated in Fig. 1 A representative motor vehicle, generally designated 10, is shown and is presented herein for discussion as an electric-powered sedan. The depicted automobile 10—hereinafter also referred to as the “motor vehicle” or “vehicle”—is merely an exemplary application by which aspects of this disclosure can be implemented. Similarly, the use of the present concepts to display digital window markers through a driver-side window of a vehicle door assembly should be considered a non-limiting implementation of disclosed features. Thus, it is understood that aspects of this disclosure can be implemented to dynamically display information through other vehicle windows (e.g., windshield, rear window and rear window, passenger-side window, etc.), to display other digital information (e.g., driver ID, vehicle VIN, parking pass, entry pass, etc.).) to display, and can be used for any logically relevant type of motor vehicle. Furthermore, only selected components of the motor vehicle and vehicle display system are shown and described in detail herein. Nevertheless, the vehicles and systems discussed below may include numerous additional and alternative features and other available peripheral hardware for performing the various procedures and functions of this disclosure.

[0019] The representative vehicle 10 from Fig. 1 is originally equipped with a vehicle telecommunications and information unit (“telematics”) 14 – also referred to herein as the infotainment head unit (IHU) – which communicates wirelessly, e.g., via a cellular network, satellite service, wireless modem, etc., with a remote cloud computing host service 24 (e.g., OnStar®). Some of the other vehicle hardware components 16, which are generally in Fig. The examples shown in Figure 1 include, but are not limited to, an electronic video display device 18, a microphone 28, one or more audio speakers 30, and various user input controls 32 (e.g., buttons, knobs, switches, touchpads, facial recognition device, touchscreen, etc.). These hardware components 16 partially function as a human-machine interface (HMI), enabling a user to communicate with the telematics unit 14 and other components located in and away from the vehicle 10. For example, the microphone 28 provides occupants with a means of inputting verbal commands; the vehicle 10 may be equipped with an embedded speech processing unit that uses audio filtering, processing, and analysis modules.Conversely, the loudspeaker 30 provides an acoustic output for a vehicle occupant and can either be a standalone loudspeaker dedicated to the telematics unit 14 or be part of an in-cabin audio system 22. The audio system 22 is connected to a network interface 34 and an audio bus 20 to receive analog information via one or more loudspeaker components and reproduce it as sound.

[0020] A network connection interface 34 is communicatively coupled to the telematics unit 14. Suitable examples of such interfaces include twisted-pair / fiber-optic Ethernet switches, parallel / serial communication buses, local area network (LAN) interfaces, controller area network (CAN) interfaces, and the like. The network connection interface 34 enables the vehicle hardware 16 to send and receive signals with each other and with various systems both on board and outside the vehicle body 12. This allows the vehicle 10 to perform various vehicle functions, such as modulating the powertrain output, activating friction and regenerative braking systems, controlling the vehicle steering, and other automated functions.For example, the telematics unit can exchange signals with a powertrain control module (PCM) 52, an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) module 54, an infotainment control module (ICM) 56, a body control module (BCM) 58, a sensor system interface module (SSIM) 60 and various other vehicle ECUs, such as a transmission control module (TCM), engine control module (ECM), brake system control module (BSCM), etc.

[0021] With further reference to Fig. 1 The telematics unit 14 is an onboard computing device that provides a mix of services both individually and through its communication with other networked devices. This telematics unit 14 can generally consist of one or more processors 40, each of which can be implemented as a discrete microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a dedicated control module.The vehicle 10 can offer centralized vehicle control via a central processing unit (CPU) 36, which is operationally coupled with a real-time clock (RTC) 42 and one or more electronic storage devices 38, each of which can take the form of a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, an IC device, a solid-state drive (SSD) memory, a hard disk drive (HDD) memory, a flash memory, a semiconductor memory (e.g., various types of RAM or ROM), etc.

[0022] Long-range communication (LRC) capabilities with remote, external devices can be provided by one, more, or all of a cellular chipset / component, a navigation and location chipset / component (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) transceiver), a wireless modem, or a mobile hotspot, all shown together at 44. Short-range wireless connectivity can be provided by a short-range communication (SRC) device 46 (e.g., a Bluetooth® unit or a near-field communication (NFC) transceiver), a dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) component 48, and / or a dual antenna 50.The communication devices described above can provide data exchanges as part of a periodic broadcast in a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication system or a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication system, e.g., vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P), vehicle-to-device (V2D), vehicle-to-cloud (V2C), etc.

[0023] The CPU 36 receives sensor data from one or more sensing devices, which may employ, for example, photodetection, radar, laser, ultrasonic, optical, infrared, or other suitable technologies, including short-range communication technologies (e.g., DSRC) or ultra-wideband (UWB) radio technologies, for the execution of an automated driving system (AV / ADAS) or a vehicle navigation service. According to the example shown, the automobile 10 may be equipped with one or more digital cameras 62, one or more range sensors 64, one or more vehicle speed sensors 66, one or more vehicle dynamics sensors 68, and any necessary filtering, classification, fusion, and analysis hardware and software for processing raw sensor data.The vehicle speed sensor(s) 66 may be of the type of mechanical or electromagnetic transmission shaft sensor or electronic wheel speed sensor for detecting vehicle speed. The vehicle dynamics sensor(s) 68 may be of the type of single-axis or three-axis accelerometer, angular velocity sensor, inclinometer, steering angle sensor, brake sensor, etc. The type, placement, number, and interoperability of the distributed arrangement of in-vehicle sensors may be individually or collectively adapted to a given vehicle platform to achieve a desired level of automated vehicle operation.

[0024] To propel the automobile 10, a vehicle drivetrain is operated to generate traction torque and deliver it to one or more of the vehicle's drive wheels 26. The drivetrain is in Fig. 1 is represented by an electric traction motor (M) 78, which is operationally connected to a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS), which may be in the form of a chassis-mounted traction battery pack 70. The traction battery pack 70 generally consists of one or more battery modules 72, each containing a group of battery cells 74, such as lithium-class, zinc-class, nickel-class, or organosilicon-class cells of pouch, prismatic, or cylindrical type. One or more drive units, such as the traction motor / generator (M) units 78, draw electrical power from the battery pack 70 and optionally supply electrical power to it. A power inverter module (PIM) 80 electrically connects the battery pack 70 to the motor(s) 78 and modulates the transfer of electrical current between them.The battery pack 70 can include an integrated electronics package, such as a wireless cell monitoring unit (CMU) 76, which enables in-module management, cell sensing, etc.

[0025] During the operation of the vehicle 10, a vehicle occupant—be it the driver, owner, passenger, etc.—may wish to complete a transaction with another (primary) party outside the vehicle 10. For example, an occupant may wish to purchase a product or service from a retail entity, enter a state / national / theme park, access a secure parking structure, pay a toll, etc. Instead of requiring the occupant to use their smartphone or personal wallet / purse to complete the transaction, vehicle display systems with control logic for generating digital window tokens are disclosed here, facilitating the completion of the transaction via a connected vehicle application. Using the vehicle's in-vehicle IHU / telematics unit 14, Fig. 1. For example, a vehicle occupant can authenticate their identity, navigate through the IHU to locate and select a desired transaction, and then choose to use a window-displayed digital token with a virtual barcode to complete the transaction.

[0026] Upon arrival at the main party's location (e.g., parking lot, drive-thru window, kiosk, loading bay, entry security booth, etc.), the digital window tag with the machine-readable code is displayed through one of the vehicle's windows to facilitate access for an attendant or an automated barcode scanner assigned to the main party. The vehicle display system can use a small, lightweight pico projector, miniature hologram projector, micro light-emitting diode (LED) display, transparent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel, transparent electroluminescent (EL) display, or miniature flat-screen display unit to display the digital tag with a virtual barcode in the vehicle window. Third-party integration can allow existing retail codes to be passed to the vehicle manufacturer's system for subsequent display in a relevant "host" vehicle window.To ensure compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), displaying a virtual barcode may require occupant authentication and approval. Additional security can be provided by restricting virtual barcode display until the host vehicle first arrives at a designated location assigned to the principal party, the vehicle comes to a complete stop, and the driver's-side window is rolled down (e.g., at least three-quarters of the way) to allow for human interaction.

[0027] A digital window tag with connected application control can utilize transparent / projector display technology to dynamically display a standard linear barcode, a two-dimensional (2D) barcode, or a matrix-like quick-response (QR) code in a vehicle's occupant side window. This user-defined code can be displayed according to occupant-specified settings to secure goods and services. For some system configurations, an occupant may be given the option to choose which code to display (e.g., using a mobile or in-home (IHU) application). Furthermore, an occupant can also determine when the code should be displayed, for example, based on a geographically restricted location, proximity to a retailer, specified times / dates, or through manual selection.The display system can use a trained machine learning (ML) algorithm to predict customer behavior, for example, to present payment options when approaching certain locations or at times when payments are typically made. Displaying a virtual barcode can be restricted to when the occupant confirms the desired action to enhance security. Before displaying a code, the host vehicle may require the occupant's side window to be rolled down first to facilitate a direct transaction, while still allowing the code to be displayed. Once the main party scans the code and completes the transaction, the IHU / Telematics Unit 14 can display a confirmation message, and the party can then deliver the goods or services.

[0028] Fig. 2 represents an example of a local vehicle display system 100 that is installed in a motor vehicle, such as the automobile 10 from Fig. 1, can be integrated to create a digital window marker designed to effect a desired transaction through a connected vehicle application. The vehicle display system 100 from Fig. 2 can be divided into four primary components: an on-board input module 102, an off-board input module 104, a trained ML model module 106, and a system output module 108. These four interoperable control modules can communicate with each other and with a central on-board computer 112, such as the vehicle's internal IHU / telematics unit 14, via a data and communication network 110, such as the network connection interface 34. Fig. 1, be connected. As used herein, the term “module” can be defined to include any hardware, software, firmware, processing logic and / or processor device, individually or in any combination, that is discretized into individual integrated circuit (IC) devices or embedded as software modules within an existing network controller and in a resident storage device, such as the storage device 38 from Fig. 1, or an external data server 114, such as the database of the cloud hosting service 24. It is understood that the vehicle display system 100 may include more or fewer control modules than those shown, including combining or separating the illustrated modules 102, 104, 106 and 108.

[0029] The on-board input module 102 contains a set of software application subroutines that can be executed to provide the functionality of the digital window brand, including a virtual brand application 116 through which a user can be connected to the vehicle display system 100 and control selected aspects of it and the presentation of digital window content. A face recognition application 118 allows a user to input text freehand using facial expressions and eye movements, and a navigation application 120 provides real-time geolocation tracking of the host vehicle using, for example, GPS, cellular trilateration, or V2X data exchange.A mobile device application 122 enables system pairing and communication with a vehicle occupant's personal computing device, and a cabin monitoring application 124 enables system tracking of an occupant's presence, location, and individualized occupant-specific attributes (driver ID, standards, preferences, etc.). A vehicle infotainment system application 126 enables system integration and interoperability with a vehicle IHU / telematics unit.

[0030] Similar to the on-board input module 102, the off-board input module 104 contains a unique set of software application subroutines that can be executed to provide the digital brand functionality described herein. As a non-restrictive example, an internet interface application 128 acts as a connectivity gateway for data exchange with the World Wide Web (WWW), whereas a cellular interface application 130 acts as a resident cellular connection point for managing data flow with a cellular network. The cloud wallet payment application 132 enables the system 100 to securely access and retrieve stored payment information from a user's digital wallet, whereas the GPS application 134 and the V2X application 136 each enable routine broadcast data exchange with a GPS-based geolocation system and a V2X vehicle communication system, respectively.

[0031] With further reference to Fig. 2. A trained ML model module 106, which can be implemented as a trained predictive analytics platform of a deep neural network (DNN), can be used to evaluate user data, identify patterns within the data, derive trends from these patterns, and use these insights to predict future user behavior. For example, the ML module algorithm 106 can determine: (1) which virtual code to display for a given transaction; (2) when a virtual code should be displayed (day, date, time, etc.); (3) where a virtual code should be displayed (location, destination, geofencing, context, etc.); and / or (4) user-specific attributes (e.g., driver, passenger, usage preferences, usage restrictions, calendar, etc.). In a non-restrictive example, the ML module 106 can collect historical data on vehicle occupant behavior and / or crowdsourced data on third-party behavior.If desired, the collected data can be aggregated, then cleaned, filtered, discretized, reformatted, or otherwise "preprocessed" and then stored in cache memory. The trained machine learning model algorithm evaluates the preprocessed data to derive one or more predicted user behaviors of a vehicle occupant, including which virtual barcode to select for that occupant and / or when to display a digital window marker containing that virtual barcode for a specific transaction requested by that occupant.

[0032] Using on-board inputs, off-board inputs and ML-generated predictions provided by control modules 102, 104 and 106, the central on-board computer 112 of the vehicle display system 100 coordinates with the system output module 108. Fig. 2, to display a digital object containing a machine-readable code in a vehicle window. According to the illustrated example, a miniature Piko projector 140 is shown mounted on a dashboard instrument panel (IP) cover 142 located at the front end of a vehicle passenger compartment, such as the passenger cabin 11. Fig. 1, attached or, if desired, embedded therein. A polymer projection film 144, which may be in the form of a rigid plate, a flexible sheet, or a thin film made of a suitable optical diffuser, transparent phosphor, or clear holographic material, may be laminated onto or immediately adjacent to an occupant side window 146. The system output module 108 can selectively activate the pico-projector 140 to optically project an enlarged image of a digital window mark onto the projection film 144, so that a QR code embedded in the window mark is visible through the occupant side window 146.

[0033] Referring to the flowchart from Fig. 3. An improved method or control protocol for operating a resident vehicle display system, such as the vehicle's in-vehicle window display system 100, is described. Fig. 2, of a motor vehicle, such as the automobile 10 from Fig. 1, generally described at 200 according to aspects of the present revelation. Some or all of the in Fig. The processes illustrated in 3 and described in more detail below may be representative of an algorithm corresponding to non-volatile, processor-executable instructions that reside, for example, in main, auxiliary, or remote memory (e.g., the resident vehicle memory device(s) 38 and / or the database of the remote cloud host service 24). Fig. 1) may be stored. These instructions may be executed, for example, by a microprocessor, a central controller, a dedicated control module, a programmable logic circuit, or another module or device or network of controllers / modules / devices (e.g., the vehicle CPU 36 and / or the back-office (BO) server-class computer terminal of the cloud host service 24) to perform any or all of the functions described above and below that are associated with the disclosed concepts. It is understood that the order of execution of the illustrated operation blocks may be changed, additional operation blocks may be added, and some of the operations described herein may be modified, combined, or eliminated.

[0034] Procedure 200 begins when terminal block 201 starts. Fig. 3 with memory-stored, computer-readable instructions for initializing a control protocol for a digital window mark for a motor vehicle. This routine can be initialized in real time, near real time, continuously, systematically, sporadically, and / or at predefined time intervals, for example, every 10 or 100 milliseconds during the operation of the motor vehicle 10. As yet another option, the terminal block 201 can be initialized in response to a user command request (e.g., via the telematics input controls 28, 32), a request from the resident vehicle control (e.g., from the CPU 36), or a broadcast request signal received from a centralized BO vehicle service system (e.g., from the cloud host service 24).In one example, the procedure 200 can be automatically initialized in response to a key activation event, where the driver of vehicle 10 presses a start / ignition button or presses a corresponding soft key on the touchscreen of the telematics unit 14. After completion of some or all of the steps in . Fig. In the 3 control processes shown, the procedure 200 can move to the end of terminal block 231 and temporarily end, or it can optionally return to terminal block 201 and run in a continuous loop (e.g. until the vehicle 10 is switched back to the park position (P) and switched off).

[0035] From terminal block 201, procedure 200 transitions to the USER AUTHENTICATION data entry block 203 to determine a user's identity and verify that their identity is authorized to use a connected vehicle application to perform a desired transaction (e.g., after entering a unique ID and a unique personal password). It is intended that a vehicle driver can be pre-authorized by the host vehicle to perform a transaction without requiring the driver to manually enter their personal identification information, for example, by validating a wearable key fob worn by the driver or through biometric facial or voice recognition.For at least some system implementations, user authentication may be a prerequisite for displaying or enabling user-selectable options for executing desired transactions by connected vehicle applications. After completing an initial user pre-authorization protocol, a vehicle occupant can navigate to an application settings menu, for example, using the input controls 32 of the telematics unit 14. Fig. 1. This menu allows the occupant to enable, disable, or modify one or more user-selectable system settings, which may include specifying what, when, where, and how a digital window marker should be displayed.

[0036] Procedure 200 transitions to the TRANSACTION MENU display block 205 and presents one or more user-selectable transaction options to a vehicle occupant. As an example, and not as a limitation, a driver of car 10 can select... Fig. 1. Use the touchscreen of the telematics unit 14 to navigate to a desired IHU-connected vehicle application. When selected, this IHU application can present the driver with various options for purchasing goods or services from a retail unit, as indicated in the TRANSACTION SELECTION display block 207. At this point, the driver can use any of the user input devices described here to select one or more available transaction options (e.g., food ordering kiosk or car wash) with the associated principal party (e.g., restaurant chain or retail car wash).

[0037] Upon receiving an occupant selection to execute a desired transaction with a specified principal, Procedure 200 can respond by presenting the user with a variety of different options for completing the transaction. For example, Procedure 200 can execute DIGITAL WALLET database block 209 and access a locally stored or remotely secured personal digital wallet of the vehicle occupant. Simultaneously, Telematics Unit 14 retrieves selected contents of the digital wallet and displays them to the occupant along with an option to choose one of the available payment methods stored in their digital wallet.After receiving the user selection, procedure 200 proceeds to the digital brand decision block 211 to determine whether the occupant wishes to use a window-displayed virtual code to facilitate the completion of the desired transaction. The telematics unit 14... Fig. 1 can, for example, display a user-selectable soft key to use the window marker to pay for the desired transaction; the driver can use one of the user input controls 32 of the telematics unit 14 to select this option manually or acoustically.

[0038] In response to receiving the occupant selection of the USE-WINDOW-MARK option, procedure 200 automatically executes the VIRTUAL-CODE-GENERATION subroutine 213 and selects a digital window mark containing a virtual barcode designed to facilitate the completion of the desired transaction. For some transactions, the telematics CPU 36 can generate a digital mark and associated virtual barcode in real time, with the resulting virtual barcode tailored to the vehicle occupant (e.g., a QR code directly linked to the payment account in the digital wallet) and / or the occupant's desired transaction (e.g., a QR code generated to pay a specific amount to a specific retail unit).Alternatively, the telematics CPU 36 can access resident storage devices 38 to retrieve a virtual barcode linked to a personal user account of the vehicle occupant (e.g., a linear barcode linked to the vehicle's stored payment device). It is also provided that the telematics unit 14 can request the corresponding IHU vehicle application to issue a machine-readable code to complete the occupant's desired transaction; the issued code is then embedded in a digital tag for display in one of the host vehicle's passenger cabin windows.

[0039] With further reference to Fig. 3. Procedure 200 transitions to the VEHICLE TRACKING data input block 215 to actively monitor the movement of the host vehicle in order to determine if and when the host vehicle arrives at the principal party's place of business. Further reference to the example of Fig. 1. Upon receiving an occupant selection for a desired transaction, the telematics unit 14 can respond by requesting the vehicle's local LRC device 44 to return location data indicating the host vehicle's real-time location. Using the received vehicle location data, the telematics unit 14 determines whether the vehicle's real-time location is within a predefined proximity to the main party's real-time location. A vehicle's real-time location can be assumed to be within a specified proximity to the main party's real-time location if the vehicle's location violates a virtual geofence that delineates a geographical perimeter of a building or loading area belonging to the main party. Alternatively, the predefined proximity can be specified as a fixed physical location, such as a parking lot, kiosk, loading bay, driveway, drive-thru window, etc., belonging to the main party.

[0040] Upon concluding that the host vehicle's real-time location is within a predefined proximity to the main party's real-time location, the procedure 200 can respond by executing data entry block 217 for COMPLETE TRANSACTION and prompting the vehicle occupant to confirm that they now wish to complete the desired transaction. For example, the central stack telematics unit 14 can display a user-selectable PAY NOW softkey option that the driver can select to complete the desired transaction when arriving at a drive-through window of the main party's brick and mortar store. At this connection point, the driver can select the full transaction option using the telematics unit 14's microphone 28 or the touchscreen display input device 32.For at least some system implementations, the initiation of the final steps to complete a desired transaction can be automated by the telematics unit 14, and thus the data input block 217 can be omitted entirely from the procedure 200.

[0041] Procedure 200 then proceeds to the DYNAMIC VEHICLE ACTION subroutine 219 to determine if and when the vehicle has completed one or more predefined dynamic vehicle actions set as preconditions for displaying the digital window mark. The central stack telematics unit 14 can communicate with the PCM 52, BCM 58, and SSIM 60 to determine if: (1) the host vehicle's real-time vehicle speed has slowed to below an allowable threshold speed; (2) the current operating mode of the host vehicle's powertrain has changed to one from a set of predefined allowable modes; and / or (3) the window position of an occupant side window has moved to a predefined window position. For example, slowing the vehicle may involve bringing the vehicle to a complete stop (i.e., real-time vehicle speed = ~0 mph).Changing the operating mode of the vehicle's powertrain, on the other hand, can involve shifting the vehicle into Park or Neutral (i.e., moving the PRNDL lever to Park (P) or Neutral (N)) or disengaging the powertrain (e.g., turning off the vehicle). Moving the window position can involve lowering the passenger side window to or beyond a predefined threshold position (e.g., at least 3 / 4 of its downward travel).

[0042] Upon confirmation that the motor vehicle has arrived at the principal party's location and completed the predefined dynamic vehicle action(s), procedure 200 can, in response, execute the CODE DISPLAY process block 221 and display the digital window mark with the virtual barcode in the occupant side window. As noted above, a resident vehicle display system, such as the cabin window display system 100, can Fig.2. Use a transparent display panel or projection display unit to project the digital window mark onto or through the occupant side window, or a polymer projection film attached to the occupant side window. After display, an attendant or an automated barcode scanner assigned to the principal party can scan the virtual barcode as specified in SCAN-CODE process block 223. Procedure 200 then proceeds to TRANSACTION-PROCESS subroutine 225 and performs the final steps to complete the transaction (e.g., processing the payment, issuing the physical receipt, etc.).

[0043] After displaying the digital window brand and processing the transaction, procedure 200 executes the TRANSACTION CONFIRMATION data output block 227 to present the vehicle occupant with verification that the requested transaction has been processed and approved. For example, telematics unit 14 may receive a wireless notification from a main party payment processing engine confirming that the virtual barcode has been scanned and the payment for the requested transaction has been approved. Upon receiving this notification, telematics unit 14 may display or announce a confirmation alert indicating that the requested transaction has been approved. Any requested goods / services associated with the requested transaction are delivered in the TRANSACTION COMPLETION process block 229.The procedure 200 can then move to the end of terminal block 231 and temporarily end, or it can optionally return to terminal block 201 and run in a continuous loop.

[0044] Aspects of this disclosure can, in some embodiments, be implemented by a computer-executable program of instructions, such as program modules, generally referred to as software applications or application programs, executed by any of the controllers or controller variants described herein. In non-limiting examples, software may include routines, programs, objects, components, and data structures that perform specific tasks or implement specific types of data. The software may provide an interface to enable a computer to respond according to an input source. The software may also interact with other code segments to initiate a variety of tasks in response to data received in conjunction with the source of the received data.The software can be stored on any of a variety of storage media, such as a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, and semiconductor memory (e.g., various types of RAM or ROM).

[0045] Furthermore, aspects of this disclosure can be implemented with a variety of computer system and computer network configurations, including multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframes, and the like. Additionally, aspects of this disclosure can be implemented in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by resident and remote processing devices linked by a communication network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can reside in both local and remote computer storage media, including storage devices. Therefore, aspects of this disclosure can be implemented in conjunction with various hardware, software, or a combination thereof in a computer system or other processing system.

[0046] Each of the methods described herein may include machine-readable instructions for execution by: (a) a processor, (b) a controller, and / or (c) any other suitable processing device. Each algorithm, software, control logic, protocol, or method disclosed herein may be embodied as software stored on a tangible medium, such as, for example, flash memory, solid-state drive (SSD), hard disk drive (HDD), CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD), or other storage devices.The entire algorithm, control logic, protocol, or procedure, and / or parts thereof, may alternatively be executed by a device other than a controller and / or be embodied in firmware or dedicated hardware in an available manner (e.g., implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), a field-programmable logic device (FPLD), discrete logic, etc.). While specific algorithms may be described with reference to the flowcharts and / or workflow diagrams presented herein, many other methods may alternatively be used to implement the exemplary machine-readable instructions.

[0047] Aspects of the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments; however, the person skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to the exact construction and composition disclosed herein; any and all modifications, changes, and variants apparent from the foregoing descriptions are within the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, the present concepts expressly include all combinations and subcombinations of the foregoing elements and features.

Claims

[1] Method for operating a vehicle display system of a motor vehicle, wherein the motor vehicle has a passenger compartment with an occupant side window, the method comprising: Receiving, via a user input device of a telematics unit located in the passenger cabin, a user selection from a vehicle occupant for the purpose of executing a desired transaction with a principal party; Selecting, via the telematics unit in response to receiving the user's selection, a digital window label containing a virtual barcode designed to complete the desired transaction; Retrieving, via the telematics unit in response to receiving the user selection, location data that displays a real-time vehicle location; Determine, via the telematics unit in response to receiving the user selection, when the vehicle has completed a predefined dynamic vehicle action; and Display of the digital window marker in the occupant side window via the vehicle display system in response to the completion of the predefined dynamic vehicle action by the vehicle, and that the real-time vehicle location is within a predefined proximity to the main party. [2] Method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined dynamic vehicle action includes slowing down the motor vehicle, changing an operating mode of a vehicle powertrain of the motor vehicle and / or moving a window position of the occupant side window. [3] Method according to claim 2, wherein changing the operating mode of the vehicle powertrain includes switching the vehicle powertrain to park or neutral position and wherein moving the window position includes lowering the window to or beyond a threshold position. [4] Method according to claim 1, wherein the selection of the digital window mark includes generating the virtual barcode in real time, wherein the virtual barcode is adapted to the vehicle occupant and / or the desired transaction. [5] Method according to claim 1, wherein selecting the digital window mark includes retrieving the virtual barcode from a local or remote storage device, wherein the virtual barcode is linked to a personal user account of the vehicle occupant. [6] Method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle display system comprises a transparent display panel facing the digital window mark and displaying it through the occupant side window, or a projection display unit facing the digital window mark and projecting it onto the occupant side window, or a polymer projection film attached to the occupant side window. [7] Method according to claim 1, further comprising: Output, via an output device of the telematics unit in response to receiving the user selection, a user-selectable window marker option for using a digital marker; and Receiving, via the user input device of the telematics unit, a selection of the selectable window brand option by the vehicle occupant, wherein the selection of the digital window brand further occurs in response to the vehicle occupant selecting the user selectable window brand option. [8] Method according to claim 7, further comprising: Issue, via the telematics unit's output device in response to the real-time vehicle location being within a predefined proximity to the principal, a user-selectable full transaction option; and Receiving, via the user input device of the telematics unit, a selection of the user-selectable full transaction option by the vehicle occupant, wherein the display of the digital window marker in the occupant side window further occurs in response to the vehicle occupant selecting the user-selectable full transaction option. [9] Method according to claim 1, further comprising determining, via the telematics unit in response to receiving the user selection, that the real-time vehicle location is within the predefined proximity to the principal party when the real-time vehicle location violates a virtual geofence. [10] Method according to claim 1, further comprising: Authenticate, via the telematics unit, a user identity of the vehicle occupant; and Displays, via a touchscreen display field of the telematics unit in response to the authentication of the vehicle occupant's user identity, a user-selectable option to execute the desired transaction with the principal party.

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