MOTOR VEHICLE THAT DISPLAYS GRAPHICAL INTERFACES TO DRIVING ASSISTANCE ON A SCREEN OF THIS VEHICLE

Description

[0001] The present invention claims priority from French application 2102375 filed on 03 / 11 / 2021.

[0002] The present invention relates generally to graphical interfaces and in particular to motor vehicle instrument clusters comprising at least one screen for displaying graphical information relating to driving assistance functions. It relates more particularly to a motor vehicle displaying driving assistance interfaces on a screen of said vehicle.

[0003] Graphical interfaces allow, among other things, to graphically represent to the user (driver) the driving assistance functions selected by the driver, through a dedicated HMI (Human-Machine Interface).

[0004] Instrument clusters, integrated into the vehicle's dashboard, are usually positioned behind the steering wheel in the driver's direct line of sight, so that the driver can view the information displayed without having to look away from the road. Recent years have seen the emergence of fully digital instrument clusters featuring an active matrix LCD (TFT-LCD) display screen instead of analog dials with needles. "LCD" and "TFT" are the acronyms for "Liquid Crystal Display" and "Thin Film Transistor" respectively.

[0005] These new type of instrument clusters, which offer very good image quality in terms of resolution, contrast and brightness, are also configurable by the driver of the vehicle, who can thus choose at least in part the modules that he wishes to see displayed on the screen as well as the display style (needle dials similar to analogue dials or display in the form of graduations or numbers translating the value of the quantity concerned) and the ambiance of the instrument cluster (sober with dark-coloured background lighting, or sporty with brightly coloured background lighting). These digital instrument clusters also make it possible to control a certain number of vehicle functions (air conditioning, audio system, central locking, lighting, driving assistance, etc.) via control means arranged on the steering wheel or remote at the level of the vehicle's central console.

[0006] Driver assistance systems, also known as "ADAS" (an acronym for "Advanced Driver-Assistance System"), are increasingly being developed in motor vehicles and offer functions approaching semi-autonomous driving (or level 2 delegated driving mode) or even fully autonomous driving. These functions include adaptive cruise control or "ACC" (an acronym for "Adaptive Cruise Control"), also known as "longitudinal control", and lane keeping, also known as "LPA" (an acronym for "Lane Positioning Assist"), also known as "lateral control".These driving assistance functions, and possibly other driving assistance functions such as emergency braking, are generally grouped under the Anglo-Saxon term "Drive Assist" designating the semi-autonomous driving mode, or "HIA" (Anglo-Saxon acronym for "Highway Integrated Assist"); these functions being particularly suitable for driving on a fast road such as a motorway. The vehicle is thus able to control its trajectory and speed in its lane without the intervention of the driver once the latter has selected the "Assist" command (for "Drive Assist").

[0007] To activate this driving mode, the user must now activate two separate controls: one for the vehicle's "longitudinal" (ACC) control and the other for the vehicle's "lateral" (LPA) control. Graphical interfaces are displayed on the instrument panel screen for each of the activated functions.

[0008] With this type of known interface, the user is not able to understand the impact of these two controls on the vehicle's behavior, nor to know in which order he must activate them to be able to use these driving aids optimally.

[0009] Document DE102015207025 A1 discloses a driver assistance system in a motor vehicle that performs active cross-traffic guidance interventions (in particular steering interventions) and can be activated independently of the activation of a longitudinal control system. The system can be activated both with and without longitudinal control and comprises both a partial traffic jam assistance function and a partial lane guidance assistance function. Both partial functions can be activated and deactivated jointly via a single On / Off button (STA / ALC).

[0010] The invention consists of offering the driver of the vehicle simple and intuitive graphic interfaces reducing his mental load at the time of selecting the driving mode and throughout the activation of said driving mode.

[0011] To this end, the present invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising a driving assistance system providing the driver of said vehicle with a first driving assistance function and a driving assistance function functionally complementary to the first and which, combined with the first, defines a second driving assistance function, display management means coupled to said driving assistance system for displaying first and second graphical interfaces relating respectively to said first and second driving assistance functions, in a first reconfigurable display area of a screen of said vehicle, said driving assistance system comprising a single control means arranged to activate said first and second driving assistance functions and to control the successive display of said interfaces,following a sequence determined and imposed by the functional complementarity of the first and second driving assistance functions.,

[0012] According to one characteristic, the display management means are arranged to display a third graphical interface immediately following the second graphical interface relating to the second driving assistance function; said third graphical interface carrying information on deactivation of the first and second driving assistance functions.

[0013] According to another characteristic, the display management means are arranged to display at least one main graphic information representative of the function carried by each of the graphic interfaces, in each of said graphic interfaces.

[0014] According to another characteristic, the display management means are arranged to display at least one line of text naming the function carried by each of the graphical interfaces, in each of said graphical interfaces, in addition to the main graphical information.

[0015] According to another characteristic, said single control means comprises timing means capable of activating the driving assistance function corresponding to the graphical interface displayed on the screen at the end of a display duration determined by the timing means.

[0016] According to another characteristic, said display management means are further arranged to display in a second display area of the screen, of smaller size than the first area, the main graphic information of the graphic interface at the end of the determined display duration.

[0017] According to another characteristic, the display management means are arranged to make the display of the graphical interface displayed disappear, in the first area of the screen, upon expiry of the duration determined by the timing means.

[0018] According to another characteristic, the display management means are arranged to display the graphical interfaces in the form of a stack of tiles of decreasing size, overlapping at least partially; said tiles extending in at least one given direction giving a perspective effect to said stack seen by the driver of the vehicle; the largest tile in the stack, called the active tile, obscuring the graphical content of the other tiles in said stack without completely obscuring the other tiles in the stack to enable the number of tiles and therefore the number of functions to be identified.

[0019] According to another characteristic, the driving assistance system comprises longitudinal regulation means and lateral regulation means of the vehicle; said longitudinal regulation means providing the driver with the first driving assistance function and said lateral regulation means, cooperating with said longitudinal regulation means, providing the second driving assistance function.

[0020] According to another feature, the first driving assistance function is a longitudinal vehicle regulation function, called "ACC", the complementary function is a lateral vehicle regulation function, called "LPA", and the second driving assistance function is a semi-autonomous driving function, called "Drive Assist".

[0021] In addition to only using a single control to select several driving assistance functions, the invention makes it possible to avoid incorrect combinations when several driving assistance functions are available. Thus, lateral control of the vehicle in its lane (LPA) is only permitted if longitudinal control (ACC) is already selected.

[0022] Other advantages and characteristics may emerge more clearly from the description which follows, given solely by way of non-limiting example and made with reference to the drawings in which: [ Fig. 1 ] illustrates a block diagram of a vehicle according to the invention providing graphical driving assistance interfaces; [ Fig. 2 ] illustrates a first graphical driving assistance interface offered by the vehicle according to the invention; [ Fig. 3 ] illustrates a second graphical driving assistance interface offered by the vehicle according to the invention; [ Fig. 4 ] illustrates a third graphical driving assistance interface offered by the vehicle according to the invention; and [ Fig. 5 ] illustrates a fourth graphical driving assistance interface offered by the vehicle according to the invention.

[0023] There figure 1 schematically illustrates in the form of a block diagram, a motor vehicle 100 according to the invention comprising an ADAS 10 driving assistance system, display management means 20 of graphic interfaces, coupled to the ADAS 10 system and a screen 30 acting as an instrument cluster of the vehicle 100, such as for example a TFT screen, of generally rectangular shape. The display management means 20 are arranged to manage the display, in a first temporary and reconfigurable display area 31 of the screen 30, defining a first rectangular window, of graphical interfaces organized in the form of a superposition of rectangular tiles, (here three tiles 32, 33 and 34), arranged to form a stack of pages, or “tiles”, centered between them and on the median (vertical) axis of the window 31. In the figure, the window 31 is artificially represented in the screen 30 by a rectangle whose outline is a broken line.

[0024] The tiles overlap at least partially and extend in at least one determined direction and towards the top of the screen 30.

[0025] The tile in the largest stack, which will be called the "active" tile in the rest of the description, here tile 32, hides the graphic content of the other tiles 33 and 34 in the stack without completely hiding them.

[0026] The tiles 32, 33 and 34 are of decreasing size starting from the active tile 32 which faces the driver 40 and towards the top of the screen 30 seen by the driver 40, which contributes to giving a perspective effect to the stack seen by the driver 40 of the vehicle 100. The active tile 32, facing the driver 40, partially masks the other tiles 33 and 34 of which only the upper edges protruding from the upper edge of their immediately preceding tile are seen.

[0027] The driver 40 can therefore easily visually deduce the number of driving assistance functions offered by the ADAS 10 system; the number of tiles corresponding to the number of functions offered by the ADAS 10 system.

[0028] The ADAS system 10 comprises a specific and unique control means 11 for controlling the display management means 20 to open the first window 31 (the display of the stack of tiles 32 to 34) and manage the sequential scrolling of the tiles 32 to 34. The tiles 32 to 34 scroll one after the other with each successive press on the single control means 11 which is for example of the push button type. This push button 11 carries, for example, the visual inscription “Assist” corresponding to the driving mode “Drive Assist”. A first press on the push button 11 controls the opening of the window 31 with the display of the stack of tiles 32 to 34 in a determined order imposed to execute the driving assistance functions grouped behind the title “Drive Assist”.Thus, the first driving assistance function presented to the driver 40 when the window 31 is opened is the so-called ACC or “Cruise Control” function which is represented by a first graphical interface carried by the tile 32. Successive presses on the push button 11 command the display management means 20 to scroll in an ordered manner through the tiles 32 to 34.

[0029] The single control means 11 comprises timing means 12 capable of activating the driving assistance function corresponding to the displayed tile (active tile) after a display duration determined by the timing means 12.

[0030] Advantageously, the display management means 20 are arranged to manage the execution of a visual animation with transitions simulating a scrolling of the tiles 32 to 34.

[0031] The screen 30 further comprises at least one second reconfigurable display area 35, arranged in the upper part of the screen 30, between the upper lateral edge of the first area (window) 31 and the upper lateral edge of the screen 30. This second display area 35 displays for example the current speed of the vehicle 100. In the figure, as for the first display area (window) 31, the second display area 35 is artificially represented in the screen 30 by a rectangle whose outline is a broken line.

[0032] The size of the second display area 35 is smaller than that of the first display area (window) 31.

[0033] There figure 2 illustrates a first graphical interface carried by the first active tile 32 displayed on the screen 30 when the window 31 is opened. This first graphical interface corresponds to the first driving assistance function: the ACC function. This first graphical interface, managed by the display management means 20, presents in the upper part of the tile 32, the name (in English terminology) in full of the first driving assistance function associated with it, here “Cruise Control”. This first graphical interface presents the main graphical information in the center of the tile 32. This symbolically represents in a known manner, the carrier vehicle 100 (vehicle having the driving assistance functions) and a target vehicle 101 (vehicle preceding the carrier vehicle 100).The two vehicles symbolized 100 and 101 are separated from each other by two bars 36 representing the inter-vehicle distance or time generally designated by TIV.

[0034] A pagination index 37, also managed by the display management means 20, is displayed on the right of the active tile 32 in the form of a column with three boxes superimposed on top of each other. A first box, corresponding to the active tile 32, is filled allowing the user to immediately locate the positioning of the tile 32 in the stack. The current speed of the vehicle 100 is displayed in the second display area 35.

[0035] There figure 3 illustrates a second graphical interface carried by the second active tile 33 displayed on the screen 30. This new active tile 33 immediately follows the previous active tile 32 of the figure 2 , following a new press on push button 11.

[0036] This active tile 33 presents a second graphical interface corresponding to the second driving assistance function designated by the English terminology “Drive Assist” grouping the ACC function (first driving assistance function proposed) and another additional driving assistance function functionally complementary to the first driving assistance function, the LPA function. By “functional complementarity”, it is meant here that the LPA function (lateral regulation) adds to the first ACC function (longitudinal regulation) a driving assistance which cooperates functionally in a compatible manner with the ACC function to result in a new driving assistance function (second function) providing a more assisted (or semi-autonomous) driving mode combining longitudinal regulation and lateral regulation of the vehicle in its lane.

[0037] The second graphical interface presents in the upper part of the tile 33, the name in full of the second driving assistance function associated with it, here “Drive Assist”. The main graphical information symbolically represents in a known manner, the same main graphical information of the tile 32 by being enriched with two straight line segments 38 symbolizing the edges of the traffic lane of the carrier vehicle 100 and a steering wheel in the hands of the driver 39, superimposed on the carrier vehicle 100, usually symbolizing the LPA function.

[0038] A second box of the paging index 37, corresponding to the active tile 33, is filled allowing the user to immediately locate the positioning of the tile 33 in the stack. The current speed of the vehicle 100 is always displayed in the second display area 35.

[0039] There figure 4 illustrates a third graphical interface carried by the third active tile 34 displayed on the screen 30. This new active tile 34 immediately follows the previous active tile 33 of the figure 3 , following a new press on the push button 11. This active tile 34 presents the function of deactivating the display of the first and second driving assistance functions: “Cruise Control” (first function) and “Drive Assist” (second function). This third graphic interface presents in the upper part of the tile 34, the textual deactivation information: “Assistance OFF”. The main graphic information then symbolically represents in a known manner a “stripped” view (without driving assistance) of the vehicle 100 in its traffic lane. A third box of the pagination index 37, corresponding to the active tile 34, is filled allowing the user to immediately locate the positioning of the tile 34 in the stack. The current speed of the vehicle 100 is always displayed in the second display 35.

[0040] The tiles are called "active" because the duration of their display, in window 31 delimiting the first temporary display zone, determines the activation of the driving assistance function corresponding to the graphical interface carried by the active tile.

[0041] Thus, when an active tile is displayed and in the absence of a command from the control means 11 (pressing the push button) after a determined and adjustable duration, for example between 2 and 5 seconds, the driving assistance or deactivation function, carried by the active tile is validated (activated) and the window 31 “closes”: the display of the tiles 32 to 34 in the first display zone (window) 31 disappears (stopping of the display managed by the display management means 20). Hence, the expression used of “temporary” display to describe the window 31. But the information carried by the active tile does not disappear completely from the screen 30.

[0042] There figure 5illustrates a fourth graphical interface which is displayed in the screen 30 and managed by the display means 20, following the validation of the second driving assistance function: “Drive Assist” corresponding to the active tile 33. As a reminder, this validation follows the expiry of the duration set by the timing means 12 without any action (pressing) on the push button 11 within this duration.

[0043] The main graphic information, carried by the active tile 33 is then immediately transferred by the display management means 20, into the second display area 35, thus replacing the current speed information of the vehicle which is transferred to another reconfigurable display area of the screen 30. The size of the main graphic information is resized by the display management means 20, before being displayed in the second display area 35 which is smaller than the first display area (window) 31.

[0044] This second display area 35 is said to be “permanent” in that it always displays at least one piece of information. In the example considered, the second area 35 displays either vehicle speed information or a “reduction” of the main graphic information of the last validated active tile.

[0045] Window 31, which was then dedicated to driving assistance functions and their deactivation, then becomes available to display other graphical interfaces relating, for example, to functions of the navigation system on board the vehicle.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle (100) comprising a driving aid system (10) providing the driver (40) of said vehicle (100) with a first driving aid function and a driving aid function functionally complementary to the first driving aid function and which in combination with the first defining a second driving aid function, display management means (20) coupled to said driving aid system (10) for displaying first and second chart interfaces (32, 33) in report with said first and second driving aid functions, respectively, in a first reconfigurable display zone (31) of a screen (30) of said vehicle (100), said driving aid system (10) comprising a single order means (11) arranged to activate said first and second driving aid functions, wherein the single order is further arranged to order the successive display of said interfaces (32, 33), according to a determined scheduling and imposed by the functional complementarity of the first and second driving aid functions.

2. Vehicle (100) according to the previous claim, wherein the display management means (20) are arranged to display a third chart interface (34) immediately following the second chart interface (33) relating to the second driving aid function; said third chart interface (34) carrying information for deactivating the first and second driving aid functions.

3. Vehicle (100) according to one of the previous claims, wherein the display management means (20) are arranged to display at least one main chart information representative of the function carried by each of the chart interfaces, in each of said chart interfaces.

4. Vehicle (100) according to the previous claim, wherein the display management means (20) are arranged to display at least one line of text naming the function carried by each of the chart interfaces, in each of said chart interfaces, in addition to the main chart information.

5. Vehicle (100) according to either of claims 3 and 4, in which the said single order means (11) comprises time-delay means (12) capable of activating the driving aid function corresponding to the chart interface displayed on the screen (32 or 33) at the expiration of a display period determined by the time-delay means (12).

6. Vehicle (100) according to claim 5, wherein said display management means (20) are further arranged to display in a second display zone (35) of the screen (30), smaller than the first zone (31), the main chart information of the chart interface (32 or 33) at the end of the determined display period.

7. Vehicle (100) according to one of claims 5 or 6, in which the display management means (20) are arranged to make the display of the displayed chart interface (32 or 33) disappear, in the first zone (31) of the screen (30), at the expiration of the period determined by the timing means (12).

8. Vehicle (100) according to one of the previous claims, wherein the display management means (20) are arranged to display the chart interfaces as a stack of tiles of decreasing size, overlapping at least partially; said tiles extending according to at least one same determined management giving a perspective effect to said stack seen by the driver (40) of the vehicle (100); the largest tile of the stack, called a activate tile, concealing the chart content of the other tiles of said stack without completely concealing the other tiles of the stack to make it possible to identify the quantity of tiles and therefore the quantity of functions.

9. Vehicle (100) according to one of the previous claims, wherein the driving aid system (10) comprises longitudinal regulation means (13) and lateral regulation means (14) of the vehicle (100); said longitudinal regulation means (13) supplying the driver (40) with the first driving aid function and said lateral regulation means (14), cooperating with said longitudinal regulation means (13), supplying the second driving aid function.

10. Vehicle (100) according to the previous claim, wherein the first driving aid function is a longitudinal regulation function of the vehicle (100), called "ACC", the complementary function is a lateral regulation function of the vehicle (100), called "LPA", and the second driving aid function is a semi-autonomous driving function, called "Drive Assist".