Management of motor vehicle functionalities by means of a gesture-controlled human-machine interface

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling motor vehicle functionalities controlled by a human-machine interface (1) of the vehicle, said human-machine interface comprising a screen (2) and a camera (3) arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The invention also relates to a device (100) for implementing such a method and to a motor vehicle comprising such a device (100).

Description

DESCRIPTION TITLE: Management of the functionalities of a motor vehicle using a gesture-controlled human-machine interface Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention claims priority from French application 2211971 filed on 17.11.2022, the content of which (text, drawings and claims) is incorporated herein by reference. The present invention relates to the field of human-machine interfaces for motor vehicles. The invention relates in particular to a method for controlling the functionalities of a motor vehicle controlled by a human-machine interface of the vehicle comprising a screen and a camera arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The invention also relates to a device implementing such a method. The invention applies to motor vehicles such as land motor vehicles, in particular cars. State of the prior art

[0002] It is known that human-machine interfaces in motor vehicles generally include touch screens on which graphical interfaces are displayed, in which graphic elements show visual content with which vehicle users can interact. Thus, thanks to the use of touch screens, the ergonomics of human-machine interfaces in vehicles have undeniably improved in many cases. However, it is possible to imagine cases in which interactions on touch screens, the size of which generally remains small, may not allow for as high a level of ergonomics as is possible. For example, in the context of certain vehicle functionalities, when it comes to, for example, the activation of hazard lights or the modulation of the temperature of a heating and / or air conditioning system, it is not inconceivable to think that a tactile interaction on a small screen is not the most ergonomic interaction that can be, especially if we consider the smallness of certain vehicle screens and, consequently, the excessive effort of attention that a tactile interaction to control this kind of functionality, however basic, would require, whereas a simple button would usually do the job. Furthermore, in the context of the autonomous vehicle, vehicle occupants may not be installed as close as possible to touch screens and thus desire other interaction capabilities with the vehicles' human-machine interfaces. For these reasons, it can be considered that the human-machine interfaces of current motor vehicles that favor tactile interactions lack ergonomics. Summary of the invention

[0003] The invention aims to overcome this drawback. The invention aims to provide a solution to enable a user of a motor vehicle to interact with a human-machine interface of the vehicle without needing to resort to the use of tactile interactions, in particular by substituting the use of gestures in place of tactile interactions. More specifically, the invention aims to provide a method and a device that enable a human-machine interface of a motor vehicle to control the functionalities of the vehicle on the basis of gestures made by a user. In this way, the invention aims to improve the ergonomics of human-machine interfaces of motor vehicles, thereby contributing to enabling more comfortable and safer driving.

[0004] In order to achieve these aims, the invention relates, according to a first aspect, to a method for controlling the functionalities of a motor vehicle. controlled by a human-machine interface of the vehicle, said human-machine interface comprising a screen and a camera arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, said method being implemented by a computer device on board the vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: i) determining whether a user's hand has approached the screen; ii) causing the display on the screen of a graphical interface showing a shape segmented into several parts of equal surface area; iii) determining data characterizing a portion of the screen towards which the user's hand has moved or oriented; iv) causing the movement in the graphical interface of a part of said shape according to the data characterizing a portion of the screen towards which the user's hand has moved or oriented; v) determining data characterizing at least one functionality of the vehicle in connection with the moved part of said shape;vi) causing a modification in the graphical interface of the displaced part of said shape based on data characterizing at least one functionality related to the displaced part of said shape; vii) determining data characterizing a gesture made by the user's hand; and viii) controlling said functionality of the vehicle based on data characterizing a gesture made by the user's hand.;

[0005] Alternatively, during step vi), the displaced portion of said shape may be modified such that it includes a graduation element.

[0006] According to another variant, during step vi), the displaced part of said shape can be modified such that it splits into several parts.

[0007] According to yet another variant, said shape may be a ring.

[0008] According to yet another variant, steps i), iii) and vii) can be carried out by interacting with the camera.

[0009] According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a device for controlling the functionalities of a motor vehicle controlled by a human-machine interface of the vehicle, said human-machine interface comprising a screen and a camera arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, the device comprising at least one information processing unit, comprising at least one processor, and a data storage medium configured to implement a method as described above.

[0010] According to a third aspect, the invention relates to a computer program comprising program code instructions for executing the steps of a method as described above when said program is executed by at least one processor.

[0011] According to a fourth aspect, the invention relates to a medium usable in a computer on which a program as described above is recorded.

[0012] According to a fifth aspect, the invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising a device as described above. Brief description of the figures

[0013] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on examining the detailed description below, and the appended drawings, in which:

[0014] [Fig- 1] is a diagram illustrating the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle according to the invention;

[0015] [Fig. 2] is a functional diagram of a device according to the invention;

[0016] [Fig. 3] is a flowchart of the steps of a method according to the invention;

[0017] [Fig. 4] schematically illustrates at least one step of a method according to the invention;

[0018] [Fig. 5] schematically illustrates at least one step of a method according to the invention;

[0019] [Fig. 6] schematically illustrates at least one step of a method according to the invention; and

[0020] [Fig. 7] schematically illustrates at least one step of a method according to the invention. Detailed description of the invention

[0021] Figure 1 schematically illustrates the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle according to the invention, showing in particular graphical interfaces displayed on a screen 2 of a human-machine interface 1 of the vehicle by means of a device 100 for controlling the functionalities of a motor vehicle controlled by a human-machine interface of the vehicle according to the invention described below, which implements the method according to the invention described below. When implementing the method, a segmented shape is displayed on the screen as soon as the user brings his hand close to it. The user then interacts with the human-machine interface of the vehicle by means of gestures only, i.e. without needing to touch the screen, and he can control functionalities provided by the equipment of the vehicle by viewing the shape displayed on the screen and by performing pre-established and configurable gestures in connection with it.To enable this, the vehicle's human-machine interface preferably includes one. camera 3 arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, by means of which the device 100 according to the invention can observe and analyze gestures made by a user, in particular gestures that a user makes with his hand. It is by providing these means of interaction based on gestures in correspondence with the display of easily interpretable shapes that the method according to the invention thus allows a significant improvement in the ergonomics of the human-machine interfaces of vehicles, in particular to facilitate the handling of cases such as those mentioned in the preamble for which tactile interactions prove inappropriate.

[0022] The device 100 for controlling the functionalities of a motor vehicle controlled by a human-machine interface of the vehicle according to the invention is illustrated in Figure 2. It is a computer device, which comprises at least one information processing unit 101, comprising one or more processors, a data storage medium 102, on which is recorded in particular a program which comprises program code instructions for the execution of the steps of the method according to the invention described below, and an input and output interface 103 allowing the reception and transmission of data.

[0023] According to one embodiment of the invention, the device 100 according to the invention is hosted on one or more computers or other electronic control units of the vehicle. According to the preferred embodiment, the device 100 according to the invention is hosted on an independent computer and it interacts via its input and output interface 103 and by means of a wired communication network of the vehicle (e.g. CAN, Ethernet) with a computer of the human-machine interface 1 of the vehicle. According to another embodiment, the device 100 according to the invention is an integral part of a computer of the human-machine interface 1 of the vehicle, the latter comprising at least one screen 2 and a camera 3 arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. vehicle to take pictures of the vehicle's occupants, in particular the gestures they make with their hands.

[0024] According to the invention, all the elements described above contribute to enabling the implementation of a method for controlling the functionalities of a motor vehicle controlled by a human-machine interface of the vehicle, as described below in connection with figures 3-5.

[0025] According to a first step 201 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention determines whether a user's hand has approached the screen 2. For this, the device 100 according to the invention interacts with the camera 3 of the human-machine interface 1, by exploiting its shots to determine, at this stage, whether a user has approached his hand to the screen 2. It can for example resort to the use of a previously trained artificial intelligence module to recognize within a shot whether a hand is present there, and then carry out a comparison between several consecutive shots to determine whether the distance which separates the user's hand from the screen changes. When it establishes that a user's hand is approaching the screen 2, the device 100 according to the invention proceeds by carrying out the following steps of the method described below.

[0026] According to a second step 202 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention causes the display on the screen 2 of a graphical interface showing a shape segmented into several parts of equal surface area. This second step 202 of the method is illustrated in Figure 4. Thus, the user having brought his hand close to the screen, on the left in the figure, the device 100 according to the invention causes the display of a graphical interface showing a shape, preferably a shape such as a ring or a wheel as illustrated in the figure, segmented into several parts of equal surface area, for example four parts. It is therefore during this second step 202 of the method that the device 100 according to the invention triggers the capacity for interaction by gesture of the human-machine interface 1 of the vehicle.

[0027] Then, according to a third step 203 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention determines data characterizing a portion of the screen towards which the user's hand has moved or oriented and, according to a fourth step 204, it causes the displacement in the graphical interface of a part of said shape according to the data characterizing a portion of the screen towards which the user's hand has moved or oriented. The implementation of these steps is illustrated in Figure 5. According to this example, the device 100 according to the invention has determined during the third step 203 of the method that the user's hand has moved or oriented towards the right of the screen, to the left in the figure. Consequently, during the fourth step 204 of the method, the device 100 according to the invention has caused the displacement in the graphical interface of the right part of the wheel, to the right in the figure.Thus, at this stage of the implementation of the method, the user has advantageously been able to carry out a first interaction with the human-machine interface 1 of the vehicle, which consisted of selecting a part of the displayed shape, and this by means of gestures only and without ever touching the screen 2.

[0028] Then, according to a fifth step 205 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention determines data characterizing at least one functionality of the vehicle in connection with the displaced part of said shape and, according to a sixth step 206, it causes a modification in the graphical interface of the displaced part of said shape as a function of the data characterizing at least one functionality in connection with the displaced part of said shape. Examples of the realization of these steps are illustrated in Figures 6 and 7. According to a first example illustrated in Figure 6, the device 100 according to the invention has determined during the fifth step 205, for example by interrogating the human-machine interface 1 about a prior setting by the user or the manufacturer of a functionality linked to the left part of the shape, that which was previously moved during the previous step following a gesture by the user made in the direction of the portion on the left of the screen 2, that the functionality linked to the moved left part of the wheel concerns the modulation of the temperature provided by a heating and / or air conditioning device of the vehicle.Consequently, during the sixth step 206, the device 100 according to the invention has caused a modification in the graphical interface of the displaced part of the wheel such that it comprises a graduation element, which, as will be seen below, will advantageously facilitate the control of the modulation of the temperature. Alternatively, the device 100 according to the invention may have determined during the fifth step 205 that the functionality related to the displaced left part of the wheel concerns the use of a directory of contacts by a communication device of the vehicle, as illustrated in FIG. 7. In this case, during the sixth step 206, it then causes a modification in the graphical interface of the displaced part of the wheel such that it is split into several parts, for example several parts of equal or different sizes in which names of certain contacts are indicated.

[0029] Then, according to a seventh step 207 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention determines data characterizing a gesture made by the hand of the user and, according to an eighth step 208, it controls said functionality of the vehicle as a function of the data characterizing a gesture made by the hand of the user. If we take the examples discussed above, in particular firstly that discussed in connection with Figure 6, the device 100 according to the invention determines during the seventh step 207 that the user has made a hand gesture in an upward direction, and, consequently, it commands during the eighth step 208 the increase in temperature. Similarly, relative to the example discussed in connection with Figure 7, the device 100 according to the invention determines that the user's hand has moved downwards and it commands during the eighth step 208 the activation of a telephone transmission to a corresponding contact.

[0030] Thus, thanks to the method and the device according to the invention described above, a solution is provided to allow the total control of at least certain functionalities of a motor vehicle solely by gesture and without any tactile interaction being necessary. By proposing an interaction which is based on a simple shape and an intuitive layout, the method and the device according to the invention undeniably contribute to improving the ergonomics of human-machine interfaces of motor vehicles, in particular in the context of autonomous driving.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. Method for controlling the functionalities of a motor vehicle controlled by a human-machine interface (1) of the vehicle, said human-machine interface comprising a screen (2) and a camera (3) arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, said method being implemented by a computer device (100) on board the vehicle, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: i) determining (201) whether a hand of a user has approached the screen? ii) causing (202) the display on the screen of a graphical interface showing a shape segmented into several parts of equal surface area; iii) determining (203) data characterizing a portion of the screen towards which the hand of the user has moved or oriented; iv) causing (204) the movement in the graphical interface of a part of said shape as a function of the data characterizing a portion of the screen towards which the hand of the user has moved or oriented;v) determining (205) data characterizing at least one functionality of the vehicle in connection with the displaced part of said shape; vi) causing (206) a modification in the graphical interface of the displaced part of said shape as a function of the data characterizing at least one functionality in connection with the displaced part of said shape; vii) determining (207) data characterizing a gesture performed by the user's hand; and viii) controlling (208) said functionality of the vehicle as a function of the data characterizing a gesture performed by the user's hand.; Method according to claim 1, characterized in that, during step vi), the displaced part of said shape is modified so that it comprises a graduation element. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that, during step vi), the displaced part of said shape is modified so that it splits into several parts. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said shape is a ring. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that steps i), iii) and vii) are carried out by interacting with the camera.Device (100) for controlling the functionalities of a motor vehicle controlled by a human-machine interface of the vehicle, said human-machine interface comprising a screen and a camera arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, characterized in that the device comprises at least one information processing unit (101), comprising at least one processor, and a data storage medium (102) configured to implement a method according to any one of the preceding claims. Computer program comprising program code instructions for executing the steps of a method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 when said program is executed by at least one processor. Medium usable in a computer, characterized in that a program according to claim 7 is recorded therein.

9. Motor vehicle (1), characterized in that it comprises a device (100) according to claim 6.

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