Calculation of an estimated arrival time by a navigation system of a motor vehicle with respect to a particular driver

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for managing the operation of a navigation system (2) of a motor vehicle. The invention also relates to a computer device (100) implementing such a method, as well as a motor vehicle (1) comprising such a device (100). Figure for the abstract: 1

Description

Title of the invention: Calculation of an estimated arrival time by a navigation system of a motor vehicle with regard to a particular driver Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of motor vehicle navigation systems. The invention relates in particular to a method for managing the operation of a navigation system of a motor vehicle. The invention also relates to a device implementing such a method, as well as a vehicle comprising such a device. The invention applies to motor vehicles such as land motor vehicles, in particular cars. State of the prior art

[0002] It is known that current vehicles are generally equipped with a navigation system capable of determining a route to follow between a departure point and a destination as well as a corresponding estimated arrival time. In some vehicles, the navigation system determines several possible routes, including a fastest route, a shortest route and, sometimes, an economical and / or eco-responsible route. For each of these journeys, the navigation system conventionally determines an estimated arrival time using speed limits defined for the roads taken during a route, which are defined by a map that the navigation system has. There are, however, categories of drivers who are not allowed to reach these speed limits, in particular drivers who are driving as part of early driving training (i.e.accompanied driving) and those for whom a probationary period applies after obtaining the driving license (i.e. young drivers). For these categories of drivers, the speed limits defined by the mapping used by the navigation system do not correspond to those applicable to them and which are set by the highway code according to the types of roads used. As a result, the arrival times estimated by the navigation system are of little relevance for these categories of drivers. From this point of view, current vehicle navigation systems suffer from a defect in terms of their ergonomics. Summary of the invention.

[0003] The invention seeks to address this problem. In particular, it aims to enable a motor vehicle navigation system to provide estimated arrival times that can be adapted according to certain categories of drivers, in particular those driving as part of an ap early driving lessons and those for whom a probationary period applies after obtaining a driving license. In this way, the invention aims to provide relevant estimated arrival times for these categories of drivers, and thus improve the ergonomics of motor vehicle navigation systems.

[0004] In order to achieve these aims, the invention relates, according to a first aspect, to a method of managing, by a computer device on board a motor vehicle, the operation of a navigation system of the vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: i. provide a capability to specify whether the vehicle is driven by a particular driver; ii. determining, where route calculation by the navigation system is required, whether the fact that the vehicle is driven by a particular driver is specified; and, where this is established to be the case, iii. cause the navigation system to use data characterizing at least one speed limit applicable to the particular driver in relation to at least one type of road previously established to determine an estimated arrival time in correspondence with a calculated route.

[0005] According to a variant, step i) can be carried out by means of an input interface of the navigation system which allows said specification as a navigation parameter of the navigation system, said navigation parameter being deleted as soon as the ignition of the vehicle is switched off.

[0006] According to another variant, step i) can be carried out by means of an input interface of a human-machine interface of the vehicle which allows said specification as a parameter of a user profile.

[0007] According to yet another variant, step ii) may comprise a step consisting of accessing the user profile.

[0008] According to yet another variant, step ii) may comprise a step consisting of checking the user profile according to the current date.

[0009] According to yet another variant, step ii) may comprise a step consisting of verifying the specification of the navigation parameter.

[0010] According to yet another variant, said specification can make it possible to establish driving within the framework of early learning of driving or a date for obtaining a driving license.

[0011] According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a device for managing the operation of a navigation system of a motor vehicle, the device comprising at least one information processing unit, comprising at least one processor, and a data storage medium, which are configured to implement a method as described above.

[0012] 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.

[0013] According to a fourth aspect, the invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising a device as described above. Brief description of the drawings

[0014] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on examining the detailed description below and the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0015] [Fig-1] is a diagram illustrating a motor vehicle according to the invention;

[0016] [Fig.2] is a functional diagram of a device according to the invention; and

[0017] [Fig.3] is a flowchart of the steps of a method according to the invention. Detailed description of the invention

[0018] In [Fig.l] a motor vehicle 1 according to the invention is schematically illustrated. This is equipped with a navigation system 2 capable of conventionally calculating routes between a departure point and a destination based on a map that it possesses. The navigation system 2 is in particular capable of determining several routes between a departure point and a destination, for example a fastest route, a shortest route and an economical and / or eco-responsible route, and this, according to navigation parameters which are specified by means of an input interface, which uses for example a touch screen. For each calculated route, the navigation system 2 can conventionally use its map to determine types of roads taken from which it deduces corresponding speed limits in order to calculate an estimated arrival time.

[0019] The vehicle 1 according to the invention further comprises a human-machine interface 3, which comprises an input interface, using for example a touch screen 4, and which allows, among other things, the creation and management of at least one user profile 5, in other words an inventory of parameters and / or settings specified by a user in order to permanently personalize the operation of certain components of the vehicle (e.g. driving mode, sound volume, temperature in the passenger compartment, driving assistance functions, etc.).

[0020] Advantageously, the vehicle 1 according to the invention also carries a device 100 for managing the operation of a navigation system of a motor vehicle within the meaning of the present invention, as described below, which implements a method for managing the operation of a navigation system of a motor vehicle within the meaning of the present invention, as described briefly below and in detail below.

[0021] When implementing the method, the device 100 according to the invention advantageously provides the ability to specify the fact that the vehicle is driven by a particular driver. This specification makes it possible in particular to establish that the driver of the vehicle is driving as part of early learning to drive or a date for obtaining a driving license. Furthermore, this specification can advantageously be carried out via the navigation system 2 or via the user profile 5 managed by the human-machine interface 3.Then, as soon as a route calculation by the navigation system 2 is required, the device 100 according to the invention determines whether the fact that a particular driver is driving the vehicle is specified and, if so, it constrains the use by the navigation system 2 of speed limits applicable to the particular driver pre-established to determine estimated arrival times in correspondence with calculated routes. It is in this way that the invention allows the provision of more relevant estimated arrival times for certain categories of particular drivers, and thus improves the ergonomics of motor vehicles.

[0022] The device 100 for managing the operation of a navigation system of a motor vehicle according to the invention is illustrated in [Fig. 2]. It is fundamentally a computer device, which comprises at least one information processing unit 101, with one or more processors, a data storage medium 102, on which is recorded in particular a program which comprises program code instructions for executing 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] Preferably, the device 100 according to the invention is integrated into 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, MOST) - shown in [Fig.l] by the two-way arrows - with the navigation system 2, and with the human-machine interface 3. Alternatively, the device 100 according to the invention is fully or partially part of a computer of the navigation system 2 and / or of the human-machine interface 3.Consequently, the device 100 according to the invention is able, in particular, to provide a capacity for specifying the fact that the vehicle is driven by a particular driver, whether by means of an input interface of the navigation system 2 or that of the human-machine interface 3, and it can cause the use by the navigation system 2 of data characterizing at least one speed limitation applicable to a particular driver which have been pre-established to determine an arrival time in correspondence with a calculated route.

[0024] According to the invention, all the elements described above contribute to enabling the implementation of a method for managing the operation of a navigation system of a motor vehicle, as described below in connection with figures 1 and 3.

[0025] [Fig. 3] illustrates a flowchart of the steps of the method according to the invention. According to a first step 201 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention provides a capability for specifying the fact that the vehicle is driven by a particular driver. In other words, the device 100 according to the invention advantageously provides a user with means for specifying that a particular driver is driving the vehicle. To do this, the device 100 according to the invention interacts with the navigation system 2 and with the human-machine interface 3 in order to provide this specification capability in two different ways.

[0026] According to a first possibility, it interacts with the navigation system 2 so that it is the input interface of the navigation system 2 which makes it possible to specify as a navigation parameter of the navigation system 2 the fact that the vehicle is driven by a particular driver, for example by making an entry in connection with a pictogram representing a checkbox next to a text description broadcast by the input interface of the navigation system 2 in a graphical interface displayed on the screen of the navigation system 2.

[0027] According to the second possibility, the user can specify the fact that the vehicle is driven by a particular driver by means of the input interface of the human-machine interface 3, and this, in connection with a user profile, for example by interacting with a pictogram representing a checkbox and a text description broadcast by the input interface of the human-machine interface 3 in a graphical interface displayed on the screen 4 of the human-machine interface 3. In this case, the user is also offered the possibility of entering a date on which the driving license was obtained.

[0028] Thus, during this first step 201 of the method, the device 100 according to the invention advantageously offers a user the ability to be able to specify in several easy ways the fact that a particular driver is driving the vehicle. Furthermore, according to one embodiment, when it is directly in the navigation system 2 that the fact that the vehicle is driven by a particular driver is specified as a navigation parameter, the device 100 according to the invention proceeds to delete the navigation parameter as soon as the ignition of the vehicle is switched off. It thus makes it possible for a regular user who is not subject to particular speed limits to avoid having to modify the navigation parameters of the navigation system.On the contrary, the specification of the fact that the vehicle is driven by a particular driver directly in the user profile persists as long as it is not canceled by the user.

[0029] Then, according to a second step 202 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention determines, as soon as a route calculation by the na system vigation 2 is required, if the fact that the vehicle is driven by a particular driver is specified. To do this, the device 100 according to the invention monitors the route calculation requests that are submitted via the input interface of the navigation system 2 and, as soon as such a request is submitted, it then proceeds as follows.

[0030] Firstly, the device 100 according to the invention interacts with the human-machine interface 3 to access the user profile 5 that the latter manages. In other words, the device 100 according to the invention firstly determines whether the fact that the vehicle is driven by a particular driver is specified in the user profile 5. If this is the case, the device 100 according to the invention checks the specification of a date of obtaining the driving license, which it compares with the current date to determine whether a probationary period still applies, for example by using a pre-established value for the duration of a probationary period. In the case where the probationary period no longer applies, the device 100 according to the invention modifies the user profile 5 by canceling the specification of the fact that the vehicle is driven by a particular driver. In this case, it terminates the implementation of the method.On the contrary, if the probationary period applies, or if no date for obtaining the driving license is specified, which implies that the driver is driving as part of an early learning of driving, the device 100 according to the invention then establishes that the fact that the vehicle is driven by a particular driver is specified and it proceeds by carrying out the third step 203 of the method according to the invention described below.

[0031] If it has not been able to ascertain the specification of the fact that the vehicle is driven by a particular driver from the user profile 5, the device 100 according to the invention proceeds in a second step by determining whether the fact that the vehicle is driven by a particular driver is specified as a navigation parameter of the navigation system 2. It therefore interacts at this stage with the navigation system 2 to verify the specification of the navigation parameter confirming the fact that the vehicle is driven by a particular driver. If it establishes at this stage the specification of the navigation parameter confirming the fact that the vehicle is driven by a particular driver, the device 100 according to the invention then proceeds to carry out the third step 203 of the method according to the invention described below.On the contrary, if it concludes that the navigation parameter is not specified, the device 100 according to the invention terminates the implementation of the method.

[0032] According to a third step 203 of the method according to the invention, when it has established in the previous step that the fact that the vehicle is driven by a particular driver is specified, the device 100 according to the invention advantageously causes the use by the navigation system 2 of data characterizing at least one speed limitation applicable to the particular driver in connection with at least one type of road. previously established to determine an estimated arrival time in correspondence with a calculated route. In other words, the device 100 according to the invention at this stage forces the navigation system 2 to determine estimated arrival times which take into account, instead of the speed limits specified by its integrated mapping, speed limits applicable to the particular driver. To do this, it transmits for example data characterizing an instruction to modify the calculation of estimated arrival times to the navigation system 2, which the latter executes upon receipt.The data characterizing at least one speed limit applicable to the particular driver, which contain one or more tables indicating roads taken and their corresponding speed limits, are recorded on the data storage medium 102 of the device 100 according to the invention or in a data storage medium of the navigation system 2. Thus, at the end of this third step 203 of the method, the determination of estimated arrival times in correspondence with routes calculated by the navigation system 2 is advantageously adapted by taking into account speed limits applicable to the particular driver.

[0033] Thus, thanks to the method and the device according to the invention described above, a solution is provided so that a navigation system of a motor vehicle is able to provide estimated arrival times which can be adapted according to certain categories of drivers, in particular drivers who drive as part of early learning to drive and those for whom a probationary period applies after obtaining a driving license. In this way, the invention improves the relevance of navigation systems and, therefore, the overall ergonomics of motor vehicles.

Claims

Claims

1. Method for managing, by a computer device (100) on board a motor vehicle (1), the operation of a navigation system (2) of the vehicle, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: i. providing a capability for specifying the fact that the vehicle is driven by a particular driver; ii. determining, when a route calculation by the navigation system is required, whether the fact that the vehicle is driven by a particular driver is specified; and, when it is established that this is the case, iii. causing the navigation system to use data characterizing at least one speed limit applicable to the particular driver in connection with at least one type of road previously established to determine an estimated arrival time in correspondence with a calculated route.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that step i) is carried out by means of an input interface of the navigation system which allows said specification as a navigation parameter of the navigation system (2), said navigation parameter being deleted as soon as the ignition of the vehicle is switched off.

3. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that step i) is carried out by means of an input interface of a human-machine interface (3) of the vehicle which allows said specification as a parameter of a user profile.

4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that step ii) comprises a step of accessing the user profile.

5. Method according to one of claims 3-4, characterized in that step ii) comprises a step consisting of checking the user profile according to the current date.

6. Method according to one of claims 2-5, characterized in that step ii) comprises a step consisting of verifying the specification of the navigation parameter.

7. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that that the said specification makes it possible to establish driving within the framework of early learning to drive or a date for obtaining a driving license.

8. Device (100) for managing the operation of a navigation system of a motor 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), which are configured to implement a method according to any one of the preceding claims.

9. A computer program comprising program code instructions for executing the steps of a method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 when said program is executed by at least one processor.

10. Motor vehicle (1), characterized in that it comprises a device (100) according to claim 8.

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