Control system for at least one function from a set of functions in a vehicle interior, associated method and computer program

Abstract

Control system for at least one feature from a set of features in a vehicle interior, associated method and computer program. This control system includes a display screen (8), at least one image sensor (12) and a physical element (10) mechanically linked to said display screen and movable by a user between at least two distinct positions, said physical element (10) not being electrically connected to said display screen (8), said at least one image sensor (12) being configured to capture images of said physical element (10) and of at least a part of the display screen (8).The system includes an electronic control unit configured to: assign a function to said physical element, detect in at least one image captured by said sensor (12) a position of said physical element following a user manipulation, determine an action associated with said function, the action being variable according to the position of the physical element, and command the implementation of the action corresponding to the position of the physical element. Figure for the abbreviation: Figure 1.

Description

Title of the invention: System for controlling at least one functionality from a set of functionalities in a vehicle interior, associated method and computer program

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for controlling at least one functionality among a set of functionalities in a vehicle interior.

[0002] The invention also relates to a method for controlling at least one functionality from a set of functionalities in an associated vehicle interior, as well as an associated computer program.

[0003] The invention lies in the field of human-machine interfaces for vehicles, and in particular for motor vehicles.

[0004] Various vehicles, and in particular motor vehicles, include on-board computing systems, which are configured to control numerous on-board devices, and to control actions associated with various functionalities.

[0005] To control actions associated with various functionalities, in particular comfort functionalities, for example adjusting the temperature in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, the light, the amount of ventilation, etc., it is usual to present dedicated human-machine interfaces. A large number of interfaces to be installed in the passenger compartment, typically at the front of the vehicle, at the dashboard level, results in a large footprint. In addition, each interface must be connected to the equipment and / or to an electronic control unit, which results in complex connections.

[0006] To alleviate this clutter, it has been proposed to use gesture controls performed by the vehicle users, for example by the driver, the vehicle being equipped with cameras for detecting the direction of the driver's and / or passengers' gaze. This solution is not satisfactory, however, because to control many interfaces, many gestures must be learned. In addition, such controls are not natural and are not appreciated by users. In addition, this type of control adds a mental load on the driver, which presents safety risks.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to propose a human-machine interface which is simplified in terms of size and electrical wiring, while being easy to use for a user of the vehicle, for example the driver.

[0008] To this end, the invention relates to a system for controlling at least one functionality from a set of functionalities in a vehicle interior, comprising a display screen and at least one image sensor. This system comprises a physical element mechanically linked to said display screen and movable by a user between at least two distinct positions, said physical element not being electrically connected to said screen, said at least one image sensor being configured to capture images of said physical element and of at least a portion of the display screen, the system further comprising an electronic control unit connected to said image sensor, the electronic control unit being configured to: - assign a functionality to said physical element, - detect, in at least one image captured by said sensor, a position of said physical element following user manipulation, - determine an action associated with said functionality, the action being variable depending on the position of the physical element, and - order the implementation of the action corresponding to the position of the physical element.

[0009] Advantageously, the use of a physical element which is simply linked by a mechanical connection to the display screen and which is not electrically connected makes it possible to minimize the number of interface elements and electrical connections required, while being simple and intuitive to use for a user of the vehicle.

[0010] According to other advantageous aspects of the invention, the control system comprises one or more of the following characteristics, taken individually or in all technically possible combinations.

[0011] The physical element is a button, a modification of the position of said button being carried out by rotation of the button.

[0012] The physical element is a cursor, a modification of the position of said cursor being carried out by a translation of said cursor.

[0013] The system is configured to display, on said display screen, a menu relating to the functionality assigned to said physical element, the menu comprising sections arranged so that the selected position of the physical element indicates one of said sections.

[0014] The system is configured to display, on said display screen, a main menu of the functionalities of said set of functionalities.

[0015] The system further comprises a module for tracking a direction of gaze of one of the users of the vehicle, and the allocation of a functionality to said physical element is carried out as a function of the detected direction of gaze, the functionality of the main menu towards which the direction of gaze is oriented being allocated to said physical element.

[0016] Assigning functionality to said physical element is performed by implementing manipulation of the physical element to indicate a displayed functionality. in the main menu, and detection, in an image captured by said sensor, of the position of said physical element.

[0017] The system further comprises a voice recognition module, and the allocation of a functionality to said physical element is carried out by voice command.

[0018] The invention also relates to a method for controlling at least one functionality from a set of functionalities in a vehicle interior, implemented by a system as briefly described above. The system comprises steps of: - allocation of a functionality to said physical element, - detection, in at least one image captured by said sensor, of a position of said physical element following manipulation by the user, - determination of an action associated with said functionality, the action being variable depending on the position of the physical element, and - command of the implementation of the action corresponding to the position of the physical element.

[0019] The invention also relates to a computer program comprising software instructions which, when executed by a computer, implement a method for controlling at least one functionality from a set of functionalities in a vehicle interior as defined above.

[0020] The invention will appear more clearly on reading the description which follows, given solely by way of non-limiting example, and made with reference to the drawings in which:

[0021] [Fig-1] [Fig.l] is a schematic view of a part of a vehicle passenger compartment in which a control system is installed;

[0022] [Fig.2] [Fig.2] is a block diagram of a control system according to one embodiment;

[0023] [Fig.3] [Fig.3] is a flowchart of the main steps of a control method according to one embodiment.

[0024] The 1 figure schematically illustrates a part of the passenger compartment 2 of a motor vehicle 5.

[0025] The invention applies more generally to any other type of vehicle.

[0026] The passenger compartment part 2 is a front part of the vehicle, comprising a windshield 4 and a dashboard 6.

[0027] A display screen 8 is for example inserted into the dashboard 6.

[0028] Advantageously, a physical element 10, represented by a button movable in rotation, between at least two distinct positions, is mechanically attached to the display screen 8.

[0029] Advantageously, the physical element 10 is not electrically connected to the screen. display 8.

[0030] Furthermore, the vehicle interior 2 comprises an image sensor 12, in the illustrated example a camera 12, which is positioned so as to capture, in its viewing angle, images of said display screen and of said physical element.

[0031] The physical element 10 can be manipulated by a user, in particular by an action of the hand 14 of the user. The user is typically a user of the vehicle 5, for example the driver or the front passenger.

[0032] In the example illustrated, the rotary button 10 can be turned in a first direction (e.g. to the left) and in a second direction (e.g. to the right) by the user.

[0033] On the display screen 8 is displayed a menu 16, comprising several sections 18i, 182, 183, 184.

[0034] In one embodiment, a functionality is previously assigned to the physical element 10, and each section 18; of the displayed menu 16 is associated with an action associated with the assigned functionality.

[0035] Manipulating the physical element 10, i.e. rotating the button to indicate one of the sections, allows the user to position the button by indicating, by the position of the button 10.

[0036] Preferably, the button is provided with a marker, for example a colored mark, the marker pointing in a direction chosen by the user.

[0037] The functionality associated with the button is, for example, controlling the ventilation speed or adjusting the temperature in the passenger compartment.

[0038] Advantageously, it is proposed to detect in images captured by the image sensor 12, a modification of the position of the physical element 10 by a user, and to determine an action associated with the functionality attributed to the physical element, the action being variable depending on the position of the physical element 10.

[0039] Alternatively or additionally, the menu 16 is a main menu, and each section 18 displayed is representative of a functionality, the set of sections 18 corresponding to a set of functionalities. The manipulation of the physical element 10 by the user then makes it possible to select one of the functionalities, and therefore to assign a functionality from the set of functionalities proposed to the physical element 10.

[0040] In the illustrated example, the sections 18 of the menu 16 are represented in the form of small icons. Alternatively, any form of menu sections can be used, provided that the manipulation of the physical element 10 makes it possible to indicate a section chosen by the user. For example, for a rotary knob, the sections, of any shape, are positioned so as to be distributed angularly around the rotary knob.

[0041] According to a variant, the physical element is a cursor that can be moved in translation, and the menu sections are then distributed linearly along the movement path provided for the cursor.

[0042] [Fig. 2] schematically illustrates a system 20 for controlling at least one functionality from a set of functionalities in a vehicle interior.

[0043] The system 20 comprises a display screen 8, a physical element 10 mechanically linked to the display screen and manipulable by the user according to at least one degree of freedom and at least one image sensor 12.

[0044] The physical element 10 is advantageously movable between at least two distinct positions, preferably movable gradually, in an almost continuous manner, between two stop positions.

[0045] The system 20 further comprises an electronic control unit (ECU) 22, which is connected to the image sensor(s) 12, to the display screen 8, via a communication bus.

[0046] The electronic control unit 22 forms a programmable electronic device comprising a calculation processor 23, an electronic memory unit 24 and communication interface units 25, connected by an internal communication bus 26.

[0047] The electronic control unit 22 configured to control actions for the implementation of various functionalities by on-board devices 28. The on-board equipment 28 is diverse, for example a passenger compartment thermal module, seat control module, infotainment system.

[0048] In addition, the electronic control unit 22 is configured to communicate with the image sensor 12.

[0049] The electronic control unit 22 is further configured to control the display on the display screen 8.

[0050] The calculation processor 23 of the electronic control unit 22 is configured to execute a module 30 for assigning a functionality to the physical element 10, a module 32 for detecting in an image captured by the image sensor 12 the position of the physical element 10 following manipulation of the physical element by the user, a module 34 for determining an action associated with the position of the physical element 10 and a module 36 for controlling the implementation of the action corresponding to the position of the physical element.

[0051] Optionally, the system 20 further comprises a voice recognition module 38, which is either independent and connected to the electronic control unit 22, or integrated into the electronic control unit 22.

[0052] The voice recognition module 38 is configured to recognize a voice command for assigning a functionality to the physical element. voice command is given for example by the driver or another user of the vehicle.

[0053] Optionally, the system further comprises a module 40 for detecting the direction of gaze of one of the users of the vehicle, for example the driver, the module 40 being either independent and connected to the electronic control unit 22, or integrated into the image sensor 12. The module 40 for detecting the direction of gaze integrates for example an image sensor judiciously positioned in the passenger compartment of the vehicle and a calculation processor making it possible to detect the direction of gaze of the driver, for example by a 3D vector in a given spatial reference frame. Such modules for detecting the direction of gaze of the driver are known, for example in the field of driver supervision systems or DMS (for “Driver Monitoring Systems” in English).

[0054] The module 40 is configured to detect the direction of gaze, for example of the driver of the vehicle and to transmit this direction to the electronic control unit 22 which is configured to assign a functionality to the physical element 10 according to the direction of gaze detected.

[0055] Each of the voice recognition modules 38 and 40 for detecting the direction of gaze is connected to the electronic control unit 22.

[0056] Advantageously, the physical element 10 is not electrically connected to the display screen.

[0057] More generally, in embodiments, the physical element 10 does not include an electrical connection cable, so it is not electrically connected to any other element of the system 20.

[0058] In one embodiment, the modules 30, 32, 34, 36 and optionally 38, 40 are produced in the form of software instructions forming a computer program, which, when executed by a computer, implements a control method according to the invention.

[0059] The computer program comprising software instructions is further capable of being recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium is, for example, a medium capable of storing the electronic instructions and of being coupled to a bus of a computer system. For example, the readable medium is an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM memory, a RAM memory, any type of non-volatile memory (for example EPROM, EEPROM, FLASH, NVRAM), a magnetic card or an optical card.

[0060] In a variant not shown, the modules 30, 32, 34, 36 and optionally 38, 40 are each produced in the form of programmable logic components, such as FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) or microprocessors, GPGPU components (General-purpose processing on graphics processing), or dedicated integrated circuits, such as ASICs (Application Specified In-tegrated Circuit).

[0061] [Fig. 3] is a flowchart of the main steps of a method for controlling at least one functionality from a set of functionalities according to one embodiment.

[0062] The method is implemented by a control system 20 as described above.

[0063] The method comprises a step 50 of assigning a functionality, from among a plurality of functionalities, to a physical element 10.

[0064] Preferably, the allocation of a functionality is carried out in interaction with the user.

[0065] Several embodiments of this step are envisaged.

[0066] For example, step 50 is implemented by voice recognition, the functionality being selected by the user and spoken aloud. A voice recognition module 38 is then implemented.

[0067] According to a variant, during step 50, a menu called the main menu, comprising a plurality of proposed functionalities, is displayed (step 52) on the display screen.

[0068] The allocation of a functionality is for example carried out following the detection of the direction of gaze of a chosen user, for example the driver, the allocated functionality being that towards which the detected direction of gaze is oriented among the displayed functionalities.

[0069] According to another variant, the display screen is a touch screen, and the user selects by pressing on the screen, using a finger for example, on a section of the display screen containing the display of a functionality.

[0070] According to another variant, following the display of the main menu, the main menu comprising several sections, each section containing the display of a functionality, the user's selection is carried out by manipulating the physical element to indicate by the position of the physical element the selected functionality.

[0071] Two or more of the preceding variants may be combined, thereby improving ergonomics for users and making the assignment of functionality to the physical element more robust.

[0072] After assigning a functionality to the physical element, the method comprises an optional step of displaying a menu relating to the assigned functionality, the menu comprising sections, each section being associated with an action linked to the functionality assigned to the physical element.

[0073] Displaying a menu relating to the functionality is optional, because for certain functionalities such a display is not necessary. For example, for the functionality "temperature control", a convention for moving the physical element may be applied: for example, in the case of a rotary knob, rotation in a first direction, for example to the left, indicates a decrease in temperature, and rotation in a second direction, to the right, indicates an increase in temperature. Similarly, when the physical element is a slider, moving the slider in a first direction, for example to the left, indicates a decrease in temperature, and moving it in a second direction, to the right, indicates an increase in temperature. This type of operation also applies, for example, when the functionality is the adjustment of the amount of ventilation or the level of lighting in the passenger compartment.

[0074] For other features, it is useful to display multiple sections, for example icons containing text or illustrations, to indicate categories of actions associated with the feature.

[0075] The method comprises a step 54 of acquiring at least one image, obtained by the image sensor, showing the physical element and all or part of the display screen, then a step 56 of analyzing the captured image(s) to determine a position of the physical element following manipulation by the user.

[0076] The position of the physical element is for example relative to a predetermined axis when, for example a vertical axis for a rotary button, a horizontal axis relative to a cursor.

[0077] The method then comprises a step 58 of determining an action, associated with the functionality assigned to the physical element, as a function of the position of the physical element.

[0078] For example, when a menu relating to the functionality is displayed, the position relative to the predetermined axis indicates (i.e. points to) one of the displayed sections, and the action associated with the indicated section is the action determined in step 58.

[0079] More generally, the action to be commanded is variable depending on the position of the physical element.

[0080] The method further comprises a step 60 of controlling the implementation of the action determined in step 58.

[0081] The invention has been described in an embodiment in which a physical element 10 is placed on the dashboard and mechanically linked to the dashboard.

[0082] According to variants, several such physical elements (eg buttons and / or sliders) are installed, so as to easily allow the control of several functionalities at the same time.

[0083] Advantageously, the necessary electrical wiring is greatly reduced, and the number of human-machine interface elements is also reduced.

[0084] Advantageously, the connection between the physical element and the screen is simply mechanical, maintenance and upkeep are made easier.

[0085] Advantageously, any evolution or update of the functionalities is mainly done by software programming, without the need to modify the wiring, so updating the on-board functionalities is facilitated.

Claims

Claims

1. Control system (20) of at least one functionality from a set of functionalities in a vehicle interior, comprising a display screen (8) and at least one image sensor (12), characterized in that it comprises a physical element (10) mechanically linked to said display screen and movable by a user between at least two distinct positions, said physical element (10) not being electrically connected to said display screen (8), said at least one image sensor (12) being configured to capture images of said physical element (10) and of at least a portion of the display screen (8), the system (20) further comprising an electronic control unit (22) connected to said image sensor (12), the electronic control unit being configured to: - assign (30) a functionality to said physical element, - detect (32) in at least one image captured by said sensor (12),a position of said physical element (10) following manipulation of said physical element (10) by the user, - determining (34) an action associated with said functionality, the action being variable depending on the position of the physical element (10), and - controlling (36) the implementation of the action corresponding to the position of the physical element.,

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said physical element (10) is a button, a change in the position of said button being effected by rotation of the button.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said physical element (10) is a cursor, a modification of the position of said cursor being effected by a translation of said cursor.

4. System according to any one of claims 1 to 3, configured to display, on said display screen (8), a menu relating to the functionality assigned to said physical element, the menu comprising sections (18i,..,184) arranged so that the selected position of the physical element (10) indicates one of said sections.

5. System according to any one of claims 1 to 4, configured to display, on said display screen (8), a main menu of the features of said feature set

6. System according to claim 5, further comprising a module (40) for detecting a direction of gaze of one of the users of the vehicle, and in which the allocation of a functionality to said physical element is carried out according to the direction of gaze detected, the functionality of the main menu towards which the direction of gaze is oriented being allocated to said physical element (10).

7. The system of claim 5, wherein assigning functionality to said physical element (10) is performed by performing a manipulation of the physical element (10) to indicate functionality displayed in the main menu, and detecting, in an image captured by said sensor, the position of said physical element (10).

8. System according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a voice recognition module (38), in which the allocation of a functionality to said physical element (10) is carried out by voice command.

9. Method for controlling at least one functionality from a set of functionalities in a vehicle interior, implemented by a system according to claims 1 to 8, comprising steps of: - attributing (50) a functionality to said physical element, - detecting (54, 56), in at least one image captured by said sensor, a position of said physical element following manipulation of said physical element by the user, - determining (58) an action associated with said functionality, the action being variable depending on the position of the physical element, and - controlling (60) the implementation of the action corresponding to the position of the physical element.

10. A computer program comprising executable code instructions, which, when executed by a programmable electronic device, implement a control method according to claim 9.

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