Navigation data acquisition and processing system for a motor vehicle

Abstract

Navigation data acquisition and processing system (SAT) comprising a management module (MDG) capable of managing navigation data read by a first reading means (CMV) belonging to a vehicle (VHL) or a second reading means (CMS) belonging to a communicating portable terminal (SMP) held by a user (USG) of the vehicle; the first or second means being capable of reading a two-dimensional pattern (MTF) with optical reading containing navigation data; said management module being capable of communicating with connected services (TCU, TCP) for processing the navigation data read by the first reading means when the navigation data cannot be used directly by the navigation system or of directly transmitting the navigation data to the navigation system when the navigation data are read and processed from the communicating portable terminal. (Figure 1)

Description

Title of the invention: Navigation data acquisition and processing system for a motor vehicle

[0001] The present invention relates generally to connected navigation systems for motor vehicles and relates more particularly to a system for acquiring and processing navigation data for a motor vehicle allowing the user of the vehicle to temporarily add a destination, or a destination point of interest (also referred to as POI, an English acronym for "Point Of Interest"), to the navigation system for guiding the vehicle towards this POI from a two-dimensional optically readable pattern such as a QR Code (Quick Response Code) type pattern present on a physical medium available to the user of the vehicle and encoding the GPS coordinates of the POI.

[0002] By “ephemeral” POI is meant a POI which has not been previously recorded in a cartographic database of the navigation system and which is not intended to be recorded in said database.

[0003] A connected navigation system, when it is embedded in a vehicle, is generally integrated into, or coupled with, a so-called vehicle infotainment system which manages exchanges between the vehicle and the outside world: remote servers, portable communication terminals, etc.

[0004] An infotainment system, also designated by the English acronym "IVI", for "In-Vehicle Infotainment", or IVI system, or multimedia system, refers to a system which combines entertainment and the provision of information to drivers and passengers.

[0005] Such an infotainment system conventionally comprises a central unit associated with a digital display screen equipped with a touch control interface, also called a multimedia screen or navigation screen, allowing the user of the vehicle, and in particular the driver, to browse a menu tree giving him access to numerous functions of the vehicle and in particular to connected navigation via the vehicle navigation system implementing digital map data and real-time location data of the vehicle provided by a geolocation device, commonly referred to as a “GPS” receiver or simply “GPS”, an English acronym for “Global Positioning System”, using GPS coordinates to guide the vehicle in its road environment.

[0006] The navigation system also benefits from another functionality of the infotainment system: connectivity to the exterior of the vehicle and in particular to one or more remote servers, capable of providing different services to the user, also referred to as “connected services”.

[0007] These remote servers make it possible, in connection with the vehicle's infotainment system, to provide in real time with high throughputs and low latency times, data relating to car navigation, by means of secure access via a dedicated application and a subscription to the connected service dedicated to car navigation.

[0008] Using a search engine in the navigation system, a destination address or POI can be searched for from the infotainment system screen. Once the address or POI is selected, the search engine calculates a route to guide the user, who is usually the driver of the vehicle, to their destination.

[0009] A connected navigation system for a motor vehicle must be able to adapt to an increasingly connected world, hungry for information obtained quickly, with easy and reliable access.

[0010] Today, QR Codes, already introduced above, are increasingly used to concentrate information and make it accessible to as many people as possible.

[0011] Such QR Codes can be found, for example, at events such as concerts, festivals, amusement parks; ... fixed on different physical media such as "flyers" or tickets sold online. They can contain concentrated information, in particular, on the event's programming but also contain navigation information to go directly to this event.

[0012] To date, there are no simple to implement and reliable solutions in navigation systems belonging to or coupled with an infotainment system for the exploitation of a QR Code type pattern containing navigation information and in particular GPS coordinates of a destination, or POIs for the guidance of a vehicle.

[0013] To overcome these drawbacks, the invention proposes a flexible solution allowing the use of QR Codes to be fully integrated into the world of connected navigation.

[0014] To this end, the present invention relates to a system for acquiring and processing navigation data for guiding a motor vehicle; said system comprising an infotainment system on board the vehicle comprising a navigation data management module, a connected navigation system coupled to the management module; said management module being capable of managing navigation data read by a first reading means belonging to the vehicle or a second reading means belonging to a communicating portable terminal held by a user of the vehicle; the first or second means being capable of reading a two-dimensional optically readable pattern containing navigation data for guiding the vehicle to a destination related to said navigation data; said management module being capable of communicating by radio with connected services provided by remote servers for processing the navigation data read by the first reading means when the navigation data cannot be used directly by the navigation system or of directly transmitting the navigation data to the navigation system when the navigation data is read and processed from the communicating portable terminal.

[0015] According to one characteristic, the communicating portable terminal hosts a mobile application dedicated to automobile navigation and which, in connection with a remote server, are capable of implementing an analysis module and means for processing the pattern read by the second reading means; said communicating portable terminal being capable of transmitting to the management module processed navigation data, directly usable by the navigation system when the communicating portable terminal is connected and paired with the infotainment system and selected to read the pattern.

[0016] According to another characteristic, the communicating portable terminal, when it is connected to the infotainment system, is connected by a wired connection of the USB type or a wireless communication network using a 5G protocol or a wifi technology.

[0017] According to another characteristic, the first reading means is arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

[0018] According to another characteristic, the first or second reading means are cameras capable of capturing pixels of at least one image of the pattern in which the navigation data are coded.

[0019] According to another characteristic, the management module communicates with the remote servers via a wireless communication network using a 5G protocol or Wi-Fi technology.

[0020] According to another characteristic, a navigation screen with a touch interface is coupled to the navigation system and configured to display the pattern read by the first or second reading means, in a so-called "pop-up" window when one of the first or second reading means has been selected by the user of the vehicle.

[0021] According to another characteristic, the first or second reading means is selected by the user from a touch interface of the navigation screen.

[0022] According to another characteristic, the navigation data contains GPS coordinates of a destination, used by the navigation system to guide the vehicle towards said destination.

[0023] According to another characteristic, the navigation system comprises a connected navigation interface also designated by “Send to Nav”, making it possible, from the navigation data received and processed, to create ephemeral destination addresses in the navigation system for guiding the vehicle.

[0024] Another advantage of the present invention is to be able to send a “temporary” destination that can be used directly by the navigation system and without having to enter or dictate the address, or POI, to the navigation system and by using a single navigation architecture for both “onboard” and “offboard” navigation.

[0025] Other advantages and characteristics of the present invention 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:

[0026] [Fig-1] illustrates a first functional architecture of an acquisition system and of processing navigation data according to the invention;

[0027] [Fig.2] illustrates a selection mode for reading a QR Code by an image capture means of the system according to the invention;

[0028] [Fig.3] illustrates an interactive visual interface displayed on a screen of the system according to the invention;

[0029] [Fig.4] illustrates a second functional architecture of a system according to the invention.

[0030] The main objective of the system according to the invention is to be able to use a QR Code present on a physical medium such as a “flyer”, ticket, etc. or on the screen of a portable communicating terminal held by a user, in particular a smartphone, directly via resources specific to the vehicle or by using the user's smartphone, thanks to a mobile navigation application developed by or for the automobile manufacturer of the user's vehicle.

[0031] This requires that the user's smartphone be paired with (or recognized by) the vehicle's infotainment system via radio waves, via a connection to a 5G or Wi-Fi type wireless communication network or wired via a USB cable.

[0032] The navigation data acquisition and processing system according to the invention must be a “flexible” system, which operates both for an “on-board” navigation system (with the vehicle’s own resources) thanks to a first image capture means belonging to the vehicle which makes it possible to read a QR Code, or for an “off-board” navigation system with reading of the QR code using a second image capture means via the user’s smartphone and a mobile application dedicated to car navigation.

[0033] The means for capturing images of the vehicle is for example a camera already present in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, belonging to a drowsiness detection system of the driver or any other camera facing the interior of the passenger compartment, whether or not dedicated to reading a QR Code.

[0034] The image capturing means of the smartphone is achieved by the camera function, or photo camera, of the smartphone.

[0035] By convention, the same term “camera” will be used to designate both means of capturing images.

[0036] Similarly, the term “QR Code” will be used to designate any type of two-dimensional optically readable pattern consisting of pixels forming an image and in which GPS coordinates are directly or indirectly coded to be used by the vehicle's connected navigation system.

[0037] [Fig.l] illustrates a first functional architecture of an acquisition and processing system S AT according to the invention in a configuration in which a connected navigation system SNC embedded in an infotainment system SID itself embedded in a motor vehicle VHL.

[0038] According to this first architecture, the VHL vehicle comprises an interior camera CMV installed in the passenger compartment of the VHL vehicle, arranged for example on the dashboard of the VHL vehicle, in the vicinity of the interior rearview mirror,.... The interior camera CMV is capable of acquiring an image of a QR Code MTF presented in front of the interior camera CMV by the user USG of the VHL vehicle.

[0039] The connected navigation system SNC comprises an image analysis module MAI which is capable of identifying, in the image captured (or scanned) by the interior camera CMV, navigation data among the pixels of the image when the interior camera CMV is selected by the user USG to read the QR Code MTF. The interior camera CMV is coupled to the image analysis module MAI of the connected navigation system SNC via a software interface, generally designated by the English acronym “API” for “Application Programming Interface”.

[0040] The navigation data encoded in the QR Code are GPS coordinates of the destination, or POI, to which the VHL vehicle must be guided. These GPS coordinates can be encoded inside the QR Code (pixels) according to different types of coding and the system according to the invention must be able to process these different types of coding.

[0041] Among the main types of coding, there is a direct coding of GPS coordinates in the pixels of the image, or a coding of a connection address (or "URL", an English acronym for "Uniform Resource Locator") giving access to a website allowing the GPS coordinates to be decoded from the pixels of the image, or by character recognition of the connection address. There is also a coding format based on the arrangement of the pixels in the image.

[0042] When the code present in the MTF QR Code are GPS coordinates, CGP, they are directly used by the MAI analysis module and transmitted to a connected navigation interface STN also designated by “Send to Nav”, in English terminology, making it possible to create destination addresses or “ephemeral” POIs in the connected navigation system SNC for guiding the VHL vehicle.

[0043] The infotainment system SID also comprises a navigation data management module MDG capable of managing and / or processing the navigation data captured either by the interior camera CMV of the vehicle VHL or by the camera CMS of the user's smartphone USG.

[0044] When the coding type of the MTF QR Code does not allow the MAI analysis module to directly extract the GPS, CGP coordinates from the pixels of the MTF QR Code image, the MDG management module recovers the data and implements remote TCU, TCP processing means, via remote servers, to decode the data according to the data coding type.

[0045] These TCU, TCP processing means are presented in the form of connected services dedicated respectively to the processing of QR Codes and which once the processing is carried out, return the processed (decoded) data to the MDG management module.

[0046] The MDG management module communicates with the remote servers via a wireless communication network using a 5G protocol or Wi-Fi technology.

[0047] Depending on the type of coding, QCU (“URL” code) or QCP (“Pixel” code), the MDG management module transmits the processed data either directly to the connected navigation interface STN, if the processed data correspond to the GPS coordinates, CGP, or again to the MAI analysis module when the processed data (pixels) can be used by the MAL analysis module.

[0048] The same MDG management module is also capable of receiving navigation data transmitted by a SMP smartphone of the USG user when the latter (the SMP smartphone) is connected to the SID infotainment system and previously selected by the USG user to read the MTF pattern.

[0049] This requires that the USG user's SMP smartphone can communicate with the SID infotainment system after pairing the SMP smartphone with the SID infotainment system of the VHL vehicle.

[0050] The exchanges between the SMP smartphone and the SID infotainment system are carried out via waves via a 5G or Wi-Fi type wireless communication network or via a USB cable.

[0051] The USG user's SMP smartphone hosts a connected APM navigation mobile application developed by or for the car manufacturer of the USG user's VHL vehicle and accessible by means of a subscription by the USG user.

[0052] This APM connected navigation mobile application makes it possible to process the navigation data captured by the CMS camera of the SMP smartphone, using remote processing means TCN in a remote server SDC belonging to the car manufacturer of the VHL vehicle after analysis of the MTF QR Code by an MTS analysis module specific to the SMP smartphone or which can be remote in the SDC server.

[0053] These TCN processing means make it possible to extract the GPS coordinates, CGP, from the navigation data coded with different types of coding: QCU (URL coding) or QCP (pixel coding) and which are then transmitted to the MDG management module which itself transmits them directly to the STN connected navigation interface.

[0054] The SAT system according to the invention is “flexible” in the sense that it allows two modes of acquisition of navigation data (with two reading means) of an MTF QR Code and the taking into account of different types of coding with a single functional architecture both on board and off board.

[0055] A scenario for processing and acquiring navigation data according to the invention is described below, based on a first functional architecture of the SAT system, illustrated in [Fig.l], by successively considering first and second means for reading the MTF QR Code.

[0056] According to the first reading means, it is the interior camera CMV of the VHL vehicle which is used by the USG user to capture the image of the MTF QR Code.

[0057] The USG user presents the MTF QR Code in front of the CMV interior camera of the VHL vehicle.

[0058] Previously, the USG user has informed the SID infotainment system that he wishes to scan a MTF QR Code from the CMV interior camera of the VHL vehicle.

[0059] To do this, two selection modes are available to him: either by touching a “QR Code” ITM touch icon displayed on a touch interface of an ECN navigation screen coupled to the SNC on-board navigation system, as illustrated in [Fig.2], or, from the “search for an address or POI” menu of the SNC navigation system accessible via the touch interface of the ECN navigation screen.

[0060] Regardless of the selection mode, when the USG user touches the QR code ITM touch icon directly displayed on the ECN screen or from the “search for an address or a POI” menu, a PUP window, also referred to as a “pop-up” window in English terminology, is displayed superimposed on the display of the CAR map on the ECN navigation screen, as illustrated in [Fig.3].

[0061] This PUP “pop up” window defining a visual and interactive interface, invites the USG user to scan the MTF QR Code, after touching the “Scan” touch button displayed in the PUP “pop up” window, or following an input error, to cancel the operation after touching the “Cancel” touch button displayed in the PUP “pop up” window.

[0062] As illustrated in [Fig.3], a MIR control pattern is displayed in the center of the PUP pop-up window to allow the USG user to center the MTF QR Code in front of the CMV indoor camera. A validation message is then displayed, replacing the display of the MIR pattern, indicating to the USG user that the MTF QR Code has been taken into account.

[0063] Once the MTF QR Code is acquired, the coding type is identified from the pixels of the image acquired by the CMV indoor camera before starting the processing. If no navigation data coding type is identified, the USG user is informed, for example via a visual message displayed on the ECN screen, that the processing is impossible.

[0064] The MAI analysis module of the SNC navigation system analyzes the pixels of the image and, depending on the type of coding of the pixels of the image, directly processes the navigation data or transmits them to the MDG management module for processing.

[0065] In the case where the QR Code contains GPS coordinates that can be directly used from the pixels of the image by the MAI analysis module, the latter recovers the GPS coordinates and transmits them to the connected navigation interface STN.

[0066] Otherwise, the MDG management module processes the navigation data transmitted by the MAI analysis module, by communicating via the airwaves, with a connected TCU, remote TCP service dedicated to a type of coding of the MTF QR Code: QCU (“URL” code) or QCP (“Pixels” code).

[0067] If the MTF QR Code contains an address, URL link, which refers to a website, the MDG management module connects to the website via said address.

[0068] Once the data has been processed by the connected service TCU, the management module MDG retrieves the GPS coordinates, CGP and transmits them to the connected navigation interface STN of the navigation system SNC.

[0069] If the MTF QR Code contains a pixel coding of the GPS coordinates, which cannot be used by the MAI analysis module, then the MDG management module connects to a TCP connected service allowing the extraction of pixels relating to the GPS coordinates.

[0070] Once the data has been processed by the TCP connected service, the MDG management module retrieves the pixels relating to the GPS coordinates and transmits them to the MAI analysis module which, after extracting the GPS coordinates, CGP, transmits them to the STN connected navigation interface of the SNC navigation system.

[0071] The dedicated connected services TCU, TCP communicate with the MDG management module via a wireless communication network using a 5G protocol or wifi technology.

[0072] Once the GPS coordinates, CGP, are recovered either from the management module MDG or directly from the analysis module MAI of the navigation system SNC, then sent to the connected navigation interface STN, the navigation system SNC transforms these GPS coordinates, CGP, into a POI conforming to a standard but “ephemeral” POI.

[0073] The USG user is invited, via the ECN navigation screen, to launch guidance to the POI with the GPS coordinates, CGP, present in the QR Code, if no journey was programmed upstream in the SNC navigation system or to replace the current journey with this POI, if the USG user had already launched guidance.

[0074] According to the second reading means, the image of the MTF QR Code is captured by the CMS camera present on the SMP smartphone of the USG user. The MTF QR Code is then processed by the APM connected navigation mobile application installed on the SMP smartphone of the USG user.

[0075] As for the first reading means, to be able to capture an image of the MTF QR Code from his SMP smartphone previously paired with the SID infotainment system of the VHL vehicle, the USG user must first inform the SID infotainment system that he wishes to capture an image of the MTF QR Code from his SMP smartphone.

[0076] The detection of the user's SMP smartphone by the SID infotainment system, when the latter has been previously paired with the VHL vehicle, is generally automatic by a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection. Thus, as soon as the USG user launches the APM connected navigation mobile application on his SMP smartphone, the SID infotainment system selects by default the acquisition mode by the CMS camera of the SMP smartphone.

[0077] The process of inviting to scan an MTF QR Code can then use the same interactive visual interface ([Fig.3]) as for the first acquisition mode on the ECN navigation screen or on a touch interface of the SMP smartphone.

[0078] The APM connected navigation mobile application is connected via the SMP smartphone to a remote SDC server belonging to the manufacturer of the VHL vehicle. This remote SDC server includes TCN processing means for processing the decoding of the pixels and also what the code contains (if the code contains an address, URL link, QCU (URL code), or if the code contains QCP pixels (Pixels code).

[0079] It then transmits the processed GPS and CGP coordinates to the MDG management module via the SMP smartphone.

[0080] The MDG management module then directly transmits the GPS, CGP coordinates to the STN connected navigation interface which transforms these GPS, CGP coordinates into a POI conforming to a standard but “ephemeral” POI.

[0081] As for the first reading means, the USG user is invited, via the ECN navigation screen, to launch guidance to the POI relating to the GPS coordinates, CGP, present in the MTF QR Code if no journey was programmed upstream in the SNC navigation system or to replace the current journey with this POI, if the USG user had already launched guidance.

[0082] [Fig.4] illustrates a second functional architecture of the system according to the invention.

[0083] In this second architecture, the MAI' analysis module is "disembarked", in other words, it no longer belongs to the VHL vehicle.

[0084] The analysis module MAI' belongs to a remote SDN server which provides a service dedicated to the analysis of the pixels of the image captured by the interior camera CMV of the vehicle VHL'. It is presented as a connected service in the same way as the processing means TCU and TCP and communicates with the infotainment system SID' of the vehicle VHL' via a wireless communication network of the 5G or wifi type.

[0085] In this second architecture, the connected navigation system SNC' of the vehicle VHL' is therefore relieved of the pixel analysis function. It receives the GPS coordinates, CGP, from the SDN server which are then used by the connected communication interface STN.

[0086] The MDG' management module of the SID' infotainment system is supplemented, in relation to the MDG management module of the first architecture, by an ISC connection interface with the SDN pixel analysis server.

[0087] For convenience, the ECN screen is not shown.

[0088] The other elements common to the first and second architectures are designated with the same references.

Claims

Claims

1. Navigation data acquisition and processing system (SAT) for guiding a motor vehicle (VHL); said system (SAT) comprising an infotainment system (SID) embedded in the vehicle (VHL) comprising a navigation data management module (MDG), a connected navigation system (SNC) coupled to the management module (MDG), said management module (MDG) being capable of managing navigation data read by a first reading means (CMV) belonging to the vehicle (VHL) or a second reading means (CMS) belonging to a communicating portable terminal (SMP) held by a user (USG) of the vehicle (VHL), the first or second means being capable of reading a two-dimensional pattern (MTF) with optical reading containing navigation data for guiding the vehicle (VHL) towards a destination in relation to said navigation data;said management module (MDG) being capable of communicating by radio with connected services (TCU, TCP) provided by remote servers for processing the navigation data read by the first reading means (CMV) when the navigation data cannot be used directly by the navigation system (SNC) or of directly transmitting the navigation data to the navigation system (SNC) when the navigation data are read and processed from the communicating portable terminal (SMP).;

2. System (SAT) according to the preceding claim, in which the communicating portable terminal (SMP) hosts a mobile application (APM) dedicated to automobile navigation and which, in connection with a remote server (SDC), are capable of implementing an analysis module (MTS) and processing means (TCN) of the pattern (MTF) read by the second reading means (CMS); said communicating portable terminal (SMP) being capable of transmitting to the management module (MDG) processed navigation data, directly usable by the navigation system (SNC) when the communicating portable terminal (SMP) is connected and paired with the infotainment system (SID) and selected to read the pattern (MTF).

3. System (SAT) according to the preceding claim, in which the communicating portable terminal (SMP), when it is connected to the infotainment system (SID), is connected by a wired connection of the USB type or a wireless communication network using a 5G protocol or Wi-Fi technology.

4. System (SAT) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the first reading means (CMV) is arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle (VHL).

5. System (SAT) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the first or second reading means (CMV, CMS) are cameras capable of capturing pixels of at least one image of the pattern (MTF) in which the navigation data are coded.

6. System (SAT) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the management module (MDG) communicates with the remote servers via a wireless communication network using a 5G protocol or wifi technology.

7. System (SAT) according to one of the preceding claims, in which a navigation screen with touch interface (ECN) is coupled to the navigation system (SNC) and configured to display the pattern (MTF) read by the first or second reading means (CMV, CMS), in a window (PUP) called "pop-up" when one of the first or second reading means (CMV, CMS) has been selected by the user (USG) of the vehicle (VHL).

8. System (SAT) according to the preceding claim, in which the first (CMV) or the second reading means (CMS) is selected by the user (USG) from a touch interface of the navigation screen (ECN).

9. System (SAT) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the navigation data contains GPS coordinates (GPC) of a destination, used by the navigation system (SNC) for guiding the vehicle (VHL) towards said destination.

10. System (SAT) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the navigation system (SNC) comprises a connected navigation interface (STN) also designated by “Send to Nav”, making it possible, from the navigation data received and processed, to create “ephemeral” destination addresses in the navigation system (SNC) for the guidance of the vehicle (VHL).

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