Blinking management of acceptance and refusal entries made with regard to notifications broadcast by a human-machine interface of a motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for managing acceptance and refusal entries made with regard to notifications (5) displayed in a graphical interface (4) broadcast by a human-machine interface (2) of a motor vehicle (1). The invention also relates to a device (100) implementing such a method as well as a motor vehicle (1) comprising such a device. Figure for the abstract: 1

Description

Title of the invention: Management by blinking of the eyes of acceptance and refusal entries made with regard to notifications broadcast by a human-machine interface of a motor vehicle Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of human-machine interfaces for motor vehicles, in particular those which use touch screens, digital instrument clusters or other head-up display systems. The invention relates in particular to a method for managing acceptance and refusal entries made with regard to notifications displayed in a graphical interface broadcast by a human-machine interface of a motor 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] The human-machine interfaces of certain modern motor vehicles include touch screens on which graphical interfaces are displayed in which graphical objects are used to display information and allow interactions with the driver or other occupants of the vehicles. Among this information, notifications are often displayed in particular to request acceptance and refusal input from the driver, in particular in the form of pop-ups. And to make these inputs, the driver is generally forced to press a finger on an acceptance zone or a refusal zone which are displayed within such notifications.However, due to the relatively small size of motor vehicle screens and their layout, often located on the central console of vehicles, making such entries requires the driver to divert his attention from driving to the screen, at least for a few brief moments, in order to be able to at least determine the positioning of the acceptance and refusal zones with which he must interact. However, the risk of an accident increases significantly when a driver does not have his full attention focused solely on the road and the driving environment. Also, known human-machine interfaces with motor vehicle touch screens, due to their limited interaction capacity, are likely to degrade driving safety. Summary of the invention

[0003] The invention aims to correct this problem. In particular, it aims to provide a solution to enable a driver of a motor vehicle equipped with a touchscreen human-machine interface to be able to make acceptance and refusal entries more safely with regard to notifications displayed on the screen. More specifically, the invention aims to provide a method and a device which enable a driver to make an acceptance or refusal entry with regard to a notification displayed on a touchscreen in a manner which minimizes as much as possible the time during which the driver has to divert his attention from driving, or which even enable the driver to make such an entry without having to divert his attention from driving at any time. In this way, the invention aims to improve the safety of human-machine interfaces of motor vehicles with touchscreens.

[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, acceptance and refusal entries made with regard to notifications displayed in a graphical interface broadcast by a human-machine interface of the vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: • determine whether, following the display in the graphical interface of a notification requesting an acceptance or refusal entry to be made by means of a tactile interaction with respect to an acceptance zone and a refusal zone of said notification, the driver winked; • determine data characterizing a side of the face corresponding to the eye with which the driver winked; and • determine data characterizing an acceptance entry or data characterizing a refusal entry based on data characterizing a side of the face corresponding to the eye with which the driver winked.

[0005] According to a variant, the data characterizing an acceptance input can be determined when said side of the face is the right side and the data characterizing a refusal input can be determined when said side of the face is the left side.

[0006] According to another variant, said acceptance zone can be displayed on the right side of said notification while said refusal zone can be displayed on the left side of said notification, a pictogram indicating the possibility of making an entry by blinking the eyes can be displayed in said notification.

[0007] According to yet another variant, the method may comprise a step of causing the provision of haptic or audible feedback, possibly when an acceptance input or a refusal input is made.

[0008] According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a device for managing data entries acceptance and refusal carried out with regard to notifications displayed in a graphical interface broadcast by a human-machine interface of a motor 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.

[0009] 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.

[0010] According to a fourth aspect, the invention relates to a medium usable in a computer on which a program as described above is recorded.

[0011] According to a fifth aspect, the invention relates to a motor vehicle which has a device as described above. Brief description of the figures

[0012] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on examining the detailed description below, and the appended figures, in which:

[0013] [Fig-1] is a diagram of a motor vehicle according to the invention;

[0014] [Fig.2] is a functional diagram of a device according to the invention;

[0015] [Fig.3] is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a method according to the invention. Detailed description of the invention

[0016] In [Fig.l] a motor vehicle 1 according to the invention is schematically illustrated. This is conventionally equipped with a human-machine interface 2, which preferably comprises a screen 3 provided with a touch-sensitive display surface on which a graphical interface 4 is broadcast in which a notification 5 requesting an acceptance or refusal entry is displayed, for example in the form of a pop-up. When this occurs, the driver can conventionally make a refusal entry or an acceptance entry by means of a finger press carried out, respectively, at a refusal zone 6 located on the left side of the notification 5 or an acceptance zone 7 located on the right side of the notification 5.

[0017] Also conventionally, the vehicle 1 according to the invention comprises a camera 8 arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle to continuously film the face of the driver of the vehicle 1, whether the vehicle 1 is moving or stationary. Such a camera 8 is possibly an integral part of a driver attention monitoring system which equips the vehicle 1 according to the invention.

[0018] Advantageously, the vehicle 1 also includes a device 100 for managing acceptance and refusal entries made with regard to notifications displayed in a graphical interface broadcast by a human-machine interface of a motor vehicle within the meaning of the invention, as described below, which implements a method for managing acceptance and refusal entries made with regard to notifications displayed in a graphical interface broadcast by a human-machine interface of a motor vehicle within the meaning of the invention, as briefly summarized below and described in detail further below.

[0019] When implementing the method, the driver can dispense with finger presses at particular locations of the notifications to make acceptance and rejection entries and, instead, use eye blinks to make such entries. In other words, an acceptance entry or a rejection entry is no longer only made by means of presses at the acceptance 6 and rejection 7 areas of the notification 5. On the contrary, the driver can also make these entries by performing a much simpler action which consists of winking, preferably with the left eye to make a rejection entry and with the right eye to make an acceptance entry.Incidentally, the driver no longer needs to determine any particular area of the screen 3 at which a finger press must be made to make an entry and, therefore, he can make such entries while keeping his attention fully devoted to driving. It is in this way that the invention advantageously contributes to promoting driving safety.

[0020] The device 100 according to the invention for managing acceptance and refusal entries made with regard to notifications displayed in a graphical interface broadcast by a human-machine interface of a motor vehicle which is on board the vehicle 1 according to the invention is illustrated in [Fig.2]. It is fundamentally 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.

[0021] Preferably, the device 100 according to the invention is hosted on one or more computers or other electronic control units of the vehicle 1. Alternatively, as illustrated in [Fig.l], 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 (eg CAN, Ethernet, MOST) - shown by the arrows - with a computer of the human-machine interface 2 of the vehicle 1 and with the camera 8. According to another embodiment, the device 100 according to the invention is partially or fully part of a computer of the human-machine interface 2 of the vehicle. By these means, the device 100 according to the invention is advantageously able, in particular, to determine whether, following the display in the graphical interface 4 broadcast by the human-machine interface 2 of a notification 5 requesting an acceptance or refusal entry to be made by means of a tactile interaction with respect to an acceptance zone 7 and a refusal zone 6 of said notification 5, the driver has winked.

[0022] According to the invention, all the elements described above contribute to enabling the implementation of a method for managing acceptance and refusal entries made with regard to notifications displayed in a graphical interface broadcast by a human-machine interface of a motor vehicle, as described below in connection with Figures 1 and 3.

[0023] According to a first step 301 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention determines whether, following the display in the graphical interface 4 of a notification 5 requesting an acceptance or refusal entry to be made by means of a tactile interaction with respect to an acceptance zone 6 and a refusal zone 7 of said notification 5, the driver has winked. To do this, the device 100 according to the invention initially interacts with the human-machine interface 2 to determine whether a notification requesting an allocation or refusal entry has been displayed in the graphical interface 4 which is broadcast on the screen 3 of the human-machine interface 2. Preferably, such a notification takes the form of a pop-up in which at least one pictogram 9 is displayed which visually informs the fact that an entry by blinking is possible.Then, when such a notification is displayed, the device 100 according to the invention interacts with the camera 8 to preferentially obtain several consecutive images of the driver's face in order to determine by means of processing these images whether the driver has winked. And when it establishes that this is the case, the device 100 according to the invention carries out the following steps of the method according to the invention described below.

[0024] According to a second step 302 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention determines data characterizing a side of the face corresponding to the eye with which the driver winked, then, according to a third step 303 of the method according to the invention, it determines data characterizing an acceptance input or data characterizing a refusal input as a function of the data characterizing a side of the face corresponding to the eye with which the driver winked. Preferably, the data characterizing an acceptance input are determined when the side of the face is the right side, in other words if the driver winked with the right eye, and the data characterizing a refusal input are determined when said side of the face is the left side, in other words if the driver winked with the left eye.

[0025] As we understand, it is therefore during the implementation of these last two steps of the method according to the invention that the device 100 according to the invention advantageously establishes the link between an acceptance or refusal entry and the performance of an extremely simple action by the driver which consists of making a simple wink. Preferably, when the driver winks with his left eye, the device 100 according to the invention determines that a refusal entry is made. On the contrary, it determines that an acceptance entry is made when the driver winks with his right eye. It is noted that the side of the face corresponds to the positioning of the refusal zone 6 and the acceptance zone 7 in the notification 5, which provides a simple means of reminding the driver how to make an entry by blinking.At the end of these two steps of the method, the device 100 according to the invention therefore advantageously manages an acceptance or refusal entry which can be carried out by the driver by means of a simple wink.

[0026] According to an alternative, the device 100 according to the invention carries out an additional step during which it causes the provision of haptic or sound feedback via the human-machine interface 2 in order to inform the driver of the taking into account of an acceptance or refusal entry made by blinking the eyes.

[0027] Thus, thanks to the method and the device according to the invention described above, a solution is provided to allow a driver of a motor vehicle equipped with a human-machine interface with a screen to be able to make acceptance and refusal entries more safely with regard to notifications displayed on the screen. Thanks to the ease of interaction provided by the method and the device according to the invention, the time during which the driver must divert his attention from driving to make acceptance or refusal entries is minimized as much as possible and, as a result, the safety of human-machine interfaces of motor vehicles is undeniably improved.

Claims

Claims

1. Method for managing, by a computer device (100) on board a motor vehicle (1), acceptance and refusal entries made with regard to notifications (5) displayed in a graphical interface (4) broadcast by a human-machine interface (2) of the vehicle, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: • determining whether, following the display in the graphical interface (4) of a notification (5) requesting an acceptance or refusal entry to be made by means of a tactile interaction with respect to an acceptance zone (7) and a refusal zone (6) of said notification, the driver has winked; • determining data characterizing a side of the face corresponding to the eye with which the driver has winked;and • determining data characterizing an acceptance entry or data characterizing a refusal entry based on data characterizing a side of the face corresponding to the eye with which the driver winked.;

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the data characterizing an acceptance input are determined when said side of the face is the right side and the data characterizing a refusal input are determined when said side of the face is the left side.

3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that said acceptance zone (7) is displayed on the right side of said notification (5) while said refusal zone (6) is displayed on the left side of said notifications, a pictogram (9) informing the possibility of making an entry by blinking the eyes being displayed in said notification (5).

4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a step of causing the provision of haptic or sound feedback.

5. Device (100) for managing acceptance and refusal entries made with regard to notifications (5) displayed in a graphical interface (4) broadcast by a human-machine interface (2) of a motor vehicle. (1), 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.

6. A computer program comprising program code instructions for executing the steps of a method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 when said program is executed by at least one processor.

7. Support usable in a computer, characterized in that a program according to claim 6 is recorded therein.

8. Motor vehicle (1), characterized in that it carries a device (100) according to claim 5.

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