Securing the display of warning lights on a human-machine interface screen in a motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for securing the display of warning lights on a screen (2) of a human-machine interface of a motor vehicle (1), implemented by means of a computer system (100) comprising a first computer device (200) embedded in the vehicle, which receives instructions to display warning lights via a vehicle communication network, and a second computer device (300) integrated into the screen, which is connected to the first device by means of a communication link (400) enabling the transmission of high-speed video data. The invention also relates to a computer system (100) implementing such a method, as well as a motor vehicle (1) comprising such a system (100). Figure for the abstract: 1

Description

Title of the invention: Securing the display of warning lights on a screen of 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 in motor vehicles. The invention relates in particular to a method for securing the display of warning lights on a screen of a human-machine interface in a motor vehicle, implemented by means of a computer system comprising a first computer device embedded in the vehicle, which receives instructions to display warning lights via a vehicle communication network, and a second computer device integrated into the screen, which is connected to the first device by means of a communication link enabling the transmission of high-speed video data. The invention also relates to a system implementing such a method, as well as a motor vehicle comprising such a system. The invention is applicable to motor vehicles such as motor vehicles, in particular cars. Prior art

[0002] In modern motor vehicles, human-machine interface screens are now the preferred method for displaying information to the driver and vehicle occupants. In this context, it is becoming relatively common for the instrument cluster, traditionally located behind the steering wheel, to be removed and for the information previously displayed there to be moved to a screen located near the driver's seat. This means that warning lights that illuminated on the instrument cluster to alert the driver to a malfunction or hazard must now be displayed on this screen. Therefore, it is necessary to implement safety measures to ensure that these warning lights, which can be critical to driving safety, can be displayed correctly at all times.To achieve this, car manufacturers have developed various solutions, including some that restrict the display of these warning lights to specific areas of the screen. However, by permanently fixing areas for warning light display, these solutions reduce the ability to simultaneously display other content in those areas, which can lead to a degradation in interface usability. Other solutions use traditional control methods, such as cyclic redundancy codes or checksums, to verify the integrity of the data transmitted between a triggering device that controls the warning light display and the system. the screen. However, these solutions remain insufficient to ensure that correctly transmitted data actually generates the desired display, particularly when the screen or triggering device malfunctions for a reason that does not necessarily affect the integrity of the data that controls the display of the indicators. Summary of the invention

[0003] The invention aims to overcome these drawbacks. In particular, it aims to provide a solution for securing the display of warning lights on a vehicle human-machine interface screen without limiting the display of the lights to specific areas of the screen and without relying exclusively on traditional means of verifying the integrity of transmitted data. In this way, the invention aims to enable the provision of more ergonomic and safer motor vehicles.

[0004] To achieve these goals, the invention relates, according to a first aspect, to a method for securing the display of warning lights on a screen of a human-machine interface of a motor vehicle implemented by means of a computer system comprising a first computer device embedded in the vehicle, which receives instructions to display warning lights via a communication network of the vehicle, and a second computer device integrated into the screen, which is connected to the first device by means of a communication link enabling the transmission of high-speed video data, the method comprising the steps of: i. generate, by the first device, a material abstraction layer that contains predefined content; ii. determine, by the first device, a first control value relating to the content; iii. cause, by the first device, the transmission of the material abstraction layer and the first control value to the second device; iv. determine, by the second device, a second control value relating to the content; v. cause the first device to operate the screen in a safety mode when the second device establishes that the second control value is not identical to the first control value; vi. determine, by the first device, a third control value relating to a first predefined region of interest on the screen as a function of a first variable which varies in a predefined periodic manner and a fourth control value relating to a second predefined region of interest of the screen depending on a second variable which varies in a predefined periodic manner; vii. cause, by the first device, the transmission of the third control value and the fourth control value to the second device; viii. determine, by the second device, a fifth control value relating to the first region of interest as a function of the first variable and a sixth control value relating to the second region of interest as a function of the second variable; ix. to cause, by the first device, the operation of the screen according to the safety operating mode when the second device establishes that the fifth control value is not identical to the third control value or that the sixth control value is not identical to the fourth control value.

[0005] According to one variant, the first control value and the second control value can be determined as a function of at least one Cartesian coordinate relative to said content.

[0006] According to another variant, the first control value and the second control value can be determined as a function of at least a number of pixels included in said content.

[0007] According to yet another variant, the third control value and the fifth control value can be determined as a function of at least one Cartesian coordinate relative to said first predefined region of interest of the screen.

[0008] According to yet another variant, the third control value and the fifth control value can be determined as a function of a number of pixels included in said first predefined region of interest of the screen.

[0009] According to yet another variant, the fourth control value and the sixth control value can be determined as a function of at least one Cartesian coordinate relative to said second predefined region of interest of the screen.

[0010] According to yet another variant, the fourth control value and the sixth control value can be determined as a function of a number of pixels included in said second region of interest of the screen.

[0011] According to yet another variant, steps i) to iv) can be carried out while a screen illumination device is inactive and steps vi) to viii) can be carried out while the screen illumination device is active.

[0012] According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a system for securing the display of warning lights on a screen of a human-machine interface of a motor vehicle, said system comprising a first embedded computer device on-board of the vehicle, which receives instructions to display warning lights via a vehicle communication network, and a second computer device integrated into the screen, which is connected to the first device by means of a communication link enabling the transmission of high-speed video data, the first device and the second device being configured to jointly implement a process as described above.

[0013] According to a third aspect, the invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising a system as described above. Brief description of the figures

[0014] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from an examination of the detailed description below, and the accompanying figures, in which:

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

[0016] [Fig.2] is a flowchart of the steps of a process according to the invention. Detailed description of the invention

[0017] Figure 1 schematically illustrates a motor vehicle 1 according to the invention. This vehicle includes a human-machine interface comprising at least one screen 2 installed in the passenger compartment, for example behind the steering wheel or near the driver's seat, in order to display visual content for the driver and / or other occupants of the vehicle, in particular the display of warning lights that inform the driver of a risk or malfunction likely to endanger driving safety or cause significant damage to the vehicle 1. Such warning lights displayed on the screen 2 are, in particular, those that were previously displayed on the instrument cluster to inform the driver of the need to stop immediately (e.g.orange or red warning light indicating an engine failure, red stop warning light indicating the need to stop immediately, steering malfunction warning light, etc.), to inform the driver of a situation in which a critical level of fuel or a consumable necessary for engine operation is reached (e.g., low fuel level warning light, low coolant warning light, low oil level warning light, etc.), or in a situation where the vehicle's grip on the road is poor (e.g., ESP warning light).

[0018] Advantageously, the vehicle 1 according to the invention further incorporates a system 100 for securing the display of warning lights on a screen of a human-machine interface of a motor vehicle as defined in the present invention. This system comprises a first computer device 200 embedded in the vehicle 1, for example a computer that receives instructions to display warning lights via a vehicle communication network (e.g., CAN FD, Ethernet), and a second computer device 300 integrated into screen 2, which is connected to the first device by means of a communication link 400 which allows in particular the transmission of high-speed video data (e.g. GMSL).

[0019] According to the invention, all the elements described above contribute to enabling the implementation of a method for securing the display of indicators on a screen of a human-machine interface of a motor vehicle, as described below in relation to [Fig.2].

[0020] Figure 2 illustrates, by means of a flowchart, the steps of the method according to the invention. As will be seen, part of the steps of the method according to the invention described below is carried out when the ignition contact of the vehicle 1 is switched on and while a screen illumination device 2 is inactive, while another part of the steps of the method according to the invention described below is carried out subsequently, when the vehicle is moving and while the screen illumination device 2 is active.

[0021] According to a first step 501 of the method according to the invention, which is carried out when the vehicle's ignition is switched on but while the screen illumination device 2 is still inactive, the first device 200 generates a material abstraction layer containing predefined content. Such content is preferably stored on a data storage medium of the first device 200 at the time of vehicle design and preferably contains at least one image.

[0022] Next, according to a second step 502 of the method according to the invention, which is also carried out when the vehicle 1 is started and while the screen illumination device 2 is still inactive, the first device 200 determines a first control value relative to the content included in the previously generated material abstraction layer. Preferably, this first control value is determined based, on the one hand, on at least one Cartesian coordinate relative to the content, for example, a Cartesian coordinate of a corner of the image, and, on the other hand, on a number of pixels included in the content, for example, a number of pixels included in the image. Thus, at the end of this second step, the first device 200 has established a first control value resulting from a current-time processing of the predefined content.

[0023] According to a third step 503 of the method according to the invention, the first device 200 causes the transmission of the material abstraction layer and the first control value to the second device 300. Thus, at this stage, i.e., just after the vehicle 1 is started, there is data communication between the first device 200, which controls the display of warning lights, and the second device 300, whose role is, among other things, to ensure the display of warning lights according to commands. displaying the transmitted data. Upon receiving the transmitted data, the second device 300 triggers the display of the content, such as the image, but while keeping the illumination of screen 2 inactive. The display of screen 2 therefore undergoes no modification at this stage, and these steps are thus completely transparent to the vehicle occupants because no visual content appears on screen 2.

[0024] Next, according to a fourth step 504 of the method according to the invention, the second device 300 executes the material abstraction layer and determines a second control value relative to the content it includes. And like the first device 200 in the second step described above, the second device 300 determines the second control value based, on the one hand, on at least one Cartesian coordinate relative to the content, for example, a Cartesian coordinate of the same corner of the image as that previously used by the first device 200 when determining the first control value, and, on the other hand, on a number of pixels included in the content, for example, a number of pixels included in the image. Then, the second device 300 proceeds by comparing the second control value it has determined with the first control value that was determined by the first device 200.And when the second device 300 determines that the two values ​​are not identical, it preferentially generates a value or parameter that identifies the existence of a divergence between the first and second control values.

[0025] And when the first device 200 determines that such a value or characteristic parameter is generated by the second device 300, it then triggers, during a fifth step 505 of the method according to the invention, the operation of the screen in a safety mode, thereby triggering, via the second device 300, the activation of the screen illumination device 2 so as, for example, to allow the display of a gray screen, a flashing screen, or the dissemination of specific visual content, for example, a pictogram indicating danger. Indeed, the existence at this stage of a discrepancy between the first control value determined by the first device 200 and the second control value determined by the second device 300 necessarily indicates a malfunction of the first device 200, the second device 300, or the screen 2, which implies that the correct display of indicators on the screen is no longer guaranteed.Conversely, if no value or parameter identifying a divergence between the first control value and the second control value is generated by the second device 300, in this case the following steps of the process according to the invention described below are carried out, while the first device 200 commands the second device at this stage to proceed to activate the screen illumination device 2. Thus, thanks to the previous steps of the process, a first securing of the display. The display of warning lights on screen 2 is advantageously activated initially as soon as vehicle 1 starts, transparently to the driver and occupants of vehicle 1, who are alerted only in the event of a malfunction. Subsequently, as will be seen, real-time safety measures are also continuously implemented while vehicle 1 is in motion, thanks to the implementation of the following steps of the method according to the invention described below.

[0026] According to a sixth step 506 of the method according to the invention, the first device 200 determines a third control value relating to a first predefined region of interest of the screen as a function of a first variable that varies periodically according to a predefined pattern, and a fourth control value relating to a second predefined region of interest of the screen as a function of a second variable that also varies periodically according to a predefined pattern. These regions of interest are predefined during the vehicle design phase based on the screen on which indicators are to be displayed. Parameters identifying these regions are thus recorded on a storage medium of the first device 200 and on a storage medium of the second device 300.Furthermore, to establish the first and second variables, which are used at this stage to determine the third and fourth control values, several supplements enabling their establishment are also recorded on the data storage media of the first device 200 and the second device 300, along with a period with which these supplements vary, preferably every 800 ms. In addition, the third control value is determined based on a Cartesian coordinate relative to the first predefined region of interest of screen 2 and / or a number of pixels it contains. Similarly, the fourth control value is determined based on a Cartesian coordinate relative to the second predefined region of interest of screen 2 and / or a number of pixels it contains.Thus, the first device 200 determines at this stage control values ​​which are advantageously established according to particular regions of the screen concerned and variables which are constantly changing. The first device 200 then proceeds, according to a seventh step 507 of the process according to the invention, by causing the transmission of the third control value and the fourth control value which it determined during the previous step to the second device 300.

[0027] According to an eighth step 508 of the method according to the invention, the second device 300 determines a fifth control value relating to the first region of interest as a function of the first variable and a sixth control value relating to the second region of interest as a function of the second variable. In other words, the second device performs at this stage the same calculations as the first device 200 based on its own knowledge of the predefined regions of interest of the screen 2 and variables, particularly how these vary periodically. Furthermore, as the first device 200 did in the sixth step of the process, the second device 300 determines the fifth control value based on a Cartesian coordinate relative to the first predefined region of interest of the screen 2 and / or the number of pixels it contains. Similarly, the second device 300 determines the sixth control value based on a Cartesian coordinate relative to the second predefined region of interest of the screen 2 and / or the number of pixels it contains. And when no malfunction occurs, the fifth control value determined by the second device 300 should logically be identical to the third control value determined by the first device 200.Similarly, the sixth control value determined by the second device 300 should logically be identical to the fourth control value determined by the first device 200. However, when a malfunction occurs, for example, when the screen freezes, the second device 300 will then determine a fifth control value that does not correspond to the third value and / or a sixth control value that diverges from the fourth control value. This is primarily due to the supplementary values ​​added to the first and / or second variables, which no longer vary periodically, and thus quickly lead to a divergence in the control values. This is how the third device 300 will be able to determine very quickly that the screen 2 is frozen, and therefore that the correct display of indicators by the screen is no longer guaranteed.And, as before, when it determines that the control values ​​it calculates differ from those it received from the first device 200, the second device 300 generates a value or parameter that identifies the existence of a discrepancy between the third and fifth control values ​​and / or between the fourth and sixth control values. And, when the first device 200 determines that such a value or parameter, characteristic of a discrepancy in the control values, is generated by the second device 300, it then triggers, during a ninth and final step 509 of the method according to the invention, the operation of the screen in its safety mode (e.g., gray screen, flashing light, display of a hazard pictogram, etc.). The driver is thus advantageously informed extremely quickly when the correct display of indicators on the screen 2 is no longer guaranteed.

[0028] Thus, thanks to the method and system according to the invention described above, a solution exists for securing the display of warning lights on a human-machine interface screen of a vehicle without limiting the display of the warning lights to particular regions of the screen and without relying exclusively on means traditional methods of verifying the integrity of transmitted data. Through this, the invention enables the provision of more ergonomic and safer motor vehicles.

Claims

Demands

1. A method for securing the display of warning lights on a screen (2) of a human-machine interface of a motor vehicle (1) implemented by means of a computer system (100) comprising a first computer device (200) embedded in the vehicle, which receives instructions to display warning lights via a vehicle communication network, and a second computer device (300) integrated into the screen (2), which is connected to the first device by means of a communication link enabling the transmission of high-speed video data, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: i. generate, by the first device, a material abstraction layer that contains predefined content; ii. determine, by the first device, a first control value relating to the content; iii. cause, by the first device, the transmission of the material abstraction layer and the first control value to the second device; iv. determine, by the second device, a second control value relating to the content; v. cause the first device to operate the screen in a safety mode when the second device establishes that the second control value is not identical to the first control value; vi. determine, by the first device, a third control value relating to a first predefined region of interest of the screen as a function of a first variable which varies in a predefined periodic manner and a fourth control value relating to a second predefined region of interest of the screen as a function of a second variable which varies in a predefined periodic manner; vii. cause, by the first device, the transmission of the third control value and the fourth control value to the second device; viii. determine, by the second device, a fifth control value relating to the first region of interest in function of the first variable and a sixth control value relating to the second region of interest as a function of the second variable; ix. cause the first device to operate the screen in the safety operating mode when the second device establishes that the fifth control value is not identical to the third control value or that the sixth control value is not identical to the fourth control value.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the first control value and the second control value are determined as a function of at least one Cartesian coordinate relative to said content.

3. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first control value and the second control value are determined as a function of at least a number of pixels included in said content.

4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the third control value and the fifth control value are determined as a function of at least one Cartesian coordinate relative to said first predefined region of interest of the screen.

5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the third control value and the fifth control value are determined as a function of a number of pixels included in said first predefined region of interest of the screen.

6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fourth control value and the sixth control value are determined as a function of at least one Cartesian coordinate relative to said second predefined region of interest of the screen.

7. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fourth control value and the sixth control value are determined as a function of a number of pixels included in said second region of interest of the screen.

8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that steps i) to iv) are carried out while a device screen illumination is inactive and steps vi) to viii) are carried out while the screen illumination device is active.

9. System (100) for securing the display of warning lights on a screen (2) of a human-machine interface of a motor vehicle (1), said system comprising a first computer device (200) on board the vehicle, which receives instructions to display warning lights via a communication network of the vehicle, and a second computer device (300) integrated into the screen, which is connected to the first device by means of a communication link enabling the transmission of high-speed video data, characterized in that the first device and the second device are configured to jointly implement a method according to one of the preceding claims.

10. Motor vehicle (1), characterized in that it incorporates a system (100) according to claim 9.

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