Control system

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relate to a control system for controlling a display system of a vehicle. The control system comprises one or more processors collectively configured to: receive a first signal indicative of information displayed on a first display of the display system; determine, in dependence on the first signal, whether the information displayed on the first display is higher-priority information; receive a second signal indicative of the vehicle being in a conservation power mode; determine a display configuration defining one or more display parameters for the display system in dependence on the first and second signals; and output a third signal for controlling the display system in dependence on the one or more display parameters. When the information displayed on the first display is higher-priority information and the vehicle is in the conservation power mode, the third signal is configured to maintain the first display in an on state, or to cause transfer of the higher-priority information from the first display to a second display of the display system. When the information displayed on the first display is not higher-priority information and the vehicle is in the conservation power mode, the third signal is configured to turn off the first display or to cause the first display to operate in a low-power mode.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a control system. Aspects of the invention relate to a control system for controlling a display system of a vehicle and to a method for controlling a display system of a vehicle. BACKGROUND When an electric vehicle is in an ultra-low power mode, it is known to switch off a display of the vehicle, such as an infotainment screen, in order to conserve electric battery energy and increase vehicle range thereby allowing the user to reach a charging point before the electric battery is fully depleted. If navigation data such as sat-nav directions are in use by the driver via the display, then this may leave the user unable to locate and reach a charging point before the electric battery is depleted, potentially resulting in the user being stranded and requiring rescue services. It is an aim of the present invention to address one or more of the disadvantages associated with the prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Aspects and embodiments of the invention provide a control system for controlling a display system of a vehicle. The control system comprises one or more processors collectively configured to: receive a first signal indicative of information displayed on a first display of the display system; determine, in dependence on the first signal, whetherthe information displayed on the first display is higher-priority information; receive a second signal indicative of the vehicle being in a conservation power mode; determine a display configuration defining one or more display parameters for the display system in dependence on the first and second signals; and output a third signal for controlling the display system in dependence on the one or more display parameters. When the information displayed on the first display is higher-priority information and the vehicle is in the conservation power mode, the third signal is configured to maintain the first display in an on state, or to cause transfer of the higher-priority information from the first display to a second display of the display system. When the information displayed on the first display is not higher-priority information and the vehicle is in the conservation power mode, the third signal is configured to turn off the first display or to cause the first display to operate in a low-power mode. The higher-priority information may comprise information relating to at least one of navigation, reversing camera images and a passenger airbag disabled indicator. Higher-priority information may be defined as information that should remain visible to the user regardless of the state of battery charge. For example, information relating to actions being undertaken by the vehicle driver may be considered higher-priority information, e.g. navigation data in use by the driver for navigation, or images I video feed from reversing cameras in use by the driver during a reversing manoeuvre. This information may be deemed to be higher-priority than other information such as, e.g. information relating to music being played by a sound system of the vehicle. The control system of the invention advantageously ensures that higher-priority information remains visible to the vehicle user, even when the vehicle is in a conservation power mode. In terms of reducing power consumption of a display system, it is beneficial to turn off one or more displays of the display system. However, if information displayed via the display system is in use by the vehicle user, then it may be useful for the relevant display system screen to remain on so that this information remains visible to the vehicle user, even when the vehicle is in a conservation power mode for reduced power demand. For example, maintaining navigation information on a display screen and visible to the user may allow the user to locate and reach a charging point before the electric battery is depleted. Removing navigation information from the vehicle user’s view in that case may prevent the user from locating and reaching a charging point before the battery charge is depleted, and result in the user being stranded and requiring rescue services. As an alternative to maintaining a first display on which higher-priority information is displayed in an on state, the higher-priority information may be transferred to another display of the display system, i.e. a second display, in order to allow the first display to be switched off. This reduces power consumption of the display system as a whole by reducing the number of displays that are in an on state. The display parameters may have an associated active or inactive state in accordance with the display configuration. When the state of a display parameter is active, the control system is configured to control the display system in dependence on the display parameter. When the state of a display parameter is inactive, the control system is configured to take no action in respect of that display parameter. When the information displayed on the first display is higher-priority information and the vehicle is in the conservation power mode, the third signal may be configured to cause transferof the higher-priority information from the first display to a second display of the display system and to turn off the first display. The control system may determine if the information displayed on the first display is higher-priority information by accessing appropriate data stored on a memory means. The data may take the form of, for example, a lookup table. The display configuration may define a brightness display parameter. The third signal may be configured to control the display system to reduce a brightness of the first display in dependence on the brightness display parameter. Reducing the brightness of the display advantageously reduces the associated power consumption of that display. The display configuration may define an associated active or inactive state of the brightness display parameter. The third signal may be configured to control the display system to reduce a brightness of the first display in dependence on the brightness display parameter when the brightness display parameter is in an active state. The display configuration may define a colour profile display parameter. The third signal may be configured to control the display system to reduce a colour profile of the first display in dependence on the colour display parameter. Reducing the colour profile of the display advantageously reduces the associated power consumption of that display. The display configuration may define an associated active or inactive state of the colour profile display parameter. The third signal may be configured to control the display system to reduce a colour profile of the first display in dependence on the colour display parameter when the colour profile display parameter is in an active state. The display configuration may define a size display parameter. The third signal may be configured to control the display system to reduce a display area of the first display that is illuminated and in which information is displayed in dependence on the size display parameter. Reducing the size of the display advantageously reduces the associated power consumption of that display, be reducing the portion of the display that is illuminated. The display configuration may define an associated active or inactive state of the size display parameter. The third signal may be configured to control the display system to reduce a display area of the first display that is illuminated and in which information is displayed in dependence on the size display parameter when the size display parameter is in an active state. The display configuration may define a dark mode display parameter. The third signal may be configured to control the display system to implement a dark mode of the first display in dependence on the dark mode display parameter. A majority of pixels of the first display may not be illuminated when the first display is in the dark mode. In this way, the power consumption of the display is reduced, by reducing overall illumination required by the display. The display configuration may define an associated active or inactive state of the dark mode display parameter. The third signal may be configured to control the display system to implement a dark mode of the first display in dependence on the dark mode display parameter when the dark mode display parameter is in an active state. The conservation power mode may be an ultra-low power mode. When the conservation power mode is an ultra-low power mode this may indicate that a combined remaining charge of battery modules of the vehicle is less than 5% of a combined full charge of the battery modules. The remaining charge defined by the ultra-low power mode may differ depending on various factors, for example battery temperature and / or battery size. For example, for a smaller battery, an ultra-low power mode may indicate that a combined remaining charge of battery modules of the vehicle is less than 10% of a combined full charge of the battery modules. When the information displayed on the first display is higher-priority information and the vehicle is in the conservation power mode, the brightness display parameter, the colour profile display parameter, the size display parameter and / or the dark mode display parameter of the determined display configuration may be configured to be in an active state. When a display parameter is in an active state, the third signal may be configured to control the display system in dependence on that display parameter. In other words, when the vehicle is in the conservation power mode but there is higher-priority information in use by the vehicle user, all available actions may be taken to reduce power consumption of the display system whilst maintaining visibility of the higher-priority information to the user. The conservation power mode may be a dynamic mode, such that an associated active or inactive state of one or more of the display parameters changes in dependence on one or more vehicle or journey parameters. The vehicle or journey parameters may be indicative of one or more of the remaining total vehicle battery charge and the expected remaining journey distance. Other vehicle or journey parameters are possible. In this way, the manner in which the display system is controlled by the control system to reduce power consumption may be dependent on vehicle or journey parameters. For example, as the remaining total vehicle battery charge decreases, the control system may implement additional actions to further reduce power consumption of the display system. The control system may comprise one or more controllers collectively comprising at least one electronic processor having an electrical input for receiving an input signal; and at least one memory device electrically coupled to the at least one electronic processor and having instructions stored therein; and wherein the at least one electronic processor is configured to access the at least one memory device and execute instructions thereon. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a system comprising the control system of any preceding paragraph and a display system. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a vehicle comprising the system or control system of any preceding paragraph. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for controlling a display system of a vehicle. The method comprises: receiving a first signal indicative of information displayed on a first display of the display system; determining, in dependence on the first signal, whether the information displayed on the first display is higher-priority information; receiving a second signal indicative of the vehicle being in a conservation power mode of the vehicle; determining a display configuration that defines one or more display parameters for the display system in dependence on the first and second signals; and outputting a third signal for controlling the display system in dependence on the one or more display parameters. When the information displayed on the first display is high er-priority information and the vehicle is in the conservation power mode, the third signal is configured to maintain the first display in an on state, or to cause transfer of the higher-priority information from the first display to a second display of the display system. When the information displayed on the first display is not higher-pnonty information and the vehicle is in the conservation power mode, the third signal is configured to turn off the first display or to cause the first display to operate in a low-power mode. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided computer readable instructions which, when executed by a computer, are arranged to perform a method according to the preceding paragraph. Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and / or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and / or features of any embodiment can be combined in anyway and / or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and / or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a control system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows a vehicle including the control system of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a cabin of a vehicle comprising a display system for use with the control system of Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a flow chart illustrating a method for controlling a display system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and Figure 5 shows a flow chart illustrating a method for controlling a display system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION A control system 10 for controlling a display system of a vehicle 12 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is described herein with reference to the accompanying Figure 1. Referring to Figure 2, a vehicle 12 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention comprises a control system 10 as illustrated in Figure 1. The control system 10 comprises a controller 18. The controller 18 comprises processing means 20 and memory means 22. The processing means 20 may be one or more electronic processing device which operably executes computer-readable instructions. The memory means 22 may be one or more memory device. The memory means 22 is electrically coupled to the processing means 20. The memory means 22 is 5 configured to store instructions, and the processing means 20 is configured to access the memory means 22 and execute the instructions stored thereon. Although the control system 10 shown in Figure 1 comprises one controller 18, it will be appreciated that this is merely illustrative, and that additional controllers 18 may be included as part of the control system 10. The controller 18 comprises an input means 24 and an output means 26. The input means 24 comprises an electrical input of the controller 18. The output means 26 comprises an electrical output of the controller 18. The electrical input is arranged to receive data contained in one or more signals, in particular one or more electronic signals, from a plurality of sources. In this embodiment, the controller 18 is configured to receive first display data contained in one or more first electronic signals 30 and conservation power mode data contained in one or more second electronic signals 32. The first display data is indicative of information displayed on a first display 34 of a display system 36 of the vehicle 12. With reference to Figure 3, the display system 36 further includes a second display 38 in this embodiment. It should be noted that one or both of the first display 34 and the second display 38 may be formed of multiple distinct screens. Furthermore, it should be noted that in some examples the information displayed on each of the first and second displays 34, 38 may be displayed together on a single screen (i.e. rather than split across separate and distinct physical screens). The first display 34 comprises a first display screen 40 that is positioned generally centrally across the width of the vehicle 12 and towards the front of a cabin 42 of the vehicle 12 to define a front centre display, or‘FCD’, of the vehicle 12. The first display 34 is an infotainment screen that may display information relating to, for example, navigation, climate and media to a user of the vehicle 12. The vehicle user may interact with the first display 34 to, for example, choose vehicle settings and operate vehicle functions (such as navigation). For this, the first display screen 40 may be touch-sensitive. The second display 38 comprises a second display screen 44 that is positioned generally above the steering wheel 46 of the vehicle 12 to define the front driver display (or ‘FDD’). The second display 38 may display information relating to vehicle speed, for example, and in an electric vehicle may display the battery charge level. The conservation power mode data is indicative of a conservation power mode of the vehicle 12. When the vehicle 12 is in a conservation power mode, this indicates that the control system 10 should control the display system 36 in order to conserve power. The electrical output is arranged to output a third control signal 48 to the display system 36 of the vehicle 12, for controlling the display system 36 in dependence on the first and second electronic signals 30, 32, as will be explained in more detail below. During operation of an electric vehicle, it may be desirable to reduce the power demand of a vehicle system such as the display system 36 in order to conserve electric battery energy. Reducing the power demand of a vehicle system in this way may allow a charging point to be reached before the electric battery is fully depleted, for example, or may allow for a longer vehicle journey without a charging stop than would otherwise be possible. It will be appreciated that the most effective way to reduce power demand of a display system is to turn it off entirely. However, if information displayed via the display system is in use by the vehicle user, then it may be useful for the relevant display system screen to remain on so that this information remains visible to the vehicle user, even when the vehicle is in a conservation power mode for reduced power demand. For example, if the vehicle is in an ultra-low power mode, which may for example indicate a remaining electric battery charge of less than 5%, then maintaining navigation information on a display screen and visible to the user may allow the user to locate and reach a charging point before the electric battery is depleted. Removing navigation information from the vehicle user’s view in that case may prevent the user from locating and reaching a charging point before the battery charge is depleted, and result in the user being stranded and requiring rescue services. The control system 10 of the invention is configured to ensure that if higher-priority information such as navigation information is on display on the display system 36, this higher-priority information remains visible to the vehicle user even when the vehicle 12 is in a conservation power mode. Figure 4 illustrates a method 100 of controlling the display system 36 of the vehicle 12 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The method 100 may be performed by the control system 10 illustrated in Figure 1. In particular, the memory means 22 may comprise computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the processing means 20, perform the method 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. The method 100 commences at a first step 102 when the vehicle 12 is turned on. At a second step 104, the control system 10 receives one or more second electronic signals 32 that contain information indicative of a conservation power mode of the vehicle 12, and determines the conservation power mode of the vehicle 12 based on the electronic signals 32. As noted above, when the vehicle 12 is in a conservation power mode, this indicates that the display system 36 of the vehicle 12 should be operated so as to conserve vehicle battery energy. The conservation power mode may be one of an ultra-low power mode or an eco mode in this embodiment, although other conservation modes are possible in other embodiments. When the conservation power mode is an ultra-low power mode in this embodiment, this indicates that the vehicle battery has less than 5% of its charge remaining. The eco-mode is a user-configured mode in this embodiment. The eco mode is pre-programmed by the user of the vehicle 12 for implementation when the user wishes to conserve vehicle battery charge, for example so that they may travel a greater distance without the vehicle requiring charging. At step 106, the control system 10 receives one or more first electronic signals 30 that contain information indicative of information displayed on the first display 34 of the display system 36, and determines whether the information displayed on the first display 34 is higher-priority information based on the first electronic signals 30. Higher-priority information is information that is has been pre-determined should remain visible to the user on the display system 36, regardless of the conservation power mode of the vehicle 12. In this embodiment, higher-priority information is defined as information relating to navigation (i.e. sat-nav directions), images or video from reversing cameras and information relating to the passenger airbag disabled indicator. In other embodiments the information defined as higher-priority information may vary. In this embodiment, the control system 10 determines whether the information displayed on the first display 34 is higher-priority information by accessing appropriate data stored on the memory means 22, for example in the form of a parameter dataset. At step 108, the control system 10 determines a display configuration for the display system 36. At step 110, the control system outputs a third signal 48 for controlling the display system 36 in dependence on the display configuration. The display configuration is determined based on the conservation power mode of the vehicle 12 and the information displayed on the first display 34. The display configuration defines one or more display parameters that indicate how the display system 36 is controlled by the control system 10 in dependence on the display configuration. In this embodiment, four display configurations are stored on the memory means 22, but in other embodiments more or fewer display configurations could be stored. Table 1 illustrates the five display configurations of this embodiment, along with their associated display parameters. First display configuration Second display configuration Third display configuration Fourth display configuration Fifth display configuration Conservation power mode Ultra-low power mode Ultra-low power mode Eco Mode 1 Eco Mode 2 Eco Mode 3 Battery State of Charge <5% <5% 100-5% 100-5% 100-5% Is higher-priority information on first display? Yes No Yes or No Yes or No Yes or No Dark Mode display parameter (active=1, inactive=0) 1 0 1 1 1 Colour Profile display parameter (active=1, inactive=0) 1 0 0 0 1 Brightness display parameter 1 0 0 1 0 (active=1, inactive=0) Size display parameter (active=1, inactive=0) 1 0 1 0 0 Switch Off display parameter (active=1, inactive=0) 0 1 0 0 0 Table 1: Display configurations and their associated display parameters In this embodiment, each display configuration comprises five display parameters that can each indicate either an ‘active’ or ‘on’ state, or an ‘inactive’ or ‘off state. Each display parameter defines an action to be implemented by the control system 10 to reduce power consumption of the display system 36 when that display 5 parameter is active, i.e. in an on state. In this embodiment, the five display parameters are: a brightness display parameter, a colour profile display parameter, a size display parameter, a dark, mode display parameter and a switch off display parameter. In other embodiments the number and type of display parameters may vary. When the brightness display parameter is active, the brightness of the first display 34 is reduced when the display system 36 is controlled in accordance with the brightness display parameter. In this embodiment, 10 reducing the brightness of the first display 34 comprises reducing the brightness from a default brightness level of 75% of maximum brightness, to a lower brightness level of 25% of maximum brightness. In other embodiments the initial brightness level of the first display 34 and the reduction in brightness may vary. It will be appreciated that reducing the brightness level in this way reduces the power demand associated with illumination of the first display 34, and thus power consumption of the display system 36. 15 When the colour profile display parameter is active, the colour profile of the first display 34 is reduced when the display system 36 is controlled in accordance with the colour profile display parameter. It will be understood by the skilled person that a colour profile is a set of data that characterises the colour output of a display. Different types of colour profile are possible, for example ‘RGB’ or ‘HSL’. The RGB colour profile is an additive colour model based on the colours red, green and blue, which can be mixed in different proportions to produce 20 a colour space. The HSL colour profile is an alternative representation of the RGB colour model that defines a colour space using hue, saturation and brightness. In this embodiment, reducing the colour profile of the first display 34 comprises operating the first display 34 in greyscale, such that colours displayed on the first display 34 are limited to shades of grey, achieved in this example through varying brightness of individual pixels of the display. In other embodiments reducing the colour profile of the first display 34 may dull the display colours 25 but not limit to shades of grey. When the size display parameter is active, a display area of the first display 34 that is illuminated and in which information is displayed is reduced when the display system 36 is controlled in accordance with the size display parameter. For example, in some embodiments the display area of the first display 34 may reduce by 50% when the size display parameter is active and the display system 36 is controlled in accordance with the size display parameter. In other embodiments, the reduction in display area when the size display parameter is active may differ. When the dark mode display parameter is active, the first display 34 is controlled, either directly or through a change in graphics style, such that the majority of pixels of the first display 34 are dark (i.e. provided with no illumination) when the display system 36 is controlled in accordance with the dark mode display parameter. In this embodiment, the first display 34 is controlled such that 60% of pixels are dark in accordance with the dark mode display parameter, but in other embodiments this percentage may vary. Furthermore, in other embodiments, some or all of the ‘dark’ pixels are provided with a very low level of illumination instead of no illumination at all. In this way, it will be appreciated that operating the first display 34 in a dark mode reduces the power demand associated with illumination of the first display. This action may be particularly effective for conserving power when the first display 34 comprises an organic LED (or ‘OLED’) screen. When the switch off display parameter is active, the display system 36 is controlled to turn off the first display 34. When a given display parameter is inactive, no action is taken by the control system 10 in respect of that display parameter to control the first display 34 or display system 36. Referring again to Table 1, when the conservation power mode is an ultra-low power mode and higher-priority information is displayed on the first display 34, the control system 10 determines at step 108 that the first display configuration should be implemented. As such, the third signal 48 output at step 110 is configured to control the display system 36 to: reduce the brightness of the first display 34 in dependence on the brightness display parameter, reduce the colour profile of the first display 34 in dependence on the colour profile display parameter, reduce the display area of the first display 34 in dependence on the size display parameter, and control the first display such that 60% of pixels of the first display 34 are provided with no illumination in dependence on the dark mode parameter. In other words, the first display 34 is controlled to operate in a low-power mode. When the conservation power mode is an ultra-low power mode and higher-priority information is not displayed on the first display 34, the control system 10 determines at step 108 that the second display configuration should be implemented. As such, the third signal 48 output at step 110 is configured to control the display system 36 to turn off the first display 34 in dependence on the switch off display parameter. Thus, when the vehicle 12 is in an ultra-low power mode and higher-priority information is displayed on the first display 34, the control system 10 acts to implement all available actions in accordance with the display parameters to reduce power demand of the display system 36, apart from turning off the first display 34. In this way, power demand of the display system 36 is reduced as much as possible whilst allowing the user to continue viewing the higher-priority information on the first display 34. When the vehicle 12 is in an ultra-low power mode and it is determined that higher-priority information is not displayed on the first display 34, the control system 10 determines that it is acceptable to turn off the first display 34, and acts to turn off the first display 34 to implement the most effective action available in accordance with the display parameters to reduce power demand of the display system 36. Referring still to Table 1, the third, fourth and fifth display configurations each relate to an eco mode of the vehicle. These configurations are examples of a configuration that is triggered by the user selecting the eco mode. The display parameters of these configurations may be pre-set by the manufacturer or configured by a user according to their preferences. When the conservation power mode is a first eco mode (i.e. Eco Mode 1), the control system 10 determines at step 108 that the third display configuration should be implemented. As such, the third signal 48 output at step 110 is configured to control the display system 36 to: reduce the display area of the first display 34 in dependence on the size display parameter, and control the first display such that 60% of pixels of the first display 34 are provided with no illumination in dependence on the dark mode display parameter. In other words, the first display 34 is controlled to operate in a low-power mode. No action is taken in respect of the colour profile, switch off and brightness display parameters which are assigned to be in an off state, i.e. inactive, according to the third display configuration. It should be noted that the third signal 48 is configured to control the display system 36 in the same manner regardless of whether higher-priority information is displayed on the first display 34 when the conservation mode is the first eco mode. This is in contrast to when the conservation mode is an ultra-low power mode, in which the actions implemented in respect of the display system 36 differ when higher-priority information is on the first display 34 compared to when higher-priority information is not on the first display 34. When the conservation power mode is a second eco power mode (i.e. Eco Mode 2), the control system 10 determines at step 108 that the fourth display configuration should be implemented. As such, the third signal 48 output at step 110 is configured to control the display system 36 to: control the first display such that 60% of pixels of the first display 34 are provided with no illumination in dependence on the dark mode display parameter, and reduce the brightness of the first display 34 in accordance with the brightness display parameter. In other words, the first display 34 is controlled to operate in a low-power mode. No action is taken in respect of the colour profile, switch off and size display parameters which are assigned to be in an off state, i.e. inactive, according to the fourth display configuration. As with the third display configuration, the third signal 48 is configured to control the display system 36 in the same manner regardless of whether higher-priority information is displayed on the first display 34 when the conservation mode is the second eco mode. When the conservation power mode is a third eco power mode (i.e. Eco Mode 3), the control system 10 determines at step 108 that the fifth display configuration should be implemented. As such, the third signal 48 output at step 110 is configured to control the display system 36 to: control the first display such that 60% of pixels of the first display 34 are provided with no illumination in dependence on the dark mode display parameter, and reduce the colour profile of the first display 34 in accordance with the colour profile display parameter. In other words, the first display 34 is controlled to operate in a low-power mode. No action is taken in respect of the brightness, switch off and size display parameters which are assigned to be in an off state, i.e. inactive, according to the fifth display configuration. As with the third and fourth display configurations, the third signal 48 is configured to control the display system 36 in the same manner regardless of whether higher-priority information is displayed on the first display 34 when the conservation mode is the third eco mode. Thus, when the vehicle 12 is in a conservation power mode, indicating that vehicle powershould be conserved, the control system 10 acts to implement one or more of the available actions to reduce power demand of the 11 display system 36. Depending on the type of conservation power mode, the control system 10 may implement different actions to reduce power demand of the display system 36. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the conservation power mode is an ultra-low power mode indicating that the battery state of charge has fallen below 5%, and higher-priority information is on the first display 34, the control system 10 may act to implement all of the available actions in accordance with the available display parameters to reduce power demand of the display system 36 as much as possible whilst maintaining the first display 34 in an on state to allow the user to continue viewing the higher-priority information. It should be noted that it would be possible to implement all of the available actions in accordance with the available display parameters to reduce power demand of the display system 36 in instances when the conservation power mode is not an ultra-low power mode in other examples. In this embodiment, when the vehicle 12 is in an ultra-low power mode and it is determined that higher-priority information is not displayed on the first display 34, the control system 10 determines that it is acceptable to turn off the first display 34, and acts to turn off the first display 34 to implement the most effective action available in accordance with the display parameters to reduce power demand of the display system 36. It should be noted that in other embodiments the control system 10 may be configured to cause transfer of higher-priority information displayed on the first display 34 to the second display 38. In some examples, the control system 10 may be configured to transfer higher-priority information to the second display 38 and to turn off the first display 34, in order to reduce power consumption of the display system 36 as a whole, whilst ensuring that the user can continue to view the higher-priority information on the second display 38. The second display 38 may already be displaying other higher-priority information that should remain visible to the user during operation of the vehicle 12. On other examples. The control system 10 may be configured to transfer higher-priority information to the second display 38 and to operate the first display 34 in a low-power mode rather than turn off the first display 34. As an example, in some embodiments when the conservation power mode is an ultra-low power mode and higher-priority information is displayed on the first display 34, the third signal 48 output at step 110 may be configured to control the display system 36 to transfer the higher-priority information from the first display 34 to the second display 38 and to turn off the first display 34. This may be realised through a display configuration that defines a switching display parameter in an active or on state and the switch off display parameter in the active or on state, for example. Figure 5 illustrates a method 200 undertaken by the control system 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. At step 202, the method commences when the vehicle is turned on. At step 204, the control system 10 receives electronic signals 32 that contain information indicative of a conservation power mode of the vehicle 12, and at step 206 the control system 10 determines the type of conservation power mode of the vehicle 12. If it is determined at step 206 that the conservation power mode is an ultra-low power mode, the method 200 proceeds to step 208 where the control system 10 receives electronic signals 30 that contain information indicative of information displayed on the first display 34 of the display system 36, and determines at step 210 whether higher-priority information, which in this example comprises navigation information, is displayed on the first display 34. If it is determined at step 210 that navigation information (i.e. higher-priority information) is displayed on the first display 34, the method 200 proceeds to step 212 where the control system 10 determines that the first display configuration shown in Table 1 should be implemented. It should be appreciated that in other embodiments the control system 10 may determine at step 212 that the navigation information should be transferred from the first display 34 to the second display 38, and optionally that the first display 34 should be switched off. In that case, the control system 10 may determine that a display configuration that defines a switching display parameter in an active or on state and the switch off display parameter in the active or on state should be implemented, for example. If it is determined at step 210 that navigation information is not displayed on the first display 34, the method 200 proceeds to step 214 where the control system 10 determines that the second display configuration shown in Table 1 should be implemented. If it is determined at step 206 that the conservation power mode is not an ultra-low power mode, the method 200 proceeds to step 218. At step 218, the control system 10 receives electronic signals that contain information indicative of a display configuration for implementation. In this example, the display configuration is a user defined configuration that defines each of the dark mode and brightness display parameters to be active, but this may vary in other examples. At step 216, the control system 10 determines the relevant display parameters to be implemented in dependence on the display configuration determined at step 212, step 214 or step 218. At step 220, if the control system 10 determines at step 216 that the dark mode display parameter is active based on the determined display configuration, the display system 36 is controlled in accordance with the dark mode display parameter at step 230. At step 222, if the control system 10 determines at step 216 that the size display parameter is active based on the determined display configuration, the display system 36 is controlled in accordance with the size display parameter at step 232. At step 224, if the control system 10 determines at step 216 that the brightness display parameter is active based on the determined display configuration, the display system 36 is controlled in accordance with the brightness display parameter at step 234. At step 226, if the control system 10 determines at step 216 that the colour profile display parameter is active based on the determined display configuration, the display system 36 is controlled in accordance with the colour profile display parameter at step 236. At step 228, if the control system 10 determines at step 216 that the switch off display parameter is active based on the determined display configuration, the display system 36 is controlled in accordance with the switch off display parameter at step 238. Information relating to how the display system 36 should be controlled based on each given display parameter in its active or on state is stored on the memory means 22 for accessing by the control system 10. The implementation of display parameters in accordance with a determined display configuration are terminated at step 240 when the vehicle is plugged in for charging. If the control system determines at any of steps 220,222, 224, 226 and 228 that the relevant display parameter is inactive based on the determined display configuration, no action is taken by the control system 10 in respect of that relevant display parameter. The method 200 is repeated after a pre-determined duration, which in this example is 60 seconds (but in other examples may vary). It should be appreciated that the conservation power mode of the vehicle may vary overtime, for example as the vehicle battery is depleted in use. For example, the conservation power mode may be an eco mode selected by the user during an initial portion of a vehicle journey, but may switch to the ultra-low power mode once the vehicle battery charge falls below 5% of its maximum charge. As such, the display configuration implemented by the control system 10 may vary during operation of the vehicle. It should also be noted that although in the embodiment illustrated in Figure 5 the control system 10 determines the conservation power mode before checking if higher-priority information is on display on the first display 34, in other embodiments this may vary. For example, in other embodiments the control system 10 may check if higher-priority information is on display on the first display 34 before determining the conservation power mode of the vehicle 12. It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A control system for controlling a display system of a vehicle, the control system comprising one or more processors collectively configured to:receive a first signal indicative of information displayed on a first display of the display system; determine, in dependence on the first signal, whether the information displayed on the first display is higher-priority information;receive a second signal indicative of the vehicle being in a conservation power mode;determine a display configuration defining one or more display parameters for the display system in dependence on the first and second signals; andoutput a third signal for controlling the display system in dependence on the one or more display parameters, wherein:when the information displayed on the first display is higher-priority information and the vehicle is in the conservation power mode, the third signal is configured to maintain the first display in an on state, orto cause transfer of the higher-priority information from the first display to a second display of the display system; andwhen the information displayed on the first display is not higher-priority information and the vehicle is in the conservation power mode, the third signal is configured to turn off the first display orto cause the first display to operate in a low-power mode.

2. The control system of Claim 1, wherein the higher-priority information comprises information relating to at least one of navigation, reversing camera images and a passenger airbag disabled indicator.

3. The control system of Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the display configuration defines a brightness display parameter, and wherein the third signal is configured to control the display system to reduce a brightness of the first display in dependence on the brightness display parameter.

4. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein the display configuration defines a colour profile display parameter, and wherein the third signal is configured to control the display system to reduce a colour profile of the first display in dependence on the colour display parameter.

5. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein the display configuration defines a size display parameter, and wherein the third signal is configured to control the display system to reduce a display area of the first display that is illuminated and in which information is displayed in dependence on the size display parameter.

6. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein the display configuration defines a dark mode display parameter, and wherein the third signal is configured to control the display system to implement a dark mode of the first display in dependence on the dark mode display parameter, wherein a majority of pixels of the first display are not illuminated when the first display is in the dark mode.

7. The control system of any one of Claims 3 to 6, wherein when the information displayed on the first display is higher-priority information and the vehicle is in the conservation power mode, the brightness display parameter, the colour profile display parameter, the size display parameter and / or the dark mode display parameter of the determined display configuration is or are each configured to be in an active state, wherein when a display parameter is in an active state, the third signal is configured to control the display system in dependence on that display parameter.

8. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein the conservation power mode is a dynamic mode, such that an associated active or inactive state of one or more of the display parameters changes in dependence on one or more vehicle or journey parameters, and wherein the vehicle or journey parameters are indicative of one or more of the remaining total vehicle battery charge and the expected remaining journey distance.

9. A system comprising the control system of any preceding claim and a display system.

10. A vehicle comprising the system of Claim 9 or the control system of Claims 1 to 8.

11. A method for controlling a display system of a vehicle, the method comprising:receiving a first signal indicative of information displayed on a first display of the display system;determining, in dependence on the first signal, whether the information displayed on the first display is higher-priority information;receiving a second signal indicative of the vehicle being in a conservation power mode of the vehicle;determining a display configuration that defines one or more display parameters forthe display system in dependence on the first and second signals; andoutputting a third signal for controlling the display system in dependence on the one or more display parameters, wherein:when the information displayed on the first display is higher-priority information and the vehicle is in the conservation power mode, the third signal is configured to maintain the first display in an on state, or to cause transfer of the higher-priority information from the first display to a second display of the display system; andwhen the information displayed on the first display is not higher-priority information and the vehicle is in the conservation power mode, the third signal is configured to turn off the first display or to cause the first display to operate in a low-power mode.

12. Computer readable instructions which, when executed by a computer, are arranged to perform a method according to Claim 11.17

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