Patent Document

BACKGROUND 
     The invention relates to the field of information exchange in a motor vehicle and more particularly to an adaptation device making it possible to facilitate information exchange between a vehicle and an element integrated into the vehicle such as a multimedia system. 
     A motor vehicle is generally designed for an average duration of five to seven years and integrates several electronic systems. A multimedia system has a shorter lifetime than that of a vehicle, generally from two to three years before being replaced. Given the constant upgrading of the electronics market and technological innovations, it seems natural to integrate the new facilities arriving on the market into vehicles. Moreover, when a new multimedia system is developed, it is intended to be integrated into a large number of models of vehicles, whose electronic architectures, designed at different epochs and with different constraints, may vary. 
     The protocols used to exchange data or information between the various multimedia systems and the vehicle are generally determined for a given vehicle range. These data originate from various sensors or computers and relate for example to the state of the vehicle or of systems integrated into the vehicle. Gateways can be used to communicate between onboard networks of different technologies. Thus initially, various data travel to a gateway for example via the CAN bus of the vehicle. These data are thereafter translated by way of conversion functions integrated into the gateway and are dispatched via the CAN bus of the vehicle, or any other network, to the various systems for which the information is relevant, in the suitably adapted format. 
     The conversion and the transmissions of data are carried out for a given vehicle, and for a given system. To integrate a new multimedia system arriving on the market into a vehicle which is for example already on the market, it is sometimes not sufficient to modify the conversion function stored in the adaptation device or gateway. Indeed, the integration of new multimedia facilities into an existing vehicle may require that the vehicle make available information not demanded by the existing multimedia facilities or that the new multimedia system make available information in a previous format. From one vehicle to another or from one multimedia system to another, this information may flow around onboard networks in various formats or travel over dedicated wires also in various formats. Poorly controlled, the adaptations required by this integration may impact a large number of computers, both of the vehicle and of the multimedia system, and are expensive. Moreover, standardizing the interface between all the vehicles and all the multimedia systems does not make it possible to manage independent upgrades of the format and of the content of the information of the vehicles on the one hand and of the format and of the content of the information of the multimedia systems on the other hand. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     In order to alleviate these drawbacks, an aim of the invention is to propose a device making it possible to isolate the vehicle world and the multimedia world from one another, and to manage the adaptation of a new multimedia system on a range of different vehicles by way of a single component. With this aim, the subject of the invention is an adaptation device intended to be fitted in a vehicle between a computer of the vehicle and a computer of a second element integrated into said vehicle so as to exchange information between themselves, characterized in that the device comprises a first vehicle interface means connected to a dedicated wire of the vehicle and a second vehicle interface means connected to a network of the vehicle, and in that it comprises a first second-element interface means connected to a network of the second element and a second second-element interface means connected to a dedicated wire of the second element. 
     Such a device allows a vehicle and a multimedia system to be upgraded independently of one another. Thus, when a vehicle is mass produced from a certain time, the appearance of a new multimedia system may advantageously be integrated into a defined, mass-produced vehicle without reassessing the electrical or electronic architecture of this vehicle. 
     Such a device makes it possible to exchange information flowing not only over a network but also information flowing over dedicated wires. For example it makes it possible to transform information flowing over the CAN bus of the vehicle into wired information and vice versa. 
     This device makes it possible to concentrate on a single component the requirements of information exchanges from one world to another and the translation of the format and of the content of this information. Such a device can acquire information arising from networks, for example of CAN, Flexray, LIN, MOST, IEEE1394 type, or from wired inputs, such as for example the voltage level, the current level, a PWM signal, according to the modalities specific to each type of information and medium. It performs the conversion of a format and of a content to another format and another content, and then retransmits the information converted over networks or wired outputs, according to the modalities specific to each type of information and medium. Such a device can be made to store the value of each piece of information received or converted, for example to alleviate defects in the information acquisition chain or adapt the modalities of reception and transmission of a piece of information of an input or of a network to an output or another network. 
     Such a device can form the subject of a dedicated component whose adaptation function varies as a function of the combination (vehicle, multimedia system), be integrated into a multimedia component whose conversion function and vehicle interface varies from one vehicle to another or be integrated into a vehicle component whose conversion function and multimedia interface varies from one multimedia system to another. 
     According to other characteristics, the device can comprise a conversion means for converting an information format of the vehicle into an information format of the second element and vice versa, and an information storage means for storing information emitted by the computer of the vehicle and the computer of the second element. 
     The invention also relates to a method implemented by the device as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a step in the course of which a format of information flowing over a network of the vehicle is translated, by way of an information format conversion means, into a format of information flowing over a dedicated wire of the second element and vice versa. 
     According to other characteristics,
         the method can comprise a step in the course of which a format of information flowing over a network of the vehicle is translated, by way of an information format conversion means, into a format of information flowing over a network of the second element, and vice versa,   the method can comprise a step in the course of which a format of information flowing over a dedicated wire of the vehicle is translated, by way of an information format conversion means, into a format of information flowing over a dedicated wire of the second element, and vice versa.       

     The invention also relates to a motor vehicle comprising such an adaptation device. 
     The invention also relates to a use of one or more adaptation devices to integrate a multimedia system into a vehicle 
     The device can be used to integrate one or more existing multimedia systems into a new vehicle. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be better understood through the description hereinafter of an embodiment given by way of nonlimiting example with reference to the appended drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  represents an adaptation device according to the invention, 
         FIG. 2  represents a set of multimedia systems integrated into a given vehicle model, 
         FIG. 3  represents the adaptation device implemented for adding new multimedia systems (S 3 , S 4 ) into a vehicle V 1 , 
         FIG. 4  represents the adaptation device implemented for integrating multimedia systems (S 1 , S 2 , S 3 ) of a vehicle V 1  into a vehicle V 2   
         FIG. 5  represents an adaptation device implemented for integrating multimedia systems of a vehicle V 1  into a vehicle V 2 , to which systems new multimedia systems are added. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Represented in  FIG. 1  is the functional diagram of a device  1  allowing a given vehicle (not represented) to adapt to technological upgrades in elements to be integrated into the vehicle, for example multimedia systems and conversely allowing these elements to adapt to the upgrades of a vehicle. 
     The device  1  is fitted between a vehicle computer and for example a multimedia system computer. 
     This adaptation device  1  is intended to serve as multimedia and/or vehicle upgrade interface. When a multimedia system has for example to be fitted to different vehicles of a range, it is not necessary to redevelop an electrical architecture for each vehicle. The adaptation device  1  forms the link between the vehicle and the multimedia system. 
     The adaptation device  1 , or gateway  1  allows information exchange between the vehicle and a multimedia system (not represented) integrated into the vehicle. 
     The gateway  1  comprises interface means: a multimedia interface allowing communication and exchange of data between the computer or computers of the multimedia system and the gateway on the one hand, and a vehicle interface allowing communication and exchange of data between the vehicle and the gateway  1  on the other hand. It will be understood that the multimedia system can comprise one or more elements. 
     The vehicle interface comprises, more precisely, first vehicle interface means  20  which are vehicle input/output interfaces  20  connected to wired links or dedicated wires  22  of the vehicle—that is to say a wire where only one piece of information flows—and second vehicle interface means  21  which are vehicle network interfaces  21  connected to one or more networks  23  of the vehicle such as the vehicle&#39;s CAN network. 
     Likewise, the multimedia interface comprises first multimedia interface means  30  which are multimedia input/output interfaces  30  connected to wired links or dedicated wires  32  of the multimedia system and second multimedia interface means  31  which are second multimedia network interfaces  31  connected to one or more networks  33  of the multimedia system, for example to the multimedia&#39;s CAN network. 
     It will be understood that these examples of CAN networks are given by way of nonlimiting example. There may be as many adaptation devices  1  or gateways  1  as networks and dedicated wires necessary for information exchange that are used, or a single adaptation device comprising as many network interfaces and input/output interfaces as there are networks and dedicated wires necessary for information exchange that are used between the (computer of the) vehicle and the (computer of the) multimedia system. 
     The gateway  1  comprises connectors  7  and  6  able to link on the one hand the vehicle input/output interfaces  20  and the multimedia input/output interfaces  30  respectively to the wired links of the vehicle  22  and of the multimedia system  31 , and to link on the other hand the vehicle network interfaces  21  and the multimedia network interfaces  32  respectively to the networks of the vehicle  23  and of the multimedia system  33 . Thus, the wired links  22  of the vehicle are not connected directly to the multimedia system but to the gateway  1  and more particularly to the vehicle input/output interface  20 . The wired links arising from the multimedia system are not connected directly to the computers of the vehicle but to the gateway  1 , and more precisely to the multimedia input/output interface  30 . The CAN network of the vehicle for example is not hooked up directly to the computers of the multimedia system but to the gateway  1  by way of the vehicle CAN interface. Likewise, the multimedia computers are hooked up to a second CAN network connected to the gateway  1  by way of a multimedia CAN interface. 
     The gateway  1  comprises means for processing  4  and for storing 5 information. A means for processing the data or information, for example a microcontroller  4 , is intended to communicate with the various interfaces, vehicle and multimedia, through which the vehicle and multimedia data travel. Unlike a computer which will search for the information it needs on a network, the gateway  1  is able to recover all the data that the vehicle and the multimedia system are capable of providing, and which the vehicle or multimedia system needs. It thus makes it possible to centralize all the data required for vehicle communication with the multimedia system. All the required data are stored in memory so that the gateway  1  can dispatch it to the vehicle or to the multimedia system. For this purpose, the microcontroller  4  receives data originating from the computers of the vehicle or multimedia computers by way of the vehicle interface and multimedia interface, and dispatches these data to the storage means  5 . The data stored in the storage means  5  are converted into the data format adapted to the vehicle or to the multimedia system. 
     The gateway  1  allows fast and cheaper deployment of a new multimedia system or a new range of multimedia systems on new vehicles and existing vehicles of different generations, by concentrating all the necessary adaptations into a single component. When a new multimedia system has for example to be integrated into a large number of vehicle models, new or already in mass production, of one and the same range or of different ranges, the gateway  1  is deployed on each vehicle model with a vehicle interface and an adapted conversion function. The multimedia interface, the format and the content of the information on the multimedia side are identical from one vehicle model to another, and the other components of the multimedia system are then compatible with all the vehicles without modification. When a new vehicle has to receive various multimedia systems, the gateway  1  is for example deployed on each multimedia system with a multimedia interface and an adapted conversion function. The vehicle interface, the format and the content of the information vehicle side are identical from one multimedia system to another, and the other components of the vehicle are then compatible with all the multimedia systems without modification. The invention advantageously makes it possible not to reassess the whole of the electrical architecture of the vehicle when one or a whole range of multimedias has to be changed and replaced with a new generation of multimedia systems. 
     Represented in  FIG. 2  is an example of an adaptation interface standardized on a vehicle V 1  with three multimedia systems S 1 , S 2 , S 3  and an adapted gateway  1 . In this example, the multimedia system S 1  comprises a display  70  and a radio  71 , the multimedia system S 2  comprises a radio  80 , a radio  81  and a navigation system  82 , the multimedia system S 3  comprises a display  90 , a radio  91 , a navigation system  92 . The gateway  1  may or may not be integrated into an element of the multimedia system. When a new multimedia system S 4  comprising for example a radio  100 , a radio  101  and a navigation system  102 , is added to this vehicle V 1 , the interface standard of the vehicle V 1  may optionally be supplemented for the needs of the new multimedia system S 4 . However, the implementation of the supplement impacts only the implementation of the gateway  1  for the multimedia system S 4 , and impacts neither the vehicle V 1 , nor the other multimedia systems S 1 , S 2  and S 3 , nor even the other components of the multimedia system S 4 . The gateway  1  of the multimedia system S 4  uses all the information of the standardized interface of the vehicle V 1  which is useful to it and which may originate from the other multimedia systems S 1 , S 2 , S 3 . The example of  FIG. 2  is also illustrated in  FIG. 3  where an interface integration on the same vehicle V 1  has been represented. The gateway  1  is standardized on the vehicle V 1  side and is adapted on the multimedia side to the multimedia interface standard of the multimedia system S 4 . The multimedia system S 4  implements a specific multimedia interface and a specific conversion function. 
     The integration of the same multimedia systems S 1 , S 2  and S 3  present on the vehicle V 1  onto another vehicle V 2  not having the same architecture as the vehicle V 1  is represented in  FIG. 4  where the vehicle V 2  defines a specific interface standard. The gateway  1  then implements a specific vehicle interface and a specific conversion function of the vehicle V 2  but complies with the multimedia interface standard of the systems S 1 , S 2  and S 3 . In this example, the vehicle V 2  has no CAN network and the gateway  1  acquires wired signals for replacing the information required. 
     In  FIG. 5 , the multimedia systems S 1 , S 2 , S 3  present in the vehicle V 1  are integrated into the vehicle V 2 . The new multimedia system S 4  is also integrated into this vehicle V 2 . The gateway  1  acquires wired signals for replacing the information required for the operation of the multimedia system S 4  and converts them into the same multimedia format as on the vehicle V 1 . The other computers, both of the vehicle V 2  and of the multimedia systems S 1 , S 2 , S 3  and S 4 , are not modified. 
     The gateway  1  according to the invention behaves as a computer which makes it possible to separate the vehicle world from that of a multimedia system and vice versa. The gateway  1 , whether or not dedicated to a specified multimedia system, makes it possible to guarantee the ability of the two worlds, vehicle and multimedia, to be upgraded over time independently of one another. This interface component  1  can constitute a specific computer, but can also be integrated with existing computer. Another advantage of such an invention is the concentration of the adaptations to be managed into a single computer. This advantage is therefore at one and the same time of an economic nature and of the nature of functional optimization, thus limiting the complexity of development, of upgrade and of integration.

Technology Category: 5