KR20220149432A - Method and system for selectively providig vibrating alert to passengers of motor vehicle to raise awareness for an imminent or ongoing communication - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and a system for selectively providing a vibratory warning to vehicle passengers to increase awareness for impending or ongoing communication. The method for selectively providing a vibratory warning to vehicle passengers to increase awareness for impending or ongoing communication, includes the following steps of: enabling a seat allocation unit of a vehicle to determine a seat occupied by a receiving passenger in the vehicle; enabling a communication control device of the vehicle to evaluate whether communication is intended to be delivered to the receiving passenger; and activating a vibration device at each seat occupied by the receiving passenger to provide a vibratory warning to the receiving passenger so as to warn the receiving passenger in the communication.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SELECTIVELY PROVIDIG VIBRATING ALERT TO PASSENGERS OF MOTOR VEHICLE TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR AN IMMINENT OR ONGOING COMMUNICATION

The present invention relates to a method and system for selectively providing a vibration alert to a passenger of a vehicle to raise awareness for an impending or ongoing communication. The invention also relates to a vehicle equipped with such a system.

Carpooling (also ride pooling, car sharing, ride sharing and lift sharing) is a process in which one or more people travel in a vehicle and another It is the sharing of vehicle travel that avoids the need to drive directly to this location. By allowing more people to use one vehicle, carpooling and similar concepts reduce travel costs for each person, including fuel costs, tolls and driving stress. This concept is also a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way to travel because sharing travel reduces air pollution, carbon emissions, road congestion, and the need for parking spaces. Car sharing is a great way to use the entire seat capacity of a vehicle that would remain unused if using the vehicle was just the driver.

Commercial pooling services have recently been introduced, tying passengers with similar pickup points and destinations together at once, for example by matching passengers and vehicles via a website or mobile application. In this case, each passenger must be informed when arriving at an individual destination, for example via a screen installed inside the cabin of the individual vehicle. The challenge for the pooling concept now lies in the need to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or similar regulations on data protection and privacy that dictate how personal data is transmitted and shared. One of the consequences of these regulations is that messages intended for specific pooling customers must not be delivered via shared screens or loudspeakers. This limitation can be overcome by using name initials.

However, passengers who are working or resting, for example using the infotainment system, are often unaware of the visual and/or auditory information provided inside the vehicle. In general, vehicle occupants may wear headphones or sleep, thus blocking any external input to some extent. This may also relate to other driving applications such as, for example, ride hailing, taxi driving, and/or personal driving. For example, a driver may want to provide information about a route, timetable change, or initiate a conversation with a back seat passenger. In all of these cases, there is a need to draw the attention of a passenger who may be visually and/or aurally distracted.

Prior art document EP 2 953 379 B1 describes a user interface for active noise reduction headphones, wherein an active hear-through can be activated manually by the user, automatically when the user starts speaking or by means of an external remote signal. -through) mode is provided for those who wear headphones.

Therefore, there is a need to find a prudent yet effective solution for making the passengers aware of messages and/or notifications inside the vehicle.

To this end, the invention provides a method according to claim 1 , a system according to claim 11 and a vehicle according to claim 20 .

According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of selectively providing a vibration alert to a passenger of a vehicle to raise awareness for an impending or ongoing communication comprises, by a seat assignment unit of the vehicle, a method occupied by a receiving passenger within the vehicle. determining a seat; evaluating, by the communication control device of the vehicle, whether the communication is intended to be delivered to the receiving passenger; and activating the vibrating device in each seat occupied by the receiving passenger to alert the receiving passenger of the communication to provide a vibrating alert to the receiving passenger.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a system for selectively providing a vibration alert to a passenger of a vehicle to raise awareness for an impending or ongoing communication comprises: a seat assignment unit configured to determine a seat in the vehicle occupied by a receiving passenger; a communication control device configured to evaluate whether the communication is intended to be delivered to the receiving passenger; and a vibrating device, arranged at each seat occupied by the receiving passenger, configured to provide a vibration alert to the receiving passenger to warn the receiving passenger of the communication.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle comprises a system according to another aspect of the present invention.

One idea of the present invention is to provide vibration feedback to a person inside a vehicle with limited auditory and/or visual capacity to inform an incoming message or other communication. The present invention may help to increase passenger awareness of relevant information in a variety of driving applications including, but not limited to, ride pooling and similar concepts. However, the vibration alert of the present invention can be used not only when a passenger cannot see or hear a message, but also when more careful notification is required. For example, an audible information audible to all occupants can alert only that passenger with a vibrating alert without disturbing other passengers. The present invention provides a way to inform the user of a particular situation (eg, arriving at a destination in a ride-pooling vehicle), or wishing to initiate a conversation (eg with a passenger in the backseat of the vehicle who may be wearing headphones). driver) can be used to get someone's attention.

Vibration may occur where the respondent is sitting and/or on any kind of surface inside the vehicle that the respondent is touching, such as a seat surface, floor, headrest or the like. State-of-the-art vibratory elements can be used for this purpose, including, for example, elements known from assistive driving functions such as lane departure warning systems and the like.

In order to be able to selectively warn individual passengers, it is necessary to know their respective locations inside the vehicle. Thus, the current system assigns a seat to each passenger. This may be done, for example, by a seat sensing mat, a camera and/or other sensors known to those skilled in the art. This is of particular relevance when seats are not pre-allocated and/or assigned to fixed passengers, ie where the passenger is more or less free to select a seat.

As used herein, the term "vehicle" or "vehicle" or other similar terms includes passenger cars including sport utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, and automobiles in general, including various commercial vehicles, hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, and the like. It is understood to include vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen powered vehicles, and other alternative fuel (eg, fuels derived from resources other than petroleum) vehicles. As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle having two or more power sources, for example, a gasoline powered vehicle and an electric powered vehicle. Further, trains, aircraft, ships, etc. also belong to vehicles within the meaning of the present invention.

Advantageous embodiments and improvements of the invention are found in the dependent claims.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the communication control device may be configured to generate an automatic notification as a communication. The communication may in particular be a textual, visual and/or audible notification.

In a particular example of a ride pooling situation, the notification may be, for example, a visual indication on a central screen that the vehicle has arrived or is about to arrive at the destination of the recipient passenger. Each passenger can now be alerted with a vibration alerting them to pay attention to a screen where, for example, the passenger's initials or guardian can be displayed along with information that the vehicle will arrive at its destination.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the communication may be a voice message by the driver and/or other passenger of the vehicle.

Thus, in another specific example, the driver or passenger may wish to talk to a receiving passenger, who may be seated, for example, in the back row of a vehicle. The receiving passenger may be distracted or have limited hearing by not paying attention to the speaker, for example because of headphones, because he is asleep, etc. A vibration alert can now wake a receiving passenger or draw the passenger's attention to the fact that the speaker wants to communicate.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the communication control device detects individual code words in a voice message associated with a recipient passenger, detects a generic code word in a voice message representing a plurality of recipient passengers, and the driver and/or other passenger and identify the receiving passenger as the intended recipient of the communication among the plurality of passengers occupying the vehicle by at least one of evaluating the current viewing direction.

Individual code words may include names, user names, aliases, destinations, etc. that are directly and uniquely assigned to a particular passenger inside the vehicle. In principle, it may also include any general form of designation for an individual that may or may not be used in conjunction with a personal title as long as one-to-one communication with a particular occupant of the vehicle is established.

On the other hand, generic code words may include phrases or colloquial expressions indicating that a group of people and/or all passengers of a vehicle are designated together rather than a specific person. Exemplary phrases include “every audience,” “attention,” and the like, plural pronouns, and the like.

The communication control device may use a voice recognition algorithm to analyze the voice message and determine the recipient of the message. The system may record a voice message (eg, a sentence) and extract the current code word or phrase. To this end, the system may build and/or access a database of code words and occupant actions. The system may also use advanced machine learning techniques to interpret and analyze spoken language. Initial code words are, for example, taken from devices registered on the local network or ride pooling reservation information (eg name, destination, etc.) Please", etc.). In this way, the basic functionality of the system can be ensured from the first ride.

If a code word or phrase is found and/or identified in a voice message, an alert can be sent to that passenger so that the passenger can now hear the message without disturbing potential additional passengers and/or the driver, and the voice message is sent to the passenger; For example, it may be played on a passenger's headphones or the like.

In addition to the code word, the speaker's direction of view can also serve as an indicator to indicate the recipient of the message. To reconstruct the speaker's current viewing direction, one or more cameras and/or directional microphones or other suitable system capable of monitoring the driver's face and tracking the direction the driver is speaking may be used. The receiving passenger can then be identified as the passenger the driver is looking at (either directly or through a rearview mirror for example).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the communication control device includes an activated headphone, an activated personal electronic device, an activated reading light, activated in-vehicle infotainment, an unfolded table, an unfolded leg rest or armrest, and a reclined backrest or headrest. can be configured to determine the distraction of the receiving passenger by detecting The method may correspondingly further comprise determining a distraction of the receiving passenger by at least one of the measures. Thereafter, the vibration alert may be adjusted according to the determined distraction of the receiving passenger.

In order to increase the acceptance of the system, the vibration signal can only be transmitted to a specific occupant whose attention is thus distracted. Also, the vibration signal may be constructed based on a particular distraction. Types and/or levels of distraction may be defined that may help distinguish different scenarios. Depending on the outcome of each, a different type of vibration signal may be transmitted (different amplitude levels, repeated vibrations of a certain length and frequency, etc.) or no vibration signal transmitted at all (eg distraction is minor/minor). or because the receiving passenger is already responding to the communication).

The distraction of the receiving passenger is, for example,

- Use of wireless headphones (e.g. detected via wireless network, Bluetooth, etc.)

- Use your car's Wi-Fi hotspot

- Reading light on (detected e.g. via CAN-Bus, contact switch, etc.)

- Adjusted seat

- Activated massage mode

- unfolded table and/or armrests

- use a sun shade

- Use of in-vehicle infotainment

- Keyboard input, mouse click, etc. (detected via microphone, camera, etc.)

- Sound from video, video games

can be measured or quantified by combining several different factors or indicators, including

If the level or type of distraction cannot be clearly established, a vibration alert may only be sent after a communication request has been repeatedly ignored, for example after two failed attempts.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the communication control device may be configured to record the communication when the communication is a voice message and selectively play the communication to the receiving passenger according to the determined distraction.

Since the message was first spoken, the driver and/or other passenger will have to repeat the message if the receiving passenger only pays attention thereafter. In the present embodiment, this repetition can be avoided since the message can be recorded and later directed to the passenger. If the receiving passenger is using headphones, an infotainment system, or the like, a voice message may be played through the respective speaker, headphone, and/or sound system to reach the passenger.

In principle, it is also possible to play the message immediately instead of issuing a vibration alert. Thereafter, the vibration alert can only be sent after two or more unsuccessful attempts to communicate with the receiving passenger.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the seat assignment unit may be configured to determine the seat occupied by the receiving passenger to detect a seat in the vehicle in which the receiving passenger is currently sitting by using the vehicle's seat occupancy sensor system.

Sensing may be performed using a variety of other sensor systems known to those skilled in the art in other applications where it is necessary to establish whether a seat is occupied. The system may include, for example, a seat sensing mat, a seat belt sensor, a camera, and a weight sensor. Of course, it should be understood that these sensing approaches can be combined.

In a ride pooling application, the system can recognize each time a passenger enters the vehicle and can accordingly assign this passenger a specific seat, that is, a seat for which the sensor signal is captured by the sensor system immediately after the passenger enters the vehicle. The identity of the passenger may be known, for example, due to reservation information and pickup time/place, due to facial recognition, voice recognition, etc., and may be assigned to each seat accordingly.

In a typical application, e.g. in the case of personal driving, seat assignment can be done e.g. via a camera system that identifies each passenger in each seat and can therefore be assigned directly to the passenger via optical identification. have.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the seat assignment unit tracks personal electronic devices in the vehicle, checks seat belt status, uses facial recognition, uses voice recognition, verifies passenger reservation information and/or It may be configured to evaluate the occupancy history of the vehicle to detect occupied seats.

In certain instances, the system may be initialized as soon as a passenger enters the vehicle (eg, a door is opened, a seat belt is fastened, a seat weight sensor receives a signal, etc.). The system may then begin collecting information about the passenger by, for example, searching for data in a database, the vehicle's occupancy and/or driving history. Additionally or alternatively, various sensor systems may be used to collect additional information about passengers and occupied seats (eg, personal electronic device name, photo, voice, time/day/embarkation/drop-off location).

For example, a passenger may be identified by matching ride pooling/hailing information during boarding with the state of a seat belt or other occupancy sensor (eg, a seat sensing mat). In addition, (wireless) electronic networks can be used to identify occupants by tracking and matching electronic devices as soon as the occupant enters the vehicle (device name, signal strength as a function of location, ride timestamp, etc.). Facial recognition can be used to identify occupants based on camera data that matches photos/images from a database and/or driving history. In a similar vein, internal microphones can be used to identify individual passengers' voices based on unique frequency patterns. Based on the direction information, the corresponding seat can be assigned to the passenger. Predictive navigation may be used to remember passengers by time and/or location (destination, pickup location), for example using GPS data. A person skilled in the art will readily be able to think of further examples based on sensor and tracking technology as known in other applications.

It may be useful to assign each seat if the system knows the identity (real name, face, voice, etc.) of each passenger obtained, for example, from a ride pooling user account. However, one of ordinary skill in the art may envision other ways of assigning communications (eg, ride pooling screens, driver's conversations) to the correct seats. Learning communication control devices (general and individual code words, direction of sight, etc.) allow the creation of new passenger identities in the system itself while driving. In addition, the determined characteristics (eg, voice patterns, faces, personal mobile devices, etc.) may be stored for faster identification in the future. In addition, the vehicle's occupancy history may be stored and used to predict interior passengers. Thus, the system does not need to rely on external sources to ensure correct seat assignment. Meanwhile, it is possible to assign a communication request to a specific passenger in real time. On the other hand, already known passengers may be recognized by their characteristics (eg, voice pattern, face, personal mobile device, occupancy history, etc.) stored in the system.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the seat allocation unit may be configured to track changes in individual seat occupancy when a passenger enters or exits the vehicle.

For example, whenever a carpool vehicle arrives at a pickup location and one of the doors is opened, the system may determine the seat occupied by a new passenger based on seat mat detection and/or seat belt sensors. Then, the corresponding seat can be assigned to the corresponding passenger. In a similar vein, each seat may be removed from the assigned seat list whenever a passenger exits the vehicle at the destination location.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the vibration device may be configured to generate vibrations on the seat surface, backrest, headrest, armrest, seat belt, floor and/or sidewall of the vehicle in a seat occupied by a receiving passenger.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

In accordance with the present invention, it is possible to provide vibration feedback to a person inside a vehicle with limited auditory and/or visual capacity to inform an incoming message or other communication. Accordingly, it may help to increase the passenger's awareness of the relevant information.

In addition, the effects obtainable or predicted by the embodiments of the present invention are to be disclosed directly or implicitly in the detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention. That is, various effects predicted according to an embodiment of the present invention will be disclosed in the detailed description to be described later.

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. It will be readily appreciated that other embodiments of the invention and many of its intended advantages may be better understood by reference to the detailed description that follows. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale with respect to each other. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate similar or functionally similar elements, unless otherwise indicated.
1 schematically illustrates a system for selectively providing a vibration warning to a passenger of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 schematically shows a vehicle using the system of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 shows another vehicle using the system of Fig. 1;
Figure 4 shows a flow chart of a method for selectively providing a vibration alert to a passenger of a vehicle used in Figures 1-3;
While specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various alternative and/or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the invention. In general, this application is intended to cover any modifications or variations of the specific embodiments discussed herein.

1 schematically shows a system 10 for selectively providing a vibration warning to a passenger P of a vehicle 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. While an exemplary vehicle 100 is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 for two different applications, a flowchart for a corresponding method M is shown in FIG. 4 .

Referring to Figure 1, the purpose of the system 10 is to raise awareness for an impending or ongoing communication C, as will be explained below, among the passengers P of the vehicle 100, the receiving passengers RP. It is to provide a vibration alert selectively to one or several recipients called

2 and 3, two basic examples for application of the disclosed system 10 are described.

In the example of FIG. 2 , vehicle 100 is used in a ride pooling application, where various passengers P are picked up at individual locations and disembarked at their respective destinations. In this case, the communication C is an automatic message, for example a text that is provided via the display 11 of the vehicle 100 and intended for the receiving passenger RP, for example the vehicle 100 is the passenger RP. It may be a notification that you are approaching the destination of The communication (C) may include information on the remaining time until arrival at the destination and the initials of the passenger (RP), for example (“RP” in FIG. 2 ).

On the other hand, Figure 3 provides an example for a private application of the system 10, where the vehicle 100 is used by a driver (eg, a parent) to transport a passenger (eg, a child) to a destination. do. In this case, the communication C may be a voice message of the driver D towards the receiving passenger RP. For example, the driver D may directly call the receiving passenger RP by name (illustrated as “RP” in FIG. 3 ).

Referring again to FIG. 1 , the system 10 comprises a seat assignment unit 1 configured to determine a seat 4 occupied by a receiving passenger RP in the vehicle 100 . Although the system 10 is described below for exactly one receiving passenger (RP), the described embodiment is such that a group of passengers (P) have the same destination or are called together by the driver as receiving passengers (RP) together. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that it can be easily generalized to the case being treated.

More specifically, the seat assignment unit 1 receives by using the seat occupancy sensor system 5 of the vehicle 100 to detect that the receiving passenger RP is currently sitting in the seat 4 of the vehicle 100 . and to determine the seat 4 occupied by the passenger RP.

In the ride pooling example of FIG. 2 , the system 10 assigns each seat 4 to a respective new passenger P as soon as the passenger P enters the vehicle 100 and sits in one of the seats 4 . can do. In this context, the seat assignment unit 1 may be configured to track changes in the occupancy of the individual seat 4 when the passenger P boards or leaves the vehicle 100 . For example, in FIG. 2 the receiving passenger RP is about to board the vehicle 100 and will sit in the middle seat 4 in the back row. Each seat 4 is determined and assigned to a receiving passenger RP.

In a simple example, the seat occupancy sensor system 5 is a seat occupancy mat 5a comprising several sensor elements distributed over a sensing surface (eg, on the seat surface, on the floor in front of the seat 4, etc.). ) may be included. Upon boarding the vehicle 100 , each passenger P may be identified (eg, based on pickup location and time, identification documents, personal electronic device, etc.). A seat 4 for which the seat occupancy sensor system 5 provides a signal will then be assigned to each passenger P. As soon as the passenger P exits the vehicle 100 , the seat 4 will be removed from the corresponding list of assigned seats 4 .

In order to determine each seat 4 , the seat assignment unit 1 also tracks the personal electronic device 7 in the vehicle 100 , checks the seat belt status, uses facial recognition, uses voice recognition, checks passenger reservation information and Various techniques may be used including, without limitation, evaluation of the occupancy history of the vehicle 100 .

For example, the position and movement of a mobile phone connected to the wireless network 8 of the vehicle 100 as a personal electronic device 7 can be determined by the passenger P in order to allocate a seat 4 to a specific passenger P. can be used while In another example, the camera 5b and/or the directional microphone 5c may be used to find out which seat 4 the passenger P is seated in. The requested data about the passenger P, such as images and speech patterns, for example, may include the respective database, reservation information, and/or any relevant information regarding the passenger P who has used the vehicle 100 in the past (onboarding). and disembarkation location/time, etc.).

Referring again to FIG. 1 , the system 10 further comprises a communication control device 2 configured to evaluate whether the communication C is intended to be delivered to the receiving passenger RP. In the case of the ride pooling application of FIG. 2 , for example, the communication control device may be configured to generate an automated, in particular text, visual and/or audible notification as the communication C displayed on the display 11 .

However, in the case of the private driving example of FIG. 3 , the communication C would be a voice message by the driver D. For this kind of application, the communication control device 2 may be configured to identify the receiving passenger RP as the intended recipient of the communication C among several passengers P occupying the vehicle 100 . This can be done, for example, by detecting individual code words in the voice message associated with the receiving passenger RP, such as the child's name in the specific example of FIG. 3 .

However, in other embodiments, generic code words may also be detected in voice messages representing multiple incoming passengers, for example multiple children called together as a family or group of driver D. For example, the driver D may inform a group of children that they are about to arrive at their destination.

To identify the recipient of the voice message, the system 10 tracks the driver D's current viewing direction to find out which passenger P he is calling, for example a face such as a camera. It may further include a tracking system 6 .

To record and analyze voice messages, system 10 may also include a voice recognition system 12 comprising one or several microphones. The communication control device 2 and other devices of the system 10 generally include respective hardware and software, and the control system 10 of the vehicle 100 may include an assistive and/or autonomous driving system. may be integrated and/or communicatively coupled to The communication control device 2 may include and/or have access to a relational database (eg via the wireless network 8 ) containing, for example, passenger reservation information, driving history, and the like.

Referring again to FIG. 1 , the system 10 is arranged in each seat 4 occupied by the receiving passenger RP and provides a vibration alert to the receiving passenger RP to warn the receiving passenger RP of the communication. It further comprises a vibration device 3 configured to do so. Of course, all seats 4 are generally equipped with respective vibrating devices 3 , but it should be understood that only the specific seat 4 occupied by the receiving passenger RP vibrates.

The vibrating device 3 applies vibration to any suitable surface that may be contacted by the receiving occupant, such as, for example, a seat surface, backrest, headrest, armrest, seat belt, floor and/or sidewall of vehicle 100 . can be configured to generate. 1 to 3 , the vibrating device 3 is integrated into the backrest of each seat 4 .

The communication control device 2 includes activated headphones 9, activated personal electronic device 7, activated reading lamp, activated in-vehicle infotainment, unfolded table, unfolded leg rests or armrests, and a reclined backrest or headrest. and determine the distraction of the receiving passenger RP by detecting at least one of The vibration alert can be adapted according to the determined distraction of the receiving passenger RP.

In the example of FIG. 3 , the receiving passenger RP may attempt to call the receiving passenger RP by the driver D while the receiving passenger RP is listening to music using the headphones 9 . This can be recognized, for example, by the system 10 , since the headphones 9 are registered in the radio network 8 to which the communication control device 2 is connected. The communication control device 2 can now be configured to record the communication C and selectively reproduce the communication C to the receiving passenger RP according to the determined distraction.

Thus, in the example of FIG. 3 , the system 10 may notice that the driver D is attempting to talk to the receiving passenger RP. The system 10 records the driver D's communication C and sends a vibration alert to the receiving passenger RP, thereby informing the receiving passenger RP of the driver D's intent. The system 10 then plays the driver D's communication C directly to the receiving passenger RP, for example on the passenger RP's headphones 9 .

In another example, replaying the communication C may not be necessary, for example if the driver D does not continue and only speaks the name of the receiving passenger RP. However, speaking the passenger RP's name starts the system 10 to send a vibration alert to the passenger RP. As soon as the driver D gets the attention of the passenger RP, he can now start a conversation with the passenger RP.

The method M for using the system of FIG. 1 , schematically illustrated in FIG. 4 , correspondingly assigns a seat 4 occupied by the receiving passenger RP in the vehicle 100 under step M1 to a seat assignment unit (1) including the step of determining. The method M further comprises the step of evaluating whether the communication C is intended to be delivered to the receiving passenger RP to the communication control device 2 of the vehicle 100 under step M2 . The method provides a vibration warning to the receiving passenger RP by actuating the vibrating device 3 in each seat 4 occupied by the receiving passenger RP to warn the receiving passenger RP of the communication under step M3. It further comprises the step of providing.

In the example of Figure 2, this may lead to the following series of events. The receiving passenger RP is identified by the system 10 after boarding the vehicle 100 (eg, based on ride location and time based on ride pooling reservation information and/or a camera installed within the vehicle 100 ). (5b) or based on the directional microphone 5c). As soon as the receiving passenger RP sits in the middle seat 4 in the rear row of the vehicle 100, the seat occupancy mat 5a of the seat 4 recognizes this and informs the system 10 accordingly, and then the seat ( 4) to the receiving passenger RP (a camera 5b and a directional microphone 5c may also be used for this purpose, for example to track the face and/or voice of the passenger RP). Just before the vehicle 100 arrives at the destination of the receiving passenger RP (eg, 5 minutes before arrival as shown in FIG. 2 ), the passenger RP receives a vibration alert. At the same time, the display 11 shows the corresponding communication C comprising the expected arrival time and the initials of the passenger RP. As soon as the vehicle 100 arrives at its destination, the receiving passenger RP disembarks from the vehicle 100 (after all, after receiving another vibration warning that the vehicle 100 has reached its destination).

In the example of FIG. 3 , the driver D may wish to talk to a single receiving passenger RP. Thus, each communication C may include the name of the passenger RP recognized by the voice recognition system 12 . The passenger RP is already assigned to the seat 4 of the vehicle 100 immediately after boarding the vehicle 100 based on sensor information such as, for example, the seat occupancy mat 5a, the portable electronic mobile device 7, etc. could have been Particularly in the case of personal driving, additional passenger identification strategies may be useful (eg camera 5b and/or microphone 5c as in FIG. 2 ) since no reservation information is available.

The speech recognition system 12 can now reconstruct the passenger RP's name as individual code words in the communication C, thus deducing that the driver D is attempting to speak to the passenger RP. can The system 10 may further recognize that the passenger RP is distracted by listening to music through the headphones 9 . Thus, the system 10 may now decide to warn the passenger RP via a corresponding vibration warning introduced via the vibration device 3 in the backrest of the seat 4 .

As a result, a discreet yet effective solution for informing passengers of messages and/or notifications inside the vehicle is provided, which can be used in commercial applications such as ride pooling, but also for private purposes.

In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features are grouped together in one or more examples for the purpose of streamlining the present disclosure. It is to be understood that the above description is for illustrative purposes only and is not limiting. It is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents of different features and embodiments. Many other examples will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the above specification. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

1: Seat assignment unit 2: Communication control unit
3: Vibration device 4: Seat
5: Seat occupancy sensor system 5a: Seat occupancy mat
5b: camera 5c: directional microphone
6: Face tracking system 7: Personal electronics
8: wireless network 9: headphones
10: A system for providing vibration alerts
11: Display 12: Voice Recognition System
100: vehicle P: passenger
RP: Receiving Passenger D: Driver
M: Method M1-M3: Method Steps

Claims (20)

A method (M) for selectively providing a vibration warning to a passenger (P) of a vehicle (100) to raise awareness for an impending or ongoing communication (C), the method (M) comprising:
determining, by the seat assignment unit 1 of the vehicle 100 , the seat 4 occupied by the receiving passenger RP in the vehicle 100 ( M1 );
evaluating, by the communication control device 2 of the vehicle 100 , whether the communication C is intended to be delivered to the receiving passenger RP (M2); and
providing a vibration warning to the receiving passenger RP by operating the vibrating device 3 in each seat 4 occupied by the receiving passenger RP to warn the receiving passenger RP of the communication C (M3) ), comprising a method (M). According to claim 1,
Method M, wherein the communication C is a notification generated by the communication control device 2 of the vehicle 100 . According to claim 1,
Method M where the communication C is a voice message by the driver D and/or other passengers P of the vehicle 100 . 4. The method of claim 3,
By means of the communication control device 2, individual code words in the voice message associated with the receiving passenger RP are detected, and generic code words of the voice message representing a plurality of receiving passengers RP are detected, the driver D and Identify the receiving passenger RP as the intended recipient of the communication C among the plurality of passengers P occupying the vehicle 100 by at least one of evaluating the current viewing direction of the other passenger P A method (M) further comprising the step of: The method of claim 1,
By means of the communication control device (2), activated headphones (9), activated personal electronics, activated reading lamp, activated in-vehicle infotainment, unfolded table, unfolded leg rests or armrests, and one of the reclined backrests or headrests determining the distraction of the receiving passenger (RP) by sensing at least one;
How (M) the vibration alert is adjusted according to the determined distraction of the receiving passenger (RP). 6. The method of claim 5,
Method (M) wherein said communication (C) is recorded and selectively played back to a receiving passenger (RP) according to a determined distraction if said communication (C) is a voice message. According to claim 1,
The seat assignment unit 1 uses the seat occupancy sensor system 5 of the vehicle 100 to detect the seat 4 of the vehicle 100 in which the receiving passenger RP is currently sitting, and the receiving passenger RP Method (M) to determine this occupied seat (4). According to claim 1,
The seat assignment unit 1 tracks the personal electronic device 7 in the vehicle 100, checks the seat belt status, uses facial recognition, uses voice recognition, checks passenger reservation information, and the vehicle ( 100) a method M for detecting a seat 4 occupied by at least one of evaluating an occupancy history. According to claim 1,
The seat assignment unit 1 tracks the change in the occupancy of individual seats 4 when the passenger P gets on or off the vehicle 100 . The method of claim 1,
A method in which the vibration device 3 generates vibration in at least one of a seat surface, a backrest, a headrest, an armrest, a seat belt, and a floor and a sidewall of the vehicle 100 in the seat 4 occupied by the receiving passenger RP (M) ). A system (10) for selectively providing a vibration alert to a passenger (P) of a vehicle (100) to raise awareness for an impending or ongoing communication (C), comprising:
a seat assignment unit 1 configured to determine a seat 4 occupied by the receiving passenger RP in the vehicle 100;
a communication control device 2 configured to evaluate whether the communication C is intended to be delivered to the receiving passenger RP; and
a vibrating device 3 arranged in each seat 4 occupied by the receiving passenger RP and configured to provide a vibration warning to the receiving passenger RP to warn the receiving passenger RP of the communication C;
A system (10) comprising: 12. The method of claim 11,
A system (10) wherein the communication control device (2) is configured to generate a notification as a communication (C). 12. The method of claim 11,
The communication (C) is a voice message by the driver (D) and/or other passengers (P) of the vehicle ( 100 ), and the communication control device ( 2 ) is a separate code in the voice message related to the receiving passenger (RP) the vehicle by at least one of detecting a word, detecting a generic code word in a voice message representing a plurality of receiving passengers (RP), and evaluating the current viewing direction of the driver (D) and/or other passengers (P). A system (10) configured to identify a receiving passenger (RP) as an intended recipient of a communication (C) among a plurality of passengers (P) occupying (100). 12. The method of claim 11,
The communication control device 2 includes at least one of an activated headphone 9, an activated personal electronic device, an activated reading light, activated in-vehicle infotainment, an unfolded table, an unfolded leg rest or armrest, and a reclined backrest or headrest. and determine the distraction of the receiving passenger RP by detecting one,
A system (10) where the vibration alert is adjusted according to the determined distraction of the receiving passenger (RP). 15. The method of claim 14,
system (10) configured to record the communication (C) if the communication (C) is a voice message and to selectively reproduce the communication (C) to the receiving passenger (RP) according to the determined distraction. 12. The method of claim 11,
The seat assignment unit 1 uses the seat occupancy sensor system 5 of the vehicle 100 to detect the seat 4 of the vehicle 100 in which the receiving passenger RP is currently seated by the receiving passenger RP. A system (10) configured to determine an occupied seat (4). 12. The method of claim 11,
The seat assignment unit 1 tracks the personal electronic device 7 in the vehicle 100, checks the seat belt status, uses facial recognition, uses voice recognition, checks passenger reservation information, and the vehicle ( A system (10) configured to detect a seat (4) occupied by at least one of evaluating an occupancy history of 100). 12. The method of claim 11,
The seat assignment unit 1 is configured to track changes in occupancy of individual seats 4 as passengers P get on or off the vehicle 100 . 12. The method of claim 11,
The vibration device 3 is a system configured to generate vibrations in at least one of a seat surface, a backrest, a headrest, an armrest, a seat belt, a floor and a sidewall of the vehicle 100 in the seat 4 occupied by the receiving passenger RP. (10). A vehicle (100) with a system (10) according to claim 11 .

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