Device and method for controlling incoming video stream while driving

• US 10,176,547 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2013
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Cabasse, Gilbert, Bonnaud, Fabrice
• Primary Examiner(s): Drennan, Barry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robinson, Terrell
• Application Number:
  US14/647,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20150310577A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,915 Days
• Field of Search: 345522
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1868 according to driving situations
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/195 Blocking or enabling display functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/422 Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

Various embodiments provide a method and a communication device (2) for controlling incoming video stream in a vehicle (1). Embodiments comprise acquiring at said communication device (2) information related to the vehicle, and enabling or disabling the display of said video stream on said communication device (2) depending on said acquired information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

controlling, in a vehicle, the display of an incoming video stream on a screen of a communication device configured to receive said video stream, said method further comprising;

receiving at said communication device said video stream,

acquiring at said communication device information related to the vehicle,

enabling or disabling the display of said video stream on said communication device depending on said acquired information,

activating or deactivating a driver mode, on the communication device, for enabling or disabling the control of displaying said video stream on the screen of said communication device, based at least in part on a check whether a person wanting to watch said video stream is a passenger or a driver,

wherein said driver mode is configured to be activated based at least in part on at least one instance of said communication device communicating with said vehicle or with a vehicle of a predefined list of vehicles,

and wherein said driver mode is configured to be manually set at least when the communication device is unable to detect whether the user of the communication device is the driver or the passenger.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least said information related to the vehicle being acquired by said communication device through at least communicating with a calculator embedded in the vehicle which is connected to vehicle sensors.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the disabling the display of said video stream includes at least in part disabling said display for a driver of the vehicle, while enabling said display for an eventual passenger.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring at said communication device information related to the vehicle, further comprises at least detecting if a communication, such as Bluetooth®

connection, can be established between the communication device and a system embedded in the vehicle communicating with sensors of the vehicle,

and wherein, in case of a communication being established, further comprises at least acquiring at least supplemental information related to the vehicle such as at least one of car speed, passenger presence, or distance with preceding car.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, in case of a communication not being established, said method further comprises at least enabling the display of said video stream on said communication device.

6. An apparatus comprising:

a screen, and

at least one memory including computer program code and at least one processor,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

receive a video stream,

acquire information related to a vehicle,

enable or disable the display of said video stream on said screen depending on at least in part said acquired information

activate or deactivate a driver mode for enabling or disabling the control of displaying said video stream on the screen, based at least in part on a check whether a person trying to watch said video stream is a passenger or a driver,

activate said driver mode based at least in part on at least one instance of said apparatus communicating with said vehicle or with a vehicle of a predefined list of vehicles,

and have said driver mode manually being set when the apparatus is not able to detect whether the user of the apparatus is the driver or a passenger.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said apparatus is embedded in the vehicle, preferably into a dashboard of the vehicle.

9. A vehicle including a calculator which is connected to vehicle sensors for acquiring information related to the vehicle, said vehicle also at least comprising the apparatus of claim 6 for controlling the display of an incoming video stream on said screen of said apparatus, said calculator further being configured to at least communicate with said apparatus.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to further acquire said information related to the vehicle through at least a communication with a calculator embedded in the vehicle which is connected to vehicle sensors.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said apparatus is a mobile communication device, such as a smartphone, that is removably attached to the dashboard of the vehicle.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to further acquire said information by at least detecting a signal related to at least one of a running state or speed of the vehicle.

13. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to further disable the display of said video stream through at least disabling said display for a driver of the vehicle, while enabling said display for at least one eventual passenger.

14. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to further perform playing an audio stream, such that playing said audio stream can be enabled while displaying of said video stream is disabled.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to further receive said video stream as part of an incoming multimedia content which also comprises at least said audio stream.

16. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to further acquire said information related to the vehicle, by at least:

detecting if a communication, such as Bluetooth®

connection, can be established between the apparatus and a system embedded in the vehicle communicating with sensors of the vehicle,

and wherein, in case of a communication being established, to acquire at least supplemental information related to the vehicle such as at least one of car speed, passenger presence, or distance with preceding car.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to further perform, in case of said communication not being established, enable the display of said video stream on said screen.

7. A non-transitory computer-usable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor causes an apparatus at least to perform the following:

within a vehicle, controlling the display of an incoming video stream on a screen of said apparatus, which is configured to receive said video stream,

receiving at said apparatus said video stream,

acquiring at said apparatus information related to the vehicle,

enabling or disabling the display of said video stream on said screen of said apparatus depending on at least said acquired information,

activating or deactivating a driver mode, onto the apparatus, for enabling or disabling the control of displaying said video stream on the screen of said apparatus, based at least in part on a check whether a person wanting to watch said video stream is a passenger or a driver,

said driver mode being configured to be activated based at least in part on at least one instance of said apparatus communicating with said vehicle or with a vehicle of a predefined first of vehicles,

and said driver mode being configured to be manually set when the apparatus is not able to detect whether the user of the apparatus is the driver or a passenger.