Mobile object and storage medium

• US 10,308,164 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2013
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sako, Yoichiro, Okada, Hiroshi, Watanabe, Kazuhiro, Sakoda, Kazuyuki, Yuchi, Hirofumi, Asada, Kohei
• Primary Examiner(s): Dastouri, Mehrdad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fereja, Samuel D
• Application Number:
  US14/023,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20140085470A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,092 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0017 Devices integrating an element dedicated to another function
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0023 the element being a sensor, e.g. distance sensor, camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/04 the devices being headlights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/008 for signaling silent vehicles, e.g. for warning that a hybrid or electric vehicle is approaching
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/645 by electro-optic means, e.g. liquid crystal or electrochromic devices
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/675 by moving reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/006 using LCD's
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2066 Reflectors in illumination beam in projection beam G03B21/28
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/002 Special television systems not provided for by H04N7/007 - H04N7/18 still pictures via a television channel H04N1/00098

Abstract

There is provided a mobile object including an imaging unit configured to capture a perimeter of the mobile object, a speaker configured to be capable of controlling directivity, a determination unit configured to determine whether the mobile object is in a driving mode, and a speaker control unit configured to control the speaker in the driving mode in a manner that predetermined audio is output toward a warning target that is recognized based on a captured image captured by the imaging unit, and to control the speaker in a non-driving mode in a manner that the predetermined audio is output in a non-directional way.

Claims

1. A mobile object, comprising:

an image sensor configured to capture an image of a perimeter of the mobile object;

a speaker;

a headlight configured to project a video; and

a central processing unit (CPU) configured to;

determine the mobile object is in one of a non-driving mode or a driving mode;

control the headlight to project the video based on the determination that the mobile object is in the non-driving mode;

detect a viewer position based on the captured image of the perimeter of the mobile object and the determination that the mobile object is in the non-driving mode;

control, based on the detected viewer position, the headlight to change a direction of the projection of the video;

switch the speaker to an omni-directivity mode from a directivity mode based on the determination that the mobile object is in the non-driving mode;

recognize a warning target based on the captured image and the determination that the mobile object is in the driving mode; and

switch the speaker to the directivity mode from the omni-directivity mode based on the determination that the mobile object is in the driving mode, wherein

in the directivity mode, the speaker is configured to output audio towards the recognized warning target, and

in the omni-directivity mode, the speaker is further configured to omni-directionally output the audio.

2. The mobile object according to claim 1, wherein the CPU is further configured to:

reproduce input content data; and

control the reproduction of the input content data in the non-driving mode such that the headlight is further configured to project the video and the speaker is further configured to omni-directionally output the audio.

3. The mobile object according to claim 2, wherein the CPU is further configured to control, in the non-driving mode, a shape of the projected video based on the detected viewer position.

4. The mobile object according to claim 3, wherein the headlight includes a physical mechanism configured to change the direction of the projection of the video.

5. The mobile object according to claim 2, wherein the CPU is further configured to control color information of the projected video, based on the captured image.

6. The mobile object according to claim 2, wherein the headlight is further configured to:

emit light in the driving mode; and

project the video in the non-driving mode.

7. The mobile object according to claim 2, wherein the headlight is further configured to:

project white light in the driving mode; and

project a content video in the non-driving mode.

8. The mobile object according to claim 1, wherein the CPU is further configured to recognize, based on a distance between a person detected from the captured image and the mobile object and based on a relative speed of the person with respect to the mobile object, the person as the warning target in the driving mode.

9. The mobile object according to claim 1, wherein the CPU is further configured to control a position for localization of a sound image of the audio output from the speaker in the non-driving mode, based on the detected viewer position.

10. The mobile object according to claim 1, wherein the CPU is further configured to determine the mobile object is in one of the driving mode or the non-driving mode, based on at least one of an odometer value, a vibration measurement value, position information, or a driving sound measurement value.

11. The mobile object according to claim 1, wherein the CPU is further configured to control, in the driving mode, the speaker to output a warning sound toward the recognized warning target.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute operations, the operations comprising:

controlling an image sensor of a mobile object for capturing an image of a perimeter of the mobile object;

determining the mobile object is in one of a non-driving mode or a driving mode;

controlling a headlight of the mobile object for projecting a video, based on the determination that the mobile object is in the non-driving mode;

detecting a viewer position based on the captured image of the perimeter of the mobile object and the determination that the mobile object is in the non-driving mode;

controlling, based on the detected viewer position, the headlight to change a direction of the projection of the video;

switching a speaker of the mobile object to an omni-directivity mode from a directivity mode based on the determination that the mobile object is in the non-driving mode;

recognizing a warning target based on the captured image and the determination that the mobile object is in the driving mode; and

switching the speaker to the directivity mode from the omni-directivity mode based on the determination that the mobile object is in the driving mode, wherein

in the directivity mode, the speaker is configured to output audio towards the recognized warning target, and

in the omni-directivity mode, the speaker is further configured to omni-directionally output the audio.