Method and device for danger warning displays with voice output according to different degrees of urgency, especially in a motor vehicle

• US 20060267793A1
• Filed: 07/15/2004
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Entenmann, Volker, Petersen, Uwe, Hess, Markus, Unselt, Thomas, Voigt, Cornelia
• Application Number:
  US10/564,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20060267793A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

A display/indication and indication method for issuing danger warnings, in particular in a motor vehicle, with determination of an urgency level of the danger warning to be issued. One of a plurality of predefined display/indication modes is selected as a function of the determined urgency level and the danger warning is indicated with the selected display/indication mode. At least one of the display/indication modes includes a voice output and at least one further display/indication type which warns about the danger, with only the preferably single voice output containing information about the determined urgency level.

Claims

1-11. -11. (canceled)

12. An indication method for issuing danger warnings, in particular in a motor vehicle, comprising the steps:

determining an urgency level of a danger warning to be issued,

selecting of one of a plurality of predefined indication modes as a function of the determined urgency level, and

indicating a danger warning with the selected indication mode, wherein each of the plurality of predefined indication modes include a voice output and at least one further display type which warn about a danger, with only the voice output containing information about the determined urgency level, and the voice outputs of said plurality of indication modes being different for different urgency levels.

14. The display and indication method as claimed in claim 12, wherein, for a determined first urgency level which corresponds to a low degree of urgency an indication mode is selected in which only the voice output includes a danger distance indication which represents the low degree of urgency.

15. The indication method as claimed in claim 12, wherein, for a determined second urgency level which corresponds to a high degree of urgency, an indication mode is selected in which only the voice output voice output includes a warning which represents the high degree of urgency.

16. The indication method as claimed in claim 12, wherein, at least one of the voice output and a visual display include information about a type of danger in all the predefined selectable indication modes.

17. The indication method as claimed in claim 12, for a motor vehicle, wherein, in order to determine the urgency level, at least one of vehicle-external data and data from a vehicle-mounted sensor unit is evaluated.

23. The display and indication method as claimed in claim 14, wherein, for a determined first urgency level which corresponds to a low degree of urgency an indication mode is selected in which only the voice output includes a danger distance indication which represents the low degree of urgency.

25. The indication method as claimed in claim 14, wherein, for a determined second urgency level which corresponds to a high degree of urgency, an indication mode is selected in which only the voice output voice output includes a warning which represents the high degree of urgency.

27. The indication method as claimed in claim 14, wherein, at least one of the voice output and a visual display include information about a type of danger in all the predefined selectable indication modes.

13. An indication method for issuing danger warnings, in particular in a motor vehicle, comprising the steps:

determining an urgency level of a danger warning to be issued,

selection of one of a plurality of predefined indication modes as a function of the determined urgency level, and

indication the danger warning with the selected indication mode, wherein each of the plurality of predefined indication modes include a single voice output which warns about the danger and includes information about the determined urgency level, and the single voice outputs of said plurality of predefined indication modes are different for different urgency levels.

24. The indication method as claimed in claim 13, wherein, for a determined second urgency level which corresponds to a high degree of urgency, an indication mode is selected in which only the voice output voice output includes a warning which represents the high degree of urgency.

26. The indication method as claimed in claim 13, wherein, at least one of the voice output and a visual display include information about a type of danger in all the predefined selectable indication modes.

28. The indication method as claimed in claim 13, for a motor vehicle, wherein, in order to determine the urgency level, at least one of vehicle-external data and data from a vehicle-mounted sensor unit is evaluated.

18. An indication device for issuing danger warnings, comprising:

a control unit for determining an urgency level of the danger warning to be issued and for selecting one of a plurality of predefined indication modes as a function of the determined urgency level, and

an indication device for issuing the danger warning with a selected indication mode, wherein the indication device comprises a voice output device and a further display unity, and wherein the control unit only feeds an output of the output unit information about the urgency level to be output and provide different voice outputs for different urgency levels.

19. The indication device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the voice output unit outputs a distance indication which represents a low degree of urgency only if the control unit determines a first urgency level which corresponds to the low degree of urgency.

20. The indication device as claimed in claim 18, wherein, the voice output unit outputs a warning which represents a high degree of urgency only if the control unit determines a second urgency level which corresponds to the high degree of urgency.

21. The indication device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the further display unit and the voice output unit output information about a type of danger.

22. The indication device for issuing danger warnings as claimed in claim 18 for a motor vehicle, wherein, in order to determine the urgency level, the control unit evaluates at least one of vehicle- external data from a data receiver unit and data from a vehicle- mounted sensor unit.

29. The indication device as claimed in claim 19, wherein, the voice output unit outputs a warning which represents a high degree of urgency only if the control unit determines a second urgency level which corresponds to the high degree of urgency.

30. The indication device as claimed in claim 19, wherein, the further display unit and the voice output unit output information about a type of danger.

31. The indication device for issuing dater warnings as claimed in claim 19, for a motor vehicle, wherein, in order to determine the urgency level, the control unit evaluates at least one of vehicle- external data from a data receiver unit and data from a vehicle- mounted sensor unit.