Information presentation system

• US 8,461,971 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2008
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ohta, Katsumi, Hozumi, Hideaki, Mitamura, Takeshi, Sakai, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Amsdell, Dana
• Application Number:
  US12/681,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20100222957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,713 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/425.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/188 Displaying information using colour changes
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/77 Instrument locations other than the dashboard
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/213 Virtual instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• 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: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

Provided is an information presentation system installed on a vehicle, and including a robot (100) having a driver unit (120) to drive the robot (100) and an output unit (130) to output information generated according to vehicle conditions, and a robot control device (200) having an information acquirer unit (210) to acquire the information generated according to the vehicle conditions, an action controller unit (220) to cause the driver unit (120) to drive the robot (100) in response to the acquired information, thereby causing the robot (100) to take an action of informing a passenger that information will be presented, and an information presenter unit (230) to cause the robot (100) to take an action of presenting the information after taking the action of informing the passenger that the information will be presented.

Claims

1. An information presentation system comprising:

a display member being mounted on a vehicle and representing an action object configured to take an action, the action object having a front face with an eye, the front face being turnable between a first position where the front face faces other than a passenger aboard the vehicle and a second position where the front face faces the passenger; and

a control device configured to control the display member, wherein

the control device includes;

an information acquirer configured to acquire information generated according to a vehicle condition;

an action controller configured to cause the display member to show the action object turning, as an advance notice action, the front face of the action object from the first position to the second position to inform the passenger that information will be presented in response to information acquired by the information acquirer; and

an information presenter configured to cause the display member to present information after showing the action object taking the advance notice action.

2. The information presentation system according to claim 1, wherein

the control device further includes an information classifier configured to classify information acquired by the information acquirer into first information judged to have large influence on the vehicle, and second information other than first information, based on a content of information acquired by the information acquirer,

the action controller causes the display member to show the action object taking the advance notice action, when information is classified as first information by the information classifier, and

the information presenter causes the display member to take the advance notice action first and thereafter to present information when classified as first information by the information classifier, and causes the display member to present information when information is classified as second information by the information classifier.

3. The information presentation system according to claim 2, wherein,

the information acquirer at least acquires vehicle information on the vehicle, and alarm information on an alarm target object sensed at the vehicle, and

the information classifier judges that the vehicle is in a given driving scene on the basis of vehicle information acquired by the information acquirer, and classifies acquired alarm information as first information judged to have large influence on the vehicle, or as second information other than first information based on a content of alarm information sensed in the given driving scene and based on a certainty of sensed alarm information.

4. The information presentation system according to claim 3, wherein

the information classifier classifies alarm information into first information when the content of acquired alarm information is a certain content defined in advance, and also when the certainty of alarm information is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold.

5. The information presentation system according to claim 3, wherein

the information classifier classifies alarm information into first information when the content of acquired alarm information is a certain content defined in advance, when the certainty of alarm information is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold, and also when a combination of alarm information and vehicle information is defined in advance as having large influence on the vehicle.

6. The information presentation system according to claim 3, wherein

the display member includes an output unit configured to output information generated according to the vehicle condition,

the action controller includes a certainty analyzer configured to analyze why the certainty of alarm information is lower than a predetermined threshold, based on vehicle information and/or alarm information acquired by the information acquirer, when the certainty of alarm information acquired by the information acquirer is lower than the predetermined threshold, and

the information presenter causes the output unit to output alarm information including the reason found through the analysis by the certainty analyzer.

7. The information presentation system according to claim 1, wherein

the display member is a three-dimensional object configured to show a predetermined action by a motion to a passenger,

the control device controls the motion of the three-dimensional object,

the action controller causes the three-dimensional object to take the advance notice action in response to information acquired by the information acquirer, and

the information presenter causes the three-dimensional object to take the advance notice action first and thereafter to take an information presentation action.

8. The information presentation system according to claim 7, wherein

the three-dimensional object includes a driver unit configured to rotate the three-dimensional object about a first axis as a rotational axis,

the action controller causes the driver unit to rotate the three-dimensional object in response to information acquired by the information acquirer, and thereby causes the three-dimensional object to take the advance notice action by turning a front side of the three-dimensional object to the passenger aboard the vehicle, and

the information presenter causes the three-dimensional object to take the advance notice action first and thereafter to take the information presentation action.

9. The information presentation system according to claim 7, wherein

when information acquired by the information acquirer is predetermined warning information, the action controller causes the three-dimensional object to take the advance notice action, thereafter waits for a response from the passenger for a predetermined time period, and notifies the information presenter if the response is received, and

the information presenter causes the three-dimensional object to take an action to present warning information, if the action controller notifies the information presenter that a response is received.

10. The information presentation system according to claim 7, wherein

when information acquired by the information acquirer is predetermined warning information, the action controller causes the three-dimensional object to take the advance notice action and thereafter waits for a response from a driver for a predetermined time period, and notifies the information presenter if the response is received from the driver and causes the three-dimensional object to take an advance notice action of rotating by using a driver unit, and

the information presenter causes the three-dimensional object to take an action to present warning information after taking the advance notice action.

11. The information presentation system according to claim 1, wherein

the display member is a three-dimensional shaped display configured to display the action object taking a predetermined action, and further includes an output unit configured to output information generated according to the vehicle condition,

the control device controls a presentation operation of the three-dimensional shaped display and an output operation of the output unit,

the control device further includes a display controller configured to cause the three-dimensional shaped display to display an action object image taking the advance notice action in response to information acquired by the information acquirer, and

the information presenter causes the three-dimensional shaped display and/or the output unit to output information acquired by the information acquirer after the action object image taking the advance notice action is displayed on the three-dimensional shaped display.

12. The information presentation system according to claim 11, wherein

the display controller causes the three-dimensional shaped display to display the action object image taking the advance notice action of turning the front side to the passenger aboard the vehicle in response to information acquired by the information acquirer.

13. The information presentation system according to claim 1, wherein

the display member is a display device configured to display a two-dimensional image of the action object, and further includes an output unit configured to output information generated according to the vehicle condition,

the control device controls a display operation of the display device and an output operation of the output unit,

the control device further includes image data obtained by recording at predetermined intervals the action object taking the advance notice action, and a display controller configured to reproduce image data on the display device in response to information acquired by the information acquirer, thereby displaying the two-dimensional image of the action object taking the advance notice action,

the information presenter causes the output unit to present information acquired by the information acquirer, after the two-dimensional image of the action object taking the advance notice action is displayed.

14. The information presentation system according to claim 13, wherein

the image data is a two-dimensional image obtained by recording at predetermined intervals the advance notice action in which the front side of the action object turns to the passenger aboard the vehicle, and

the display controller is configured to reproduce image data on the display device in response to information acquired by the information acquirer, thereby displaying the two-dimensional image of the action object taking the advance notice action of turning the front side of the action object to a front side of the passenger aboard the vehicle.

15. The information presentation system according to claim 14, wherein

the display controller causes the display device to display the two-dimensional image of the action object taking the advance notice action of turning the front side to a seating surface of a seat of the vehicle.

16. The information presentation system according to claim 14, wherein

the display controller causes the display device to display the two-dimensional image of the action object taking the advance notice action of turning the front side to a head holding surface of a headrest of the vehicle.

17. The information presentation system according to claim 14, wherein

the display controller causes the virtual image display device to display the three-dimensional virtual image of the action object taking an action of monitoring the surroundings of the vehicle, before causing the virtual image display device to display the three-dimensional virtual image of the action object taking the advance notice action, and

the action of the action object monitoring the surroundings of the vehicle is an action in which the front side of the action object turns to an area where information acquired by the information acquirer is sensed.

18. The information presentation system according to claim 1, wherein

the display member is a display device configured to display a two-dimensional image of the action object, and further includes an output unit configured to output information generated according to the vehicle condition,

the control device controls a display operation of the display device and an output operation of the output unit,

the control device further includes image data obtained by recording at predetermined intervals an action proce in which the action object taking the advance notice action, and a display controller configured to reproduce image data on the display device in response to information acquired by the information acquirer, thereby displaying the two-dimensional image of the action object taking the advance notice action,

the information presenter causes the output unit to present information acquired by the information acquirer, after the two-dimensional image of the action object taking the advance notice action is displayed.

19. The information presentation system according to claim 18, wherein

the image data is a two-dimensional image obtained by recording at predetermined intervals the advance notice action in which the front side of the action object turns to the passenger aboard the vehicle, and

the display controller is configured to reproduce image data on the display device in response to information acquired by the information acquirer, thereby displaying the two-dimensional image of the action object taking the advance notice action of turning the front side of the action object to a front side of the passenger aboard the vehicle.

20. The information presentation system according to claim 19, wherein

the display controller causes the display device to display the two-dimensional image of the action object taking the advance notice action of turning the front side to a seating surface of a seat of the vehicle.

21. The information presentation system according to claim 19, wherein

the display controller causes the display device to display the two-dimensional image of the action object taking the advance notice action of turning the front side to a head holding surface of a headrest of the vehicle.