Vehicle safety system using audio/visual cues

• US 9,417,838 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2012
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Baalu, Arvin, Malhotra, Manu, Lakkundi, Ravi
• Primary Examiner(s): Czekaj, Dave
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham, Nam
• Application Number:
  US13/608,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20140071280A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,436 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/0426 Rear view devices or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A system may include one or more data modules operable to receive, process, and transmit data associated with one or more audio and/or visual cues from surroundings of a user. The system may also include one or more cameras and one or more microphones communicatively coupled to the one or more data modules, where the one or more cameras and the one or more microphones are operable to: record, respectively, the one or more audio and/or visual cues; and transmit, respectively, the data associated with the one or more audio and/or visual cues to the one or more data modules. Also, the system may include one or more speakers driven by audio signals received from the one or more data modules.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

one or more data modules operable to receive, process, and transmit data associated with one or more audio or audio and visual cues from surroundings of a user;

one or more cameras and one or more microphones communicatively coupled to the one or more data modules, where the one or more cameras and the one or more microphones are operable to;

detect, respectively, the one or more audio or audio and visual cues, and

transmit, respectively, the data associated with the one or more audio or audio and visual cues to the one or more data modules; and

one or more speakers operable to output audio media as audible sound and receive, from the one or more data modules, processed data associated with the one or more audio or audio and visual cues, the processed data being based on one or more of a determination and a classification of one or more of the audio cues as a predetermined sound or type of sound, and the one or more speakers being driven to reduce the output audio media based on the received processed data wherein reducing the output audio media based on the received processed data comprises lowering a volume of the output audio media with respect to a distance between a location of the one or more audio or audio and visual cues and the user.

2. The system of claim 1, where the one or more cameras include at least one low resolution video camera.

3. The system of claim 1, where the one or more cameras are operable to detect side and rear views of the user and wherein reducing the output audio media based on the received processed data comprises fading the output audio media as a location of the one or more audio or audio and visual cues nears a danger zone and muting the output audio media once the location of the one or more audio or audio and visual cues enters the danger zone, the danger zone comprising a predetermined dangerous distance to the user.

4. The system of claim 1, where the one or more cameras reside on one or more side or back areas of a vehicle, a helmet, or an other type of gear of the user, and where the one or more cameras face outwards from the vehicle, the helmet, or the other type of gear, respectively.

5. The system of claim 1, where the one or more cameras detect image data from a plurality of views, and where two or more views of the plurality of views of the one or more cameras overlap.

6. The system of claim 1, where the one or more microphones are at least operable to receive sound from the rear and sides of the user.

7. The system of claim 1, where the one or more microphones reside on one or more side or back areas of a vehicle, a helmet, or an other type of gear of the user, and where the one or more microphones are facing outwards from the vehicle, the helmet, or the other type of gear, respectively.

8. The system of claim 1, where one or more fields of sound reception of the one or more microphones overlap and wherein reducing the output audio media comprises muting the output audio media.

9. The system of claim 1, where the one or more speakers are operable to provide audio signals to the user, where the one or more speakers reside on one or more front, side, or back areas of a vehicle, a helmet, or an other type of gear of the user, and where the one or more speakers face towards the user.

10. The system of claim 9, where the one or more speakers attach to, secure to, or embed in the one or more front, side, or back areas of the vehicle, the helmet, or the other type of gear of the user.

11. The system of claim 1, where the one or more data modules include a sound processing module, an image processing module, a geographic location processing module, and one or more control modules.

12. The system of claim 11, where the one or more control modules include a priority assigner module.

13. The system of claim 11, where the one or more control modules include a media control module.

14. The system of claim 11, where the sound processing module includes a sub-module that is operable to selectively filter out noise, including background or environment noise, from the data associated with the one or more audio cues.

15. The system of claim 11, where the sound processing module includes a sub-module that is operable to selectively filter for warning data, including vehicle sirens or horns, from the data associated with the one or more audio cues.

16. The system of claim 11, where the sound and the image processing modules include respective sub-modules operable to determine one or more of a source or a location of the source of the one or more audio or audio and visual cues.

17. A system, comprising:

one or more data modules operable to receive, process, and transmit data associated with one or more audio or visual cues from surroundings of a user, where the one or more data modules include a priority assigner module;

one or more cameras and one or more microphones communicatively coupled to the one or more data modules, where the one or more cameras and the one or more microphones are operable to;

detect, respectively, the one or more audio or visual cues, and

transmit, respectively, the data associated with the one or more audio or visual cues to the one or more data modules; and

one or more speakers operable to receive, from the one or more data modules, processed data associated with the one or more audio or visual cues, the processed data being based on one or more of a determination and a classification of one or more of the audio cues as a predetermined sound or type of sound, and the one or more speakers being driven based on the received processed data, where the sound and the image processing modules include respective sub-modules operable to generate safety information, including a safety score, from the data associated with the one or more audio or visual cues, wherein the priority assigner module is operable to assign a priority value to the safety score of each of the sound and the image processing modules and to determine an overall safety score corresponding to a summation of the safety score of each of the sound and the image processing modules as adjusted by the respective priority value, and wherein audio is selectively output from the one or more speakers based on a comparison of the overall safety score to a threshold.

18. Headwear, comprising:

one or more data modules operable to receive, process, and transmit data associated with audio and visual cues from surroundings of the headwear;

one or more cameras and one or more microphones communicatively coupled to the one or more data modules, where the one or more cameras and the one or more microphones are operable to;

detect, respectively, the audio and visual cues,

transmit the data associated with the audio and visual cues to the one or more data modules, and

the one or more microphones providing noise cancellation; and

one or more speakers operable to output audio media from an audio media source, receive, from the one or more data modules, processed data associated with the audio and visual cues as detected by the one or more cameras and the one or more microphones that selectively provide noise cancellation and adjust audio media that is currently output by the speakers based on the processed data associated with the audio and visual cues as detected by the one or more cameras and the one or more microphones that selectively provide noise cancellation and based on a distance between a location of the audio and visual cues and a location of a user.

19. The headwear of claim 18, wherein adjusting the audio media that is currently output by the speakers based on the processed data comprises muting or fading the audio media based on the detection of the one or more visual cues.

20. An apparatus for alerting a user of a motorcycle, comprising:

attachment parts operable to attach the apparatus to the motorcycle or gear of the user;

one or more circuits comprising a processor and a storage device, where the storage device includes processor executable instructions operable to receive, process, and transmit data associated with audio or visual cues of side or rear surroundings of the apparatus;

one or more cameras and one or more microphones communicatively coupled to the one or more circuits, where the one or more cameras and the one or more microphones are operable to;

detect, respectively, the audio or visual cues, and

transmit the data associated with the audio or visual cues to the one or more circuits; and

one or more speakers operable to;

output audio media,

receive, from the one or more circuits, processed data associated with the audio or visual cues, the processed data being based on one or more of a determination and a classification of one or more of the audio cues as a predetermined sound or type of sound, and

output the audio media at a reduced volume selected based on the processed data associated with the audio or visual cues, the processed data including a generated safety score or safety rating determined based on one or more of the audio or visual cues.