MOBILE OBJECT AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20140085470A1
• Filed: 09/11/2013
• Published: 03/27/2014
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 10,308,164 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• 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 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.

2. The mobile object according to claim 1, further comprising:

a headlight having a projector function; and

a reproduction control unit configured to reproduce input content data,

wherein the reproduction control unit performs reproduction control in the non-driving mode in a manner that the projector function of the headlight having the projector function is used to project a video, and performs reproduction control in a manner that audio is output from the speaker in a non-directional way.

3. The mobile object according to claim 2, wherein the reproduction control unit controls, in the non-driving mode, projection using the projector function of the headlight having the projector function in accordance with a position of a person detected from the captured image captured by the imaging unit.

4. The mobile object according to claim 3,

wherein the headlight having the projector function includes a physical mechanism that changes a projection direction, and

wherein the reproduction control unit controls the projection direction in accordance with the position of the person.

5. The mobile object according to claim 2, wherein the reproduction control unit controls a shape of a video that is projected, through signal processing, based on the captured image captured by the imaging unit.

6. The mobile object according to claim 2, wherein the reproduction control unit controls color information of a video that is projected, on the basis of the captured image captured by the imaging unit.

7. The mobile object according to claim 2, wherein the headlight having the projector function causes a headlight unit to emit light in the driving mode, and causes a projector unit to perform a projection operation in the non-driving mode.

8. The mobile object according to claim 2, wherein the headlight having the projector function causes a projector unit to project a video for projecting white light in the driving mode, and causes the projector unit to project a content video in the non-driving mode.

9. The mobile object according to claim 1, further comprising:

a warning target recognition unit configured to recognize, in accordance with a distance between a person detected from the captured image captured by the imaging unit and the mobile object, and in accordance with relative speed of the person and the mobile object, the person as the warning target in the driving mode.

10. The mobile object according to claim 1, wherein the speaker control unit controls, in the non-driving mode, a position for localizing a sound image of audio output from the speaker, in accordance with a position of a person detected from the captured image captured by the imaging unit.

11. The mobile object according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines, based on at least one of an odometer value, a vibration measurement value, position information, and a driving sound measurement value, whether the mobile object is in the driving mode.

12. The mobile object according to claim 1, wherein the speaker control unit controls, in the driving mode, the speaker to output a warning sound toward the warning target recognized based on the captured image captured by the imaging unit.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a program stored therein, the program causing a computer to function as:

an imaging unit configured to capture a perimeter of a 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.