On-vehicle acoustic control system and method

• US 7,636,663 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2005
• Issued: 12/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yamada, Kazunao, Yoshida, Ichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Armstrong; Angela A
• Application Number:
  US11/231,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20060074684A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: 704/200, 704/270, 704/271, 704/275
• US Class Current: 704/271
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers

Abstract

An on-vehicle acoustic control system determines which one of sounds of an audio device and a navigation device should be generated with priority, when both devices are requested to generate respective sounds. The control system further detects a user'"'"'s physical condition based on an interaction with the user, a picture of the user and biometric information of the user. The control system generates sound in the order of determined priority, and varies the manner of sound generation based on the user'"'"'s physical condition.

Claims

1. An on-vehicle acoustic control system comprising:

on-vehicle devices including at least one of on-vehicle ECUs and on-vehicle systems that output a command representative of a request to output sound data and the sound data to a sound management ECU;

means for outputting a sound;

means for analyzing a command, when the command is inputted from the on-vehicle devices, to determine priority of the sound data, and when the sound data is inputted from the on-vehicle devices, outputs a sound corresponding to the inputted sound data in an order of the priority of the sound data; and

an Al agent that selectively executes a user mode and a vehicle mode, wherein the user mode detects a user'"'"'s physical condition, and the vehicle mode outputs from the outputting means a sound corresponding to the sound data outputted to the analyzing means from the on-vehicle devices,

wherein, when executing the vehicle mode, the Al agent acoustically controls at least one of volume, timing and speed of generation of sound for a sound corresponding to the sound data outputted to the analyzing means from the on-vehicle devices based on the user'"'"'s physical condition detected in the user mode thereby outputting the controlled sound from the outputting means;

wherein

the Al agent increases the volume of the sound and slows down the speed of generation of the sound when the physical condition of the user is determined to be poor.

2. The on-vehicle acoustic control system according to claim 1,

wherein the Al agent has a function to interact with a user, detects the user'"'"'s physical condition based on a result of interaction with the user at executing the user mode, and acoustically controls, at executing the vehicle mode, a sound corresponding to the sound data outputted to the analyzing means from the on-vehicle devices based on the result of interaction with the user thereby outputting the controlled sound from the sound output means.

3. The on-vehicle acoustic control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for photographing a user,

wherein the Al agent has a function to analyze a user'"'"'s photographic image photographed by the photographing means, detects the user'"'"'s physical condition based on the user'"'"'s photographic image at executing the user mode, and acoustically controls, at executing the vehicle mode, a sound corresponding to the sound data outputted to the sound management means from the on-vehicle devices based on the user'"'"'s photographic image thereby outputting the controlled sound from the outputting means.

4. The on-vehicle acoustic control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for measuring a user'"'"'s biometric information,

wherein the Al agent has a function to analyze the user'"'"'s biometric information measured by the measuring means, detects a user'"'"'s physical condition based on the user'"'"'s biometric information at executing the user mode, and acoustically controls, at executing the vehicle mode, a sound corresponding to the sound data outputted to the analyzing means from the on-vehicle devices based on the user'"'"'s biometric information thereby outputting the controlled sound from the outputting means.

5. The on-vehicle acoustic control system according to claim 1,

wherein, when executing the vehicle mode, the Al agent acoustically controls a sound corresponding to the sound data outputted to the analyzing means from the on-vehicle devices in conjunction with travel control operation, thereby outputting the controlled sound from the outputting means.

6. The on-vehicle acoustic control system according to claim 1,

wherein the Al agent periodically monitors whether a command is outputted to the analyzing means from the on-vehicle devices, and when a command is outputted to the analyzing means from the on-vehicle devices in a monitoring timing, executes the vehicle mode, and when a command is not outputted to the analyzing means from the on-vehicle devices in the monitoring timing, executes the user mode.

7. The on-vehicle acoustic control system according to claim 1,

wherein, when a specified timing is reached after periodically monitoring whether a command is outputted to the analyzing means from the on-vehicle ECUs or the on-vehicle systems when the vehicle mode is being executed, the Al agent determines whether prior received sound data not processed exists in the sound data outputted to the analyzing means from the on-vehicle ECUs or the on-vehicle systems in the monitoring timing, if the prior received sound data not processed exists, stores the prior received sound data not processed as history, and at the time of next execution of the vehicle mode, processes the prior received sound data not processed that is stored as the history.

8. The on-vehicle acoustic control system according to claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s physical condition is detected by detecting at least one of the user'"'"'s facial expression, movement of the user'"'"'s eyes, movement of the user'"'"'s mouth, the user'"'"'s blood pressure, the user'"'"'s pulse rate and the user'"'"'s heart rate.

9. An acoustic control method for a vehicle having a plurality of sound generating devices, the method comprising steps of:

determining priority of sound generation of the sound generating devices when at least two sound generating devices are requested to generate respective sounds;

detecting indirectly a physical condition of a user in a vehicle; and

generating requested sound in the vehicle in an order of the priority determined by the determining step and in a manner variable with the physical condition of the user detected by the detecting step by controlling at least one of volume, timing and speed of generation of sound for the requested sound;

wherein

the sound generating devices include an audio device and a voice message generating device for providing information about a travel path of the vehicle;

the determining step determines that the voice message generating device has a higher priority over the audio device;

the generating step generates the voice message while reducing a volume of output sound of the audio device in a case that the voice message is requested while the audio device is in a sound generating operation; and

the generating step increases a volume of the voice message and decreases a speed of the voice message when the detecting step detects that the user is tired.

10. The on-vehicle acoustic control system according to claim 9, wherein the user'"'"'s physical condition is detected by detecting at least one of the user'"'"'s facial expression, movement of the user'"'"'s eyes, movement of the user'"'"'s mouth, the user'"'"'s blood pressure, the user'"'"'s pulse rate and the user'"'"'s heart rate.

11. A computer-readable memory having an Al agent recorded thereon, the Al agent being used in an on-vehicle acoustic control system comprising on-vehicle devices including at least one of on-vehicle ECUs and on-vehicle systems that output a command representative of a request to output sound data and the sound data to a sound management ECU, means for outputting a sound and means for analyzing a command inputted from the on-vehicle devices to determine the priority of the sound data, and outputs from the outputting means a sound corresponding to the sound data inputted from the on-vehicle devices based on the priority of the sound data,

wherein the Al agent, is programmed to

selectively execute a user mode that detects a user'"'"'s physical condition and a vehicle mode that outputs from the outputting means a sound corresponding to the sound data outputted to the analyzing means from the on-vehicle devices;

and

acoustically control, when executing the vehicle mode, at least one of volume, timing and speed of generation of sound for a sound corresponding to the sound data outputted to the analyzing means from the on-vehicles devices based on the user'"'"'s physical condition detected in the user mode, thereby outputting a controlled sound from the outputting means;

wherein

the Al agent increases the volume of the sound and slows down the speed of generation of the sound when the physical condition of the user is determined to be poor.

12. The on-vehicle acoustic control system according to claim 11, wherein the user'"'"'s physical condition is detected by detecting at least one of the user'"'"'s facial expression, movement of the user'"'"'s eyes, movement of the user'"'"'s mouth, the user'"'"'s blood pressure, the user'"'"'s pulse rate and the user'"'"'s heart rate.