Information device for the adapted presentation of information in a vehicle

• US 8,368,557 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2008
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Sthlin, Ulrich, Rieth, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V
• Application Number:
  US12/674,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20110199230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,743 Days
• Field of Search: 340901-907, 340/943, 340/933, 340/988, 340/693.3, 340/435, 340/539.1, 340/539.12, 340/961, 340/990, 340/945, 340/995.17, 701/200, 701/210, 701/2, 701/3, 701/300, 701/301, 701/516
• US Class Current: 340/901
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/095 Traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

Information for a vehicle driver is transmitted to the vehicle by vehicle-to-vehicle or vehicle-to-infrastructure communication and is individually conditioned in the vehicle in line with the respective needs of the driver. The conditioned information is then presented visually and/or audibly.

Claims

1. An information device for a vehicle, said information device comprising:

a communication unit in the vehicle for receiving information data in a format of a first country from an external transmitter, the information data including at least one of visual symbols and audio tones corresponding to traveling conditions as the vehicle travels in the first country; and

a control unit for individual presentation of the received information, which is adapted to;

convert the at least one of the visual symbols and the audio tones from the format of the first country to a format of a second country determined based on the occupant of the vehicle, and at least one of display the visual symbols and output the audio tones in the format of the second country as the vehicle travels in the first country.

2. The information device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitter is associated with an adjacent vehicle.

3. The information device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitter is a static control center.

4. The information device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the presentation of the received information is adapted to suit a country or an area in which the vehicle is situated.

5. The information device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a position-finding unit for determining the country or the area in which the vehicle is situated;

wherein the country or the area in which the vehicle is situated is determined by a satellite navigation system or an identification and association of a mobile radio network operator.

6. The information device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the presentation of the received information is adapted to suit a country or an area which the driver has selected.

7. The information device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the received information is presented audibly, visually or both audibly and visually.

8. The information device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the received information is presented as a realistic simulation of a sound signal produced by an emergency vehicle.

9. The use of an information device as claimed in claim 1 in a vehicle.

10. An information system for the individual presentation of received information, which is adapted to suit an occupant of a vehicle or a position of the vehicle, said information system comprising:

an information device as claimed in claim 1; and

a transmitter for transmitting information data to the communication unit in the vehicle.

11. A method for presenting received information that is adapted to suit an occupant of a vehicle, said method comprising the following steps:

receiving information data in a format of a first country from an external transmitter, the information data including at least one of visual symbols and audio tones corresponding to traveling conditions as the vehicle travels in the first country;

converting the at least one of the visual symbols and the audio tones from the format of the first country to a format of a second country determined based on the occupant of the vehicle; and

at least one of displaying the visual symbols and outputting the audio tones by a control unit in the format of the second country as the vehicle travels in the first country.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium which stores a computer program product which, when executed on a processor, instructs the processor to perform the following steps:

reception of information data in a format of a first country from an external transmitter, the information data including at least one of visual symbols and audio tones corresponding to traveling conditions as a vehicle with an occupant travels in the first country;

conversion of the at least one of the visual symbols and the audio tones from the format of the first country to a format of a second country determined based on the occupant of the vehicle; and

at least one of displaying the visual symbols and outputting the audio tones by a control unit in the format of the second country.