Abstract:
A vehicle system for operation in a motor vehicle has an operator control for operating the vehicle system and a controller for influencing operation of the vehicle system via the operator control. The vehicle system also includes a device which is designed for determining whether the operator control is being accessed by the driver or another occupant of the vehicle, and the controller influences the operation of the vehicle system via the operator control at least as a function of whether the operator control is being accessed by the driver or another occupant of the vehicle. In this manner, operator access which may excessively distract the vehicle driver from the actual driving task is thus effectively disabled. At the same time, the vehicle system remains fully, or at least largely, operational for other vehicle occupants.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a vehicle system, e.g., a vehicle navigation system, for operation in a motor vehicle.  
       BACKGROUND INFORMATION  
       [0002]     Conventional vehicle navigation systems output driving directions for guiding a vehicle driver along a previously computed route to a destination in acoustic and/or visual form. To compute the travel route, the driver must input the destination via an operator interface of the vehicle navigation system. Since inputting the destination while driving causes considerable distraction from the traffic situation, it has been discussed to suppress the operation of the device, in particular destination input, while the vehicle is in motion (referred to hereinafter as the “speed lock function”).  
         [0003]     Published German patent document DE 199 52 857 describes a device for controlling vehicle components as a function of the driver&#39;s condition, in which the driver&#39;s condition is determined and the information to be displayed is filtered as a function thereof. Operation and control by the driver is thus improved and safety is enhanced because the driver is less distracted. This device limits the operation of a functionality of the electronic device as a function of the situation. For example, the destination input of a navigation device may not be used or a TV set may not be turned on during travel. Full use or partial functionality of an application of the electronic device may also be turned on or off as a function of the speed of travel.  
         [0004]     German patent application 102 55 435.8 (not a prior publication) describes a driver information system having an operator control in which operation at a certain detected speed of the vehicle is at least limited, i.e., having the above-described speed lock function; however, this limitation may be at least partially cancelled if, for example, occupancy of the front-seat passenger seat has been determined by a seat belt fastener sensor or a weight sensor. This approach assumes that, in the case of an occupied front-seat passenger seat, the front-seat passenger actually operates the driver information system; however, operation by the vehicle driver is not ruled out. In practice, it has been found that, even if the front-seat passenger seat is occupied, the vehicle driver often assumes operation of the device.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0005]     The vehicle system according to the present invention has the advantage over the prior art that operation of the system is influenced depending on whether the vehicle driver or another occupant of the vehicle is accessing the vehicle system. Operating access which may excessively distract the vehicle driver from the actual driving task is thus effectively disabled. At the same time, the vehicle system remains fully, or at least largely, operational for other vehicle occupants. Operation is understood in the context of the present invention primarily as inputs by the operator into the vehicle system, but also as outputs of the vehicle system to the user.  
         [0006]     In the case of a navigation system, for example, the front-seat passenger may thus assume operation of the navigation system while the vehicle is in motion. Operation during travel may be necessary, for example, if the travel route is modified manually due to traffic problems not taken into account when the route was computed, or due to errors in the navigation data material.  
         [0007]     When a front-seat passenger is present, additional inputs are thus possible and unnecessary stops are avoided, which contributes to safety. The present invention provides for dynamically limiting operation, which limiting functionality goes beyond that of the conventional speed lock function in the case of attempted operating access by the vehicle driver while the vehicle is in motion.  
         [0008]     In each case, the present invention increases user acceptance of the speed lock function. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  shows a block diagram of an example embodiment of the vehicle system according to the present invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  shows a flow chart illustrating a software program executed in a controller of the vehicle system according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0011]     The vehicle system according to the present invention is described in detail below using the example of a vehicle navigation system. This, however, does not mean that the present invention is limited to vehicle navigation systems. Rather, the present invention is also applicable to other vehicle systems, e.g., car radios or a cell phone operated in a vehicle.  
         [0012]     Vehicle system  1  according to the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 1 , includes an input device  13  having control elements not depicted in detail in the figure, e.g., momentary-contact switches and/or incremental rotary transducers, for inputting commands and/or operating parameters into vehicle system  1 . In the case of a vehicle navigation system, the above-described control elements, combined for example with a controller  12  of the navigation system, are used for inputting a destination for a subsequent route computation from the current location to the destination and subsequent navigation. In the case of a cell phone, the control elements are used, for example, for dialing a certain telephone number of a desired conversation partner or for answering an incoming telephone call.  
         [0013]     Vehicle navigation system  1  according to the present invention also includes an output device  14 , which may be designed as a visual and/or acoustic output. In the case of a vehicle navigation system, output device  14 , combined with the navigation device, is used for outputting driving directions to guide the vehicle driver in the form of spoken driving directions and/or directional arrows displayed on a display device. Alternatively or additionally, a map display may be provided, on which the computed route or a portion thereof is displayed to orient the driver.  
         [0014]     p Furthermore, output device  14  combined with the destination input may be used, for example, for displaying selectable destinations and/or a map display, on which a destination may be marked with the aid of a cursor operable via the control elements of input device  13 .  
         [0015]     In the case of a car radio, output device  14  includes, for example, the display of the car radio which, in addition to the name or the receiving frequency of a currently set broadcast station, displays variable information transmitted using the radio data system (RDS), such as title and performer of a song currently being transmitted or running text such as advertising.  
         [0016]     Input device  13  and output device  14 , both connected to controller  12 , together form an operator control  15  of the vehicle system according to the present invention.  
         [0017]     Means  11 , designed for detecting whether the driver or another vehicle occupant is accessing operator control  15  of vehicle system  11 , is also connected to controller  12  of the vehicle system according to the present invention and generates an appropriate access detection signal as a function of the person accessing the system.  
         [0018]     For this purpose, access detection means  11  includes sensors for detecting information, on the basis of which it is possible to determine which of the vehicle occupants is accessing operator control  15  for operating vehicle system  1 .  
         [0019]     In a first example embodiment of the operator detection means, this sensor system includes a camera  115 , whose imaging range includes at least driver seat ( 2 ) or the front-seat passenger seat ( 3 ), but may include both the driver and the front-seat passenger seats. The image information recorded by the camera is processed in a first software module ill of controller  12  and a signal is derived therefrom, which indicates whether driver  2  or front-seat passenger  3  is accessing operator control  15 , e.g., the control elements of input device  13 .  
         [0020]     The exact mode of operation of first software module  111  for determining which one of the vehicle occupants is accessing the system is not described in more detail. The principle involved is abundantly known from the literature. Reference is made to the overview article, D. M. Gavrila: “The Visual Analysis of Human Movement: A Survey” in  Computer Vision and Image Understanding,  vol. 73, no. 1, January, pp. 82-98, 1999, in which approaches to this problem regarding driver or front-seat passenger detection are described.  
         [0021]     An image pattern comparison, for example, is suitable for this purpose, an image previously recorded and stored as part of the software component, for example, of the hand or also the arm and possibly the upper body of the front-seat passenger accessing the system being used as a basis for the comparison. Alternatively, three-dimensional or other image detection algorithms may also be used.  
         [0022]     In the context of the present invention, it is only essential that first software component  111  is capable of using the image signals of camera  115  to unambiguously determine whether the hand of driver  2  or hand  31  of front-seat passenger  3  is accessing the control elements of input device  13  of vehicle system  1 .  
         [0023]     According to an advantageous variant of this first example embodiment of access detection means  11 , instead of a single camera  115 , at least two video sensors are provided at a distance from one another or a multicamera video sensor is provided. The stereo or multichannel image information detected by this sensor system allows three-dimensional detection of the driver or front-seat passenger seat, or the driver or front-seat passenger.  
         [0024]     According to the first example embodiment, the gray scale value information contained in the video signals is also analyzed for the purpose of access detection  11 .  
         [0025]     According to another advantageous variant of this first example embodiment, access determination means ( 11 ) operates by the principle of depth sensors, which in the present case of a video sensor system are based on the principle of structured lighting.  
         [0026]     Both the evaluation of stereo or multichannel video information and the principle of structured lighting are described in detail in the related art, for example, in X. Jiang,  Three - dimensional Computer Viewing,  Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg.  
         [0027]     A second example embodiment of operator detection device  11  is based on the assumption that vehicle system  1  is at least partly, in particular with respect to its more complex operating functions, operated via spoken commands. At least one microphone  112  is required to detect the spoken commands. The microphone is situated within a hands-free device for a cell phone, e.g., in front of the driver seat in or on the vehicle dashboard. At least one second microphone  113  which is installed spatially separated from first microphone  112 , e.g., in front of the front-seat passenger seat in the dashboard of the motor vehicle, is provided for detecting whether the verbal commands have been given by vehicle driver  2  or front-seat passenger  3 . The signals of both the first and second microphone are supplied to first software component  111  of controller  12 , which uses the difference in propagation time between the signals of the first and second microphone, for example, via cross-correlation of the two microphone signals, to determine whether driver  2  or front-seat passenger  3  has issued the verbal commands. This is made possible by the above-described location of microphones  112  and  113 , because, for example, the commands issued by vehicle driver  2  to second microphone  113  need a longer propagation time than those issued to first microphone  112  situated in front of the driver. The same is true for the commands issued by front-seat passenger  3 .  
         [0028]     Additional example embodiments of access detection means  11  may also include a radar sensor system, and a sensor system which operates and evaluates signals on the basis of a depth sensor by the propagation time principle or the laser scanner principle.  
         [0029]     These alternative measuring and evaluation methods are also abundantly known from the related art, for example, from R. Schwarte et al., “New Powerful Sensory Tool in Automotive Safety Systems Based an PMD-Technology,”  Advanced Microsystems for Automotive Applications  2000, Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg, 2000.  
         [0030]     According to a first example embodiment of the operation control, the operation, i.e., operability of vehicle system  1  is controlled on the basis of the detected operator, e.g., driver  2  or other occupant  3  of the vehicle. For this purpose, controller  12  includes a second software component, which further processes the signal of operator detection means  11  and controls operator control  15 , in particular the scope of its functions, on the basis thereof. The control of the operation of vehicle system  1  includes in particular limiting or enabling of operation functionalities as a function of the vehicle occupant operating the system. The vehicle driver may thus only have access to a limited operator interface, i.e., a limited scope of functions  13  and a limited selection of functions of operator guidance  14 , while front-seat passenger  3  may access the entire range of operations of vehicle system  1 .  
         [0031]     According to an example embodiment of the present invention, additional means  16  is provided in controller  12  of vehicle system  1  for generating at least one signal indicating the motion status, e.g., motion as opposed to a standstill, of the motor vehicle. This may be a tacho signal generator  162 , which generates a signal indicating the instantaneous vehicle velocity. In the case of a vehicle navigation system  1 , means  16  may also include a GPS receiver, which analyzes position data about the instantaneous vehicle position and derives a signal indicating the instantaneous motion status of the vehicle.  
         [0032]     The signals indicating the motion status of the vehicle, for example, the signals of tacho signal generator  162 , are supplied to an analyzer  163 , which may be designed as a component of the controller in the form of a third software routine. Analyzer  162  is designed to use the signals indicating the motion status of the vehicle to determine whether the vehicle is at a standstill, is moving, or is moving at a certain minimum velocity.  
         [0033]     Signal generator  162  and analyzer  161  form a device  16  for detecting motion of the vehicle.  
         [0034]     According to a second example embodiment of the operating control, which is based on the embodiment of the vehicle system having motion detection device  16 , the operation of vehicle system  1  is controlled as a function of both the vehicle&#39;s motion status and detected operator  2  or  3  of vehicle system  1 .  
         [0035]     This is explained below using the example of a vehicle navigation system in a motor vehicle, taking into account the flow chart of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0036]     A distinction is made between three states.  
         [0037]     1. Vehicle at a standstill:  
         [0038]     On the basis of the motion data acquired by sensor system  162 , motion detection means  16  detects that the vehicle is at a standstill (step  21 —alternative “no”). For this case, controller  12  enables operation of the full range of vehicle navigation system  1  (step  23 ). This means that, for example, a destination, i.e., the name of the destination in particular and a corresponding street name, may be input via control elements of input device  13  of the navigation system, inputting being supported by navigation system  1  via appropriate displays, for example, of proposed names, on display device  14 , on the basis of input letters.  
         [0039]     2. Vehicle in motion, operating access by driver  2 :  
         [0040]     Motion detection means  16  uses the motion data detected by sensor system  162  to determine that the vehicle is in motion (step  21 , alternative “yes”). Furthermore, the access detection means detects that the vehicle driver is accessing operator control  15  (step  22 , alternative “yes”), i.e., the hand of driver  2  is in the area of input device  2  of vehicle navigation system  1 , and a control element of vehicle navigation system  1  is being actuated. Alternatively, this access status may also be identified by the fact that a control element of input device  13  is operated and hand  31  of the front-seat passenger is not in the area of input device  13  of the vehicle navigation system.  
         [0041]     In this case, controller  12  controls the functions of navigation system  1  in such a way that it restricts or simplifies the outputs directed at the vehicle driver by output device  14  to maximally reduce the distraction of vehicle driver  2  from the traffic situation. In the present example of the vehicle navigation system, for example, a map display having a route drawn in is replaced while the vehicle is in motion by the display of simple and easy-to-grasp turn arrows and by a simple verbal turn direction. Thus, in particular, complex directions such as “please turn left onto Hilderheimer Strasse in 500 m, please reduce speed, sharp curve” are replaced by shorter and easier-to-grasp directions such as “left now” or “next street on the left.” Furthermore, controller  12  completely locks input device  13  of operator control  15  for inputs by driver  2 , i.e., it implements the speed lock function as defined above (step  25 ).  
         [0042]     3. Vehicle in motion, operating access by front-seat passenger  3 :  
         [0043]     Motion detection means  16  detects motion of the vehicle on the basis of the motion data detected by sensor system  162  (step  21 , alternative “yes”). Furthermore, access detection means  11  determines that front-seat passenger  3  is accessing operator control  15  (step  22 , alternative “no”), i.e., hand  31  of front-seat passenger  3  is in the area of input device  13  of vehicle navigation system  1 , and a control element of vehicle navigation system  1  is being actuated. Alternatively, this access status may also be identified by the fact that a control element of input device  13  is being actuated and the hand of driver  2  is not in the area of input device  13  of vehicle navigation system  1 .  
         [0044]     For this case, controller  12  allows at least a limited or, depending on the embodiment of the present invention, even full operability of vehicle system  1  (step  24 ). In this case, i.e., with the vehicle in motion and operating access by front-seat passenger  3 , controller  12  enables all display possibilities and input procedures which are also enabled with the vehicle at a standstill, because these may be performed by front-seat passenger  3 , who does not have to concentrate on driving the vehicle. However, the outputs intended primarily directly for the vehicle driver engaged in the task of driving are output in a simple and therefore easy-to-grasp form as described previously.  
         [0045]     Alternatively (step  24 ), the acoustic driving directions of navigation system  1  may also be output in an easy-to-grasp, abbreviated form here, whereas a detailed map with the route of travel drawn in appears on the display of the vehicle navigation system, so that it is able to be understood by the front-seat passenger, who then may impart explanatory or additional directions to the vehicle driver. Furthermore, this alternative allows the front-seat passenger to better understand and, if necessary, to correct the route.  
         [0046]     Furthermore, the range of operability for operating access by front-seat passenger  3  with the vehicle in motion may be individually settable.  
         [0047]     When separate output and/or input devices are available to the driver and the front-seat passenger, as is the case of individual entertainment systems for the backseat passengers, or when an additional display device is available, for example, in a combo instrument in addition to the display of the vehicle system provided in the center console, additional operating strategies may be advantageously provided. Thus, in the case of a vehicle in motion and operating access by front-seat passenger  3 , simple directional arrows may be displayed, for example, to driver  2  by the additional display in the combo instrument for navigation, while a detailed map with the route drawn in is made available to the front-seat passenger on the display in the center console display or front seat head support. Furthermore, operation by front-seat passenger  3  may be enabled by allowing the front-seat passenger to set any desired map detail or zoom factor via the input device, while only the directional arrows continue to be displayed to driver  2 .  
         [0048]     Controller  12  thus achieves motion-dependent and operator-dependent control of the operation of vehicle system  1  by operator control  15 .