Method for displaying the status of a vehicle's communication device

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for displaying the status of a communication device (4) of a vehicle (1) by means of light emitted by the vehicle's ambient lighting (A). According to the invention, the status of the communication device (4) is indicated by a brightness and / or color and / or a spatially and / or temporally variable light and / or color pattern emitted by the ambient lighting (A). - a type and / or source of an incoming communication process and / or - a duration of a notification state of the communication device (4) and / or - a prioritization of contacts for each incoming communication process is displayed.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for displaying a status of a communication device of a vehicle by means of light emitted by ambient lighting of the vehicle.

[0002] A method and apparatus for activating ambient lighting of a vehicle are known from US Pat. No. 8,862,320 B2. The method comprises: receiving settings for one or more activation sequences for the vehicle's ambient lighting related to notifications; receiving a signal related to a notification for which audio playback is commanded; detecting, via a vehicle computer, that ambient lighting activation has been activated; and outputting a sequence of activated ambient lights of the ambient lighting based on the settings for the notification and in response to the received signal, instead of playing the audio.

[0003] The invention is based on the object of specifying a method for displaying a status of a communication device of a vehicle.

[0004] The object is achieved according to the invention by a method which has the features specified in claim 1.

[0005] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the subclaims.

[0006] A method for displaying a status of a communication device of a vehicle by means of light emitted by an ambient lighting of the vehicle provides according to the invention that based on a brightness and / or color and / or a spatially and / or temporally variable light and / or color pattern of light emitted by the ambient lighting - a type and / or source of an incoming communication process and / or - a duration of a notification state of the communication device and / or - a prioritization of contacts of each incoming communication process is or will be displayed.

[0007] By applying the method, a signaling of incoming communication processes is visualized, in particular intuitively visualized, for example when an acoustic signaling of the communication device is deactivated or set to a very low volume.

[0008] Different communication processes are differentiated based on the brightness and / or color and / or a time-varying light and / or color pattern emitted by the ambient lighting. In particular, the differentiation is made to distinguish between incoming calls, voice messages, and text messages.

[0009] Furthermore, when a corresponding status of the communication device is visualized, there is no interruption of an acoustic output, for example of an infotainment system, in particular a navigation system.

[0010] The method is particularly suitable for use by hearing-impaired persons, wherein, in addition, visibility of the visualization of the respective status of the communication device occurs without a passenger, in particular a driver of the vehicle, being distracted from traffic events, since the light is emitted in the field of vision of a respective passenger of the vehicle.

[0011] In addition, an occupant can individually specify a brightness and / or a color and / or a time-varying light and / or color pattern of the light emitted by the ambient lighting for a respective status of the communication device by making settings.

[0012] Embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing.

[0013] The following shows: Fig. 1 schematically shows a perspective view of a section of a vehicle with an occupant on a driver's seat and activated ambient lighting.

[0014] The single figure shows a perspective view of a section of a vehicle 1 with an occupant 2 on a driver's seat 3 and activated ambient lighting A. The vehicle 1 has a communication device 4, which can be integrated into an infotainment system and / or a telematics system of the vehicle 1, wherein the communication device 4 is coupled in terms of data technology to a mobile terminal 5 of the occupant 2, in particular a smartphone.

[0015] Thus, an incoming call to the mobile terminal 5 is announced via the communication device 4, i.e. via a loudspeaker system of the vehicle 1, provided that a silent mode of the mobile terminal 5 is deactivated.

[0016] According to a configuration of the communication device 4, incoming messages from a mobile messaging service; a notification, for example an invitation, from a conference system; notifications from a digital calendar; messages from social networks, etc., are announced acoustically, for example by emitting a ringtone.

[0017] If the mute mode of the mobile terminal 5 is activated and / or a playback volume of the communication device 4 is set comparatively low, an incoming telephone call and / or any other acoustically announced communication process may be missed.

[0018] Furthermore, an acoustic announcement of a communication process by the communication device 4 may, under certain circumstances, be perceived less well or not at all if the occupant 2 is hearing impaired.

[0019] In addition, an acoustic announcement, i.e., signaling, of a communication process interrupts a current acoustic output from the infotainment system, including a navigation announcement, even if occupant 2 rejects the announced communication process. Such a situation may also be perceived as disturbing by other occupants of vehicle 1.

[0020] Also, acoustic differentiation alone with regard to the various communication processes can be difficult for some inmates 2 and can lead to confusion, for example, so that an incoming telephone call is accepted even though inmate 2 wanted to participate in a planned telephone and / or video conference.

[0021] In the following, a method is described in which a status of the communication device 4 is optically displayed by means of light emitted by an ambient lighting A of the vehicle 1.

[0022] The ambient lighting A is designed and controllable in such a way that an emission of light can be adjusted in terms of brightness, color and a time-varying light and / or color pattern.

[0023] The communication device 4 is wirelessly or wired coupled in terms of signaling to the ambient lighting A, in particular its control unit, wherein the communication device 4 transmits an incoming communication process directly and / or via the infotainment system and / or via the telematics system to the ambient lighting A, so that the latter emits light in order to visually, i.e. optically, signal an incoming or received communication process to the occupants 2.

[0024] In addition, the light emitted by the ambient lighting A is used to display additional status information in the context of a respective communication process, for example, by means of a specific brightness and / or a specific color and / or a specific time-varying light and / or color pattern. For example, a type of communication process and / or a source and / or a duration of a notification state, i.e. an announcement, for example based on the number of rings, and / or a set volume of an acoustic notification, an activated mute mode with regard to the acoustic notification and / or a frequency of an announcement for one and the same communication process within a period of time, are or will be displayed by changing the brightness and / or color and / or a time-varying light and / or color pattern.

[0025] For this purpose, the occupant 2 can make settings with regard to the brightness and / or color and / or the time-varying light and / or color pattern in order to implement certain circumstances with regard to the communication processes and / or depending on contacts.

[0026] In one embodiment, the ambient lighting A is designed such that it can be controlled such that, by means of the emitted light, one or more predetermined and stored light sequences can be displayed, which vary over time in terms of color and / or brightness and / or spatial distribution of the ambient lighting A. These time-varying light and / or color patterns can be stored and changed by the occupant 2, for example, in terms of brightness and / or color.

[0027] By means of the control unit of the ambient lighting A and / or the communication device 4 and / or the infotainment system and / or the telematics system, a lighting scenario can be selected from the stored lighting scenarios in the event of a communication process to visualize the incoming communication process. The lighting scenario can be selected from the stored lighting scenarios, taking into account the additional status information and settings made by the occupant 2, such that the status information and settings can be mapped to one of the stored lighting scenarios in an aggregated and / or coordinated and / or prioritized manner in order to visualize an incoming communication process using the light emitted by the ambient lighting A.

[0028] General incoming communication requests can be indicated by the ambient lighting A lighting up in blue at a frequency of 1 Hz for one second, i.e. one light signal per ring.

[0029] Incoming communication requests from favorites, i.e. prioritized contacts, can be displayed by flashing pink light at a frequency of 1 Hz for one second, making an incoming call from preferred contacts, for example a partner, immediately visually recognizable.

[0030] Incoming communication requests from business Teams requests can be displayed in blue by the ambient lighting illuminating at a frequency of 3 Hz for one second, i.e. 3 short light signals per ring, making a business Teams request immediately visually recognizable so that it is not accidentally accepted, for example after work.

[0031] If multiple communication requests from favorite, i.e., prioritized, contacts are received within a period of, for example, five minutes, the ambient lighting A can be illuminated in pink at a frequency of, for example, 1 Hz for more than one second, i.e., multiple light signals per ring. The number of calls within the period can correspond to the number of light signals, allowing multiple calls from prioritized contacts, such as a partner, to be immediately visually recognized, even if the occupant is simultaneously participating in another communication process. This allows the occupant to recognize, for example, an emergency call from home and end the other communication process.

[0032] Aggregation can occur in the communication device 4 and / or in the infotainment system and / or in the telematics system and / or in the ambient lighting A. Aggregation can also occur stepwise along a communication chain between the communication device 4 and the ambient lighting A.

[0033] A degree of prioritization and escalation can be assessed based on the status and / or context information according to the embodiments described above and a measure, in particular as a degree of prioritization, can be collected in order to visualize an incoming communication process using the ambient lighting A.

[0034] For example, the visualization is achieved by a temporal change in the ambient lighting A in temporal connection with the communication process.

[0035] Alternatively or additionally, the visualization is carried out by changing the color and / or brightness of the light emitted by the ambient lighting A in temporal connection with the communication process.

[0036] Alternatively or additionally, the visualization can be enabled by a spatially fixed or spatially variable emission of light in the vehicle 1 in temporal connection with the communication process, whereby a visual association, in particular with a communication process and the status information, is possible by designing a change in the emission of light of the ambient lighting A. Here, too, it is possible for the occupant 2 to make settings at least with regard to brightness and / or color.

[0037] Via an interface between communication device 4 and ambient lighting A, the status information and / or the settings made by the occupant 2 with regard to the selection of a lighting scenario can be automatically transmitted, or the lighting scenario itself to be displayed in an aggregated and / or coordinated and / or combined and / or prioritized manner is transmitted to the ambient lighting A.

[0038] In particular, the lighting scenarios can be stored and thus retained in their respective temporal and / or color and / or brightness-related progression in the infotainment system and / or the telematics system and / or in the control unit of the ambient lighting A.

[0039] In one embodiment, it is possible that by means of the ambient lighting A, in particular its control unit, further status information from other systems can be received, processed, coordinated and / or combined and / or prioritized over existing status information of the communication device 4.

[0040] It is also possible to announce certain contacts, for example a wife or a husband, in a prioritized manner by means of a corresponding visualization using the ambient lighting A during an incoming communication process.

[0041] In particular, the lighting scenarios of the communication processes in the infotainment system and / or the telematics system and / or the ambient lighting A derived from the aggregation can be prioritized and / or shifted in time with other lighting scenarios arising in the vehicle context in order to comply with all regulatory requirements and / or personal requirements for differentiating the importance of communication requests.

[0042] A concrete design can, for example, be such that in the case of high-priority, regulatory-required lighting scenarios from another vehicle context, for example in the case of a takeover request to a driver of the vehicle with regard to a driving task, lighting scenarios from communication requests with a low priority level are not visualized.

[0043] In addition, in the case of high-priority, regulatory-required lighting scenarios from the wider vehicle context, in particular when a takeover request is issued, lighting scenarios from communication requests with a high degree of priority can be postponed in time in order to visualize them after the lighting scenario has ended, whereby in this case the option is maintained to carry out a callback if the process of a communication request, i.e. an incoming telephone call, has already been ended by the caller or a timeout has already expired.

[0044] With regard to low-priority lighting scenarios from the wider vehicle context, for example a confirmation of a payment process of a toll system, all lighting scenarios from communication requests result in the lighting scenario from the vehicle context being immediately aborted or gently faded out and then the lighting scenario of the communication process being displayed. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] US 8,862,320 B2

[0002]

Claims

[1] Method for displaying a status of a communication device (4) of a vehicle (1) by means of light emitted by an ambient lighting (A) of the vehicle (1), characterized by that based on a brightness and / or colour and / or a spatially and / or temporally variable light and / or colour pattern of light emitted by the ambient lighting (A) - a type and / or source of an incoming communication process and / or - a duration of a notification state of the communication device (4) and / or - a prioritization of contacts of each incoming communication process is or will be displayed. [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized bythat the brightness and / or color and / or the spatially and / or temporally variable light and / or color pattern of the light emitted by means of the ambient lighting (A) are or will be predetermined for a respective status of the communication device (4) by user settings. [3] Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that a number of attempts to establish communication by a contact are displayed by means of the ambient lighting (A). [4] Method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized by that a communication of status and / or context information is transmitted as individual information and / or aggregated depending on the prioritization of the contacts from the communication device (4) to the ambient lighting (A).

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