Method and device for displaying information and / or entertainment content to vehicle occupants

Abstract

A method for displaying information and / or entertainment content to at least one vehicle occupant, wherein at least one value characteristic of a route to be covered by the vehicle and, in particular, a time duration characteristic of a route to be covered by the vehicle is determined. According to the invention, information and / or entertainment content to be displayed to the vehicle occupants is selected and / or displayed taking this characteristic value into account.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and a device for displaying information and / or entertainment content to vehicle occupants. A wide variety of technologies are known from the prior art in connection with entertainment systems in motor vehicles.

[0002] Today's and future vehicles are increasingly equipped with infotainment options. In addition to the various display options, so-called streaming services are becoming increasingly available. This makes it possible to download or even carry along a wide variety of entertainment content, such as films or general visual sequences, while driving.

[0003] Particularly in semi-automatic or even highly automated vehicles, it is possible for the driver to use these entertainment systems. However, such content, such as films, can also be made available to other vehicle occupants at any time while driving.

[0004] Often, the estimated travel time to reach a destination is known, for example, with the help of an (installed or portable) navigation system or a general routing system. In many other cases, the user knows the travel time to reach their destination based on their experience. Furthermore, the travel time can also be known to and / or predicted by a holistic intelligence that will control the "swarms" in the future. Real-time data can provide an exact time or time trend based on influences during the journey.

[0005] The present invention is based on the object of offering vehicle occupants entertainment content while taking the travel time into account. This is achieved according to the invention by the subject matter of the independent patent claims. Advantageous embodiments and further developments are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

[0006] In a method according to the invention for reproducing information and / or entertainment content to at least one vehicle occupant (preferably to several vehicle occupants) of a vehicle (in particular a motor vehicle), at least one value characteristic of a movement route to be covered by the vehicle and in particular a time duration characteristic of a movement route to be covered by the vehicle is determined or specified.

[0007] According to the invention, information and / or entertainment content to be output to the vehicle occupants is selected and / or output, taking this characteristic value into account. This information and / or entertainment content can be output via one output device (e.g., a display). However, multiple output devices can also be used, such as multiple displays, loudspeakers, or the like.

[0008] This characteristic value, and in particular the duration, can be determined, for example, by a navigation system or any type of internal or external intelligence. However, it is also conceivable that this value is specified by a user. The latter can be relevant, for example, if the driver has factored in waiting times or specified them via the route planner during which the car is stationary, or if the driver knows an approximate duration for the journey based on their experience. The characteristic value can also be queried, for example, from a user profile or a storage device. Such values ​​can also be learned.

[0009] In addition to the determined or specified duration, other values ​​could also be determined, such as the distance to a destination. Furthermore, values ​​such as route conditions (e.g., cobblestones), the occurrence of traffic jams, or route characteristics (e.g., the proportion of country roads or highways), seasonal vegetation, weather conditions, and the like can also be determined or taken into account.

[0010] The aim of the invention is to offer the user or the occupants of a vehicle targeted content based on their route or the route guidance and characteristics. Thus, when selecting a route, the length of the journey can be a selection criterion for (digital) content, i.e., the aforementioned information and / or entertainment content (e.g., an episode of a TV series).

[0011] For example, the user receives at least one piece of content that can be played to completion within the travel time and / or route time. This way, the route time can determine the content selection time, and vice versa.

[0012] The content selection can be learned or provided by a profile without requiring an explicit, direct selection. In the future, one could also imagine stories / films / series, etc., being dynamically generated (see the possibilities of Generative AI or even today's role-playing games). For this purpose, the playback time can be dynamically adjusted to the route time, and the content can also be proactively controlled based on predictive knowledge of the route / route behavior / potential traffic jam risk. For example, an extension can be implemented to allow for an "end." Aspects such as avoiding increased fuel or energy consumption can also be taken into account.

[0013] Furthermore, individual services can also be transferred to other devices. In addition to display technologies, other existing options can also be used for the services (e.g., coordinated use of the massage seat actuators, VR, AR, or MR headsets). In addition, custom devices can also be used (bring your own device).

[0014] Another preferred method involves including vehicle stops or loading points, for example, to expand the story or a specific content, or to incorporate dynamic flashbacks if the break or similar action was too long. Side stories can also be inserted.

[0015] Overall, the invention can provide an extension for infotainment systems that allows adaptation to a specific route or driving route. Extensions for other devices, such as those used in the home, are also possible.

[0016] In addition, extensions to this function for specific driving situations such as ride pooling (a form of commercially organized passenger transport that transports passengers flexibly between stops on request) or ride hailing (for example the use of a taxi or other driving service such as Uber or FreeNow) are advantageous. The focus of the current patents is a selection or modification of the contents of items from a list depending on, for example, a route time including the device.

[0017] In contrast to prior art methods, this is preferably done through the dynamic design of the media content. This can be done using currently known AI approaches or, if necessary, lock-up tables, to dynamically change the contents of an item and / or content.

[0018] This allows for preferential responses to new, unplanned changes.

[0019] For example, if a passenger enjoys watching "Berlin Day & Night" during a trip from A to B, the series' content and length can be dynamically adjusted to suit the needs of the trip. If a traffic jam suddenly occurs, the playback time can be extended or enhanced with additional content (e.g., news, new situations, extended conversations, etc., essentially adding "fillers" or "nature scenes" to suit personal taste) to accommodate the new travel time.

[0020] This way, not only are items and / or content sections lined up, but individual content or items can also be controlled preferentially. Similar to the difference between a book and a movie with the same story, this allows for significantly better adaptation to the travel or movement duration. For example, an idea can be embellished or shortened as part of a story. An artificially created bridge between episodes of a series is also conceivable.

[0021] This allows for continuous response to changes such as traffic jams, the installation of charging cycles, closures, new routes, etc.

[0022] Preferably, it is also possible to insert content from the (route) environment into the content (tunnels, vegetation, weather, geodata).

[0023] The computing unit can be based on components installed in the vehicle, or on a data center and / or a cloud.

[0024] Depending on attention, more audio or visual content can be addressed preferentially, which would be very important in partially autonomous driving. For example, a transition can be made from an audiobook to a film and vice versa. An audiobook typically has more descriptive content.

[0025] In another advantageous method, the vehicle is controlled partially or fully automatically. However, the invention is also applicable to classic vehicles and, in particular, to passengers of classic vehicles.

[0026] Particularly preferably, the movement route is a driving route, i.e., in particular, the route to be traveled by a road vehicle. However, the movement route could also be an air route, for example, when referring to an air taxi.

[0027] The vehicle can be controlled by a driver or drive autonomously. In addition to a road vehicle, the vehicle can also be an air taxi, an aircraft, or another means of transport or another type of vehicle, such as an aircraft, watercraft, or rail vehicle.

[0028] In a preferred method, the information and / or entertainment content is output and / or selected such that its duration is adapted to the characteristic time period. This preferably aims to ensure that the information and / or entertainment content can be viewed in its entirety before a journey is completed.

[0029] In another preferred method, the information and / or entertainment content is or is selected such that its duration is shorter than the characteristic duration. This ensures that the content in question can be viewed in its entirety or generally consumed in every case.

[0030] In a further preferred method, the information and / or entertainment content is or will be selected such that its length is more than 60% of the characteristic duration, preferably more than 70% of the characteristic duration, preferably more than 80% of the characteristic duration, and preferably more than 90% of the characteristic duration. It would be possible, for example, for x episodes to be selected during the journey or for only one episode with length x to be selected. A determination can also be made based on a profile and / or a request, for example, type 1 episode for journeys of less than 30 minutes, and type y for longer journeys.

[0031] In this way, it can be ensured that the journey time or movement time in general is used as completely as possible for the output of the content(s) in question.

[0032] Alternatively or additionally, it is conceivable that the travel time to be used for outputting the relevant content takes into account a (predicted and / or measured) attention span of the user or driver. Thus, the determination of the characteristic value and / or characteristic duration can take into account a state of the vehicle occupant to whom the content is to be output, preferably an attention state (fatigue, stress, etc.) of the vehicle occupant.

[0033] Alternatively or additionally, it is conceivable that the output of the relevant (to be output) content could take into account a route's course, such as the route's topology and / or the presence of curves and / or junctions and / or the degree of curvature in the predicted route. For example, comparatively or slightly slower content could be output in a winding section of the route.

[0034] It would also be possible to take the driver's or other passengers' sensitivities into account. For example, sensors could detect motion sickness or something similar, and the content could be adjusted or even turned off.

[0035] In another preferred method, the information and / or entertainment content is or will be selected from a group of information and / or entertainment content, which includes audio content, video content, image information, combined audio and video content, audiobooks, films, film series, and the like. However, the invention is also suitable for other content such as podcasts and the like.

[0036] In another preferred method, the information and / or entertainment content contains two or more content components. For example, a user can be suggested a number of episodes of a series. Therefore, a predetermined order of the respective series is preferably maintained, but it would also be possible to suggest the episodes in any order, particularly if the individual episodes are not part of a sequel. If the episodes are sequels, they can be presented in a sequence without a title sequence / recap or similar.

[0037] In a further preferred method, the determined time period is corrected taking into account at least one parameter characteristic of the movement route, wherein the parameter characteristic of the movement route is preferably selected from a group of parameters which are characteristic of weather conditions, which are characteristic of a traffic situation while traveling the route and / or which are characteristic of a time of day and / or year.

[0038] For example, existing traffic jams (which increase travel time) can be factored into the route, giving priority to both actual traffic jams and those that are likely to occur. For example, if experience shows that traffic jams or slow-moving traffic occur on certain sections of the route at certain times, this can be taken into account when determining the travel time.

[0039] In addition, weather conditions that require a reduction in driving speed, such as heavy rainfall or fog, can also be taken into account.

[0040] In a further advantageous method, the information and / or entertainment content is or is selected from a plurality of information and / or entertainment contents or is selectable from such a plurality.

[0041] This allows vehicle occupants to be offered several pieces of information and / or entertainment content, each with a suitable duration. It is possible for occupants to preselect the content, for example, only concerts of a specific musical genre.

[0042] In a further preferred method, a plurality of information and / or entertainment contents are proposed to the vehicle occupants, from which one or more information and / or entertainment contents can be selected.

[0043] This information and / or entertainment content can be available in a storage device or via the internet. Preferably, this content can be streamed.

[0044] In a further advantageous method, the information and / or entertainment content to be delivered to the vehicle occupants is selected and / or delivered taking into account the driver's driving behavior. For example, the driver's driving behavior on highways can be taken into account, such as whether they tend to drive at the recommended speed, below it, or above it. This approach can be particularly interesting for long journeys, and especially for those routes that include large sections of highway.

[0045] The driver’s driving behavior on country roads or federal highways can also be taken into account.

[0046] Current driving behavior is preferably considered, but past driving behavior can also be considered. For example, if it is determined that the driver tends to drive fast on highways, this can be taken into account and a correspondingly shorter route time can be calculated.

[0047] In addition, this consideration can also be determined individually for different drivers, for example, if a company vehicle is driven by multiple drivers. Priority is given to identifying the current driver.

[0048] In another advantageous method, the characteristic time duration is determined using a navigation system. Thus, a specific destination, possibly including intermediate destinations, can be determined using a navigation system, and the navigation system calculates the time required to reach this destination.

[0049] However, it would also be conceivable for the duration to be specified by the user and / or the vehicle occupants. However, this would also be considered a determination of the value. This is particularly relevant in cases where the user knows the approximate travel time and / or route based on their experience.

[0050] In another preferred method, it is possible for a user to correct a determined time period themselves, for example, if they intend to make phone calls while driving and do not want to consume any information or entertainment content during this time. Preferably, changes are possible at any time.

[0051] In addition, the driver may already know before starting the journey that he or she intends to take breaks during which he or she will remain in the vehicle and consume the said content.

[0052] Therefore, the user can preferentially increase or decrease a determined travel time. This allows, for example, predictive route changes and / or a calculation of the impact (particularly on travel time).

[0053] In another preferred method, information and / or entertainment content can be generated taking the characteristic value into account. This makes it possible, for example, to generate information and / or entertainment content or modify existing content with the aid of artificial intelligence, with particular consideration given to the available duration for output.

[0054] The present invention is further directed to a device for reproducing information and / or entertainment content to at least one vehicle occupant of a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, having a determination device which is suitable and intended to determine at least one value characteristic of a movement route to be covered by the vehicle and in particular a time duration characteristic of a movement route to be covered by the vehicle.

[0055] According to the invention, taking this characteristic value into account, an information and / or entertainment content to be output to the vehicle occupant(s) (to all or individually) can be selected and / or output.

[0056] It is therefore also proposed on the device side that a predetermined or determined travel time is taken into account when selecting or outputting the relevant content.

[0057] In addition to or as an alternative to the determination device, an input device can also be provided by means of which a user can specify a journey time, for example if he knows from his experience that he will generally need a certain amount of time to reach a certain destination.

[0058] Preferably, the detection device is configured, suitable and / or intended to carry out the method described above as well as all method steps already described above in connection with the method individually or in combination with one another.

[0059] Conversely, the procedure can be equipped with all the features described in the context of the investigative device, individually or in combination with one another.

[0060] The present invention is further directed to a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle (in particular a car, truck, bus), comprising a device as described above for displaying information and / or entertainment content to at least one vehicle occupant and / or a vehicle detection device as described above, according to one embodiment. The vehicle can, in particular, be a (motorized) road vehicle.

[0061] A vehicle can be a motor vehicle, in particular a driver-controlled vehicle ("driver only"), a semi-autonomous vehicle, an autonomous vehicle (e.g., with autonomy levels 3, 4, or 5 (of the SAE J3016 standard)), or a self-driving vehicle. Autonomy level 5 refers to fully automated vehicles. The vehicle can also be a driverless transport system.

[0062] The present invention is further directed to a computer program or computer program product comprising program means, in particular a program code, which represents or encodes at least some and preferably all of the method steps of the method according to the invention and preferably one of the described preferred embodiments and is designed to be executed by a processor device.

[0063] The present invention is further directed to a data memory on which at least one embodiment of the computer program according to the invention or a preferred embodiment of the computer program is stored.

[0064] The present invention has been described with reference to a vehicle. The present invention is also applicable to methods and systems generally used in machine image processing (e.g., in infrastructure). The applicant reserves the right to also claim related subject matter.

[0065] Further advantages and embodiments can be seen in the attached drawing:

[0066] It shows: Fig. 1 a schematic representation of a motor vehicle 1.

[0067] Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a motor vehicle 1, more precisely its driver's cab.

[0068] This has a display device 4, such as a screen, via which information and entertainment content can be output to the vehicle occupants. In addition, this display device 4 can also display, for example, a route.

[0069] This display device is integrated into a center console of vehicle 1. However, the display device could also be integrated elsewhere within the vehicle.

[0070] The reference numeral 2 schematically denotes a determination unit which is suitable and intended to determine a time period characteristic of a route to be covered by the vehicle.

[0071] On the basis of this period of time, as described above, one or more information and / or entertainment contents can be selected, which can be output to the vehicle occupant(s) (in particular via the display device).

[0072] Furthermore, the vehicle preferably has a control device (not shown) which enables partially or highly automated control of the vehicle.

[0073] The applicant reserves the right to claim all features disclosed in the application documents as essential to the invention, provided they are novel, individually or in combination, over the prior art. It is further noted that the individual figures also describe features that may be advantageous in and of themselves. The skilled person will immediately recognize that a specific feature described in a figure may be advantageous even without adopting further features from that figure. Furthermore, the skilled person will recognize that advantages may also arise from a combination of several features shown in individual or different figures. List of reference symbols 1 motor vehicle 2 Investigation facility 4 Display device

Claims

[1] Method for reproducing information and / or entertainment content to at least one vehicle occupant of a vehicle (1), in particular a motor vehicle (1), wherein at least one value characteristic of a route to be covered by the vehicle (1) and in particular a time duration characteristic of a route to be covered by the vehicle is determined, characterized by that information and / or entertainment content to be delivered to the vehicle occupants is selected and / or delivered taking this characteristic value into account. [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by that the information and / or entertainment content is output in such a way that its length is adapted to the characteristic time period. [3] Method according to claim 2, characterized bythat the information and / or entertainment content is selected such that its duration is less than the characteristic duration and / or the information and / or entertainment content is selected such that its duration is more than 60% of the characteristic duration, preferably more than 70% of the characteristic duration, preferably more than 80% of the characteristic duration and preferably more than 90% of the characteristic duration. [4] Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the information and / or entertainment content is selected from a group of information and / or entertainment content, which includes audio content; video content, image information, combined audio and video content, audio books, films, film series and the like. [5] Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the information and / or entertainment content contains two or more sub-contents. [6] Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the determined time period is corrected taking into account at least one parameter characteristic of the route of travel, wherein the parameter characteristic of the route of travel is selected from a group of parameters which are characteristic of weather conditions, which are characteristic of a traffic situation while traveling the route and / or which are characteristic of a time of day and / or year. [7] Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the information and / or entertainment content is selected from a plurality of information and / or entertainment contents and / or the vehicle occupants are proposed a plurality of information and / or entertainment contents, from which one or more information and / or entertainment contents can be selected. [8] Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the information and / or entertainment content to be delivered to the vehicle occupants is selected and / or delivered taking into account the driver's driving behavior. [9] Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized by that information and / or entertainment content is generated taking into account the characteristic value. [10] Device for reproducing information and / or entertainment content to at least one vehicle occupant of a vehicle (1), in particular a motor vehicle, with a determination device (2) which is suitable and intended to determine at least one value characteristic of a route of movement to be covered by the vehicle (1) and in particular a time duration characteristic of a route of movement to be covered by the vehicle, characterized by that, taking this characteristic value into account, information and / or entertainment content to be output to the vehicle occupants is selected and / or can be output.

Images