Method for operating an audio output device, computer program and / or computer-readable medium, data processing device and motor vehicle, at least partially arranged in a driver's seat of a motor vehicle

Abstract

Method for operating an audio output device arranged at least partially in a driver's seat of a motor vehicle; wherein the method comprises: acquiring functional information, wherein the functional information characterizes a direction with respect to an automated triggering of a function of a driver assistance system of the motor vehicle; determining an output signal for the acoustic perception of output information by a driver in a manner differentiated with respect to the direction of the functional information; and outputting the output signal to the audio output device for the acoustic perception of output information, wherein the direction of the functional information is differentiable by the output of the output information.

Description

The present disclosure relates to a method for operating an audio output device arranged at least partially in the driver's seat of a motor vehicle. The disclosure also relates to a computer program and / or computer-readable medium, a data processing device, and a motor vehicle. In the currently known functional configuration of driver assistance systems, these systems provide acoustic indications of interaction possibilities. For example, the driver of the vehicle can be alerted to an automatic lane change and / or to starting off when a traffic light turns green. These acoustic indications are played throughout the entire interior and thus also reach any passengers. However, passengers may find these acoustic indications and / or warnings disturbing, as the information is irrelevant to them. Alternatively or additionally to sound being broadcast throughout the entire interior, it is known from the prior art to install loudspeakers in a driver's seat headrest to broadcast information relevant exclusively to the driver in such a way that only the driver perceives the information. Passengers hear the information very quietly, if at all, or barely perceptibly. Directional information from driver assistance systems refers to events in specific directions related to the vehicle's orientation. US 2015 / 0258930 A1 discloses a driver assistance device that provides the driver with sound information useful for driving, thus facilitating the determination of right and left directions. When a right turn signal is activated, the driver assistance device activates a right turn signal and also locates the turn signal activation sound to the driver's right. When a left turn signal is activated, the driver assistance device activates a left turn signal and also locates the turn signal activation sound to the driver's left. Only the driver hears the turn signal sound via a parametric speaker. For example, information can be output about the side of an active turn signal of the motor vehicle and / or about objects on one side of the motor vehicle. A similar case is described in DE 10 2012 208 825 A1: A binaural recording stored in a playback-use sound source section is captured by delivering an ultrasonic modulated tone from a playback-use ultrasonic wave loudspeaker to a dummy head. Crosstalk is suppressed. In this way, the binaural recording is preserved with clear sound localization information, and speech orientation localization can be improved simultaneously. Furthermore, the tones generated by ultrasonic modulation of the binaural recording in the playback-use sound source section are delivered to the left and right ears of a driver by the left and right playback-use ultrasonic wave loudspeaker units, respectively, which are positioned away from the driver's head."3D sound information" regarding speech orientation localization is precisely delivered to the driver's ears. Even in a vehicle interior that tends to have reflected or muffled sounds, accurate "sound localization" can be achieved without headphones. According to US 2023 / 311921 A1, a safety assistance device comprises an object detection camera and a radar device, which serve as detectors, and a controller that controls a multi-function loudspeaker and a multi-function speaker, which serve as three-dimensional sound output devices, and a mono loudspeaker, which serves as a sound output device, based on detection information from a surveillance camera, which serves as a monitor. The controller selects, in accordance with the positions of a driver's ears as detected by the surveillance camera, whether the dual-function loudspeaker and the dual-function speaker emit a three-dimensional sound or whether the dual-function loudspeaker, the dual-function speaker, and the mono loudspeaker emit a single sound. The aforementioned state of the art concerns driver assistance systems for observing and / or recording events in the vehicle's environment. However, driver assistance systems can have functions that alert the driver to an interaction and are direction-dependent. In order for a driver to be able to distinguish such an acoustic indication for, for example, a lane change option or another automated driving function, which can be pronounced to the left, right, forward and / or backward, the driver must visually perceive an optical message or a visual representation to be informed about the direction. Against the background of this prior art, one objective of the present disclosure is to specify a device and a method, each of which is suitable for enriching the prior art and improving at least the aforementioned aspects of the prior art. In particular, the objective of the disclosure is to provide an improved direction-related acoustic output for a driver with regard to driver assistance systems. The problem is solved by the features of the independent claims. The dependent claims contain further developments of the disclosure. The problem is then solved according to one aspect of the disclosure by a method for operating an audio output device arranged at least partially in a driver's seat of a motor vehicle; wherein the method comprises: acquiring functional information, wherein the functional information characterizes a direction with respect to an automated triggering of a function of a driver assistance system of the motor vehicle; determining an output signal for the acoustic perception of an output information by a driver in a manner differentiated with respect to the direction of the functional information; and outputting the output signal to the audio output device for the acoustic perception of an output information, wherein the direction of the functional information is differentiable by the output information. The disclosure is so pronounced that a loudspeaker system is installed and operated as an audio output device in the driver's seat, for example in a headrest of the driver's seat, in such a way that, for example via audio modulation, as is known from the prior art, it becomes clear from the acoustic indication, i.e. the output information, in which direction the driver's attention must be directed in order to be able to carry out the function after it has been triggered by the driver assistance system. The function information refers to the automated activation of the driver assistance system's function. This function is automatically triggered by the driver assistance system and is linked to a direction. The output information can then inform the driver about the automated activation of the function by the driver assistance system and provide the driver with an audible indication of the direction. The output information can be presented in such a way that it is perceived by the driver with an orientation corresponding to the direction. For example, if the direction is right, the output information can be presented in such a way that it appears to the driver to be coming from the right. The same applies to other directions, such as left, front, and rear. In contrast to the prior art, this disclosure enables improved direction-specific acoustic output related to the driver assistance system. This is because the disclosure ensures that the driver is informed about the automated activation ("triggering") of the function and can react accordingly, rather than solely based on events occurring in the environment. According to the prior art, a driver might, for example, be informed about an active turn signal or a blocked lane and would then have to manually perform a lane change. According to this disclosure, the driver is now informed about the automated activation of the function in a direction-specific manner, for example, when the lane change is to be performed by the driver assistance system and requires validation by the driver. Optionally, the function is triggered automatically by the driver assistance system. It was recognized that the driver assistance system is configured to automatically trigger functions that require the driver's directional attention. Such a function can be triggered automatically or autonomously by the driver assistance system, i.e., without driver interaction. By applying this method to the function triggered automatically by the driver assistance system, the driver's attention can be directed directionally according to the function. Optionally, the function can be triggered automatically based on sensor data acquired by the vehicle and / or information received by the vehicle. This allows the function to be triggered based on a comprehensive data set. The sensor data can, for example, capture information from inside and / or outside the vehicle. The information received by the vehicle can, for example, be received via a communication interface from a server, another vehicle, and / or an infrastructure element. Optionally, the procedure includes: capturing the driver's reaction to the output information; and executing the function depending on the reaction. This allows the driver's reaction to be captured in order to evaluate and / or process the response and execute the function accordingly. For example, the function can be executed if the driver is looking in a certain direction, and if the driver is looking in a different direction, the function can be omitted and / or modified. Optionally, the driver assistance system includes a lane change assistant; the function information relates to an automated lane change; and the direction of the function information refers to a target lane to be changed, indicating left and / or right. If the driver assistance system offers a lane change to the left, the acoustic signal is only audible to the driver in such a way that it creates the impression that the sound source is on the left. The same applies accordingly for a lane change to the right. Optionally, the driver assistance system includes traffic light recognition; the function information relates to a starting instruction; and the direction of the function information points in the direction of forward travel. If the driver assistance system offers traffic light recognition, the system indicates a green light by playing an acoustic signal audible only to the driver, creating the impression that the sound source is in front. According to one aspect of the disclosure, a computer program and / or a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer program and / or the computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by a data processing device, cause the device to perform the method according to the disclosure and / or steps thereof. Optionally, the computer program and / or the computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by a data processing device, cause the device to perform the process steps described as advantageous or optional in order to achieve an associated technical effect. According to one aspect of the disclosure, a data processing device is provided for a motor vehicle. The data processing device is configured to carry out the process according to the disclosure. Optionally, the data processing device is configured to carry out a process step described as advantageous or optional and / or to implement a process feature in order to achieve an associated technical effect. According to one aspect of the disclosure, a motor vehicle comprising the data processing device according to the disclosure, a driver assistance system, and a driver's seat with an audio output device at least partially arranged in the driver's seat is provided. Optionally, the data processing device of the motor vehicle and / or the motor vehicle is configured to perform a process step described as advantageous or optional and / or to implement a process feature in order to achieve an associated technical effect. One embodiment of each is described below with reference to the figures. Fig. 1 schematically shows a motor vehicle according to one aspect of the disclosure; Fig. 2 schematically shows a flowchart of a method according to one aspect of the disclosure; and Fig. 3 shows a schematic representation of a computer program and / or computer-readable medium according to one aspect of the disclosure. Fig. 1 schematically shows a motor vehicle 50 according to one aspect of the disclosure. The motor vehicle 50 is a land vehicle. The motor vehicle 50 is a passenger car. In addition, Fig. 1 illustrates a driver 10. The driver 10 is a user of the motor vehicle 50 who drives or operates the motor vehicle 50 and / or is responsible for driving or operating the motor vehicle 50. The motor vehicle 50 has a data processing device 51. The motor vehicle 50, or rather the data processing device 51, is configured to carry out the method 100 described with reference to Fig. 2. For this purpose, the motor vehicle 50, as shown in Fig. 1, has a driver assistance system 52 and a driver's seat 53 with an audio output device 54 arranged at least partially in the driver's seat 53. The driver assistance system 52 includes, for example, traffic light recognition and / or a lane change assistant. The driver assistance system 52 is communicatively connected to the data processing device 51 or, in another embodiment (not shown), is encompassed by the data processing device 51 or is at least partially implemented as a software component on the data processing device 51. The driver's seat 53 is a seat of the motor vehicle 50 in which the driver 10 typically sits and / or is positioned while driving. The driver's seat 53 is characterized by its position and / or orientation within the motor vehicle 50. The audio output device 54 comprises one or more loudspeakers and is designed to produce 10 acoustically perceptible outputs for the driver. The audio output device 54 can, for example, be located in and / or on a seat back and / or a headrest. In addition, the vehicle includes 50 other components (not shown), such as one or more sensor devices and / or communication interfaces. Fig. 2 schematically shows a flowchart of a method 100 according to one aspect of the disclosure. The method 100 according to Fig. 2 is a method 100 for operating an audio output device 54 arranged at least partially in a driver's seat 53 of a motor vehicle 50. Such a motor vehicle 50 is described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is described with reference to Fig. 1. The method 100 according to Fig. 2 comprises: acquiring 110 a functional information 65, wherein the functional information 65 characterizes a direction with respect to an automated triggering of a function of a driver assistance system 52 of the motor vehicle 50. The function is triggered automatically by the driver assistance system 52. The execution 150 of the function may or may not occur depending on a reaction 67 of the driver 10. The automated triggering is based on sensor data acquired by the motor vehicle and / or information received by the motor vehicle. Method 100 comprises: Determining 120 an output signal 70 for the acoustic perception of output information 66 by a driver 10 with respect to the direction of the functional information 65. Transmitting the output signal 70 from the data processing device 51 to the audio output device 54 so that the output information 66 can be acoustically perceived by the driver 10. Method 100 comprises: outputting 130 the output signal 70 to the audio output device 54 for acoustic perception of output information 66, wherein the direction of the functional information 65 is distinguishable by the output information 66. For example, the output information 66 is modulated such that the driver 10 can acoustically differentiate the direction. The driver 10 can optionally differentiate, in addition to the semantic content of the output information 66, based on the direction from which the output information 66 comes and / or appears to come. The output information 66 can be modulated, for example, as disclosed in DE 10 2012 208 825 A1 and / or US 2015 / 0258930 A1. The driver assistance system 52 includes a lane change assistant. Function information 65 relates to an automated lane change. The direction of function information 65 refers to a target lane to be changed, indicating left and / or right. The driver assistance system 52 includes traffic light recognition. Function information 65 relates to a starting instruction. The direction of function information 65 points in the direction of forward travel. Method 100 involves: capturing 140 a reaction 67 of the driver 10 to the output information 66. The reaction 67 can be captured by a user interface or an interior monitoring system of the vehicle 50. The reaction 67 can be, for example, a glance, the actuation of a pedal, and / or the operation of a steering wheel. The glance can be determined, for example, from the arrangement, orientation, and / or alignment of the user's 10 pupils, the user's 10 eyes, a nose vector of the user 10 characterizing a gaze direction, the user's 10 head pose, and / or the user's 10 body posture. Procedure 100 involves: Execution 150, depending on the reaction 67, the function. The function can be executed upon the corresponding reaction 67. For example, a lane change to the right is carried out after the driver 10 looks to the right as reaction 67. The person skilled in the art recognizes that the method 100 according to Fig. 2 can also be carried out in a different sequence than the one shown. In particular, it is possible that steps of the method 100 can be exchanged, shifted, repeated and / or carried out simultaneously. Fig. 3 shows a schematic representation of a computer program and / or computer-readable medium 200 according to one aspect of the disclosure. The computer program and / or computer-readable medium 200 comprises instructions 201 which, when the program or instructions 201 are executed by a data processing device 51, cause the device to perform the method 100 and / or the steps of the method 100 according to Fig. 2. The commands 201 can be in the form of program code in any code or language, in particular code suitable for controlling and / or monitoring motor vehicles 50, their driver assistance systems 52, and / or their audio output devices 54. The computer program and / or computer-readable medium 200 can be or comprise any digital data storage device, such as a USB flash drive, a hard drive, a CD-ROM, an SD card, or an SSD. The computer program need not necessarily be stored on such a computer-readable storage medium, but can also be accessed via the Internet or otherwise. Reference symbol (part of the description) 10 Driver 50 Motor vehicle 51 Data processing device 52 Driver assistance system 53 Driver's seat 54 Audio output device 65 Functional information 66 Output information 67 Response 70 Output signal 100 Procedure 110 Acquiring functional information 120 Determining 130 Outputting 140 Acquiring a response 150 Executing 200 Computer program and / or computer-readable medium 201 Commands QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature US 2015 / 0258930 A1 [0005, 0035]DE 10 2012 208 825 A1 [0007, 0035]US 2023 / 311921 A1

[0008]

Claims

Method (100) for operating an audio output device (54) arranged at least partially in a driver's seat (53) of a motor vehicle (50); wherein the method (100) comprises: - acquiring (110) a functional information (65), wherein the functional information (65) characterizes a direction with respect to an automated triggering of a function of a driver assistance system (52) of the motor vehicle (50); - determining (120) an output signal (70) for the acoustic perception of an output information (66) by a driver (10) in a manner differentiated with respect to the direction of the functional information (65); and - outputting (130) the output signal (70) to the audio output device (54) for the acoustic perception of an output information (66), wherein the direction of the functional information (65) is differentiable by the output information (66). Method (100) according to claim 1, wherein the function is automatically triggered by the driver assistance system (52). Method (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the automated triggering is based on sensor data acquired by the motor vehicle and / or information received by the motor vehicle. Method (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the method (100) comprises: - detecting (140) a reaction (67) of the driver (10) to the output information (66); and - performing (150), depending on the reaction (67), the function. Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein- the driver assistance system (52) comprises a lane change assistant;- the functional information (65) relates to an automated lane change; and- the direction of the functional information (65) is related to a target lane to be changed, points to the left and / or to the right. Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein- the driver assistance system (52) comprises traffic light recognition;- the functional information (65) relates to a starting instruction; and- the direction of the functional information (65) points in the direction of forward travel. Computer program and / or computer-readable medium (200), comprising instructions (201) which, when the program or instructions (201) are executed by a data processing device (51), cause the latter to carry out the method (100) and / or the steps of the method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6. Data processing device (51) for a motor vehicle (50), wherein the data processing device (51) is configured to perform the method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6. Motor vehicle (50) comprising the data processing device (51) according to claim 8, a driver assistance system (52) and a driver's seat (53) with an audio output device (54) arranged at least partially in the driver's seat (53).

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