System for controlling the delivery of multimedia content in a vehicle, corresponding method and vehicle

Abstract

Control system for controlling the delivery of multimedia content in a vehicle configured to perform the steps of detecting a position of the vehicle; detecting by means of one or more eye-tracking sensors a gaze direction separately and independently for one or more occupants of the vehicle; detecting one or more points of interest in the vicinity of the vehicle; scheduling a playback order of said multimedia content based on the position of the vehicle; and playing back the multimedia content according to the playback order by means of one or more screens and one or more speakers, headphones, or earphones. The step of scheduling a playback order comprises performing the steps of discarding points of interest that are not visible from the vehicle; determining a dwell time in the field of view for each point of interest and for each occupant of the vehicle, and based on one or more user profiles associated with respective occupants of the vehicle, determining an affinity index for each of said points of interest; and ordering said points of interest based on the respective dwell times in the field of view in ascending order, discarding one or more points of interest associated with affinity values below a predetermined threshold, and storing the found points of interest in lists of points of interest associated with respective occupants of the vehicle.

Description

[0001] "System for controlling the delivery of multimedia content in a vehicle, corresponding method and vehicle"

[0002] ****

[0003] TEXT OF THE DESCRIPTION

[0004] Field of the invention

[0005] The present invention relates to solutions for controlling the delivery of information in a vehicle. For example, the information is provided in the form of screen displays or in the form of audio announcements, or as audiovisual material.

[0006] Prior art

[0007] In the field of artificial vision systems for vehicles designed to detect points of interest for tourist applications, systems exist that typically incorporate cameras or other optical sensors mounted on the vehicles to capture visual data of the surrounding environment. These systems often use image processing algorithms and machine learning techniques to analyze the captured images in real time.

[0008] A common approach involves the use of object recognition algorithms to identify landmarks, buildings, natural features or other points of interest that may be relevant to tourists. These systems frequently employ convolutional neural networks or similar deep learning architectures, trained on large datasets of tourist locations and landmarks.

[0009] Some existing solutions incorporate GPS data and geolocation information to provide contextual detection of points of interest. By combining the current position of the vehicle with a database of known tourist attractions, these systems can more accurately identify and highlight relevant sites during the vehicle's journey.

[0010] However, known solutions typically capture images of people and / or license plates of other vehicles on the road. This constitutes a privacy problem, and poses a significant challenge in the development of systems that can effectively detect points of interest while simultaneously maintaining respect for the privacy of pedestrians and other road users.

[0011] Solutions of this type are known, for example, from the disclosure of document US 11 ,423,778 B2. This document describes an apparatus and a method for controlling the delivery of information to the driver of a vehicle, with the object of entertaining the driver and / or passengers of the vehicle and / or of increasing the driver's attention.

[0012] In accordance with said solution, a database of points of interest or objects of general interest, a database of topographic information, a device for determining the position of the vehicle and an evaluation device to which this information is supplied are provided. The evaluation device ascertains, based on the current position of the vehicle and the topographic information, which points of interest or objects of general interest are present in the driver's field of view and provides the driver, via an output device, with the information relating to the point of interest or the object of general interest that the evaluation device has ascertained to be located in the driver's field of view.

[0013] Object and summary

[0014] The present description sets forth the object of providing solutions that allow the controlling of the delivery of multimedia content in a vehicle.

[0015] In order to achieve said object, the solution has for its object a control system provided with the characteristics specified in the accompanying claim 1. The claims also relate to a corresponding method, and a corresponding vehicle.

[0016] The claims form an integral part of the teaching provided by the present solution.

[0017] In particular, various embodiments of the present description relate to a control system for controlling the delivery of multimedia content in a vehicle comprising one or more eye-tracking sensors, a geolocation module, a transceiver configured to exchange data with a remote processing system and to provide said multimedia content, one or more screens, one or more speakers, and a control unit comprising a processor, a system memory, and a non-volatile memory.

[0018] In various embodiments, the control unit is configured to perform the steps of detecting a position of the vehicle indicated by a longitude, a latitude, and a direction; detecting by means of the one or more eye-tracking sensors a gaze direction separately and independently for one or more occupants of the vehicle; detecting one or more points of interest in the vicinity of the vehicle, storing the found points of interest in a first list of points of interest; scheduling a playback order of said multimedia content based on the position of the vehicle; and playing back the multimedia content according to the found playback order by means of the one or more screens and the one or more speakers, headphones, or earphones.

[0019] In various embodiments, the step of scheduling a playback order of said multimedia content comprises performing the steps of discarding points of interest included in said first list of points of interest that are not visible from the vehicle, and storing the non-discarded points of interest in a second list of points of interest; determining a dwell time in the field of view for each point of interest and for each occupant of the vehicle, storing the found dwell times in the field of view in one or more third lists of points of interest associated with respective occupants of the vehicle; acquiring from the remote processing system one or more user profiles associated with respective occupants of the vehicle, based on the one or more user profiles determining an affinity index for each point of interest included in the second lists of points of interest, and storing the found affinity indices in one or more fourth lists of points of interest, each fourth list of points of interest being associated with an occupant of the vehicle; and ordering the one or more points of interest stored in each fourth list of points of interest based on the respective dwell times in the field of view in ascending order, discarding one or more points of interest associated with affinity values below a predetermined threshold, and storing the found points of interest in one or more fifth lists of points of interest associated with respective occupants of the vehicle.

[0020] Brief description of the figures

[0021] The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures, provided by way of non-limiting example only, in which:

[0022] - Figure 1 shows a control system implemented in accordance with the solution described herein;

[0023] - Figure 2 shows a method for controlling the delivery of multimedia content according to the solution described herein;

[0024] - Figure 3 shows a method for filtering points of interest according to the solution described herein;

[0025] - Figure 4a shows a first exemplary scenario in which a vehicle provided with a control system detects points of interest in accordance with the solution described herein;

[0026] - Figure 4b shows the exemplary scenario of Figure 4a in which a vehicle provided with a control system detects and filters points of interest in accordance with the solution described herein; and

[0027] - Figure 5 shows a second exemplary scenario in which a vehicle provided with a control system detects and filters points of interest in accordance with the solution described herein.

[0028] Detailed description

[0029] In the following description, one or more specific details are illustrated, for the purpose of providing an in-depth understanding of examples of embodiments of this description. The embodiments can be obtained without one or more of the specific details or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other cases, known operations, materials or structures are not illustrated or described in detail so that certain aspects of the embodiments are not obscured.

[0030] A reference to "an embodiment" within the framework of the present description is intended to indicate that a particular configuration, structure, or characteristic described with reference to the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Therefore, phrases such as "in one embodiment" that may be present in one or more points of the present description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0031] Furthermore, particular configurations, structures or characteristics can be combined in any suitable way in one or more embodiments.

[0032] The references used herein are provided merely for convenience and therefore do not define the scope of protection or the scope of the embodiments.

[0033] In the following, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish one element from another and not to indicate a sequential order, unless otherwise indicated. Furthermore, relative position terms such as "vertical" and "horizontal", or "front" and "rear", when used, are understood as relative to each other and must not be absolute, and refer only to a possible position of the device associated with such terms depending on the orientation of the device. For example, when two elements are indicated as generally "vertical" and "horizontal" they are not necessarily oriented as such with respect to the ground unless specifically indicated, but instead are oriented orthogonally relative to each other.

[0034] As anticipated, the present description relates to solutions for controlling the delivery of information in a vehicle.

[0035] In this regard, Figure 1 shows a control system 100 according to the present solution, usable for controlling the delivery of information during travel, and installable in a vehicle 10, as illustrated in Figure 5. As illustrated, the control system 100 comprises a control unit 110, one or more eyetracking sensors, or eye-trackers 120, a geolocation module 130, a transceiver 140, a screen 150, and speakers 160.

[0036] The control unit 110 in turn comprises a processor 111 , a system memory 112, and a non-volatile memory 113, and is coupled by means of a system bus 105 to the one or more eye-tracking sensors 120, to the geolocation module 130, to the transceiver 140, to the screen 150, and to the speakers 160. In various embodiments, the system bus 105 can be implemented by adopting the Automotive Ethernet IEEE 802.3bw protocol or, alternatively, by means of a CAN, CAN-FD or LIN connection, thus allowing the control unit 110 to exchange information with the peripherals connected to the bus 105, namely the one or more eye-tracking sensors 120, the geolocation module 130, the transceiver 140, the screen 150, and the speakers 160.

[0037] In various embodiments, the control system 100 is configured to determine a gaze direction for each occupant of the vehicle 10 by means of the one or more eye-tracking sensors, or eye-trackers 120.

[0038] In a vehicle, eye-tracking sensors, or eye-trackers, are configured to monitor eye movements of the occupants, i.e. , the driver and passengers, allowing real-time assessment of their level of attention and fatigue. The eye-tracking sensors 120 typically comprise infrared cameras, and / or LIDAR sensors, and are capable of detecting the gaze direction, fixation times and eye movements, providing crucial information for road safety and potentially integrating further driver assistance systems to facilitate the prevention of accidents caused by distraction or drowsiness. In particular, the one or more eye-tracking sensors 120 are employed to determine a gaze direction for each occupant of the vehicle 10, expressed with reference to a reference system internal to the vehicle 10.

[0039] Specifically, the gaze direction BO can be expressed by means of a first angle BC, indicating an hour angle value, i.e. , an angle in the horizontal plane, and a second angle BD, indicating a declination value, i.e., an angle in the vertical plane. In other words, the spatial gaze direction BO, referred to two planes, is determined by the pair of angles BC and BD.

[0040] The eye-tracking sensors 120 are provided in the vehicle 10 in such a way as to allow eye tracking of each occupant of the vehicle 10, i.e., the driver and any passengers. For example, the eye-tracking sensors 120 can be provided in the vehicle 10 as wearable devices, such as glasses, headphones, or headbands, by each occupant of the vehicle 10, or they can be installed in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10.

[0041] In various embodiments, the control system 100 is configured to determine a position of the vehicle 10 by means of the geolocation module 130. In this regard, the geolocation module 130 can comprise non-volatile memories configured to store maps and one or more receivers for geolocation, such as for example GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS or BeiDou satellite receivers. For example, in various embodiments the position of the vehicle 10 is expressed in the control system 100 by a longitude LG and a latitude LT. In addition to the position, expressed by longitude LG and by latitude LT, the geolocation module 130 is configured to determine a direction A1 of the vehicle 10 relative to a geodetic reference system. For example, the geolocation module 130 can determine the direction A1 of the vehicle 10 by means of a compass.

[0042] The transceiver 140 is configured to exchange data with devices or systems external to the vehicle 10 in which the control system 100 is provided. In particular, the transceiver 140 is coupled to the system bus 105 to receive and send data to the peripherals connected with the control system 100. For example, the transceiver 140 can support V2X protocols for the exchange of data with other vehicles and / or with infrastructures, in accordance with the Cellular V2X (C-V2X) and / or IEEE 802.11 p standards.

[0043] The transceiver 140 is also configured to exchange data, preferably via the Internet, with one or more remote processing systems 180. In this regard, the transceiver 140 is configured to exchange data over a cellular network, implementing a connectivity of the Vehicle-to-Cloud, V2C or Vehicle-to-Network, V2N type.

[0044] In various embodiments, the control system 100 is configured to reproduce multimedia content by means of the screen 150 and the speakers 160. For example, the control system 100 can reproduce an explanation concerning a point of interest that the vehicle 10 encounters during travel, allowing the occupants of the vehicle 10 to obtain information on points of interest during the journey. The reproduction of multimedia content comprises reproducing audio streams via the speakers 160, and reproducing images, graphic effects, and videos on the screen 150.

[0045] In various embodiments, the speakers 160 are provided in the vehicle 10 so as to allow the enjoyment of the reproduced multimedia content to all occupants of the vehicle. In various embodiments, the speakers 160 can be headphones, or earphones, so as to allow each occupant of the vehicle 10 to listen to personalized multimedia content based on a respective user profile, according to details that will be made clearer later in this description.

[0046] In various embodiments, the control unit 110 is configured to implement a method 200 for controlling the delivery of information to the occupants of the vehicle 10. For example, said method 200 can be executed during the operation of the vehicle 10.

[0047] In this regard, Figure 2 illustrates a method 200 for controlling the delivery of information in the vehicle 10.

[0048] After a start step, corresponding for example to the switching on of the vehicle 10 or to the activation of driver assistance or infotainment systems, in a first step 201 , the control system 100 detects a position of the vehicle 10 by means of the geolocation module 130. For example, the control system 100 obtains a latitude value LT and a longitude value LG, indicating the position of the vehicle 10. Together with the position indicated by the latitude LT and longitude LG values, the control system 100 determines a direction A1 of the vehicle 10, expressed as an angle measured relative to a geodetic reference system. For this purpose, the geolocation module 120 can employ a compass.

[0049] Subsequently, in a step 202 the control system 100 detects a gaze direction B0, comprising the hour angle BC and the declination angle BD, for each occupant of the vehicle 10 by means of the one or more eyetracking sensors 120. The gaze directions found by means of the one or more eye-tracking sensors 120 are expressed as angles BO measured relative to a reference system internal to the vehicle 10, and are stored for future processing in the system memory 112.

[0050] Based on the position of the vehicle 10, for example indicated by the latitude LT, the longitude LG and the direction A1 , and the gaze directions, indicated by the angles B0, the control system 100 determines in a step 203, for each occupant of the vehicle 10, a gaze direction B1 expressed relative to a geodetic reference system, in particular relative to the same reference used to represent the direction A1 of the vehicle 10 obtained in the previous step 202.

[0051] In a step 204, the control system 100 detects points of interest in the vicinity of the vehicle 10. In various embodiments, the limit distance from the vehicle 10 within which a point of interest is detected is predetermined.

[0052] For this purpose, the control system 100 sends via the transceiver 140 a request to the remote processing system 180 comprising the position of the vehicle 10, expressed by the latitude LT and the longitude LG. Based on the received position of the vehicle 10, the remote processing system 180 transmits to the control system 100 a list of points of interest found in the vicinity of the vehicle 10.

[0053] For example, the remote processing system 180 can comprise a database in which points of interest PX are stored, and in which each stored point of interest PX is associated with information comprising a position and a type of point of interest. Therefore, in various embodiments, the control system 100 receives from the remote processing system 180 a list of points of interest F0, and stores it in the system memory 112 for subsequent processing.

[0054] In various embodiments, the control system 100 detects points of interest PX in the vicinity of the vehicle 10 using a detection limit distance from the vehicle 10, so as to detect the points of interest PX having a distance from the vehicle less than the limit distance, and instead discard the points of interest PX having a distance from the vehicle greater than the limit distance.

[0055] In a step 205, the control system 100 performs a filtering of the found points of interest, so as to organize the delivery of information to the occupants of the vehicle 10. In particular, the step 205 is implemented by means of a method 2050 for filtering points of interest. The filtering of the points of interest PX is performed in such a way as to adapt the reproduced content to the needs of each occupant of the vehicle 10.

[0056] In this regard, the remote processing system 180 comprises a plurality of user profiles ID, associated with each occupant of the vehicle 10. In particular, a user profile ID comprises information concerning the respective occupant of the vehicle such as, for example, preferences on the preferred types of points of interest PX. Therefore, the filtering of the content is performed based on the data included in each user profile ID associated with a respective occupant of the vehicle 10.

[0057] Figure 3 illustrates a method 2050 for filtering points of interest.

[0058] After a start step, executed for example concurrently with the execution of step 205 of the method 200 described above, the control system 100 executes, in a first step 2051 , a first filtering of the points of interest PX performed based on the position of the vehicle 10, represented by the latitude LT and the longitude LG, the direction of the vehicle 10, represented by the angle A1 , and the gaze direction of each occupant of the vehicle 10, represented by one or more angles B1.

[0059] In particular, in step 2051 the control system 100 reads the points of interest PX contained in the list of points of interest F0, obtained from the remote processing system 180 in the previous step 204, and performs a first filtering operation on the found points of interest PX.

[0060] In various embodiments, the filtering comprises discarding points of interest PX included in the list of points of interest F0, which are therefore located at a distance from the vehicle 10 less than the detection limit distance, situated in an area such that they are no longer visible to the occupants of the vehicle 10.

[0061] For example, as shown in Figure 4a, in step 2051 the control system 100 discards the points of interest PX that are located at the sides and behind the vehicle 10, and which are therefore no longer visible to the occupants.

[0062] Consequently, the control system 100 stores the filtered points of interest PX in a first list of points of interest F1 . Consequently, in a step 2052 the control system 100 verifies, for each found point of interest PX, a type of point of interest. In particular, the points of interest PX are classifiable by the control system 100 as points of interest of an informative type PI, or as points of interest of a logistic type PL.

[0063] Points of interest of the informative type are typically points of interest of historical, cultural, landscape, naturalistic, or in general touristic relevance, are associated with multimedia content M stored in the remote processing system 180, and have the characteristic of not being strictly linked to the operations necessary or functional to the ongoing journey.

[0064] On the contrary, points of interest of the logistic type PL are places that could be useful to the occupants of the vehicle during the journey, such as, for example, service stations, rest areas, information centers, etc.

[0065] The control system 100 therefore sorts the points of interest PX found previously, and stored in the first list of points of interest F1 , storing the found informative points of interest PI in a list of informative points of interest I2, and storing the logistic points of interest PL in a list of logistic points of interest L2. In general, the union of the lists of points of interest I2 and L2 forms a second list of points of interest F2.

[0066] Consequently, for each found logistic point of interest PL, and therefore stored in the list of logistic points of interest L2, the control system 100 displays on the screen 150 a request for navigation to the respective logistic point of interest PL. In response to receiving an affirmative input from an occupant of the vehicle 10, the control system 100 initiates navigation to the desired logistic point of interest PL.

[0067] For this purpose, the control system 100 can interface with further systems provided in the vehicle 10 such as, for example, the navigation system.

[0068] Specifically, in various embodiments the request for navigation to a point of interest PX, i.e. , an informative point of interest PI or a logistic point of interest PL, is transmitted to a navigation system provided externally to the control system 100 and included in the vehicle 10. For example, navigation to a point of interest PX is performed by means of a navigation system provided on board the vehicle 10, configured to store geographical maps, to determine one or more routes having as a starting point the position of the vehicle 10 and as a destination the position of the point of interest PX, and to provide navigation instructions, for example by means of the one or more screens 150 and the speakers 160, to the driver of the vehicle 10.

[0069] Subsequently, in a step 2053, the control system 100 determines for each informative point of interest PI contained in the list I2 an estimated visibility V, and a dwell time in the field of view Z. For this purpose, the list of informative points of interest PI comprises a visibility value V and a dwell time in the field of view value Z associated with each informative point of interest PI.

[0070] The visibility V of each informative point of interest PI is determined based on the position of the vehicle 10, expressed by latitude LT and longitude LG, the direction of the vehicle A1 , the gaze direction B1 of each occupant of the vehicle 10, and topological information concerning the surrounding environment. The found visibility value V is indicative of the visibility of an informative point of interest PI in the field of view of each occupant of the vehicle 10.

[0071] In various embodiments, the control system 100 can determine a visibility value V associated with a specific informative point of interest PI for each occupant of the vehicle 10.

[0072] The dwell time in the field of view Z of each informative point of interest PI is determined based on the position of the vehicle 10, expressed by latitude LT and by longitude LG, the direction of the vehicle A1 , the speed of the vehicle 10, determinable for example by means of the geolocation module 130, the gaze direction B1 of each occupant of the vehicle 10, and the visibility V. The found dwell time in the field of view value Z is indicative of how long a point of interest is visible to a specific occupant of the vehicle 10.

[0073] In various embodiments. The control system 100 can determine a dwell time in the field of view value Z associated with a specific informative point of interest PI for each occupant of the vehicle 10.

[0074] For example, in a vehicle 10 comprising the control system 100 according to the present solution, and occupied by four people, four different visibility values V and four different dwell times in the field of view Z relative to a single informative point of interest PI are determined.

[0075] In various embodiments, the visibility values V and dwell times in the field of view Z are also determined based on a driving scenario detected by the vehicle 10. In this regard, the control system 100 is coupleable to further control systems provided in the vehicle 10 and configured to determine a driving scenario. For example, a driving scenario can indicate information concerning the type of road, traffic conditions, and the type of maneuver in progress.

[0076] Consequently, the control system 100 stores in a third list of points of interest F3 the informative points of interest PI having a dwell time in the field of view value Z greater than a predetermined threshold value. In particular, due to the fact that the visibility values V and dwell times in the field of view Z are calculated for each occupant of the vehicle, the control system 100 instantiates a number of lists of points of interest F3 equal to the number of occupants of the vehicle 10, wherein each list of points of interest F3 is associated with a respective occupant of the vehicle 10.

[0077] Subsequently, in a step 2054 the control system 100 acquires from the remote processing system 180 information concerning point of interest preferences of one or more user profiles ID associated with respective occupants of the vehicle 10. A user profile ID comprises information concerning an occupant of the vehicle 10 to which it is associated. For example, the user profile ID comprises personal data of the occupant, information concerning the occupant's interests such as, for example, cultural interests, and historical data concerning trips that the user has undertaken in the past.

[0078] In various embodiments, the user profile ID of each occupant of the vehicle 10 comprises point of interest preferences IDP, or travel preferences IDP, indicating the preferred categories of points of interest.

[0079] For example, a user might be particularly interested in monuments, or more generally, historical points of interest.

[0080] In various embodiments, the control system 100 is configured to determine an affinity value for each considered category of points of interest. Based on such data, the control system 100 can determine that one or more categories of informative points of interest PI are preferred by the considered occupant of the vehicle 10 in response to detecting a respective affinity index greater than a predetermined threshold value.

[0081] The category affinity indices can be provided for each occupant of the vehicle by external providers such as, for example, social media analytics providers, geo-location platforms, and / or advertising service providers.

[0082] After having acquired and stored, for example in the system memory 112, the travel preferences IDP for each occupant of the vehicle 10, the control system 100 associates with each informative point of interest PI included in the lists of points of interest F3 an affinity value L calculated based on the information contained in the travel preferences IDP, each list of points of interest F3 being associated with a respective occupant of the vehicle 10.

[0083] In various embodiments, the evaluation of the affinity index L also considers the distance of an informative point of interest PI from a possible programmed route that the vehicle 10 is following, preferring points of interest located along the route, or nearby.

[0084] Furthermore, in various embodiments the evaluation of the affinity index L also considers specific user requests, which are for example entered by a user in the respective user profile ID and indicate one or more preferred point of interest categories.

[0085] In an exemplary embodiment, the control system 100 associates with each informative point of interest PI included in the lists of points of interest F3 an affinity value L that can assume values between 0 and 3:

[0086] - L = 0 indicates that there is no affinity between the point of interest PI and the considered user profile ID;

[0087] - L = 1 indicates an affinity between the considered user profile ID and one or more categories of the point of interest PI;

[0088] - L = 2 indicates an affinity between the considered user profile ID and one or more categories of the point of interest PI, and that the point of interest PI is close to the route followed by the vehicle 10; and

[0089] - L = 3 indicates an affinity between the considered user profile ID and one or more categories of the point of interest PI, that the point of interest PI is close to the route followed by the vehicle 10, and that one or more categories of the point of interest PI are included in the requests of the considered user profile ID.

[0090] Consequently, the control system 100 orders the informative points of interest PI of each list of points of interest F3 based on the values of the affinity indices L, obtaining one or more ordered lists of points of interest F4. In various embodiments, the points of interest PI are ordered according to the affinity index L in descending order, i.e. , prioritizing high values of the affinity index L. Similarly to the lists of points of interest F3 obtained previously, the number of lists of points of interest F4 is equal to the number of occupants of the vehicle 10.

[0091] In various embodiments, the control system 100 is configured to discard points of interest PI having an affinity value L lower than a predetermined threshold value, thus eliminating them from one or more lists of points of interest F4. For example, the control system can discard points of interest PI having an affinity value lower than 2. The activation threshold can be set by the user, for example by modifying configuration settings.

[0092] A possible illustrative example of the filtering performed by the control system 100 is visible in Figure 4b. Compared to Figure 4a discussed previously, it is noted that some points of interest PX have been filtered, and concurrently only the points of interest PX relevant to the preferences of an occupant of the vehicle 10 have been maintained.

[0093] In a subsequent step 2055, the control system 100 performs a further ordering of each ordered list of points of interest F4. In particular, the ordering is performed based on the dwell times in the field of view Z, determined for each informative point of interest PI in the previous step 2053, and returns respective ordered lists of points of interest F5.

[0094] In this regard, in various embodiments the control system 100 is configured to perform the ordering of points of interest PI with equal affinity values L included in the ordered lists F4, prioritizing points of interest PI having a low dwell time in the field of view Z.

[0095] In other words, points of interest PI having an affinity index L are further ordered based on the dwell time in the field of view Z, giving priority to points of interest PI that are immediately visible and whose exit from the field of view of one or more occupants is imminent, and are stored in one or more ordered lists of points of interest F5.

[0096] For example, in Figure 5 the points of interest PI2, Ph, PI3 are illustrated. In accordance with the present solution, the control system 100 places the point of interest PI3, i.e., the mountain, at the bottom of the list F5 because it is the point of interest that has the highest dwell time in the field of view Z. On the contrary, the point of interest PI2, i.e. , the house, is immediately well visible but exits the field of view quickly, therefore it has the lowest dwell time in the field of view value Z. The point of interest Ph, i.e., the building, represents an intermediate situation.

[0097] In various embodiments, in the case where multiple points of interest have comparable dwell times Z, a further criterion is to order the list F5 based on the time interval in which each point of interest PI is best visible to the occupant.

[0098] Finally, the method 2050 ends, and concurrently the execution of step 205 of the method 200 for controlling the delivery of multimedia content ends.

[0099] Referring again to Figure 2, concurrently with the end of the execution of step 205, therefore of the filtering method 2050 described above, the control system 100 asks, in a step 206, the occupants of the vehicle 10, for example by displaying a request on the screen 150, if they wish to set a navigation request to the point of interest PI for which the respective multimedia content is being played, or to other points of interest PI present in the ordered list of points of interest F5, and detects the user inputs.

[0100] In response to receiving an affirmative feedback from the users, the control system 100 executes a step 206a in which it initiates navigation to the desired informative point of interest PI, for example by interfacing with a navigation system provided in the vehicle 10, and concurrently updates the list of logistic points of interest L2 based on the new calculated route, without interrupting the playback of the multimedia content M.

[0101] On the contrary, in response to receiving a negative feedback from the users, the control system 100 continues the execution of the method 200 in a step 207.

[0102] Finally, in step 207 the control system 100 prepares the playback of the multimedia content M associated with each point of interest present in the ordered lists of points of interest F5.

[0103] The delivery of multimedia content M is performed for each occupant of the vehicle 10, the multimedia content M comprising information concerning one or more points of interest found in the previously described steps. In this regard, the control system 100 can present the multimedia content M to the occupants of the vehicle by means of the screen 150 and the speakers 160.

[0104] In particular, the playback order of each multimedia content M is established by the order in which the respective points of interest PI are inserted in the one or more ordered lists of points of interest F5.

[0105] In various embodiments, the control system 100 can comprise a plurality of speakers 160, or alternatively headphones or earphones, provided to each occupant of the vehicle 10 to facilitate the enjoyment of the multimedia content M by all occupants of the vehicle 10.

[0106] In general, the playback of the multimedia content M is performed in the control system 100 by means of the screen 150, or one or more screens 150, and the speakers 160.

[0107] In various embodiments, the control system 100 can establish the duration of the multimedia content M to be played back based on a detected driving context and the type of occupant of the vehicle, who can be a passenger or the driver.

[0108] In the case where the playback of the multimedia content M is intended for a driver, the control system 100 provides explanations about the points of interest PI in a reduced form, using only audio means, and without references to the visible reality so as not to distract the driver, and facilitating the maintenance of attention during the driving of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, the playback time of a multimedia content M is optimized based on the detected driving context, and the dwell time in the field of view Z, so as to minimize possible distractions.

[0109] In the case where the playback of the multimedia content M is intended for a passenger, the control system 100 provides explanations about the points of interest PI in an extended form, providing multimedia content M that comprises references to the reality visible to the occupant of the vehicle 10.

[0110] Also in this case, the playback time of each multimedia content M is optimized based on the detected driving context, and the dwell time in the field of view Z.

[0111] In various embodiments, the multimedia content M is provided to the control system 100 by the remote processing system 180. For example, in various embodiments the multimedia content can be generated by employing generative artificial intelligence tools, or they can be recorded content.

[0112] To obtain the multimedia content M to be reproduced, the control system 100 sends a request to the remote processing system 180 comprising an indication of the requested point of interest PI, and the user profile ID to which the multimedia content M is destined. In response to receiving the request, the remote processing system 180 provides the multimedia content M to the control system 100, which receives it via the respective transceiver 140, and stores it in the system memory 112.

[0113] In various embodiments, the step 206 of sending to the users a request for navigation to an informative point of interest PI is executable concurrently with the execution of step 207, i.e., the reproduction of the multimedia content M.

[0114] As anticipated, in various embodiments the request for navigation to a point of interest PX, i.e., an informative point of interest PI or a logistic point of interest PL, is transmitted to a navigation system provided externally to the control system 100 and included in the vehicle 10. For example, navigation to a point of interest PX is performed by means of a navigation system provided on board the vehicle 10, configured to store geographical maps, to determine one or more routes having as a starting point the position of the vehicle 10 and as a destination the position of the point of interest PX, and to provide navigation instructions, for example by means of the one or more screens 150 and the speakers 160, to the driver of the vehicle 10.

[0115] In general, the methods 200 and 2050 described herein are executable and repeatable an indefinite number of times during the operation of the vehicle 10 in which the control system 100 is provided.

[0116] It will be clear from the present description that the solution described herein advantageously allows controlling the delivery of multimedia content M to occupants of the vehicle 10, so as to minimize the causes of distraction in the case where the delivery is for a driver.

[0117] The solution described herein advantageously allows planning the execution of multimedia content M in the vehicle 10, creating for each user a playlist of content selected and ordered according to the affinity L of the found points of interest PI, and which is reproduced on the vehicle infotainment system comprising the screen 150 and the speakers 160.

[0118] The multimedia content M is personalized based on the user profile ID of each occupant of the vehicle, and is presented in an extended or reduced form so as to minimize possible distractions for the driver.

[0119] In fact, the solution described herein considers the type and profile of each user, their preferences, including specific requests, and vehicle 10 driving context parameters, facilitating the enjoyment of the multimedia content M concerning one or more informative points of interest PI.

[0120] The present solution also allows distinguishing points of interest of the informative type PI from points of interest of the logistic type PL, which are used to assist navigation.

[0121] In summary, the filtering and ordering of the points of interest PI for which to reproduce respective multimedia content M is based on:

[0122] - visibility V: it is indicative of the visibility of the point of interest PI and is used to determine how long the point of interest PI remains in the effective field of view, and to consequently select only the points of interest PI that can actually be noticed / seen by the user for a sufficient period of time;

[0123] - driving scenario: it concerns the type of road and the way it is traveled, it contributes to establishing the actual visibility V and dwell time in the field of view Z;

[0124] - user type (passenger / driver): it determines whether to deliver the multimedia content in a complete form, or in a reduced form to minimize distraction risks;

[0125] - point of interest type: it concerns the type and characteristics of a point of interest PI and serves to compare its type with the preferences expressed in a user profile ID and determine the type of multimedia reproduction needed, and to discriminate logistic points of interest PL for navigation from informative points of interest PI for content reproduction;

[0126] - user profile ID: it concerns the characteristics of the specific user and includes historical data on trips and on the enjoyment of multimedia content. It is used to predict the level of interest, or affinity L, associated with a point of interest PI and for the optimization of the mode of enjoyment.

[0127] - journey: it provides information concerning the type of journey, for example commuting, tourism, business trip, and contributes to the determination of the affinity level L of a point of interest PI.

[0128] Naturally, without prejudice to the underlying principle, the details of construction and the embodiments of the control system may be varied widely with respect to what has been described and illustrated, without thereby departing from the scope of the present solution.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Control system (100) for controlling the delivery of multimedia content (M) in a vehicle (10) comprising:- one or more eye-tracking sensors (120);- a geolocation module (130);- a transceiver (140) configured to exchange data with a remote processing system (180) and to provide said multimedia content (M);- one or more screens (150);- one or more speakers (160); and- a control unit (110) comprising a processor (111 ), a system memory (112), and a non-volatile memory (113), the control unit (110) being configured to perform the steps of:- detecting (201 ) a position of the vehicle (10) indicated by a longitude (LG), a latitude (LT), and a direction (A1 );- detecting (202, 203) by means of the one or more eyetracking sensors (120) a gaze direction (B1 ) for each occupant of the vehicle (10);- detecting (204) one or more points of interest (PX) in the vicinity of the vehicle (10), storing the found points of interest (PX) in a first list of points of interest (F0);- scheduling (205, 2050) a playback order of said multimedia content (M) based on the position (LG, LT, A1 ) of the vehicle (10); and- reproducing (207) the multimedia content (M) according to the found playback order by means of the one or more screens (150) and the one or more speakers (160); said control system (100) being characterized in that said step of scheduling (205) a playback order of said multimedia content (M) comprises performing the steps of:- discarding (2051 ) points of interest (PX) included in said first list of points of interest (F0) that are not visible from the vehicle (10), and storing the non-discarded points of interest (PX) in a second list of points of interest (F1 );- determining (2053) a dwell time in the field of view value (Z)for each point of interest (PX) and for each occupant of the vehicle (10), storing the found dwell times in the field of view (Z) in one or more third lists of points of interest (F3) associated with respective occupants of the vehicle (10);- acquiring (2054) from the remote processing system (180) one or more user profiles (ID) associated with respective occupants of the vehicle (10), based on the one or more user profiles (ID) determining an affinity index (L) for each point of interest (PI) included in the second lists of points of interest (F3), and storing the found affinity indices (L) in one or more fourth lists of points of interest (F4), each fourth list of points of interest (F4) being associated with an occupant of the vehicle (10); and- ordering (2055) the one or more points of interest (PI) stored in each fourth list of points of interest (F4) based on the respective dwell times in the field of view (Z) in ascending order, discarding one or more points of interest (PI) associated with affinity values (L) below a predetermined threshold, and storing the found points of interest (PI) in one or more fifth lists of points of interest (F5) associated with respective occupants of the vehicle (10).

2. Control system (100) according to claim 1 , wherein said step of scheduling (205) a playback order of said multimedia content (M) further comprises a step of dividing (2052) the points of interest (PX) included in said second list of points of interest (F1 ) into points of interest of an informative type (PI) and points of interest of a logistic type (PL) based on relevance from a touristic aspect, storing in a list of informative points of interest (I2) the points of interest (PI) having relevance from a touristic aspect, and storing in a list of logistic points of interest (L2) the points of interest (PL) that are not relevant from a touristic aspect.

3. Control system (100) according to claim 2, wherein said step of dividing (2052) the points of interest (PX) into points of interest of an informative type (PI) and of a logistic type (PL) further comprises planning a route to one or more logistic points of interest (PL) in response to receiving an input from an occupant of the vehicle (10), preferably by means of a navigation system coupleable to the control system (100).

4. Control system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims,wherein in the step of acquiring (2054) from the remote processing system (180) one or more user profiles (ID), the one or more user profiles (ID) comprise information concerning point of interest preferences (IDP) of respective users indicating the preferred categories of points of interest, and wherein said step of ordering (2055) the one or more points of interest (PI) comprises ordering the one or more points of interest (PI) based on the number of preferred point of interest categories (IDP).

5. Control system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a step of asking (206) the occupants of the vehicle (10) whether to set a navigation route to a point of interest (PI), and in positive response, setting (206a) a navigation route to the point of interest (PI), preferably by means of a navigation system coupleable to the control system (100).

6. Control system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said step of playing back (207) the multimedia content (M) according to the found playback order by means of the one or more screens (150) and the one or more speakers (160) comprises:- sending a request to the remote processing system (180) by means of said transceiver (140), the request comprising the point of interest (PI) for which the multimedia content (M) is intended to be played back and an indication to provide multimedia content (M) in full or reduced form, and- receiving from the remote processing system (180) one or more multimedia content items (M), the multimedia content (M) in full form comprising references to the environment surrounding the vehicle (10), the multimedia content (M) in reduced form not comprising said references to the environment surrounding the vehicle (10), and wherein the remote processing system (180) is configured to generate, based on the requests received from the control system (100), multimedia content (M) concerning a point of interest (PI) by means of generative artificial intelligence procedures.

7. Control system (100) according to claim 6, wherein said step of playing back (207) the multimedia content (M) according to the found playback order by means of the one or more screens (150) and the one or more speakers (160) comprises detecting for each occupant of the vehicle (10) whether they are a driver or a passenger, in response to detecting that the occupant is a driver, playing back multimedia content (M) in reducedform, in response to detecting that the occupant is a passenger, playing back multimedia content (M) in full form.

8. Method (200, 2050) for controlling the delivery of multimedia content (M) in a vehicle (10) executable by means of a control system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising performing the steps of:- detecting (201 ) a position of the vehicle (10) indicated by a longitude (LG), a latitude (LT), and a direction (A1 );- detecting (202, 203) a gaze direction (B1 ) for each occupant of the vehicle (10);- detecting (204) one or more points of interest (PX) in the vicinity of the vehicle (10), storing the found points of interest (PX) in a first list of points of interest (F0);- scheduling (205, 2050) a playback order of said multimedia content (M) based on the position (LG, LT, A1 ) of the vehicle (10);- asking (206) the occupants of the vehicle (10) whether to set a navigation route to a point of interest (PI), and in positive response, setting (206a) a navigation route to the point of interest (PI), preferably by means of a navigation system coupleable to the control system (100); and- playing back (207) the multimedia content (M) according to the found playback order; wherein said step of scheduling (205) a playback order of said multimedia content (M) comprises performing the steps of:- discarding (2051 ) points of interest (PX) included in said first list of points of interest (F0) that are not visible from the vehicle (10), and storing the non-discarded points of interest (PX) in a second list of points of interest (F1 );- subdividing (2052) the points of interest (PX) included in said second list of points of interest (F1 ) into points of interest of an informative type (PI) and points of interest of a logistic type (PL) based on relevance from a touristic aspect, storing in a list of informative points of interest (I2) the points of interest (PI) having relevance from a touristic aspect, and storing in a list of logistic points of interest (L2) the points of interest (PL) that are not relevant from a touristic aspect;- determining (2053) a dwell time in the field of view value (Z) for each point of interest (PI) and for each occupant of the vehicle (10), storing the found dwell times in the field of view (Z) in one or more third lists of points of interest (F3) associated with respective occupants of the vehicle (10);- acquiring (2054) from a remote processing system (180) one or more user profiles (ID) associated with respective occupants of the vehicle (10), based on the one or more user profiles (ID) determining an affinity index (L) for each point of interest (PI) included in the second lists of points of interest (F3), and storing the found affinity indices (L) in one or more fourth lists of points of interest (F4), each fourth list of points of interest (F4) being associated with an occupant of the vehicle (10); and- ordering (2055) the one or more points of interest (PI) stored in each fourth list of points of interest (F4) based on the respective dwell times in the field of view (Z) in ascending order, discarding one or more points of interest (PI) associated with affinity values (L) below a predetermined threshold, and storing the found points of interest (PI) in one or more fifth lists of points of interest (F5) associated with respective occupants of the vehicle (10).

9. Method (200, 2050) according to claim 8, wherein said step of playing back (207) the multimedia content (M) according to the found playback order by means of the one or more screens (150) and the one or more speakers (160) comprises:- detecting for each occupant of the vehicle (10) whether they are a driver or a passenger, in response to detecting that the occupant is a driver, playing back multimedia content (M) in reduced form, in response to detecting that the occupant is a passenger, playing back multimedia content (M) in full form;- sending a request to the remote processing system (180) by means of said transceiver (140), the request comprising the point of interest (PI) for which the multimedia content (M) is intended to be played back and an indication to provide multimedia content (M) in full or reduced form, and- receiving from the remote processing system (180) one or more multimedia content items (M), the multimedia content (M) in full formcomprising references to the environment surrounding the vehicle (10), the multimedia content (M) in reduced form not comprising said references to the environment surrounding the vehicle (10), and wherein the remote processing system (180) is configured to generate, based on the requests received from the control system (100), multimedia content (M) concerning a point of interest (PI) by means of generative artificial intelligence procedures.

10. Vehicle (10) comprising a control system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7 configured to implement a method (200, 2050) according to claim 8 or 9.

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