Acoustic and Haptic Feedback for Automated Parking Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated parking systems for motor vehicles lack effective communication of safety-related information to drivers, making it difficult for them to assess and interrupt the parking process, especially in varying light conditions and without continuous monitoring of vehicle surroundings.
Innovation Solution
A maneuvering system that uses a portable communication device, such as a smartphone, to wirelessly communicate with a vehicle-side control device, providing acoustic and haptic information signals based on sensor data about obstacles, allowing drivers to safely control and interrupt the automatic parking process independently of light conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If automated parking systems use sensor data to detect obstacles, then safety-related information can be provided to drivers, but drivers cannot effectively assess and interrupt the parking process without continuous monitoring of vehicle surroundings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces visual monitoring (mechanical/optical system) with acoustic and haptic feedback systems. The portable communication device converts sensor data about obstacles into audible warnings and tactile vibrations, allowing drivers to assess parking safety without visually monitoring vehicle surroundings. This substitution enables effective assessment and interruption capability while maintaining automated parking safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The portable communication device serves as an intermediary between the vehicle's sensor system and the driver. It receives obstacle detection data from vehicle sensors, processes this information, and delivers it to the driver through acoustic and haptic interfaces. This intermediary enables drivers to understand parking safety status without directly observing vehicle surroundings, solving the contradiction between automated safety and driver assessment capability.
2Loss of information
If automated parking systems rely on visual display of surrounding areas, then drivers can monitor the parking process, but this proves advantageous mainly in good light conditions and requires continuous driver attention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes visual display mechanisms with acoustic and haptic feedback systems. Instead of requiring drivers to view displays showing surrounding areas (which fail in poor light conditions), the system uses audible warnings and tactile vibrations that work independently of lighting conditions. This replacement maintains driver awareness of the parking process while eliminating dependence on visual conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The acoustic and haptic feedback system provides self-service information delivery that does not require driver adaptation to light conditions. The system automatically adjusts its feedback modality (acoustic/haptic) based on environmental conditions, ensuring consistent information delivery about obstacle distances regardless of whether it is day or night, bright or dark.
3Reliability
If the portable communication device provides detailed acoustic and haptic information about obstacle distances, then drivers can make informed decisions about interrupting the parking process, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the universal capabilities of modern portable communication devices (smartphones, tablets) that already possess acoustic output (speakers) and haptic output (vibration motors). By utilizing these existing multi-functional components, the system provides detailed obstacle distance information through acoustic and haptic channels without significantly increasing device complexity. The same device that drivers already carry and use for communication serves multiple functions including automated parking monitoring.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a maneuvering system (2) for automatically maneuvering a motor vehicle (1), comprising a vehicle-side control device (3), which is designed to output control signals (S) to a drive and/or steering device (5) of the motor vehicle (1) and thus automatically carry out a maneuvering process of the motor vehicle (1), and comprising a portable communication device (4), which can be operated by a user and which is designed to wirelessly communicate with the vehicle-side control device (3) and thus release and/or interrupt the maneuvering process dependent on an input of the user on an operating device (8) of the portable communication device (4). The vehicle-side control device (3) is designed to transmit messages (10) relating to the maneuvering process to the portable communication device (4) as part of the wireless communication, and the portable communication device (4) is designed to output an acoustic information signal (13, 14, 20) which comprises information on the maneuvering process by means of a speaker (11, 19) and/or to output a haptic information signal (13, 14, 20) which comprises information on the maneuvering process by means of a haptic device (12) dependent on the received messages (10).