Directional Speaker Control for Mobile Object Safety and Entertainment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hybrid cars and electric vehicles, which make little noise during operation, pose a risk for pedestrians and bicycle riders who may not sense their approach, leading to increased collision risks, as existing safety systems do not effectively alert non-drivers to the presence of these vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A mobile object equipped with an imaging unit, a speaker capable of directional audio output, and a determination unit that controls the speaker to emit warning sounds only when the vehicle is in driving mode and omni-directional audio when not in driving mode, enhancing both safety and entertainment by alerting pedestrians and allowing audio content to be enjoyed by non-drivers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If warning sounds are output in all directions to alert pedestrians, then safety is improved, but entertainment for non-drivers is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The speaker control unit dynamically changes the directivity of the speaker based on the driving mode. In driving mode, the speaker outputs warning sounds in all directions (omnidirectional) to alert pedestrians. In non-driving mode, the speaker outputs audio content with directional control to provide entertainment. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between safety and entertainment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of speaker directivity based on the operating mode. When the vehicle is in driving mode, the speaker directivity is set to omnidirectional for safety warnings. When in non-driving mode, the speaker directivity is adjusted for entertainment purposes. This parameter change allows the system to optimize for different functional requirements.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the vehicle operates silently to reduce noise pollution, then environmental friendliness is improved, but collision risk with pedestrians increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system takes preliminary anti-action by outputting warning sounds before a collision occurs. The imaging unit detects pedestrians in advance, and the speaker control unit prepares to output warning sounds in all directions when the vehicle is in driving mode, preventing the harmful effect of collision while maintaining low operational noise.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the potential harm of silence (increased collision risk) into a benefit by using selective audio output. The speaker outputs warning sounds only in driving mode when pedestrians are detected, transforming the silent operation into a controlled safety feature that alerts pedestrians without creating continuous noise pollution.
3Adaptability or versatility
If audio content is reproduced in non-driving mode to enhance entertainment, then user enjoyment is improved, but safety warnings may be missed
Solution Approach 1:
The speaker control unit dynamically switches between entertainment mode and safety warning mode based on the driving mode detection. In non-driving mode, audio content is reproduced for entertainment. In driving mode, the system switches to omnidirectional warning sound output, ensuring safety warnings are not missed while maintaining entertainment capability when appropriate.
Solution Approach 2:
The speaker control unit acts as an intermediary that manages the conflict between entertainment and safety warning functions. It receives input from both the imaging unit (for pedestrian detection) and the audio content source, and intelligently switches between entertainment reproduction and safety warning output based on the driving mode, ensuring neither function compromises the other.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively reduces collision risks by alerting pedestrians and bicycle riders when the vehicle is in motion while allowing non-drivers to enjoy audio content, thereby enhancing both safety and entertainment.
Implementation Method 1
an imaging unit configured to capture a perimeter of the mobile object
Implementation Method 2
a speaker configured to be capable of controlling directivity
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a mobile object including an imaging unit configured to capture a perimeter of the mobile object, a speaker configured to be capable of controlling directivity, a determination unit configured to determine whether the mobile object is in a driving mode, and a speaker control unit configured to control the speaker in the driving mode in a manner that predetermined audio is output toward a warning target that is recognized based on a captured image captured by the imaging unit, and to control the speaker in a non-driving mode in a manner that the predetermined audio is output in a non-directional way.