Ear Set Device Prioritizing Vehicle Alerts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ear set devices for vehicles lack the ability to effectively communicate and respond to vehicle operations and passenger events, such as calls, messages, navigation information, and emergency situations, while also failing to provide clear audio signals amidst noise and prioritize alerts based on user presence and location.
Innovation Solution
An ear set device with a main body and earphones that include a communication unit for wireless communication, a control unit to process and output vehicle-related information, and a microphone to detect external signals, enabling the device to determine user presence, vehicle operations, and external events, and adjust audio output accordingly to prioritize important information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the ear set device outputs all vehicle operation information and external events through audio, then the user receives comprehensive information, but the audio output becomes cluttered and critical alerts are not prioritized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the treatment of different information types based on their importance. Critical alerts (emergency braking, collision warnings) receive prioritized audio output with higher volume and immediate notification, while non-critical information (routine vehicle status, non-urgent messages) is either suppressed or delivered with lower priority. This selective quality assignment resolves the contradiction by ensuring comprehensive information delivery for critical events while filtering out clutter from non-critical events.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit serves as an intermediary that filters and prioritizes information before audio output. It receives multiple information streams from vehicle sensors and external sources, evaluates their importance levels, and selectively routes them to the audio output system. This intermediary function prevents audio clutter by blocking non-critical information while ensuring critical alerts are delivered clearly and promptly.
2Loss of information
If the ear set device provides audio feedback for all events including calls and messages, then the user remains informed of all communications, but the audio output interferes with the user's ability to hear external sounds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by selectively providing audio feedback only for certain types of events rather than all events. Critical safety-related communications (emergency calls, urgent messages from specified contacts) receive audio feedback, while non-critical communications are suppressed or delivered through alternative means. This partial approach ensures communication information is delivered when necessary without continuously interfering with external sound perception.
Solution Approach 2:
Different quality levels of audio feedback are assigned to different communication types based on their urgency and importance. Critical communications receive high-priority audio output with immediate notification, while non-critical communications are either silenced or delivered with lower priority. This quality differentiation resolves the contradiction by maintaining external sound awareness while ensuring critical communication information is delivered.
3Ease of operation
If the ear set device outputs navigation information continuously, then the user has constant route guidance, but the audio output creates noise and distracts the driver
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by providing navigation information at specific intervals and only when relevant, rather than continuous output. Turn-by-turn directions are delivered at appropriate moments before maneuvers are required, and route confirmation is provided at key decision points. This periodic delivery maintains ease of operation by providing necessary guidance while minimizing distraction and noise from constant audio output.
Solution Approach 2:
Different quality levels of navigation information are provided based on the driving context and urgency. Critical navigation alerts (upcoming turns, route deviations) receive prominent audio output, while routine status information is delivered with lower priority or suppressed. This quality-based approach ensures navigation guidance is available when needed without creating unnecessary distraction or noise.
4Loss of information
If the ear set device monitors all external audio signals including alarms and emergency sounds, then the user is aware of external events, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies extraction by selectively extracting and processing only specific types of external audio signals that are relevant to safety and operation, rather than analyzing all external sounds. The system focuses on identifying critical patterns such as emergency vehicle sirens, collision sounds, and other safety-relevant acoustic events. This selective extraction maintains external event awareness while reducing device complexity by avoiding comprehensive analysis of all audio inputs.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit acts as an intermediary that receives raw external audio signals, filters them through pattern recognition algorithms, and selectively processes only those signals indicating significant events. This intermediary processing layer reduces complexity by preventing detailed analysis of all audio inputs, focusing only on safety-critical patterns while maintaining awareness of important external events.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
An ear set device that includes a main body; and one or more earphones configured to output a response signal, wherein at least one of the one or more earphones includes: a first detecting unit configured to detect whether the one or more earphones are attached to a user, wherein the main body includes a communication unit configured to perform wireless communication with the one or more earphones, a second detecting unit configured to detect a location of the main body, and a control unit configured to, based on a determination that the main body is inside a vehicle and a determination that the vehicle is operating while the one or more earphones are attached to the user, receive, from the vehicle, information related to an operation of the vehicle and output a response signal corresponding to the received information through the one or more earphones is disclosed