Emotive Advisory System for Voice-Based Time Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle clocks are difficult to use, requiring drivers to look away from the road, lack features like daylight savings and time zone adjustments, and are not integrated with other vehicle functions, leading to increased dashboard complexity and inconvenience.
Innovation Solution
An emotive advisory system (EAS) that uses a computer to provide time information through a spoken dialog with a visually displayed avatar, integrated with vehicle systems like navigation and GPS, allowing for natural language interaction and user preferences, and capable of learning from occupant behavior.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a digital time display is used, then the clock can provide time information, but the driver must look away from the road and wait for the display to appear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the visual display mechanism with an acoustic output mechanism. The time information is delivered through the vehicle's audio system rather than requiring visual attention to a display screen, allowing drivers to obtain time information without taking their eyes off the road.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary system (the emotive advisory system with avatar) that mediates between the time information source and the driver. This intermediary processes and delivers time information through multiple channels including audio output and visual avatar representation, reducing the direct cognitive load on the driver.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple vehicle systems are added to the dashboard, then more functions are available, but the dashboard becomes increasingly complex and controls become difficult to use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal interface system (the emotive advisory system) that can handle multiple vehicle functions through a single integrated platform. Rather than having separate controls for navigation, media, climate, and information display, this universal system manages all these functions through natural language processing and a unified avatar interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple vehicle control systems and information sources into a single integrated emotive advisory system. The avatar serves as a unified interface that consolidates navigation information, media control, climate settings, and time display into one coherent system, reducing dashboard clutter and control complexity.
3Ease of operation
If an analog clock is used, then the time is easy to read, but the dashboard space is overcrowded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the time display function from the physical dashboard and relocates it to the audio output system and virtual avatar display. This removes the need for physical clock space on the dashboard while preserving the ease of time information access through auditory and virtual visual channels.
Data Source
AI summary
An emotive advisory system for use by one or more occupants of an automotive vehicle includes a computer. The computer is configured to receive input indicative of an operating state of the vehicle. The computer determines at least one of a need to provide time information to an occupant based on the operating state of the vehicle and an occupant request to provide time information to the occupant. The computer generates data representing an avatar having an appearance, and data representing a spoken statement for the avatar. The spoken statement provides time information to the occupant in spoken dialog based on at least one of the need and the request. The computer outputs data representing the avatar for visual display, and data representing the statement for the avatar for audio play.