Spatial Audio Hazard Alerts With Motion Prediction for Vehicles

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems fail to accurately notify vehicles of the position of nearby moving bodies to prevent collisions, as they rely solely on detected positions without predicting future movements or prioritizing potential hazards.

Innovation Solution

An information processing apparatus that includes a motion prediction section to forecast the movement of nearby bodies, a sound output control section to adjust the position and volume of notification sounds based on predicted positions, and a priority setting section to prioritize sounds based on risk levels, ensuring accurate and timely notification of nearby moving bodies.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If the notification sound position is updated based on detected position only, then the system complexity is low, but the notification accuracy of moving body position deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenotification accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The motion prediction section performs preliminary action by predicting the future position of the moving body before the actual position update occurs. This allows the notification sound to be positioned at the predicted location in advance, improving notification accuracy without requiring complex real-time tracking systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The motion prediction section acts as an intermediary between the detection section and the sound output control section. It processes the detected position information and transforms it into predicted position information, which is then used by the sound output control to position notification sounds accurately.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If multiple notification sounds are output for multiple moving bodies, then the information completeness is improved, but the driver's ability to identify critical hazards deteriorates due to information overload

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation completenessVSAvoidhazard identification
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Different notification sounds have different local qualities (pitch, volume, tone) assigned based on their priority level. High-priority hazards receive distinct notification characteristics that make them stand out from low-priority notifications, enabling drivers to quickly identify critical threats among multiple moving bodies.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The notification system segments the information by dividing multiple moving bodies into priority groups. Instead of treating all notifications uniformly, the system segments them into high-priority and low-priority categories, presenting them in a structured manner that helps drivers focus on critical hazards first.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If the notification sound volume is kept constant, then the energy consumption is low, but the effectiveness of notifying about nearby hazards deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenotification effectivenessVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The notification sound volume is made dynamic rather than constant. The volume automatically adjusts based on the distance to the moving body and its priority level, increasing for closer and more critical hazards. This dynamic adjustment improves notification effectiveness while maintaining reasonable energy consumption by only increasing volume when necessary.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

4Measurement precision

If the sound image position is updated frequently to track moving body movement, then the notification accuracy is improved, but the processing time and computational load increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveposition accuracyVSAvoidprocessing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The motion prediction section performs preliminary calculations to estimate future positions, reducing the need for frequent updates. By predicting where moving bodies will be, the system can update sound image positions less frequently while maintaining accurate notification, thereby reducing processing time and computational load.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3605499B1Information processing device, information processing method, program, and moving body
Publication Date: 2024.05.29 SONY GROUP CORP
  • EP3605499B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3605499B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3605499B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

This technology relates to an information processing apparatus for accurately notifying a mobile object of a position of a moving body nearby, and to an information processing method, a program, and a mobile object for use with the information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus includes a moving body detection section that detects the moving body near the mobile object on the basis of information input from sensors, and a sound output control section that shifts the position of a sound image of a notification sound giving notification of the position of the moving body in keeping with a detected position thereof in motion. This technology can be applied to apparatuses, systems, or vehicles that provide driver assistance for preventing collision or contact with the moving body, for example.