Vehicle Audio System Occupancy Detection for Wireless Call Privacy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing technologies do not effectively address the issue of call privacy in vehicles, where multiple people may inadvertently overhear telephone conversations, leading to potential privacy concerns.

Innovation Solution

A system and method that determine the number of people in a vehicle during a call and send privacy notifications to the remote party, either as text messages or audio alerts, to inform them that others may be listening, allowing them to adjust their conversation accordingly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If hands-free calling is used in a vehicle with multiple occupants, then calling convenience is improved, but call privacy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecalling convenienceVSAvoidcall privacy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of the number of occupants in the vehicle before the call begins. When multiple occupants are detected, the system proactively sends a privacy notification to the remote party before the conversation starts, allowing them to be aware of the privacy risk in advance and adjust their behavior accordingly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides feedback to the remote party about the occupancy status in the vehicle through privacy notifications. This feedback loop allows the caller to inform the remote party of the presence of other occupants, enabling the remote party to modify their conversation behavior to maintain privacy while still enjoying the convenience of hands-free calling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If speakerphone is used in a public environment, then calling accessibility is improved, but information security deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecalling accessibilityVSAvoidinformation security
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system detects environmental characteristics and occupancy status before the call begins. When the environment is identified as public or semi-public with multiple occupants present, the system proactively notifies the remote party of the potential information security risk before the call starts, allowing preventive measures to be taken.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The privacy notification serves as an intermediary message between the local calling environment and the remote party. It mediates the information flow by conveying the occupancy status and potential privacy risks to the remote party, who can then make informed decisions about how to conduct the conversation while maintaining accessibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3048780B1Wireless call security
Publication Date: 2019.08.07 HARMAN INT IND INC
  • EP3048780B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3048780B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3048780B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Systems, methods, and computer program products to perform an operation comprising establishing a telephone call between a local mobile telephone and a remote telephone via an audio system in a vehicle, wherein the telephone call is audible through a set of speakers connected to the audio system in the vehicle, and responsive to the telephone call, determining that more than one person is present in the vehicle, and sending, to the remote telephone, an indication that more than one person is present in the vehicle.