Vehicle Data Glasses Seat Assignment and Driver Distraction Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing data glasses can distract drivers while operating a vehicle, posing a risk to traffic safety due to their ability to display messages, graphics, or videos in the driver's central field of vision, and existing solutions fail to differentiate between driver and passenger usage effectively.

Innovation Solution

A device for a vehicle that uses detection means, transmitting and receiving devices, and electronic computing means to recognize seat occupancy and movement patterns of data glasses, determining if the wearer is the driver, and adapting the data glasses' functionality to prevent distracting content from being displayed in the driver's central vision by correlating seat occupancy with data glasses' movement data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If data glasses display messages, graphics or videos in the driver's central field of vision, then the user experience and information accessibility are improved, but the driver's attention is distracted from the driving task and road safety is endangered

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation accessibilityVSAvoiddriver distraction
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating the display functionality based on the user's location. The data glasses display full-content information (messages, graphics, videos) when the user is identified as a passenger, but restrict displays to only trip-relevant information (navigation, speed, warnings) when the user is identified as the driver. This spatial differentiation of display content quality resolves the contradiction by providing appropriate information accessibility without causing driver distraction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If data glasses are used by both driver and passenger without differentiation, then the device versatility is maintained, but the driver's view of the road can be obstructed and traffic safety is endangered

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice usabilityVSAvoidtraffic safety
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamics by making the data glasses' display functionality adaptive rather than static. The system dynamically adjusts the display behavior based on real-time detection of whether the wearer is the driver or passenger. The data glasses automatically switch between two operational modes: full functionality for passengers and restricted functionality for drivers. This dynamic adaptation maintains device versatility for different users while ensuring traffic safety by preventing road view obstruction for the driver.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Loss of information

If the data glasses display content in the central field of vision, then the information display capability is improved, but the driver's view of the road is obstructed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation display capabilityVSAvoidroad view obstruction
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by implementing location-based content restriction. When the driver is detected, the system restricts display content to only essential trip information that does not obstruct the road view, such as navigation directions, current speed, and safety warnings. Non-essential content like social media messages, entertainment videos, and graphics are suppressed. This selective content quality adjustment maintains necessary information display capability while eliminating road view obstruction for the driver.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

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

Enhances traffic safety by ensuring that data glasses used by drivers are configured to display only trip-relevant information, reducing the risk of distraction and ensuring the driver's attention remains focused on the road.

Implementation Method 1

data glasses have motion sensors (in particular acceleration sensors). The outputs of the motion sensors are examined to determine whether a movement of the data glasses can be detected, which suggests that the wearer of the data glasses is sitting in a vehicle seat

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAcceleration sensor detection: Accelerometer

Data Source

PatentEP3063603B1Assigning a head-mounted display to a seat in a vehicle
Publication Date: 2018.06.20 BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE AG
  • EP3063603B1 patent drawingFigure 1

AI summary

The invention relates to a device for a vehicle for assigning data eyeglasses to a seat in the vehicle, the device comprising: detection means for detecting the occupation of a seat out of a number of seats of the vehicle; a transmitting and receiving device for transmitting data from and to data eyeglasses; electronic computing means, wherein the device is configured for the following: detecting the seat occupancy, namely, that the seat of the vehicle is occupied by a person; receiving, from the data eyeglasses, an occupancy indication, namely an indication that a movement of the data eyeglasses has been detected, which indicates that the wearer of the data eyeglasses has sat down on a seat; determining a temporal correlation between the detection of the seat occupancy and the occupancy indication; assigning the data eyeglasses to the seat.