Vehicle Haptic Alerting Using User Position and Vibration Range
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicles equipped with audible alerts may not effectively notify users with hearing impairments or those who are distracted, as they may overlook text notifications, necessitating improved alert systems.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle alert system that utilizes a user device equipped with a vibration protocol, determining the user's location and distance relative to the vehicle, and issuing tactile feedback via varying alert levels based on trigger events and calibration protocols, using a combination of UWB and BLE/CS for precise positioning and distance measurement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If text notification is displayed on user interface, then alert is accessible to hearing impaired users, but user may overlook the notification during display period
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies mechanical vibration through a haptic feedback device that generates tactile alerts on the user's device. This vibration mechanism provides a physical stimulus that is harder to ignore than visual text alone, ensuring the user notices the notification immediately rather than potentially overlooking it during its display period.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a haptic feedback device as an intermediary between the vehicle's alert system and the user. This mediator translates vehicle status information into tactile vibrations that the user can feel, creating an additional sensory channel that complements visual notifications and ensures alert delivery.
2Reliability
If audible alert is used, then user is notified of vehicle events, but persons with hearing impairments do not benefit
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements multi-functionality by enabling the alert system to operate through multiple sensory channels: audible alerts for users with hearing ability, and haptic vibrations for users with hearing impairments. This universal approach ensures the system effectively notifies all users regardless of their hearing status.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the acoustic alert mechanism with a mechanical vibration mechanism for users with hearing impairments. By replacing the auditory channel with a tactile channel, the system maintains notification effectiveness while adapting to different user capabilities.
3Adaptability or versatility
If vibration protocol is implemented on user device, then tactile feedback is provided to hearing impaired users, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by utilizing the user's existing personal device (smartphone, tablet, or wearable) which already contains the necessary vibration capability. The vehicle's system simply communicates alert information to this device, and the device's own haptic motor executes the tactile feedback, eliminating the need for the vehicle to provide its separate vibration mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent leverages the universal presence of vibration capabilities in modern personal devices. By using this existing feature, the system gains adaptability for hearing impaired users without adding dedicated vibration hardware to the vehicle, thus avoiding increased device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An alert system for a vehicle includes data processing hardware and memory hardware in communication with the data processing hardware. The memory hardware stores instructions that, when executed on the data processing hardware, cause the data processing hardware to perform operations. The operations include receiving, from a user device, location data, determining, based on the location data, a position of the user device relative to the vehicle, and configuring an electronic control unit (ECU) with a range. The operations also include issuing, based on the position of the user device and the range, a vibration request and executing, based on the issued vibration request, a user alert application of the ECU.