Vehicle Safety Device Using Occupant Mood Analysis

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current vehicle safety assessment systems do not consider the emotional and psychological state of occupants, which can significantly impact the safety level of a vehicle, leading to distracted drivers and increased accident risks due to factors like fatigue, stress, and social interactions.

Innovation Solution

A safety device equipped with a sound recording and analysis system that determines the mood of vehicle occupants by parsing their sounds and comparing them to mood-related data, integrating this information with technical vehicle conditions to assess and communicate a comprehensive safety level, and potentially adjust interactions to mitigate risks.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional vehicle safety assessment systems only monitor technical vehicle conditions, then the system complexity remains low, but the safety assessment is incomplete and does not account for occupant emotional states that significantly impact driving safety

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety assessment completenessVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines traditional technical vehicle condition monitoring with occupant mood analysis by integrating a sound recording device, data storage device containing mood-related data, and control device that processes both technical and emotional factors. This merging creates a comprehensive safety assessment system that evaluates both vehicle status and occupant psychological state.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The control device performs multiple functions: it monitors technical vehicle conditions, records and analyzes occupant sounds, determines mood states, assesses safety levels, and triggers warnings. This multi-functionality allows a single system to handle both traditional safety monitoring and the new emotional assessment capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Loss of information

If the safety device monitors only technical vehicle parameters, then the data processing requirements are minimal, but the system fails to detect safety risks related to occupant emotional states such as anger, stress, and fatigue

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety information completenessVSAvoiddata processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by storing mood-related data and keywords in the data storage device before actual safety assessment occurs. The control device has pre-loaded reference data for recognizing angry speech patterns, stress indicators, and fatigue signs, enabling rapid real-time comparison and analysis without complex processing during critical moments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary layer of mood analysis between raw sound recording and final safety assessment. The control device acts as a mediator that converts audio signals into mood indicators by comparing them against stored mood-related data, then integrates these indicators with technical vehicle conditions to produce a comprehensive safety level assessment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Measurement precision

If the system integrates sound recording and mood analysis capabilities, then the safety level determination becomes more accurate, but the device complexity and data storage requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety level measurement accuracyVSAvoiddata storage requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the essential mood-related features from audio recordings by comparing sound patterns against pre-stored mood indicators and keywords. Rather than storing or processing entire audio files, the control device extracts specific markers such as speech intensity, tone characteristics, and keyword presence, significantly reducing data storage requirements while maintaining assessment accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transforms audio signals into simplified mood parameters by comparing them against reference data. The control device converts complex sound waveforms into discrete mood indicators (e.g., angry, stressed, fatigued) that can be stored and processed efficiently. This parameter transformation reduces data storage needs while preserving the essential information for safety assessment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Reliability

If the safety device analyzes comprehensive sound patterns and mood markers, then the detection of safety risks improves, but the processing time and computational requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety risk detection reliabilityVSAvoidprocessing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by pre-storing mood-related keywords, phrases, and sound patterns in the data storage device. During real-time operation, the control device quickly matches incoming audio against this pre-organized reference data using efficient comparison algorithms, enabling rapid mood assessment without extensive real-time computation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The control device implements partial action by focusing on detecting specific critical mood markers (such as angry speech patterns or signs of extreme fatigue) rather than analyzing every aspect of the audio signal. This selective approach processes only the most safety-relevant features, reducing overall processing time while maintaining high reliability for critical safety assessments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3279897B1Safety device for a vehicle
Publication Date: 2019.07.03 CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
  • EP3279897B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3279897B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A safety device (10) for determining a safety level of a vehicle (100) is provided. The safety device comprises a sound recording device (12), a data storage device (14) comprising data related to human mood, and a control device (16). The sound recording device (12) is configured for recording a sound of an occupant of the vehicle (100), and the control device (16) is configured for parsing the recorded sound. The control device (16) is further configured for comparing the parsed sound to the data, for searching for markers associated with a mood of the occupant and for determining a safety level based on the markers.