Vehicular electronic device and operation method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11489954-B2
Application number	US-201916500240-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2019
Priority date	Apr 30, 2019
Publication date	Nov 1, 2022
Grant date	Nov 1, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed is a vehicular electronic device including a processor configured to receive information on a user gaze direction, to determine whether a user looks forward based on the information, to perform control to make a call using voice only upon determining that the user looks forward, and to perform control to make a call using voice and an image upon determining that the user does not look forward.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A vehicular electronic device comprising:
a communicator configured to exchange a signal with a terminal of a user; and
a processor that is configured to:
receive information on a user gaze direction, determine whether the user gazes forward based on the information, perform control to make a call using voice only upon determining that the user gazes forward, and perform control to make a call using voice and an image upon determining that the user does not gaze forward,
perform control to make (i) the call using voice only or (ii) the call using voice and an image, based on a signal received from the terminal, and
upon receiving a first call signal transmitted from a terminal of a counterpart from a first terminal of a first user and receiving a second call signal transmitted from the terminal of the counterpart from a second terminal of a second user, perform control to make a multilateral call including the first user and the second user.

2. The vehicular electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to perform control to make the call using voice only at a conversion stand-by time to an autonomous driving mode from a manual driving mode.

3. The vehicular electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to perform control to make the call using voice and an image after conversion to an autonomous driving mode from a manual driving mode is completed.

4. The vehicular electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to display a front image of a vehicle with a telephone image according to received information on an autonomous driving level, and display the front image including a larger amount of information as the autonomous driving level is lowered.

5. The vehicular electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to perform control to make the call using voice only when a signal for conversion to a manual driving mode from an autonomous driving mode is generated.

6. The vehicular electronic device of claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is configured to activate a first personal device closest to the first terminal that receives the first call signal through the communicator among a plurality of personal devices included in a vehicle.

7. The vehicular electronic device of claim 6 , wherein, upon determining that a telephone number included in the first call signal is stored in the second terminal, the processor is configured to further activate a second personal device closest to the second terminal.

8. An operation method of a vehicular electronic device, the method comprising:
receiving information on a user gaze direction, by at least one processor;
determining whether a user gazes forward based on the information, by the at least one processor;
upon determining that the user gazes forward, performing control to make a call using voice only;
upon determining that the user does not gaze forward, performing control to make a call using voice and an image;
performing control to make (i) the call using voice only or (ii) the call using voice and an image, based on a signal received from a terminal; and
upon receiving a first call signal transmitted from a terminal of a counterpart from a first terminal of a first user and receiving a second call signal transmitted from the terminal of the counterpart from a second terminal of a second user, performing control to make a multilateral call including the first user and the second user.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
performing control to make the call using voice only at a conversion stand-by time to an autonomous driving mode from a manual driving mode, by the at least one processor; and
performing control to make the call using voice and an image after conversion to an autonomous driving mode from a manual driving mode is completed, by the at least one processor.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
displaying a front image of a vehicle with a telephone image according to received information on an autonomous driving level, and displaying the front image including a larger amount of information as the autonomous driving level is lowered, by the at least one processor.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the performing control to make the call using voice and an image includes activating a first personal device closest to the first terminal that receives the first call signal through a communicator among a plurality of personal devices included in a vehicle, by the at least one processor.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the performing control to make the call using voice and an image includes, upon determining that a telephone number included in the first call signal is stored in the second terminal, further activating a second personal device closest to the second terminal, by the at least one processor.

13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising performing image-processing on an image transmitted to a counterpart based on whether the call is in a personal mode or an open mode, by the at least one processor.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the performing image-processing includes cropping or blurring a remaining part except for an utterer from the image transmitted to the counterpart when the call is in the personal mode.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising, upon receiving a call join request signal, inactivating cropping or blurring, by the at least one processor.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Donghwa
• Noh Eunkyung
• Park Iljin

Classifications

• B60W2540/21

  Voice · CPC title

• B60W50/082

  Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling · CPC title

• G05D1/00

  Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00) · CPC title

• B60W60/0051 Primary

  from occupants to vehicle · CPC title

• H04M1/6083

  by interfacing with the vehicle audio system · CPC title