Video vehicle entertainment device with driver safety mode
AssigneeEchoStar Technologies L.L.C.
InventorsAntony Michael Dove, Neale Hall
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This document relates to a vehicle entertainment device 1 having a driver safety mode and an enhanced audio playback function. The device 1 detects whether the vehicle in which the entertainment device is situated is in motion, or if the driver is preparing to drive the vehicle momentarily. If either of these conditions is detected, the processor 20 acts to disable the video playback on the screen 3 of the entertainment device. At the same time, the processor 20 causes an audio descriptor track corresponding to the disabled video to be played through the speakers 4 of the entertainment device. The audio descriptor track is in addition to the main audio track accompanying the video and provides a verbal description of the content of the video.
Claims17
A video entertainment device for a vehicle, the device comprising:
- a sensor for detecting that the vehicle is in motion, or is about to be driven;
- and
- a processor for activating a drive safety mode when the sensor determines that the vehicle is in motion, or is about to be driven, the processor further preventing deactivation of the drive safety mode for a predetermined amount of time of at least one minute to ensure that the vehicle is not only temporarily stopped at a traffic signal, whereby video playback is therefore not disabled during the predetermined amount of time, so that a driver is able to view the video playback during the predetermined amount of time;
- wherein in the drive safety mode the video playback is disabled and audio playback is switched to include an audio descriptor track, the audio descriptor track at least partly describing the non-verbal content of the disable video playback.
A computer implemented method of controlling a screen and speakers of a video entertainment device for a vehicle, the method comprising:
- detecting with a sensor whether the vehicle is in motion, or is about to be driven;
- activating a drive safety mode when the sensor determines that the vehicle is in motion, or is about to be driven;
- preventing deactivation of the drive safety mode for a predetermined amount of time of at least one minute to ensure that the vehicle is not only temporarily stopped at a traffic signal, whereby video playback is therefore not disabled during the predetermined amount of time, so that a driver is able to view the video playback during the predetermined amount of time;
- wherein in the drive safety mode the video playback is disabled and audio playback is switched to include an audio descriptor track, the audio descriptor track at least partly describing the non-verbal content of the disable video playback.
A portable video entertainment device comprising:
- a screen for displaying video content and speakers for outputting audio content;
- a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor for determining a location of the device;
- and
- a processor, wherein the processor is operable to:
- determine from the GPS sensor if the portable video entertainment device is in motion;
- if the device is in motion, to prevent video playback on the screen of the device and switch the audio output to include an audio descriptor track, the audio descriptor track at least partly describing non-verbal content of the disable video playback;
- and
- if the device is not in motion, to prevent the video playback on the screen of the device for a predetermined amount of time of at least one minute to ensure that a vehicle associated with the device is not only temporarily stopped at a traffic signal, whereby the video playback is therefore not prevented during the predetermined amount of time, so that a driver is able to view the video playback during the predetermined amount of time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.