TESTING OF DIRECTIONAL HEARING AS USED IN ACTIVE DRIVER ASSISTANCE SYSTEMS

Abstract

Apparatus for testing the directional hearing of a test person uses an audio system with a plurality of audio transducers to produce audible audio signals to a position of the test person and a light output system with a plurality of light output devices to produce visible light signals to the position of the test person. A control device is configured to activate the audio system to output a plurality of audible audio signals one after another arriving at the position of the test person in such a way that they arrive or appear to arrive from a selected one of a plurality of different directions, and to activate the light output devices to indicate the selected direction at a particular time in relation to the respective audio signals.

Claims

1. An apparatus for testing the directional hearing of a test person, comprising: an audio system comprising a plurality of audio output devices for output of audible audio signals to a position of the test person; a light output system comprising a plurality of light output devices for the output of light to the position of the test person; and a control device connected to the audio system and to the light output system configured to: activate the audio system to output a plurality of audible audio signals one after another to the position of the test person in such a way that, for the test person, each respective audio signal arrives from a respective one of a plurality of different directions; and activate the light output system to output light indicative of a corresponding one of the plurality of different directions to at least the position of the test person, wherein the light output system is arranged to assign at least one of the light output devices to each of the plurality of different directions in which the audio signal source can be located for the test person, and to arrange for each respective activation of a light output device to be output at a particular time in relation to the respective audio signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the audio system is a directional audio system comprising means for generating the audio signal source as a virtual audio signal source through simultaneously driving the plurality of audio output devices to provide the plurality of different directions.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the control device is designed to generate the virtual audio signal source as a moving virtual audio signal source.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the audio system comprises means for selecting one of the plurality of audio output devices at a time as the audio signal source.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of audio outputs devices are loudspeakers of an audio entertainment system for the interior of a vehicle.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the plurality of light output devices comprises a row of lights in the interior of the vehicle.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control device is designed to arrange for the light output system to output the light with a delay with respect to the audio signal being output at a respective time.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control device is designed to specify the different directions for the audio signals to be output by the audio system one after another randomly.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an evaluation device with a camera sensor and a gesture recognition module for recognizing a direction in which the test person is pointing.

10. A vehicle comprising: an interior cabin having a seating position for a test person; an audio system comprising a plurality of audio output devices for output of audible audio signals to the position of the test person; a light output system comprising a plurality of light output devices for the output of light to the position of the test person; and a control device connected to the audio system and to the light output system configured to: activate the audio system to output a plurality of audible audio signals one after another to the position of the test person in such a way that, for the test person, each respective audio signal arrives from a respective one of a plurality of different directions; and activate the light output system to output light indicative of a corresponding one of the plurality of different directions to at least the position of the test person, wherein the light output system is arranged to assign at least one of the light output devices to each of the plurality of different directions in which the audio signal source can be located for the test person, and to arrange for each respective activation of a light output device to be output at a particular time in relation to the respective audio signal.

11. The vehicle as claimed in claim 10, wherein the control device is configured to capture a driving state of the vehicle and to only permit an output of the audio signals and light signals when the driving state is stationary or in a self-controlling mode.

12. A method for testing the directional hearing of a test person, the method comprising the steps of: selecting a direction unknown for a test person relative to their position; outputting an audible audio signal that comes from the selected direction to the test person; outputting a light signal to the position of the test person with a light output device of a light output system, wherein the light output device is assigned to the direction of the audio signal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the selecting and outputting steps are repeated at least once.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the output of the light is delayed with respect to the output of the audio signal.

15. The method claim 12, further comprising a confirmation step wherein a renewed output of the same audio signal and simultaneous renewed output of the same light output are activated.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of selecting the direction for outputting the audio signal is performed randomly.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an example of an apparatus for testing the directional hearing of a test person according to a first embodiment of the invention.

[0041] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an example of a vehicle with an apparatus for testing the directional hearing of a test person according to a second embodiment of the invention.

[0042] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for testing the directional hearing of a test person according to a third embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0043] A schematic illustration of an example of an apparatus for testing the directional hearing of a test person according to a first embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 1. The apparatus 10 comprises an audio system 11 that comprises a plurality of audio output devices 12, in particular loudspeakers, for the output of test noises, tone signals, or other audio signals. Each audio signal 13 is output toward a position of a test person 14.

[0044] The apparatus 10 further comprises a light output system 15 with a plurality of light output devices 16 (i.e., lighting means for the output of light), whereby each light signal 17 is visibly output at least at the position of the test person 14. In the functional block diagram shown, the light output system 15 is illustrated next to the audio system 11. In practice, the light output devices 16 of the light output system 15 are in most cases arranged so that each light output device 16 is assigned, including spatially, to at least each audio output device 12 (or virtual location for producing a perceived output device location), in such a way that the test person 14 can check the direction of the audio signal 13 on the basis of the direction of the light signal 17.

[0045] The audio system 11 and the light output system 15 are connected to a control device 18, which is, for example, a programmable device with a processor and memory in which code portions of a suitable control software are stored, which are loaded by the processor in order to realize the functionality of the control device. The control device 18 arranges for the audio system 11 to output a plurality of audible audio signals one after another to the position of the test person 14 in such a way that, for the test person 14, an audio signal source of the respective audio signal is respectively located at selected ones of a plurality of different directions. On the other hand, the control device 18 arranges for the light output system 15 to assign at least one light output device 16 to each of the different directions in which the audio signal sources can be located for the test person 14, and to arrange for these, depending on the audio signal 13 being output at the particular time, to output an assigned light signal 17 at the position of the test person 14.

[0046] A schematic illustration of an example of a vehicle with an apparatus for testing the directional hearing of a test person according to a second embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 2. The interior cabin of the vehicle 20 has an audio system with, for example, four loudspeakers 21, 22, 23, 24 as audio output devices, and is designed as a directional audio system with which a virtual audio signal source is determined, for example based on wave-field synthesis, panning control, and/or other methods, and can be generated through appropriate drive of the loudspeakers 21, 22, 23, 24 in each direction with respect to the test person, in this case a person in the driver's seat 25 of the vehicle 20. In the example illustrated, the other seats in the interior of the vehicle 20 are unoccupied seats 26, 27, 28. As a light output system, the vehicle 20 has a ring of lights 29 with a plurality of, for example, light emitting diodes as lighting means or light output devices 30 in the interior, attached, for example around the roof, so that a light output device located at least approximately in the same direction can be assigned to the position of each virtual audio source. The control of the audio signal output and of the subsequent, assigned light signal output is achieved with a control device 31 connected to the audio system and the ring of lights 29.

[0047] A schematic illustration of an example of a method for testing the directional hearing of a test person according to a second embodiment of the invention, and thereby a suitable operating method for the devices illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, is explained in FIG. 3. The method 32 begins in a Start state 33, in which the device is placed into a state in which it can execute the method and, in particular, the control device is also appropriately initialized.

[0048] A selection 34 of a direction unknown for a test person relative to their position then takes place. The selection of the direction is predetermined by the properties of the audio system in use. All positions, or the angles relative to the alignment of the test person at his position, at which a (virtual or real) audio signal can be arranged by the audio system may be considered as possible directions.

[0049] In a next step, an output 35 of an audible audio signal that comes from a direction unknown, i.e. unexpected, for the test person is made with the audio system. The task of the test person here is to attempt to recognize the direction from which the audio signal comes.

[0050] In a further step, an output 36 of light, or of a light signal, at least also at the position of the test person, is made with a light output device of a light output system. The light output device is assigned here to the direction of the audio signal, so that, within the scope of the possibilities predetermined by the properties of the light output system and the audio system, the direction of the light signal output matches that of the audio signal. The test person can thereby check whether the direction of the source of the audio signal he has conjectured is correct. The output 36 of light here preferably takes place with a delay with respect to the output of the audio signal, so that the estimation of the direction from which the audio signal comes is not influenced by the light signal.

[0051] In the embodiment illustrated, a renewed output 37 of the audio signal and the simultaneous renewed output of the assigned light signal are furthermore subsequently provided, in order to reinforce the learning effect.

[0052] In the embodiment illustrated, a query 38 in particular then takes place as to whether further audio signals should be output, i.e., whether the test or the training should be continued. This can, for example, be controlled through an input facility by the test person or, for example, have been specified when the start state is initialized. It can, for example, be specified that a test sequence should comprise 2, 3 or 10 or another number of audio signals and associated light signals. If the query 38 reveals that a further audio signal should be output, the steps of the selection 34 of a direction again unknown for a test person relative to their position, the output 35 of an audio signal, the output 36 of light or of a light signal and, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, also the renewed output 37 of the audio signal and the simultaneous renewed output of the associated light signal, are repeated. If the query 38 reveals that no further audio signal should be output, the method ends at 39.

[0053] In another embodiment, it can be provided, in particular when a number of audio signals to be output is already specified, to execute the step of the selection 34 of an unknown direction only once, and to specify an entire test sequence even before the repetition of the other steps. In any case, a random generator can be used in the selection 34.

[0054] In a further embodiment it can be provided that in a simplified operating mode the audio and light signals are always output simultaneously.

[0055] In yet a further embodiment it can additionally be provided that, for example with the aid of video analysis, a gesture recognition of directions in which the test person points is carried out and, for example, that the query 38 only leads to a continuation of the test with an audio signal from another direction if the gesture recognition has shown that the test person has pointed in the correct direction from which the audio signal that has just been heard did come. It can in addition be provided here that a visual confirmation is displayed to the test person through the light output system if a direction is correctly recognized, e.g., flashing or changing the color to, for example, green, or otherwise indicating the error visually, for example through a color change to, for example, red.

[0056] Although the invention has been more closely illustrated and described in more detail through the preferred exemplary embodiments, the invention is not restricted by the disclosed examples, and other variations can be derived from this by the expert without going beyond the scope of protection of the invention.

[0057] It will be obvious that although method steps are described in accordance with a certain ordered sequence, they could in part be carried out in a sequence other than that described here. It will also be obvious that certain steps could be carried out simultaneously, that other steps could be added, or that certain steps described here could be omitted. The present descriptions are in other words provided for the purpose of clarifying particular forms of embodiments, and should not be taken as a restriction of the disclosed object.

[0058] Other embodiments can be used and structural or logical changes can be made without deviating from the scope of protection of the present invention. It will be obvious that the features of the different exemplary embodiments described above and below can be combined with one another except where specifically otherwise stated. The description is therefore not to be understood in a restrictive sense, and the scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.