IP Library Granted Patent US 12,634,544
Granted Patent B2
US 12,634,544 · App. 18/687,506 · Granted May 19, 2026

Vehicle control system and vehicle control method

Inventors: Koji Miura (Tokyo, JP); Hiroshi Imamura (Tokyo, JP); Mikinori Matsuda (Tokyo, JP); Kenta Miyakawa (Tokyo, JP); Toru Nagara (Tokyo, JP); Tsuyoshi Kagoya (Tokyo, JP); Koji Nagata (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
H04N21/41422H04N21/4316H04N21/44218H04N21/4882
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,634,544
App. No.
18/687,506
Granted
May 19, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided is a vehicle control system that includes a human-machine interface. The human-machine interface performs display control of entertainment content (CT) on the basis of a monitoring result of a passenger (PA) and changes a display area of a portion into a transparent state based on the performed display control of the entertainment content.

Claims (40)

1 . A vehicle control system, comprising:

a human-machine interface configured to:

determine an occurrence of an event outside a vehicle, wherein the occurrence of the event is in a field of view of a passenger of the vehicle;

perform display control of entertainment content in the vehicle based on the determined occurrence of the event; and

change a first display area of a portion of the vehicle into a transparent state based on the performed display control of the entertainment content, wherein the portion is in superimposition on the field of view of the passenger.

2 . The vehicle control system according to claim 1 , wherein the human-machine interface is further configured to:

determine a notification process of the event, based on at least one of an urgency of information transmission or an importance of the information transmission, wherein the information transmission is associated with the event.

3 . The vehicle control system according to claim 1 , wherein

the human-machine interface is further configured to provide a notification of the event in the first display area of the portion based on the determined occurrence of the event.

4 . The vehicle control system according to claim 1 , wherein the human-machine interface is further configured to:

perform one of a movement of a display position of the entertainment content or a stop of display of the first display area, wherein the entertainment content is in the first display area; and

change the first display area into the transparent state based on the performed one of the movement of the display position or the stop of the display of the first display area.

5 . The vehicle control system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the human-machine interface is further configured to:

determine a first brightness distribution in the first display area, wherein

the determined first brightness distribution is greater than a permissible level, and

the first brightness distribution is associated with external light; and

move a display position of the entertainment content from the first display area to a second display area, wherein

the display position of the entertainment content is moved based on the determined first brightness distribution, and

a second brightness distribution in the second display area is within the permissible level.

6 . The vehicle control system according to claim 5 , wherein

the human-machine interface is further configured to display guidance information to guide a line of sight of the passenger from the first display area to the second display area, and

the guidance information is displayed based on the movement of the display position of the entertainment content.

7 . The vehicle control system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the human-machine interface is further configured to:

determine a driving state of the passenger; and

stop display of the entertainment content based on the determined driving state of the passenger, wherein the entertainment content is within a line of sight of the passenger.

8 . The vehicle control system according to claim 1 , further comprising circuitry configured to:

record a display position of the entertainment content; and

record a gaze situation of the passenger, wherein the gaze situation of the passenger is associated with the entertainment content.

9 . The vehicle control system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the human-machine interface is further configured to adjust, based on brightness information outside the vehicle, one of a brightness of the first display area, a transparency of the first display area, or a haze of the first display area.

10 . A vehicle control method, comprising:

determining an occurrence of an event outside a vehicle, wherein the occurrence of the event is in a field of view of a passenger of the vehicle;

performing display control of entertainment content in the vehicle based on the determined occurrence of the event; and

changing a display area of a portion of the vehicle into a transparent state based on the performed display control of the entertainment content, wherein the portion is in superimposition on the field of view of the passenger.

11 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, that when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute operations, the operations comprising:

determining an occurrence of an event outside a vehicle, wherein the occurrence of the event is in a field of view of a passenger of the vehicle;

performing display control of entertainment content in the vehicle based on the determined occurrence of the event; and

changing a display area of a portion of the vehicle into a transparent state based on the performed display control of the entertainment content, wherein the portion is in superimposition on the field of view of the passenger.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 7, 2024
From: MIURA, KOJI; IMAMURA, HIROSHI; MATSUDA, MIKINORI; MIYAKAWA, KENTA; NAGARA, TORU; KAGOYA, TSUYOSHI; NAGATA, KOJI
To: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 066684/0206 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2021-150607 · Sep 15, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240388758A1 · Nov 21, 2024
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