WO2004007245A1

WO2004007245A1 - Device for holding a mobile phone

Info

Publication number: WO2004007245A1
Application number: PCT/SE2003/001188
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jonas Graphenius
Original assignee: Jonas Graphenius
Priority date: 2002-07-12
Filing date: 2003-07-08
Publication date: 2004-01-22
Also published as: AU2003243123A8; WO2004007245A8; AU2003243123A1; SE0202195D0; SE0202195L; SE521459C2

Abstract

A device for holding a mobile phone (13) in the interior of a vehicle, including an attachment member (8, 15) which is arranged to be attached to the vehicle and a phone holder (10) which is connected to the attachment member and arranged to hold the mobile phone in such a way that it can be removed. In order to increase the traffic safety, the phone holder includes means for detecting whether the phone is in an active or passive mode and position-adjusting means, which include movement-controlling means which are connected to the phone holder and the attachment member. The movement-controlling means are arranged to move the phone holder between an idle position and an operative position in accordance with the actual mode of the phone.

Description

Device for holding a mobile phone

Technical field

The present invention relates to a device for holding a mobile phone in the interior of a vehicle, comprising an attachment member which is arranged to be attached to the vehicle and a phone holder which is connected to the attachment member and arranged to hold a mobile phone in such a way that it can be removed. The invention also relates to a vehicle that comprises such a device.

Background art

Such devices are usually called mobile phone holders and are used to hold hand-held mobile phones in, for example, the interior of a car, while travelling. One aim of mobile phone holders is to increase comfort . The holder is accordingly positioned so that the driver always knows where to find the mobile phone and can reach it easily in order to be able to operate it, even while travelling. Known mobile phone holders consist normally of a moulded plastic unit in which the phone holder and the attachment member are integrated. The holder is attached to the vehicle's instrument panel or ventilation outlet by means of a snap-fit device on the attachment member, by screws, glue or double-sided adhesive tape. Accordingly, when the mobile phone is placed in the phone holder, it is normally located at the same height as the instrument panel .

Disclosure of invention

The inventor of the present invention has perceived that such a location of the mobile phone constitutes a disadvantage as far as traffic safety is concerned. As the phone is located at the same height as the instrument panel, it is below the driver's normal field of vision. By the driver's normal field of vision is meant here the extent of the view that the driver can perceive without moving his gaze, when the driver is seated in the driver's seat in the vehicle and directs his gaze forwards through the windscreen in order to watch the road and the traffic in front of the vehicle . In order also to be able to perceive the mobile phone while travelling, the driver must thus move his gaze. In addition, with the conventional location, the mobile phone is normally outside the driver's normal gaze- tracking field of vision. The driver's normal gaze- tracking field of vision consists of the part of his surroundings that the driver can see clearly when he moves his gaze in different directions but does not move his head in relation to the normal head position that the driver adopts when he or she watches the road and traffic in front .

In order to be able to perceive, look at and operate the phone, the driver must therefore both take his gaze from the road and the traffic in front and also change his head position. This is, of course, a considerable disadvantage, as the driver cannot then clearly perceive what is happening in the traffic around him. In addition, there are normally different lighting conditions in the normal field of vision and in the part of the car interior around the instrument panel in which the telephone is located with a conventional mobile phone holder. When his gaze is moved between the normal field of vision and the mobile phone, the driver's eyes must therefore adapt to the changed lighting conditions, which takes a certain amount of time. To sum up, the use of known mobile phone holders thus means that the ability of the driver to perceive the surrounding traffic is greatly impaired when he or she is looking at the mobile phone and also that it takes a certain amount of time for the driver to regain fully the ability to see clearly when his gaze is moved back from the mobile phone to the normal field of vision. The reaction time relating to traffic safety is thereby lengthened considerably. An additional problem with known mobile phone holders is that the phone is often located in such a way that it can distract the driver even when it is not being used. Known phone holders hold the phone fixed in one and the same position and, in order for the phone to be able to be operated while travelling, it is often located in the vicinity of the driver's normal field of vision or gaze-tracking field of vision. Accordingly, there is often a danger that it can constitute a distraction for the driver, even when it is not being used.

The object of the present invention is therefore to achieve a mobile phone holder for vehicles that improves the traffic safety, both when the phone is not being used and when the driver of the vehicle uses the mobile phone while travelling.

This object is achieved by a device according to the first paragraph of the application, which device is characterized in that the phone holder comprises means for detecting whether the mobile phone is in an active or a passive mode and is characterized by position- adjusting means that comprise movement-controlling means that are connected to the phone holder and the attachment member, which movement-controlling means are arranged to move the phone holder with the mobile phone between an idle position and an operative position dependent upon the mode of the mobile phone, in which operative position the mobile phone is (a) essentially at the same height as the driver's normal field of vision and (b) essentially on a straight line between the driver's eyes and a front door pillar of the vehicle, when the driver is sitting in a normal driving position, the attachment member is attached to the vehicle and the mobile phone is placed in the phone holder. By this means, it is possible that, when it is not being used, the telephone is in an idle position outside the normal gaze-tracking field of vision, for example on the roof-lining of the interior of the vehicle, so that it does not obstruct the view or distract the driver. In the event, for example, of an incoming call, the phone changes from its passive mode to its active mode, whereupon the movement-controlling means are activated and move the phone holder, so that the phone comes into its operative position which is at the same height as the driver's normal field of vision and within the normal gaze-tracking field of vision.

As the device according to the invention is designed in such a way that, in the active mode, the mobile phone is located essentially at the same height as the driver's normal field of vision, the driver does not need to lower his gaze or change his head position in order to look at and operate the mobile phone when this is active. The driver's reaction time is therefore not increased as a result of movement of the head or adaptation to lighting conditions by the eyes. The lateral position of the mobile phone also means that the driver only needs to move his gaze a short distance sideways in order to look at the mobile phone. As a result, the surrounding traffic situation remains within his peripheral field of vision, that is within the extent of view that the driver perceives without moving his gaze, even when the driver is looking at the mobile phone. By this means, the driver is better able to perceive and react to the surrounding traffic. In addition, the lateral location of the mobile phone, on a line between the driver's eyes and the door pillar, means that the device and the mobile phone do not obstruct the driver's view out through the windscreen and the side windows at all or obstruct the view only to a small extent. According to an advantageous embodiment, the position- adjusting means can comprise the attachment member which is designed to be attached to one of the front door pillars of the interior of the vehicle, preferably the one that is nearest the driver's seat. By this means, a simple and uncomplicated device is obtained which still ensures that the mobile phone is located at the same height as the driver's normal field of vision and precisely on the line between the driver's eyes and the door pillar.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the position-adjusting means comprise an adjustable spacing device that allows the position of the mobile phone to be adjusted in both a vertical and a lateral direction. By this means, a device is obtained that enables the position of the mobile phone to be adjusted to suit different drivers after the device has been attached to the vehicle.

The phone holder can also comprise an electrical circuit that is connected to the mobile phone in order to communicate with this. The circuit prevents incoming visual messages, such as SMS messages and other text or picture messages, from being displayed on the screen of the mobile phone or other equipment connected to the mobile phone. By this means, traffic safety is improved considerably, as the driver is not distracted or tempted to try to read the incoming messages while travelling. Instead of being displayed, the incoming messages are stored in the mobile phone's memory or in the operator's network, so that the driver can read them at the end of the journey or during a break in the driving. Modes for carrying out the invention

Different embodiments of the invention are described below by way of example, with reference to the figures, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic sketch of a part of the interior of a vehicle in which a device according to a first embodiment of the invention is shown in a mounted position.

Figure 2 is a schematic sketch that shows a second embodiment of a device according to the invention mounted in the interior of a vehicle.

Figure 1 shows schematically a part of the interior of a car viewed from the driver's seat. The road 1 in front of the car is indicated by broken lines 2, 3. While travelling, the driver normally has his gaze directed forwards in order to watch the road and the traffic in front. The driver's normal field of vision consists of the extent of the view that the driver can perceive without moving his gaze. This extent corresponds approximately to the area in the figure that is delimited by the broken lines 2, 3 representing the side edges of the road and the upper edge 4 of the instrument panel. The driver's normal gaze-tracking field of vision consists of that part of the surroundings that the driver can see clearly when he moves his gaze in different directions but does not move his head. The normal gaze-tracking field of vision is indicated in the figure by the dash-dotted line 5.

A device 7 according to a first embodiment of the invention is attached onto the left front door pillar 6. The device comprises an attachment member in the form of a plate 8 which is attached to the door pillar by screws (not shown) . Alternatively, the plate 8 can be attached by glue, double-sided adhesive tape or the like. A position-adjusting means in the form of a flexible deformable arm 9 is attached at one end to the plate 8 and projects from this. The arm 9 can, for example, consist of a rod of flexible non-elastic material . The other end of the arm is attached to a phone holder 10 which comprises two sprung sides 11, 12. A mobile phone 13 is held by the phone holder 10 between the sprung sides 11, 12 in such a way that it can be removed.

The position-adjusting means can alternatively consist of the plate 8, with the phone holder 10 being attached directly to the plate and the plate being designed to be attached to the left front door pillar at the same height as the driver's normal field of vision. The position-adjusting means can also consist of a rigid arm (not shown) , the ends of which are attached to the plate and the phone holder in such a way that they can pivot. By this means, the connection between the phone holder and the rigid arm can be designed to enable the phone holder to be moved along the longitudinal axis of the arm, so that the distance between the driver and the phone holder can be adjusted.

When a driver is going to use the device according to the invention for the first time, he or she sits in the driver's seat and adjusts the position of the seat. The mobile phone 13 is placed in the phone holder 10 by clipping it between the sprung sides 11, 12 of the holder 10. Thereafter the position of the phone holder 10 is adjusted by bending the arm 9 so that the mobile phone is held at the same height as the driver's normal field of vision and in such a way that the phone holder 10 and the mobile phone do not obscure the view through the windscreen or the side windows. This is carried out by the phone holder 10 being placed on a straight line between the front left door pillar 6 and the driver's eyes, when the driver holds his head in the normal driving position.

The phone holder also comprises a contact 14 which is connected to the mobile phone's external communication contact. This can either be carried out automatically when the mobile phone is placed in the phone holder or the driver can plug in the contact 14 before or after the mobile phone has been placed in the phone holder. The contact 14 is connected to an electronic circuit (not shown) in the phone holder 10. This circuit is designed in such a way that it can determine whether an incoming signal from the operator's network to the mobile phone contains an audio or a visual message. In the event that the incoming signal contains a telephone call^' or other audio message, the signal is allowed through as normal and the driver can receive the call or the message in the normal way. If, however, the incoming signal contains a visual message, such as an SMS or other text or picture message, the electronic circuit sends an instruction to the mobile phone via the contact 14. This instruction causes the mobile phone to store the message in its memory instead of indicating that it has received the message. Alternatively, without an indication to the driver, the mobile phone can send an instruction to the operator's network to the effect that the message is to be stored in the network. The connection between the mobile phone 13 and the electronic circuit can also be carried out by means of so-called Bluetooth technology or other wireless technology, instead of via a direct electrical connection.

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of the device according to the invention. In this embodiment, the position-adjusting means comprise movement-controlling means that comprise a track 15 that is attached to or recessed into the left front door pillar 6, essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the door pillar. The track 6 is suitably attached by screws (not shown) , glue or double-sided adhesive tape. An axial groove 16 is arranged in the track. The phone holder 10 is arranged to be able to be moved along the track 15 by means of a slider (not shown) projecting into the groove. The slider is attached at one end to a wire (not shown) that runs inside the groove . The other end of the wire is attached to a spool (not shown) that is attached to the shaft of an electrical motor. The motor is suitably recessed into the door pillar 6 below the lower end of the track or is arranged below or inside the instrument panel . According to a special embodiment, the spool can be attached to the electrical motor that is normally used to adjust the left door mirror. The door mirror motor can also be connected in other ways to the movement-controlling means in order to operate these. A draw spring (not shown) is also arranged in the groove 16 and is attached at one end to the slider and at the other end to the track 15 at the upper end of the groove 16.

The phone holder 10 comprises an electrical circuit (not shown) which is connected to the mobile phone via the contact 14. The electronic circuit is designed to detect whether the phone is in an active or a passive mode. By active mode is meant here that the mobile phone is operating by receiving or sending information that requires intervention by the user, that is the driver. For example, the mobile phone is thus in active mode while a phone call is in progress. By passive mode is meant a mode in which no intervention is required on the part of the driver. The electronic circuit is also connected to a control unit that controls the electrical motor.

When the mobile phone is in its passive mode, the slider and the phone holder 10 with the mobile phone 13 are in an idle position at the upper end of the groove. The draw spring is fully compressed and prevents the holder 10 sliding downwards in the groove under the effect of gravity. A cover or a pouch 17 is arranged at the idle position to hide the mobile phone when it is in its passive mode. This is in order to avoid the driver being distracted by the mobile phone when it is not being used.

In the event, for example, of an incoming phone call, the mobile phone changes to its active mode. This is detected by the electronic circuit, which then sends a signal to the control unit, which in turn starts the electrical motor. When the motor starts, the wire is wound up on the spool, whereby the slider and the phone holder 10 with the mobile phone (13) are drawn downwards along the groove 16, from the idle position to an operative position, in which the mobile phone is within the driver's normal gaze-tracking field of vision, at the same height as the normal field of vision and on a line between the door pillar and the driver's eyes. The control unit can be programmed to memorize different operative positions for different drivers, in order to ensure that the operative position is at the correct height for each driver.

When the mobile phone has reached its operative position, the driver can answer the call in the normal way easily and without moving his head. When the call is ended, the phone returns to its passive mode, whereupon the control unit disconnects or reverses the electrical motor. The draw spring acts on the slider, so that the phone holder 10 with the mobile phone returns to the idle position.

According to a (not shown) variant of the embodiment described above, the phone holder is connected to the slider by an arm that is attached to the slider and the phone holder in such a way that it can pivot . In the idle position, the arm is essentially parallel to the track. When the slider moves in the groove, towards the operative position, the arm folds out in the direction towards the driver's seat, so that the distance between the driver and the phone is reduced. When the slider moves in the direction towards the idle position, the arm folds in again towards the track in order to ensure that the phone disappears out of the normal gaze- tracking field of vision.

According to another (not shown) embodiment, the movement-controlling means comprise a rigid arm that is attached to the attachment member in such a way that it can be moved, so that the arm can move in its axial direction in relation to the attachment member. The phone holder is attached to an end of the arm projecting from the attachment member. In this embodiment, the attachment member is attached, for example, to the instrument panel, so that the phone is in its idle position when the arm is in a retracted position and the phone holder is close to the attachment member. When the phone changes to its active mode, an electrical circuit initiates the movement- controlling means which extend the arm, essentially upwards in relation to the instrument panel, whereby the phone holder with the mobile phone reaches its operative position above the instrument panel, at the same height as the driver's normal field of vision. A device according to this embodiment is also well-suited to being attached to the roof lining of the interior of the vehicle, close to the left front door pillar or, for right-hand drive vehicles, the right front door pillar. The phone holder is then in its idle position when the arm is retracted towards the roof lining and assumes its operative position when the arm projects downwards from the roof lining, until the phone is in a position essentially at the same height as the driver's normal field of vision. The device is suitably recessed into the instrument panel or the roof lining. In order to prevent the driver being distracted by the phone when it is not in use, the device can comprise a flap that covers the mobile phone when it is in its idle position and which, preferably automatically, is opened when the phone holder moves from its idle position to its operative position and is closed when the phone holder returns to the idle position.

According to yet another (not shown) embodiment of the invention, the device comprises a microphone holder, with a microphone that is connected to the mobile phone and arranged so that it can move between an idle position and an operative position. The microphone holder is mechanically and/or electrically connected to a control unit, as described above, to move the microphone to its idle position or operative position dependent upon the mode of the mobile phone . In addition, the device can comprise an earpiece holder with an earpiece that is connected to the mobile phone and arranged so that it can move between an idle position and an operative position. The earpiece holder is mechanically and/or electrically connected to a control unit, as described above, to move the earpiece to its idle position or operative position dependent upon the mode of the mobile phone. The earpiece holder can, for example, consist of an electrical lead that is connected to the mobile phone in order to conduct sound from the mobile phone to the earpiece. This electrical lead is, in addition, wound onto a spool on the electrical motor which is controlled by the control unit and which is attached to or in the roof lining of the vehicle's interior. When the phone changes from its idle to its active mode, the electrical circuit in the phone holder for detecting the mode sends a signal to the control unit that causes the motor to turn in one direction. This unwinds the lead from the spool so that the earpiece is lowered down to its operative position beside one of the driver's ears. When the call ends, the motor is caused in a corresponding way to turn in the opposite direction, whereby the lead is wound up onto the spool and the earpiece assumes its idle position in the roof lining of the vehicle interior. The microphone holder and earpiece holder are suitably arranged in or close to the grab-handle that is normally located above the left front door, or on the sun visor on the driver's side that is normally arranged close to the roof lining of the interior, between the driver and the windscreen. In this latest described embodiment, the phone holder is suitably provided with a button for selecting whether the mobile phone call is to be carried out "hands-free" using other external equipment or via the earpiece . The driver can then choose whether or not other passengers in the car can hear what the parties to the call are saying .

The device according to the invention can also comprise a communication unit that is connected to the mobile phone for communicating with it when the mobile phone is placed in the phone holder and that has one or more connection contacts for connecting other electronic equipment to the mobile phone.

What has been stated in this application regarding left and right front door pillars, applies in a corresponding way for left-hand and right-hand drive vehicles respectively.

Claims

1. Device for holding a mobile phone (13) in the interior of a vehicle, comprising an attachment member (8, 15) which is arranged to be attached to the vehicle and a phone holder (10) which is connected to the attachment member and arranged to hold the mobile phone in such a way that it can be removed, characterized in that the phone holder (10) comprises means for detecting whether the mobile phone (13) is in an active or a passive mode and by position-adjusting means comprising movement-controlling means (16) which are connected to the phone holder (10) and the attachment member (15) , which movement-controlling means are arranged to move the phone holder with the mobile phone between an idle position and an operative position depending upon the mode of the mobile phone, in which operative position the mobile phone is (a) essentially at the same height as the driver's normal field of vision and (b) essentially on a straight line between the driver's eyes and a front door pillar (6) of the vehicle, when the driver is sitting in a normal driving position, the attachment member is attached to the vehicle and the mobile phone is placed in the phone holder.

2. Device according to Claim 1, wherein the position- adjusting means comprise the attachment member (8) , the attachment member being designed to be attached to one of the vehicle's front door pillars (6) .

3. Device according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the position-adjusting means comprise an adjustable spacing device (9) which is attached to the attachment member (8) and the phone holder (10) and which allows adjustment of the mobile phone's (13) vertical and lateral position when the attachment member is attached to the vehicle and the mobile phone is placed in the phone holder.

4. Device according to any one of Claims 1-3, wherein the movement-controlling means comprise a track (15) which is arranged to be attached to the vehicle and a slider that can be moved in the track and that is connected to the phone holder (10) , the slider and the phone holder being moved along the track when the phone holder moves between its idle position and its operative position.

5. Device according to any one of Claims 1-3, wherein the movement-controlling means comprise an arm that can be moved in the axial direction of the arm in relation to the attachment member and which is attached at one end to the phone holder, whereby the phone holder and the arm can be moved in the axial direction of the arm when the holder moves from its idle position to its operative position.

6. Device according to any one of Claims 1-5, wherein the device comprises a motor that is connected to the movement-controlling means in order to move them between the idle position and the operative position, and a control unit that is connected to the means for detecting the mode of the mobile phone and to the motor for controlling the motor dependent upon the mode of the mobile phone.

7. Device according to Claim 6, wherein an earpiece holder with an earpiece that is connected to the mobile phone and can be moved between an idle position and an operative position, is mechanically and/or electrically connected to the control unit in order to move the earpiece to its idle position or operative position dependent upon the mode of the mobile phone.

8. Device according to any one of Claims 1-7, wherein the phone holder comprises an electrical circuit which is connected to the mobile phone in order to communicate with this when the mobile phone is placed in the phone holder and which prevents incoming visual messages being displayed on the screen of the mobile phone or other equipment connected to the mobile phone, the incoming visual messages being stored instead in the mobile phone's memory or in a mobile phone operator' s network with which the mobile phone communicates .

9. Vehicle comprising a device according to any one of Claims 1-8.