Smart notification systems for wearable devices

• US 10,081,347 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2016
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Haberl, Samuel T., Lota, Charan
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US15/281,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20170015296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0064 using a remote, e.g. cordless, transmitter or receiver unit, e.g. remote keypad or mobile phone
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 Interpretation of driver requests or demands
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

According to the embodiments described herein, a smart notification system can include a vehicle, a mobile communication device, and a wearable processing device. A wearable processor or the wearable processing device, a mobile processor of the mobile communication device, a vehicular processor of the vehicle, or a combination thereof can execute machine readable instructions to monitor ambient conditions of the vehicle with a sensor. A notification can be provided upon a wearable display of the wearable processing device. The notification can be indicative of the ambient conditions of the vehicle. A command can be detected with physical input of the wearable processing device. A command signal can be received with vehicle communication hardware of the vehicle. The command signal can be indicative of the command detected by the physical input of the wearable processing device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor;

a temperature sensor communicatively coupled to the processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor; and

machine readable instructions stored in the memory that cause the system to perform at least the following when executed by the processor;

monitor a temperature within a vehicle with the temperature sensor;

determine a temperature limit at least based on cooling or heating capabilities of the vehicle and temporal information related to a user of the vehicle;

determine a need for further action based on a comparison of the temperature within the vehicle and the temperature limit;

provide a notification of the need for the further action in response to determining the need for the further action; and

receive a command signal initiating the further action in response to providing the notification.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor executes the machine readable instructions to operate one or more components of the vehicle according to the further action, wherein the one or more components includes at least one of a window actuator and a heating ventilation and cooling system.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a light sensor communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the processor executes the machine readable instructions to monitor a level of lighting in an environment surrounding the vehicle with the light sensor, and determine the need for further action based on the level of lighting.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises a window actuator communicatively coupled to the processor and operable to open or close a window or a sunroof, and wherein the processor executes the machine readable instructions to cause the window actuator to open or close the window or the sunroof.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises a heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system communicatively coupled to the processor, and wherein the processor executes the machine readable instructions to cause the HVAC system to heat or cool a passenger compartment of the vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor executes the machine readable instructions to monitor weather conditions surrounding the vehicle, and determine that the weather conditions correspond to a precipitation event.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the vehicle comprises a window actuator communicatively coupled to the processor and operable to open or close a window or a sunroof, and wherein the processor executes the machine readable instructions to cause the window actuator to close the window or the sunroof in response to determining that the weather conditions correspond to the precipitation event.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor executes the machine readable instructions to:

monitor a fuel level of the vehicle; and

provide a fuel notification indicative of the fuel level of the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor executes the machine readable instructions to:

monitor diagnostic information of the vehicle; and

provide an informational notification indicative of the diagnostic information of the vehicle.

10. A computer-implemented method comprising:

monitoring a temperature within a vehicle with a temperature sensor;

determining a temperature limit at least based on cooling or heating capabilities of the vehicle and temporal information related to a user of the vehicle;

determining a need for further action based on a comparison of the temperature within the vehicle and the temperature limit;

providing a notification of the need for the further action in response to determining the need for the further action; and

receiving a command signal initiating the further action in response to providing the notification.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising operating one or more components of the vehicle according to the further action, wherein the one or more components includes at least one of a window actuator and a heating ventilation and cooling system.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising

monitoring a level of lighting in an environment surrounding the vehicle with a light sensor;

and

determining the need for further action based on the level of lighting.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

monitoring a fuel level of the vehicle; and

providing a fuel notification indicative of the fuel level of the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

monitoring diagnostic information of the vehicle; and

providing an informational notification indicative of the diagnostic information of the vehicle.

15. A vehicle comprising:

a processor;

a temperature sensor communicatively coupled to the processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor;

at least one of a window actuator and a heating ventilation and cooling (HVAC) system communicatively coupled to the processor; and

machine readable instructions stored in the memory that cause the vehicle to perform at least the following when executed by the processor;

monitor a temperature within the vehicle with the temperature sensor;

determine a temperature limit at least based on cooling or heating capabilities of the vehicle and temporal information related to a user of the vehicle;

determine a need for further action based on a comparison of the temperature within the vehicle and the temperature limit;

provide a notification of the need for the further action in response to determining the need for the further action;

receive a command signal initiating the further action in response to providing the notification; and

automatically operate the at least one of the window actuator and the HVAC system according to the further action.

16. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the at least one of the window actuator and the HVAC system comprises the window actuator, the vehicle further comprising a window or a sunroof, wherein:

the window actuator is operable to open or close the window or the sunroof; and

the processor executes the machine readable instructions to cause the window actuator to open or close the window or the sunroof.

17. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the at least one of the window actuator and the HVAC system comprises the HVAC system, wherein the processor executes the machine readable instructions to cause the HVAC system to heat or cool a passenger compartment of the vehicle.

18. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the processor executes the machine readable instructions to monitor weather conditions surrounding the vehicle and determine that the weather conditions correspond to a precipitation event.

19. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the at least one of the window actuator and the HVAC system comprises the window actuator, the vehicle further comprising a window or a sunroof, wherein the processor executes the machine readable instructions to cause the window actuator to close the window or the sunroof in response to determining that the weather conditions correspond to the precipitation event.

20. The vehicle of claim 15, further comprising a light sensor communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the processor executes the machine readable instructions to monitor a level of lighting in an environment surrounding the vehicle with the light sensor, and determine the need for further action based on the level of lighting.