Vehicle control system, portable terminal, and vehicular device

• US 10,106,055 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2015
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kusunose, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jelani A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Martinez Borrero, Luis A
• Application Number:
  US15/113,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20160347207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,371 Days
• Field of Search: 701 36, 701 1, 701400, 701 49, 701117, 701 41, 701431, 701 48
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0228 Hand-activated mechanical switches B60N2/0229 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0233 Touchscreens
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0237 using portable terminals, e.g. smartphones
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0248 with memory of positions
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0277 characterised by the calculation method or calculation flow chart of sensor data for adjusting the seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/12 slidable and tiltable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/16 height-adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/34 into a bed
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2220/10 using a database
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2230/20 Wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/037 for occupant comfort , e.g. for automatic adjustment of appliances according to personal settings, e.g. seats, mirrors, steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/04 using counting means or digital clocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a vehicle control system which is capable of setting sleep positions appropriate for a user in different vehicles. In the vehicle control system, a portable terminal receives inputs of sleep positions each of which is a seat position appropriate for the user to sleep in a corresponding vehicle, a storage stores the sleep positions associated with respective vehicles, and a sleep position transmission portion reads out, from the storage, the sleep position corresponding to the vehicle boarded by the user in response to a manipulation made by the user and transmits the readout sleep position to the corresponding vehicular device. Each vehicular device, in response to a reception of the sleep position from the portable terminal, sets the seat position to be appropriate for the user to sleep in accordance with the received sleep position.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system comprising:

a portable terminal carried by a user; and

a plurality of vehicular devices provided, respectively, for a plurality of vehicles, wherein,

each of the plurality of vehicular devices automatically sets a driving position appropriate for a user to perform a driving operation by communicating with the portable terminal,

the portable terminal includes;

an input reception portion receiving inputs of sleep positions each of which is a seat position appropriate for the user to sleep in a corresponding one of the plurality of vehicles;

a storage storing the sleep positions received by the input reception portion associated with the plurality of vehicles; and

a sleep position transmission portion reading out, from the storage, one of the sleep positions corresponding to one of the plurality of vehicles boarded by the user in response to a manipulation made by the user and transmitting the one of the sleep positions which is read out to a corresponding one of the plurality of vehicular devices,

each of the plurality of vehicular devices includes a sleep position setup portion, and,

when one of the plurality of vehicular devices receives the one of the sleep positions from the portable terminal, the sleep position setup portion automatically sets, in accordance with the one of the sleep positions, the seat position to be appropriate for the user to sleep,

wherein the sleep position transmission portion transmits the one of the sleep positions to the corresponding one of the plurality of vehicular devices when a shift lever of the one of the plurality of vehicles boarded by the user corresponds to a parking position.

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

the portable terminal further includes:

a shift position information acquisition portion acquiring shift position information indicating a position of the shift lever of the one of the plurality of vehicles boarded by the user from the corresponding one of the plurality of vehicular devices; and

a parking determination portion determining whether the shift lever of the one of the plurality of vehicles boarded by the user corresponds to the parking position based on the shift position information acquired by the shift position information acquisition portion,

wherein the sleep position transmission portion transmits the one of the sleep positions to the corresponding one of the plurality of vehicular devices under a condition that the parking determination portion determines that the shift lever of the one of the plurality of vehicles boarded by the user corresponds to the parking position.

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

the storage stores driving positions each of which is a seat position appropriate for the user to perform the driving operation of the corresponding one of the plurality of vehicles,

the portable terminal further includes:

a wakeup time determination portion determining whether a current time reaches a wakeup time set by a manipulation made by the user; and

a driving position transmission portion reading out, from the storage, one of the driving positions corresponding to one of the plurality of vehicles boarded by the user when the wakeup time determination portion determines that the current time reaches the wakeup time, and then the driving position transmission portion transmitting the one of the driving positions which is read out to the corresponding one of the plurality of vehicular devices, and

each of the plurality of vehicular devices further includes a driving position setup portion receiving the one of the driving positions from the portable terminal and setting, in accordance with the one of the driving positions, the seat position to be appropriate for the user to perform the driving operation.

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

the portable terminal further includes an alarm sound output portion outputting an alarm sound from a speaker when the wakeup time determination portion determines that the current time reaches the wakeup time.

5. A portable terminal communicating with each of a plurality of vehicular devices which are provided, respectively, for a plurality of vehicles, wherein each of the plurality of vehicular devices sets a driving position appropriate for a user to perform a driving operation,

the portable terminal comprising:

an input reception portion receiving inputs of sleep positions each of which is a seat position appropriate for the user to sleep in a corresponding one of the plurality of vehicles;

a storage storing the sleep positions received by the input reception portion associated with the plurality of vehicles; and

a sleep position transmission portion reading out, from the storage, one of the sleep positions corresponding to one of the plurality of vehicles boarded by the user in response to a manipulation made by the user and transmitting the one of the sleep positions which is read out to a corresponding one of the plurality of vehicular devices,

wherein the sleep position transmission portion transmits the one of the sleep positions to the corresponding one of the plurality of vehicular devices when a shift lever of the one of the plurality of vehicles boarded by the user corresponds to a parking position.

6. The portable terminal according to claim 5, further comprising:

a shift position information acquisition portion acquiring shift position information indicating a position of the shift lever of the one of the plurality of vehicles boarded by the user from the corresponding one of the plurality of vehicular devices; and

a parking determination portion determining whether the shift lever of the one of the plurality of vehicles boarded by the user corresponds to the parking position based on the shift position information acquired by the shift position information acquisition portion,

wherein the sleep position transmission portion transmits the one of the sleep positions to the corresponding one of the plurality of vehicular devices under a condition that the parking determination portion determines that the shift lever of the one of the plurality of vehicles boarded by the user corresponds to the parking position.

7. The portable terminal according to claim 5, wherein the storage stores driving positions each of which is a seat position appropriate for the user to perform the driving operation of the corresponding one of the plurality of vehicles, the portable terminal further comprising:

a wakeup time determination portion determining whether a current time reaches a wakeup time set by a manipulation made by the user; and

a driving position transmission portion reading out, from the storage, one of the driving positions corresponding to one of the plurality of vehicles boarded by the user when the wakeup time determination portion determines that the current time reaches the wakeup time, and then the driving position transmission portion transmitting the one of the driving positions which is read out to the corresponding one of the plurality of vehicular devices.

8. The portable terminal according to claim 7, further comprising:

an alarm sound output portion outputting an alarm sound from a speaker when the wakeup time determination portion determines that the current time reaches the wakeup time.

9. A vehicular device provided for each of a plurality of vehicles and automatically setting a driving position appropriate for a user to perform a driving operation by communicating with a portable terminal carried by a user, wherein the portable terminal receives inputs of sleep positions each of which is a seat position appropriate for the user to sleep in a corresponding one of the plurality of vehicles, stores the sleep positions in a storage, and transmits one of the sleep positions corresponding to the vehicle boarded by the user in response to a manipulation made by the user,

the vehicular device comprising:

a sleep position setup portion receiving the one of the sleep positions from the portable terminal and automatically setting, in accordance with the one of the sleep positions, the seat position to be appropriate for the user to sleep,

wherein a sleep position transmission portion transmits the one of the sleep positions to the vehicular device when a shift lever of the vehicle boarded by the user corresponds to a parking position.