Autonomous vehicle ingress and egress

• US 10,129,643 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2016
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lopez, Jose, Fogt, Deborah, Lavoie, Erick Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Lun-See, Lao
• Application Number:
  US15/342,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20180124515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 381 86, 381107-109, 381389, 381 56- 59, 700 94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/13 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in stereophonic sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

A vehicle system includes a plurality of speakers and a processor. Each of the plurality of speakers is associated with one of a plurality of vehicle components. The processor is programmed to select at least one of the plurality of speakers to play a sound associated with one of the plurality of vehicle components and in accordance with a location of a passenger relative to at least one of the plurality of vehicle components.

Claims

1. A vehicle system, in a host vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of speakers, each associated with one of a plurality of vehicle components, wherein at least one of the plurality of vehicle components includes a vehicle door and wherein the plurality of speakers includes a door speaker associated with the vehicle door; and

a processor programmed to select the door speaker to play a sound associated with the vehicle door,

wherein the door speaker is selected to play the sound as a result of detecting a location of a passenger outside the host vehicle near the vehicle door.

2. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to select the door speaker to play the sound associated with the vehicle door as a result of detecting the location of the passenger near the door and further in response to a door request transmitted from a mobile device.

3. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of speakers further includes a floor speaker, the plurality of vehicle components further includes a vehicle floor, and wherein the processor is programmed to select the floor speaker to play the sound associated with the vehicle floor in response to a step request transmitted from a mobile device and after the passenger opens the vehicle door.

4. The vehicle system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of speakers further includes a seat speaker, the plurality of vehicle components further includes a vehicle seat, and wherein the processor is programmed to select the seat speaker to play the sound associated with the vehicle seat in response to a seat request transmitted from a mobile device and after the passenger steps onto the vehicle floor.

5. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of speakers further includes an interior handle speaker, the plurality of vehicle components further includes an interior handle, and wherein the processor is programmed to select the interior handle speaker to play the sound associated with the interior handle in response to an interior handle request transmitted from a mobile device.

6. The vehicle system of claim 5, wherein the processor is programmed to select the door speaker to play the sound associated with a vehicle door before selecting the interior handle speaker to play the sound associated with an interior handle.

7. The vehicle system of claim 4, wherein the processor is programmed to select the floor speaker to play the sound associated with a vehicle floor before selecting the seat speaker to play the sound associated with a vehicle seat.

8. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to command a communication interface to transmit the sound to a mobile device for playback on the mobile device.

9. The vehicle system of claim 8, wherein the processor is programmed to determine a distance of the mobile device to one of the plurality of vehicle components and transmit, via the communication interface, a command to the mobile device to adjust the sound according to the distance.

10. The vehicle system of claim 9, wherein commanding the mobile device to adjust the sound includes commanding the mobile device to increase a volume of the sound as the mobile device moves closer to one of the plurality of vehicle components and decrease a volume of the sound as the mobile device moves further from one of the plurality of vehicle components.

11. A method comprising:

selecting, in a vehicle, a door speaker, associated with a vehicle door, from among a plurality of speakers to play a sound associated with the vehicle door, wherein the door speaker is selected to play the sound as a result of detecting a location of a passenger outside the vehicle near the vehicle door and further as a result of receiving a plurality of requests received from a mobile device; and

playing the sound via the door speaker as a result of selecting the door speaker.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of requests includes a door request and wherein selecting the door speaker includes selecting the door speaker to play the sound associated with a vehicle door as a result of detecting the location of the passenger near the door and further in response to receiving the door request.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of requests includes a step request and the method further comprising selecting a floor speaker, from among the plurality of speakers, to play the sound associated with a vehicle floor in response to receiving the step request and after the passenger opens the vehicle door.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of requests includes a seat request and the method further comprising selecting a seat speaker, from among the plurality of speakers, to play the sound associated with a vehicle seat in response to receiving the seat request and after the passenger steps onto the vehicle floor.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of requests includes an interior handle request and the method further comprising selecting an interior handle speaker, from among the plurality of speakers, to play the sound associated with an interior handle in response to receiving the interior handle request.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting the sound to the mobile device for playback on the mobile device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining a distance of the mobile device to one of the plurality of vehicle components; and

transmitting a command to the mobile device to adjust the sound according to the distance.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein commanding the mobile device to adjust the sound includes commanding the mobile device to increase a volume of the sound as the mobile device moves closer to one of the plurality of vehicle components and decrease a volume of the sound as the mobile device moves further from one of the plurality of vehicle components.

19. A vehicle system, in a host vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of speakers, each associated with one of a plurality of vehicle components, wherein the plurality of vehicle components includes a vehicle door and wherein the plurality of speakers includes a door speaker associated with the vehicle door; and

a processor programmed to select the door speaker to play a sound associated with the vehicle door,

wherein the door speaker is selected to play the sound as a result of receiving a door request associated with the vehicle door, wherein the door request is received as a result of detecting a location of a passenger near the door.

20. The vehicle system of claim 19, wherein the door request is received from at least one of a vehicle sensor and a mobile device.