Method and apparatus for persistent transferrable customizable vehicle settings

• US 10,137,906 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Chen, Yifan, Esselink, Chad Evert, Tonshal, Basavaraj, Tobolski, Tricia, Hentschel, Jeffrey Lee, Brown, Jason, Mitra, Pramita
• Primary Examiner(s): Elchanti, Hussein
• Application Number:
  US15/239,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20160355193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/55 Remote control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/589 Wireless data transfers
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/81 for controlling displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/85 Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data
• 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: B60W 2050/0064 using a remote, e.g. cordless, transmitter or receiver unit, e.g. remote keypad or mobile phone
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/085 Changing the parameters of the control units, e.g. changing limit values, working points by control input
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A system includes a processor configured to receive a user request to edit vehicle feature settings from a computer remote from a vehicle. The processor is also configured to retrieve saved vehicle feature setting configurations associated with a vehicle associated with an identified user account. The processor is further configured to build a current feature setting configuration display. Also, the processor is configured to present a user-configurable version of the display on a user interface. The processor is additionally configured to receive changes to current features setting configurations. The processor is also configured to save the changes and upload the changes to the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a mobile-device processor configured to;

present a stored list of vehicle configurable system settings on a display remote from a vehicle;

receive user input adjusting at least one of the configurable system settings;

save the adjusted at least one configurable system setting; and

upload the adjusted at least one configurable system setting to a remote user account.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

request current vehicle configurable system settings from a source remote from the vehicle; and

store settings received responsive to the request as the stored list of vehicle configurable system settings.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the settings received responsive to the request represent stock settings for a vehicle model identified with the request.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the settings received responsive to the request represent current vehicle configurable system settings for a specific vehicle.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the specific vehicle is identified by VIN with the request.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the specific vehicle is pre-associated with the remote user account.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the settings include an appearance of an in-vehicle display interface.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the settings include an appearance of an in-vehicle instrument cluster.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the settings include vehicle seat settings.

10. A system comprising:

a mobile-device processor configured to;

receive vehicle identification;

obtain stock vehicle configurable system settings for the identified vehicle;

present obtained stock vehicle configurable system settings;

receive user adjustment of the stock vehicle configurable system settings; and

upload the user-adjusted stock vehicle configurable system settings to a remote user account.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the vehicle identification includes a vehicle model.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the vehicle identification includes a VIN.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the stock vehicle configurable system settings include an appearance of an in-vehicle display interface.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the stock vehicle configurable system settings include an appearance of an in-vehicle instrument cluster.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the stock vehicle configurable system settings include vehicle seat settings.

16. A system comprising:

a vehicle-based processor configured to;

receive an indicator that a vehicle is being accessed by a new driver for whom setting information is not saved;

responsive to the indicator, receive driver identification information, usable to access a remote account associated with the new driver;

request vehicle configurable system settings from the remote account; and

apply the requested vehicle configurable system settings, responsive to receipt of the settings from the remote account.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the indicator includes a driver input indicating that the driver is a new driver.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the request includes a vehicle identification identifying the vehicle.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to ignore received settings that correspond to options unavailable on the vehicle.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the settings include at least one of an in-vehicle display interface appearance, a cluster appearance and/or vehicle seat settings.