System and method for controlling a vehicle using secondary access methods

• US 10,717,412 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2017
• Issued: 07/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NIO Technology Company Limited (NIO, Inc. (China))
• Original Assignee: Nio Usa Inc. (NIO, Inc. (China))
• Inventors: Abel Rayan, Infantdani, Malli Raghavan, Karthick Kumar, Jia, Xiaochen
• Primary Examiner(s): Kong, Sze-Hon
• Application Number:
  US15/810,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20190143936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/04 adjustable in transparency
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 23/08 for changing number of driven wheels , for switching from driving one axle to driving two or more axles B60K17/3515 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0224 Non-manual adjustments, e.g. with electrical operation
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/01 operating on vehicle systems or fittings, e.g. on doors, seats or windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/10 actuating a signalling device
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2045 by hand gestures
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2054 by foot gestures
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/257 Voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/31 of human presence inside or outside the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/023 including defroster or demisting means
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/181 with power actuated adjustment, e.g. with position memory
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/76 Detection of handle operation; Detection of a user approaching a handle; Electrical switching actions performed by door handles
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/76 responsive to devices carried by persons or objects, e.g. magnets or reflectors E05F15/77 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/66 Wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/80 User interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/50 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/68 Gesture-dependent or behaviour-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• 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

Abstract

A message is received that a mobile device is in proximity to a vehicle. For example, a cloud system may receive a message that the mobile device is in proximity to the car of a specific person. Based on the mobile device being in proximity to the vehicle, sensor information is received from one or more sensors on the vehicle. For example, an array of cameras on the vehicle may be used to detect a gesture. The received information from the one or more sensors on the vehicle is processed to identify one or more actions to implement on the vehicle. One or more commands are then sent to implement one or more actions on the vehicle. For example, the one or more commands may be to open a specific door on the vehicle and to turn on a specific heating system in the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a microprocessor; and

a computer readable medium, coupled with the microprocessor and comprising microprocessor readable and executable instructions that program the microprocessor to;

receive a message that a mobile device is in proximity to a vehicle;

in response to receiving the message, access information from one or more sensors on the vehicle in response to the mobile device being in proximity to the vehicle;

process the received information from the one or more sensors on the vehicle to identify one or more actions to implement on the vehicle, comprising;

determining that a specific gesture is made by a person approaching the vehicle;

determining a type of clothing worn by the person;

determining a weather condition around the vehicle; and

determining the one or more actions that correspond to at least one of the specific gesture made by the person, the type of clothing worn by the person, and the weather condition around the vehicle, wherein the one or more actions comprise at least one of unlocking a specific door of the vehicle, adjusting a seat and steering wheel of the vehicle, and adjusting a heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) setting of the vehicle; and

send one or more commands to implement the one or more actions on the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is in the vehicle, wherein the message that the mobile device is in proximity to the vehicle is also received at a cloud system, wherein the cloud system sends a message to the vehicle to activate the one or more sensors in the vehicle, and wherein the vehicle receives the information from the one or more sensors to identify the one or more actions to implement on the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is in the vehicle and wherein the microprocessor activates the one or more sensors in the vehicle in response to receiving the message that the mobile device is in proximity to the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is in a cloud system on a network, wherein the received message is received from the mobile device, and wherein the cloud system sends a message to the vehicle to activate the one or more sensors in the vehicle in response to receiving the message that the mobile device is in proximity to the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the microprocessor receives a message from the vehicle that the one or more actions have been implemented on the vehicle.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the processed received information from the one or more sensors is filtered in the vehicle before being received.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is in a cloud system on a network, wherein the received message is received from the vehicle, and wherein the cloud system sends a message to the vehicle to activate the one or more sensors in the vehicle in response to receiving the message that the mobile device is in proximity to the vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more actions further comprise at least one of:

setting an HVAC level for a specific location in the vehicle, warning the person that an unknown person is in the vehicle, warning the person that the unknown person is hiding behind the vehicle, selecting a specific radio station, selecting a specific song track to play, suggesting a specific driving route, adjusting a height of a steering wheel, enabling/disabling windshield wipers, adjusting a tint level in a window, folding up or down a seat, enabling/disabling four wheel drive, and activating an automatic driving mode for the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein implementing the one or more actions on the vehicle is based on one or more rules, wherein the one or more rules are also based on at least one of the following:

a person shaking the mobile device, the person tapping the mobile device, the person providing a fingerprint on the mobile device, the person providing a voice print on the mobile device, receiving a picture of the person from a camera on the mobile device, determining a content of a calendar of the person, analyzing a posting on a social media site of the person, and analyzing a received heart rate of the person taken by the mobile device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein processing the received information from the one or more sensors on the vehicle further comprises determining a size of an item being carried by the person, and wherein the one or more actions further comprise opening a trunk of the vehicle.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, by a microprocessor, a message that a mobile device is in proximity to a vehicle;

in response to receiving the message, receiving, by the microprocessor, information from one or more sensors on the vehicle in response to the mobile device being in proximity to the vehicle;

processing, by the microprocessor, the received information from the one or more sensors on the vehicle to identify one or more actions to implement on the vehicle, comprising;

determining that a specific gesture is made by a person approaching the vehicle;

determining a type of clothing worn by the person,

determining a weather condition around the vehicle; and

determining the one or more actions that correspond to at least one of the specific gesture made by the person, they type of clothing worn by the person, and the weather condition around the vehicle, wherein the one or more actions comprise at least one of unlocking a specific door of the vehicle, adjusting a seat and steering wheel of the vehicle, and adjusting a heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) setting of the vehicle; and

sending, by the microprocessor, one or more commands to implement the one or more actions on the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the microprocessor is in the vehicle, wherein the message that the mobile device is in proximity to the vehicle is also received at a cloud system, wherein the cloud system sends a message to the vehicle to activate the one or more sensors in the vehicle, and wherein the vehicle receives the information from the one or more sensors to identify the one or more actions to implement on the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the microprocessor is in the vehicle and wherein the microprocessor activates the one or more sensors in the vehicle in response to receiving the message that the mobile device is in proximity to the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the microprocessor is in a cloud system on a network, wherein the received message is received from the mobile device, and wherein the cloud system sends a message to the vehicle to activate the one or more sensors in the vehicle in response to receiving the message that the mobile device is in proximity to the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the microprocessor receives a message from the vehicle that the one or more actions have been implemented on the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the processed received information from the one or more sensors is filtered in the vehicle before being received.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the microprocessor is in a cloud system on a network, wherein the received message is received from the vehicle, and wherein the cloud system sends a message to the vehicle to activate the one or more sensors in the vehicle in response to receiving the message that the mobile device is in proximity to the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more actions further comprise at least one of:

setting an HVAC level for a specific location in the vehicle, warning the person that an unknown person is in the vehicle, warning the person that the unknown person is hiding behind the vehicle, selecting a specific radio station, selecting a specific song track to play, suggesting a specific driving route, adjusting a height of a steering wheel, enabling/disabling windshield wipers, adjusting a tint level in a window, folding up or down a seat, enabling/disabling four wheel drive, and activating an automatic driving mode for the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein implementing the one or more actions on the vehicle is based on one or more rules, wherein the one or more rules are also based on at least one of the following:

a person shaking the mobile device, the person tapping the mobile device, the person providing a fingerprint on the mobile device, the person providing a voice print on the mobile device, receiving a picture of the person from a camera on the mobile device, determining a content of a calendar of the person, analyzing a posting on a social media site of the person, and analyzing a received heart rate of the person taken by the mobile device.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein processing the received information from the one or more sensors on the vehicle further comprises determining a size of an item being carried by the person, and wherein the one or more actions further comprise opening a trunk of the vehicle.