Method and key for adjusting driver-specific parameters in a vehicle and a corresponding vehicle

• US 20050237150A1
• Filed: 04/28/2005
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Sun, Hao, Fliegner, Jens, Wiel, Martin, Furstnow, Thomas, Grade, Martin, Wengelnik, Heino
• Application Number:
  US11/117,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20050237150A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.520
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00261 the keyless data carrier having more than one function
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00182 operated with unidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00563 using personal physical data of the operator, e.g. finger prints, retinal images, voicepatterns

Abstract

Numerous parameters in a vehicle (1), for example, adjustment of the driver seat and rearview mirror. To increase operating comfort for a driver, it is proposed according to the invention that a key (2), assigned to a vehicle (1), determines a biometric feature, especially a fingerprint, of a driver and sends personalization information depending on it to a control device (8) of a vehicle (1). By means of this personalization information, the control device (8) can carry out driver-specific adjustments within a vehicle (1) before the driver gets into the vehicle (1). In addition, the personal desires of an almost unlimited number of drivers can be considered with only a single key (2), as long as the information required for recognition of the different drivers is stored in the key (2), as well as the adjustments desired by the individual drivers.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting at least one operating person-specific parameter of a vehicle as a function of an operating person, comprising the steps of:

sending personalization information of the operating person by a key of the vehicle to a control device of the vehicle, and

adjusting at least one parameter of the vehicle by the control device as a function of the received personalization information.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising the step of determining the personalization information by determining and evaluating a biometric feature of the operating person.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the biometric feature of the operating person is a fingerprint and/or an acoustic feature of the speech of the operating person and/or an optical feature of the iris of the operating person.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the parameter of the vehicle to be adjusted is the adjustment of a seat, especially the driver'"'"'s seat, and/or the adjustment of a mirror and/or a selection of transmitters stored in a radio receiver and/or acoustic adjustments of a music playback device and/or a parameter that influences the response behavior of the engine to control interventions of the operator.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one operating person-specific parameter of the vehicle is only adjusted if a central locking device of the vehicle is unlocked by means of a locking activation element of the key, and/or an immobilizer of the vehicle is deactivated.

6. A key for a vehicle, wherein the key is configured, so that it sends personalization information of an operating person to a control device of the vehicle, and that the control device adjusts at least one parameter of the vehicle as a function of the received personalization information.

7. The key according to claim 6, wherein the key is configured, so that it determines the personalization information by determining and evaluating a biometric feature of an operating person.

8. The key according to claim 6, wherein the key is configured, so that it stores the personalization information.

9. The key according to claim 6, wherein the key is configured, so that the key sends the personalization information to the vehicle as soon as a communications connection is made between key and the vehicle.

10. The key according to claim 6, wherein the key has a locking activation element to lock or unlock a central locking device in vehicle and/or for activation or deactivation of an immobilizer of the vehicle.

11. The key according to claim 10, wherein the key is configured, so that it determines the biometric feature and therefore the personalization information and sends it to the vehicle, if the locking activation element is operated.

12. The key according to claim 11, wherein the locking activation element includes a fingerprint sensor, and that the key is configured, so that during operation of the locking activation element, a fingerprint is determined as diametric feature of the operating person by a fingerprint sensor.

13. The key according to claim 6, wherein the key is configured, so that the key determines information concerning the direction in which the vehicle is located viewed from the key, and displays the determined direction information.

14. The key according to claim 13, wherein the alignment of a bit of the key is used as reference direction of the key.

15. The key according to claim 13, wherein the key is configured, so that the key determines information concerning direction, in which the vehicle is located from the key only during activation of a vehicle locating activation element.

16. The key according to claim 6, wherein the key is configured, so that it sends the personalization information to the vehicle in wireless fashion, via contact connection, via inductive coupling or via a light signal.

17. The key according to claim 6, wherein the key is configured, so that it can receive status data from the vehicle.

18. The key according to claim 17, wherein the status data includes the mileage of vehicle and/or the filling of the fuel tank of the vehicle and/or information concerning whether unauthorized persons have entered the vehicle and/or operated it and/or information as to whether the vehicle is being moved or towed.

19. The key according to claim 17, wherein the key comprises a display to display the status data and a button, wherein the button is configured, so that the display can be activated by pressing the button.

20. The key according to claim 19, wherein the key is configured such that when pressing the button for the first time, information concerning the general status of the vehicle is displayed.

21. The key according to claim 20, wherein the key is configured, so that the information concerning the general status of the vehicle is information as to whether all status data is satisfactory or not, and includes an indication concerning a name corresponding to the personalization information that is stored in the key.

22. The key according to claim 18, wherein the key is configured, so that pressing of a button, when display is activated, causes the display to indicate a different part of the status data sent to the key from the vehicle with each pressing, in which, on repeated pressing of the button, all the status data sent from the vehicle are indicated on the display in succession.

23. The key according to claim 6, wherein the key is configured, so that different security steps are adjustable in the key, which stipulate the dependence on a determined biometric feature, in which the operating person can perform operating activities.

24. The key according to claim 6, wherein the key is configured, so that the key has an interface, by means of which a biometric feature with corresponding personalization information can be sent to the key.

25. The key according to claim 6, wherein the key is configured, so that the key has an interface, by means of which the personalization information can be transmitted to the key, and that the key in this case stores the transmitted personalization information.

26. A vehicle with an assigned key according to claim 6, in which the vehicle and the key have means of transmission and receipt for data transmission and are set up, so that the key sends personalization information of the operating person to a control device of the vehicle, and that the control device adjusts the at least one parameter of the vehicle as a function of the received personalization information.

27. The vehicle according to claim 26, wherein the vehicle is configured, so that the vehicle with key has a communications connection, when the vehicle recognizes that a handle of the vehicle is operated.

28. The vehicle according to claim 26, wherein the vehicle is configured, so that it transmits status data to the key.

29. The vehicle according to claim 26, wherein the vehicle is configured, so that it sends status data to the key at certain time intervals.

30. The vehicle according to claim 28, wherein the vehicle is configured, so that the status data are transmitted at the time of stopping of the vehicle or when the operating person leaves the vehicle.

31. The vehicle according to claim 28, wherein the vehicle sends status data in wireless fashion, by contact connection, inductive coupling or light signals.

32. The vehicle according to claim 26, wherein the vehicle and key are set up to execute a method comprising the steps of:

sending personalization information of the operating person by a key of the vehicle to a control device of the vehicle, and

adjusting at least one parameter of the vehicle by the control device as a function of the received personalization information.

33. The vehicle according to claim 26, wherein the means of transmission and receipt of the vehicle and the key are equipped for wireless data transmission.