Vehicular user hospitality system

• US 20060235753A1
• Filed: 04/04/2006
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kameyama, Shogo
• Granted Patent: US 8,140,344 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/15
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00742 by detection of the vehicle occupants' presence; by detection of conditions relating to the body of occupants, e.g. using radiant heat detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/143 combined with another condition, e.g. using vehicle recognition from camera images or activation of wipers
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/32 for indicating vehicle sides , e.g. clearance lights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/40 Welcome lights, i.e. specific or existing exterior lamps to assist leaving or approaching the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/80 Circuits; Control arrangements for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/25 using biometry
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/252 Fingerprint recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/257 Voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/043 Identity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/63 Comprising locating means for detecting the position of the data carrier, i.e. within the vehicle or within a certain distance from the vehicle

Abstract

A series of motions where a user approaches, gets in, drives or stays in, and gets off a vehicle is divided into a plurality of scenes. In each scene, a hospitality operation is executed for assisting use of the vehicle by the user or for entertaining the user. Information about disturbances on the user is obtained in each specified scene. In accordance with the scene, user biological characteristic information, and the information about disturbances, a hospitality operation device to be used and a hospitality operation by the hospitality operation device are determined.

Claims

1. A vehicular user hospitality system

for dividing a series of motions of a user using a vehicle when the user approaches, gets in, drives or stays in, and gets off the vehicle into a plurality of scenes and

for executing a hospitality operation

for assisting use of the vehicle by the user in each of the plurality of scenes or

for entertaining the user, the vehicular user hospitality system comprising:

a hospitality operation group including a plurality of hospitality operation devices, each hospitality operation device for executing a hospitality operation;

a hospitality determination section; and

a hospitality control section, wherein;

the hospitality determination section includes

(i) a scene estimate information obtaining unit for obtaining at least one of a position and a motion of the user as scene estimate information, the position and the motion being predetermined in each scene,

(ii) a scene specifying unit for specifying a scene in accordance with the obtained scene estimate information, and

(iii) a hospitality content determination unit for determining a certain hospitality operation device to be used and a certain hospitality operation by the certain hospitality operation device in accordance with the specified scene; and

the hospitality control section causes the certain hospitality operation device to execute the certain hospitality operation.

2. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a current scene specifying information storage unit for storing current scene specifying information which specifies a current scene, wherein

the scene specifying unit (i) grasps a current scene in accordance with the stored current scene specifying information, (ii) determines that the current scene is switched to a following scene when the scene estimate information obtaining unit detects a position or a motion of the user unique to the following scene on a premise that the current scene is grasped, and (iii) stores information for specifying the following scene in the current scene specifying information storage unit as the current scene specifying information.

3. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 1, wherein

a plurality of themes of hospitality for the user are determined in each scene,

the hospitality operation device used and the hospitality operation by the hospitality operation device are uniquely determined in each of the plurality of themes,

the hospitality determination section determines a certain hospitality operation device used for part or all of the plurality of themes, and a certain hospitality operation by the certain hospitality operation device, and

the hospitality control section causes the certain hospitality operation device to execute the certain hospitality operation.

4. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 1, further comprising

a user biological characteristic information obtaining unit for obtaining user biological characteristic information including at least one of a character, a mental condition, and a physical condition, wherein

the hospitality content determination unit changes a hospitality operation prepared in each scene in accordance with the obtained user biological characteristic information.

5. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 1, wherein

a plurality of hospitality operations are prepared in each scene in advance, and provided with usage priority, and the hospitality content determination unit selects the plurality of hospitality operations in a descending order of the usage priority in each scene.

6. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 1, wherein

the scene specifying unit specifies an approach scene when the user approaches the vehicle and a drive/stay scene when the user drives or stays in the vehicle.

7. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 6, wherein

the scene estimate information obtaining unit has an approach detection unit for detecting an approach to the vehicle by the user in accordance with a relative distance between the vehicle and the user positioned outside the vehicle to specify the approach scene, and a seating detection unit for detecting the user who has been seated on a seat of the vehicle to specify the drive/stay scene.

8. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 6, wherein

a lighting device provided to the vehicle for lighting a space outside the vehicle is determined as the certain hospitality operation device in the approach scene, and lighting of the lighting device for receiving the user is determined as the certain hospitality operation.

9. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a host communications unit provided as a peripheral of the vehicle for communicating with an outer terminal device; and

a user terminal device having a terminal communications unit for communicating with the host communications unit via a radio communications network, the user terminal device being carried by the user, wherein

a hospitality operation device in the approach scene is a voice output portion provided to the user terminal device, and

the host communications unit is the hospitality control section to instruct by radio the user terminal device to operate the voice output portion in the approach scene.

10. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 9, wherein

the voice output portion outputs a voice of a message prompting the user to confirm precautions before traveling.

11. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a user biological characteristic information obtaining unit for obtaining user biological characteristic information including at least one of a character, a mental condition, and a physical condition of the user, wherein

an air conditioner mounted to the vehicle is determined as the certain hospitality operation device in the drive/stay scene, and

the hospitality content determination unit changes a set temperature of the air conditioner in accordance with the obtained user biological characteristic information.

12. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a user biological characteristic information obtaining unit for obtaining user biological characteristic information including at least one of a character, a mental condition, and a physical condition of the user, wherein

a car audio system provided to the vehicle is determined as the certain hospitality operation device in the drive/stay scene, and

the hospitality content determination unit changes a selected song of a music source outputted from the car audio system in accordance with the obtained user biological characteristic information.

13. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 1, wherein

the scene specifying unit specifies an approach scene when the user approaches the vehicle, a getting-in scene when the user gets on the vehicle, a drive/stay scene when the user drives or stays in the vehicle, and a getting-off scene when the user gets off the vehicle, sequentially in this order, and

the hospitality content determination unit determines the certain hospitality operation device to be used in each of the scenes and the certain hospitality operation by the certain hospitality operation device.

14. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 13, wherein

the certain hospitality operation device is a door automatic opening-closing device or an opening-closing assist mechanism in the getting-in scene and the getting-off scene, and

the door automatic opening-closing device or the opening-closing assist mechanism is made to assist getting-on of the user.

15. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a disturbance information obtaining unit for obtaining disturbance information about a disturbance on the user from a predetermined disturbance detection unit,

wherein the hospitality content determination unit determines the certain hospitality operation device to be used and the certain hospitality operation by the certain hospitality operation device in accordance with the disturbance information obtained by the disturbance information obtaining unit.

16. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 15, wherein

the hospitality content determination unit predetermines a relationship between a disturbance on the user and a hospitality operation device to be preferentially used among the plurality of hospitality operation devices in accordance with the disturbance information, and has a function selection unit for selecting a hospitality operation device corresponding to a disturbance shown by the obtained disturbance information in accordance with the relationship.

17. A vehicular user hospitality system

for dividing a series of motions of a user using a vehicle when the user approaches, gets in, drives or stays in, and gets off the vehicle into a plurality of scenes and

for executing a hospitality operation

for assisting use of the vehicle by the user in each of the plurality of scenes or

for entertaining the user, the vehicular user hospitality system comprising:

a hospitality operation group including a plurality of hospitality operation devices, each hospitality operation device for executing a hospitality operation;

a hospitality determination section; and

a hospitality control section, wherein

the hospitality determination section includes

(i) a scene estimate information obtaining unit for obtaining at least one of a position and a motion of a user, the position and the motion being predetermined in each scene,

(ii) a scene specifying unit for specifying a scene in accordance with the obtained scene estimate information,

(iii) a user biological characteristic information obtaining unit for obtaining user biological characteristic information including at least one of a character, a mental condition, and a physical condition of the user,

(iv) a disturbance information obtaining unit for obtaining disturbance information about a disturbance on the user from a disturbance detection unit predetermined in each specified scene, and

(v) a hospitality content determination unit for determining a certain hospitality operation device to be used and a certain hospitality operation by the certain hospitality operation device in accordance with the specified scene, the user biological characteristic information, and the disturbance information, and

the hospitality control section causes the certain hospitality operation device to execute the certain hospitality operation.

18. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 17, further comprising:

a function selection table storage unit for storing a selection table showing a relationship between a disturbance on the user and a hospitality operation device to be preferentially used in accordance with the disturbance, wherein

the hospitality content determination unit has a function selection unit for selecting the certain hospitality operation device corresponding to a disturbance shown by the obtained disturbance information in accordance with the relationship shown by the selection table stored in the function selection table storage unit.

19. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 18, wherein

the function selection table determines, among the plurality of hospitality operation devices, several hospitality operation devices to be preferentially used in a predetermined type of disturbances, and includes information about usage priority of the several hospitality operation devices.

20. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 19, wherein

after a control appropriate value of a hospitality operation corresponding to the obtained user biological characteristic information is determined, the hospitality operation device corresponding to the disturbance shown by the disturbance information is determined by the function selection unit.

21. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 17, further comprising:

a hospitality operation information storage unit for storing hospitality operation information defining an operation of each hospitality operation device, the hospitality operation information corresponding to each character type of the user, the type being specified by user character specifying information included in the obtained user biological characteristic information for specifying a character of the user, wherein

the hospitality content determination unit reads the hospitality operation information corresponding to the character type specified by the obtained user character specifying information from the hospitality operation information storage unit, and

the hospitality control section causes the certain hospitality operation device to execute the certain hospitality operation in accordance with the hospitality operation information.

22. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 17, wherein

the user biological characteristic information obtaining unit includes

a biological condition detection unit for detecting a predetermined biological condition to be used for estimating a mental condition and a physical condition of the user, and

a mental/physical condition estimate unit for estimating a mental condition or a physical condition of the user in accordance with the detected biological condition, and

the hospitality content determination unit determines a control appropriate value of the certain hospitality operation in accordance with the estimated mental/physical condition.

23. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 22, wherein

the hospitality content determination unit monitors a time change of the mental/physical condition of the user, the condition being estimated by the mental/physical condition estimate unit, and corrects the control appropriate value in accordance with the time change of the mental/physical condition.

24. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 22, further comprising:

a hospitality operation information storage unit for storing hospitality operation information defining an operation of each hospitality operation device, the hospitality operation information corresponding to each character type of the user, the type being specified by user character specifying information included in the obtained user biological characteristic information for specifying a character of the user, wherein

the hospitality content determination unit reads the hospitality operation information corresponding to the character type specified by the obtained user character specifying information from the hospitality operation information storage unit before the control appropriate value of the hospitality operation is determined in accordance with the mental/physical condition, and

the hospitality control section causes the certain hospitality operation device to execute the certain hospitality operation in accordance with the hospitality operation information.

25. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 17, wherein

a plurality of themes of hospitality are defined in accordance with a directivity of a hospitality desired by the user, and several hospitality operations are predetermined for each of the plurality of themes, and

the hospitality determination section includes

(i) a theme determination unit for selecting at least one of the plurality of themes in accordance with the user biological characteristic information, and

(ii) a hospitality operation selection unit for selecting, all together, hospitality operations predetermined for the selected at least one of the plurality of themes.

26. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 25, wherein

the plurality of themes are determined for each of the plurality of scenes, and

the theme determination unit selects one of the plurality of themes corresponding to the specified scene.

27. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 17, further comprising:

a hospitality adjustment instruction unit for instructing the hospitality control section to adjust a control condition of the hospitality operation in accordance with response information from the user receiving the hospitality operation.