CONTROL SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING IN-VEHICLE APPARATUS

• US 20100268412A1
• Filed: 04/19/2010
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Hara, Tetsuya, Mori, Takuya, Hara, Kousuke, Yamamoto, Norio, Iwasaki, Hirotoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,560,166 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/33
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/209 Fuel quantity remaining in tank
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/21 Voice
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18054 at stand still, e.g. engine in idling state hill holding B60W30/18118

Abstract

An obtaining unit obtains information about a condition where a vehicle is placed. A detection unit detects at least one of a voice and an action of an occupant of the vehicle. An estimation unit estimates an in-vehicle apparatus to be a controlled target according to the condition where the vehicle is placed. A determination unit determines an in-vehicle apparatus to be a controlled in-vehicle apparatus and determines a control content thereof in consideration of the at least one of a voice and an action. A notification unit notifies the occupant of the in-vehicle apparatus to be controlled and the control content thereof determined by the determination unit. A control unit controls the in-vehicle apparatus according to the determination of the determination unit when receiving a response to the notification of the notification unit from the occupant to permit the control of the in-vehicle apparatus.

Claims

1. A control system for a vehicle, the control system comprising:

a plurality of in-vehicle apparatuses of the vehicle;

an obtaining unit configured to obtain information about a condition where the vehicle is placed;

a detection unit configured to detect at least one of a voice and an action of an occupant of the vehicle;

a determination unit configured to

estimate an in-vehicle apparatus from the plurality of in-vehicle apparatuses to be a controlled target according to the condition where the vehicle is placed and

determine an in-vehicle apparatus to be controlled from the plurality of in-vehicle apparatuses and a control content of the determined in-vehicle apparatus in consideration of the detected at least one of a voice and an action of the occupant;

a notification unit configured to notify the occupant of the in-vehicle apparatus to be controlled determined by the determination unit and the control content of the determined in-vehicle apparatus; and

a control unit configured to control the determined in-vehicle apparatus according to the determination of the determination unit when receiving a response to the notification of the notification unit from the occupant to permit the control of the determined in-vehicle apparatus.

2. The control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storing unit configured to store a control history of a controlled in-vehicle apparatus controlled by the control unit in a condition where the vehicle is placed and a control content of the controlled in-vehicle apparatus, wherein

when a control history of a controlled in-vehicle apparatus controlled in a condition similar to the condition where the vehicle is placed and a control content of the controlled in-vehicle apparatus is stored in the storing unit, the determination unit determines the in-vehicle apparatus to be controlled and the control content of the determined in-vehicle apparatus in consideration of the control history.

3. The control system according to claim 1, wherein

when the determination unit estimates the in-vehicle apparatus to be the controlled target according to the condition where the vehicle is placed, the determination unit inquires the occupant of the vehicle about information, which is needed to determine the in-vehicle apparatus to be controlled and the control content of the determined in-vehicle apparatus,

when a response to the inquiry is obtained according to the detected at least one of a voice and an action of the occupant, the determination unit determines the in-vehicle apparatus to be controlled and the control content of the determined in-vehicle apparatus according to the detected at least one of a voice and an action of the occupant.

4. The control system according to claim 3, further comprising:

a storing unit configured to store a control history of a controlled in-vehicle apparatus controlled by the control unit in a condition where the vehicle is placed and a control content of the controlled in-vehicle apparatus, wherein

when a control history of a controlled in-vehicle apparatus controlled in a condition same as the condition where the vehicle is placed and a control content of the controlled in-vehicle apparatus is stored in the storing unit, the determination unit determines the in-vehicle apparatus to be controlled and the control content of the determined in-vehicle apparatus according to the control history, without inquiring to the occupant.

5. The control system according to claim 1, wherein

the information about the condition where the vehicle is placed includes environment information about an environment of an interior of the vehicle,

the determination unit is configured to determine whether the environment information satisfies a first condition, which specifies that an in-vehicle environment control apparatus for controlling the environment of the interior of the vehicle need to be controlled,

the determination unit is further configured to determine whether the environment information satisfies a second condition, which specifies that the in-vehicle environment control apparatus need not be controlled,

when the environment information does not satisfy both the first and second conditions, the determination unit estimates the in-vehicle environment control apparatus to be the controlled target, and

when the detection unit detects at least one of a voice and an action specifying that the occupant prefers a control of the environment of the interior of the vehicle, the determination unit determines that the in-vehicle environment control apparatus is the in-vehicle apparatus to be controlled according to the detected at least one of a voice and an action, and the determination unit determines the control content of the determined in-vehicle apparatus according to the detected at least one of a voice and an action.

6. The control system according to claim 5, wherein

when the environment information satisfies the first condition, the determination unit determines that the in-vehicle environment control apparatus is the in-vehicle apparatus to be controlled and determine the control content of the determined in-vehicle apparatus, irrespective of the at least one of a voice and an action of the occupant, and

when the environment information satisfies the second condition, the determination unit excludes the in-vehicle environment control apparatus from the in-vehicle apparatus to be controlled, irrespective of the at least one of a voice and an action of an occupant.

7. The control system according to claim 5, further comprising:

a storing unit configured to store a control history of a controlled in-vehicle apparatus controlled by the control unit in an environment of the interior of the vehicle and a control content of the controlled in-vehicle apparatus, wherein

the determination unit is configured to update the first condition according to the control history to conform to the environment of the interior of the vehicle in a condition where the in-vehicle apparatus was controlled by the control unit.

8. The control system according to claim 1, wherein

the information about the condition where the vehicle is placed includes operation information when an occupant of the vehicle manipulates an in-vehicle apparatus,

the determination unit is configured to estimate an in-vehicle guidance apparatus, which is configured to perform guidance of manipulation of an in-vehicle apparatus manipulated by an occupant, to be the controlled target, and

when the detection unit detects at least one of a voice and an action of an occupant specifying that the occupant is incapable of smoothly manipulating the in-vehicle apparatus, the determination unit determines that the in-vehicle guidance apparatus is the in-vehicle apparatus to be controlled and determines the control content of the determined in-vehicle apparatus according to the detected at least one of a voice and an action.

9. The control system according to claim 1, wherein

the information about the condition where the vehicle is placed includes diagnostic information obtained from the plurality of in-vehicle apparatuses,

the determination unit is configured to estimate an in-vehicle communication apparatus, which is configured to perform communication with a call center via phone call, to be the controlled target when diagnostic information is obtained from the plurality of in-vehicle apparatuses, and

when the detection unit detects at least one of a voice and an action of an occupant specifying a malfunction, the determination unit determines that the in-vehicle communication apparatus is the in-vehicle apparatus to be controlled according to the detected at least one of a voice and an action.

10. The control system according to claim 9, wherein the in-vehicle communication apparatus is configured to perform data communications with a call center and configured to transmit vehicle information including the diagnostic information to a call center.

11. The control system according to claim 10, wherein

the in-vehicle communication apparatus is configured to inquire an occupant of the vehicle whether the occupant permits transmission of personal information including at least one of a vehicle identification number of the vehicle, a registered name of an owner of the vehicle, a current position of the vehicle, and a traveling path of the vehicle, and

the in-vehicle communication apparatus transmits the vehicle information including the personal information to a call center when obtaining a response, which specifies that the occupant permits transmission of the personal information, from the occupant.

12. The control system according to claim 1, wherein

when the notification unit notifies the occupant of the vehicle of the in-vehicle apparatus determined to be controlled and the control content of the determined in-vehicle apparatus and when the occupant of the vehicle instructs to add or delete an in-vehicle apparatus to be controlled and a control content of the instructed in-vehicle apparatus, the control unit corrects to add or delete the instructed in-vehicle apparatus and the control content of the instructed in-vehicle apparatus according to the instruction of the occupant, and

the in-vehicle apparatus is controlled according to the corrected in-vehicle apparatus and the corrected control content.

13. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit is configured to determine the in-vehicle apparatus to be controlled and the control content of the determined in-vehicle apparatus in consideration of the estimated controlled target and the at least one of a voice and an action of an occupant.

14. The control system according to claim 13, wherein the determination unit is configured to determine the in-vehicle apparatus to be controlled from the estimated controlled target.

15. A method for controlling an in-vehicle apparatus of a vehicle, the method comprising:

obtaining information about a condition where the vehicle is placed;

detecting at least one of a voice and an action of an occupant of the vehicle;

estimating a controlled target from a plurality of in-vehicle apparatuses according to the condition where the vehicle is placed;

determining an in-vehicle apparatus to be controlled from the plurality of in-vehicle apparatuses and determining a control content of the determined in-vehicle apparatus in consideration of the estimated controlled target and the detected at least one of a voice and an action of the occupant;

notifying the occupant of the determined in-vehicle apparatus and the determined control content; and

performing the determined control content of the determined in-vehicle apparatus when receiving a response to the notification of the notification unit from the occupant to permit the control content.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein the determining includes determining the in-vehicle apparatus to be controlled from the estimated controlled target.

19. A computer readable medium comprising instructions executed by a computer, the instructions including the method according to claim 15.

17. A control system for a plurality of in-vehicle apparatuses of a vehicle, the control system comprising:

an obtaining unit configured to obtain information about a condition where the vehicle is placed;

a detection unit configured to detect at least one of a voice and an action of an occupant of the vehicle;

a determination unit configured to

estimate a controlled target from the plurality of in-vehicle apparatuses according to the condition where the vehicle is placed and

determine an in-vehicle apparatus to be controlled from the plurality of in-vehicle apparatuses and a control content of the determined in-vehicle apparatus in consideration of the estimated controlled target and the detected at least one of a voice and an action of the occupant;

a notification unit configured to notify the occupant of the determined in-vehicle apparatus and the determined control content; and

a control unit configured to perform the determined control content of the determined in-vehicle apparatus when receiving a response to the notification of the notification unit from the occupant to permit the control content.

18. The control system according to claim 17, wherein the determination unit is configured to determine the in-vehicle apparatus to be controlled from the estimated controlled target.