SYSTEM AND METHOD OF USING A PORTABLE DEVICE TO RECOGNIZE A FREQUENT DRIVER

• US 20100280711A1
• Filed: 01/22/2010
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Chen, Shih-Ken, Litkouhi, Bakhtiar Brian
• Application Number:
  US12/691,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20100280711A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• 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: G06F 7/02 Comparing digital values G06F7/06, G06F7/22, G06F7/38 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/76 Arrangements for rearranging, permuting or selecting data according to predetermined rules, independently of the content of the data

Abstract

A system and method for identifying a vehicle driver using a portable electronic device that the driver may be carrying that transmits a unique identification signal, and then using the identification of the driver to automatically put vehicle devices and systems in a desirable pre-set location for that driver. In one embodiment, the portable device is a wireless device employing Bluetooth communications protocol that wirelessly transmits an identification signal received by the vehicle to identify the driver. In another embodiment, the device is a USB device that is plugged into an appropriate USB port in the vehicle that allows the vehicle to identify the driver by the identified signal from the portable device.

Claims

1. A method for identifying a vehicle driver, said method comprising:

detecting a wireless device;

identifying a unique ID signal associated with the wireless device that is detected;

determining if the ID signal is associated with a vehicle driver stored in a database; and

automatically setting vehicle devices to a predetermined setting associated with that driver if the wireless device ID signal is identified for that driver.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein detecting a wireless device includes detecting multiple wireless devices in proximity to the vehicle and wherein setting vehicle devices includes setting the vehicle devices for a detected wireless device associated with a highest priority vehicle driver.

3. The method according to claim 2 further comprising over-riding the vehicle device settings for the highest priority driver and selecting another driver associated with another wireless device as the actual driver.

4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising assigning a new user to an identified ID signal if the identified ID signal is not associated with a vehicle driver stored in the database.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the wireless device employs a Bluetooth communications protocol.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle devices are selected from the group consisting of vehicle mirrors, driver'"'"'s seat, vehicle pedals, vehicle steering wheel, vehicle radio, vehicle climate control system, vehicle suspension tuning and human/machine interface (HMI) default display.

7. A method for identifying a vehicle driver, said method comprising:

detecting a hard-wired device coupled to a vehicle;

identifying a unique ID signal associated with the hard-wired device that is detected;

determining if the ID signal is associated with a vehicle driver stored in a database; and

automatically setting vehicle devices to a predetermined setting associated with that driver if the hard-wired device ID signal is identified for that driver.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein detecting a hard-wired device includes detecting multiple hardwired devices in proximity to the vehicle and wherein setting vehicle devices includes setting the vehicle devices for a detected vehicle device associated with a highest priority vehicle driver.

9. The method according to claim 8 further comprising over-riding the vehicle device settings for the highest priority driver and selecting another driver associated with another hard-wired device as the actual driver.

10. The method according to claim 7 further comprising assigning a new user to an identified ID signal if the identified ID signal is not associated with a vehicle driver stored in the database.

11. The method according to claim 7 wherein the hard-wired device is a USB device.

12. The method according to claim 7 wherein the vehicle devices are selected from the group consisting of vehicle mirrors, driver'"'"'s seat, vehicle pedals, vehicle steering wheel, vehicle radio, vehicle climate control system, vehicle suspension tuning and human/machine interface (HMI) default display.

13. A method for identifying a vehicle driver, said method comprising:

detecting a Bluetooth device or a USB device;

identifying a unique ID signal associated with the Bluetooth device or the USB device that is detected;

determining if the ID signal is associated with a vehicle driver stored in a database; and

automatically setting vehicle devices to a predetermined setting associated with that driver if the ID signal is identified for that driver.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein detecting a Bluetooth device or a USB device includes detecting multiple Bluetooth devices or USC devices in proximity to the vehicle and wherein setting vehicle devices includes setting the vehicle devices for a detected Bluetooth device or USB device associated with the highest priority vehicle driver.

15. The method according to claim 14 further comprising over-riding the vehicle device settings for the highest priority driver and selecting another driver associated with another Bluetooth device or USB device as the actual driver.

16. The method according to claim 13 further comprising assigning a new user to an identified ID signal if the identified ID signal is not associated with a vehicle driver stored in the database.

17. The method according to claim 13 wherein the vehicle devices are selected from the group consisting of vehicle mirrors, driver'"'"'s seat, vehicle pedals, vehicle steering wheel, vehicle radio, vehicle climate control system, vehicle suspension tuning and human/machine interface (HMI) default display.