Protecting a Vehicle from Environmental Events

• US 20110118897A1
• Filed: 11/19/2009
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Temic Automotive of North America, Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Castillo, Gabriel, Menard, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,849,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/0573 power driven arrangements, e.g. electrical
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/71 responsive to temperature changes, rain, wind or noise
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/00 Details, accessories and auxiliary operations not otherwise provided for

Abstract

Methods and systems for locating a vehicle are disclosed, including detecting one or more environmental conditions, the one or more environmental conditions being indicative of an occurrence of an environmental event, determining a probability of the occurrence of the environmental event in response to detecting the one or more environmental conditions, and effecting a preventive action in response to the probability being above a threshold probability, the preventive action being configured to protect the vehicle from the environmental event.

Claims

1. A method for protecting a vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting one or more environmental conditions, the one or more environmental conditions being indicative of an occurrence of an environmental event;

determining a probability of the occurrence of the environmental event in response to detecting the one or more environmental conditions; and

effecting a preventive action in response to the probability being above a threshold probability, the preventive action being configured to protect the vehicle from the environmental event.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving external data, the external data being indicative of the occurrence of the environmental event; and

determining the probability of the occurrence of the environmental event in response to detecting the one or more environmental conditions and in response to receiving the external data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the probability and the severity of the environmental event; and

effecting the preventive action in response to the probability being above the threshold probability and the severity being above the threshold severity.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a time until the occurrence of the environmental event; and

effecting the preventive action in response to the time being below a threshold time.

5. The method of claim 1,

where the environmental events are at least one of:

rain, high winds, and hail;

where the environmental conditions are at least one of;

atmospheric pressure, ambient light levels, temperature, wind, and humidity;

where the preventive action is at least one of;

closing the vehicle'"'"'s windows, closing the vehicle'"'"'s convertible top, closing the sunroof, and alerting one or more users.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising issuing a warning prior to effecting the preventive action.

7. An apparatus for protecting a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more memory units coupled to the one or more processors;

one or more environmental condition detectors coupled to one or more processors; and

one or more preventive action modules coupled to one or more processors;

the apparatus being configured to;

detect one or more environmental conditions using the one or more detectors, the one or more environmental conditions being indicative of an occurrence of an environmental event;

determine a probability of the occurrence of the environmental event in response to detecting the one or more environmental conditions; and

effect a preventive action to protect the vehicle from the environmental event using the one or more preventive action modules in response to the probability being above a threshold probability.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, where the apparatus is further configured to:

receive external data, the external data being indicative of the occurrence of the environmental event; and

determine the probability of the occurrence of the environmental event in response to detecting the one or more environmental conditions and in response to receiving the external data.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, where the apparatus is further configured to:

determine the probability and the severity of the environmental event; and

effect the preventive action in response to the probability being above the threshold probability and the severity being above the threshold severity.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, where the apparatus is further configured to:

determine a time until the occurrence of the environmental event; and

effect the preventive action in response to the time being below a threshold time.

11. The apparatus of claim 7,

where the environmental events are at least one of:

rain, high winds, and hail;

where the environmental conditions are at least one of;

atmospheric pressure, ambient light levels, temperature, wind, and humidity;

where the preventive action is at least one of;

closing the vehicle'"'"'s windows, closing the vehicle'"'"'s convertible top, closing the sunroof, and alerting one or more users.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, where the apparatus is further configured to issue a warning prior to effecting the preventive action.

13. A computer program product embodied on computer operable media, the computer program product comprising logic instructions effective to:

detect one or more environmental conditions, the one or more environmental conditions being indicative of an occurrence of an environmental event;

determine a probability of the occurrence of the environmental event in response to detecting the one or more environmental conditions; and

effect a preventive action in response to the probability being above a threshold probability, the preventive action being configured to protect the vehicle from the environmental event.

14. The product of claim 13, where the logic instructions are further configured to:

receive external data, the external data being indicative of the occurrence of the environmental event; and

determine the probability of the occurrence of the environmental event in response to detecting the one or more environmental conditions and in response to receiving the external data.

15. The product of claim 13, where the logic instructions are further configured to:

determine the probability and the severity of the environmental event; and

effect the preventive action in response to the probability being above the threshold probability and the severity being above the threshold severity.

16. The product of claim 13, where the logic instructions are further configured to:

determine a time until the occurrence of the environmental event; and

effect the preventive action in response to the time being below a threshold time.

17. The product of claim 13,

where the environmental events are at least one of:

rain, high winds, and hail;

where the environmental conditions are at least one of;

atmospheric pressure, ambient light levels, temperature, wind, and humidity;

where the preventive action is at least one of;

closing the vehicle'"'"'s windows, closing the vehicle'"'"'s convertible top, closing the sunroof, and alerting one or more users.

18. The product of claim 13, where the logic instructions are further configured to issue a warning prior to effecting the preventive action.