Animated Vehicle Attendance Systems

• US 20110298808A1
• Filed: 06/02/2010
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Rovik, Christopher Lee
• Application Number:
  US12/792,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20110298808A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/22 Display screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/50 Instruments characterised by their means of attachment to or integration in the vehicle B60K35/231 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/20 Dashboard panels

Abstract

In one embodiment, an animated vehicle attendant system may include: a communication path positioned within a vehicle; an avatar creation interface positioned within a passenger compartment of the vehicle and communicatively coupled to the communication path; a first display positioned within the passenger compartment of the vehicle and communicatively coupled to the communication path, wherein the first display includes a first processor and a first memory; a second display positioned within the passenger compartment of the vehicle and communicatively coupled to the communication path, wherein the second display includes a second processor and a second memory; and an animated avatar including one or more alterable visual characteristics. The animated avatar is stored in the first memory and/or the second memory. The first processor and/or the second processor executes machine readable instructions to: receive input from the avatar creation interface; update the one or more alterable visual characteristics based upon the input from the avatar creation interface; and present the animated avatar on the first display and/or the second display.

Claims

1. An animated vehicle attendant system comprising:

a communication path positioned within a vehicle;

an avatar creation interface positioned within a passenger compartment of the vehicle and communicatively coupled to the communication path;

a first display positioned within the passenger compartment of the vehicle and communicatively coupled to the communication path, wherein the first display comprises a first processor and a first memory;

a second display positioned within the passenger compartment of the vehicle and communicatively coupled to the communication path, wherein the second display comprises a second processor and a second memory; and

an animated avatar comprising one or more alterable visual characteristics, wherein the animated avatar is stored in the first memory and/or the second memory and the first processor and/or the second processor executes machine readable instructions to;

receive input from the avatar creation interface;

update the one or more alterable visual characteristics based upon the input from the avatar creation interface; and

present the animated avatar on the first display and/or the second display.

2. The animated vehicle attendant system of claim 1 wherein the first processor and/or the second processor executes the machine readable instructions to present a coordinated sequence of images of the animated avatar transitioning between the first display and the second display, such that at least a portion of the coordinated sequence of images is presented on the first display and the second display.

3. The animated vehicle attendant system of claim 1 wherein the animated avatar is presented simultaneously on the first display and the second display.

4. The animated vehicle attendant system of claim 1 further comprising a third display positioned within the passenger compartment of the vehicle and communicatively coupled to the communication path, wherein:

the third display comprises a third processor and a third memory;

the animated avatar is stored in the third memory and the third processor executes the machine readable instructions to;

receive input from the avatar creation interface;

update the one or more alterable visual characteristics based on the input from the avatar creation interface; and

present the animated avatar on the third display.

5. The animated vehicle attendant system of claim 1 further comprising a vehicle-machine communication device communicatively coupled to the communication path and a remote memory communicatively coupled to the vehicle-machine communication device, wherein the first processor and/or the second processor executes the machine readable instructions to:

receive input from the remote memory; and

update the one or more alterable visual characteristics based on the input from the remote memory.

6. The animated vehicle attendant system of claim 5 wherein the remote memory is a portable storage device.

7. The animated vehicle attendant system of claim 5 wherein the remote memory is an internet device.

8. The animated vehicle attendant system of claim 7 further comprising a vehicle attendant portal communicatively coupled to the remote memory, wherein the vehicle attendant portal modifies the input from the remote memory.

9. The animated vehicle attendant system of claim 1 wherein the one or more alterable visual characteristics comprises an avatar age, an initial age and an aging rate, and the first processor and/or the second processor executes the machine readable instructions to:

update at least one of the avatar age, the initial age and the aging rate based upon the input from the avatar creation interface.

10. The animated vehicle attendant system of claim 9 wherein the avatar age is based upon a mileage, a date of manufacture or a lease date.

11. The animated vehicle attendant system of claim 1 wherein the one or more alterable visual characteristics are preset based upon a type of the vehicle.

12. The animated vehicle attendant system of claim 1 wherein the avatar creation interface is a touch screen, a steering wheel control or a console control.

13. An animated vehicle attendant system comprising:

a communication path positioned within a vehicle;

an environmental sensor coupled to the vehicle and communicatively coupled to the communication path, wherein the environmental sensor comprises an environmental memory for storing environmental information;

a display positioned within a passenger compartment of the vehicle and communicatively coupled to the communication path, wherein the display comprises a processor and a memory;

an avatar creation interface positioned within the passenger compartment of the vehicle and communicatively coupled to the communication path; and

an animated avatar comprising one or more alterable visual characteristics, wherein the animated avatar is stored in the memory and the processor executes machine readable instructions to;

receive the environmental information from the environmental memory;

receive input from the avatar creation interface;

update the one or more alterable visual characteristics based upon the environmental information;

update the one or more alterable visual characteristics of the animated avatar based upon the input from the avatar creation interface; and

present an updated animated avatar on the display.

14. The animated vehicle attendant system of claim 13 wherein the one or more alterable visual characteristics comprises an avatar age, an initial age and an aging rate, wherein the avatar age is equal to the initial age plus the aging rate multiplied by a vehicle age.

15. The animated vehicle attendant system of claim 13 wherein the environmental information is indicative of light, temperature, barometric pressure, altitude, humidity, or precipitation.

16. The animated vehicle attendant system of claim 13 wherein the animated avatar comprises one or more alterable functional characteristics and the processor executes the machine readable instructions to update the one or more alterable functional characteristics based upon the input from the avatar creation interface.

17. The animated vehicle attendant system of claim 16 wherein the one or more alterable functional characteristics is a calendar function, a frequency function, or a combination thereof.

18. The animated vehicle attendant system of claim 13 wherein the avatar creation interface is a touch screen, a steering wheel control or a console control.

19. An animated vehicle attendant system comprising:

a communication path positioned within a vehicle;

an avatar creation interface positioned within a passenger compartment of the vehicle and communicatively coupled to the communication path;

a display positioned within the passenger compartment of the vehicle and communicatively coupled to the communication path, wherein the display comprises a processor and a memory; and

an animated avatar comprising an aging rate, wherein the animated avatar is stored in the memory and the processor executes machine readable instructions to;

receive input from the avatar creation interface;

update the aging rate based upon the input from the avatar creation interface; and

present the animated avatar on the display.

20. The animated vehicle attendant system of claim 19 further comprising a second display communicatively coupled to the communication path, wherein:

the second display comprises a second processor and a second memory; and

the processor and/or the second processor executes the machine readable instructions to present a coordinated sequence of images of the animated avatar such that at least a portion of the coordinated sequence of images is presented on the display and the second display.