AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

• US 20150094897A1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Cuddihy, Mark A., Rao, Manoharprasad K., Le, Jialiang
• Application Number:
  US14/042,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20150094897A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/175 Autonomous driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/66 Projection screens or combiners
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/77 Instrument locations other than the dashboard
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• 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: B60R 11/0229 for displays, e.g. cathodic tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2146 located in mass transportation means, e.g. aircraft, train or bus flight-deck installations for entertainment or communications B64D11/0015; arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62; moving wireless networks H04W84/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62

Abstract

A vehicle system includes an autonomous mode controller that controls a vehicle in an autonomous mode and an entertainment system controller that presents media content while the vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode. The entertainment system actuates a projection screen inside a passenger compartment of the vehicle and enables a projector to project media content onto the projection screen. A method includes determining whether a vehicle is operating in an autonomous mode, and if so, actuating a projection screen inside a passenger compartment of the vehicle and enabling a projector to project media content onto the projection screen.

Claims

1. A vehicle system comprising:

an autonomous mode controller programmed to control a vehicle in an autonomous mode;

an entertainment system controller programmed to present media content while the vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode, wherein the entertainment system is programmed to determine, based on a signal output by the autonomous mode controller, whether the vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode and actuate a projection screen inside a passenger compartment of the vehicle and enable a projector configured to project media content onto the projection screen if the entertainment system determines that vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode.

4. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the entertainment system controller is programmed to actuate the projection screen and enable the projector while the vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode and in response to a user input.

5. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the entertainment system controller is programmed to retract the projection screen and disable the projector prior to the vehicle operating in a non-autonomous mode.

6. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the entertainment system controller is programmed to retract the projection screen and disable the projector in response to a user input.

2. (canceled)

3. (canceled)

7. A method comprising:

determining, via a computing device, whether a vehicle is operating in an autonomous mode based on a signal received from an autonomous mode controller; and

if the vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode;

actuating, via the computing device, a projection screen inside a passenger compartment of the vehicle, and

enabling, via the computing device, a projector to project media content onto the projection screen.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the determination of whether the vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode includes monitoring at least one autonomous driving sensor.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the projection screen is actuated and the projector is enabled in response to a user input received while the vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising, prior to the vehicle entering a non-autonomous mode, retracting the projection screen.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising, prior to the vehicle entering a non-autonomous mode, disabling the projector.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising retracting the projection screen in response to a user input.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising disabling the projector in response to a user input.

9. (canceled)

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium tangibly embodying computer-executable instructions that cause a processor to execute operations comprising:

receiving a signal output by an autonomous mode controller, the signal indicating whether a vehicle is operating in an autonomous mode;

determining whether the vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode based at least in part on the signal output by the autonomous mode controller; and

if the vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode;

actuating a projection screen inside a passenger compartment of the vehicle, and

enabling a projector to project media content onto the projection screen.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the determination of whether the vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode includes monitoring at least one autonomous driving sensor.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the projection screen is actuated and the projector is enabled in response to a user input received while the vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising, prior to the vehicle entering a non-autonomous mode, retracting the projection screen and disabling the projector.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising retracting the projection screen and disabling the projector in response to a user input.

17. (canceled)