Driving position adjusting system

• US 7,734,396 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2007
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Inventors: Hattori, Toshihiro, Matsuura, Mitsuyasu, Ikeda, Hirotane
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner; Mark
• Application Number:
  US11/902,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20080077298A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 180/326, 180/289, 701/49
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits

Abstract

A driving position adjusting system automatically adjusts a driving position in a second vehicle appropriately to a target user based on a driving position in a first vehicle adjusted by the target user. The driving position adjusting system includes a storage device, a detection device, an estimation device, a transmission device, and a control device. The storage device stores statistic data. The detection device detects a selected one of a plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the first vehicle, the selected one being selected by the target user. The estimation device estimates an optimum one of the plurality of divided range segments in the second vehicle based on the statistic data and the selected one. The transmission device transmits to the second vehicle the optimum one in the second vehicle. The control device controls the driving position in the second vehicle correspondingly to the optimum one.

Claims

1. A driving position adjusting system, which automatically adjusts a driving position in a second vehicle appropriately to a target user based on an adjustment result of a driving position in a first vehicle adjusted by the target user, who rides in the first vehicle, the second vehicle being different in a vehicle model from the first vehicle, the driving position adjusting system comprising:

a storage device for storing statistic data that indicates a ratio of users, who select one of a plurality of divided range segments of an adjustable range of the driving position in the second vehicle, and who select one of a plurality of divided range segments of an adjustable range of the driving position in the first vehicle, relative to users, who select the one of the plurality of divided range segments of the adjustable range of the driving position in the second vehicle, the ratio being one of ratios respectively given to the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the first vehicle in association with each of the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the second vehicle;

a detection device for detecting a selected one of the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the first vehicle, the selected one being selected by the target user when the target user rides in the first vehicle;

an estimation device for estimating an optimum one of the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the second vehicle based on the statistic data stored in the storage device and based on the selected one of the plurality of divided range segments detected by the detection device, the optimum one of the plurality of divided range segments having a highest probability of being appropriate to the target user;

a transmission device for transmitting to the second vehicle the optimum one of the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the second vehicle estimated by the estimation device; and

a control device for controlling the driving position in the second vehicle correspondingly to the optimum one of the plurality of divided range segments transmitted by the transmission device.

2. The driving position adjusting system according to claim 1, wherein:

the storage device stores estimation likelihoods each indicating a probability of each of the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the second vehicle being appropriate to the target user;

the estimation device calculates a product for each of the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the second vehicle, the product being obtained by multiplying (a) each of the ratios stored and given to the selected one of the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the first vehicle in association with each of the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the second vehicle by (b) each of the estimation likelihoods respectively given to the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the second vehicle, the selected one of the plurality of divided range segments being selected by the target user; and

the estimation device estimates a largest one of the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the second vehicle as the optimum one, the largest one of the plurality of divided range segments having a largest one of the products calculated by the estimation device.

3. The driving position adjusting system according to claim 2, wherein:

the storage device initially stores an equal estimation likelihood for each of the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the second vehicle as the estimation likelihood; and

the estimation device updates the estimation likelihoods respectively given to the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the second vehicle by using respective products obtained by the respective ratios and the respective estimation likelihoods when the respective products are calculated.

4. The driving position adjusting system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first driving environment detection device for detecting a driving environment, under which the target user rides in and drives the first vehicle; and

a second driving environment detection device for detecting a driving environment, under which the target user rides in and drives the second vehicle, wherein;

the estimation device independently estimates the optimum one of the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the second vehicle for each of a plurality of groups, into one of which the driving environment detected by the first driving environment detection device is classified; and

the control device selects the optimum one of the plurality of divided range segments estimated for one of the plurality of groups, which the driving environment detected by the second driving environment detection device corresponds to, the control device controlling the driving position in the second vehicle correspondingly to the selected optimum one of the plurality of divided range segments.

5. The driving position adjusting system according to claim 4, wherein:

the first driving environment detection device detects, as the driving environment, at least one of a temperature outside of the first vehicle, a temperature inside the first vehicle, hours, in which the first vehicle is driven, and a driving duration of the first vehicle; and

the second driving environment detection device detects, as the driving environment, at least one of a temperature outside of the second vehicle, a temperature inside the second vehicle, hours, in which the second vehicle is driven, and a driving duration of the second vehicle.

6. The driving position adjusting system according to claim 1, wherein the control device controls a plurality of movable portions of a driver'"'"'s seat as the control of the driving position.

7. The driving position adjusting system according to claim 6, wherein the control device controls a position of a steering wheel as the control of the driving position.

8. The driving position adjusting system according to claim 6, wherein the control device controls an angle of a mirror, which includes one of a door mirror, a fender mirror, and an interior rear view mirror, as the control of the driving position.

9. The driving position adjusting system according to claim 1, wherein:

the storage device and the estimation device are disposed at a data management center;

each of the first vehicle, the second vehicle and the data management center has a communication device for mutual communication with each other; and

the transmission device includes the communication device, which is disposed to the second vehicle, and the communication device, which is disposed to the data management center.

10. The driving position adjusting system according to claim 9, wherein:

the data management center collects, from each vehicle, vehicle model information, identity information for identifying the target user, and adjustment result information indicating an adjustment result of a driving position in each vehicle to produce the statistic data; and

the data management center stores the statistic data in the storage device.

11. The driving position adjusting system according to claim 10, wherein:

the estimation device of the data management center estimates the optimum one of the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the second vehicle by using provisional statistic data by a time, when the statistic data is produced based on the information collected from each vehicle, the provisional statistic data having provisional ratios respectively given to the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the first vehicle for each of the plurality of divided range segment of the driving position in the second vehicle, the provisional ratios having a normal distribution around a corresponding one of the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the first vehicle.

12. The driving position adjusting system according to claim 1, wherein:

the storage device and the estimation device are disposed to the first vehicle; and

the transmission device is adapted to communicate with the first vehicle and the second vehicle, the transmission device storing information that indicates the optimum one of the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the second vehicle estimated by the estimation device of the first vehicle, the transmission device sending the stored information that indicates the optimum one of the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the second vehicle to the second vehicle when the target user rides in the second vehicle, the transmission device being a mobile device held by the target user.

13. The driving position adjusting system according to claim 12, further comprising data management center, which communicates with the first vehicle and the second vehicle, wherein:

the data management center collects, from each vehicle, vehicle model information, identity information for identifying the target user, and adjustment result information indicating adjustment result of a driving position in each vehicle to produce the statistic data, the data management center transmitting the produced statistic data to the first vehicle; and

the first vehicle stores the transmitted statistic data in the storage device.

14. The driving position adjusting system according to claim 13, wherein

the estimation device of the first vehicle estimates the optimum one of the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the second vehicle by using provisional statistic data by a time, when the statistic data is sent from the data management center and is stored in the storage device, the provisional statistic data having provisional ratios respectively given to the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the first vehicle for each of the plurality of divided range segment of the driving position in the second vehicle, the provisional ratios having a normal distribution around a corresponding one of the plurality of divided range segments of the driving position in the first vehicle.