Vehicular user hospitality system

• US 8,140,344 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2006
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kameyama, Shogo
• Primary Examiner(s): Gort, Elaine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Masud, Rokib
• Application Number:
  US11/396,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20060235753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,177 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.2, 340/5.61, 340/5.62, 340/5.8, 340/10.3, 340/540, 382/182, 382/183, 382/188, 702/FOR.163, 702FOR 170-FOR 171, 702/183, 705/1, 705/26, 705/34
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00742 by detection of the vehicle occupants' presence; by detection of conditions relating to the body of occupants, e.g. using radiant heat detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/143 combined with another condition, e.g. using vehicle recognition from camera images or activation of wipers
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/32 for indicating vehicle sides , e.g. clearance lights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/40 Welcome lights, i.e. specific or existing exterior lamps to assist leaving or approaching the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/80 Circuits; Control arrangements for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/25 using biometry
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/252 Fingerprint recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/257 Voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/043 Identity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/63 Comprising locating means for detecting the position of the data carrier, i.e. within the vehicle or within a certain distance from the vehicle

Abstract

A series of motions where a user approaches, gets in, drives or stays in, and gets off a vehicle is divided into a plurality of scenes. In each scene, a hospitality operation is executed for assisting use of the vehicle by the user or for entertaining the user. Information about disturbances on the user is obtained in each specified scene. In accordance with the scene, user biological characteristic information, and the information about disturbances, a hospitality operation device to be used and a hospitality operation by the hospitality operation device are determined.

Claims

1. A vehicular user hospitality system comprising:

a plurality of sensors mounted to a vehicle, each said sensor being configured to sense vehicle user positions, motions and/or conditions respectively associated with a vehicle user'"'"'s use of said vehicle;

a plurality of hospitality operation output devices mounted to said vehicle, each said output device being configured to provide a user hospitality-related output, when operated, which assists the user of a vehicle in a respectively predetermined manner;

at least one programmed computer mounted to said vehicle and connected to receive inputs from said sensors and to operate said devices, said at least one computer having at least one central control unit (CPU) configured to execute computer program code stored in at least one non-transitory computer readable memory device coupled thereto including;

(a) user biological information obtaining code configured to obtain from said sensors user biological information characterizing at least one of the user'"'"'s (i) character, (ii) mental condition and (iii) physical condition;

(b) scene determination code configured to identify a predetermined user-vehicle related scenario based on sensor inputs; and

(c) hospitality determination code configured to operate a subset of said output devices corresponding to one of plural themes of hospitality for the user based on an identified scenario and said obtained user biological information.

2. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 1 wherein:

a plurality of hospitality operations having differing respective usage priorities are predetermined for each scene and said hospitality determination code selectively operates output devices for ones of said plurality of operations in a descending order of usage priority.

3. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 1 wherein:

said scene determination code identifies an approach scenario when the user approaches the vehicle and a drive/stay scenario when the user stays in the vehicle.

4. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 3 wherein:

said approach scenario is identified based on detecting relative distance between the vehicle and the user positioned outside the vehicle; and

said drive/stay scenario is identified based on detecting a user seated on a seat of the vehicle.

5. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 3 wherein:

a lighting device is operated to light a space outside the vehicle when said approach scenario is identified.

6. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 3 further comprising:

a host communications unit configured to communicate with a terminal device located outside the vehicle; and

a user terminal device configured for carrying by the user and having a terminal communications unit configured to communicate with the host communications unit via a radio communications network;

wherein a voice output is provided from the host communications unit via radio to the user terminal device when an approach scenario is identified.

7. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 6 wherein:

said voice output prompts the user to confirm precautions before traveling.

8. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 3 wherein:

an air conditioner of the vehicle is operated when the drive/stay scenario is identified using a temperature setting based on the obtained user biological information.

9. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 3 wherein:

a vehicle audio system is operated when the drive/stay scenario is identified by outputting music selected in accordance with the obtained user biological information.

10. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 1 wherein:

said scene determination code is configured to sequentially identify (a) an approach scene when the user approaches the vehicle, (b) an entry scene when the user enters the vehicle, (c) a drive/stay scene when the user drives or stays in the vehicle, and (d) an exit scene when the user exits the vehicle, and

said hospitality determination code is configured to operate hospitality outputs respectively corresponding to the sequentially identified scenarios.

11. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 10 wherein:

automatic door opening and automatic door closing hospitality operations are performed in response to determinations of entry and exit scenarios respectively to assist the user in entering or exiting the vehicle accordingly.

12. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 1 further comprising:

disturbance information obtaining code configured to obtain disturbance information representing a disturbance being effected on the vehicle user, and

wherein said hospitality determination code is configured to operate hospitality outputs respectively corresponding to the obtained disturbance information.

13. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 12 wherein:

the hospitality output is selected based on a predetermined relationship between a detected disturbance on the user and a preferred hospitality operation device respectively corresponding thereto.

14. A vehicular user hospitality system comprising:

a plurality of sensors mounted to a vehicle, each said sensor being configured to sense vehicle user positions, motions and/or conditions respectively associated with a vehicle user'"'"'s use of said vehicle;

a plurality of hospitality operation output devices mounted to said vehicle, each said output device being configured to provide a user hospitality-related output, when operated, which assists the user of a vehicle in a respectively predetermined manner;

at least one programmed computer mounted to said vehicle and connected to receive inputs from said sensors and to operate said devices, said at least one computer having at least one central control unit (CPU) configured to execute computer program code stored in at least one non-transitory computer readable memory device coupled thereto including;

(a) user biological information obtaining code configured to obtain from said sensors user biological information characterizing at least one of the user'"'"'s (i) character, (ii) mental condition and (iii) physical condition;

(b) disturbance information obtaining code configured to obtain disturbance information representing a disturbance being effected on the vehicle user, and

(c) scene determination code configured to identify a predetermined user-vehicle related scenario based on sensor inputs;

(d) hospitality determination code configured to operate a subset of said output devices corresponding to one of plural themes of hospitality for the user based on an identified scenario, said obtained user biological information and said obtained disturbance information; and

(e) data storage including a function selection table based on a predetermined relationship between a disturbance on a user and a respectively corresponding hospitality operation to be preferentially used therefore;

wherein said hospitality determination code is configured to select based on said table a hospitality operation device corresponding to the obtained disturbance information,

wherein said user biological information obtaining code is configured to detect a predetermined biological condition to be used for estimating a mental and a physical condition of the user which estimate is used by the hospitality determination code to determine a respectively corresponding control value for a selected hospitality output; and

wherein a plurality of hospitality themes are pre-defined by the user respectively corresponding to a plurality of hospitality operations for each of the plural themes and at least one of the plural themes is selected in accordance with the obtained user biological information and used to concurrently output the respectively corresponding plurality of hospitality operations for that theme.

15. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 14 wherein:

the function selection table determines, among a plurality of hospitality operation devices, several hospitality operation devices to be preferentially used in a predetermined type of disturbance and includes information relating to usage priority of the several hospitality operation devices.

16. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 15 wherein:

after an appropriate control value for a hospitality operation corresponding to the obtained user biological characteristic information is determined, a respectively corresponding output hospitality operation device is selected.

17. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 14 further comprising:

an information data store containing hospitality operation information defining an operation of each hospitality operation device corresponding to each of plural types of user character, a particular user type being determined by user character specifying information included in said obtained user biological information; and

wherein said hospitality determination code is configured to read stored user character information and cause operation of one or more respectively corresponding hospitality operation output devices.

18. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 14 wherein:

the user biological information obtaining code monitors a time change of an estimated mental/physical condition of the user and changes a control value for the output hospitality device(s) in accordance with the monitored change in user mental/physical condition.

19. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 14 further comprising:

an information data store containing hospitality operation information defining an operation of each hospitality operation device corresponding to each user character type as specified by the obtained user biological characteristic information; and

wherein the stored hospitality operation information is read and used to determine an output control value of a hospitality operation corresponding to the user'"'"'s mental/physical condition.

20. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 14 wherein:

a plurality of themes are predetermined for each of plural predetermined scenarios and one of such predetermined themes is selected for a given identified scene.

21. The vehicular user hospitality system according to claim 14 further comprising:

hospitality adjustment code configured to adjust a control condition of an output hospitality operation in accordance with response information obtained from the user receiving the hospitality operation output.