System and method for controlling object detection based on driver status

• US 8,306,728 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2008
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Miller, Thomas Lee, Cooprider, Anthony Dwayne, Brombach, Ronald Patrick, Hille, Kevin Thomas, Van Wiemeersch, John Robert, Wojcik, Karl William, Bhuva, Shimul, Mills, Aaron Lewis
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US12/026,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20090198445A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,735 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/33, 701/36, 701/49, 701/207, 701/301, 701/29.6, 701/33.4, 701/408, 340/425.5, 340/438, 340/439, 318/466
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/08 Interaction between the driver and the control system

Abstract

Primary and secondary keys are adapted to be associated to primary and secondary drivers. A key ignition device is positioned on each of the primary and secondary keys and is configured to generate a driver status signal indicative of whether the driver the primary driver or the secondary driver. A controller is operably coupled to the key ignition device. The controller is adapted to determine whether the driver is the primary driver or the secondary driver. The controller is adapted to generate a position notification signal indicative of the position of the object with respect to the vehicle. The controller is adapted to notify the primary and secondary drivers of the position of the object. The controller is adapted to selectively control the operation of generating the position notification signals based on whether the driver is the primary driver or the secondary driver.

Claims

1. A system for notifying primary and secondary drivers in a vehicle about a position of an object with respect to the vehicle, the system comprising:

an ignition device positioned on a key and configured to generate a driver status signal indicative of whether the driver is one of the primary driver and the secondary driver; and

a controller operably coupled to the ignition device and adapted to;

determine whether the driver of the vehicle is the one of the primary driver and the secondary driver based on the driver status signal;

generate a position notification signal indicative of the position of an object with respect to the vehicle to notify the one of the primary and the secondary driver of the position of the object with respect to the vehicle; and

selectively control the operation of generating the position notification signal based on whether the driver of the vehicle is the one of the primary driver and the secondary driver.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is capable of allowing the driver to enable/disable the operation of generating the position notification signal in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the primary driver.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is capable of preventing the driver from disabling the operation of generating the position notification signal in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller includes at least one of a passive anti-theft (PAT) controller and a passive entry passive start (PEPS) controller to receive the driver status signal from the key.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller includes a parking aid module (PAM) adapted to generate the position notification signal while the vehicle is being parked.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the controller includes a forward collision warning (FCW) module adapted to generate the position notification signal in response to determining that the vehicle is in a state whereby a collision is imminent with another object.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the controller includes at least one of a cluster controller and a smart display module (SDM) operably coupled to the PAM and the FCW module.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the cluster controller and the SDM is adapted to audibly and visually notify at least one of the primary driver and the secondary driver that the object is positioned the predetermined distance away from the vehicle in response to the position notification signal.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the ignition device includes a radio frequency (RF) based transponder configured to generate the driver status signal as an RF based signal.

10. A method for notifying primary and secondary drivers in a vehicle about a position of an object with respect to the vehicle, the method comprising:

positioning an ignition device on a key;

generating a driver status signal indicative of whether the driver is one of the primary driver and the secondary driver;

determining whether the driver of the vehicle is the one of the primary driver and the secondary driver based on the driver status signal;

generating a position notification signal indicative of the position of the object with respect to the vehicle to notify the one of the primary and the secondary driver of the position of the object with respect to the vehicle; and

selectively controlling the operation of generating the position notification signal based on whether the driver of the vehicle is the one of the primary driver and the secondary driver.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising enabling/disabling the operation of generating the position notification signal in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the primary driver.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising inhibiting the driver from disabling the operation of generating the position notification signal in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising generating the position notification signal with a parking aid module (PAM) while the vehicle is being parked.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising generating the position notification signal with a forward collision warning (FCW) module in response to determining that the vehicle is in a state whereby a collision is imminent with another object.

15. A system for notifying primary and secondary drivers in a vehicle about a position of an object with respect to the vehicle, the system comprising:

a first controller adapted to associate at least one primary key having a first key ignition device to the primary driver and to associate at least one secondary key having a second key ignition device to the secondary driver, wherein the first controller, the first key ignition device and the second key ignition device are each configured to generate a driver status signal indicative of whether the driver is one of the primary driver and the secondary driver; and

a second controller operably coupled to the first controller, the first key ignition device and the second key ignition device, the second controller is adapted to;

determine whether the driver of the vehicle is the one of the primary driver and the secondary driver based on the driver status signal;

generate a position notification signal indicative of the position of the object with respect to the vehicle;

visually notify the one of the primary and the secondary driver of the position of the object with respect to the vehicle; and

selectively control the operation of generating the position notification signal and visually notifying the one of the primary driver and the secondary driver based on whether the driver of the vehicle is at least one of the primary driver and the secondary driver.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the second controller is capable of allowing the driver to enable/disable the operation of generating the position notification signal in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the primary driver.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the second controller is capable of preventing the driver from disabling the operation of generating the position notification signal in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the first controller includes at least one of a passive anti-theft (PAT) controller and a passive entry passive start (PEPS) controller to receive the driver status signal from at least one of the primary key and the secondary key.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the first and second key ignition devices each include a radio frequency (RF) based transponder and are each configured to generate the driver status signal as an RF based signal.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the first controller is further adapted to associate the primary key to the primary driver and to associate the secondary key to the secondary driver via the RF based signal.

21. A device for notifying one of a primary driver and a secondary driver about a position of an object with respect to the vehicle, the device comprising:

a controller being configured to;

receive a driver status signal indicative of whether the driver is one of the primary driver and the secondary driver;

determine whether the driver of the vehicle is the one of the primary driver and the secondary driver based on the driver status signal;

generate a position notification signal indicative of the position of the object with respect to the vehicle to notify the one of the primary driver and the secondary driver; and

control the operation of generating the position notification signal based on whether the driver of the vehicle is the one of the primary driver and the secondary driver.

22. The device of claim 21 wherein the controller is further configured to allow the operation of generating the position notification signal to be enabled or disabled in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the primary driver.

23. The device of claim 21 wherein the controller is further configured to prevent the operation of generating the position notification signal from being disabled in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver.

24. A method comprising:

receiving a driver status signal indicative of a driver being one of a primary driver and a secondary driver;

generating a position notification signal indicative to notify the primary driver and the secondary driver of a position of an object with respect to a vehicle; and

controlling the operation of generating the position notification signal based on whether the driver of the vehicle is the primary driver or the secondary driver.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising causing the operation of generating the position notification signal to be enabled or disabled in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the primary driver.

26. The method of claim 24 further comprising preventing the operation of generating the position notification signal from being disabled in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver.