Protecting a vehicle from environmental events

• US 8,849,505 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2009
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Menard, Robert, Castillo, Gabriel
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US12/621,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20110118897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,776 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/36, 701/49, 701/29.1, 701/31.4, 701/32.3, 701/32.4, 701/400, 701/408, 701/415, 701/468, 701/532, 701/537, 701/538, 701/300, 307/9.1, 307/10.1, 340/901, 340/905, 340/438
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/0573 power driven arrangements, e.g. electrical
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/71 responsive to temperature changes, rain, wind or noise
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/00 Details, accessories and auxiliary operations not otherwise provided for

Abstract

Methods and systems for locating a vehicle are disclosed, including detecting one or more environmental conditions, the one or more environmental conditions being indicative of an occurrence of an environmental event, determining a probability of the occurrence of the environmental event in response to detecting the one or more environmental conditions, and effecting a preventive action in response to the probability being above a threshold probability, the preventive action being configured to protect the vehicle from the environmental event.

Claims

1. A method for protecting a vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting one or more environmental conditions, the one or more environmental conditions being indicative of an occurrence of an environmental event and detected by one or more corresponding environmental condition sensors;

receiving external data wirelessly, the external data being indicative of the occurrence of the environmental event

determining at an environmental event protection controller, a probability of the occurrence of the environmental event in response to detecting the one or more environmental conditions and the external data; and

effecting a preventive action in response to the probability being above a threshold probability, the preventive action being performed by the environmental event protection controller and configured to protect the vehicle from the environmental event.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wirelessly transmitting an alert message responsive to the step of determining a probability of an environmental event'"'"'s occurrence.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the probability and the severity of the environmental event; and

effecting the preventive action in response to the probability being above the threshold probability and the severity being above the threshold severity.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a time until the occurrence of the environmental event; and

effecting the preventive action in response to the time being below a threshold time.

5. The method of claim 1, where the environmental events are at least one of:

rain, high winds, and hail;

where the environmental conditions are at least one of;

atmospheric pressure, ambient light levels, temperature, wind, and humidity;

where the preventive action is at least one of;

closing the vehicle'"'"'s windows, closing the vehicle'"'"'s convertible top, closing the sunroof, and alerting one or more users.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising issuing a warning prior to effecting the preventive action.

7. An apparatus for protecting a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more memory units coupled to the one or more processors;

one or more environmental condition detectors coupled to one or more processors;

a communications device coupled to a processor, configured to receive external data wirelessly;

and

one or more preventive action modules coupled to one or more processors;

the apparatus being configured to;

detect one or more environmental conditions using the one or more detectors, the one or more environmental conditions being indicative of an occurrence of an environmental event;

determine a probability of the occurrence of the environmental event in response to detecting the one or more environmental conditions and in response to the external data; and

effect a preventive action to protect the vehicle from the environmental event using the one or more preventive action modules in response to the probability being above a threshold probability.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, where the apparatus is further configured to:

wirelessly transmit an alert message responsive to the step of determining a probability of an environmental event'"'"'s occurrence.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, where the apparatus is further configured to:

determine the probability and the severity of the environmental event; and

effect the preventive action in response to the probability being above the threshold probability and the severity being above the threshold severity.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, where the apparatus is further configured to:

determine a time until the occurrence of the environmental event; and

effect the preventive action in response to the time being below a threshold time.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, where the environmental events are at least one of:

rain, high winds, and hail;

where the environmental conditions are at least one of;

atmospheric pressure, ambient light levels, temperature, wind, and humidity;

where the preventive action is at least one of;

closing the vehicle'"'"'s windows, closing the vehicle'"'"'s convertible top, closing the sunroof, and alerting one or more users.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, where the apparatus is further configured to issue a warning prior to effecting the preventive action.

13. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer operable media, the non-transitory computer program product comprising logic instructions effective to:

detect one or more environmental conditions, the one or more environmental conditions being indicative of an occurrence of an environmental event;

receive external data wirelessly, the external data being indicative of the occurrence of an environmental event;

determine a probability of the occurrence of the environmental event in response to detecting the one or more environmental conditions and in response to the external data; and

effect a preventive action in response to the probability being above a threshold probability, the preventive action being configured to protect the vehicle from the environmental event.

14. The product of claim 13, where the logic instructions are further configured to:

cause the wireless transmission of an alert message responsive to the step of determining a probability of an environmental event'"'"'s occurrence.

15. The product of claim 13, where the logic instructions are further configured to:

determine the probability and the severity of the environmental event; and

effect the preventive action in response to the probability being above the threshold probability and the severity being above the threshold severity.

16. The product of claim 13, where the logic instructions are further configured to:

determine a time until the occurrence of the environmental event; and

effect the preventive action in response to the time being below a threshold time.

17. The product of claim 13, where the environmental events are at least one of:

rain, high winds, and hail;

where the environmental conditions are at least one of;

atmospheric pressure, ambient light levels, temperature, wind, and humidity;

where the preventive action is at least one of;

closing the vehicle'"'"'s windows, closing the vehicle'"'"'s convertible top, closing the sunroof, and alerting one or more users.

18. The product of claim 13, where the logic instructions are further configured to issue a warning prior to effecting the preventive action.