Method for a motor vehicle

• US 9,294,459 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2013
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Baade, Marco, Koeller, Gunnar
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fields, Courtney
• Application Number:
  US14/099,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20140165159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

A method for a motor vehicle in which a communication connection between the vehicle and a server outside the vehicle is provided. In addition, user authentication information for a user of the vehicle is transmitted to the server, and an application is executed on the server as a function of the user authentication information. Output information that is generated by the server is transmitted to the vehicle from the application.

Claims

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

providing a communication connection between the vehicle and a server that is outside of the vehicle;

transmitting user authentication information from a user of the vehicle to the server, the user authentication information comprising information for a unique identification of the user;

retrieving a user profile associated with the user authentication information stored in the server;

acquiring driving environment information of the vehicle in the server;

executing an application on the server based on the user profile and the acquired driving environment information;

transmitting output information of the application from the server to the vehicle; and

automatically changing a driving mode of the vehicle based on the output information received from the server.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing multiple user profiles on the server, wherein a user profile from the multiple user profiles includes an authorization to use the application on the server; and

selecting the user profile from the multiple user profiles as a function of the user authentication information,

wherein the execution of the application includes an execution of the application on the server as a function of the selected user profile.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting vehicle identification information from the vehicle to the server, the vehicle identification information including information for unique identification of the vehicle,

wherein the execution of the application includes an execution of the application on the server as a function of the vehicle identification information.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the user profile includes user-specific configuration data for multiple vehicles, and wherein the method further comprises:

selecting configuration data for the vehicle from the user profile as a function of the vehicle identification information; and

transmitting the selected configuration data to the vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring operating information of the vehicle in the vehicle and transmitting the operating information to the server and/or acquiring environmental information in the server that is acquired from devices in an environment of the vehicle or is determined for the environment of the vehicle; and

determining the output information by the application as a function of the operating information and/or environmental information.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the provision of the communication connection between the vehicle and the server includes establishment of a communication connection between the vehicle and a mobile terminal of the user of the vehicle and establishment of a communication connection between the mobile terminal and the server.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing, on a mobile terminal of the user of the vehicle, a user profile that includes user-specific configuration data for the vehicle and/or an authorization to use the application on the server;

transmitting data in the user profile to the vehicle; and

adjusting the vehicle as a function of the user-specific configuration data and/or execution of the application on the server as a function of the user profile.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user profile includes vehicle configuration data.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the vehicle configuration data includes engine setting configuration data and/or chassis tuning configuration data.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the driving environment information includes a driving location of the vehicle, weather of the driving location and/or a time of day.

19. The method according to claim 4, wherein the application includes a navigation system, a parking assist system, a parking spot locator program, or a speed controller;

and

wherein the configuration data includes data related to seat adjustment, radio station settings, chasing tuning, engine settings, air conditioning settings, maximum speed settings.

20. The method according to claim 4, wherein the user profile further includes vehicle-specific configurations.

8. A device for a vehicle comprising:

an interface configured to provide a communication connection between the vehicle and a server provided outside of the vehicle; and

a processing unit configured to transmit user authentication information from the vehicle to the server, the user authentication information comprises information for unique identification of the user, the processing unit also configured to receive output information from an application, the application being executed on the server based on the user profile associated with the user authentication information and retrieved by the server and based on driving environment information of the vehicle acquired in the server, the processing unit further configured to automatically change a driving mode of the vehicle based on the output information.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein the device or the server is configured to perform a method comprising:

establishing the communication connection between the vehicle and the server that is outside of the vehicle;

transmitting the user authentication information from the user of the vehicle to the server, the user authentication information comprising information for the unique identification of the user;

retrieving a user data associated with the user authentication information stored in the server;

acquiring driving environment information of the vehicle in the server;

executing an application on the server based on the user profile and the acquired driving environment information;

transmitting output information of the application from the server to the vehicle; and

changing a driving mode of the vehicle based on the output information received from the server.

9. A server comprising:

an interface configured to provide a communication connection between the server and a vehicle; and

a processing unit configured to receive user authentication information for a user of the vehicle from the vehicle, the user authentication information comprising information for unique identification of the user, the processing unit also configured to retrieve a user profile associated with the user authentication information, to acquire driving environment information of the vehicle, to execute an application on the server based on the user profile and the acquired driving environment information, and to transmit output information from the application to the vehicle, the output information including a driving mode change request for automatically changing a driving mode of the vehicle.

11. A method for a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

providing a communication connection between the vehicle and a server that is outside of the vehicle;

transmitting user authentication information from a user of the vehicle to the server, the user authentication information comprising information for a unique identification of the user;

retrieving a user profile associated with the user authentication information stored in the server;

acquiring driving environment information of the vehicle in the server;

executing an application on the server based on the user profile and the acquired driving environment information;

transmitting output information of the application from the server to the vehicle; and

changing a driving mode of the vehicle based on the output information received from the server,

wherein the authentication information includes user identification information and a password.

15. A method for a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

providing a communication connection between the vehicle and a server that is outside of the vehicle;

transmitting user authentication information from a user of the vehicle to the server, the user authentication information comprising information for a unique identification of the user;

retrieving a user profile associated with the user authentication information stored in the server;

acquiring driving environment information of the vehicle in the server;

executing an application on the server based on the user profile and the acquired driving environment information;

transmitting output information of the application from the server to the vehicle; and

changing a driving mode of the vehicle based on the output information received from the server,

wherein the driving mode includes a sport mode, a storm mode for storm weather, and/or a specific location/time mode for a specific location and/or time of day.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

notifying a vehicle status to an owner of the vehicle.

16. A method for a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

providing a communication connection between the vehicle and a server that is outside of the vehicle;

transmitting user authentication information from a user of the vehicle to the server, the user authentication information comprising information for a unique identification of the user;

retrieving a user profile associated with the user authentication information stored in the server;

acquiring driving environment information of the vehicle in the server;

executing an application on the server based on the user profile and the acquired driving environment information;

transmitting output information of the application from the server to the vehicle;

changing a driving mode of the vehicle based on the output information received from the server;

determining whether the user authentication information transmitted from the vehicle matches user information stored in the server; and

if the user authentication information does not match the user information, transmitting preconfigured output information stored in the server to the vehicle.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting location information of the vehicle to a network.