Vehicle comfort system for using and/or controlling vehicle functions with the assistance of a mobile device

• US 9,499,173 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2014
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Waeller, Christoph
• Primary Examiner(s): Do, Truc M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Whittington, Jess
• Application Number:
  US14/199,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20140200765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/202 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed

Abstract

Vehicle with a comfort system having: a vehicle controller device, via which different vehicle systems and/or vehicle functions can be controlled; at least one vehicle communication device for exchanging data via wireless communication; a plurality of identification modules arranged in the vehicle that comprise an identification code readable in the vicinity of the identification modules, each identification code being assigned to an installation location of the identification module. The vehicle controller device is designed to set up a communication connection to a mobile device via the vehicle communication device to receive, via the communication connection, an identification code read out by the mobile device and, via the mobile device and the mobile communication connection, to allow or prohibit control or usage of individual or all vehicle functions and/or systems selectively on the basis of the received identification code.

Claims

1. A vehicle with an accessibility system comprising:

a vehicle control device connected to different vehicle systems and vehicle functions;

at least one vehicle communication device exchanging data via wireless communication with a mobile device; and

at least two identification tags arranged in the vehicle each of the at least two identification tags containing an identification code readable by the mobile device, each of the at least two identification tags being positioned outside of the mobile device, a particular identification code designating a particular installation location of one of the at least two identification tags in the vehicle,

wherein the vehicle control device initiates a communication connection to a mobile device via the vehicle communication device to receive the particular identification code read and transmitted by the mobile device, and, wherein the vehicle control device selectively allows and restricts access to individual vehicle functions or systems depending on the particular installation location designated by the received particular identification code.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle control device comprises an authorization device that, depending on the transmitted identification code, controls an authorization for actuating or operating the vehicle functions or vehicle systems and an authorization for a two-way transmission of data between the vehicle systems or vehicle functions and the mobile device.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, at the installation locations, holders are arranged or formed for receiving the mobile device, wherein one of the at least two identification tags is arranged on or in at least one of the holders.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein each holder comprises one or more elastic elements in or between which the mobile device is accommodated.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein each identification tag comprises at least one RFID chip.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is installed in one of a plurality of holders mounted within the vehicle.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, the mobile device further comprising a display screen, wherein the display screen displays content based on an installation position of the mobile device.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least two identification tags are passive RFID modules.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least two identification tags utilize asymmetric encryption methods.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control device also receives an application code assigned to a specific application or portion of an application.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the mobile device reads the particular identification code from one of the at least two identification tags and transmits the particular identification code to the vehicle control device.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the particular identification code read by the mobile device is from a nearest identification tag.

13. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein mobile device reads the particular identification code from one of the at least two identification tags wirelessly.

14. An accessibility system for a vehicle comprising:

a vehicle control device connected to different vehicle systems and vehicle functions;

at least one wireless vehicle communication device exchanging data with a mobile device;

at least two identification tags, outside of the mobile device, being arranged in the vehicle, each of the at least two identification tags containing a readable identification code designating a particular vehicle installation location in the vehicle; and

a computer program product having a program code executable in a program-controlled processing unit of a mobile device, the mobile device comprising an identification tag reader for receiving the identification codes from the at least two identification tags, at least one input device for acquiring user input, at least one output device, and a mobile device communication unit, each of which are controllable via the program-controlled processing unit,

wherein the program code controls the identification tag reader in order to acquire with it the identification code of one of the at least two identification tags in an acquisition range of the identification tag reader outside of the mobile device to determine a location of the mobile device in the vehicle,

wherein, if the identification code is acquired, a wireless communication connection is set up for exchanging data with the vehicle control device via the mobile device communication unit and the vehicle communication device, and

wherein, depending on the location of the mobile device and the data exchanged via the communication connection, different functionalities of the vehicle systems or vehicle functions are provided and restricted for the at least one output device or the at least one input device.

15. The accessibility system of the vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the vehicle communication device and mobile device communication unit are designed for wireless communication, a Bluetooth interface, or WLAN interfaces.

16. The accessibility system of the vehicle according to claim 14, wherein at least one holder is designed such that the mobile device placed in the holder acquires an environment of the vehicle via a digital camera, wherein the mobile device comprises the digital camera with a detection aperture on an opposite side from a display area of a display device, and wherein the program code is designed to bring about an acquisition of the environment of the vehicle via the digital camera and displays on the display area an augmented reality of the environment of the vehicle with the aid of data transmitted via the communication connection of the vehicle control device.

17. The accessibility system of the vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the identification tag reader receives, continuously or at intervals, the identification code of one of the at least two identification tags located in the acquisition range, and wherein access to functionalities of the vehicle systems or vehicle functions is ended as soon as the receiving fails or a change in the identification code is detected.

18. The accessibility system of the vehicle according to claim 14, wherein a first acquired identification code allows access to more vehicle functions or vehicle systems than a second acquired identification code.

19. A vehicle comprising:

at least two RFID tags arranged at different locations within the vehicle;

a first vehicle system and a second vehicle system connectable to one another via a vehicle bus, each of the first and second vehicle systems controlling different vehicle functions;

a mobile device being connectable to at least one of the first vehicle system or second vehicle system and being arranged in a different location within the vehicle than the at least two RFID tags, the mobile device having a display screen and an identification reader for reading an identification code that is wirelessly provided from at least one of the at least two RFID tags, the identification code designating a particular installation location of the at least one of the at least two RFID tags, each of the at least two RFID tags having a different identification code from one another, the mobile device determining a location of the mobile device within the vehicle based on the received identification code from at least one of the at least two RFID tags,

wherein the mobile device allows and restricts access to the vehicle functions based on the location of the mobile device within the vehicle.

20. The vehicle according to claim 19, wherein the vehicle functions comprise a control of:

a vehicle audio system;

a ventilation system;

a lane keeping assist system;

a parking assistance system;

actuators;

sensors;

or content provided to the display screen of the mobile device.

21. A computer program product for a vehicle-related accessibility system, the computer program product comprising:

program code executable in a program-controlled processing unit of a mobile device, the mobile device comprising an identification tag reader receiving identification codes from identification tags arranged in a vehicle, at least one input device for acquiring user input, at least one output device, and a mobile device communication unit, each of which are controllable via the program-controlled processing unit,

wherein the identification tag reader scans for an identification code of one of the identification tags in an acquisition range of the identification tag reader outside of the mobile device, the identification code identifying a mounting location in the vehicle, and

if the identification code is acquired, the mobile device establishes a wireless communication connection exchanging data between a vehicle control device via the mobile device communication unit and a vehicle communication device and,

depending on the acquired identification code and the exchanged data, the mobile device provides and restricts different functionalities of the vehicle systems available to the at least one output device or the at least one input device of the mobile device.