Tailoring vehicle human machine interface

• US 9,507,413 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2010
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Gee, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Application Number:
  US12/960,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20120143391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,188 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/36, 701/400, 701/487, 701/538, 715/700, 345/650, 345/661, 345/676, 345/501, 345/520
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/00 Indexing scheme associated with groups B60K35/00 or B60K37/00 relating to details of instruments or dashboards
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/11 Instrument graphical user interfaces or menu aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/186 Displaying information according to relevancy
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1868 according to driving situations
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/195 Blocking or enabling display functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/589 Wireless data transfers
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/85 Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/00 Dashboards as road-vehicle superstructure sub-units B62D25/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/011 Emotion or mood input determined on the basis of sensed human body parameters such as pulse, heart rate or beat, temperature of skin, facial expressions, iris, voice pitch, brain activity patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• 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: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Methods and systems for analyzing communication options, including determining one or more driving factors, being provided with one or more HMI tailoring options, and analyzing the one or more driving factors and the one or more HMI tailoring options to determine an optimum HMI tailoring option.

Claims

1. A method for tailoring a vehicle'"'"'s steering sensitivity and a vehicle'"'"'s accelerator pedal sensitivity, the method comprising:

determining a location of the vehicle from a navigation system;

determining the vehicle'"'"'s surroundings and determining whether there are obstacles around the vehicle using RADAR;

analyzing map data and predicting from the location and the map data analysis, a condition of a road, which the vehicle will encounter, ahead of where the vehicle is located;

determining an optimum configuration for the vehicle steering sensitivity and the vehicle accelerator pedal sensitivity responsive to the road condition the vehicle will encounter, ahead of where the vehicle is located; and

changing the vehicle steering sensitivity and the vehicle accelerator pedal sensitivity, responsive to determining surroundings and responsive to determining obstacles around the vehicle using RADAR, and in advance of encountering the road condition the vehicle will encounter, responsive to the step of determining an optimum configuration for the vehicle steering sensitivity and the vehicle accelerator pedal sensitivity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a driver is drowsy;

determining whether a route ahead is monotonous; and

upon determining that the driver is drowsy and that the route ahead is monotonous, brightening interior lights, modifying an internal temperature of the vehicle, opening windows, changing at least one of a selection of music and a volume of music, and sounding one or more alerts.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based on the determined location of the vehicle, changing TTS voices to at least one of inform and entertain passengers by using voices that reflect at least one of;

local attractions, local culture, and local celebrities.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based on the determined location of the vehicle, assisting a driver of the vehicle to conform to local legislation by turning on headlights of the vehicle when windshield wipers are engaged to conform to a state law applicable at the determined location of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a date;

determining a time; and

based on the determined date and the determined time, using serious text-to-speech (“

TTS”

) tones on weekday mornings and festive TTS tones during evenings and weekends.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether visibility is low due to at least one of rain and fog;

upon determining that visibility is due to at least one of rain and fog, dimming interior lighting to help a driver of the vehicle to focus outside the vehicle, and setting music to encourage slower driving.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the vehicle is about to enter a tunnel; and

upon determining that the vehicle is about to enter a tunnel, dimming an instrument panel display of the vehicle before entering the tunnel.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining whether there is weather data to suggest that it is raining at an exit of the tunnel; and

upon determining that there is weather data to suggest that it is raining at an exit of the tunnel, providing a notification message that it is raining, closing at least one vehicle window, and turning on headlights of the vehicle before exiting the tunnel.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the vehicle accelerator pedal sensitivity further comprises:

making the vehicle accelerator pedal less sensitive to help calm a driver of the vehicle and to prevent tire slippage.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

upon determining that there are obstacles around the vehicle using RADAR, dimming interior display lighting to help relax a driver of the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a driver of the vehicle is driving aggressively;

upon determining that the driver of the vehicle is driving aggressively, tailoring a human machine interface of the vehicle to help relax the driver.

12. A system for tailoring a vehicle'"'"'s steering sensitivity and a vehicle'"'"'s accelerator pedal sensitivity responsive to road conditions, the system comprising:

a navigation system;

a steering system and an accelerator pedal, the operations of which are capable of being tailored;

one or more processors coupled to;

the steering system and accelerator pedal, whereby the one or processors can control sensitivity of the steering system and the accelerator pedal, the one or more processors also being coupled to the navigation system whereby the one or processors can receive current location information from the navigation system;

one or more non-transitory memory devices coupled to the one or more processors, and storing executable instructions for the one or more processors, which when executed cause the one or more processors to;

determine the vehicle'"'"'s current location from the current location information;

determine the vehicle'"'"'s surroundings and determine whether there are obstacles around the vehicle using RADAR;

determine one or more tailoring options for the steering system and the accelerator pedal;

analyze map data and predict from the current location and map data, a road condition the vehicle will encounter ahead of the current location;

determine an optimum configuration for the steering system and the accelerator pedal responsive to the predicted road condition; and

change the vehicle steering sensitivity and the accelerator pedal sensitivity, in advance of encountering the predicted road condition and, responsive to determinations of the vehicle'"'"'s surroundings and whether there are obstacles around the vehicle using RADAR.

13. The system of claim 12, the system being further configured to receive feedback from the system or vehicle occupants regarding the efficacy of the optimum configuration for the steering system and the accelerator pedal and to record the feedback to improve the system'"'"'s ability to tailor the steering system and the accelerator pedal effectively.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising a vehicle, the vehicle comprising the system for tailoring the steering system and the accelerator pedal.

15. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product comprising program instructions, which when executed are effective to:

determine a current location of a vehicle;

determine the vehicle'"'"'s surroundings and, determine whether there are obstacles around the vehicle using RADAR;

determine one or more available tailoring options for a steering system and an accelerator pedal, operations of which are capable of being tailored;

analyze map data and predict from the current location and map data, a road condition the vehicle will encounter ahead of the current location;

determine an optimum tailoring option for the predicted road condition, responsive to available tailoring options; and

change the vehicle steering sensitivity and the accelerator pedal sensitivity in advance of encountering the predicted road condition, responsive to the determination of the optimum configuration for the steering system and the accelerator pedal and responsive to determining the vehicle'"'"'s surroundings and determining whether there are obstacles around the vehicle using RADAR.

16. The product of claim 15, where the program instructions being further effective to determine an optimum tailoring option for the steering system and the accelerator pedal, using the vehicle'"'"'s route due to geographic boundaries.