Cooperative occupant sensing

• US 9,509,775 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2014
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Cuddihy, Mark A., Rao, Manoharprasad K., Le, Jialiang
• Primary Examiner(s): WEST, LEWIS G
• Application Number:
  US14/489,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20160088086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• 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 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A vehicle system includes a communication interface and a processing device. The communication interface is programmed to pair with at least one mobile device. The processing device is programmed to receive a data file, which includes occupant information, sent from the mobile device. The processing device is further programmed to update at least one vehicle setting based on the occupant information.

Claims

1. A vehicle system comprising:

a communication interface programmed to pair with at least one mobile device when the at least one mobile device is in a vehicle; and

a processing device programmed to receive a data file sent from the mobile device, the data file including occupant information, wherein the processing device is programmed to update at least one vehicle setting based on the occupant information, update the data file during operation of the vehicle, and command the communication interface to transmit the updated data file to the mobile device,

wherein the processing device is programmed to delete the updated data file from a local memory after the updated data file is transmitted to the at least one mobile device and after an occupant associated with the mobile device has exited the vehicle.

2. The vehicle system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface device configured to present instructions to the occupant, wherein the instructions are based at least in part on the occupant information.

3. The vehicle system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface device programmed to present a plurality of virtual seats and a device identifier associated with the mobile device.

4. The vehicle system of claim 3, wherein the user interface device is programmed to prompt the occupant to associate the device identifier with one of the virtual seats.

5. The vehicle system of claim 4, wherein the processing device is programmed to update the at least one vehicle setting based at least in part on the virtual seat associated with the device identifier.

6. The vehicle system of claim 4, wherein the user interface device is programmed to receive a selection associating the device identifier with one of the virtual seats and transmit the selection to the processing device, wherein the processing device is programmed to update the at least one vehicle setting based at least in part on the virtual seat associated with the device identifier.

7. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is programmed to wirelessly communicate with the mobile device.

8. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is programmed to update the data file based at least in part on how the occupant associated with the at least one mobile device operates the vehicle.

9. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is programmed to request the data file from each paired mobile device.

10. A method comprising:

pairing at least one mobile device with a vehicle system;

receiving a data file from each mobile device, each data file including occupant information; and

updating at least one vehicle setting based on the occupant information;

updating the data file during operation of a vehicle;

transmitting the updated data file to the mobile device; and

deleting the updated data file from a local memory after the updated data file is transmitted to the mobile device and after an occupant associated with the mobile device has exited the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising presenting instructions to-the occupant, wherein the instructions are based at least in part on the occupant information.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising presenting a plurality of virtual seats and a device identifier associated with the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising prompting the occupant to associate the device identifier with one of the virtual seats.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein updating the at least one vehicle setting is based at least in part on the virtual seat associated with the device identifier.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving a selection associating the device identifier with one of the virtual seats, wherein the at least one vehicle setting is updated based at least in part on the virtual seat associated with the device identifier.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein updating the data file includes updating the data file based at least in part on how the occupant associated with the at least one mobile device operates the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising requesting the data file from each paired mobile device.

18. A vehicle system comprising:

a communication interface programmed to pair with at least one mobile device in a vehicle;

a user interface device programmed to present a plurality of virtual seats and a device identifier associated with each paired mobile device and prompt at least one occupant to associate each device identifier with one of the virtual seats; and

a processing device programmed to receive a data file sent by each paired mobile device, the data file including occupant information, wherein the processing device is programmed to update at least one vehicle setting based on the occupant information associated with a vehicle occupant, update the data file during operation of the vehicle based at least in part on how an occupant associated with the at least one mobile device operates the vehicle, and command the communication interface to transmit the updated data file to the mobile device, and

wherein the user interface device is configured to present instructions based at least in part on the occupant information, and

wherein the processing device is programmed to delete the updated data file from a local memory device after the updated data file is transmitted to the at least one mobile device and after the occupant associated with the at least one mobile device has exited the vehicle.