Device and method for configuring a vehicle device and method for configuring a vehicle

• US 9,592,779 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2015
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Pietsch, Martin, Schfer, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, YUEN H
• Application Number:
  US14/812,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20160052471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/037 for occupant comfort , e.g. for automatic adjustment of appliances according to personal settings, e.g. seats, mirrors, steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization

Abstract

A device for configuring a vehicle having an interface for receiving at least one first equipment parameter, desired by a user, of the vehicle. The device includes a data memory for storing permissible vehicle configurations, the permissible vehicle configuration having mutually combinable equipment parameters of the vehicle. The device also includes a processor for predicting a vehicle configuration potentially desired by the user from the permissible vehicle configurations based on a correlation of the first equipment parameter desired by the user and at least one second equipment parameter. The vehicle configuration potentially desired by the user includes the first equipment parameter desired by the user and at least the second equipment parameter.

Claims

1. A device for configuring a vehicle, the device comprising:

an interface device to receive at least one first equipment parameter input by a user of the vehicle;

a data memory to store a plurality of permissible vehicle configurations and corresponding vehicle models that have the plurality of permissible vehicle configurations, each of the plurality of permissible vehicle configurations having a plurality of mutually combinable vehicle equipment parameters; and

a processor to predict a vehicle configuration to be selected by the user from the plurality of permissible vehicle configurations based on a correlation of the at least one first equipment parameter input by the user and at least one second equipment parameter, the vehicle configuration to be selected by the user having the first equipment parameter input by the user and the at least one second equipment parameter,

the processor controls the prediction based on predetermined dependencies via a probability distribution of vehicle equipment parameters comprising at least one of a navigation system, a radio, and a multifunction steering wheel,

wherein the processor selects a stored vehicle configuration having the first equipment parameter and the second equipment parameter as the vehicle configuration to be selected by the user in response to a correlation value of the first equipment parameter and the at least one second equipment parameter corresponding to a greater transition probability value than a correlation value of the first equipment parameter and a third equipment parameter, and

wherein the processor further generates a visual representation of the predicted vehicle configuration along with alternative vehicle configuration proposals.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor, in response to receipt of the first equipment parameter allocated to a first parameter class, transfers a parameter set comprising the at least one second equipment parameter of a second parameter class into a subset comprising the at least one second equipment parameter of the parameter set of the second parameter class.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the processor excludes a further stored vehicle configuration from a prediction in response to the further stored vehicle configuration having the first equipment parameter and a further equipment parameter allocated to the second parameter class that is excluded from the subset of the parameter set of the second parameter class.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the processor, in response to receipt of a third equipment parameter allocated to a third parameter class different from the first parameter class, transfers the parameter set of the second parameter class into the subset of the parameter set of the second parameter class.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the processor excludes a further stored vehicle configuration from a prediction in response to the further stored vehicle configuration having the first equipment parameter, the third equipment parameter and a further equipment parameter allocated to the second parameter class and excluded from the subset of the parameter set of the second parameter class.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the interface device provides a query signal with information on a parameter set comprising the first equipment parameter for the user.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor receives a correction signal and, in response to receipt of the correction signal, changes the correlation of the first equipment parameter selected by the user and the at least one second equipment parameter.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the correlation values between equipment parameters are dependent on a frequency that the vehicle configuration has been selected over a predetermined time period.

9. A system, comprising:

a device for configuring a vehicle, the device comprising an interface device to receive at least one first equipment parameter selected by a user of the vehicle, a data memory to store a plurality of permissible vehicle configurations and corresponding vehicle models that have the plurality of permissible vehicle configurations, each of the plurality of permissible vehicle configurations having a plurality of mutually combinable vehicle equipment parameters; and

a processor to predict a vehicle configuration to be selected by the user from the plurality of permissible vehicle configurations based on a correlation of the at least one first equipment parameter input by the user and at least one second equipment parameter, the vehicle configuration to be selected by the user having the first equipment parameter input by the user and the at least one second equipment parameter,

wherein the processor selects a stored vehicle configuration having the first equipment parameter and the at least one second equipment parameter as the vehicle configuration to be selected by the user in response to a correlation value of the first equipment parameter and the at least one second equipment parameter corresponding to a greater transition probability value than a correlation value of the first equipment parameter and a third equipment parameter,

wherein the processor controls the prediction based on predetermined dependencies via a probability distribution of vehicle equipment parameters comprising at least one of a navigation system, a radio, and a multifunction steering wheel, and

wherein the processor further generates a visual representation of the predicted vehicle configuration along with alternative vehicle configuration proposals; and

a programmable device comprising a further interface device which provides the first equipment parameter for the interface and receives the predicted vehicle configuration from the processor.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the correlation values between equipment parameters are dependent on a frequency that the vehicle configuration has been selected over a predetermined time period.

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

receiving at least one first equipment parameter input by a user of the vehicle;

storing a plurality of permissible vehicle configurations, each of the plurality of permissible vehicle configurations having a plurality of mutually combinable equipment parameters of the vehicle; and

predicting via a processor a vehicle configuration and a corresponding vehicle model to be selected by the user from the plurality of permissible vehicle configurations and vehicle models on a basis of a correlation of the first equipment parameter input by the user and at least one second equipment parameter, the vehicle configuration to be selected by the user having the first equipment parameter input by the user and the at least one second equipment parameter,

wherein the processor selects a stored vehicle configuration having the first equipment parameter and the at least one equipment parameter as the vehicle configuration to be selected by the user in response to a correlation value of the first equipment parameter and the at least one second equipment parameter corresponding to a greater transition probability value than a correlation value of the first equipment parameter and a third equipment parameter,

wherein the processor controls the prediction based on predetermined dependencies via a probability distribution of vehicle equipment parameters comprising at least one of a navigation system, a radio, and a multifunction steering wheel,

wherein the processor further generates a visual representation of the predicted vehicle configuration along with alternative vehicle configuration proposals.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the correlation values between equipment parameters are dependent on a frequency that the vehicle configuration has been selected over a predetermined time period.

13. A non-transitory computer program product containing instructions stored in a memory, for performing a method for configuring a vehicle when executed on a computer, a processor or a programmable hardware component, causes the computer, the processor or the programmable hardware component to:

receive at least one first equipment parameter input by a user of the vehicle;

store a plurality of permissible vehicle configurations, each of the plurality of permissible vehicle configurations having a plurality of mutually combinable equipment parameters of the vehicle; and

predict a vehicle configuration and a corresponding vehicle model to be selected by the user from the plurality of permissible vehicle configurations and vehicle models on a basis of a correlation of the first equipment parameter input by the user and at least one second equipment parameter, the vehicle configuration to be selected by the user having the first equipment parameter input by the user and at least the second equipment parameter,

control the prediction based on predetermined dependencies via a probability distribution of vehicle equipment parameters comprising at least one of a navigation system, a radio, or a multifunction steering wheel,

select a stored vehicle configuration having the first equipment parameter and the at least one second equipment parameter as the vehicle configuration to be input by the user in response to a correlation value correlation of the first equipment parameter and the at least one second equipment parameter corresponding to a greater transition probability value than a correlation value of the first equipment parameter and a third equipment parameter, and

generate a visual representation of the predicted vehicle configuration along with alternative vehicle configuration proposals.

14. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 13, wherein the correlation values between equipment parameters are dependent on a frequency that the vehicle configuration has been selected over a predetermined time period.