Rain onset detection auto-close user interface

• US 9,752,370 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2015
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Van Wiemeersch, John Robert, Holub, Patrick Kevin, Gusikhin, Oleg Yurievitch
• Primary Examiner(s): Figueroa, Jaime
• Application Number:
  US14/797,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20170016266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 1/00 Windows; Windscreens; Accessories therefor B60J10/00 takes precedence; air curtains instead of windows B60J9/04 ; sealing strips for windshields B60J10/70; sealing sash guides for sliding window panes B60J10/74; glass partitions inside vehicles to protect occupants against personal attack B60R21/12
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/00 Non-fixed roofs; Roofs with movable panels , e.g. rotary sunroofsB60J10/00 takes precedence; window aspects B60J1/00; fixed roofs B62D25/06; mechanisms for operating wings E05F11/00, E05F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/55 Remote control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/566 Mobile devices displaying vehicle information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/573 Mobile devices controlling vehicle 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 35/23 Head-up displays [HUD] optical aspects of head-up displays G02B27/01
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/85 Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/71 responsive to temperature changes, rain, wind or noise
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/77 using wireless control
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence

Abstract

A vehicle controller may receive notification settings to apply when determining rain conditions. The controller may identify a rain condition sensor data, and send a rain alert to a mobile device to obtain confirmation to perform rain condition actions specified by the notification settings. The mobile device may receive, from the vehicle controller, the rain alert requesting confirmation to perform rain condition actions specified by the notification settings; and may send, responsive to user input to the mobile device, a confirmation to perform the rain condition actions.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a telematics control unit; and

a controller in communication with the telematics control unit and a plurality of capacitive sensors, programmed to

access notification settings to determine a mobile device to notify of a rain condition identified using the sensors;

command the telematics control unit to send a rain alert to the mobile device to obtain confirmation to perform rain condition actions;

close vehicle openings responsive to receiving the confirmation; and

command the telematics control unit to send a close confirmation to the mobile device indicating the rain condition actions that were performed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification settings specify sending the rain alert to the mobile device that was most recently paired to the telematics control unit.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification settings are associated with a key fob that was most recently used to access the vehicle, and specify the mobile device to send the rain alert as the mobile device associated with the key fob.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification settings specify at least one of:

(i) which of the vehicle openings to close responsive to receiving the confirmation; and

(ii) which vehicle doors to unlock responsive to receiving the confirmation.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification settings specify a geo-fence region in which the rain condition identified using the sensors is to be ignored.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a head unit display, wherein the telematics control unit is programmed to:

display, on the head unit display, a user interface for configuration of the notification settings; and

update the notification settings responsive to input to the user interface.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the telematics control unit is programmed to:

send the notification settings to the mobile device for configuration using a user interface of the mobile device;

receive a change to the notification settings from the mobile device; and

update the notification settings responsive to the change.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further programmed to:

identify sensor data indicative of a consistent change in capacitance across sensor data received from a plurality of capacitive door handles of the vehicle; and

identify the rain condition according to measuring a capacitive change beyond a capacitive sensor detection threshold.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further programmed to command the telematics control unit to send a rain conclusion alert to the mobile device responsive to detecting a conclusion of the rain condition.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the telematics control unit is further programmed to:

send a current location of the vehicle and current windows status information to a backend server;

receive an alert from the backend server when a weather service in communication with the server indicates rain approaching to the current location of the vehicle; and

send the alert to the controller to cause the controller to confirm the rain condition.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, from a mobile device, notification settings to apply to a vehicle controller;

identifying, by the controller, a rain condition according to a capacitive change across sensor data received from external capacitive sensors of the vehicle;

sending a rain alert to the mobile device obtaining confirmation to perform rain condition actions specified by the notification settings; and

sending a close confirmation to the mobile device indicating the rain condition actions that were performed.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the notification settings specify which vehicle openings to close responsive to receiving the confirmation.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the notification settings specify one or more vehicle doors to unlock responsive to receiving the confirmation.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the notification settings specify a geo-fence region in which the rain condition identified using the sensors is to be ignored.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising sending a rain conclusion alert to the mobile device responsive to detecting a conclusion of the rain condition.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the notification settings specify which vehicle openings to close responsive to receiving the confirmation.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the notification settings specify one or more actions to perform responsive to detecting a conclusion of the rain condition, the actions specifying one or more of whether to reopen vehicle openings responsive to detecting the conclusion of the rain condition, whether to leave the vehicle openings in a closed state responsive to detecting the conclusion of the rain condition, and a period of time after detecting the conclusion of the rain condition to wait before reopening the vehicle openings.

18. A system comprising:

a mobile device programmed to

display a user interface specifying notification settings to apply to a vehicle controller programmed to determine rain conditions;

receive, from the vehicle controller, a rain alert requesting confirmation to perform rain condition actions specified by the notification settings;

send, responsive to user input to the mobile device, a confirmation to perform the rain condition actions,

receive a close confirmation indicating the rain condition actions that were performed; and

display a user interface including the close confirmation.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the mobile device is further programmed to:

receive a rain conclusion alert responsive to detecting a conclusion of the rain condition, and

display a user interface including the rain conclusion alert.