Method and apparatus for vehicle occupant location detection

• US 9,873,396 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2016
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lem, Jeroen, Buttolo, Pietro, Rankin, II, James Stewart
• Primary Examiner(s): SOOFI, YAZAN A
• Application Number:
  US15/184,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20170361792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 701 49
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/26 for children B60N2/30 takes precedence
• 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: E05B 77/26 specially adapted for child safety
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/54 Automatic securing or unlocking of bolts triggered by certain vehicle parameters, e.g. exceeding a speed threshold triggered by vehicle collision E05B77/12
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/56 Control of actuators
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/64 Monitoring or sensing, e.g. by using switches or sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/74 by sensing the state of the actuator
• 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 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems

Abstract

A system includes a processor configured to determine the location of a wirelessly-identified device within a vehicle. The processor is also configured to determine a locking schema associated with the device for locking child-lockable vehicle systems and apply the locking schema to corresponding systems in a defined proximity to the determined device location.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine a location of a wirelessly-identified device within a vehicle;

obtain a locking schema associated with the device and defining locking states for child-lockable vehicle systems; and

determine which of the child-lockable vehicle systems are within a predefined proximity to the device location; and

set the locking states, based on the locking schema, of child-lockable vehicle systems in the predefined proximity to the device location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the child-lockable systems include child locks on vehicle doors.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the child-lockable systems include climate controls.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the child-lockable systems include entertainment controls.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to obtain the locking schema from a vehicle-stored device profile.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to obtain the locking schema from a remotely stored device profile obtained wirelessly by the processor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the child-lockable systems include vehicle human machine interfaces.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

present a human machine interface (HMI) including selectable control over child-lockable systems;

receive input to the HMI instructing a state change of a child-lockable system within the predefined proximity to the device; and

adjust the locking schema associated with the device based on the received input.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the child-lockable systems include seat adjustment controls.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

categorize a device for which a known profile does not exist as a child device, and

obtain a predefined child device locking schema stored in the vehicle as the locking schema associated with the device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to categorize the device as a child device based on the device wirelessly self-identifying as a child device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to categorize the device as a child device based on a lookup of predefined device categories utilizing a device identification wirelessly obtained from the device.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

categorize a device for which a known profile does not exist as an adult device, and

obtain a predefined adult device locking schema stored in the vehicle as the locking schema associated with the device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to categorize the device as an adult device based on the device wirelessly self-identifying as an adult device.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to categorize the device as an adult device based on a lookup of predefined device categories utilizing a device identification wirelessly obtained from the device.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

wirelessly upload a device profile, including state settings for child-lockable vehicle systems associated with the device, to a remote system.

17. A computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining a locking schema associated with an identified wireless device, the schema defining locking state settings for child-lockable vehicle systems;

setting states of the child-lockable vehicle systems, based on the locking state settings, and wherein the systems are determined to be within a predefined proximity to a determined device location within a vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the predefined state settings are obtained from at least one of:

the device, through wireless communication with the device, a locally stored device profile or a remotely stored device profile.

19. A computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining a locking schema defining child-lockable system locking state settings, the schema associated with a wireless device within a vehicle at a determined location within the vehicle; and

applying the locking schema to child-lockable systems within the vehicle in a predefined proximity to the determined location, such that the child-lockable systems are set to the locking states defined by the locking schema when the child-lockable systems are within the predefined proximity to the device location.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the method includes retrieving the locking schema from at least one of:

the device, through wireless communication with the device, a locally stored device profile or a remotely stored device profile.