Interactive vehicle window display system with personal convenience reminders

• US 9,902,266 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2014
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation), Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Pisz, James T., Schulz, Jason A., Ebe, Kazutoshi, Gunaratne, Pujitha, Chou, Warren Jing Po
• Primary Examiner(s): Ziaeianmehdizadeh, Navid
• Application Number:
  US14/461,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20150077272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,290 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/146 Instrument input by gesture
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/55 Remote control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/573 Mobile devices controlling vehicle functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/785 on or in relation to the windshield or windows
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/794 on or in doors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/797 at the vehicle exterior
• 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 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages

Abstract

A system for a vehicle that provides personal convenience reminders to a user of a vehicle. The system accesses an off board system such as a personal electronic device of the user to display the personal convenience reminders. The system can also access various off board applications in response to the personal electronic device of the user to further refine the personal convenience reminders in response to a user selection.

Claims

1. A system for a vehicle, comprising:

a user input subsystem configured to receive input from a remote device, the input generated by a first user of the vehicle and including a personal convenience reminder for a second user of the vehicle;

a user identification subsystem configured to authenticate the second user when the second user is approaching the vehicle and to determine a direction from which the second user approaches, the determining of the direction from which the second user approaches is based on detected locations of the second user as the second user approaches the vehicle; and

a display subsystem configured to generate output for display on a vehicle window, the window selected to face the direction from which the second user approaches, and the output comprising the personal convenience reminder obtained from the user input subsystem.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the output for display includes an airline departure board for all flights from a current location of the user to a destination indicated in the user input subsystem in response to accessing an off board application.

3. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein the user input subsystem is configured to receive a selection of a flight from the airline departure board.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein the user input subsystem is configured to receive the selection via a key fob.

5. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein the output for display comprises specific information for the selected flight.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the specific information for the selected flight includes a departure time.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the output is displayed on the outside of the vehicle window.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the output includes a weather-related personal convenience reminder associated with the vehicle.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the output includes a weather-related personal convenience reminder associated with the second user.

10. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the output includes a weather-related personal convenience reminder associated with a destination of the second user.

11. A method of operating a system for a vehicle, comprising:

receiving input from a remote device, the input generated by a first user of the vehicle and including a personal convenience reminder for a second user of the vehicle;

identifying, with a user identification subsystem, the second user when the second user is approaching the vehicle, the user identification subsystem comprising at least one user identification sensor configured to capture user data when a user is located outside of the vehicle, wherein identifying the second user when the second user is approaching the vehicle is at least partially based on a skeleton joint relationship using user data captured by at least one identification sensor; and

generating an output for display on a vehicle window in response to identification of the second user, the output associated with the personal convenience reminder, the generating being performed when the second user approaches the vehicle, when the second user exits the vehicle, or both.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the output is displayed on the outside of the vehicle window.