Connected vehicle settings and cloud system management

• US 10,225,350 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2016
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emerging Automotive, LLC
• Original Assignee: Emerging Automotive, LLC
• Inventors: Penilla, Angel A., Penilla, Albert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fantu, Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US15/243,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20160359980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 320109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/12 by confirmation, e.g. of the input
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/20 by driver identification
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 Interpretation of driver requests or demands
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/308 using the Internet of Things
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 : Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/005 : dispensed for the electrical charging of vehicles electrical charging as such, B60L50/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 : specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 : involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 : Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 : for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 : Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A cloud system that includes one or more servers for communicating with vehicles and processing information received from vehicles and processing information sent to vehicles is disclosed. The system processes instructions for establishing a communication link between a computing device associated with a vehicle and a server of the cloud system. The communication link is over a wireless network. The communication link is established in association with a user account that is managed by the cloud system. The communication link is configured to be established for one or more sessions. The system enables receiving, at the server, a plurality of actions associated with inputs made at the vehicle for the vehicle when associated with the user account, and the plurality of actions being received during the one or more sessions. Then, updating, by the server, data associated with the user account to identify certain ones of the plurality of actions at the vehicle. The server is configured to generate an instruction to apply a setting at the vehicle. One or more of the plurality of actions for the vehicle made during the one or more sessions are analyzed to identify a pattern that is indicative of a preference for a setting by a user of the vehicle that used the vehicle via the user account when the actions were made. The server then sends to the user account the instruction to apply the setting for the vehicle. The computing device associated with the vehicle enables acceptance and application of the setting.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method processed by a server that communicates with vehicles and processes information received from vehicles and processes information sent to vehicles, comprising,

establishing a communication link between a computing device associated with a vehicle and the server, the communication link being over a wireless network, the communication link being for a user account that is managed by the server, the communication link configured to be established for one or more sessions;

identifying a user profile for the user account, the user profile having a plurality of customized settings for one or more of user interfaces of the vehicle, comfort settings, entertainment settings, driving mode settings, location based settings or time based use and restriction settings;

sending, by the server to the vehicle, said plurality of customized settings to the vehicle for implementation on the vehicle;

receiving, at the server, a plurality of actions associated with inputs made at the vehicle for the vehicle when associated with the user account, the plurality of actions being received during the one or more sessions; and

sending, by the server, an instruction to apply a change to a setting at the vehicle, wherein one or more of the plurality of actions for the vehicle made during the one or more sessions are analyzed to identify a pattern that is indicative of a preference for the change in the setting by a user of the vehicle that used the vehicle via the user account when the actions were made.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of customized settings are stored in storage accessible by the server, the server and storage being part of a cloud services system that manages user accounts of a plurality of users.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of customized settings are usable in two or more vehicles associated with the user account, based on which of said two or more vehicles is active to communicate with the server and the vehicle implements the user profile.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of customized settings are usable in two or more vehicles associated with the user account, based on which of said two or more vehicles is active to communicate with the server and use of the vehicle implements the user profile, the user profile being one of an administrator profile, a temporary profile, a shared vehicle profile, a valet profile, a child profile, or a custom profile.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying a user profile for the user account is processed based on received data from a computing device, the computing device is one of a user device, a mobile computing device, a smartphone, a tablet, a non-portable device, a vehicle computer, or a connected computer.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein the received data includes one or more of data input to a user interface of the computing device, biometric data captured, an image of a face of a person, a finger print of a person, or combinations of two or more thereof.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein when the image of the face of a person is used as the received data for identifying the user profile, face detection is used as at least part of a credential of a user to associated the user to the user profile and enabling use of the user account on the vehicle, for at least a period of time.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, updating a profile for the user account at a database accessed by the server to store information regarding the instruction to apply the change to the setting at the vehicle;

and

wherein the vehicle is a shared vehicle, the shared vehicle being available for a predetermined period of time.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein select ones of the plurality of actions are selected from one or more of setting a temperature of the vehicle, setting a window defrost mode in the vehicle, heating a seat or seats of the vehicle, setting an emergency signal of the vehicle, setting an emergency signal for help, setting a restriction or enabling a feature for the vehicle, disabling the vehicle, selecting an audio setting, making a reservation for service, reporting an error in the vehicle, setting a position of mirrors of the vehicle, setting to open or crack windows upon reaching a temperature, setting notifications for recharging a battery if the vehicle is an electric vehicle, setting reminders to charge upon reaching a predefined battery state if an electric vehicle, setting parameters to identify nearby charge stations if the vehicle is an electric vehicle, setting advertisement settings allowed to be displayed via a screen of the electric vehicle, setting maps data, setting communications data, setting navigation data, setting display settings data, setting customization of display applications on the screen of the vehicle, setting suspension parameters for the vehicle, setting auto lock/unlock controls of the vehicle, activating an alarm, setting instructions to receive video feedback from the vehicle upon detection of alarm conditions, setting to call for help when an accident is detected, setting time of day on vehicle clocks based on local time;

setting navigation parameters in the vehicle, setting preferred radio stations, setting sensitivity of collision detection sensors, setting sensor programming, or combinations of two or more thereof.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1,

wherein the pattern for select ones of the actions is associated with a confidence score;

or

wherein actions that have a repeating pattern have a likelihood that the setting will be accepted.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein sensor data is received from the vehicle, the sensor data includes one or more of sensed temperature data, geo-location data, speed data, vehicle condition data, occupant identification data, number of occupant data, biometric detection data of an occupant in the vehicle, proximity of surrounding vehicles or obstacles data, voice data, video data, touch data, gesture data, surrounding vehicle shared sensor data, or at combination of two or more thereof.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising,

accessing third-party history profiles of other user accounts;

examining actions of one or more of the third-party history profiles to identify similarity in actions or patterns to those of a history profile of the user account;

wherein the instruction generated to apply the setting is modified based on the examining of actions of one or more of the third-party history profiles.

13. A computer implemented method processed by a server that communicates with vehicles and processes information received from vehicles and processes information sent to vehicles, comprising,

establishing a communication link between a computing device associated with a vehicle and the server, the communication link being over a wireless network, the communication link configured to be established for one or more sessions;

receiving data, at the server, indicative of an identity of a user;

identifying, by the server, a user profile for a user account, the user profile having a plurality of customized settings for one or more of user interfaces of the vehicle, comfort settings, entertainment settings, driving mode settings, location based settings or time based use and restriction settings;

sending, by the server to the vehicle, said plurality of customized settings to the vehicle for implementation on the vehicle;

wherein said plurality of customized settings are usable in two or more vehicles associated with the user account, based on which of said two or more vehicles is active to communicate with the server and the vehicle implements the user profile, the user profile being one of an administrator profile, a temporary profile, a shared vehicle profile, a valet profile, a child profile, or a custom profile;

wherein identifying a user profile for the user account is processed based on the received data that is from a computing device, the computing device is one of a user device, a mobile computing device, a smartphone, a tablet, a non-portable device, a vehicle computer, or a connected computer.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 13, wherein the received data includes one or more of data input to a user interface of the computing device, biometric data captured, an image of a face of a person, a finger print of a person, or combinations of two or more thereof.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 14, wherein when the image of the face of a person is used as the received data for identifying the user profile, face detection is used as at least part of a credential of a user to associated the user to the user profile and enabling use of the user account on the vehicle, for at least a period of time.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 13, wherein the vehicle is a shared vehicle, the shared vehicle being available for a predetermined period of time, where the shared vehicle is provided for use to persons having user accounts that are provided access to said shared vehicle for periods of time;

wherein said shared vehicle is found using an application that identifies vehicles available for sharing based at least on a geo-location;

wherein said shared vehicle is a vehicle of a vehicle sharing company or a vehicle of a person willing to share said vehicle for a period of time.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 16, wherein the user profile is identified and used for the period of time during which said vehicle is used as said shared vehicle, and wherein a profile of a user authorized to use said shared vehicle is automatically synchronized to apply settings of said profile to the shared vehicle during use of said shared vehicle.

18. Computer readable media having program instructions processed by a server that communicates with vehicles and processes information received from vehicles and processes information sent to vehicles, comprising,

program instructions for establishing a communication link between a computing device associated with a vehicle and the server, the communication link being over a wireless network, the communication link configured to be established for one or more sessions;

program instructions for receiving data, at the server, indicative of an identity of a user;

program instructions for identifying, by the server, a user profile for a user account, the user profile having a plurality of customized settings for one or more of user interfaces of the vehicle, comfort settings, entertainment settings, driving mode settings, location based settings or time based use and restriction settings;

program instructions for sending, by the server to the vehicle, said plurality of customized settings to the vehicle for implementation on the vehicle;

wherein said plurality of customized settings are usable in two or more vehicles associated with the user account, based on which of said two or more vehicles is active to communicate with the server and the vehicle implements the user profile, the user profile being one of an administrator profile, a temporary profile, a shared vehicle profile, a valet profile, a child profile, or a custom profile;

wherein identifying a user profile for the user account is processed based on the received data that is from a computing device, the computing device is one of a user device, a mobile computing device, a smartphone, a tablet, a non-portable device, a vehicle computer, or a connected computer;

wherein the received data includes one or more of data input to a user interface of the computing device, biometric data captured, an image of a face of a person, a finger print of a person, or combinations of two or more thereof.

19. The computer readable media of claim 18, wherein when the image of the face of a person is used as the received data for identifying the user profile, face detection is used as at least part of a credential of a user to associated the user to the user profile and enabling use of the user account on the vehicle, for at least a period of time.

20. The computer readable media of claim 18, wherein the vehicle is a shared vehicle, the shared vehicle being available for a predetermined period of time, where the shared vehicle is provided for use to persons having user accounts that are provided access to said shared vehicle for periods of time;

wherein said shared vehicle is found using an application that identifies vehicles available for sharing based at least on a geo-location;

wherein said shared vehicle is a vehicle of a vehicle sharing company or a vehicle of a person willing to share said vehicle for a period of time.