Vehicle contact detect notification system and cloud services system for interfacing with vehicle

• US 10,286,842 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2016
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• 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): Sherwin, Ryan W
• Application Number:
  US15/085,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20160214535A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• 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 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/50 characterised by the display information being shared, e.g. external display, data transfer to other traffic participants or centralised traffic controller
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/70 characterised by an event-triggered choice to display a specific image among a selection of captured images
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• 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 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: G07C 5/0866 : the electronic data carrier being a digital video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/005 : dispensed for the electrical charging of vehicles electrical charging as such, B60L50/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 : for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 : for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• 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

Methods and systems are disclosed for a vehicle and for associated methods for handling contact detection of the vehicle. The vehicle includes a computer and a communications system. The communications system is configured to provide the computer of the vehicle with wireless communication with a cloud services system that includes a database that stores a user account that identifies the vehicles as registered with the cloud services system. The user account identifies settings for the vehicle and information for notifying a user of the vehicle. The vehicle includes a plurality of sensors associated to sides of the vehicle, such that contact with a specific side of the vehicle is identified using a sensor of the plurality of sensors. The vehicle further includes a plurality of cameras integrated in the vehicle to enable capturing of image data of an area around the vehicle. The computer is configured to receive data from the plurality of sensors of the vehicle to detect a contact with the vehicle and identify a side of the vehicle from which the contact was detected. The computer is configured to send data to the cloud services system which will then send the notification indicating that contact was detected with the vehicle. The cloud services system enables access to additional data and controls, including live feeds of the area around the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle having a computer interfaced with sensors for detecting contact with the vehicle and a communications system for sending a notification regarding the contact, comprising,

the communications system configured to provide the computer of the vehicle with wireless communication with a server, the server is configured with access to data for identifying a user account for the vehicle, the user account identifies settings for the vehicle, the settings include contact information for sending the notification to the user account;

a plurality of sensors disposed on the vehicle, wherein select ones of the plurality of sensors are associated to sides of the vehicle, such that contact with a side of the vehicle is identified using a sensor of the plurality of sensors; and

a plurality of cameras disposed on the vehicle, wherein select ones of the plurality of cameras are oriented to capture images of exterior sides of the vehicle that include an area around a portion of the vehicle;

wherein the computer is configured to receive data from at least one of the plurality of sensors of the vehicle, the data is used to detect a contact to a side of the vehicle based on the side of the vehicle that received said detected contact; and

wherein the computer is configured to send data regarding the contact detected to the server so that the server is able to process the data and determine by a filtering algorithm whether to send the notification regarding the detected contact to the user account, the notification providing access to a precaution level for a location of the vehicle based on prior incidents that occurred proximate to the location,

wherein the server provides access to one or more interfaces via the user account to view from a remote location additional data regarding the detected contact, the additional data includes information identifying the side of the vehicle for which the contact was detected and at least one control for viewing a recorded or live feed of the area around the portion of the vehicle using one or more of the plurality of cameras of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the live feed is a video feed of the area around one or more portions of the vehicle, the at least one control enabling focus of the video feed to specific portions of the area around the vehicle, and the contact is one of a touch of the vehicle, or a motion of the vehicle, or a collision with the vehicle;

wherein the notification sent to the user account is viewable via a mobile device or computer of a user.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of sensors include a motion sensor, or a sensor to detect motion proximate to the vehicle, or a heat detector to detect heat proximate to the vehicle, or combinations of two or more thereof.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of cameras is configured to record an image or a video clip in the area around the vehicle for the contact that was detected, the image or video clip being assessable via the user account.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the server is part of a cloud services system that includes one or more servers and storage, the storage is used to save the settings and a history of events associated with one or more detected contacts with the vehicle.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising,

a plurality of microphones to capture sounds in the area around the vehicle, or an infrared detector for detecting data in the area around the vehicle, or both the plurality of microphones and the infrared detector.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication is configured to process one of radio communication, or Wi-Fi™

communication, or Bluetooth™

communication, or a near field communication (NFC), or cellular communication, or satellite communication, or peer-to-peer communication, or a combination of two or more thereof, and the wireless communication enables connection to the Internet for transacting with the server;

wherein the live feed is a video feed of the area around the vehicle that provides a generated bird'"'"'s eye view of the area around the vehicle, the controls further enable one or more of moving, selecting, panning, rotating, tilting or viewing and controlling direction of 360-degrees of the bird'"'"'s eye view around the vehicle via the generated bird'"'"'s eye view.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of sensors are selected from microphones, or motion detection sensors, or heat detection sensors, or infrared (IR) detector sensors, or sound detection sensors, or recording system sensors, or communications system sensors, or a gyroscope sensor, or combinations of two or more thereof.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one control is provided via an application, the application further provides access to view a number of alerts, or a history of alerts, or past recordings, or past or current incidents, or incidents over a period of time, or video clips, or images, or still images, or a collection of still images, or audio files, or audio snippets, or alarms, or details regarding alarms, or details regarding the contact detected or past contacts detected, or management settings or remote controls of the vehicle, or combinations of two or more thereof.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising,

a speaker;

and

a microphone,

wherein the at least one control enables use of the speaker and the microphone of the vehicle from a remote location to enable a user via the user account to speak with a person proximate to the vehicle, and at least one of the cameras enable viewing the person proximate to the vehicle.

11. A method for detecting contact with a vehicle, the vehicle having a computer that is configured to communicate with a cloud services system that includes one or more servers, comprising,

the computer of the vehicle being interfaced with a communications system for connecting the vehicle with the cloud services system, the cloud services system implements a user account for identifying the vehicles as registered with the cloud services system, the user account further identifies settings for notifying the user account of the vehicle;

receiving, by the computer of the vehicle, data from one or more of a plurality of sensors that are part of in the vehicle, wherein select ones of the plurality of sensors are used to monitor sides of the vehicle;

accessing, by the computer of the vehicle, a plurality of cameras that are part of the vehicle, wherein select ones of the plurality of cameras are oriented to view sides of the vehicle so as to enable capturing of image data of an area or portions of an area around the vehicle;

sending, by the computer of the vehicle, data received from the plurality of sensors of the vehicle to a server of the cloud services system to interpret if a contact was detected and identify a side of the vehicle from which the contact was detected; and

sending, by at least one server of the cloud services system, a notification to a user of the user account, the notification providing information that indicates that contact was detected with the vehicle and provides access to a precaution level for a location of the vehicle based on prior incidents that occurred proximate to the location,

wherein the user account being usable to access additional data and controls, the additional data identifies a specific side of the vehicle from which the contact was detected, and the controls provide access to a live feed of the area around the vehicle from a remote location using one or more of the plurality of cameras of the vehicle, the live feed including an option to view and control direction of a generated bird'"'"'s eye view of the vehicle using two or more of the plurality of cameras of the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the live feed is a video feed of the area around the vehicle, the controls enabling focus of the video feed to specific portions of the area around the vehicle, and the contact is one of a touch of the vehicle, or a motion of the vehicle, or a collision with the vehicle;

wherein the notification is viewable via a mobile device or computer by access to at least one of the servers of the cloud services system via the user account.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising,

using one or more of a motion sensor to detect motion of the vehicle or a heat detector to detect heat proximate to the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of cameras is configured to record an image or a video clip in a portion of the area around the vehicle for the contact that was detected, the image or video clip being assessable via an application for viewing.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the cloud services system is configured to save a history of events associated with one or more detected contacts with the vehicle, an application or an internet connected device being provided with access to the history of events to view specific ones of the events, the cloud services system includes one or more servers.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising,

using a plurality of microphones to capture sounds in the area around the vehicle, or an infrared detector for detecting data in the area around the vehicle, or both the plurality of microphones and the infrared detector.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle implements wireless communication to process one of radio communication, or Wi-Fi™

communication, or Bluetooth™

communication, or a near field communication (NFC), or cellular communication, or satellite communication, or peer-to-peer communication, or a combination of two or more thereof, and the wireless communication enables connection to the Internet for transacting with the cloud services system;

wherein the live feed is a video feed of the area around the vehicle and the controls further enable one or more of panning, rotating, tilting or viewing 360-degrees around the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein one or more of the plurality of sensors are selected from microphones, or motion detection sensors, or heat detection sensors, or infrared (IR) detector sensors, or sound detection sensors, or recording system sensors, or communications system sensors, or gyroscope sensor, or combinations of two or more thereof.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the controls are provided via an application, the application includes graphical user interfaces to access a number of alerts, or a history of alerts, or past recordings, or past or current incidents, or incidents over a period of time, or video clips, or images, or still images, or a collection of still images, or audio files, or audio snippets, or alarms, or details regarding alarms or alerts or notifications, or details regarding the contact detected or past contacts detected, or management settings or remote controls of the vehicle, or combinations of two or more thereof.