Vehicle assistance device

• US 10,424,201 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2018
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Roelle, Christopher, Strassberger, Markus, Steinberg, Karl-Ernst, Niedermaier, Bernhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Foxx, Chico A
• Application Number:
  US16/133,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20190035272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/186 Displaying information according to relevancy
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0064 using a remote, e.g. cordless, transmitter or receiver unit, e.g. remote keypad or mobile phone
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/00 Input parameters relating to overall vehicle dynamics
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/043 Identity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/133 within the vehicle ; Indicators inside the vehicles or at stops

Abstract

A vehicle assistance device includes a control device for controlling the display of information and a display for displaying the information. When the control device has determined a state of the vehicle and/or a position of the vehicle, the control device takes the determined state of the vehicle and/or the determined position of the vehicle as a basis for providing information for the driver on the display device. When changing between mobility sections in which different information may be of interest to the driver, the vehicle assistance device can provide a driver with the necessary information for each of the mobility sections.

Claims

1. A vehicle assistance apparatus comprising:

a control device configured to control the display of information;

a display device configured to display the information;

a position finding device configured to ascertain the position of the vehicle;

at least one sensor device configured to ascertain a state of the vehicle;

a reception device configured to receive first data that are provided by an external device outside the vehicle; and

a memory device having a first memory configured to store states of the vehicle and having a second memory configured to store positions, wherein

the control device is in a form such that the control device compares the ascertained state of the vehicle with the states of the vehicle that are stored in the first memory and compares the ascertained position of the vehicle with the positions of the vehicle that are stored in the second memory,

the control device is in a form such that the control device displays the information on the display device when the control device establishes that the ascertained state of the vehicle matches a state that is stored in the first memory and/or the ascertained position of the vehicle matches a position that is stored in the second memory,

the control device displays first pieces of the information on the display device when the control device establishes that the ascertained state of the vehicle changes from a state that is not stored in the first memory to the state that is stored in the first memory and/or when the control device establishes that the ascertained position of the vehicle changes from a position that is not stored in the second memory to the position that is stored in the second memory,

the control device displays second information, which is different than the first information, on the display device when the control device establishes that the ascertained state of the vehicle changes from the state that is stored in the first memory to the state that is not stored in the first memory and/or when the control device establishes that the position of the vehicle changes from the position that is stored in the second memory to the position that is not stored in the second memory, and

that control device displays the first data on the display device when the control device establishes that the ascertained state of the vehicle matches the state that is stored in the first memory and the ascertained position of the vehicle matches the position that is stored in the second memory.

2. The vehicle assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a transmission device configured to send a request to the external device to send the first data.

3. The vehicle assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the control device is in a form such that the control device displays second data, which are provided by the sensor device, on the display device when the control device establishes that the ascertained state of the vehicle matches the state that is stored in the first memory and/or the ascertained position of the vehicle matches the position that is stored in the second memory.

4. The vehicle assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

an input device configured to program the control device to display third data that denote a state of components of the vehicle or a state of objects that are not part of the vehicle or a state of the surroundings of the vehicle or an occurrence of events, wherein

the control device is in a form that is programmable such that the control device takes the programming of the control device as a basis for displaying the third data on the display device when the control device establishes that the ascertained state of the vehicle matches the state that is stored in the first memory and/or the ascertained position of the vehicle matches the position that is stored in the second memory.

5. The vehicle assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the control device is in a form that is programmable such that the control device takes the programming of the control device as a basis for suppressing the display of the first and/or the second data on the display device when the control device establishes that the ascertained state of the vehicle matches the state that is stored in the first memory and/or the ascertained position of the vehicle matches the position that is stored in the second memory.

6. The vehicle assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

an object recognition device configured to recognize objects in the vehicle, wherein

the objects are components that are not associated with the vehicle, and

the control device is in a form such that the control device displays the presence or the state of the object in the vehicle on the display device when the control device establishes that the ascertained state of the vehicle matches a state that is stored in the first memory and/or the ascertained position of the vehicle matches a position that is stored in the second memory.

7. The vehicle assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

a sensor configured to ascertain a physical and/or psychic state of the driver, wherein

the control device is in a form such that the control device selects the information for display on the display device on the basis of the ascertained state of the driver.

8. The vehicle assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:

an interface configured to provide the first and/or second and/or third data for the control device.

9. A vehicle comprising:

a vehicle assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 8.

10. A system for providing data for a vehicle assistance apparatus in a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle as claimed in claim 9;

a device external to the vehicle configured to provide information for the vehicle assistance apparatus of the vehicle, wherein

the device configured to provide the information has a memory device for storing data,

the device configured to provide the information has a control device for selecting the information from the data stored in the memory device,

the control device is configured to select the information from the data stored in the memory device on the basis of the state of the vehicle as ascertained by the vehicle assistance apparatus and/or on the basis of the position of the vehicle as ascertained by the vehicle assistance apparatus, and

the device configured to provide the information sends the information to the vehicle assistance apparatus of the vehicle when the control device of the vehicle assistance apparatus has made a request to send the information to the device for providing the information.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

at least one device external to the vehicle configured to produce the information, wherein

the information denotes a state of the at least one device configured to produce the information, and

the at least one device configured to produce the information is designed to send the information to the device configured to provide the information or to the vehicle assistance apparatus.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one external device is configured to produce the information is a residential house, a public or private company, a hotel/restaurant, a filling station, a shop, a service provider of public or private transport, a parking lot or a parking garage.