Remote vehicle insturction

• US 10,437,244 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2017
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Hu, Jeffrey Yizhou, Hatton, David Anthony, Bankowski, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Goldman, Richard A
• Application Number:
  US15/652,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20190025814A1
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2, 701 315, 701 23, 701425
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/00 Input parameters relating to occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/043 Identity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/215 Selection or confirmation of options
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/55 using telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18 Propelling the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00

Abstract

A system includes a mobile computer programmed to receive, from a vehicle computer, an instruction to proceed to a location and vehicle operation data from an in-vehicle communications network. The mobile computer is programmed to determine that a vehicle is ready to proceed to the location based on the operation data. The mobile computer is programmed to receive user input approving transitioning from a boarding state to a driving state. The mobile computer is programmed to then instruct the vehicle computer to actuate vehicle components to proceed to the location.

Claims

1. A system, comprising a mobile computer, programmed to:

receive, from a vehicle computer, an instruction to proceed to a location and vehicle operation data from an in-vehicle communications network;

determine that a vehicle is ready to proceed to the location based on the operation data;

receive user input approving transitioning from a boarding state to a driving state; and

then instruct the vehicle computer to actuate vehicle components to proceed to the location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle operation data includes at least one of a vehicle door status and a vehicle seat occupancy status.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle operation data includes at least one of a powertrain status, a brake status, and a steering status.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the in-vehicle communications network is a controller area network (CAN) bus.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile computer is further programmed for wireless communication with the vehicle computer.

6. The system of claim 1, the mobile computer further programmed to:

display a request for the input approving transitioning from the boarding state to the driving state before receiving the input; and

transmit the input to the vehicle computer upon receiving the input.

7. The system of claim 6, the mobile computer further programmed to:

receive, from the vehicle computer, the location along with the request for the input approving transitioning from the boarding state to the driving state; and

display the location along with a request for the input.

8. The system of claim 6, the mobile computer further programmed to:

receive, from the vehicle computer, in addition to the instruction to proceed to the location, a route to the location; and

display the route along with the request for the input approving transitioning from the boarding state to the driving state.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising the vehicle computer, the vehicle computer programmed to:

receive the location from a remote computer; and

actuate the vehicle components to proceed to the location.

10. The system of claim 9, the vehicle computer further programmed to:

receive, from the remote computer, in addition to the instruction to proceed to the location, a route to the location; and

to actuate the vehicle components to proceed to the location along the route.

11. A system comprising a vehicle computer, programmed to:

receive, from a remote computer, an instruction to proceed to a location;

determine that a vehicle is ready to proceed to the location based on vehicle operation data from an in-vehicle communications network;

transmit, to a mobile computer, the instruction to proceed to the location; and

upon receipt of an instruction from the mobile computer, actuate vehicle components to proceed to the location.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the vehicle operation data includes at least one of a vehicle door status, a vehicle seat occupancy status, a powertrain status, a brake status, and a steering status.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the in-vehicle communications network is a controller area network (CAN) bus.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the vehicle computer is further programmed for wireless communication with the mobile computer.

15. The system of claim 11, the vehicle computer further programmed to:

display a request for an input approving transitioning from a boarding state to a driving state;

receive the input; and

then actuate vehicle components to proceed to the location.

16. The system of claim 15, the vehicle computer further programmed to:

receive, from the mobile computer, in addition to the instruction from the mobile computer, a route to the location; and

display the route along with the request for the input approving transitioning from the boarding state to the driving state.

17. The system of claim 11, the vehicle computer further programmed to transmit, to the mobile computer, the location along with a request for an input approving transitioning from a boarding state to a driving state, wherein the instruction from the mobile computer incudes the input.

18. The system of claim 11, the vehicle computer further programmed to:

transmit, to the mobile computer, in addition to the instruction to proceed to the location, a route to the location.

19. A system, comprising:

a vehicle computer, programmed to;

receive an instruction to proceed to a location and vehicle operation data, and

transmit the operation data; and

a mobile computer, programmed to;

receive the instruction to proceed to the location and the operation data,

determine that a vehicle is ready to proceed based on the operation data,

receive user input approving the location, and

then instruct actuation of the vehicle to proceed to the location.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the vehicle computer receives the operation data from an in-vehicle communications network, the vehicle computer further programmed to transmit the operation data to the mobile computer.