Vehicle passenger controls via mobile devices

• US 10,572,123 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2019
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• 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): Pacheco, Alexis B
• Application Number:
  US16/411,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20190265868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 287 Days
• Field of Search: 320109, 320107, 320104, 320116, 320132, 320149, 320162, 320122, 320134, 320137, 320152, 320160, 320119, 180 651, 180 6521, 701 22
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0228 Hand-activated mechanical switches B60N2/0229 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/037 for occupant comfort , e.g. for automatic adjustment of appliances according to personal settings, e.g. seats, mirrors, steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/241 whereby access privileges are related to the identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/00 Input parameters relating to vehicle conditions or values, not covered by groups B60W2510/00 or B60W2520/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0525 Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• 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 4/48 : for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Systems and methods of a vehicle for sharing vehicle controls are provided. One example method includes sharing vehicle system control of a vehicle with a passenger. The vehicle has an on-board computer and communications circuitry integrated with the on-board computer. The communications circuitry is configured to interface with a wireless network for accessing the Internet. The on-board computer is configured to enable the communications circuitry to provide a wireless connection to portable devices that enter and pair with the vehicle. The on-board computer is interfaced with one or more vehicle systems. The method includes providing a portable device access to at least one graphical user interface via the wireless connection. The graphical user interface includes input options that enable control of settings or functions of one or more of said vehicle systems. The method includes processing, during wireless connection of the portable device with the on-board computer or communications circuitry, information associated with a wireless signal used between the portable device and the on-board computer or communications circuitry. The processing of the information associated with the wireless signal identifies an approximate location of the portable device inside the vehicle. The approximate location of the portable device is utilized to identify a passenger seat of the vehicle and enable said control of settings or functions that pertain to an environment proximate to the passenger seat that was identified.

Claims

1. A method for sharing vehicle system control of a vehicle with a passenger, comprising,

the vehicle having an on-board computer and communications circuitry integrated with the on-board computer, the communications circuitry is configured to interface with a wireless network for accessing the Internet, the on-board computer is configured to enable the communications circuitry to provide a wireless connection to portable devices that enter and pair with the vehicle;

the on-board computer interfaced with one or more vehicle systems;

providing a portable device access to at least one graphical user interface via the wireless connection, the graphical user interface includes input options that enable control of settings or functions of one or more of said vehicle systems;

processing, during wireless connection of the portable device with the on-board computer or communications circuitry, information associated with a wireless signal used between the portable device and the on-board computer or communications circuitry, wherein the processing of the information associated with the wireless signal identifies an approximate location of the portable device inside the vehicle, the approximate location of the portable device is utilized to identify a passenger seat of the vehicle and enable said control of settings or functions that pertain to an environment proximate to the passenger seat that was identified.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of said functions provided to the user interface of the portable device is disabled when the portable device is determined to be within a proximity of a driver seat.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the wireless signal further includes identifying a distance of the portable device to a vehicle sensor or sensors.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the wireless signal further includes identifying a time of flight of the wireless signal to one or more of sensors of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the wireless signal further includes a triangulation detection of the wireless signal of the portable device by three or more of sensors of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the wireless signal further includes processing a strength of the wireless signal as measured by one or more of sensors of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the functions includes entertainment functions of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the functions includes climate functions of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said pairing includes one of a privileged pairing or a guest pairing, and said guest pairing includes reduced access to or no access to select ones of the vehicle systems.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising,

sensing output from one or more sensors of the vehicle to identify presence of a passenger at said passenger seat.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said sensing of output is from a sensor of the passenger seat.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless signal includes an identifier of the portable device, the on-board computer is configured to, send the portable device a notification requesting confirmation of a desire to pair with the vehicle and detect a device type of the portable device, the device type including one or more of a form factor or an operating system;

wherein data sent for rendering the user interface is configured for the device type.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising,

enabling said pairing based on a previous pairing of the portable device with the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein data sent for rendering the user interface includes combinations of one or more of graphics, icons, or text that provide information for identifying passenger seats that indicate occupancy as additionally determined by a seat sensor of the vehicle, the seat sensor including one of a weight detector, a heat detector, a motion detector, a compression detector, or combinations of two or more thereof.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the settings control one or more of seat positioning controls of the passenger seat, or an air conditioning outlet proximate to the passenger seat, or a speaker proximate to the passenger seat, or a heating or cooling near or of the passenger seat, or a window tinting near the passenger seat, or lumbar support of the passenger seat, or a video output proximate to the passenger seat, or audio settings for the vehicle, or cooling settings for the vehicle, or heating settings for the vehicle, or communication systems of the vehicle, or wireless connections of the vehicle, or combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said settings include access to vehicle metrics that include operational metrics of the vehicle, data from sensors of the vehicle, speed data of the vehicle, fluid levels of the vehicle, tire health data of the vehicle, brakes data of the vehicle, mechanical component data of the vehicle, diagnostics data of the vehicle, data from applications of the vehicle, communications systems data of the vehicle, altitude of the vehicle, temperature of the vehicle, or combination of two or more thereof.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising,

identifying presence of a second portable device in the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising,

saving a history of when settings were implemented in the vehicle;

and

executing machine learning to identify preferred settings for recommendations to passengers of the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein program instructions are executed by a program of the on-board computer to apply a plurality of settings for the environment proximate to the passenger seat based on preferences associated with a user account or profile managed by a cloud system.