SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING ONE OR MORE VEHICLE FEATURES BASED ON DRIVER STATUS

• US 20110082625A1
• Filed: 12/13/2010
• Published: 04/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Bhuva, Shimul, Mills, Aaron Lewis, Sarkisian, Andrew D., Wojcik, Karl William, Cooprider, Anthony Dwayne, Cepuran, Lawrence Daniel, Brombach, Ronald Patrick, Van Wiemeersch, John Robert, Miller, Thomas Lee, Hille, Kevin Thomas, Cwik, Terry Thomas, Bennie, Brian, Dalebout, Matthew J., Watkins, Scott Alan
• Granted Patent: US 8,258,939 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01546 using belt buckle sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/241 whereby access privileges are related to the identifiers

Abstract

In at least one embodiment, a device for controlling one or more vehicle features for a primary driver and a secondary driver is provided. The device comprises at least one controller that is configured to receive at least one driver status signal indicative of the driver being one of the primary driver and the secondary driver and to determine whether the driver of the vehicle is the one of the primary driver and the secondary driver based on the at least one driver status signal. The controller is further configured to control one or more vehicle features and to prevent the one or more vehicle features from being disabled in response to determining that the at least one driver status signal indicates that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver.

Claims

1. A system for controlling one or more vehicle features of a vehicle based on driver status, the system comprising:

at least one primary key being configured to be assigned to a primary driver;

at least one secondary key being configured to be assigned to a secondary driver;

a key ignition device positioned on each of the primary key and the secondary key and being configured to generate a driver status signal indicative of whether the driver is at least one of the primary driver and the secondary driver; and

at least one controller operably coupled to the key ignition device and being configured to;

determine whether the driver of the vehicle is the at least one of the primary driver and the secondary driver in response to the driver status signal;

control the operation of the one or more vehicle features; and

prevent the operation of the one or more vehicle features from being disabled in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to control the operation of the one or more vehicle features to be enabled or disabled in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the primary driver.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one controller includes one of a passive anti-theft (PAT) controller and a passive entry passive start (PEPS) controller to receive the driver status signals from the at least one of the primary key and the secondary key.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the at least one controller further includes a seatbelt status controller and the one or more vehicle features comprise notifying the at least one of the primary driver and the secondary driver about the status of a safety restraint in the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the at least one controller further includes a forward collision warning (FCW) controller and the one or more vehicle features comprise generating at least one position notification signal indicative of the position of an object with respect to the vehicle.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein the at least one controller further includes an electronic stability control (ESC) controller and the one or more vehicle features comprise stabilizing the movement of the vehicle.

7. The system of claim 3 wherein the at least one controller further includes a lane departure warning (LDW) controller and the one or more vehicle features comprise monitoring the vehicle'"'"'s position with respect to road lane markings in order to detect a lane departure.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the key ignition device includes a radio frequency (RF) based transponder being configured to generate the driver status signal as an RF based signal.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the primary driver is one of a parent and an employer and the secondary driver is one of a teenager, an employee, and a valet driver.

10. A method for controlling one or more vehicle features of based on driver status, the method comprising:

transmitting a driver status signal indicative of whether the driver is one of a primary driver and a secondary driver;

determining whether the driver of the vehicle is the one of the primary driver and the secondary driver based on the driver status signal;

controlling the operation of the one or more vehicle features; and

preventing the operation of the one or more vehicle features from being disabled in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising controlling the operation of the one or more vehicle features to be enabled or disabled in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the primary driver.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein transmitting the driver status signal further comprises transmitting the driver status signal as a radio frequency (RF) based signal.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein controlling the one or more vehicle features further comprises notifying the at least one of the primary driver and the secondary driver about the status of a safety restraint in the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein preventing the operation of the one or more vehicle features further comprises preventing the operation of notifying the at least one of the primary driver and the secondary driver about the status of a safety restraint in the vehicle from being disabled in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein controlling the one or more vehicle features further comprises generating at least one position notification signal indicative of the position of an object with respect to the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein preventing the operation of the one or more vehicle features further comprises preventing the operation of generating the at least one position notification signal from being disabled in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein controlling the one or more vehicle features further comprises stabilizing the movement of the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein preventing the operation of the one or more vehicle features further comprises preventing the operation of stabilizing the movement of the vehicle from being disabled in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver.

19. The method of claim 10 wherein controlling the operation further comprises monitoring the vehicle'"'"'s position with respect to road lane markings in order to detect a lane departure.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein preventing the operation of the one or more vehicle features further comprises preventing the operation of monitoring the vehicle'"'"'s position with respect to road lane markings in order to detect the lane departure from being disabled in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver.

21. A device for controlling one or more vehicle features for a primary driver and a secondary driver, the device comprising:

a controller being configured to;

receive at least one driver status signal indicative of the driver being one of the primary driver and the secondary driver;

determine whether the driver of the vehicle is one of the primary driver and the secondary driver based on the at least one driver status signal;

enable/disable the one or more vehicle features; and

prevent the one or more vehicle features from being disabled in response to determining that the at least one driver status signal indicates that the driver of the vehicle is the secondary driver.

22. A method for controlling at least one vehicle feature based on driver status, the method comprising:

receiving at least one driver status signal indicative of whether a driver is one of a primary driver and a secondary driver;

enabling/disabling the at least one vehicle feature; and

preventing the at least one vehicle feature from being disabled in response to the at least one driver status signal indicating that the driver is the secondary driver.