AUTOMATIC SETTINGS FOR VEHICLE COMPONENTS BASED ON MEASURED ANTHROPOMETRIC FEATURES

• US 20170106875A1
• Filed: 10/19/2015
• Published: 04/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamasaki, Bryan E., Helm, Sean L., Schmidt, Eric R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,144,374 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/10 actuating a signalling device
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/08 Interaction between the driver and the control system

Abstract

A vehicle can be configured to automatically provide settings for one or more components of the vehicle based on a measured anthropometric feature of a person approaching the vehicle. The vehicle can include a sensor configured to acquire data (e.g., visual data) of a portion of an external environment of the vehicle. The external environment can include a person approaching the vehicle. The vehicle can include a component that can be adjustable across a plurality of settings. The component can have a current setting. A processor can be operatively connected to the sensor and the component. The acquired data can be analyzed to measure an anthropometric feature of the person approaching the vehicle. A target setting of the component can be determined based on the measured anthropometric feature. The current setting of the component can be caused to match the determined target setting.

Claims

1. A system for automatically providing a setting for one or more components of a vehicle comprising:

a sensor configured to acquire visual data of a portion of an external environment of the vehicle, the visual data including a person approaching the vehicle;

a component of the vehicle, the component being adjustable across a plurality of settings, the component having a current setting; and

a processor operatively connected to the sensor and the component, the processor being programmed to initiate executable operations comprising;

analyzing the acquired visual data to measure an anthropometric feature of the person approaching the vehicle;

determining a target setting for the component based on the measured anthropometric feature; and

causing the current setting of the component to match the determined target setting.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the component is one of:

a seat, a steering wheel, a pedal, a head rest, a side view minor, a rear view minor, a seat belt anchor, or a side bolster.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the anthropometric feature is one of:

an overall height, a torso height, an arm length, a leg length, a thickness, a girth, or a width.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the executable operations further include:

comparing the current setting to the determined target setting, and

wherein, if the determined target setting is substantially equal to the current setting, causing the current setting of the component to match the determined target setting includes maintaining the current setting of the component.

5. The system of claim 1, further including an actuator operatively connected to the component, and wherein the executable operations further include:

comparing the current setting to the determined target setting, and

wherein, if the determined target setting is not substantially equal to the current setting, causing the current setting of the component to match the determined target setting includes causing the actuator to adjust the current setting of the component.

6. The system of claim 1, further including a mobile device detector, and wherein the executable operations further include:

responsive to detecting a mobile device associated with a person approaching the vehicle, determining whether the mobile device is an authorized mobile device associated with the vehicle, and

wherein analyzing the visual data acquired to measure an anthropometric feature of the person approaching the vehicle is performed responsive to determining that the mobile device is an authorized mobile device associated with the vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, further including a motion detector, and wherein the executable operations further include:

activating the sensor responsive to the motion detector detecting motion in a portion of the external environment of the vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the executable operations further include:

determining a travel path for the person;

determining whether the travel path is indicative of the person entering the vehicle;

responsive to determining the travel path of the person is indicative of the person entering the vehicle, activating the sensor; and

responsive to determining the travel path of the person is not indicative of the person entering the vehicle, maintaining the sensor in a deactivated state.

9. The system of claim 1, further including:

a microphone operatively connected to the processor, wherein the microphone is configured to acquire data of a portion of the external environment of the vehicle, and wherein the executable operations further include;

analyzing the data acquired by the microphone to detect a sound in the external environment of the vehicle;

determining whether the detected sound is indicative of a person wanting to enter the vehicle or of a person not wanting to enter the vehicle; and

responsive to determining that the detected sound is indicative of a person not wanting to enter the vehicle, maintaining the sensor in a deactivated state.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein causing the current setting of the component to match the target setting determined is performed prior to the person entering the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a camera.

12. A method of automatically providing a setting for one or more components of a vehicle comprising:

acquiring visual data of a portion of an external environment of the vehicle, the visual data including a person approaching the vehicle;

analyzing the acquired visual data to measure an anthropometric feature of the person approaching the vehicle;

determining a target setting for a component of a vehicle based on the measured anthropometric feature, the component being adjustable across a plurality of settings, and the component having a current setting; and

causing the current setting of the component to match the determined target setting.

13. The method of claim 12, further including:

sensing a portion of an external environment of the vehicle to detect motion therein, wherein acquiring visual data of a portion of the external environment of the vehicle is performed responsive to detecting motion in the portion of the external environment of the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 12, further including:

determining a future travel path of the person approaching the vehicle; and

determining whether the future travel path is indicative of the person entering the vehicle,

wherein acquiring visual data of a portion of the external environment of the vehicle is performed responsive to determining that the future travel path of the person is indicative of the person entering the vehicle; and

wherein acquiring visual data of a portion of the external environment of the vehicle is not performed responsive to determining that the future travel path of the person is not indicative of the person entering the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14, further including:

determining a likely position of the person within the vehicle responsive to determining that the future travel path of the person is indicative of the person entering the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the target setting for the component of the vehicle includes determining the target setting for the component that is located at or near the determined likely position of the person within the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 12, further including:

comparing the current setting to the determined target setting,

wherein, if the determined target setting is substantially equal to the current setting of the component, causing the current setting of the component to match the determined target setting includes maintaining the current setting of the component.

18. The method of claim 12, further including:

comparing the current setting to the determined target setting,

wherein, if the determined target setting is not substantially equal to the current setting of the component, causing the current setting of the component to match the determined target setting includes adjusting the current setting of the component.

19. The method of claim 12, further including:

detecting a mobile device associated with the person approaching the vehicle; and

determining whether the mobile device is an authorized mobile device associated with the vehicle,

wherein determining the target setting for the component of the vehicle based on the measured anthropometric feature is performed responsive to determining that the mobile device is an authorized mobile device associated with the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the target setting is one of:

a seat back angle, a seat slide position, a seat height, a steering wheel position, a steering wheel angle, a head rest height, a side view minor position, a rear view minor position, a seat belt anchor position, or a side bolster fill level.