Vehicle operator verification system that prevents vehicle adapting systems from adapting

• US 5,712,625 A
• Filed: 05/15/1995
• Issued: 01/27/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Delco Electronics Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Murphy, Morgan Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILSON JR, WILLIAM HALL
• Application Number:
  US08/441,107
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.3, 340/825.31, 340/524, 364/424.05, 318/568.1, 318/466, 318/671, 318/447, 297/341, 297/330, 297/344.17, 297/362.11, 180/330, 307/10.1, 307/10.5, 307/10.8
• US Class Current: 340/5.22
• 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

Abstract

A vehicle operator identification verification system that correlates an operator identification code with certain vehicle conditions such as seat position and side mirror position. A personalization command system receives the operator identification code from a key fob transmitter, and correlates the identification code with stored identification codes. The command system will then initiate various adapting systems that correspond to the received identification code. Further, the command system will cause various personalization devices, such as seats and mirror positioning devices, to be actuated to a position corresponding to a stored position associated with the received operator identification code. If one or more of the various personalization devices are adjusted by the vehicle operator a certain percentage beyond the settings that correspond to the received operator identification code, system will prevent the adapting systems from adapting to the current vehicle operator.

Claims

1. A vehicle operator identification verification system comprising:

a personalization command device being responsive to a vehicle operator identification (ID) code, said personalization command device providing a signal indicative of the operator ID code;

at least one personalization device, said at least one personalization device being responsive to the vehicle operator ID code signal from the personalization command device, said at least one personalization device providing an operational setting that is personalized to the vehicle operator ID code;

at least one adaptive system, said at least one adaptive system controlling at least one vehicle system, said adaptive system adapting the at least one vehicle system to a vehicle operator'"'"'s preference of the at least one vehicle system based on vehicle operator adjustments to the at least one vehicle system; and

an analyzing device responsive to the operational setting of the at least one personalization device, said analyzing device preventing the at least one adaptive system from adapting to adjustments made by the vehicle operator to the at least one vehicle system if the operator adjusts the operational setting of the at least one personalization device to be different than a predetermined set operational setting of the at least one personalization device.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one personalization device is a plurality of personalization devices and wherein the analyzing device prevents the at least one adaptive system from adapting if the operational setting of any one of the plurality of personalization devices is different than the set operational setting for the personalization device.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one personalization device is a plurality of personalization devices including a seat front/back positioning device, a seat up/down positioning device and a side mirror positioning device.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one personalization device includes a personalization switch, said personalization switch being activated to establish the set operational setting of the at least one personalization device, said set operational setting being a position of the personalization device that corresponds to the vehicle operator ID code.

5. The system according to claim 1 further comprising a key fob transmitter, said transmitter transmitting the vehicle operator ID code that is received by the personalization command device.

6. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one adaptive system is a plurality of adaptive systems selected from the group consisting of an adaptive electronic climate control system, an adaptive instrument display control system, an adaptive system for adjusting the volume level of a vehicle audio system, and an adaptive system for setting a radio frequency of a vehicle radio.

7. The system according to claim 1 wherein the analyzing device prevents the at least one adaptive system from adapting if the operational setting of the at least one personalization device is greater than a predetermined percent of the set operational setting.

8. The system according to claim 1 wherein the operational setting is a position of the at least one personalization device.

9. A vehicle operator identification system comprising:

a vehicle operator identification device being responsive to a vehicle operator identification (ID) code, said identification device providing a signal indicative of the operator ID code; and

at least one adaptive system that adapts at least one vehicle system to a preference of a vehicle operator, said adaptive system adapting the at least one vehicle system to a vehicle operator'"'"'s preference of the at least one vehicle system based on vehicle operator adjustments to the at least one vehicle system, said vehicle operator being identified by the vehicle operator identification code, said at least one adaptive system adapting independently to a plurality of vehicle operator identification codes identifying a plurality of vehicle operator, said at least one adaptive system adapting to the vehicle operator identified by the vehicle operator ID code.

10. The system according to claim 9 wherein the at least one adaptive system is a plurality of adaptive systems selected from the group consisting of an adaptive electronic climate control system, an adaptive instrument display control system, an adaptive system for adjusting the volume level of a vehicle audio system, and an adaptive system for setting a radio frequency of a vehicle radio.

11. The system according to claim 9 further comprising at least one personalization device and an analyzing device, said at least one personalization device being responsive to the vehicle operator ID code from the vehicle operator identification device, said at least one personalization device providing an operational setting that is personalized to the vehicle operator ID code, said analyzing device being responsive to the operational setting of the at least one personalization device, said analyzing device preventing the at least one adaptive system from adapting to adjustments made by the vehicle operator to the vehicle system if the operator adjusts the operational setting of the at least one personalization device to be different that a predetermined set operational setting of the at least one personalization device.

12. The system according to claim 11 wherein the at least one personalization device is a plurality of personalization devices and wherein the analyzing device prevents the at least one adaptive system from adapting if the operational setting of any one of the plurality of personalization devices is different than the set operational setting for the personalization device.

13. The system according to claim 11 wherein the at least one personalization device is a plurality of personalization devices including a seat front/back positioning device, a seat up/down positioning device and a side mirror positioning device.

14. The system according to claim 11 wherein the analyzing device prevents the at least one adaptive system from adapting if the operational setting of the at least one personalization device is greater than a predetermined percentage of the set operational setting.

15. A method of verifying an identification code, said method comprising the steps of:

comparing a received identification code to one or more stored identification codes so as to determine if the received identification code corresponds to an identification code that is stored;

applying the received identification code to at least one adjustable device if the received identification code corresponds to one of the stored identification codes, wherein the at least one adjustable device provides an operational setting that is adjusted to the identification code;

determining if the operational setting of the at least one adjustable device corresponds to a set operational setting of the at least one adjustable device for the received identification code; and

preventing an at least one adaptive system from adapting a vehicle system if the operational setting of the at least one adjustable device is different than the set operational setting of the at least one adjustable device by a predetermined percentage, said adaptive system adapting the vehicle system to a vehicle operator'"'"'s preference of the vehicle system based on vehicle operator adjustments to the vehicle system.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein the step of comparing verifies a vehicle operator identification code and wherein the at least one adjustable device is a plurality of personalization devices of a vehicle including a seat front/back position device, a seat up/down position device and a side mirror positioning device.