Vehicle language setting system

• US 9,552,830 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2014
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Scooter Studio LLC
• Original Assignee: Mogosync, LLC
• Inventors: Niles, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): ROBERTS, SHAUN A
• Application Number:
  US14/516,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20160107577A1
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/163 Language
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/741 Instruments adapted for user detection
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/65 Instruments specially adapted for specific vehicle types or users, e.g. for left- or right-hand drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/001 integrated in the windows, e.g. Fresnel lenses
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/205 using a head-up display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/263 Language identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/58 including a multilanguage function

Abstract

A language setting system, for use by a driver having a preferred language and a smartphone, when entering a vehicle to set an active language of the vehicle for vehicle communications with the driver. The vehicle connects with and scans the smartphone. When the smartphone has a user selected language setting, the user selected language setting is used to set the active language of the vehicle. When scan of the smartphone detects examples of language usage in text and email communications, and such examples meet a threshold usage, the active language may be set to the language of the usage examples. When examples of multiple languages are detected on the smartphone, the driver may be prompted to select the preferred language from a list of the detected examples.

Claims

1. A vehicle automatic language setting method, for use by a vehicle having an active language setting, to facilitate communication between a vehicle and a driver automatically, said driver having a preferred language and having a portable electronic device, comprising the steps of:

connecting the vehicle to the portable electronic device for the purpose of at least language determination;

determining the preferred language of the driver by scanning the portable electronic device for the purpose of at least one in-vehicle component language determination;

associating in-vehicle components comprising of at least one climate control, at least one infotainment system, and at least the one vehicle safety sensors to said vehicle;

setting the active language of the vehicle and/or at least one in-vehicle component to the preferred language automatically; and

communicating data by the vehicle and/or at least one-in-vehicle component to the driver automatically in the preferred language, absent said data being communicated between the portable electronic device and the vehicle; and

/or

absent of the dependency of a navigation system, GPS or geographic location.

2. The vehicle language setting method as recited in claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device has a user selected language setting, and wherein the step of determining the preferred language of the driver further comprises determining the user selected language setting of the portable electronic device automatically;

and the vehicle language setting method as recited in claim 1, wherein, a plurality of in-vehicle components have an equal chance of utilizing said vehicle language setting method and outputting the results from a single vehicle component controller and/or from a combination of vehicle component controllers automatically to said driver.

3. The vehicle language setting method as recited in claim 2, wherein the steps as recited are followed by the steps of:

translating a vehicle message into the active language;

displaying and/or outputting the translated vehicle message to the driver.

4. The vehicle language setting method as recited in claim 3, wherein the steps are recited are followed by the steps of:

acquiring sign image data of a street sign and/or acquiring sign data automatically from vehicle or in-vehicle component;

extracting data from the sign image data and/or extracting data from sign communication;

translating the data into the active language; and

displaying and/or outputting the translated vehicle message to the driver.

5. The vehicle language setting method as recited in claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is a smartphone.

6. The vehicle language setting method as recited in claim 5, wherein the portable electronic device has a user selected language setting, and wherein the step of determining the preferred language of the driver further comprises determining the user selected language setting of the portable electronic device.

7. The vehicle language setting method as recited in claim 5, wherein the step of determining the preferred language of the driver further comprises scanning text messages and emails for example of language usage, where said language examples meets a threshold usage on said portable electronic device which reflects the communication habits of the driver or the threshold usage on said portable electronic device uses an algorithm through empirical testing to isolate the most likely predictors for correctly assessing the preferred language of the driver;

and/or determination of preferred language comprises of scanning incoming and/or outgoing communications of said driver for threshold language usage on said portable electronic device, and said language determination is to be used for the purpose of establishing a vehicle language and/or at least one in-vehicle component language setting.

8. A vehicle automatic language setting method, for use by a vehicle having an active language setting, to facilitate communication between a vehicle and a driver automatically, said driver having a preferred language and having a portable electronic device, comprising the steps of:

connecting the vehicle to the portable electronic device for the purpose of at least language determination;

determining the preferred language of the driver by scanning the portable electronic device for the purpose of at least one in-vehicle component language determination;

associating in-vehicle components comprising of at least one climate control, at least one infotainment system, and at least one vehicle safety sensors to said vehicle;

setting the active language of the vehicle and/or at least one in-vehicle component to the preferred language automatically; and

communicating data by the vehicle and/or at least one-in-vehicle component to the driver automatically in the preferred language, absent said data being communicated between the portable electronic device and the vehicle; and

/or

absent of the dependency of a navigation system, GPS or geographic location.

9. The vehicle language setting method as recited in claim 8, wherein the smartphone has a user selected language setting, and wherein the step of determining the preferred language of the driver further comprises determining the user selected language setting of the smartphone.

10. The vehicle language setting method as recited in claim 9, wherein the step of determining the preferred language of the driver is preceded by the step of authorizing communicating between smartphone and vehicle.

11. The vehicle language setting method as recited in claim 10, wherein the steps as recited are followed by the steps of:

translating a vehicle message into the active language;

displaying and/or outputting the translated vehicle message to the driver.

12. The vehicle language setting method as recited in claim 10, where the said vehicle has an external communication module for allowing vehicle-to vehicle communication and vehicle to infrastructure communication, and further comprising the steps of:

acquiring a vehicle message from the communication module;

translating the vehicle message into the active language; and

displaying and/or outputting the translated vehicle message to the driver.

13. The vehicle language setting method as recited in claim 8, wherein the step of determining the preferred language of the driver further comprises scanning text messages and emails for example of language usage, where said language examples meets a threshold usage on said portable electronic device which reflects the communication habits of the driver or the threshold usage on said portable electronic device uses an algorithm through empirical testing to isolate the most likely predictors for correctly assessing the preferred language of the driver;

and/or determination of preferred language comprises of scanning incoming and/or outgoing communications of said driver for threshold language usage on said portable electronic device, and said language determination is to be used for the purpose of establishing a vehicle language and/or at least one in-vehicle component language setting.

14. The vehicle language setting method as recited in claim 13, wherein the step of determining the preferred language of the driver is preceded by the step of authorizing communicating between smartphone and vehicle.