System and method for enhanced comfort prediction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10059287-B2
Application number	US-201615046310-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2016
Priority date	Feb 17, 2016
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus for enhanced comfort prediction. A system includes one or more external databases connected through a network to a vehicle. The vehicle includes a navigation unit for obtaining navigational map information, one or more sensors that monitor an environment of the vehicle, a memory to store a route history, a plurality of comfort adjustable vehicle components and an electronic control unit (ECU) that is coupled to at least the navigation unit, the one or more sensors, and the plurality of comfort adjustable vehicle component. The ECU may determine a predicted route set and one or more predicted ride interruption event based on the navigational map information, vehicle information and a route history. The ECU may detect a ride interruption event and send a first signal to the first comfort adjustable vehicle component to have the first comfort adjustable vehicle component operate in an enhanced comfort mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An enhanced comfort prediction system located within a vehicle, comprising:
a navigation unit connected to one or more external databases through a network for obtaining navigational map information and vehicle information;
one or more sensors that monitor an environment of the vehicle;
a memory connected to the one or more sensors to store a route history having a plurality of previously-traveled routes;
a plurality of comfort adjustable vehicle components connected to the memory and including a first comfort adjustable vehicle component and a second comfort adjustable vehicle component; and
an electronic control unit that is coupled to at least the navigation unit, the one or more sensors, and the plurality of comfort adjustable vehicle components, the electronic control unit configured to:
obtain, from the navigation unit, the navigational map information and the vehicle information;
determine a plurality of potential predicted route sets and one or more predicted ride interruption events that are associated with the plurality of potential predicted route sets based on the vehicle information, the navigational map information, and the plurality of previously-traveled routes of the route history;
select a predicted route set that has a least number of different locations amount of predicted ride interruption events among the plurality of potential predicted route sets; and
operate the first comfort adjustable vehicle component in an enhanced comfort mode prior to the one or more predicted ride interruption events occurring.

2. The enhanced comfort prediction system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a user interface coupled to the electronic control unit and having one or more user interface elements;
wherein the electronic control unit is further configured to:
provide the predicted route set, a current location of the vehicle, and the one or more predicted ride interruption events to the user interface, wherein each of the one or more user interface elements corresponds to a respective ride interruption event;
receive, from the user interface, a selection of one of the user interface elements; and
cancel the respective ride interruption event that corresponds to the selected user interface element.

3. The enhanced comfort prediction system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of comfort adjustable vehicle components includes at least one of an entertainment center, a vehicle suspension device, a noise cancellation device, or an engine.

4. The enhanced comfort prediction system of claim 3 , wherein the first comfort adjustable vehicle component is the noise cancellation device which cancels noise within the vehicle.

5. The enhanced comfort prediction system of claim 4 , wherein the electronic control unit is further configured to:
detect in the environment using the one or more sensors an enhanced comfort event; and
operate the second comfort adjustable vehicle component in the enhanced comfort mode.

6. The enhanced comfort system of claim 1 , wherein the electronic control unit is further configured to:
obtain, from a user interface, a user selection to enter an internal quiet mode, an external quiet mode, or a total quiet mode; and
measure, using the one or more sensors, an internal or external noise level based on the user selection;
wherein the electronic control unit is configured operate the first comfort adjustable vehicle component based on the measurement and the user selection.

7. The enhanced comfort prediction system of claim 1 , wherein the electronic control unit is further configured to:
adjust a sensitivity of the enhanced comfort mode of the first comfort adjustable vehicle component.

8. The enhanced comfort prediction system of claim 7 , wherein the sensitivity is user configurable.

9. A computer-implemented method for an enhanced comfort mode for a vehicle, the method comprising:
determining, by an electronic control unit that is located within the vehicle, a plurality of potential predicted route sets and one or more predicted ride interruption events associated with the plurality of predicted route sets;
selecting, by the electronic control unit, a predicted route set of the plurality of predicted route sets that has a least number of different locations of predicted ride interruption events among the plurality of potential predicted route sets;
determining, by the electronic control unit, that the vehicle is moving along the predicted route set;
monitoring, by the electronic control unit using one or more sensors that are located within the vehicle, an environment of the vehicle for a first enhanced comfort event;
detecting, by the electronic control unit using the one or more sensors, the first enhanced comfort event based on the environment; and
in response to detecting the first enhanced comfort event or prior to the one or more ride interruption events occurring, sending, by the electronic control unit, one or more signals to at least one of a vehicle suspension device, a noise cancellation device, or an engine to adjust one or more settings of the at least one of the vehicle suspension device, the noise cancellation device, or the engine.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , further comprising:
receiving, from a user interface, a selection of a user interface element that initializes the enhanced comfort mode; and
initializing the enhanced comfort mode for the vehicle.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein monitoring the environment of the vehicle for the first enhanced comfort event includes measuring noise levels inside and outside the vehicle, wherein detecting the first enhanced comfort event based on the environment includes determining that the measurements are greater than or equal to a threshold value.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , further comprising:
displaying on a user interface that the first enhanced comfort event was detected;
receiving user input from the user interface to override the detected first enhanced comfort event; and
monitoring the environment for a second enhanced comfort event.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , further comprising:
obtaining, from a navigation unit, navigational map information and vehicle information;
wherein determining the plurality of potential predicted route sets and the one or more predicted ride interruption events is based on the vehicle information and the navigational map information.

14. An enhanced comfort prediction system located within a vehicle, comprising:
a plurality of comfort adjustable vehicle components including a first comfort adjustable vehicle component and a second comfort adjustable vehicle component;
a memory connected to the plurality of comfort adjustable vehicle components; and
an electronic control unit that is coupled to the memory and the plurality of comfort adjustable vehicle components, the electronic control unit configured to:
determine, while the vehicle is in motion, a plurality of potential predicted route sets and one or more predicted ride interruption events that are associated with the plurality of potential predicted route sets;
select a predicted route set that has a least number of different locations of predicted ride interruption events among the plurality of potential predicted route sets; and
operate the first comfort adjustable vehicle component in an enhanced comfort mode that cancels noise within the vehicle prior to the one or more predicted ride interruption events occurring.

15. The enhanced comfort prediction system of claim 14 , wherein the e

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Dufford Mohammad E

Classifications

• B60R16/037 Primary

  for occupant comfort {, e.g. for automatic adjustment of appliances according to personal settings, e.g. seats, mirrors, steering wheel} · CPC title

• G01C21/3407 Primary

  specially adapted for specific applications · CPC title

• G01C21/343

  Calculating itineraries (travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047) · CPC title