In-vehicle control apparatus, control program, and device control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11970092-B2
Application number	US-201916978410-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2019
Priority date	Mar 8, 2018
Publication date	Apr 30, 2024
Grant date	Apr 30, 2024

Abstract

An in-vehicle control apparatus is to be mounted in a vehicle having a self-driving function and a driver's seat that can be turned backward, and includes a direction determination unit configured to determine a direction of the driver's seat, and a control unit configured to control an operation of a device mounted in the vehicle in accordance with the direction that is determined by the direction determination unit. In addition, an in-vehicle control apparatus according to the present embodiment is to be mounted in a vehicle having a self-driving function, and includes a self-driving determination unit configured to determine whether the vehicle is self-driving, and a control unit configured to perform control for restricting an operation of a device mounted in the vehicle in accordance with a determination result of the self-driving determination unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An in-vehicle control apparatus that is to be mounted in a vehicle having a self-driving function and a driver's seat that can be turned backward, the in-vehicle control apparatus comprising:
a seat sensor configured to determine a direction of the driver's seat; and
a control unit configured to control an operation of a device mounted in the vehicle, and
wherein the device emits an operation sound when operating, and
when the direction of the driver's seat determined by the seat sensor is backward, the control unit performs control for reducing the operation sound of the device.

2. The in-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a self-driving determination unit configured to process a vehicle information to determine whether the vehicle is self-driving,
wherein the control unit controls the operation of the device in accordance with a determination result of the self-driving determination unit, and the direction determined by the seat sensor.

3. The in-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the control unit operates the device in a first operation state when the self-driving determination unit determines that the vehicle is self-driving and the direction determined by the seat sensor is forward, and
the control unit operates the device in a second operation state when the self-driving determination unit determines that the vehicle is self-driving and the direction determined by the seat sensor is backward.

4. The in-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the device is a wiper, the wiper configured to perform an automatic operation according to rainfall, and the control unit performs control for stopping the automatic operation of the wiper when the vehicle is self-driving and the direction determined by the seat sensor is backward so as to reduce the operation sound of the wiper.

5. The in-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the device is a car navigation device, and the control unit performs control for reducing a volume of a guidance voice of the car navigation device so as to reduce the operation sound of the car navigation device.

6. The in-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the device is a wiper that performs an automatic operation according to rainfall, and the control unit performs control for stopping the automatic operation of the wiper that is performed according to rainfall.

7. The in-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the device is a wiper that performs an automatic operation according to rainfall, and the control unit performs control for stopping the automatic operation of the wiper in the second operation so as to reduce the operation sound of the wiper.

8. The in-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the device is a car navigation device, and the control unit performs control for reducing a volume of a guidance voice of the car navigation device.

9. The in-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the device is a car navigation device, and the control unit performs control for reducing a volume of a guidance voice of the car navigation device in the second operation.

10. The in-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the device further includes a car navigation device, and the control unit performs control for reducing a volume of a guidance voice of the car navigation device so as to reduce the operation sound of the car navigation device.

11. The in-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the device is a blinker, the blinker emitting the operation sound.

12. A device control method in a vehicle configured to drive in a self-driving mode and a driver's seat that can be turned backward, the method comprising:
a device for executing a vehicle function, the device emitting an operation sound;
determining a direction of the driver's seat;
determining if the vehicle is operating in a self-driving mode; and
reducing the operation sound of the device when the direction of the driver's seat is backward and the vehicle is operating in a self-driving mode.

13. A device control method in a vehicle configured to drive in a self-driving mode and a driver's seat that can be turned backward, the method comprising:
a display screen mounted within a cabin of the vehicle;
determining if the vehicle is operating in a self-driving mode;
determining a direction of the driver's seat; and
reducing a brightness of the display screen when the direction of the driver's seat is backward and the vehicle is operating in a self-driving mode.

Assignees

• Autonetworks Technologies Ltd
• Sumitomo Wiring Systems
• Sumitomo Electric Industries

Inventors

• Ushiro Shota

Classifications

• B60K35/28

  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 title

• B60K35/265

  Voice · CPC title

• B60K35/50

  Instruments characterised by their means of attachment to or integration in the vehicle (B60K35/231 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60K35/22

  Display screens · CPC title

• B60K35/10

  Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor · CPC title