Apparatus for determining the degree of shade of a parking position for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9911331-B2
Application number	US-201615229984-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2016
Priority date	Aug 10, 2015
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus for determining a degree of shade for a parking position for a vehicle having a sensor device which determines an outside temperature and an interior temperature for the vehicle. The apparatus also includes an evaluation device which takes the outside temperature and the interior temperature as a basis for determining whether the vehicle is in a shaded or sunny parking position and a transmission device which sends information about the degree of shade for the parking position of the vehicle to a processing device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for determining a degree of shade for a parking position for a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
a sensor device positioned and configured to determine an outside temperature and an interior temperature for the vehicle;
an evaluation device set up to determine a degree of shade for the parking position of the vehicle based on the outside temperature and the interior temperature, wherein the evaluation device determines whether the vehicle is in a parked state, and determines the degree of shade only when the vehicle is in a parked state;
a transmission device set up to send information about the degree of shade for the parking position of the vehicle to a processing device outside the vehicle;
a reception device provided to receive information about a further degree of shade for a further parking position from the processing device; and
an output device configured to output information about the further degree of shade for the further parking position to a driver of the vehicle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the evaluation device determines a temperature difference between outside temperature and interior temperature and determines the degree of shade based on a comparison of the temperature difference with at least one threshold value.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the evaluation device determines the degree of shade based on a change in the inside temperature over time and/or based on a change in the outside temperature over time.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the evaluation device determines by the degree of shade that the vehicle is in a shaded parking position when
the temperature difference is below a first threshold value for the at least one threshold value, and/or
the interior temperature rises in the same way as the outside temperature and/or
the interior temperature rises with a delay below a delay threshold value in comparison with the outside temperature, and/or
the interior temperature remains approximately constant or falls at a rate below a rate threshold value, and/or wherein the evaluation device establishes by the degree of shade that the vehicle is in a sunny parking position
when the temperature difference is above a second threshold value for the at least one threshold value, and/or
the interior temperature rises more sharply over time than the outside temperature.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sensor device comprises a brightness sensor, wherein the evaluation device determines the degree of shade for the parking position based on a brightness value from the brightness sensor.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the evaluation device collates information about the degree of shade for the parking position with weather data.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the evaluation device determines a location for the parking position, wherein the transmission device sends the location of the parking position to the processing device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the evaluation device collates information about the degree of shade for the parking position with a piece of temporal information, wherein the temporal information comprises a time of day and/or a season.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sensor device further establishes whether a door and/or a window and/or a hatch of the vehicle is open or closed, and wherein the sensor device further determines the degree of shade for the parking position based on whether a door and/or a window and/or a hatch of the vehicle is open or closed.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the evaluation device determines the degree of shade for the parking position based on an orientation of the vehicle in the parking position in relation to a position of the sun.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the evaluation device determines the degree of shade after a prescribed minimum parking time and/or repeatedly.

12. A processing device for sending and receiving information from parked vehicles, the processing device comprising:
a reception device, wherein the reception device receives, during operation, first information about a degree of shade for parking positions from a multiplicity of parked vehicles;
a data memory that stores, during operation, data based on the received first information, wherein the reception device further receives, during operation, a request for a degree of shade for a parking position from a vehicle; and
a transmission device, wherein the transmission device sends, during operation, second information about the degree of shade for the parking position to the vehicle in response to the request based on the stored data.

13. The processing device of claim 12 , wherein the processing device collates the first information about a degree of shade for the parking position with weather data.

14. A method for sending and receiving information from vehicles, the method comprising:
receiving information about a degree of shade for parking positions from a multiplicity of parked vehicles;
storing data based on the received information by a data memory;
receiving a request for a degree of shade for a parking position from a vehicle; and
sending second information about the degree of shade for the parking position to the vehicle in response to the request based on the stored data.

Assignees

• Volkswagen Ag

Inventors

• Joerdens Christian

Classifications

• G08G1/145

  where the indication depends on the parking areas · CPC title

• G08G1/147

  where the parking area is within an open public zone, e.g. city centre · CPC title

• H04Q9/00

  Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom · CPC title

• B60H1/00778

  the input being a stationary vehicle position, e.g. parking or stopping · CPC title

• G08G1/143 Primary

  inside the vehicles · CPC title