Platform for wireless interaction with vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9956939-B2
Application number	US-201715495459-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2017
Priority date	Dec 28, 2015
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

Techniques described herein include a platform for providing user interaction with a vehicle's functions on a mobile device. In some embodiments, the vehicle and mobile device may both be in communication with a service provider computer, that may facilitate communications between the two. In some embodiments, a user is provided with various details related to the vehicle's condition as well as a list of functions that may be initiated by the user. The user is able to select one or more of the listed functions to be performed by the vehicle while located any distance from the vehicle. In some embodiments, the service provider computer may determine whether the user is authorized to initiate a particular vehicle function. Upon selection of a vehicle function from the list of vehicle functions, a processor device in the vehicle executes the function.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless control system within a vehicle, comprising:
a plurality of components controlling functionality of the vehicle;
a processor device; and
a memory including instructions that, when executed with the processor device, cause the system to, at least:
maintain a plurality of user accounts for a plurality of users, each of the plurality of user accounts associated with a user profile for a specific user of the plurality of users, the user profile indicating a subset of functions that the specific user is authorized to execute from a set of functions available for the vehicle, each of the functions in the subset of functions associated with a configuration setting set for the specific user, at least some of the configuration settings including an indication of a preference value for that specific user that may be defined by the respective user;
receive a request from a user device to perform a function from the set of functions available for the vehicle, the function being one for which the configuration setting includes a pre-defined preference value which may vary by user;
determine an identity of a requesting user associated with the user device;
determine, based on the determined identity of the requesting user, whether the function is one in a subset of functions that the requesting user is authorized to execute;
in response to determining that the function is in the subset of functions that the requesting user is authorized to execute, generate instructions to execute the vehicle function by:
identifying, from the configuration settings stored in association with the function, the pre-defined preference value for the function associated with the user profile for the requesting user;
determining at least one component of the plurality of components associated with the function;
calculating, based on a current configuration of the at least one component and the pre-defined preference value, a change in configuration of the at least one component necessary to comply with the pre-defined preference value; and
providing, to the at least one component, instructions to execute the function to cause the calculated change in configuration; and

in response to determining that the function is not in the subset of functions that the requesting user is authorized to execute or that the requested value associated with the function is not allowed within the configuration settings, provide an indication that the user is not authorized to initiate the vehicle function.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user device is at least one of a mobile phone, a smart watch, a personal data assistant (PDA), a smart phone, or a wireless key.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of components controlling functionality of the vehicle are a plurality of electronic switches.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the requesting user is associated with the user device by virtue of the requesting user being required to log into a user account of the plurality of user accounts.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the requesting user is associated with the user device based on an identifier for the user device being associated with a user account of the plurality of user accounts being associated with the requesting user.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the system to provide the subset of functions that the requesting user is authorized to execute and the configuration settings associated with each function in the subset of functions that the requesting user is authorized to execute to the user device.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one user account of the plurality of user accounts is associated with multiple vehicles.

8. The wireless control system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more input sensors configured to detect information related to a condition of the vehicle, and wherein the instructions further cause the system to provide the information related to the condition of the vehicle to the user device.

9. The wireless control system of claim 8 , wherein the condition of the vehicle is a speed at which the vehicle is traveling.

10. The wireless control system of claim 9 , wherein the information related to the condition of the vehicle provided to the user device is a text notification sent to an owner of the vehicle indicating the speed at which the vehicle is traveling.

11. The wireless control system of claim 1 , wherein the user device is a cellular phone.

12. The wireless control system of claim 11 , wherein the vehicle information is presented to a vehicle control application executed on the cellular phone.

13. The wireless control system of claim 11 , wherein the vehicle information is presented to a web browser application executed on the cellular phone.

14. The wireless control system of claim 11 , wherein the request to perform the function is provided to the wireless control system via a cellular network.

15. The wireless control system of claim 1 , wherein the subset of functions that the specific user is authorized to execute includes at least one of adjusting a temperature of a cabin of the vehicle, adjusting a temperature of a seat within the vehicle, adjusting a position of the seat within the vehicle, or adjusting a radio setting.

16. A method comprising:
maintaining a plurality of user accounts for a plurality of users, each of the plurality of user accounts associated with a user profile for a specific user of the plurality of users, the user profile indicating a subset of functions that the specific user is authorized to execute from a set of functions available for the vehicle, each of the functions in the subset of functions associated with a configuration setting set by that user, at least some of the configuration settings including an indication of a preference value for that user;
receiving a request from a user device to perform a function from the set of functions available for the vehicle, the function being one for which the configuration setting includes a pre-defined preference value which may vary by user;
determining an identity of a requesting user associated with the user device;
determining, based on the determined identity of the requesting user, whether the function is one in a subset of functions that the requesting user is authorized to execute;
in response to determining that the function is in the subset of functions that the requesting user is authorized to execute, generating instructions to execute the vehicle function by:
identifying, from the configuration settings stored in association with the function, the pre-defined preference value for the function associated with the user profile for the requesting user;
determining at least one component of the plurality of components associated with the requested function;
calculating, based on a current configuration of the at least one component and the pre-defined preference value, a change in configuration of the at least one component necessary to comply with the pre-defined preference value; and
providing, to the at least one component, instructions to execute the requested function to cause the calculated change in configuration; and

in response to determining that the function is not in the subset of functions that the requesting user is authorized to execute or that the requested value associated with the function is not allowed within the configuration settings, providing an indication that the user is not authorized to initiate the vehicle function.

Assignees

• Thunder Power New Energy Vehicle Development Co Ltd

Inventors

• Chen Yong-Syuan
• Hsiao Jen-Chieh

Classifications

• B60R2325/205

  Mobile phones · CPC title

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title

• H04W84/042

  Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems · CPC title

• B60R25/01 Primary

  operating on vehicle systems or fittings, e.g. on doors, seats or windscreens · CPC title

• B60R16/03

  for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems {or for (circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00)} · CPC title