Patent Application
20150088337
The emergence and popularity of mobile computing has made various types of portable electronic devices a staple in today's marketplace. Mobile networking has afforded such portable electronic devices the ability to communicate with a host of external devices. Meanwhile, modern automobiles are now equipped with on-board computing systems and allow for enhanced technological capabilities. For example, some vehicles include global positioning and navigations systems, Bluetooth™ interfaces for voice-activated calling, and touch-enabled displays for interacting with the operating user or driver. And though users typically operate a number of various vehicles over time, many operate each vehicle in the same manner and with the same desired preferences and/or configurations.
The features and advantages of the inventions as well as additional features and advantages thereof will be more clearly understood hereinafter as a result of a detailed description of particular embodiments of the invention when taken in conjunction with the following drawings in which:
The following discussion is directed to various embodiments. Although one or more of these embodiments may be discussed in detail, the embodiments disclosed should not be interpreted, or otherwise used, as limiting the scope of the disclosure, including the claims. In addition, one skilled in the art will understand that the following description has broad application, and the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be an example of that embodiment, and not intended to intimate that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to that embodiment. Furthermore, as used herein, the designators “A”, “B” and “N” particularly with respect to the reference numerals in the drawings, indicate that a number of the particular feature so designated can be included with examples of the present disclosure. The designators can represent the same or different numbers of the particular features.
The figures herein follow a numbering convention in which the first digit or digits correspond to the drawing figure number and the remaining digits identify an element or component in the drawing. Similar elements or components between different figures may be identified by the user of similar digits. For example, 143 may reference element “43” in
Today, some manufacturers and companies have transitioned to some degree of personalization for specific vehicle options. For example, OnStar® provides personalized information to the user related to the current engine diagnostics, tire pressure, and maintenance needs of a particular vehicle. Other solutions allow for vehicle personalization (e.g., custom wheels, transmission options) at the dealership and under the guidance of an experienced sales person. Still other solutions are directed to fleet managers monitoring vehicles in the field for diagnosing the configuration status of a specific vehicle. For example, Patent Publication No. 2009/0079555 discloses a method for remotely reading vehicle setting parameters and configurations so as to control aspects (e.g., speed) of an on-board GPS device while providing alerts based on location-based information of the vehicle. However, there is still a need in the art for allowing a user to consolidate all vehicle data and personalization preferences into one centralized location for enabling automated configuration of a user vehicle.
Embodiments of the present invention disclose a system and method for vehicle personalization. According to one embodiment, communication between an electronic device and the vehicle for enables specification and implementation of software-based vehicle configuration. The software-based specification for vehicle configuration may be accomplished using rules and constraints, resulting in personalized vehicle settings for a particular user. Additionally, examples described herein aim to provide a remote user interface with access to one or more vehicles in one location and for multiple users each having a preferred/personalized vehicle configuration settings. Moreover, the configuration and portability of vehicle personalization may be accomplished through loading of user preferred settings stored on an external storage device.
Referring now in more detail to the drawings in which like numerals identify corresponding parts throughout the views,
Network-based storage device 108 represents a cloud or similar networked online storage device and service for storing preference information associated with a user. More particularly, the cloud network 108 provides a web-based user profile interface 116 for allowing a user to manage and store their profile information (e.g., vehicle identification number of vehicles owned, vehicle preference data, etc.). As the web-based interface parameters 116 are stored in the cloud in accordance with one example embodiment, the profile and preference data is virtual to the user and accessible anywhere. Additionally, the user may also adjust their user profile and preference information in real-time through use of a local and dedicated application running on the computing device 106. The configuration device 112 is enabled to communicate with the cloud storage network 108 for retrieving user profile data stored therein, and also with the vehicle interface module 110 to retrieve the available configurable settings for vehicle personalization. Rules engine 114 represents a set of configuration parameters and/or thresholds for establishing the compatibility of various configurations. For example, rules engine may establish—for safety precaution—that the driver-side mirror may not be adjusted to the preferred angle setting based on the size and weight of the driver, or based on the preferred seat position.
Once the settings are configured, the vehicle processing unit 102 may save the user preference information for each operator of the vehicle locally as driver profile data 116. The profile data 116 may then be managed directly on the vehicle via a display or interface module 110. Such a configuration allows for personalization of the same vehicle for multiple operators as will be described with reference to
Embodiments of the present invention provide system and method for vehicle personalization. Many safety and other advantages are afforded by the vehicle personalization system disclosed herein. For example, the automated aspect of the present examples helps to greatly reduce the time required to setup a vehicle with driver preferences. And since the driver is not preoccupied physically configuring the vehicle during transit, the driver's ability to focus on the road and other drivers is greatly improved. Still further, the present system also allows drivers to take preferred configurations and settings from vehicle to vehicle with minimal setup time via the cloud-based user profile.
Furthermore, while the invention has been described with respect to exemplary embodiments, one skilled in the art will recognize that numerous modifications are possible. For example, although exemplary embodiments depict a smartphone as the computing device, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, the disclosed computing device may be a netbook, a tablet personal computer, or any other electronic device capable of communication with the vehicle interface module. Thus, although the invention has been described with respect to exemplary embodiments, it will be appreciated that the invention is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2012/026733 | 2/27/2012 | WO | 00 | 12/1/2014 |
