CN-121989839-A - Vehicle and accessory communication and control

Abstract

The present invention relates to systems and methods for integrating accessories with a vehicle, and more particularly to systems and methods for controlling interactions between a vehicle and an accessory. Systems and methods include detecting the presence of an accessory coupled to the exterior of a vehicle and determining, using a control circuit, the accessory type of the detected accessory (e.g., tent, lighted rail, camp kitchen). The systems and methods further include adjusting vehicle parameters (e.g., adjusting suspension firmness or height) based on the accessory type using the control circuit.

Inventors

• P. M. Lobacharo
• Euler, K.N.
• E.R. Glazer
• A. L. Frederickson
• WALKER DARREL G.
• P. Murkun
• HIGGINS EDWARD P.

Assignees

• 瑞维安知识产权控股有限责任公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260508

Application Date

20251107

Priority Date

20251020

Claims (20)

1. 1. A method, the method comprising: Detecting the presence of an accessory coupled to the exterior of the vehicle; Determining an accessory type of the detected accessory using the control circuit, and The control circuit is used to adjust vehicle parameters based on the accessory type.
2. 2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising: Determining whether the detected accessory utilizes power, and In response to determining that the detected accessory utilizes power, power is provided to the accessory.
3. 3. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising: determining whether the detected accessory includes a controllable element, and In response to determining that the detected accessory includes one or more controllable elements, a user interface for display is generated to control the one or more controllable elements.
4. 4. A method according to claim 3, wherein: The detected accessory is a camping car casing or tent, and The one or more controllable elements include an internal temperature, an electrical outlet or a lamp or a combination thereof.
5. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the vehicle parameter comprises adjusting suspension firmness or suspension height.
6. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the vehicle parameter comprises adjusting a steering threshold or limit, a steering ratio, a braking threshold or limit, or an acceleration threshold or limit, or a maximum vehicle speed.
7. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence of the accessory is detected using a sensor.
8. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the sensor comprises a proximity sensor, a camera, a load sensor, or an accelerometer.
9. 9. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising: a category of the accessory is determined, wherein adjusting the vehicle parameter is based on the category.
10. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the vehicle parameters comprises generating a user interface for display, the user interface comprising instructions to place one or more leveling blocks under one or more wheels to level the vehicle.
11. 11. A system, the system comprising: A sensor configured to generate sensor data, and Control circuitry coupled to the sensor and configured to: detecting the presence of an accessory coupled to the exterior of the vehicle based on the sensor data; determining an accessory type of the detected accessory, and Vehicle parameters are adjusted based on the accessory type.
12. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuit is further configured to: Determining whether the detected accessory utilizes power, and In response to determining that the detected accessory utilizes power, power is provided to the accessory.
13. 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuit is further configured to: determining whether the detected accessory includes a controllable element, and In response to determining that the detected accessory includes one or more controllable elements, a user interface for display is generated to control the one or more controllable elements.
14. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein: The detected accessory is a camping car casing or tent, and The one or more controllable elements include an internal temperature, an electrical outlet or a lamp or a combination thereof.
15. 15. The system of claim 11, wherein adjusting the vehicle parameter comprises adjusting suspension firmness or suspension height.
16. 16. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuit is configured to adjust the vehicle parameter by adjusting a steering threshold or limit, a steering ratio, a braking threshold or limit, or an acceleration threshold or limit, or a maximum vehicle speed.
17. 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the sensor comprises a proximity sensor, a camera, a load sensor, or an accelerometer.
18. 18. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuit is further configured to: A category of the accessory is determined, wherein the control circuit is configured to adjust the vehicle parameter based on the category.
19. 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuit is configured to adjust the vehicle parameters by generating a user interface for display, the user interface including instructions to place one or more leveling blocks under one or more wheels to level the vehicle.
20. 20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a control circuit, cause the control circuit to: Detecting the presence of an accessory coupled to the exterior of the vehicle; determining an accessory type of the detected accessory, and Vehicle parameters are adjusted based on the accessory type.

Description

Vehicle and accessory communication and control Cross Reference to Related Applications The present disclosure claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 63/717,670, filed on 7 at 11/2024, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Introduction to the invention The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for integrating accessories with a vehicle, and more particularly to systems and methods for controlling interactions between a vehicle and an accessory. Disclosure of Invention The exterior of the vehicle may be equipped with any of a variety of different accessories. However, incorporating accessories may affect the performance of the vehicle. In some cases, the accessory may change any of the weight, center of gravity, or drag coefficient of the vehicle, which may negatively impact handling, range, or stopping distance. The vehicle may not know what accessories are connected and therefore may not be able to adjust to the accessories. Further, some accessories utilize or require power and data connections to control aspects of the accessory. Incorporation of these accessories may require modification to the exterior of the vehicle or to the electrical system of the vehicle. To address these issues, systems and methods for improving the integration of accessories with a vehicle are provided herein. In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided for modifying vehicle parameters based on an accessory (e.g., accessory type). The presence of an accessory coupled to the exterior of the vehicle is detected and the type of accessory is determined. The vehicle parameters are adjusted based on the type of accessory. In some embodiments, adjusting the vehicle parameters includes modifying at least one of a predicted vehicle range, a vehicle exterior profile, a vehicle suspension (e.g., suspension firmness or height), a steering threshold or limit, a steering ratio, a braking threshold or limit, or an acceleration threshold or limit, a maximum vehicle speed, traction control, or a vehicle user interface. In some embodiments, determining that the accessory is coupled to the exterior of the vehicle is based on determining that the vehicle parameter is outside of the expected performance range. In some embodiments, the expected performance range is one of a vehicle range, a distance to ambient, a vehicle weight, an engine output, a brake input, or a vehicle speed or acceleration. In some implementations, the sensor is for detecting the presence of an accessory, and the sensor includes any of a proximity sensor, a camera, a load sensor, or an accelerometer. In some embodiments, the method and system further determine whether the detected accessory utilizes power and, in response to determining that the detected accessory utilizes power, provide power to the accessory. In some embodiments, the method and system further determine whether the detected accessory includes a controllable element, and in response to determining that the detected accessory includes one or more controllable elements, generate a user interface for display to control the one or more controllable elements. In some embodiments, the detected accessory is a camping car casing or tent, and the one or more controllable elements include an internal temperature, an electrical outlet or a light, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the method and system further determine a category of the accessory, wherein the vehicle parameter is adjusted based on the category. In some embodiments, the methods and systems adjust vehicle parameters by generating a user interface for display that includes instructions to place one or more leveling blocks under one or more wheels to level the vehicle. Drawings The present disclosure in accordance with one or more various embodiments is described in detail with reference to the following figures. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and illustrate only typical or exemplary embodiments. These drawings are provided to facilitate an understanding of the concepts disclosed herein and should not be considered limiting of the breadth, scope, or applicability of these concepts. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of illustration, the drawings are not necessarily made to scale. FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a vehicle accessory system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 2A-2C are schematic illustrations of a vehicle accessory system having different types of accessories coupled to a roof of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 3A is a flowchart of an exemplary process for controlling interactions between a vehicle and an accessory according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 3B is a flowchart of an exemplary process for controlling interactions between a vehicle and an accessory based on a class of the accessory, according to an embodiment of the present disclo