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EP-4402022-B1 - SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR APPLYING VEHICLE SETTINGS

EP4402022B1EP 4402022 B1EP4402022 B1EP 4402022B1EP-4402022-B1

Inventors

  • LUDWIG, Sue Hsiu Ying
  • LANDRY, NICHOLAS IVAN
  • SHOME, TARUN WILLIAM
  • SHUKLA, ABHISHEK

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20220818

Claims (11)

  1. A computer-implemented method (100) for applying vehicle settings, the method (100) comprising: identifying (110) a vehicle occupant having a personalized set of vehicle settings for a vehicle (310); identifying (160) a condition modifier associated with the vehicle occupant and the personalized set of vehicle settings, wherein the condition modifier comprises a first condition modifier and a second condition modifier, the first condition modifier being associated with a seated location of the vehicle occupant, and the second condition modifier being associated with a vehicle condition, and applying (180) a vehicle setting from the set of vehicle settings based on the condition modifier, wherein applying the vehicle setting further comprises: requesting confirmation from the vehicle occupant to apply the vehicle setting, and selectively applying the vehicle setting based on the confirmation provided by the vehicle occupant.
  2. The computer-implemented method (100) of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle condition is a cabin temperature of the vehicle.
  3. The computer-implemented method (100) of claim 1 or 2, wherein applying the vehicle setting comprises applying the vehicle setting to a first zone (791) within the vehicle (310), the first zone (791) being associated with the seated location of the vehicle occupant.
  4. The computer-implemented method (100) of claim 1 or 2, wherein applying the vehicle setting comprises applying the vehicle setting to a plurality of zones with the vehicle (310), wherein at least one zone of the plurality of zones does not include the seated location of the vehicle occupant.
  5. The computer-implemented method (100) of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein identifying the vehicle occupant comprises: capturing a facial image of the vehicle occupant; retrieving a verified facial image of the vehicle occupant, and comparing, using a facial recognition algorithm, the captured facial image of the vehicle occupant with the verified facial image of the vehicle occupant.
  6. The computer-implemented method (100) of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein identifying the vehicle occupant comprises identifying an electronic device associated with the vehicle occupant.
  7. The computer-implemented method (100) of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein identifying the vehicle occupant comprises: prompting the vehicle occupant to provide an authentication credential; retrieving a verified authentication credential of the vehicle occupant, and comparing the provided authentication credential with the verified authentication credential.
  8. The computer-implemented method (100) of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the condition modifier further comprises a third condition modifier, the third condition modifier being associated with a seated location of another vehicle occupant.
  9. The computer-implemented method (100) of claim 8, wherein applying the vehicle setting comprises: identifying a first zone (791) within the vehicle associated with a seated location of the vehicle occupant; identifying a second zone (792) within the vehicle associated with a seated location of the another vehicle occupant; applying the vehicle setting to the first zone (791), and preventing the vehicle setting from applying to the second zone (792).
  10. A system (900) comprising: a processor (902); and a memory (904) storing processor (902) executable instructions that, when executed by the processor (902), cause the processor (902) to perform the method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
  11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform the method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Description

FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to applying vehicle settings, and more particularly to applying vehicle settings based on vehicle occupancy, and even more particularly to applying vehicle settings based on occupant identity and conditional modifiers. BACKGROUND Vehicles offer a variety of settings and features which improve safety, comfort, and enjoyment for vehicle occupants. Vehicle settings and features include controls for adjusting seat tilt, angle, position, firmness, and temperature; adjusting cabin temperature, air flow, and air flow direction; enabling/disabling air-bag deployment based on vehicle occupancy; configuring preset audio stations and other audio and music settings; adjusting User Interface (UI) settings and visual display settings; WiFi settings; adjusting side-view and rear-view mirror angles and tilts; controlling windows; steering wheel tilt and temperature; and so forth. It remains desirable however to develop further improvements and advancements in relation to personalizing vehicle settings for occupants, to overcome shortcomings of known techniques, and to provide additional advantages. This section is intended to introduce various aspects of the art, which may be associated with the present disclosure. This discussion is believed to assist in providing a framework to facilitate a better understanding of particular aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that this section should be read in this light, and not necessarily as admissions of prior art. US 2018/148007 A1 discloses a system for adjusting one or more vehicle settings including one or more processors, one or more occupant recognition sensors communicatively coupled to the one or more processors and configured to output an occupant recognition signal indicative of an identity of one or more vehicle occupants, and one or more memory modules communicatively coupled to the one or more processors. The one or more memory modules store logic that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: recognize a first vehicle occupant of the one or more vehicle occupants, determine a first vehicle zone in which the first vehicle occupant is present, automatically adjust the one or more vehicle settings based on one or more occupant preference settings associated with the first vehicle occupant and the first vehicle zone. US 2015/148989 A1 discloses a mobile computing device operated to control a vehicle. A digital key for accessing a vehicle is stored for accessing the vehicle. Profile information is associated with the digital key for configuring operation and/or use of a vehicle. The profile information includes one or more outside parameters for implementing one or more pre-entry vehicle configurations. When one or more proximity conditions are detected as being satisfied as between the mobile computing device and the vehicle, a communication is sent to the vehicle in order to cause the vehicle to implement one or more pre-entry vehicle configurations. The communication can be based on the digital key and may specify the one or more outside parameters. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached Figures. FIG.1 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method in accordance with the present disclosure for identifying an occupant and their associated user profile or account, including creating, setting, and applying their associated vehicle settings based on conditional modifiers.FIG. 2 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method in accordance with the present disclosure for sending requests to an external party using a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), user identification (userID), or combination of both.FIG. 3A is a top view of an open interior of a vehicle equipped with a single camera embodiment of a system and method for identifying occupants and applying their associated sets of vehicle settings in accordance with the present disclosure.FIG. 3B is a top view of an open interior of the vehicle illustrated in FIG. 3A further equipped with a multi-camera embodiment of a system and method for identifying occupants and applying their associated sets of vehicle settings in accordance with the present disclosure.FIG. 4 is a top view of an open interior of a vehicle equipped with a non-camera embodiment of a system and method for identifying occupants based on an associated device and applying their associated sets of vehicle settings in accordance with the present disclosure.FIG. 5 is a top view of an open interior of a vehicle equipped with a hybrid embodiment of a system and method for identifying occupants based on facial recognition and/or an associated device and applying their associated sets of vehicle settings in accordance with the present disclosure.FIG. 6 is a top view of an open interior of a vehicle having a plurality of air vents, the set