SELF-SANITIZING SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE CABINS

This document describes self-sanitizing systems that sanitize the cabins of vehicles. In one aspect, a method includes initiating a sanitizing cycle for sanitizing one or more surfaces of one or more components of a vehicle cabin. During the sanitizing cycle, one or more UV light sources are activated, and at least one of a shape, a position, or orientation of the surface is adjusted with respect to the one or more UV light sources. The sanitizing cycle is terminated.

FIELD

This specification generally relates to self-sanitizing systems for vehicle cabins.

BACKGROUND

The cabin of some vehicles are contacted by multiple people on a routine basis. For example, rideshare vehicles, taxis, buses, trains, and airplanes can routinely carry multiple people in each seat of the vehicle each day. The cabins can be cleaned manually, but such cleaning is often insufficient in killing viruses, germs, bacteria, and other pathogens between passenger occupancies. Further, manual cleaning may take more time and the quality of the results may vary significantly.

SUMMARY

This specification generally describes self-sanitizing systems that sanitize the cabins of vehicles. During each sanitizing cycle, the system can activate a light source, such as an ultraviolet (UV) light or far-UVC light. Such light sources have been shown to kill pathogens, such as viruses, germs, bacteria, and other microorganisms. The light source can be arranged within the cabin to illuminate the surface of the seats and/or other appropriate surfaces, e.g., of hand rests, door handles, etc. The light sources can be located in or on the dash of vehicles, seatbacks for second or higher seat rows, doors, the ceiling, or other appropriate locations.

According to some implementations, a self-sanitizing method includes initiating a sanitizing cycle for sanitizing one or more surfaces of one or more components of a vehicle cabin. During the sanitizing cycle, one or more UV light sources are activated, and at least one of a shape, a position, or orientation of the surface is adjusted with respect to the one or more UV light sources. The sanitizing cycle is terminated.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. In some implementations, the one or more UV light sources include one or more far-UVC light sources.

Adjusting a shape of the surface can include activating one or more actuation zones of at least one surface, wherein each actuation zone comprises a plurality of cells that adjust a shape of the surface multiple times during the sanitizing cycle.

Initiating the sanitizing cycle can include detecting a change of state event indicating (i) that an occupant of the vehicle cabin has departed the vehicle cabin and (ii) a change of state from a clean vehicle cabin to a dirty vehicle interior, and initiating the sanitizing cycle in response to detecting the change of state event. Detecting the change of state event can include detecting that a color of thermochromic material of at least one surface is within a specified color range.

In some implementations, initiating the sanitizing cycle can include detecting that a sanitizing zone that comprises the one or more surfaces is unoccupied. Optionally, the sanitizing zone can be monitored during the sanitizing cycle to ensure that the sanitizing zone remains unoccupied.

In some implementations, terminating the sanitizing cycle includes detecting that a color of photochromic material of at least one surface is within a specified color range, and terminating the sanitizing cycle in response to detecting that the color of the photochromic material of the at least one surface is within a specified color range.

In some implementations, adjusting at least one of a shape, position, or orientation of the surface with respect to the one or more UV light sources includes determining that an area of the surface of the component has not been sufficiently sanitized and adjusting the orientation or position of the component such that the area is illuminated by the one or more light sources.

Some implementations can include detecting a contaminant on at least one surface and generating a notification that indicates that the vehicle cabin is in an unclean state. The notification can indicate one or more recommended manual interventions to clean the vehicle cabin.

The systems can initiate a sanitizing cycle in response to detecting a change of state event. The change of state event can be a change in temperature of a surface within the cabin, e.g., a change in temperature of a surface of a seat or a temperature within a particular temperature range, or a surface temperature within a particular temperature range. The change in temperature or temperature range can be indicative that a person was occupying the cabin or particular seat in the cabin, but has left the cabin or seat. Thus, the state of change event can indicate that a change from occupancy to non-occupancy of a cabin or seat. In this way, the system can target the sanitizing cycle to regions of the vehicle cabin that are likely to have been exposed to viruses, germs, bacteria, and other pathogens carried by passengers. At the same time, the overall duration of the sanitizing cycle may be kept relatively short, e.g., relative to sanitizing an entire cabin when only a small area of the cabin was occupied.

As the shape and configuration of these surfaces are not uniform, flat surfaces that can be easily illuminated, the system can change the shape, orientation, and/or position of the surfaces within the cabin during sanitizing cycles to ensure that all or appropriate areas of the surfaces are sanitized. For example, the system can activate an actuator to lift, fold, or unfold a seat so that a light source on a dash or seatback can sanitize the front portion of the seat or the underside of the seat. This provides clear access for sanitizing areas in front of and/or below the lower portion of the seat.

The system can use various signals to trigger sanitizing cycles, determine the duration of the sanitizing cycle, to change the shape, orientation, and/or position of the surfaces. For example, the system can include cameras for detecting changes in color of thermochromic threads in fabric of the surfaces. The thermochromic fabrics change color with exposure to heat. The system can use the detected colors to detect when a person has departed a cabin or seat. The cameras can also be used to detect the color of photochromic pigment in the fabric or panels of seats or other components to determine when a surface has been properly sanitized. The color of a photochromic pigment changes with exposure to UV light. When the system detects a particular color or color range, the system can terminate the sanitizing cycle. If there are areas of a surface that did not change to the particular color or color range, the system can adjust the shape, orientation, and/or position of the surface so that the area is properly sanitized and changes to the particular color or color range. This ensures that all surfaces that were or may have been contacted are sufficiently sanitized.

The seats and other components of the cabin can include actuation zones embedded therein. The system can activate these actuation zones to change the shape of the surfaces. The actuation zones can include cells that change the shape of the surface. By changing the shape of the surface, the light source can illuminate portions of the surface that would otherwise not be properly illuminated for sanitization.

Using cameras to initiate, control, and terminate sanitizing cycles, can provide a low power solution that can be implemented in vehicles where power is limited, such as automobiles and especially electric-powered automobiles to conserve power for other processes, such as powering an automobile.

In some implementations, the sanitizing controller can initiate a cleaning cycle for only particular surfaces, control the sanitizing cycle to focus on or better sanitize particular surfaces, or to ensure that all surfaces are sufficiently sanitized, and/or determine when the terminate a sanitizing cycle, e.g., when all surfaces are sufficiently sanitized.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This specification generally describes self-sanitizing systems that sanitize the cabins of vehicles. For example, the systems can be implemented in an automobile (e.g., gas-powered or electric-powered cars, trucks, vans, or buses), an airplane, a train, or other appropriate vehicle with a passenger cabin. The self-sanitizing systems can be implemented in a vehicle cabin to sanitize surfaces of components in the vehicle cabin that are contacted by occupants of the cabin. The components can include seats, arm rests, door handles, panels, steering wheels to name a few examples. For the sake of simplicity, the following disclosure refers to sanitizing seats.

FIG. 1A to 1Edepict an example self-sanitizing system100. The system100includes a sanitizing controller110, one or more cameras120, one or more light sources130, one or more actuation zones140(FIG. 1E), and one or more actuators150. The sanitizing controller110can initiate, control, and terminate sanitizing cycles. The sanitizing controller110can perform these functions based on signals received from the cameras120. For example, as described in more detail below, the sanitizing controller110can initiate, control, and terminate a sanitizing cycle for the vehicle cabin based on colors detected in images captured by the camera120.

The sanitizing controller110can be a stand-alone microcontroller installed in a vehicle, part of the vehicle's computer system, or part of a camera120. For example, the camera120can be a neuromorphic event-based camera trained to identify change of state events and/or to detect when surfaces of the seats of the vehicle cabin are dirty. In particular, the camera120can be trained to detect that an occupant of the vehicle cabin has departed the vehicle cabin or a seat in the cabin. The camera120can also be trained to detect contaminants on the seat surfaces.

A stand-alone controller or controller of the vehicle's computer system can be trained to make the same or similar detections based on images received from the camera120. As described in more detail below, the sanitizing controller110can initiate and control a sanitizing cycle in response to detecting one of these change of state events.

The seat surfaces can have integrated thermochromic material, e.g., thread, that changes color with exposure to heat. The seat surfaces can also have integrated photochromic material, e.g., pigment, stain, or dye, that changes color with exposure to UV light. The cameras120can be arranged in the vehicle cabin to detect the color of these surfaces. For example, the cameras120can be directed at the surfaces of the seat to detect the color of the surfaces. The sanitizing controller110can detect the change of state events based on the color of the surfaces. For example, the sanitizing controller110can detect that a person has recently departed a seat based on the color of one or more areas of the seat. In particular, the sanitizing controller110can detect that a person has recently departed a seat when the color of the thermochromic material is within a specified color range that corresponds to a particular temperature range, e.g., from about 98° F. to about 103° F., or above about 100.4 ° F. In some implementations, the sanitizing controller110can also determine when a person that occupied the seat has a fever, e.g., based on the color of the thermochromic material indicating a temperate in the range above 100° F.

In some implementations, other techniques can be used to detect that a person has occupied a seat, how long the person has occupied the seat, and/or that the person has departed the seat. For example, the camera120can use infrared technology to detect body heat and, correspondingly, a seat that was previously occupied. In another example, the sanitizing controller110can evaluate images captured by the cameras120to detect this information, e.g., using object detection or recognition techniques. The sanitizing controller110can determine, using object detection and/or recognition techniques, whether a person has occupied a seat since the last sanitizing cycle and, if so, how long the person occupied the seat. The sanitizing controller110can determine, based on whether a person occupied the seat and this duration, whether to initiate another sanitizing cycle and, if so, a duration of the sanitizing cycle.

The use of object detection and/or recognition can be used in combination with the color of the thermochromic material to determine when to initiate a sanitizing cycle, areas of the vehicle cabin to be sanitized, and the duration of the sanitizing cycle for each area. For example, the sanitizing controller110can be configured to initiate a sanitizing cycle for an area when at least one, or only when both, techniques indicate that the area should be sanitized.

The sanitizing controller110can also detect, in images captured by the cameras120, contaminants on the seat surfaces. For example, the sanitizing controller110can be configured or trained to detect dirt, liquid, objects, or other contamination based on the color of the photochromic material. For example, colors that correspond to temperatures below the ambient temperature of the vehicle cabin may indicate that a cold liquid, e.g., a cold beverage, has been spilt on the surface. In another example, the sanitizing controller110may use image processing techniques to detect a stain against the known pattern of a fabric surface.

If a contaminant that cannot be cleaned by UV light is detected, the sanitizing controller110can generate a notification that indicates that the cabin is dirty, that a particular surface is dirty, and/or one or more recommended mediation actions based on the contaminant detected. The notification can be sent to a display of the vehicle, a sound system of the vehicle, or a device of a person. The notification can also indicate the detected contaminate.

The sanitizing controller110can also detect when a surface has been sufficiently sanitized based on the color of the photochromic material. For example, the sanitizing controller110can detect that a surface has been sufficiently sanitized when the color of the photochromic material is within a specified color range corresponding to exposure to a particular amount of UV light or exposure to UV light for a particular duration of time. The sanitizing controller110can terminate a sanitizing cycle when the color of the photochromic material is within the particular color range. For example, the sanitizing controller110can terminate the sanitizing cycle when the entire surface or at least a threshold percentage of the surface is within the specified color range.

During a sanitizing cycle, the sanitizing controller110can activate the light sources130. The light sources130can include one or more UV (100 to 400 nm) or far-UVC (200 to 230 nm, e.g., 222 nm) lights. The light sources130can be arranged within the cabin to illuminate the seat surfaces to be sanitized. For example, the light sources of a car's cabin can be installed on the dash to sanitize the surfaces of the front seats and installed on the seat backs of the front seats to sanitize the surfaces of the next row of seats. The light sources130can also be installed in other areas, such as the ceiling, floor, on doors, on consoles, etc.

To better sanitize the surfaces of the vehicle cabin, the self-sanitizing system100can include actuation zones140and actuators150that adjust the shape, orientation, and position of the components of the vehicle cabin. A seat can include one or more actuation zones140embedded under or behind the surface of the seat. Each actuation zone140can include actuation cells that each raise a portion of the flexible seat surface to temporarily alter its shape. The sanitizing controller110can control the actuation zones140to continuously change the shape of the surface during a sanitizing cycle. For example, the sanitizing controller110can activate and deactivate the cells of an actuation zone in sequence to change the shape of the surface.

Each actuation cell can be embedded under the surface and can include an electromechanical device that, when actuated by a control signal, pushes a portion of the surface outwards. For example, the electromechanical device can be a small or micro linear actuator embedded under the surface.

The sanitizing controller110can also activate actuators150of the seats to change the position or orientation of the seats. For example, seats in many cars include actuators that enable occupants to adjust the seatback (e.g., tilt the seatback or adjust the lumbar support), move the seat forward and backwards, and/or raise and lower the entire seat. The sanitizing controller110can be in data communication with the actuators, e.g., via the vehicle's computing system or directly vie wires or a wireless connection, to change the various seat adjustments.

The sanitizing controller110can make these adjustments as a regular part of the sanitizing cycle, e.g., to sanitize areas that would not be illuminated by the light sources in their normal positions. The sanitizing controller110can also make these adjustments in response to detecting that an area of a surface has not been sufficiently sanitized, e.g., based on the color of the photochromic material at those areas. For example, if the front surface of a seat cushion has a color indicating that it has not been sufficiently sanitized, the sanitizing controller110can cause the seat to tilt back, thereby raising this surface towards the light source.

FIGS. 1A to 1Ddepict an example implementation of the self-sanitizing system100in a bus, whereasFIG. 1Edepicts a block diagram of the system100. The system100includes a sanitizing controller110, one or more cameras120, one or more light sources130, one or more actuation zones (not shown), and one or more actuators150. The bus includes, e.g., a row of adjustable passenger seats160. The seat160includes a seatback160a,a seat portion160b,and a base160c.The actuator150is configured to move the seatback160arelative to the seat portion160band the base160c(FIG. 1C).

FIG. 1Adepicts the system100in an initial state in which a passenger P is sitting in the second seat160. The cameras120are mounted on the ceiling of the bus and are oriented to capture images of the seats160. The sanitizing controller110is configured to receive images captured by the cameras120and determine that the passenger P is present based on, e.g., infrared technology, event tracking technology, object detection in images, or any of the other techniques described above. As previously described, the sanitizing controller110can initiate, control, and terminate sanitizing cycles based on signals received from the cameras120. In some implementations, the sanitizing controller110is configured to prevent initiation of the sanitizing cycle or to terminate a sanitizing cycle that has started if a person is detected in a sanitizing zone. For example, the sanitizing zone can correspond to an area exposed to the UV light emitted by a particular sanitizing light source.

FIG. 1Bdepicts the system100after the passenger P has departed the seat160and the associated sanitizing zone. In some instances, the sanitizing controller110is configured to determine whether an unoccupied sanitizing zone has been used since the previous sanitizing cycle. For example, the seat160closest to the door of the bus is shown to be unoccupied in bothFIGS. 1A and 1B. The sanitizing controller110may monitor images from the corresponding ceiling-mounted camera120over a period of time (e.g., in the form of a continuous video feed or a series of images) to determine that the seat in question has not been occupied and does not require sanitizing. AlthoughFIG. 1A to 1Ddepict ceiling-mounted cameras120, in other implementations, the cameras120may be mounted differently, e.g., as described in reference inFIG. 2.

As previously described, the sanitizing controller110can be configured to prevent a sanitizing cycle from starting or terminate an active sanitizing cycle if a person is detected in a sanitizing zone. This can potentially prevent unwanted exposure to the light emitted from the sanitizing light sources130. In some cases, unwanted exposure may be further reduced using additional contextual information to prevent sanitizing cycles. For example, if the bus is travelling along a busy bus route during the middle of the day, a new passenger may enter an unoccupied sanitizing zone at any time. In such a case, the sanitizing controller110may not initiate a sanitizing cycle until additional safety criteria are met. Conversely, the bus may have departed the final stop for the night and is on its way back to a terminal. Similarly, a system100implemented in a ride sharing vehicle may detect that the rear cabin of the vehicle is now unoccupied and simultaneously receive the information from a payment system that the ride has ended. In such cases, a person is relatively unlikely to suddenly re-enter the sanitizing zone, and the sanitizing controller110may initiate a sanitizing cycle as soon as the controller detects that the sanitizing zone is unoccupied.

In some instances, the sanitizing controller110inFIG. 1Bis configured to determine whether a sanitizing cycle is necessary based on any of the previously described techniques. For example, the controller110can be configured to determine how long the passenger P was sitting on the seat160and initiate the sanitizing cycle if the seated duration is above a previously determined threshold value. In other cases, thermochromic material may be integrated in the surface of the seat160, as described below in more detail. The sanitizing controller110can detect that a person has recently departed a seat when the color of the thermochromic material is within a specified color range that corresponds to a particular temperature range, e.g., from about 98° F. to about 103° F., or above about 100.4° F.

The sanitizing cycle can also be triggered when the controller110detects that the surface of the seat160is dirty. The seat surfaces can also have integrated photochromic material, e.g., pigment, stain, or dye, that changes color with exposure to UV light. The sanitizing controller110can be trained to detect dirt, liquid, objects, or other contamination based on the color of the photochromic material.

FIG. 1Cdepicts the system100once the sanitizing cycle has been initiated. Specifically, a sanitizing light source130is arranged in front of each seat160. During a sanitizing cycle, the sanitizing controller110can activate the light sources130. The light sources130can include one or more UV (100 to 400 nm) or far-UVC (200 to 230 nm, e.g., 222 nm) lights. AlthoughFIGS. 1A to 1Ddepict a single sanitizing light source130for each seat160, other implementations can include a greater number of sanitizing light sources130and/or sanitizing light sources130that are installed in other areas, such as the ceiling, floor, on doors, etc.

During the sanitizing cycle, the sanitizing controller110sends instructions to the actuator150integrated in the seat160to move the seatback160a,as shown by the double-headed arrow. The movement of the seatback160amay allow different sections of the seatback160ato be exposed to the sanitizing light emitted by the sanitizing light source130. In addition to the movement depicted inFIG. 1C, the sanitizing controller110can send instructions to the actuator150to perform a pre-defined sequence of adjustments or to perform specific adjustments in response to the sanitizing controller110detecting that certain portions of the seat160have not been sufficiently sanitized.

Although not specifically shown inFIGS. 1A to 1D, the seats160may include actuation zones140similar to the cells shown inFIG. 4. During the sanitizing cycle, the sanitizing controller110can activate one or more of the actuation zones140to change the shape of the seat surface, as described in reference toFIG. 4.

Throughout the sanitizing cycle, the sanitizing controller110can be configured to monitor the progress of the sanitizing cycle via images from the cameras120. As the sanitizing controller110progresses through a pre-defined sequence of actuation zones140and/or adjustments via the actuator150, the sanitizing controller110may determine that the relevant sections of the seat160have been sufficiently sanitized during previous adjustments or activations. In such a case, the sanitizing controller110can be configured to “skip” certain portions of the sequence to shorten the overall duration of the sanitizing cycle, which conserves power, and reduces wear on actuators.

InFIG. 1D, the sanitizing controller110has terminated the sanitizing cycle. As previously described, the sanitizing cycle may be terminated when a specific duration has elapsed or a pre-defined sequence has been completed. In other implementations, the sanitizing controller110may be configured to determine that the target seat160has been sufficiently sanitized based on images captured by the cameras120, e.g., based on the color of the surfaces as described above.

FIG. 2depicts an example seatback200with sanitizing light sources210and220. The seatback200can be a seatback of seats in an automobile, airplane, train, or other vehicle. The light sources210and220can include UV or far-UVC lights that sanitize the surfaces of a seat located behind the seatback200. In this example, the seatback200includes a first light source210that is located above a second light source220. The first light source210can sanitize the seatback of the other seat and the second light source220can sanitize the lower portion of the other seat.

The seatback200also includes cameras231-233. The cameras can be used to detect colors of the other seat for the purposes of initiating, controlling, and terminating sanitizing cycles. Each camera231-233can be used to detect the color of a particular area of the other seat.

FIG. 3depicts an example adjustable seat300. The adjustable seat300includes a seat portion320and a seatback330. The adjustable seat300also includes an actuator310that lifts and lowers the seat300, e.g., the entire seat300including the seat portion320and the seatback330. The sanitizing controller110can control the actuator310to lift the seat300during a sanitizing cycle so that a light source340can sanitize a front portion321of the seat portion320or the underside322of the seat portion330. The sanitizing controller110can lift the seat300after sanitizing the seatback330, e.g., as part of a regular sanitizing procedure, or in response to detecting that the front portion321or underside322has not been sufficiently sanitized.

The seat300can also include actuation zones in the seatback330and/or in the seat portion320. The actuation zones change the shape, orientation, and/or position of the surfaces of the seatback330and/or the seat portion320. The actuation zones can be located throughout the seatback330and/or seat portion320, or in particular areas that are typically more difficult to sufficiently sanitize. Each actuation zone can be controlled separately to provide different levels or amounts of sanitization to different areas of the seatback330and/or seat portion320.

FIG. 4depicts example cells410of an actuation zone400. The actuation zone400can be used in the seat300ofFIG. 3or in surfaces of other components of a vehicle cabin. As shown inFIG. 4, the cells410can be raised and lowered to raise or lower the surface of a seat. For example, if the actuation zone400is embedded under the seat portion320, the cells410can raise and lower areas of the seat portion320.

The sanitizing controller110can raise and lower the various cells410in a sequence to continuously or periodically change the shape of a surface. For example, the sanitizing controller110can raise and lower the cells410such that is appears that a raised area is moving under the surface of the seat portion320or behind the seatback330. The raised area can be moved side to side, diagonally, and/or in other patterns to raise each part of the surface to ensure sufficient sanitization of the entire surface.

FIGS. 5A and 5Bdepict a seat500with thermochromic material and photochromic material integrated in the surfaces of the seat. Referring toFIG. 5A, the thermochromic material has changed color in a few areas510-513in response to exposure to heat. In particular, the thermochromic material has changed color in areas510-513that would be covered by a person sitting in the seat500. The sanitizing controller110can detect this color change based on images captured by a camera120and initiate a sanitizing cycle to sanitize the surfaces of the seat. For example, the sanitizing controller110can detect that the color of these areas are within a specified color range corresponding to a temperature range indicative of a person having recently occupied the seat500, while the color of the other areas are not within the specified color range.

Referring toFIG. 5B, the photochromic material has changed color in a few areas, including areas540-545, in response to exposure to UV light. The sanitizing controller can similarly detect this color change and terminate the sanitizing cycle in response to detecting the change. For example, the sanitizing controller can detect that the color is a particular color or within a specified color range corresponding to a specific amount of UV or far-YVC exposure. This color change can also signal to the next occupant of the vehicle cabin that the seat500has been sanitized.

FIG. 6is a flow chart of an example process600for performing a self-sanitizing cycle. The process can be performed by the sanitizing controller110ofFIGS. 1A to 1E.

The sanitizing controller initiates a sanitizing cycle for sanitizing one or more surfaces of one or more components of a vehicle cabin (602). For example, the sanitizing controller can initiate the sanitizing cycle to sanitize the surfaces of seats, arm rests, door handles, panels, or other appropriate components of the vehicle cabin.

In some implementations, the sanitizing controller can initiate the sanitizing cycle in response to detecting a change of state event. The sanitizing controller can detect, as the change of state event, that an occupant of the vehicle cabin has departed the vehicle cabin or a particular seat in the vehicle cabin. In another example, the sanitizing controller can detect, as the change of state event, that the cleanliness state of the vehicle has changed from a clean vehicle cabin to a dirty vehicle cabin. The sanitizing controller can detect these change of state events based on the color of thermochromic material integrated in the surface of the components. For example, the sanitizing controller can determine that an occupant has departed a seat or that a surface of a seat is dirty based on the color of the thermochromic material being within a respective specified color range. In another example, the sanitizing controller can detect these change of state events based on detecting dirt, liquid, or other contaminants in images captured by a camera.

During the sanitizing cycle, the sanitizing controller activates one or more UV light sources (604). The UV light sources can include UV or far-UVC light sources. The light sources can be arranged in the vehicle cabin to direct UV light onto the surfaces of the components to be sanitized during the sanitizing cycle.

During the sanitizing cycle, the sanitizing controller activates one or more actuation zones (606). The sanitizing controller can activate the actuation zones to change the shape, orientation, and/or position of the surfaces being sanitized, e.g., so that the UV light sufficiently sanitizes each area of the surfaces and/or to direct contaminants from the surface. For example, the surfaces can include channels for directing the contaminants from the surfaces. In the process600ofFIG. 6, the one or more UV light sources are activated prior to the one or more actuation zones. In some implementations, the one or more UV light sources are activated after the one or more actuation zones.

The sanitizing controller can raise and lower the cells of the actuation zones in sequences to change the shape of the surfaces. For example, the sanitizing controller can continuously raise and lower the cells during the sanitizing cycle or during a particular portion of the sanitizing cycle.

During the sanitizing cycle, the sanitizing controller adjusts the position and/or orientation of one or more components of the vehicle cabin (608). The sanitizing controller can control actuators of the components to make these adjustments. For example, the sanitizing controller can cause a seat to more bank and forth, to recline and incline, to raise or lower, and/or make other appropriate adjustments depending on the controls available for the particular seat being sanitized.

The sanitizing controller can perform a sequence of adjustments during the sanitizing cycle. For example, the sanitizing controller can lower a seat during a first portion of the sanitizing cycle to sanitize an upper portion of the seat using stationary light sources. The sanitizing controller can then raise the seat during a second portion of the sanitizing cycle to sanitize a lower portion of the seat during a second portion of the sanitizing cycle.

The sanitizing controller can also adjust the portion and/or orientation of a component based on detecting that an area of the surface of the component has not been sufficiently sanitized. For example, the sanitizing controller can receive images from one or more cameras and evaluate the color of the photochromic material integrated in the surface. If the color is not within a specified color range that indicates sufficient sanitization, the sanitizing controller can adjust the position and/or orientation of the component such that the area is closer to or in more direct line of sight of one of the light sources. The sanitizing controller can also activate the actuation zones in this area to better sanitize each portion of the area.

In some implementations, the sanitizing controller can sanitize multiple surfaces, components, or areas of the vehicle cabin in sequence. For example, once one area is sanitized, the sanitizing controller can proceed to another area. In this example, the sanitizing controller can return to operation604(or606if using the same light source) to sanitize another area by activating actuation zones under or behind the surface(s) of that area and/or adjusting the orientation and/or position of the component(s) in that area.

The sanitizing controller terminates the sanitizing cycle (610). For example, the sanitizing controller can evaluate the color of the photochromic material integrated in the surfaces being sanitized. If the color of each area of the surface, or at least a threshold percentage of the areas, is within a specified color range that indicates sufficient sanitization, the sanitizing controller can terminate the sanitizing cycle. If multiple areas are cleaned in sequence, the sanitizing controller can terminate the sanitizing cycle after all areas to be sanitized have been sufficiently sanitized.

FIG. 7A and 7Bshow a flow chart of a further example process700for performing a self-sanitizing cycle. The process700can be performed by the sanitizing controller110ofFIGS. 1A to 1E.

The sanitizing controller can enumerate over a plurality of sanitizing zones (702). For example, the sanitizing zones may be associated with individual seats160in the system100depicted inFIGS. 1A to 1D. Once the sanitizing controller has evaluated all of the sanitizing zones, the process700is complete (704).

For each sanitizing zone, the sanitizing controller may evaluate whether the zone is unoccupied based on any of the techniques described above (706). If the sanitizing zone is determined to be unoccupied, the sanitizing controller evaluates whether the sanitizing zone has been used since the previous sanitizing cycle (708). If the sanitizing zone has not been used, the controller110may deem the sanitizing zone to be sufficiently sanitized and move onto the next sanitizing zone in the sequence.

For each sanitizing zone, the sanitizing controller may initially save the position of all actuators within each of the actuation zones within the sanitizing zone (710). In this context, “actuator” can refer to individual cells or movers within an actuation zone140, for example. The sanitizing controller can optionally reset each of the actuator positions (712). The sanitizing controller can then enumerate over each of the actuation zones within the sanitizing zone (714) and restore the actuator positions to the saved actuator positions once all actuation zones have been covered (708,718).

Referring now toFIG. 7B, the sanitizing controller can enumerate over a number of predetermined positions that is associated with each actuator in the actuation zone (720). For each position, the sanitizing controller can use a sanitizing counter to control the number of attempts to sanitize the actuation zone (724,730,732). The sanitizing controller can receive an image (e.g., from cameras120) that includes at least the current actuation zone (726). The sanitizing controller can determine whether the image shows that the actuation zone needs to be sanitized (728). If the sanitizing counter is below the maximum value (730), the controller increments the counter and activates the sanitizing lights for a fixed duration (732,734). If the sanitizing counter is above the maximum value, the sanitizing controller determines that the system has tried too many times to clean the relevant section and failed. In this case, the sanitizing controller may output an error message (736).

Although the process700depicts a sequence that cycles through all sanitizing zones, all actuation zones within each sanitizing zone, and all actuator positions within each actuation zone, some implementations of the process700may execute these loops in parallel to one another to reduce the overall duration of the sanitizing cycle.

To provide for interaction with a user, embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented on a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) monitor, an LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, or an OLED display, for displaying information to the user, as well as input devices for providing input to the computer, e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, or a presence sensitive display or other surface. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input. In addition, a computer can interact with a user by sending resources to and receiving resources from a device that is used by the user; for example, by sending web pages to a web browser on a user's client device in response to requests received from the web browser.