Patent Publication Number: US-2018029548-A1

Title: Pre-entry auto-adjustment of vehicle settings

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates generally to adjustment of vehicle setting, and more particularly, to a pre-entry auto-adjustment of vehicle settings. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Modern vehicles can be adjusted in many different ways to accommodate occupants of different sizes and preferences. For example, a seat can be raised or lowered, shifted forward or rearward, tilted fore or aft, lumbar-adjusted, and/or heated or cooled. In addition, a steering wheel can be moved in or out, and tilted up or down. Mirrors inside and outside of the vehicle can be tilted, shifted, and/or rotated. Displays can be moved, tilted, and/or have their appearances changed. 
     These adjustments can be power-assisted based on occupant input. For example, one or more actuators can be associated with the seat, the steering wheel, the mirrors, and/or the display, and selectively activated (e.g., via buttons, switches, and/or dials) to make the adjustments. In some instances, however, multiple different occupants may use a common vehicle. In these instances, each occupant may need to provide the inputs before the adjustments can be made and the vehicle can be driven in a comfortable manner Providing the input each time a user operates the vehicle can be cumbersome and time consuming. In addition, it may be difficult in some situations to make the right adjustments for each occupant. 
     Systems exist that identify occupants inside the vehicle and responsively make automated adjustments to the vehicle components. For example, a size and/or location of an occupant inside the vehicle may be detected (e.g., via a camera), and thereafter the adjustments may be made according to pre-established and/or recommended settings. Unfortunately, these adjustments are only made after the occupant is already inside the vehicle, which can make entry into the vehicle difficult and/or uncomfortable for some occupants. In addition, by waiting to make the adjustments until after the occupant is inside the vehicle, operation of the vehicle may be delayed by the time required for the adjustments to occur. 
     The disclosed vehicle system is directed to mitigating or overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems in the prior art. 
     SUMMARY 
     One aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a system for adjusting at least one adjustable component of a vehicle. The system may include a sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of an identity of a user before entry of the user into the vehicle, and a controller in communication with the sensor and an actuator configured to adjust the at least one adjustable component. The controller may be configured to automatically cause the actuator to adjust the at least one adjustable component responsive to the signal. 
     Another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a method of adjusting a component of a vehicle. The method may include detecting an identity of a user before the user enters the vehicle. The method may also include automatically causing an actuator to adjust the component responsive to the identity. 
     Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a vehicle. The vehicle may include at least one adjustable component, and an actuator configured to adjust the at least one adjustable component. The vehicle may also include a sensor mounted outside the body and configured to generate a signal indicative of an identity a user before the user enters the body, and a controller in communication with the actuator and the sensor. The controller may be configured to determine, based on the signal, that the identity of the user matches a known identity stored in memory, and to selectively recall a first set of adjustments corresponding to the known identity. The controller may also be configured to determine, based on the signal, biometrics of the user when the identity of the user does not match the known identity, and to determine a second set of adjustments to accommodate the biometrics of the user. The controller may be further configured to automatically cause the actuator to adjust the at least one adjustable component to achieve the first or second sets of adjustments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective illustration of an exemplary vehicle. 
         FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic illustration of an exemplary vehicle setting adjustment system that may be used with the vehicle of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method that may be performed by the system of  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The disclosure is generally directed to a system that adjusts user settings of a vehicle, before the user enters the vehicle. In particular, the disclosed system may be configured to identify the user as the user approaches the vehicle. When the identity of the user matches a known identity of a previous user, vehicle settings previously employed by the user may be selected for current use. In one embodiment, the identity of the user is determined based on image data captured by an external camera. In particular, captured image data may be compared to stored image data of previous users to determine if the user has previously used the vehicle. In another embodiment, the system may detect a personal device of the user, and identify the user as either a previous user or a new user via data stored on the personal device. When the system determines that the user is new (e.g., when the user has not yet used the vehicle), the image data may be employed to determine optimal settings for the new user (e.g., based on biometrics of the new user). 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective illustration of an exemplary vehicle  10 . Although vehicle  10  is shown as a car in  FIG. 1 , it is contemplated that vehicle  10  may alternatively be a pickup truck, a utility vehicle, a van, or have any other body style. It is further contemplated that vehicle  10  may be an electric vehicle, a fuel-cell vehicle, a conventional combustion-powered vehicle, or a combination thereof. Vehicle  10  may be manually operated, remotely controlled, and/or autonomously operated. 
     Vehicle  10  may include a body  12  operatively connected to and supported by a rolling chassis  14 . Body  12  may include a floor  16 , a roof  18 , and plurality of posts  20  that extend between floor  16  and roof  18 . One or more body panels  22  and/or doors  24  may be connected between floor  16 , roof  18 , and/or posts  20  to at least partially enclose a user area  26  inside of body  12 . 
     Any number of user-adjustable devices may be provided inside user area  26  of body  12  or external of body  12  for use in controlling different functions of vehicle  10  or providing information to the user. These devices may include, among other things, a seat  30 , a steering wheel  32 , one or more pedals (e.g., an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a clutch pedal, etc.)  34 , one or more mirrors (e.g., a driver-side mirror, a passenger-side mirror, a rear-view mirror, etc.)  36 , and one or more displays (e.g., a center-console display, an instrument cluster, a heads-up display, etc.)  38 . Each of these components may be provided with an actuator  40 , which can be selectively energized to cause a corresponding adjustment of the associated component. Actuator  40  may embody, for instance, an electric motor, a hydraulic cylinder, a pneumatic piston, a heater, a light source, or another device known in the art. For example, seat  30  may be raised, lowered, shifted, tilted, and/or otherwise adjusted when the corresponding actuator  40  is energized. Adjustments to steering wheel  32 , pedal(s)  34 , mirror(s)  36 , and/or display(s)  38  may be achieved in similar manner 
     In some embodiments, the adjustments described above may be triggered based on user input. Specifically, one or more manually operated devices  42  may be associated with each of the user-adjustable components inside of user area  26  and, when manipulated, selectively energize the corresponding actuator  40 . For example, seat  30  may be provided with a fore/aft switch  42   a,  a backrest tilt switch  42   b,  a height switch  42   c,  and/or a lumbar support switch  42   d.  Each of these devices  42  may be touched, pressed, pulled, twisted, or otherwise activated to generate corresponding signals that selectively energize particular actuators  40  of seat  30 . Similar devices may be associated with each of steering wheel  32 , pedal(s)  34 , mirror(s)  36 , and/or display(s)  38 . 
     Vehicle  10  may include at least one sensor  44  configured to generate a signal indicative of an identity of a user before entry of the user into user area  26  (e.g., as the user approaches vehicle  10 ). In one example, sensor  44  is an optical sensor (e.g., a camera)  44   a  configured to generate image data associated with the user. In another example, sensor  44  is a radio receiver (e.g., a Blue Tooth receiver)  44   b  configured to retrieve (e.g., via a wireless network  45 ) identity data (e.g., a digital signature and/or certificate) stored on a personal device (e.g., an enabled cell phone, tablet, watch, or fob)  46  carried by the user. In some embodiments, vehicle  10  is equipped with both an optical sensor  44   a  and a radio receiver  44   b.  Sensor(s)  44  may be mounted externally (e.g., to one or more posts  20 , body panels  22 , and/or mirrors  36 ) or otherwise configured to obtain the image data and/or the identity data from the user before the user enters vehicle  10  (e.g., through a window  48 ). 
       FIG. 2  diagrammatically illustrates an exemplary vehicle setting adjustment system  50 , which can be used to automatically make some or all of the adjustments described above, regardless of manual input being received via devices  42 . System  50  may include actuator(s)  40 , manually operated device(s)  42 , sensor(s)  44 , network  45 , personal device  46 , and a controller  52  in communication with each of the other components. Controller  52  may comprise, among other things, an I/O interface  54 , a processor  56 , and a storage unit  58 . One or more of the components of controller  52  may be included in an on-board computer of vehicle  10 , a remote server, or in the cloud. The components of system  50  may be configured to transfer data and send or receive instructions between each other. 
     I/O interface  54  may be configured for two-way communication between controller  52  and the various remaining components of system  50 , such as actuator(s)  40 , device(s)  42 , sensor(s)  44 , and personal device  46 . The communication may be facilitated via cables, network  45 , or other communication mediums. 
     Processor  56  may include any appropriate type of general-purpose or special-purpose microprocessor, digital signal processor, or microcontroller. Processor  56  may be configured with virtual processing technologies, and use program logic to simultaneously execute and control any number of operations. For example, processor  56  may be configured to receive and process signals to determine appropriate adjustments that should be made to the user-adjustable components of vehicle  10  based on a determined identity and/or measured biometrics of a user of vehicle  10 . Processor  56  may also be configured to implement virtual machine or other known technologies to execute, control, run, manipulate, and store any number of software modules, applications, programs, etc. For example, processor  56  may be configured to generate and transmit command signals, via I/O interface  54 , in order to energize actuators  40 . 
     Storage unit  58  may include a volatile or non-volatile, magnetic, semiconductor, tape, optical, removable, non-removable, or other type of tangible and/or non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores one or more computer programs and data. The computer programs may be executable by controller  52  to perform specialized functions of system  50 . For example, storage unit  58  may be configured to store software for biometric detection of users, such as body scanning, facial recognition, iris scanning, and/or voice recognition. In addition, sensor(s)  44  may benefit from the use of image and video processing software, (e.g., image recognition software), which can be stored within storage unit  58 . Using this software, sensor(s)  44  may be employed by controller  52  to distinguish a person from inanimate objects, and to distinguish identities, facial features, and/or other biometric aspects of users. Storage unit  58  may also be configured to store profiles of previous users of vehicle  10 , such as names, digital signatures, certificates of authorization, settings of adjustable components, user biometrics, and other information. In some embodiments, after being paired a first time with personal device  46 , processor  56  (e.g., using software recalled from storage unit  58 ) may be configured to thereafter recognize personal device  46  based on corresponding data (the digital signature and/or authorization certificate emitted by personal device  46 ) recorded into storage unit  58  during pairing. 
     The computer programs may also include operating systems (not shown) that perform known functions when executed by processor  56 . By way of example, the operating systems may include Microsoft Windows™, Unix™, Linux™, iOS™ operating systems, Android™ operating systems, such as Microsoft CE™, or other types of operating systems. Storage unit  58  may also include communication software that, when executed by processor  56 , facilitates communications via network  45 , such as Web browser software, tablet software, and/or smart handheld device networking software, etc. 
     An exemplary method of operation  300  that can be implemented by system  50  is illustrated in the flowchart of  FIG. 3 . As shown in this figure, method  300  may begin with the capturing of user data before the user enters vehicle  10  (e.g., as the user approaches vehicle  10 ) (Step  310 ). 
     The data-capturing step  310  may be performed in several different ways. For example, as the user moves into range of sensor  44   a,  image data associated with the user may be captured and transmitted as signals to processor  56  via I/O interface  54 . Responsive to the signals from sensor  44   a,  processor  56  may compare the captured image data to stored image data associated with previous users of vehicle  10  to determine if the user is a new user (Step  320 ). When the captured image data substantially matches (e.g., matches within a threshold amount) the stored image data of a particular previous user (step  320 : N), processor  56  may conclude that the user has previously operated vehicle  10 . Otherwise, processor  56  may conclude that the user is a new user (step  320 : Y). In another example, as the user moves into range of sensor  44   b,  a digital signature and/or certificate of authorization associated with the user may be received from personal device  46  (e.g., via network  45 ) and transmitted as signals to processor  56  via I/O interface  54 . Responsive to the signals from sensor  44   b , processor  56  may compare the digital signature and/or certificate of authorization to stored data associated with previous users of vehicle  10  to determine if the user is new or has previously operated vehicle  10 . When the retrieved signature and/or certificate substantially matches (e.g., matches within a threshold amount) the stored signature and/or certificate of a particular previous user (step  320 : N), processor  56  may conclude that the user has previously operated vehicle  10 . Otherwise, processor  56  may conclude that the user is a new user (step  320 : Y). 
     When the user approaching vehicle  10  is determined to have previously operated vehicle  10 , processor  56  may recall from storage unit  58  and institute (e.g., via corresponding commands directed to actuator(s)  40 ) a set of adjustments for one or more of the user-adjustable components that were previously made by the user or previously determined by controller  52  (Step  330 ). In this manner, the user-adjustable components may be caused to return to particular configurations that were previously found by the user to be convenient and/or comfortable. 
     However, when the user approaching vehicle  10  is determined to be new (e.g., to not have operated vehicle  10  before or within a threshold period of time), processor  56  may determine and implement (e.g., via corresponding commands directed to actuator(s)  40 ) a set of adjustments for one or more of the user-adjustable components that should be appropriate for the new user (Step  340 ). This determination may be made, for example, based on reference to biometric information contained in the captured image data of stored biometric information and corresponding adjustments. In particular, from the captured image of the data, particular biometric information (e.g., overall height, torso length, leg length, arm reach, build, weight, gender, etc.) may be gleaned using corresponding biometric software. One or more parts of this information may then be compared to a table stored in memory to determine corresponding adjustments. For example, for a particular leg length, a fore/aft adjustment of seat  30  may be determined by processor  56 , and corresponding commands may be directed to associated actuator(s)  40 . Similarly, for a particular torso height, a height adjustment of seat  30  may be determined and commanded. Likewise, for a particular arm length, a tilt of seat  30  and/or a position or angle of steering wheel  32  may be determined and commanded. Other adjustments may be determined and then commanded in this same manner using the biometric information of the user. 
     After completion of step  330  or step  340 , controller  52  may monitor input devices  42  to determine if the user makes any refinements to the adjustments (Step  350 ). In particular, it may be possible for the user to manipulate one or more of input devices  42  after controller  52  has adjusted the user-adjustable components in order to increase a convenience and/or comfort in accessing the user-adjustable components. In these instances, controller  52  may record the refinements in association with the identity of the user (Step  360 ), such that future adjustments made for the same user may include the refinements. Method  300  may then return from step  360  to step  310  for repetition of method  300 . If refinements are not made after automated adjustment of the user-adjustable components (step  350 : N), control may proceed from step  350  to step  310 . Additionally, controller may utilize refinements to the adjustments (Step  350 ) to optimize default settings for new users who have similar biometric data to the user who made the refinements to the adjustments. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed system, related method, and vehicle. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosed system, related method, and vehicle. For example, in some cases, controller  52  may determine whether the user has operated another vehicle associated with the same network  45  as vehicle  10 , and responsively load adjustments for the user based on the user&#39;s adjustments in the other vehicle. 
     It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.