Patent Publication Number: US-2022212658-A1

Title: Personalized drive with occupant identification

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     This specification relates to a system and a method for detecting occupants in a vehicle and personalizing features of the vehicle based on the detection of the occupants. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Vehicles may transport people and/or cargo. The people within a vehicle may be located in a seat of the vehicle (e.g., a driver&#39;s seat, front passenger&#39;s seat, rear driver&#39;s side seat, rear passenger&#39;s side seat, etc.). The people who occupy these seats may have different physical features and characteristics (e.g., height, weight, build, etc.) as well as personal preferences (e.g., audio or video content preferences, climate control preferences, seat position preferences, etc.). These various physical features, characteristics and preferences may affect the way the vehicle is operated and the comfort of the passengers. For example, a first occupant may prefer a climate control temperature of 75 degrees and a second occupant may prefer a climate control temperature of 62 degrees. When the second occupant sit in a seat previously occupied by the first occupant (from a previous transportation event), the second occupant may have to adjust the climate control temperature to their preference. Making this adjustment each time wastes time and may be an inconvenience to the occupant. In the case of the driver, having to make changes may affect the driver&#39;s ability to concentrate on driving. Thus, there is a need for improved systems and methods for detecting occupants in a vehicle and personalizing features of the vehicle based on the detection of the occupants. 
     SUMMARY 
     What is described is a system for automatically implementing occupant settings in a vehicle. The system includes one or more sensors of a vehicle configured to detect sensor data associated with an identification of an occupant within the vehicle and a location of the occupant within the vehicle. The system also includes an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors and configured to adjust one or more vehicle settings based on the identification of the occupant within the vehicle and the location of the occupant within the vehicle. 
     Also described is a vehicle. The vehicle includes one or more sensors configured to detect sensor data associated with an identification of an occupant within a passenger cabin and a location of the occupant within the passenger cabin. The vehicle also includes an electronic control unit (ECU) communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors and configured to adjust one or more vehicle settings based on the identification of the occupant within the vehicle and the location of the occupant within the vehicle. 
     Also described is a method for automatically implementing occupant settings in a vehicle. The method includes detecting, by one or more sensors of a vehicle, sensor data associated with an identification of an occupant within the vehicle and a location of the occupant within the vehicle. The method also includes identifying the occupant based on the sensor data. The method also includes determining the location of the occupant within the vehicle based on the sensor data. The method also includes adjusting, by an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle, one or more vehicle settings based on the identification of the occupant within the vehicle and the location of the occupant within the vehicle. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. Component parts shown in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, and may be exaggerated to better illustrate the important features of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1A  illustrates a vehicle with occupants approaching the vehicle, according to various embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 1B  illustrates the vehicle with occupants inside of the vehicle and recognized by the vehicle, according to various embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 1C  illustrates an interior of the vehicle, according to various embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 2A  illustrates adjustment of seat belts, according to various embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 2B  illustrates adjustment of airbags, according to various embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 2C  illustrates adjustment of seats, according to various embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 2D  illustrates adjustment of climate control, according to various embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 2E  illustrates adjustment of content for rear occupants, according to various embodiments of the invention. 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate adjustment of vehicle trajectory, according to various embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates the system, according to various embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a process of the system, according to various embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Disclosed herein are systems, vehicles, and methods for automatically implementing occupant settings in a vehicle. The systems and methods described herein use a plurality of sensors of the vehicle to detect sensor data, which is used to determine an identification of an occupant and a location of the occupant within the vehicle. One or more vehicle settings may be adjusted based on the determination of the identity of the occupant and the location of the occupant within the vehicle. 
     Conventional vehicles are not capable of identifying the occupants of the vehicle. Thus, in conventional vehicles, the occupant has to manually adjust the settings to the occupant&#39;s specifications each time the occupant is in the vehicle. In many cases, the occupant may not bother to adjust the settings each time the occupant enters a vehicle. In some situations, these settings may impact the safety of the occupant, and the occupant not adjusting the settings may impact the safety of the occupant. For example, an occupant may not adjust a seat belt height each time the occupant enters a vehicle. However, using an inappropriate seat belt height may result in harm to the occupant in the event of a collision or a sharp or hard braking event. 
     The systems and methods described herein automatically adjust the vehicle settings to improve the safety of occupants within the vehicle. The systems and methods described herein also improve the comfort of the occupants within the vehicle. The systems and methods described herein may be particularly useful in the context of ridesharing or rental vehicle usage, as in those contexts, the turnover of occupants is relatively high, compared to a family vehicle, for example, where occupants may regularly occupy the same seat of the vehicle across driving sessions. The systems and methods described herein may also be useful in the context of autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles. 
     As used herein, “driver” may refer to a human being driving the vehicle when the vehicle is a non-autonomous vehicle, and/or “driver” may also refer to one or more computer processors used to autonomously or semi-autonomously drive the vehicle. “User” may be used to refer to the driver or occupant of the vehicle when the vehicle is a non-autonomous vehicle, and “user” may also be used to refer to an occupant of the vehicle when the vehicle is an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle. 
       FIG. 1A  illustrates a vehicle  102  and multiple potential occupants  104 A,  104 B approaching the vehicle  102 . The vehicle  102  may be any vehicle configured to transport occupants. For example, the vehicle  102  may be a sedan, a coupe, a truck, or a sport utility vehicle, for example. 
     As will be described herein, the vehicle  102  is capable of identifying an occupant of the vehicle  102  and adjusting one or more settings based on the identification of the occupant. In some embodiments, the vehicle  102  identifies the occupant when the occupant is within the passenger cabin of the vehicle  102 . In some embodiments, the vehicle  102  is capable of identifying the occupants  104 A,  104 B even as they approach the vehicle  102 . 
     The vehicle  102  may have one or more sensors configured to identify the occupants (or potential occupants)  104 A,  104 B as they approach the vehicle  102 . The one or more sensors may include an image sensor configured to detect image data of the occupants  104 . The facial recognition may be performed on the detected image data to identify the occupants  104 . The facial recognition performed may use machine learning and/or artificial intelligence techniques. The facial recognition may be performed locally by a computing device of the vehicle  102 , or the image data may be communicated to a remote data server for facial recognition. The facial recognition can also be performed by the occupant&#39;s mobile device  422  and/or the facial recognition data can be automatically transferred from the occupant&#39;s electronic device (e.g., mobile device  422 ) to the vehicle  102  when the occupant is within a predetermined distance from the vehicle  102 . 
     The one or more sensors may also include a transceiver configured to communicate and receive signals from an electronic device of the occupant  104 . For example, the first occupant  104 A may be wearing a smartwatch configured to broadcast signals identifying the first occupant  104 A using the Bluetooth communications protocol, and the second occupant  104 B may have a smartphone in their possession configured to identify the second occupant  104 B using NFC. In some cases, multi-factor authentication may be used to identify the occupant  104 . For example, the second occupant  104 B may be identified with NFC as well as facial recognition or other methods of biometric authentication. When the occupant  104  is identified, various characteristics and preferences associated with the occupant  104  may be referenced. 
     In some embodiments, the vehicle  102  is unable to identify the occupant  104  outside of the vehicle  102  but may be able to detect physical characteristics of the occupant  104 . For example, the vehicle  102  may not be able to identify the occupant  104  but may be able to detect that the height, build, approximate weight, approximate age, use of any assistive devices (e.g., wheelchair, cane, stroller) and any other physical characteristics by analyzing sensor data (e.g., image data detected by image sensors). The vehicle  102  may also be able to detect which seat of the vehicle  102  the occupant occupies once the occupant enters the vehicle  102 . The vehicle  102  may be able to provide a partial customization of the vehicle settings based on physical characteristics of the occupant, including safety settings. 
       FIG. 1B  illustrates occupants  104  (e.g., a driver  104 A, a front passenger  104 B, a rear passenger&#39;s side occupant  104 C, and a rear driver&#39;s side occupant  104 D) within the passenger cabin of the vehicle  102 . 
     The vehicle  102  may have one or more sensors within the passenger cabin of the vehicle configured to identify the occupants  104  within the vehicle  102 . The one or more sensors may include an image sensor configured to detect image data of the occupants  104 , including the faces  106  (e.g., faces  106 A,  106 B,  106 C, and  106 D) of the occupants  104 . Facial recognition may be performed on the detected image data to identify the occupants  104 . The facial recognition performed may use machine learning and/or artificial intelligence techniques. The facial recognition may be performed locally by a computing device of the vehicle  102 , or the image data may be communicated to a remote data server for facial recognition. 
     The one or more sensors may also include a transceiver configured to communicate and receive signals from an electronic device of the occupant  104 . For example, the first occupant  104 A may be wearing a smartwatch configured to broadcast signals identifying the first occupant  104 A using the Bluetooth communications protocol, and the second occupant  104 B may have a smartphone in their possession configured to identify the second occupant  104 B using NFC. When the occupant  104  is identified, various characteristics and preferences associated with the occupant  104  may be referenced. 
     The one or more sensors may also include a microphone configured to receive audio data from each occupant  104 . One or more of the occupants may have a conversation with the vehicle  102  (e.g., a microphone of the vehicle  102 ) to identify themselves, and voice recognition software may be used to identify the one or more occupants. The voice recognition may be performed locally by a computing device of the vehicle  102 , or the audio data may be communicated to a remote data server for voice recognition. Additionally, other biometric authentication may be used to identify each occupant  104 . 
     In some embodiments, the vehicle  102  is unable to identify the occupant  104  inside of the vehicle  102  but may be able to detect physical characteristics of the occupant  104 . For example, the vehicle  102  may not be able to identify the occupant  104  but may be able to detect that the height, build, approximate weight, approximate age, use of any assistive devices (e.g., wheelchair, cane, stroller) and any other physical characteristics by analyzing sensor data (e.g., image data from image sensors, weight data from weight sensors in the vehicle). The vehicle  102  may be able to provide a partial customization of the vehicle settings based on physical characteristics of the occupant, including safety settings. 
     In some embodiments, when the vehicle  102  identifies an occupant, the vehicle  102  will present the identification to the occupants. The identification may be provided in a visual or audible manner. For example, the identification may be provided by displaying the identified occupants on a display screen of the vehicle (e.g., a display screen of an infotainment unit). In another example, the identification may be provided by announcing the identified occupants using a speaker of the vehicle. The vehicle  102  may identify the occupant by name, a username, a globally unique identification (GUID), or any other identifying manner. 
     In situations where the vehicle  102  incorrectly identifies (or is unable to identify) one or more occupants, the one or more misidentified (or unidentified) occupants may correct (or provide) their identification using an input device (e.g.; touchscreen of an infotainment unit, a keyboard, a button, a microphone). For example, Occupant D may be misidentified as Occupant J. The vehicle  102  may present the identifications using a display screen or a speaker (e.g., “Occupant A is in the driver&#39;s seat and Occupant J is in the front passenger&#39;s seat” or “Occupant A is in the driver&#39;s seat and unable to identify occupant in the front passenger&#39;s seat”). Occupant D may then use an input device to correct the identification of Occupant J to Occupant D or to identify the occupant in the front passenger&#39;s seat as Occupant D. The vehicle  102  may further refine its occupant identification abilities (e.g., using machine learning or artificial intelligence techniques) based on the corrected identification of Occupant D. Occupant D may provide a name, a username, a globally unique identification (GUID), or any other identifying manner using the input device. 
       FIG. 1C  illustrates possible location of sensors  108  within the passenger cabin of the vehicle  102 . The sensors  108  may be image sensors configured to detect image data. The sensors  108  may be positioned within the passenger cabin so that they have a view of each of the faces of the occupants of the vehicle  102 , For example, the sensors  108  may be located on a ceiling of the vehicle, along the instrument panel of the vehicle, or on headrests of the vehicle. The sensors  108  may be spatial sensors, such as RADAR or LIDAR, which may be used to detect the presence of occupants in certain seats of the vehicle. The sensors  108  may also be infrared sensors configured to detect infrared data, which may indicate heat emitted by the occupant. Steps may be taken based on the temperature of the occupant, such as adjusting climate control settings or seat settings (e.g., seat warmer or seat cooler). The sensors  108  may be an infrared sensor or a laser to detect and/or measure heart rate or other physical characteristics of the occupant. 
     Various adjustments may be made by the vehicle  102  based on the identification of the occupants. These adjustments may improve the safety and comfort of the occupants. 
       FIG. 2A  illustrates seat belts being automatically adjusted based on the occupant identification. The vehicle  102 , upon identifying each occupant (or detecting physical characteristics of each occupant), may automatically adjust a height of the seat belt with each seat position setting. The seat belt height, which may be the height of the connection between the seat belt and the vehicle at the occupant&#39;s shoulder, may be adjusted by moving the seat belt height adjuster  110  vertically. For example, the driver  104 A shown in  FIG. 2A  is taller than the passenger  104 B. The occupant  104 D in the seat behind the driver  104 A is a child. The driver&#39;s seat belt height adjuster  110 A is at a higher setting than the passenger&#39;s seat belt height adjuster  110 B, as the driver is taller than the passenger. The child&#39;s seat belt height adjuster  110 D may be at an even lower height than the passenger&#39;s. Having the appropriate height of the seat belt  112  (e.g., seat belts  112 A,  112 B,  112 D) provides improved safety to the occupant, as well as improved comfort. 
     Conventionally, when seat belt heights can only be manually adjusted, the last seat belt height setting used by the previous occupant may also be used by subsequent occupants, as the subsequent occupants may not take the time to adjust the seat belt height or may not be aware how to adjust the seat belt height, as seat belt height adjustment mechanisms may vary across manufacturers or even models of vehicles. In addition, it may also be challenging to achieve the same seat belt height each time the seat belt height is adjusted or the seat position is changed. Thus, a sub-optimal seat belt height may be used by many occupants. Seat belts having a height higher than is appropriate for the occupant may chafe on the occupant&#39;s neck, or may even injure the occupant in the event of a collision. Seat belts having a lower height than is appropriate for the occupant may result in reduced effectiveness of restraining the occupant in the event of a collision. 
     The seat belt height adjusters  110  may be automatically moved vertically using one or more actuators. The seat belt height adjusters  110  may also be moved manually by the occupant, either by providing an input to move the seat belt height adjuster  110  using the one or more actuators, or by engaging one or more buttons or levers for physically moving the height of the seat belt height adjuster  110  by the occupant. The vehicle  102  may detect the updated height of the seat belt, record the updated height, and may automatically use the updated height in subsequent instances where the occupant is identified as being in the vehicle  102 . 
     For example, the vehicle may automatically set a seat belt height for the passenger based on the passenger&#39;s physical characteristics. If the passenger prefers the seat belt height to be a bit higher, the passenger may adjust the seat belt height to be higher (e.g., manually or using one or more actuators). The vehicle may record this updated height and use the updated height each time the passenger enters the vehicle. In this way, no matter where the occupant is located within the vehicle, the vehicle will automatically provide the appropriate seat belt height for the passenger. 
     The vehicle  102  may also detect whether the seat belt is being worn correctly. Some occupants may choose to adjust or place both arms on the same side of the shoulder strap of the seat belt or may wear the seat belt such that the shoulder strap is behind the occupant&#39;s back. Wearing seat belts improperly reduces the effectiveness of the seat belt and reduces safety of the occupant within the vehicle. Thus, the vehicle  102  may provide an alert or notification to the driver or user when it detects a seat belt is being worn incorrectly. 
     For example, the vehicle  102  may use one or more image sensors within the passenger cabin to identify whether each occupant is correctly wearing their seat belt  112 . The image data may be analyzed to determine whether the shoulder strap is located across the body of the occupant and the lap strap is located across the lap of the occupant. Analysis and notifications may be adjusted based on any physical features of the occupant. For example, if the occupant is pregnant, the vehicle  102  may detect whether the lap strap of the seat belt is over the belly or under the belly. When the lap strap is over the belly, a sudden tightening of the lap strap may be potentially dangerous to the pregnant occupant. 
     The notifications may be a visual notification (e.g., on a display of an infotainment unit, a display within the instrument panel in front of the driver, or in a heads-up display projected onto a window), an audible notification (e.g., using a speaker to provide spoken warnings or to provide audible beeps), or a tactile notification (e.g., using a vibration unit in the seat, for example, to provide haptic feedback). 
     In some embodiments, a tightness of the seat belt may be adjusted by the vehicle based on the physical aspects of the occupant. For example, a greater amount of tension may be used for heavier and/or taller occupants than for lighter and/or shorter occupants. 
       FIG. 2B  illustrates airbags being deployed in the passenger cabin of the vehicle. The airbag  115  can have its orientation, which is the angle in which it is deployed from the vehicle, as well as its inflation, which is the amount of air used to inflate the airbag, adjusted. The airbag  115  may be oriented upward for taller occupants and oriented lower for shorter occupants. The airbag  115  may also be more inflated or less inflated, depending on the size and location of the passenger. The outline  114 A illustrates a more upward orientation and the outline  114 B illustrates a more downward orientation. The inflation amount  116 A is also illustrated as being greater than the inflation amount  116 B. 
     The adjustment of the orientation may be performed by one or more actuators connected to the airbag and the airbag deployment mechanism. The airbag may be located around a pivot or hinge, with the location of the airbag adjustable around the pivot or hinge by one or more actuators controlled by a processor of the vehicle  102  (e.g., an ECU). In some embodiments, the orientation of the airbag may be vertical as well as horizontal. The adjustment of the inflation of the airbag may be performed by the airbag filling mechanism (e.g., a gas canister) responsible for inflating the airbag. The airbag filling mechanism may be a part of the airbag deployment mechanism. The amount of air or gas to use to fill the airbag may be controlled by a processor of the vehicle  102  (e.g., an ECU). 
     In some embodiments, the occupant&#39;s location within the seat may be tracked using one or more sensors (e.g., image sensors), and the airbag deployment may be adjusted based on the occupant&#39;s location within the seat. For example, if the occupant is leaning back in the seat with the occupant&#39;s body weight shifted toward the occupant&#39;s right side, the orientation of the airbag may be angled toward the occupant&#39;s right side, and the inflation may be a standard (non-reduced) level of inflation, as the occupant is leaning back. 
     By customizing the orientation of the airbag, as well as the inflation of the airbag based on the occupant of the vehicle, the safety of the occupants may be increased. Conventional vehicles do not take any occupant-specific information into consideration when deploying airbags. 
       FIG. 2C  illustrates a seat  118  of the vehicle  102 . The seat  118  may be adjusted by the occupant using controls. For example, the height  124  of the seat, the angle  122  of the seat, and/or the front/back position  120  of the seat may be adjusted. In some embodiments, the vehicle  102  automatically adjusts the seat based on the physical characteristics of the occupant while maintaining the safest seat position designed for the vehicle. For example, the occupant may be relatively tall, so the seat may be positioned backward with a relatively high seat angle and may also have a low height. The occupant may thereafter adjust the seat according to the occupant&#39;s preferences. The vehicle  102  may store the adjusted seat settings for automatic implementation when the vehicle  102  identifies the occupant in subsequent driving sessions. In some embodiments, the preferences may be seat-specific. For example, a first occupant may have different preferences depending on the seat of the vehicle  102 . The first occupant may prefer to drive with a relatively low seat angle  122  but may prefer a higher seat angle when in the front passenger&#39;s seat. The first occupant may also prefer an even higher seat angle when in a rear passenger&#39;s seat. Each seat preference may be stored separately. The occupant may indicate to the vehicle whether the occupant would like their seat preference to be stored on a seat-specific basis. 
       FIG. 2C  also illustrates a steering wheel angle  126 . The steering wheel angle  126  may also be adjusted according to the preferences of the driver. In some embodiments, the vehicle  102  automatically sets the steering wheel angle  126  based on the physical characteristics of the driver. The automatically set steering wheel angle  126  may be determined based on optimizing the safety of the driver. The driver may thereafter adjust the steering wheel angle  126 , and the vehicle  102  may store the adjusted steering wheel angle for automatic implementation when the vehicle  102  identifies the driver in subsequent driving sessions. While steering wheel angle  126  is illustrated, other steering wheel aspects, such as steering wheel height and steering wheel depth, may also be adjusted. 
       FIG. 2D  illustrates climate control settings of the vehicle  102 . Various climate control settings  128  (e.g., climate control settings  128 A and  128 B) may be adjusted by an occupant, such as temperature, fan speed, whether heating or cooling should be provided to the face or feet. The climate control settings may also include settings associated with the vents  130  (e.g.,  130 A and  130 B), including whether they should be open or closed and the angle of the vents (e.g., up, down, left, right). 
     In some embodiments, the vehicle  102  automatically sets the climate control settings for each passenger based on the outside and inside ambient air temperatures and the temperature of the occupant. The occupant may thereafter adjust the climate control settings, and the vehicle  102  may store the adjusted climate control settings for automatic implementation when the vehicle  102  identifies the occupant in subsequent driving sessions. 
       FIG. 2E  illustrates display screens  134  (e.g., display screens  134 A and  134 B) configured to display content  132  (e.g., content  132 A and  132 B) to rear occupants. The vehicle  102  may identify the occupant and may present content according to the occupant&#39;s preferences and access qualifications. The occupant&#39;s preferences may include specifically which movies, TV shows, or music the occupant prefers, as well as genres of movies, TV shows, or music. The occupant&#39;s access qualifications may include age-based restrictions or subscription-based restrictions. For example, the occupant may be identified as being 8 years old, and accordingly, content identified as being for individuals over 18 years old may not be presented to the occupant. In another example, the occupant may have paid subscriptions to Streaming Service N and Streaming Service H, but not Streaming Service P. Thus, content from Streaming Service N and Streaming Service H may be available to the occupant, but not content from Streaming Service P. The occupant may provide authentication credentials for the paid subscriptions, which may thereafter be associated with the occupant. 
     Many of the preferences, such as seat preferences, climate control preferences, and entertainment preferences, may be transferred across vehicles. For example, the preferences recorded by a first vehicle for a first occupant may be implemented when the first occupant enters a second vehicle. The occupant&#39;s preferences may be stored in a remote data server accessible to many vehicles. 
       FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate maneuvers the vehicle  102  may perform based on the identification of occupants in the vehicle  102 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3A , the vehicle  102  may be driving, with a first occupant  302 A in the driver&#39;s seat, a second occupant  302 B in the front passenger&#39;s seat, and a third occupant  302 C in a rear seat behind the front passenger&#39;s seat. The vehicle  102  may detect a potential collision with object  304 . The vehicle  102  may autonomously perform maneuvers to mitigate the harm to the occupants  302 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3B , the vehicle  102  may detect the presence of the occupants  302  and the locations of the occupants  302  in the vehicle  102 . The vehicle  102 , anticipating an imminent collision and knowing that there are no occupants behind the driver  302 A, may turn the vehicle  102  to the right so that the collision with the object  304  impacts a location where there is no occupant. 
     In other situations, the vehicle  102  may not make a maneuver as shown in  FIG. 3B  when there is an occupant sitting behind the driver. In some embodiments, the vehicle  102  may calculate an aggregate harm to the occupants of the vehicle  102  for each of a number of potential maneuvers made by the vehicle  102 , and the vehicle  102  may autonomously maneuver the vehicle according to the potential maneuver with the lowest amount of aggregate harm. 
     The aggregate harm may factor into account aspects of the occupants, such as age, health condition, height, weight, build, or whether they are asleep or awake, for example. 
     When a collision has occurred, the vehicle  102  may automatically communicate a distress communication to an emergency service. The distress communication may include a location of the vehicle  102  (e.g., determined using a location sensor, such as GPS), as well as a status of the vehicle and a status of the occupants from the sensors  108 . 
     For example, when an occupant is wearing a device capable of detecting medical data, such as a smartwatch, fitness tracker, or other medical device, the device may be communicatively coupled with the vehicle  102 . The device may be initially used to identify the occupant, but may also be used in an emergency situation to provide occupant health data to the emergency service. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an example system  400 , according to various embodiments of the invention. The system may include a vehicle  102 . The system  400  may also include a mobile device  422  and/or a remote data server  436 . 
     The vehicle  102  may have an automatic or manual transmission. The vehicle  102  is a conveyance capable of transporting a person, an object, or a permanently or temporarily affixed apparatus. The vehicle  102  may be a self-propelled wheeled conveyance, such as a car, a sports utility vehicle, a truck, a bus, a van or other motor or battery driven vehicle. For example, the vehicle  102  may be an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a plug-in hybrid vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, or any other type of vehicle that includes a motor/generator. Other examples of vehicles include bicycles, trains, planes, or boats, and any other form of conveyance that is capable of transportation. The vehicle  102  may be a semi-autonomous vehicle or an autonomous vehicle. That is, the vehicle  102  may be self-maneuvering and navigate without human input. An autonomous vehicle may use one or more sensors and/or a navigation unit to drive autonomously. 
     The vehicle  102  also includes one or more computers or electronic control units (ECUs)  403 , appropriately programmed, to control one or more operations of the vehicle  102 . The one or more ECUs  403  may be implemented as a single ECU or in multiple ECUs. The ECU  403  may be electrically coupled to some or all of the components of the vehicle  102 . In some embodiments, the ECU  403  is a central ECU configured to control one or more operations of the entire vehicle. In some embodiments, the ECU  403  is multiple ECUs located within the vehicle and each configured to control one or more local operations of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the ECU  403  is one or more computer processors or controllers configured to execute instructions stored in a non-transitory memory  406 . 
     Although  FIG. 4  illustrates various elements connected to the ECU  403 , the elements of the vehicle  102  may be connected to each other using a communications bus. 
     The transceiver  408  of the vehicle  102  may include a communication port or channel, such as one or more of a Wi-Fi unit, a Bluetooth® unit, a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag or reader, a DSRC unit, or a cellular network unit for accessing a cellular network (such as 3G, 4G, or 5G). The transceiver  408  may transmit data to and receive data from devices and systems not directly connected to the vehicle. For example, the ECU  403  may communicate with the remote data server  436 . In some embodiments, the transceiver  408  may be used to determine a location of an occupant within the vehicle. The transceiver  408  may detect a signal strength of a mobile device associated with the occupant, and based on the signal strength of the mobile device, the location of the occupant may be determined. In some embodiments, there may be a plurality of transceivers  408  separated by known distances, and the ECU  403  may be capable of determining the location of a mobile device (and thus the location of the corresponding user) based on the signal strength detected by the plurality of transceivers  408 . The transceiver  408  may have the appropriate bandwidth for detection of the various mobile devices. 
     The vehicle  102  may be coupled to a network using the transceiver  408 . The network, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a cellular network, a digital short-range communication (DSRC), the Internet, or a combination thereof, connects the vehicle  102  to a remote data server  436 . The remote data server  436  may include a non-transitory memory  440 , a processor  438  configured to execute instructions stored’ in the non-transitory memory  440 , and a transceiver  442  configured to transmit and receive data to and from other devices, such as vehicle  102 . Transceiver  442  may be similar to transceiver  408 . 
     The remote data server  436  may be one or more servers from different service providers. Each of the one or more servers may be connected to one or more databases. A service provider may provide navigational map, weather and/or traffic data to the vehicle. 
     A database is any collection of pieces of information that is organized for search and retrieval, such as by a computer or a server, and the database may be organized in tables, schemas, queries, report, or any other data structures. A database may use any number of database management systems and may include a third-party server or website that stores or provides information. The information may include real-time information, periodically updated information, or user-inputted information. A server may be a computer in a network that is used to provide services, such as accessing files or sharing peripherals, to other computers in the network. A website may be a collection of one or more resources associated with a domain name. 
     The navigational map information includes political, roadway and construction information. The political information includes political features such as cities, states, zoning ordinances, laws and regulations, and traffic signs, such as a stop sign, or traffic signals. For example, laws and regulations may include the regulated speed on different portions of a road or noise ordinances. The roadway information includes road features such the grade of an incline of a road, a terrain type of the road, or a curvature of the road. The construction information includes construction features such as construction zones and construction hazards. 
     The vehicle  102  includes a sensor array  410  connected to the ECU. The sensor array includes image sensors  108 , a microphone  412 , a location sensor  414 , a spatial sensor (e.g., RADAR or LIDAR)  416 , and/or an infrared sensor  418 , each as described herein. 
     The image sensors  108  are configured to detect image data within the passenger cabin of the vehicle  102 . The image sensors  108  may also be configured to detect image data outside of the vehicle  102  for identifying potential occupants before they enter the vehicle  102 . 
     The location sensor  414  is configured to determine location data. The location sensor  414  may be a GPS unit or any other device for determining the location of the vehicle  102 . The ECU  403  may use the location data along with the map data to determine a location of the vehicle. In other embodiments, the location sensor  414  has access to the map data and may determine the location of the vehicle and provide the location of the vehicle to the ECU  403 . 
     The spatial sensor  416  may be used with the image data from the image sensor  108  to identify occupants as well as locations of the occupants within the vehicle  102 . The spatial data from the spatial sensor  416  may verify determinations made using the image data, or the spatial data alone may be used to identify occupants and/or locations of the occupants within the vehicle  102 . 
     The infrared sensor  418  may be used to detect infrared data, which may indicate heat emitted by the occupant. Steps may be taken based on the temperature of the occupant, such as adjusting climate control settings or seat settings (e.g., seat warmer or seat cooler). 
     The ECU  403  may use multiple sensors to detect and confirm the identity and the location of the occupant. Where there is a conflict, there may be a priority order of sensors to trust, or there may be a protocol to not take action when the identity and/or the location of the occupant within the vehicle cannot be confirmed. For example, a first sensor may detect Occupant A in a first seat, but a second sensor may detect Occupant A in a second seat. In some embodiments, the first sensor may be determined to be more reliable than the second sensor, so the vehicle may proceed with the determination that Occupant A is in the first seat. In other embodiments, the vehicle may not provide any automatic customization of one or more vehicle features until all sensor detections are consistent. In some embodiments, vehicle feature adjustments may each have their own requirements for sensor consistency. For example, any safety related vehicle feature adjustments may require all sensors (or a threshold number or percentage of sensors) to agree regarding the identity and/or the location of the occupant within the vehicle. In another example, comfort related vehicle feature adjustments may be implemented even though one or more sensors may not be working. 
     The memory  406  is connected to the ECU  403  and may be connected to any other component of the vehicle. The memory  406  is configured to store any data described herein, such as the map data, the location data, occupant data, and any data received from the remote data server  436  via the transceiver  408 . 
     The vehicle  102  also includes various devices, such as seats  118 , seatbelts  110 , displays  430 , airbags  115 , and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)  420  for example, that may be controlled by the ECU  403 . As described herein, the seats  118  may be adjusted by the ECU  403  based on identification of the occupant sitting in the seat  118 , the seatbelts  110  may be adjusted by the ECU  403  based on identification of the occupant using the seatbelt  110 , the content of the displays  430  may be adjusted by the ECU based on identification of the occupant viewing the display  430 , airbags  115  may be adjusted by the ECU  403  based on identification of the occupant in the corresponding seat, and HVAC  420  may be adjusted by the ECU  403  based on the identification of the occupant in the corresponding seat and/or current conditions of the occupant in the corresponding seat. 
     The display  430  may be a display located in the infotainment unit, the instrument panel in front of the driver, or any other location within the passenger cabin of the vehicle  102 . The display  430  may be a touchscreen display configured to receive input from the user. In addition to the display  430 , the vehicle  102  may also include other output devices, such as speakers or vibration units for providing information or notifications to the user. In addition to the display  430  being a touchscreen display, the vehicle  102  may also include other input devices, such as buttons, knobs, touchpads, or microphones, for receiving user input. 
     Also included in the system is a mobile device  422 , which includes a processor  424  configured to execute instructions stored in non-transitory memory  428 . The mobile device  422  also includes a transceiver  426  similar to transceiver  408  and transceiver  442 . The mobile device  422  also includes an input/output device configured to receive inputs from the user and display outputs to the user, as described herein. The input/output device may be an input device (or input unit) such as a touchscreen, a microphone, a stylus, or a keyboard and an output device (or output unit) such as a touchscreen, a display screen, or a speaker. 
     As described herein, the mobile device  422  may be any computing device configured to communicate with the vehicle  102 , such as a smartphone, a smartwatch, a fitness tracker, a medical device, or a tablet, for example. The mobile device  422  may communicate data to the vehicle  102  via respective transceivers that the vehicle  102  may use to identify an occupant associated with the mobile device  422 . For example, the mobile device  422  may be a smartwatch of an occupant, and the smartwatch may be configured to communicate with the vehicle  102  using one or more wireless communications protocols, such as Bluetooth or WiFi, for example. The smartwatch may communicate identification data to the vehicle  102  regarding the occupant who is wearing the smartwatch. For example, the smartwatch may communicate a name or a GUID to the vehicle  102 , and the vehicle  102  may use the name or GUID to identify the occupant. The mobile device  422  may be a handheld device such as a cell phone. 
     In some embodiments, the mobile device  422  may communicate occupant data, such as health data associated with the occupant, which the vehicle  102  may use. For example, in the event of an emergency, the vehicle  102  may provide the health data to emergency responders. Emergency responders may be able to identify which occupant may have sustained more severe injury or whether any of the occupants are in critical condition. In another example, the vehicle  102  may receive temperature data associated with the occupant, and the vehicle  102  may automatically turn on an air conditioning unit or lower the climate control settings for the occupant. The mobile device  422  may also be used to determine a relative location of the occupant within the vehicle  102 . For example, the mobile device  422  may include an ultra-wideband chip, an RFID chip, or an NFC tag, which a corresponding sensor of the vehicle  102  may use to determine a location of the mobile device (and therefore, the associated occupant) within the vehicle  102 . 
     As used herein, a “unit” may refer to hardware components, such as one or more computer processors, controllers, or computing devices configured to execute instructions stored in a non-transitory memory. 
     As used herein, when a device is referred to as performing a function, one or more components of the device may perform the function. For example, the vehicle  102  receiving identification data from the mobile device  422  may be a transceiver of the vehicle  102  receiving the identification data, and the vehicle  102  adjusting one or more vehicle settings (e.g., seat settings, seat belt settings, display settings, airbag settings, climate control settings) for the occupant may be the ECU of the vehicle  102  adjusting the one or more vehicle settings for the occupant. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a process  500  performed by the systems described herein. One or more sensors (e.g., sensors  410 ) of a vehicle (e.g., vehicle  102 ) detect sensor data associated with an identification of an occupant within the vehicle and a location of the occupant within the vehicle (step  502 ). 
     For example, the sensors may be one or more image sensors configured to detect image data, and the one or more image sensors may be within the passenger cabin of the vehicle or located on an exterior of the vehicle. 
     The occupant may be identified based on the sensor data (step  504 ). Using the sensor data, an ECU (e.g., ECU  403 ) of the vehicle or a processor (e.g., processor  438  or processor  424 ) may determine the identity of the occupant. The occupant may be identified using machine learning techniques and/or artificial intelligence. For example, when the sensor data is image data, facial recognition may be used to identify the occupant. In another example, when the sensor data is user data from a mobile device of the occupant (e.g., a smartwatch or fitness tracker), the user data may be used to identify the occupant. In some embodiments, using the identity of the occupant, one or more aspects of the occupant (e.g., physical characteristics, preferences, health information) may be referenced from a memory (e.g., memory  406 , memory  440 , memory  428 ). In some embodiments, when the occupant is unable to be identified, one or more characteristics of the occupant may be identified based on the sensor data, such as height or overall build. 
     The location of the occupant is determined based on the sensor data (step  506 ). Using the sensor data, the ECU of the vehicle or a processor (e.g., of a remote data server or a mobile device) may determine the location of the occupant in the vehicle. The ECU of the vehicle or the processor may identify the location of the occupant in the vehicle based on the known location of the sensor providing the sensor data. For example, if a sensor oriented toward a rear passenger&#39;s side seat is detecting sensor data associated with an occupant, the occupant&#39;s location may be determined based on the location and orientation of the sensor. 
     The ECU of the vehicle adjusts one or more vehicle settings based on the identification of the occupant within the vehicle and the location of the occupant within the vehicle (step  508 ). 
     The one or more vehicle settings may be a seat setting, a seatbelt setting, a display setting, an airbag setting, and/or an HVAC setting, as described herein. The one or more vehicle settings may also be a manner in which the vehicle is autonomously driven, also as described herein. For example, the vehicle may be autonomously driven in a way to reduce injury to the occupants of the vehicle based on the identification of the occupants and the location of the occupants in the vehicle. 
     As used herein, “substantially” may refer to being within plus or minus 10% of the value. 
     Exemplary embodiments of the methods/systems have been disclosed in an illustrative style. Accordingly, the terminology employed throughout should be read in a non-limiting manner. Although minor modifications to the teachings herein will occur to those well versed in the art, it shall be understood that what is intended to be circumscribed within the scope of the patent warranted hereon are all such embodiments that reasonably fall within the scope of the advancement to the art hereby contributed, and that that scope shall not be restricted, except in light of the appended claims and their equivalents.