Controlling characteristics of vehicle based at least in part on position of vehicle

Abstract

Embodiments include controlling a characteristic of a vehicle based at least in part on a location of the vehicle. Aspects include monitoring a location of the vehicle and one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle, and automatically changing the one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle to a state associated with the enclosed space based on a determination that the vehicle has entered the at least partially enclosed area. Aspects also include automatically restoring one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle to a state prior to the vehicle entering the at least partially enclosed area based on determining that the vehicle has exited the at least partially enclosed area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control system for a vehicle. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system for controlling a characteristic of a vehicle based at least in part on a position of the vehicle. Background Art

[0002] A vehicle includes various systems that are controlled by an operator of the vehicle. Such systems include, but are not limited to, the vehicle's headlights, the vehicle's windshield wipers, the vehicle's heating and air conditioning (HVAC) system, the vehicle's windows, the vehicle's sunroof or convertible top, etc. Currently, the operator of the vehicle must manually and individually control the operation of each of these systems of the vehicle. Summary of the invention

[0003] In one exemplary embodiment, a method for controlling a characteristic of a vehicle based at least in part on a location of the vehicle is provided. The method includes monitoring the location of the vehicle and one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle, and based on determining that the vehicle has entered an at least partially enclosed area, automatically changing the one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle to a state associated with an enclosed space. The method also includes automatically restoring the one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle to a state before the vehicle entered the at least partially enclosed area based on determining that the vehicle has left the at least partially enclosed area.

[0004] In addition to one or more features described herein, determining that the vehicle has entered an at least partially enclosed area is based at least in part on a geolocation signal received by the vehicle and on a geolocation database that includes locations of known partially enclosed areas.

[0005] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, known partially enclosed areas include one or more tunnels and parking garages.

[0006] In addition to one or more features described herein, one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle include the position of the vehicle's windows, the position of the vehicle's sunroof, the on / off status of the vehicle's exterior lights, the on / off status of the vehicle's interior lights, the brightness of the vehicle's interior lights, the on / off status of the vehicle's windshield wipers, and the status of the vehicle's air conditioning system.

[0007] In addition to one or more features described herein, states associated with an enclosed space include the vehicle's windows being in a closed position, the vehicle's windows being in a closed position, the vehicle's sunroof being in a closed position, the vehicle's exterior lights being in an on position, the vehicle's windshield wipers being in a closed position, and the vehicle's air conditioning system being in an air recirculation condition.

[0008] In addition to one or more features described herein, the method also includes automatically setting one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle to a default state based on determining that the vehicle has left the at least partially enclosed area and determining that the vehicle has been in the at least partially enclosed area for longer than a threshold period of time.

[0009] In addition to one or more features described herein, the method also includes automatically setting one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle to a default state based on determining that the vehicle has left the at least partially enclosed area and determining that the vehicle was turned off while in the at least partially enclosed area.

[0010] In addition to one or more features described herein, determining that the vehicle has left the at least partially enclosed area is based at least in part on a geolocation signal received by the vehicle and on a geolocation database that includes locations of known partially enclosed areas.

[0011] In one exemplary embodiment, a vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes a geolocation sensor configured to receive a geolocation signal, a geolocation database including the location of each of a plurality of at least partially enclosed areas, and a controller. The controller is configured to monitor the location of the vehicle and one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle, and based on determining that the vehicle has entered one of the plurality of at least partially enclosed areas, automatically change the one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle to a state associated with an enclosed space. The controller is also configured to automatically restore the one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle to a state before the vehicle entered the at least partially enclosed area based on determining that the vehicle has left one of the plurality of at least partially enclosed areas.

[0012] In addition to one or more features described herein, determining that the vehicle has entered one of a plurality of at least partially enclosed areas is based at least in part on a geo-location signal and a geo-location database.

[0013] In addition to one or more features described herein, the plurality of at least partially enclosed areas includes one or more tunnels and parking garages.

[0014] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the vehicle includes windows, a sunroof, exterior lights, interior lights, windshield wipers, and an air conditioning system.

[0015] In addition to one or more features described herein, one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle include the position of the vehicle's windows, the position of the vehicle's sunroof, the on / off status of the vehicle's exterior lights, the on / off status of the vehicle's interior lights, the brightness of the vehicle's interior lights, the on / off status of the vehicle's windshield wipers, and the status of the vehicle's air conditioning system.

[0016] In addition to one or more features described herein, states associated with an enclosed space include the vehicle's windows being in a closed position, the vehicle's windows being in a closed position, the vehicle's sunroof being in a closed position, the vehicle's exterior lights being in an on position, the vehicle's windshield wipers being in a closed position, and the vehicle's air conditioning system being in an air recirculation condition.

[0017] In addition to one or more features described herein, the controller is configured to automatically set one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle to a default state based on determining that the vehicle has left the at least partially enclosed area and determining that the vehicle has been in the at least partially enclosed area for longer than a threshold time period.

[0018] In addition to one or more features described herein, the controller is configured to automatically set one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle to a default state based on determining that the vehicle has left the at least partially enclosed area and determining that the vehicle was turned off while in the at least partially enclosed area.

[0019] In addition to one or more features described herein, determining that the vehicle has exited one of a plurality of at least partially enclosed areas is based at least in part on a geo-location signal and a geo-location database.

[0020] In one exemplary embodiment, a vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes windows, headlights, a geolocation sensor configured to receive a geolocation signal, a geolocation database including the location of each of a plurality of at least partially enclosed areas, and a controller. The controller is configured to monitor the location of the vehicle and the operating state of the headlights and the location of the windows, and based on determining that the vehicle has entered one of the plurality of at least partially enclosed areas, automatically close the windows and turn on the headlights.

[0021] In addition to one or more features described herein, the vehicle also includes a sunroof, and the controller is further configured to automatically close the sunroof based on determining that the vehicle has entered one of the plurality of at least partially enclosed areas.

[0022] In addition to one or more features described herein, the plurality of at least partially enclosed areas includes one or more tunnels and parking garages.

[0023] The above features and advantages and other features and advantages of the present disclosure are apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Additional features, advantages, and details appear, by way of example only, in the following detailed description.

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0026] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating a system for controlling characteristics of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0027] Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for controlling a characteristic of a vehicle based at least in part on a location of the vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0028] Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating another method for controlling a characteristic of a vehicle based at least in part on a location of the vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0029] Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating another method for controlling a characteristic of a vehicle based at least in part on a location of the vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, its application or use. Various embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to the relevant drawings. Alternative embodiments of the present disclosure may be designed without departing from the scope of the claims. Various connections and positional relationships (e.g., above, below, adjacent, etc.) between elements are described in the following description and the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise stated, these connections and / or positional relationships may be direct or indirect, and the present disclosure is not intended to be limited in this regard. Therefore, the connection of an entity may refer to a direct or indirect connection, and the positional relationship between entities may be a direct or indirect positional relationship.

[0031] Turning now to an overview of aspects of the present disclosure, embodiments of the present disclosure include systems and methods for controlling characteristics of a vehicle based at least in part on the location of the vehicle. In an exemplary embodiment, the location of the vehicle is monitored, and a determination is made as to when an at least partially enclosed area is entered or left. An at least partially enclosed area is an area characterized by relatively low exposure to natural airflow. For example, the at least partially enclosed area may be a tunnel, an enclosed parking garage, or the like. Based on a determination that the vehicle has entered or left the at least partially enclosed area, one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle are automatically adjusted. For example, when it is determined that the vehicle has entered a tunnel, the windows of the vehicle are automatically closed, the sunroof of the vehicle is automatically closed, the headlights of the vehicle are automatically turned on, the windshield wipers of the vehicle are set to an off position, and the HVAC system is set to recirculate air in the cabin of the vehicle.

[0032] Now refer to Figure 1, a schematic diagram of a vehicle 100 according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. In the exemplary embodiment, the vehicle 100 includes one or more windows 102, a geolocation receiver 104, a sunroof 106, exterior lights 108, windshield wipers 110, one or more interior lights 112, and a heating and air conditioning system 114. In the exemplary embodiment, the vehicle 100 also includes a controller (not shown) configured to determine the location of the vehicle based on the geolocation signal received by the geolocation receiver 104. In the exemplary embodiment, the controller is one of a general purpose processor, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The controller is also configured to automatically adjust one or more of the windows 102, the sunroof 106, the exterior lights 108, the windshield wipers 110, the interior lights 112, and the heating and air conditioning system 114 based at least in part on the determined location of the vehicle 100.

[0033] Now refer to Figure 2 , a block diagram of a system 200 for controlling characteristics of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. The system 200 includes a controller 202, which is one of a general purpose processor, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The controller 202 is configured to receive data from a geolocation sensor 204 (such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor) for determining the current location of the vehicle. The controller 202 is also configured to access a geolocation database 206, which includes known locations of various at least partially enclosed areas (such as enclosed parking garages, tunnels, etc.).

[0034] In an exemplary embodiment, the controller 202 is configured to control one or more of a window actuator 208, a sunroof or sunroof actuator 210, a windshield wiper actuator 212, one or more interior lights 216 of the vehicle, one or more exterior lights 218 of the vehicle, and a cabin HVAC system 214 of the vehicle. In an exemplary embodiment, the system 200 includes a memory 220 configured to store operating characteristics of the window actuator 208, the sunroof or sunroof actuator 210, the windshield wiper actuator 212, one or more interior lights 216 of the vehicle, one or more exterior lights 218 of the vehicle, and a cabin HVAC system 214 of the vehicle associated with the vehicle being in an enclosed space. In one embodiment, the operating characteristics associated with the vehicle being in an enclosed space are set by the manufacturer of the vehicle and may be modified by an operator of the vehicle.

[0035] In an exemplary embodiment, the memory 220 is also configured to store one or more monitored operating characteristics of the vehicle and / or one or more monitored operating characteristics of the vehicle. For example, the controller 202 can monitor the operating characteristics of the vehicle and store them in the memory 220 for later retrieval. In some embodiments, based on determining that the vehicle is entering an at least partially enclosed area, the controller 202 is configured to obtain the current operating characteristics of the vehicle and store them in the memory 220, and when it is determined that the vehicle is leaving the at least partially enclosed area, the controller 202 is configured to restore the operating characteristics of the vehicle previously stored in the memory 220.

[0036] Now refer to Figure 3 , a flow chart of a method 300 for controlling a characteristic of a vehicle based at least in part on a location of the vehicle is shown according to an exemplary embodiment. At block 302, the method 300 includes monitoring a location of the vehicle and an operating characteristic of the vehicle. In an exemplary embodiment, the location of the vehicle is obtained using a geolocation sensor of the vehicle. In an exemplary embodiment, the one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle include a position of a window of the vehicle, a position of a sunroof of the vehicle, an on / off state of an exterior light of the vehicle, an on / off state of an interior light of the vehicle, a brightness of an interior light of the vehicle, an on / off state of a windshield wiper of the vehicle, and a state of an air conditioning system of the vehicle.

[0037] Next, at decision block 304, method 300 includes determining whether the vehicle has entered an at least partially enclosed area. In an exemplary embodiment, the determination that the vehicle has entered an at least partially enclosed area is based at least in part on a geolocation signal received by the vehicle and on a geolocation database that includes locations of known partially enclosed areas. In one embodiment, the known partially enclosed areas include one or more tunnels and parking garages.

[0038] At block 306, method 300 includes changing one or more of the operating characteristics of the vehicle to a state associated with the vehicle being in an enclosed space. In an exemplary embodiment, the state associated with the vehicle being in an enclosed space includes windows of the vehicle being in a closed position, windows of the vehicle being in a closed position, a sunroof of the vehicle being in a closed position, exterior lights of the vehicle being in an on position, windshield wipers of the vehicle being in a closed position, and an air conditioning system of the vehicle being in an air recirculation condition.

[0039] Next, at decision block 308, method 300 includes determining whether the vehicle has left the at least partially enclosed area. In an exemplary embodiment, the determination that the vehicle has left the at least partially enclosed area is based at least in part on a geolocation signal received by the vehicle and on a geolocation database that includes locations of known partially enclosed areas. Method 300 ends at block 310 by restoring the operating characteristics of the vehicle to its previous state (i.e., the state before entering the at least partially enclosed area).

[0040] Now refer to Figure 4 , a flow chart of a method 400 for controlling a characteristic of a vehicle based at least in part on a location of the vehicle is shown according to an exemplary embodiment. At box 402, the method 400 includes monitoring a location of the vehicle and an operating characteristic of the vehicle. In an exemplary embodiment, the location of the vehicle is obtained using a geolocation sensor of the vehicle. In an exemplary embodiment, the one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle include a position of a window of the vehicle, a position of a sunroof of the vehicle, an on / off state of an exterior light of the vehicle, an on / off state of an interior light of the vehicle, a brightness of an interior light of the vehicle, an on / off state of a windshield wiper of the vehicle, and a state of an air conditioning system of the vehicle.

[0041] Next, at decision block 404, method 400 includes determining whether the vehicle has entered an at least partially enclosed area. In an exemplary embodiment, the determination that the vehicle has entered an at least partially enclosed area is based at least in part on a geolocation signal received by the vehicle and on a geolocation database that includes locations of known partially enclosed areas. In one embodiment, the known partially enclosed areas include one or more tunnels and parking garages.

[0042] At block 406, method 400 includes changing one or more of the operating characteristics of the vehicle to a state associated with the vehicle being in an enclosed space. In an exemplary embodiment, the state associated with the vehicle being in an enclosed space includes windows of the vehicle being in a closed position, windows of the vehicle being in a closed position, a sunroof of the vehicle being in a closed position, exterior lights of the vehicle being in an on position, windshield wipers of the vehicle being in a closed position, and an air conditioning system of the vehicle being in an air recirculation condition.

[0043] Next, at decision block 408, method 400 includes determining whether the vehicle has left the at least partially enclosed area. In an exemplary embodiment, the determination that the vehicle has left the at least partially enclosed area is based at least in part on a geolocation signal received by the vehicle and on a geolocation database that includes locations of known partially enclosed areas. Based on determining that the vehicle has left the at least partially enclosed area, method 400 proceeds to decision block 410 and determines whether the vehicle has been inside the at least partially enclosed area for greater than a threshold period of time.

[0044] Based on determining that the vehicle has been inside the at least partially enclosed area for more than the threshold period of time, the method 400 proceeds to block 412 and the operating characteristic of the vehicle is set to a default state. Based on determining that the vehicle has not been inside the at least partially enclosed area for more than the threshold period of time, the method 400 proceeds to block 414 and the operating characteristic of the vehicle is set to its previous value (i.e., the state before entering the at least partially enclosed area).

[0045] Now refer to Figure 5 , a flow chart of a method 500 for controlling a characteristic of a vehicle based at least in part on a location of the vehicle is shown according to an exemplary embodiment. At box 502, the method 500 includes monitoring a location of the vehicle and an operating characteristic of the vehicle. In an exemplary embodiment, the location of the vehicle is obtained using a geolocation sensor of the vehicle. In an exemplary embodiment, the one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle include a position of a window of the vehicle, a position of a sunroof of the vehicle, an on / off state of an exterior light of the vehicle, an on / off state of an interior light of the vehicle, a brightness of an interior light of the vehicle, an on / off state of a windshield wiper of the vehicle, and a state of an air conditioning system of the vehicle.

[0046] Next, at decision block 504, method 500 includes determining whether the vehicle has entered an at least partially enclosed area. In an exemplary embodiment, the determination that the vehicle has entered an at least partially enclosed area is based at least in part on a geolocation signal received by the vehicle and on a geolocation database that includes locations of known partially enclosed areas. In one embodiment, the known partially enclosed areas include one or more tunnels and parking garages.

[0047] At block 506, method 500 includes changing one or more of the operating characteristics of the vehicle to a state associated with the vehicle being in an enclosed space. In an exemplary embodiment, the state associated with the vehicle being in an enclosed space includes windows of the vehicle being in a closed position, windows of the vehicle being in a closed position, a sunroof of the vehicle being in a closed position, exterior lights of the vehicle being in an on position, windshield wipers of the vehicle being in an off position, and an air conditioning system of the vehicle being in an air recirculation condition.

[0048] Next, at decision block 508, method 500 includes determining whether the vehicle has left the at least partially enclosed area. In an exemplary embodiment, the determination that the vehicle has left the at least partially enclosed area is based at least in part on a geolocation signal received by the vehicle and on a geolocation database that includes locations of known partially enclosed areas. Based on the determination that the vehicle has left the at least partially enclosed area, method 500 proceeds to decision block 510 and determines whether the vehicle was shut down while inside the at least partially enclosed area.

[0049] Based on determining that the vehicle was turned off while inside the at least partially enclosed area, the method 500 proceeds to block 512 and the operating characteristics of the vehicle are set to a default state. Based on determining that the vehicle was not turned off while inside the at least partially enclosed area, the method 500 proceeds to block 514 and the operating characteristics of the vehicle are set to their previous values ​​(i.e., the state before entering the at least partially enclosed area).

[0050] In an exemplary embodiment, an operator of the vehicle can manually override changes in operating characteristics of the vehicle based on the vehicle entering and / or leaving an at least partially enclosed area. For example, when the vehicle enters an at least partially enclosed area, the windows of the vehicle automatically close, however, the operator of the vehicle can still manually control the position of the windows and open the windows when desired.

[0051] The following definitions and abbreviations are used to interpret the claims and specification. As used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," "including," "has," "having," "contains," or "containing," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a composition, mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such composition, mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0052] Additionally, the term "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or design described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. The terms "at least one" and "one or more" may be understood to include any integer greater than or equal to one (i.e., one, two, three, four, etc.). The term "plurality" may be understood to include any integer greater than or equal to two (i.e., two, three, four, five, etc.). The term "connected" may include both indirect "connected" and direct "connected."

[0053] The terms "about," "substantially," "approximately," and variations thereof are intended to include the degree of error associated with the measurement of a particular quantity based on the equipment available at the time the application was filed. For example, "about" may include a range of ±8% or 5% or 2% of a given value.

[0054] Although the above disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for its elements without departing from its scope. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt specific circumstances or materials to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the basic scope of the disclosure. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, but will include all embodiments falling within its scope.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a characteristic of a vehicle based at least in part on a position of the vehicle, the method comprising: monitoring the location of the vehicle and one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle; automatically changing one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle to a state associated with an enclosed space based on determining that the vehicle has entered an at least partially enclosed area; as well as Based on determining that the vehicle has exited the at least partially enclosed area, one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle are automatically restored to a state prior to the vehicle entering the at least partially enclosed area.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the vehicle has entered the at least partially enclosed area is based at least in part on a geolocation signal received by the vehicle and on a geolocation database that includes locations of known partially enclosed areas.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the known partially enclosed area comprises one or more tunnels and parking garages.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle include a position of windows of the vehicle, a position of a sunroof of the vehicle, an on / off status of exterior lights of the vehicle, an on / off status of interior lights of the vehicle, a brightness of interior lights of the vehicle, an on / off status of windshield wipers of the vehicle, and a status of an air conditioning system of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the conditions associated with the enclosed space include windows of the vehicle being in a closed position, windows of the vehicle being in a closed position, a sunroof of the vehicle being in a closed position, exterior lights of the vehicle being in an on position, windshield wipers of the vehicle being in an off position, and an air conditioning system of the vehicle being in an air recirculation condition.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: One or more operating characteristics of the vehicle are automatically set to a default state based on a determination that the vehicle has exited the at least partially enclosed area and a determination that the vehicle has been in the at least partially enclosed area for longer than a threshold period of time.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: One or more operating characteristics of the vehicle are automatically set to a default state based on a determination that the vehicle has exited the at least partially enclosed area and a determination that the vehicle was turned off while in the at least partially enclosed area.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the vehicle has left the at least partially enclosed area is based at least in part on a geolocation signal received by the vehicle and on a geolocation database that includes locations of known partially enclosed areas.

9. A vehicle comprising: a geographic location sensor configured to receive a geographic location signal; a geographic location database including a location of each of a plurality of at least partially enclosed areas; as well as The controller is configured as: monitoring a position of the vehicle and one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle; automatically changing one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle to a state associated with an enclosed space based on determining that the vehicle has entered one of the plurality of at least partially enclosed areas; as well as Based on determining that the vehicle has exited one of the plurality of at least partially enclosed areas, one or more operating characteristics of the vehicle are automatically restored to a state prior to the vehicle entering the one of the plurality of at least partially enclosed areas.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein determining that the vehicle has entered one of the plurality of at least partially enclosed areas is based at least in part on a geo-location signal and a geo-location database.

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