Context-based mapping for physical vehicle controls

Abstract

A system for associating functions with physical controls (e.g., buttons and / or rollers) of a vehicle based on trigger factors. The vehicle includes a plurality of vehicle systems. One or more physical controls are installed within the vehicle and configured to be manipulated by a user of the vehicle. An in-vehicle control system is coupled to the plurality of vehicle systems. The in-vehicle control system is configured to: detect a state of one or more of the plurality of vehicle systems; determining that the state satisfies a trigger factor for context mapping; and in response to determining that the state satisfies the trigger factor for the context mapping, associating a function defined by the context mapping as the one or more physical controls with the one or more physical controls.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 519,553, filed on August 14, 2023, which is assigned to the assignee of this application and is hereby expressly incorporated herein in its entirety, as if fully set forth below and for all applicable purposes. Background Art

[0003] The present disclosure relates to vehicle controls, and more particularly to physical vehicle controls that are physically manipulated by a user. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present disclosure describes a system for associating functions with physical controls (e.g., buttons and / or scroll wheels) of a vehicle based on triggers. In one aspect, a vehicle includes multiple vehicle systems. One or more physical controls are installed in the vehicle and are configured to be manipulated by a user of the vehicle. An onboard control system is connected to the multiple vehicle systems. The onboard control system is configured to: detect the state of one or more vehicle systems among the multiple vehicle systems; determine that the state satisfies a trigger factor for a context mapping; and in response to determining that the state satisfies the trigger condition of the context mapping, associate the functions defined by the context mapping for the one or more physical controls with the one or more physical controls. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Figure 1 An example vehicle is shown.

[0006] Figure 2A and Figure 2B The tilt of the side view mirror is shown according to certain embodiments.

[0007] Figure 3 Physical controls and computer-generated interfaces of objects that may be context-based maps are shown according to certain embodiments.

[0008] Figure 4A and Figure 4B A graphical user interface for conveying context-based mapping for mirror tilt is shown in accordance with certain embodiments.

[0009] FIG. 5A to FIG. 5E An example graphical user interface for communicating the status of a side view mirror and context-based mapping for mirror tilt is shown in accordance with certain embodiments.

[0010] Figure 6 is an example method for performing context-based mapping for mirror tilt according to certain embodiments.

[0011] Fig. 7A and Figure 7B The association of zones with specific garage door openers according to certain embodiments is shown.

[0012] Figure 8 An example graphical user interface for conveying context-based mapping for garage door opening functionality is shown in accordance with certain embodiments.

[0013] Fig. 9 An example method for providing context-based mapping for garage door opening functionality is shown in accordance with certain embodiments.

[0014] Fig.10 Multiple context-based mappings are shown according to certain embodiments.

[0015] Fig.11 Components used by an onboard vehicle control system to provide context-based mapping are shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Figure 1 An example vehicle 102 is shown having an onboard control system 104. Unless otherwise indicated, the functions and methods described herein may be performed by the onboard control system 104. The onboard control system 104 may be embodied as a general purpose computing device (e.g., a computing device executing a mobile operating system such as ANDROID) or other programmable logic device.

[0017] As depicted, vehicle 102 may include any passenger vehicle (e.g., a sedan, truck, pickup truck, sport utility vehicle (SUV), minivan, crossover utility vehicle (CUV), van, tractor-trailer) that may be used for transportation and navigation of one or more rural environments, urban environments, and / or off-road and mountainous environments. In one embodiment, vehicle 102 may include, for example, a gasoline-powered vehicle that may be propelled by an internal combustion engine (ICE) or other fuel injection engine.

[0018] In certain embodiments, vehicle 102 may include, for example, an electric vehicle (EV), a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), or other vehicles 102 that may be partially or fully propelled by one or more electric motors (e.g., a synchronous motor, a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM), an induction motor (IM), a line-start synchronous motor (LSSM), a line-start permanent magnet motor (LSPMM), a synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM)) using power stored in one or more batteries included in the vehicle 102.

[0019] In some embodiments, the vehicle 102 may include an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle adapted to operate, for example, in accordance with Level 3 autonomous driving, Level 4 autonomous driving, Level 5 autonomous driving, or switching between different levels of autonomous driving functionality. Further, while the present embodiments may be discussed primarily with respect to an example embodiment of a personal passenger vehicle 102, it should be understood that in other embodiments, the vehicle 102 may be one of a fleet of similar vehicles 102 (e.g., a fleet of trucks, a fleet of police cars, a fleet of taxis, or a fleet of food service vehicles).

[0020] In certain embodiments, such as Figure 1 As further depicted, the vehicle 102 may include an onboard control system 104. In certain embodiments, the onboard control system 104 may include an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system or other onboard control system that may be adapted to provide entertainment and information monitoring and control features to a driver or one or more passengers of the vehicle 102. For example, in some embodiments, the onboard control system 104 may include some combination of software, hardware, and middleware that may be adapted to allow a driver or one or more passengers of the vehicle 102 to, for example, stream media content (e.g., audio data, video data, image data, call log data, navigation maps, vehicle data, driver profile data, weather data), enable the use of voice-based and touch-based control of various components and applications on the vehicle 102 (e.g., vehicle 102 driving modes; camera angles and adjustments; mirror angles and adjustments; seat adjustments; vehicle 102 exterior and interior lighting adjustments; "powering on" or "powering off" the vehicle 102). ”, lock and unlock the vehicle 102; open and close the windows; open and close the trunk, hatch, or tailgate; request updates from the vehicle 102; pair with one or more personal electronic devices of the driver or other passengers of the vehicle 102; create and modify one or more driver profiles; control and manage the settings and functions of one or more components of the vehicle 102), and to allow the vehicle to send and receive over-the-air (OTA) information between the vehicle 102 and one or more external devices (for example, between the vehicle 102 and one or more remote servers, between the vehicle 102 and one or more other vehicles, and between the vehicle 102 and one or more vehicle accessories).

[0021] refer to Figure 2A and Figure 2B , while still referring to Figure 1 , the vehicle 102 may include a side view mirror assembly 106. The side view mirror assembly 106 may include a housing 200 that houses a mirror 202 and a mirror actuator 204. The mirror actuator 204 may have two or more rotational degrees of freedom. As discussed in more detail below, the mirror actuator 204 may be in a driving configuration ( Figure 2A ) and the downward tilted configuration ( Figure 2B), the driving configuration is suitable for driving and provides a view of vehicles driving behind and to the side of the vehicle 102, and the downward tilted configuration provides a better view of the rear tires, curbs or other obstacles close to the ground (e.g., within 20 cm), and other parts of the vehicle around the rear tires (compared to the driving configuration). The downward tilted configuration may be suitable for backing up, parallel parking, or other situations where such visibility is required, such as when driving on rough terrain.

[0022] refer to Figure 3 , the interior of the vehicle 102 includes a steering wheel 300 that is turned by a user to invoke turning of the vehicle 102 by changing the angle of the front wheels, changing the angle of the rear wheels, and changing some or all of the relative speeds of the wheels on the right and left sides of the vehicle. The interior of the vehicle 102 includes an instrument panel that, in the illustrated embodiment, includes or is implemented as an instrument panel display device 302 coupled to the onboard control system 104. The onboard control system 104 may display vehicle status information (speed, charging status, powertrain status (drive, park, reverse)), navigation information (maps, directions, etc.), or other information.

[0023] The interior of the vehicle 102 may also include an infotainment display device 304. The infotainment display device 304 may be embodied as a touch screen located on one side of the steering wheel 300. The in-vehicle control system 104 may thus cause the infotainment display device 304 to display an interface for controlling the vehicle's systems and receive and execute input received from the driver or passenger through the interface.

[0024] Steering wheel 300 or other parts of vehicle 102 may include control cluster 306, which includes physical interface elements that can be manipulated by the driver. In the illustrated embodiment, control cluster 306 includes left button 308 and right button 310 that the driver can press with thumb while holding the steering wheel. Control cluster 306 may include roller 312, such as between left button 308 and right button 310. Roller 312 can be rotated by the driver's thumb to select between multiple options or otherwise select in the range of values ​​(e.g., the volume of the sound system). In some embodiments, roller 312 is also a button, and the pressing of this button can be detected and call the associated function. Buttons 308, 310 can be implemented as mechanical buttons that generate output in response to being physically pressed by the user. Buttons 308, 310 can also be implemented as capacitive buttons or other types of buttons that will not physically deform or deflect in response to being pressed. Scroll wheel 312 may also include an element that physically rotates in response to a force applied by a user, or may be implemented as a touch-sensitive element capable of detecting the direction and possibly the speed of movement of a user's finger on the touch-sensitive element and possibly the pressure applied by the user's finger.

[0025] Control cluster 306 is exemplary only. Other physical interface elements at other locations within the interior of vehicle 102 may have context-based mappings associated therewith in accordance with the methods described herein. Specifically, control cluster 306 on the right side of steering wheel 300 is discussed extensively herein, it being understood that control cluster on the left side of steering wheel 300 may be used in a similar manner.

[0026] As discussed extensively below, the functionality invoked by the control cluster 306 can dynamically change based on the context of the vehicle 102, which is referred to herein as a "context map." In some embodiments, the instrument panel display device 302 includes a mapping display 314 that communicates to the driver the functionality associated with the current context map of the control cluster 306. Note that while the functionality associated with a particular context map is not associated with the control cluster 306, such functionality may be available elsewhere, such as by navigating an interface presented on the infotainment display device 304.

[0027] Figure 4A An example interface 400 is shown that may be displayed on the dashboard display device 302. The interface 400 may include information such as the current gear state 402 of the vehicle 102 (reverse, neutral, drive, park), the speed 404 of the vehicle 102, and navigation information 406. The interface 400 may also include a graphic 408 or other representation of the state of the vehicle 102. Other information displayed in the interface 400 may include the charge state of the battery, the amount of fuel remaining, the state of the headlights, whether the adaptive cruise control is on, or other information about the state of the vehicle 102. Figure 4A , mapping display 314 is blank and does not indicate a mapping for control cluster 306. In this case, control cluster 306 may have no functionality or a default functionality, such as controlling the sound system, climate control system, or other system of vehicle 102.

[0028] refer to Figure 4B , when the context of the vehicle 102 corresponds to a particular contextual mapping, the interface 400 may be modified to display mapping information 410 in the mapping display 314. The mapping information 410 may include text 412 or other graphical information (e.g., icons) indicating some or all of the following: (a) the context of the vehicle that invoked the display of the mapping, and (b) the functionality invoked by interacting with the control cluster 306. For example, the text 412 in the example shown reads "Side View Mirror Tilt," indicating that interacting with the control cluster 306 will invoke functionality to tilt one or both side view mirrors 202 to or away from the downward tilted configuration discussed above.

[0029] The mapping information 410 may include text or symbols that convey the functions of some or all of the buttons 308, 310 and the scroll wheel 312 of the control cluster 306. For example, the symbol 414 indicates that pressing the left button 308 will tilt or untilt the left mirror 202, and the symbol 416 indicates that pressing the right button 30 will tilt or untilt the right mirror 202. In the illustrated mapping information 410, the context-based mapping is not associated with the scroll wheel 312, so that the area of ​​the mapping display 314 corresponding to the scroll wheel 312 is left blank, grayed out, or otherwise does not include a symbol or other information indicating the context-based mapping. The onboard control system 104 may (a) not associate any function with the scroll wheel 312 when the context-based mapping is effective, or (b) associate a default function with the scroll wheel 312. For example, in the case where there is no context-based mapping for pressing the scroll wheel 312, pressing the scroll wheel 312 may invoke the brakes of a trailer connected to the vehicle 102.

[0030] refer to FIG. 5A to FIG. 5E In some embodiments, the mapping information 410 may convey the status of components of the vehicle 102 associated with the context-based mapping. For example, the mapping information 410 may include a symbol 500 indicating that one or both mirrors 202 are in a downward tilted configuration ( Figure 5A ), symbol 502 indicating that one or both mirrors 202 are in the process of moving to the downward tilted configuration ( Figure 5B ), symbol 504 indicating that one or both mirrors are currently in the driving configuration ( Figure 5C ), or a symbol 506 indicating that one or both mirrors 202 are in the process of returning to the driving configuration ( Figure 5D ). In addition to the current state of each mirror 202, the mapping information 410 may also indicate whether automatic tilt ("A") of one or both mirrors 202 is enabled. As discussed in more detail below, automatic tilt may include transitioning the mirrors 202 to a downward tilt configuration without a user indication to do so (such as in response to shifting the vehicle 102 into reverse gear).

[0031] Figure 6 An example method 600 is shown that may be used to select a context-based mapping of a control cluster 306 to control the tilt of the mirror 202 (“tilt context mapping”) and in response to a user interaction with the control cluster 306 . The method 600 may be performed by the onboard control system 104 .

[0032] The method 600 includes, at step 602, detecting a transition of the vehicle 102 to a reverse gear state. Transitioning to the reverse gear state is an example of a trigger for tilting the context mapping. Other triggers may also be used for situations that may benefit from a downward tilt configuration. For example, such situations may include any one of the following or a combination of two or more of the following: speed and steering wheel movement corresponding to parallel parking, the position of the vehicle at or near a parallel parking spot (e.g., within one vehicle length or width of the parallel parking spot). In another example, a sharp turn of the steering wheel 300 (e.g., a change in steering angle of more than 15 degrees) when the vehicle is traveling at a low speed (e.g., less than 6 miles per hour) may automatically tilt the mirror to a downward tilt configuration so that the mirror is facing the side toward which the vehicle 102 is turning.

[0033] In response to detecting a transition to a reverse gear state of the vehicle 102, the method 600 includes, at step 604, evaluating whether the settings of the onboard control system 104 require automatic tilting of one or both mirrors 202. If so, at step 606, each mirror requiring automatic tilting is tilted from the driving configuration to the downward tilt configuration.

[0034] Method 600 may include, at step 608, evaluating whether a context map having a higher priority than the tilted context map has been triggered. Fig.11 As discussed in more detail, there are many context maps with different trigger conditions, and multiple of these different trigger conditions can be satisfied at the same time. Therefore, a context map with a higher priority will be selected to determine the function associated with the mapping information 410 displayed in the control cluster 306 and the mapping display 314.

[0035] If no higher priority context mapping is triggered, then at step 610, mapping information 410 for the tilted context mapping will be displayed in the mapping display 314 (see Figure 4B and associated descriptions), and enables the tilt context map to be active. When the tilt context map is active, user input to the control cluster 306 will be received and processed according to the tilt trigger condition. For example, when the tilt context map is active:

[0036] • Pressing button 308 will invoke the function of tilting the left mirror 202 to a tilted down configuration when the left mirror 202 is in the driving configuration.

[0037] • Pressing button 308 will invoke the function of tilting the left mirror 202 to the driving configuration when the left mirror 202 is in the tilted down configuration.

[0038] • Pressing button 310 will invoke the function of tilting the right mirror 202 to a tilted down configuration when the right mirror 202 is in the driving configuration.

[0039] • Pressing button 310 will invoke the function of tilting the right mirror 202 to the driving configuration when the right mirror 202 is in the tilted down configuration.

[0040] The tilt context map may remain active until (a) the vehicle 102 is found to transition out of the reverse state at step 612 or (b) a higher priority map is found to be active at step 608. The transition out of the reverse state may be detected in response to the vehicle 102 switching to a drive mode other than the reverse state. The transition out of the reverse drive mode may be detected in response to the vehicle moving in the forward direction at a speed exceeding a threshold speed (e.g., 6 miles per hour or other predefined speed). For example, a downward tilt configuration may be helpful when parallel parking, which involves driving forward and backward at a low speed, so that the downward tilt configuration is helpful in both directions. Similarly, constantly switching between the downward tilt configuration and the driving configuration when parallel parking will be disturbing. Before the vehicle is found to transition out of the reverse state, the tilt context map may return to the active state when any higher priority context map is no longer active.

[0041] If the vehicle is found to be transitioning out of the reverse mode at step 612, the method 600 may include, at step 614, evaluating whether any of the mirrors 202 are currently in a downward tilted configuration. If so, at step 616, any mirrors in a downward tilted configuration are un-tilted into the driving configuration. The method 600 may then include, at step 618, removing the tilt context mapping such that the mapping information 410 for the tilt context mapping is no longer displayed in the mapping display 314. The functionality associated with the control cluster 306 may then (a) return to a default functionality or (b) be set to a functionality associated with some other context mapping that is currently triggered in conjunction with displaying the mapping information 410 for the other context mapping.

[0042] refer to Fig. 7AIn some embodiments, a context map associates controls of one or more garage door openers (GDOs) 700a, 700b with a control cluster 306 ("GDO context map"). For example, a user may specify the location and size of an area 702a, 702b associated with a particular GDO 700a, 700b. For example, when a vehicle 102 is located in front of or behind a garage door 704a, 704b opened by a GDO 700a, 700b, a user may specify that the current location 706a, 706b of the vehicle 102 (such as GPS coordinates detected by a GPS receiver of the onboard control system 104) is associated with the GDO 700a, 700b. The onboard control system 104 may set the size of the area 702a, 702b in response to input from the user, such as in the form of a radius of a circular area centered on the current location 706a, 706b. In this way, a user may achieve a desired timing for opening the garage door 704a, 704b upon arrival. As Fig. 7A As is apparent from the diagram, regions 702a, 702b of two or more GDOs 700a, 700b may overlap with each other. In other cases, a single region 702a will be defined and will not overlap with another region 702b, such as Figure 7B shown.

[0043] The onboard control system 104 may be configured to control each GDO 700a, 700b. The manner in which the onboard control system 104 is paired with each GDO 700a, 700b to achieve such control may be performed according to any method known in the art. In addition, the onboard control system 104 may analyze data (e.g., code) received from a specific GDO 700a, 700b to determine the brand and / or model of the GDO 700a, 700b. The onboard control system 104 may also determine the status of the GDO 700a, 700b, such as the status during the pairing process. In some embodiments, the onboard control system 104 may be loaded with instructions, images, and other information for various brands and models of GDOs. Therefore, the onboard control system 104 may display instructions and / or images during the pairing process (such as on the infotainment display device 304) to guide the user. For example, the onboard control system 104 may call for the display of an image of the GDO, which highlights the button to be pressed and includes text or other types of information instructing the user how to perform the pairing.

[0044] refer to Figure 8 , while still referring to Fig. 7A and Figure 7B, when the vehicle 102 is within a zone 702a, 702b of at least one GDO 700a, 700b that has been configured with the zone 702a, 702b, the GDO context mapping may become active as long as a higher priority context mapping is not also triggered.

[0045] The mapping information 410 for the GDO context mapping may include text 800 indicating that the GDO context mapping is active ("Garage"). The text 800 may indicate (a) an identifier of a single GDO 700a, 700b corresponding to the area 702a, 702b where the vehicle 102 is located, causing the GDO context mapping to be triggered, or (b) an identifier of a selected GDO 700a, 700b among multiple GDOs 700a, 700b, in which the vehicle 102 is located. For example, the text "Home-Left" is displayed in the example shown, indicating that the area 702a corresponds to the left garage door 704a and the overlapping area 702b corresponds to the right garage door 704b ("Home-Right").

[0046] The mapping information 410 may include a symbol 802 or other indicator indicating that the button 308, when pressed, will invoke a function to exit the GDO context mapping. The mapping information 410 may include a symbol 804 or other indicator indicating that the button 310, when pressed, will invoke a function to open (if currently closed) or close (if currently opened) the following GDOs: a single GDO 700a, 700b in the area 702a, 702b where the vehicle 102 is located, or a selected GDO 700a, 700b among multiple GDOs 700a, 700b in its area 702a, 702b.

[0047] In the event that the vehicle 102 is in an area 702a, 702b of multiple GDOs 700a, 700b, the mapping information 410 may include a symbol 806 (e.g., a down or up arrow) indicating that scrolling the scroll wheel 312 will invoke the function of selecting a GDO 700a, 700b that is different from the GDO currently selected to be controlled by pressing the button 310.

[0048] In the absence of user interaction with the scroll wheel 312, the selected GDO 700a, 700b may be any of the last used GDOs 700a, 700b, a default GDO 700a, 700b explicitly specified by the user, or a GDO 700a, 700b selected based on some other criteria. For example, an image from a front-facing camera of the vehicle 102 may be used to identify the exact garage door 704a, 704b that the vehicle 102 is located in front of, and then the GDO 700a, 700b for that garage door 704a, 704b may be selected. For example, when defining the area 702a, 702b for the GDO 700a, 700b, one or more reference images may be captured using one or more cameras of the vehicle 102. During use, one or more test images from the one or more cameras may be compared to the reference images for the one or more GDOs 700a, 700b. One or more reference images that are most similar to the one or more test images may be identified, and the GDO 700a, 700b corresponding to the most similar one or more reference images may be selected as the selected GDO 700a, 700b.

[0049] refer to Fig. 9 , the method 900 may be performed by the onboard control system 104. The method 900 may include: at step 902, evaluating whether the vehicle 102 is located in at least one area 702a, 702b defined for at least one GDO 700a, 700b. If not, the method 900 may end. Similarly, if a context mapping with a higher priority than the GDO context mapping is currently active, the method 900 may end regardless of whether the vehicle 102 is located in at least one area 702a, 702b defined for at least one GDO 700a, 700b. If the vehicle 102 is located in at least one area 702a, 702b and the higher priority context mapping is not triggered, the GDO context mapping may become active. The GDO context mapping that becomes active may be accompanied by an audible ring tone.

[0050] If the vehicle 102 is not found to be located in a plurality of zones 702a, 702b at step 904, the method 900 may include displaying mapping information 410 regarding the GDO context mapping and the GDOs 700a, 700b corresponding to the zones 702a, 702b where the vehicle 102 is located at step 906, as described above with respect to Figure 8 described.

[0051] If the vehicle 102 is found to be located in a plurality of zones 702a, 702b at step 904, the method 900 may include identifying, at step 908, a last used GDO 700a, 700b among the GDOs 700a, 700b defined with the plurality of zones 702a, 702b. At step 910, the mapping information 410 of the last used GDO 700a, 700b is displayed, as described above with respect to FIG. Figure 8 As described above, other criteria may be used to select the selected GDO 700a, 700b at step 908. In addition, the mapping information 410 displayed at step 910 may include an indicator 418 indicating that the user has the option of selecting from a plurality of GDOs 700a, 700b having a plurality of regions 702a, 702b defined therein. The method 900 may also include activating the scroll wheel 312 at step 912 such that interaction with the scroll wheel 312 will invoke a function of switching to a different GDO 700a, 700b, which will then be controlled by interaction with the button 310.

[0052] The above examples involve the vehicle 102 arriving within one or more areas 702a, 702b. The vehicle 102 leaving one or more areas 702a, 702b may similarly trigger a GDO context mapping. Thus, the method 900 will operate as described above, except that leaving one or more areas 702a, 702b will satisfy the conditions of step 902, and it may be evaluated at step 904 whether the vehicle has left multiple areas 702a, 702b simultaneously (e.g., within 1 second).

[0053] refer to Fig.10 The tilted context map and the GDO context map described above are merely examples of context maps that may be used to select functions performed by the control cluster 306 . Fig.10 An example of mapping information 410 and corresponding functionality that may be associated with different contexts is shown.

[0054] For example, mapping information 410 labeled "Mobile Phone" may correspond to a "Mobile Phone Context Map" in which button 308 invokes a function to end a call, button 310 invokes a function to answer or make a call, and in which scroll wheel 312 may be used to scroll through contacts or some other set of values. The mobile phone context map may be triggered by detecting a phone call received or sent from a mobile phone connected to a Bluetooth transceiver or other interface of the vehicle 102.

[0055] The mapping information 410 labeled "Body Lowering" may correspond to a "Body Lowering Context Map" in which the scroll wheel 312 may be used to cancel or control body lowering (lowering the vehicle 102 to its lowest ground clearance height) in response to a trigger for the body lowering context map, for example, when the vehicle 102 is in a parked state.

[0056] The mapping information 410 labeled "left mirror" and "right mirror" may correspond to a "mirror adjustment context mapping" in which button 308 invokes a function to rotate mirror 202 to the left, button 310 invokes a function to rotate mirror 202 to the right, and scroll wheel 312 invokes a function to rotate mirror 202 up or down depending on the direction of rotation of scroll wheel 312. The mirror adjustment context mapping and the selection of which of the right or left mirror to be adjusted may be triggered by another input from the user, such as a voice command or selecting an interface element using infotainment display device 304.

[0057] Fig.11 Components and data structures are shown that can be used by the onboard control system 104 to detect the triggering of context mapping and select among multiple context mappings that are triggered. For example, the onboard control system can be coupled to components of the vehicle 102, such as the Bluetooth transceiver 1100, the GPS receiver 1102, the powertrain 1104 of the vehicle 102, or other systems 1106 of the vehicle 102. The onboard control system 104 can use information received from these components to determine whether context mapping is triggered.

[0058] The vehicle control system 104 may also be configured with context mapping triggers 1108. The context mapping triggers 1108 define conditions that need to be met to trigger a particular context mapping. For example, the context mapping triggers 1108 may include a geo-fence 1110 (e.g., an area) such that the context mapping trigger is invoked when the vehicle is determined to be within the area based on the output of the GPS receiver 1102, such as described above with respect to Fig. 7A , Figure 7B , Figure 8 and Fig. 9 Describe the method.

[0059] Context mapping triggers 1108 may include a detected state 1112 of a mobile phone or other device such as connected to the vehicle control system 104 using the Bluetooth transceiver 1100. State 1112 may include device pairing, receiving a call, making a call, or other actions performed using the mobile phone.

[0060] The context map triggers 1108 may include a detected state 1114 of the powertrain 1104 of the vehicle 102, such as entering a particular gear state, entering a particular drive mode (general, economy, sport, off-road, etc.), driving above or below a particular speed. For example, as described above, putting the vehicle 102 in reverse may invoke a tilt context map.

[0061] The context mapping triggers 1108 may include other triggers 1116 that are conditional on the state of any other system of the vehicle 102 or the value detected by any sensor of the vehicle 102 .

[0062] Each of the context map triggers 1108 has a corresponding button mapping 1118. The button mapping 1118 may define one or both of: (a) the functionality associated with the buttons 308, 310, and the scroll wheel 312 in the control cluster 306, and (b) the mapping information 410 to be displayed in the mapping display 314 when the context map associated with the particular context map trigger 1108 is active.

[0063] The vehicle control system 104 may also be configured with a priority 1120 for selecting which of the multiple simultaneously triggered context maps to be active. As used herein, "simultaneously triggered" may be understood to mean that the conditions for triggering multiple context maps are currently all met, regardless of when these conditions begin to be met.

[0064] Priorities 1120 may include security priority 1122. Security priority 1122 may be defined to promote security and may supersede any other priority. Thus, a context mapping with security priority 1122 may be made active, even though context mappings without security priority 1122 or with a lower security priority may also be triggered simultaneously.

[0065] The priorities 1120 may include a default priority 1124. The default priority 1124 may be defined by the designer of the vehicle 102 to enhance user convenience and avoid confusion. Thus, a context map having a default priority 1124 may be active, even though context maps having a lower default priority 1124 may also be triggered simultaneously.

[0066] The priorities 1120 may include a user priority 1126. The user priority 1126 may be selected by a user of the vehicle 102 based on the user's preferences. Thus, a context map having a user priority 1126 may be active, even though context maps having a lower user priority 1126 or any default priority 1124 may also be triggered simultaneously.

[0067] Priority 1120 is one example of logic for selecting among simultaneously triggered context maps. Other logic may also be used, which may be specific to the context map itself. For example, when the vehicle 102 is within one or more areas 702a, 702b defined for one or more GDOs 700a, 700b, the triggering of a tilt context map in response to a user driving input that may indicate parallel parking may be ignored in favor of a GDO context map.

[0068] As another example, in a first vehicle state (e.g., high vehicle speed), safety considerations may require that a context mapping be given a higher priority, while in a second vehicle state (e.g., lower vehicle speed), the priority of the context mapping is reduced so that some other context mapping may have a higher priority.

[0069] The description of various embodiments of the present disclosure has been presented for illustrative purposes. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terms used herein are selected to explain the principles of the embodiments, practical applications, or technical improvements to technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable other persons of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0070] In the foregoing, reference is made to the embodiments presented in this disclosure. However, the scope of the present disclosure may extend beyond the specifically described embodiments. On the contrary, any combination of features and elements, whether or not related to different embodiments, is contemplated for use in implementing and practicing the contemplated embodiments. In addition, although the embodiments disclosed herein may achieve advantages over other possible solutions or over the prior art, the embodiments may achieve some advantages or no particular advantages. Therefore, the aspects, features, embodiments, and advantages discussed herein are merely illustrative.

[0071] Various aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware implementation, an entirely software implementation (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or an implementation combining software and hardware aspects, which may all be collectively referred to herein as a "circuit," "module," or "system."

[0072] Various aspects of the present disclosure are described by narrative text, flow charts, block diagrams of computer systems, and / or block diagrams of machine logic included in computer program product (CPP) implementations. With respect to any flow chart, depending on the technology involved, operations may be performed in an order different from the order shown in a given flow chart. For example, again depending on the technology involved, two operations shown in consecutive flow chart blocks may be performed in reverse order, as a single integrated step, simultaneously, or in a manner that at least partially overlaps in time.

[0073] A computer program product embodiment ("CPP embodiment" or "CPP") is a term used in this disclosure to describe any collection of one or more storage media (also referred to as "medium") collectively included in a collection of one or more storage devices that collectively include machine-readable code corresponding to instructions and / or data for performing the computer operations specified in a given CPP claim. A "storage device" is any tangible device that can hold and store instructions for use by a computer processor. Without limitation, a computer-readable storage medium may be an electronic storage medium, a magnetic storage medium, an optical storage medium, an electromagnetic storage medium, a semiconductor storage medium, a mechanical storage medium, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Specific types of storage devices that include these media include: a magnetic disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanical encoding device (such as a punch card or pits / land formed in a major surface of a disk), or any suitable combination of the foregoing. As the term is used in this disclosure, computer-readable storage media refers to non-transitory storage devices rather than transient signals themselves, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through waveguides, light pulses transmitted through fiber optic cables, electrical signals transmitted through wires and / or other transmission media. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, data is typically moved at some occasional point in time during normal operation of the storage device (such as during access, defragmentation, or garbage collection), but the storage device remains non-transitory during these processes because the data remains non-transitory when stored.

[0074] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments may be devised without departing from the basic scope of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is determined by the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A system, comprising: a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a plurality of vehicle systems; one or more physical controls mounted within the vehicle and configured to be manipulated by a user of the vehicle; and an onboard control system coupled to the plurality of vehicle systems, the onboard control system being configured to: detecting a status of one or more vehicle systems of the plurality of vehicle systems; determining that the state satisfies a trigger for context mapping; as well as In response to determining that the state satisfies the trigger for the context mapping, functionality defined by the context mapping for the one or more physical controls is associated with the one or more physical controls.

2. The system according to claim 1 further comprises a display device installed in the vehicle, the in-vehicle control system being further configured to display mapping information on the display device, the mapping information conveying the functions defined by the context mapping for the one or more physical controls.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein: The trigger is a first trigger and the context mapping is a first context mapping; and The vehicle control system is further configured as follows: determining that the state satisfies a second trigger for a second context mapping; evaluating a first priority associated with the first context mapping relative to a second priority associated with the second context mapping; (a) determining that the first priority is greater than the second priority; as well as In response to (a), associating functionality defined by the first context map to the one or more physical controls.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical controls include a scroll wheel. 5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more physical controls include a scroll wheel and buttons positioned on either side of the scroll wheel.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical controls are mounted to a steering wheel of the vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the context mapping causes the one or more physical controls to control a tilt of a mirror.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the triggering factor is the vehicle being in a reverse driveline state.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the trigger is detection of the vehicle performing parallel parking.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the context map causes the one or more physical controls to control ground clearance of the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the trigger is the vehicle being in a park powertrain state.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the context mapping causes the one or more physical controls to control transmission of signals that control a garage door opener.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the trigger is detection of the vehicle within a geo-fence associated with the garage door opener.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the context map enables the one or more physical controls to control selection among a plurality of garage door openers.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the trigger is detecting the vehicle within a plurality of geo-fences associated with the plurality of garage door openers.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the context map causes the one or more physical controls to control operation of a mobile phone connected to the in-vehicle control system.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the trigger is detection of receipt of a telephone call.

18. A method for operating a vehicle, the method comprising: detecting, by the control system, a state of one or more vehicle systems among a plurality of vehicle systems; determining, by the control system, that the state satisfies a trigger for context mapping; as well as In response to determining that the state satisfies the trigger for the context map, associating, by the control system, functionality defined by the context map for one or more physical controls with the one or more physical controls.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising displaying, by the control system, mapping information on a display device in the vehicle, the mapping information conveying the functionality defined by the contextual mapping for the one or more physical controls.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more physical controls are mounted to a steering wheel of the vehicle.

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