Context-based reminder system for vehicle

Abstract

A contextual-based reminder system that determines a contextual-based reminder communicated to an occupant of a vehicle includes a back-end server in wireless communication with one or more controllers that are part of the vehicle over a communication network. The backend server receives data from one or more controllers of the vehicle over the communication network indicating the vehicle-oriented scenario and the user-oriented scenario, and determines a scenario-based alert based on the vehicle-oriented scenario and the user-oriented scenario. An output device of the vehicle creates a notification for the occupant indicating the context-based reminder.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a context-based reminder system that determines a context-based reminder to be communicated to a vehicle occupant, wherein the context-based reminder is generated based on a vehicle-oriented context and a user-oriented context. Background Art

[0002] Many vehicles include various types of reminder systems that provide reminders to vehicle occupants. One type of reminder is a back seat reminder that reminds the vehicle occupant to check the back seat for items they may have accidentally forgotten before exiting the vehicle. As another example, many vehicles may include a maintenance reminder system that provides reminders regarding vehicle maintenance schedules. Specifically, for example, a maintenance reminder system may remind the vehicle occupant of an upcoming oil change or tire rotation. However, it should be understood that there are still many events and items that a vehicle occupant may inadvertently forget. For example, a vehicle occupant may forget to bring an identification card to enter an office building before leaving their residence, or forget to bring a wholesale membership card to enter a wholesale club that is a retail store.

[0003] Therefore, while current reminder systems achieve their intended purpose, there is a need in the art for an improved reminder system that takes into account items or events that a vehicle occupant may inadvertently forget. Summary of the invention

[0004] According to several aspects, a context-based reminder system is disclosed that determines context-based reminders to be communicated to vehicle occupants. The context-based reminder system includes a backend server that wirelessly communicates with one or more controllers as part of a vehicle via a communication network. The vehicle includes an output device that electronically communicates with the one or more controllers. The backend server executes instructions to receive data indicating a vehicle-oriented context and a user-oriented context from one or more controllers of the vehicle via the communication network. The backend server determines a set of user context factors based on the vehicle-oriented context and a set of vehicle context factors based on the user-oriented context. The backend server fuses the set of user context factors with the set of vehicle context factors to create a set of fused context factors, wherein each fused context factor corresponds to at least one possible context-based reminder, the fused context factor is part of the set of fused context factors, and the context-based reminder is part of the set of context-based reminders. The backend server creates a plurality of matching pairs, wherein each matching pair includes a fused context reminder and at least one corresponding possible context-based reminder. The backend server assigns a score to each of the plurality of matching pairs based on a clustering algorithm, compares the score of each matching pair to a threshold score, and in response to determining that the score associated with the matching pair is greater than the threshold score, sets the corresponding possible context-based reminder as a context-based reminder. An output device of the vehicle creates a notification for an occupant indicating the context-based reminder.

[0005] In one aspect, the set of fused contextual factors represents a tensor product of the set of user contextual factors and the set of vehicle contextual factors.

[0006] On the other hand, vehicle-oriented context refers to one or more vehicle contextual factors that affect the vehicle as it travels to a particular destination during a particular time period.

[0007] In yet another aspect, the vehicle contextual factors include one or more of: a vehicle identifier, fuel status, geographic location of the vehicle, battery charge status, engine oil age, spare tire status, and tire pressure.

[0008] In one aspect, user-oriented context refers to one or more occupant context factors related to a vehicle occupant.

[0009] In another aspect, the user-oriented context includes one or more of: a user identifier, a time of day, a daytime or nighttime status, a disability status, a trip length of the occupant, and a distance between the occupant and a particular destination.

[0010] In yet another aspect, the backend server is in wireless communication with a plurality of other vehicles, wherein each of the other vehicles also includes a corresponding context-based reminder system.

[0011] In one aspect, a clustering algorithm creates a plurality of data clusters based on external data collected by a plurality of other vehicles, wherein the external data includes other vehicle-oriented contexts related to a particular one of the plurality of other vehicles and external user-oriented contexts related to occupants of the particular one of the plurality of other vehicles.

[0012] In another aspect, the plurality of data clusters are time-specific data clusters or geography-specific data clusters.

[0013] In yet another aspect, matching pairs are represented by data points that are assigned to one of a plurality of data clusters created by a clustering algorithm.

[0014] In one aspect, the score assigned to a matching pair indicates the distance measured from the data point representing the matching pair and the center of a particular cluster.

[0015] On the other hand, the threshold score represents the maximum allowable radius of a particular cluster.

[0016] In yet another aspect, a backend server executes instructions to receive signals from one or more controllers of a vehicle over a communication network, wherein the signals include user-generated feedback created by an occupant.

[0017] In one aspect, the backend server executes instructions to, in response to receiving the signal, improve the context-based reminder corresponding to the matching pair based on one or more machine learning algorithms to create an improved context-based reminder that is part of the matching pair.

[0018] In another aspect, improving the context-based reminder includes modifying one or more of: the timing of the notification, the content of the message conveyed by the notification, and the manner in which the notification is delivered.

[0019] In yet another aspect, a method for determining a context-based reminder to be communicated to a vehicle occupant by a context-based reminder system is disclosed. The method includes: receiving data indicating a vehicle-oriented context and a user-oriented context from one or more controllers of a vehicle via a communication network by a backend server, wherein the backend server is in wireless communication with the one or more controllers of the vehicle via the communication network. The method includes: determining, by the backend server, a set of user context factors based on the vehicle-oriented context and a set of vehicle context factors based on the user-oriented context. The method also includes: fusing, by the backend server, the set of user context factors with the set of vehicle context factors to create a set of fused context factors, wherein each fused context factor corresponds to at least one possible context-based reminder, the fused context factor is part of the set of fused context factors, and the context-based reminder is part of the set of context-based reminders. The method also includes: creating, by the backend server, a plurality of matching pairs, wherein each matching pair includes a fused context reminder and at least one corresponding possible context-based reminder. The method includes: assigning a score to each of the plurality of matching pairs based on a clustering algorithm. The method also includes: comparing the score of each matching pair with a threshold score. In response to determining that the score associated with the matching pair is greater than a threshold score, the method includes setting the corresponding possible context-based reminder as a context-based reminder, wherein an output device of the vehicle creates a notification for an occupant indicating the context-based reminder.

[0020] On the other hand, a context-based reminder system determines a context-based reminder to be communicated to a vehicle occupant. The context-based reminder system includes a backend server that wirelessly communicates with one or more controllers as part of a vehicle through a communication network. The vehicle includes an output device that electronically communicates with the one or more controllers. The backend server executes instructions to receive data indicating a vehicle-oriented context and a user-oriented context from one or more controllers of the vehicle through the communication network. The backend server determines a set of user context factors based on the vehicle-oriented context and a set of vehicle context factors based on the user-oriented context, wherein the vehicle-oriented context refers to one or more vehicle context factors that affect the vehicle when the vehicle travels to a specific destination during a specific time period, and the user-oriented context refers to one or more occupant context factors related to the vehicle occupant. The backend server fuses the set of user context factors with the set of vehicle context factors to create a set of fused context factors, wherein each fused context factor corresponds to at least one possible context-based reminder, the fused context factor is part of the set of fused context factors, the context-based reminder is part of the set of context-based reminders, and wherein the set of fused context factors represents the tensor product of the set of user context factors and the set of vehicle context factors. The backend server creates a plurality of matching pairs, wherein each matching pair includes a fused contextual reminder and at least one corresponding possible context-based reminder. The backend server assigns a score to each of the plurality of matching pairs based on a clustering algorithm, compares the score of each matching pair to a threshold score, and in response to determining that the score associated with the matching pair is greater than the threshold score, sets the corresponding possible context-based reminder as a context-based reminder, wherein an output device of the vehicle creates a notification for an occupant indicating the context-based reminder.

[0021] In another aspect, the vehicle contextual factors include one or more of: a vehicle identifier, fuel status, geographic location of the vehicle, battery charge status, engine oil age, spare tire status, and tire pressure.

[0022] In yet another aspect, the user-oriented context includes one or more of: a user identifier, a time of day, a daytime or nighttime status, a disability status, a trip length of the occupant, and a distance between the occupant and a particular destination.

[0023] In one aspect, the backend server is in wireless communication with a plurality of other vehicles, wherein each of the other vehicles also includes a corresponding context-based reminder system.

[0024] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein.It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a context-based reminder system according to an exemplary embodiment, the system including a backend server in wireless communication with one or more controllers that are part of a vehicle;

[0027] Figure 2 According to an exemplary embodiment Figure 1 The software architecture block diagram of the back-end server shown; and

[0028] Figure 3 is a process flow diagram according to an exemplary embodiment, which shows a method for Figure 1 The illustrated context-based reminder system determines a method for context-based reminders. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses.

[0030] refer to Figure 1 , a schematic diagram of an exemplary context-based reminder system 10 for a vehicle 12 is shown. It should be understood that the vehicle 12 can be any type of vehicle, such as, but not limited to, a car, a truck, a sport utility vehicle, a van, or an RV. The context-based reminder system 10 includes one or more controllers 20 in electronic communication with a vehicle bus 22, an output device 24, and a user input device 26. The one or more controllers 20 are in wireless communication with a personal electronic device 30 associated with an occupant 36 of the vehicle 12. The one or more controllers 20 are also in wireless communication with a backend server 34 via a communication network 40, wherein the backend server 34 is remote from the vehicle 12 as part of a backend office 38. The backend server 34 represents one or more computers, each of which includes at least one processor, a memory, associated input and output buses, and wireless communication capabilities. The communication network 40 also wirelessly connects the backend server 34 to a plurality of other vehicles 44. The other vehicles 44 represent vehicles 44 that are not associated with the occupant 36 of the vehicle 12 (i.e., the own vehicle). It should be understood that each other vehicle 44 also includes a corresponding context-based reminder system.

[0031] The vehicle bus 22 is any type of vehicle bus that allows one or more controllers 20 to send and receive data to / from other controllers located within the vehicle 12. The other controllers are part of other systems and subsystems that are part of the vehicle 12, such as navigation systems, infotainment systems, driver monitoring systems, and advanced driver assistance systems. The vehicle bus 22 can be, for example, a controller area network (CAN bus). The output device 24 is any type of electronic output device that creates a notification for the occupant 36, wherein the notification includes auditory content, visual content, or both auditory and visual content. For example, in one embodiment, the output device 24 is a display that displays graphics and images, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), wherein the context-based reminder is displayed on the display. In another embodiment, the output device 24 is a speaker that issues an audible notification to the occupant 36 of the vehicle 12, wherein the context-based reminder is the audio that the occupant 36 hears through the speaker. In an embodiment, the output device 24 includes more than one device and can be a multimodal device that creates a notification based on two or more modalities (i.e., audio and visual content).

[0032] The user input device 26 is any type of device for receiving user input, such as a touch screen, keyboard, or microphone. The personal electronic device 30 is any type of portable electronic device including a touch screen 42, one or more processors, and wireless communication capabilities, wherein the personal electronic device 30 is sized to be carried by the occupant 36, such as, but not limited to, a smartphone, a laptop computer, or a tablet computer.

[0033] As described below, the context-based reminder system 10 determines context-based reminders that are communicated by the output device 24 to the occupant 36 of the vehicle 12. Context-based reminders are determined based on both the vehicle-oriented context and the user-oriented context. Therefore, context-based reminders are not user-generated reminders that are explicitly created by the occupant 36. Instead, it should be understood that the context-based reminder system 10 is an intelligent system that determines context-based reminders based on the vehicle-oriented context corresponding to the vehicle 12 and the user-oriented context associated with the occupant 36. With respect to context-based reminders, user-generated reminders are manually created as the user inputs one or more parameters that define the user-generated reminders. For example, these parameters may indicate that a user-defined reminder is triggered at 7 a.m. every weekday morning to remind the user to bring his or her identification card to enter his or her workplace.

[0034] A vehicle-oriented scenario refers to one or more vehicle contextual factors that affect the vehicle 12 when the vehicle is traveling to a particular destination during a particular time period. Some examples of vehicle contextual factors for vehicle-oriented scenarios include, but are not limited to, a vehicle identifier, fuel status, geographic location of the vehicle 12, battery charge status, oil life, spare tire status, and tire pressure. The vehicle identifier is unique to a particular vehicle and can be a vehicle identification number (VIN) in one embodiment. As an example, if the particular destination is a resort several hours away and the particular time period is a weekend, the vehicle contextual factors include the vehicle identifier, oil life, and tire pressure. One or more controllers 20 receive data indicating a vehicle-oriented scenario from the vehicle bus 22.

[0035] User-oriented context refers to one or more user contextual factors related to an occupant 36 of the vehicle 12. The one or more controllers 20 receive data indicating the user-oriented context from the one or more personal electronic devices 30 by providing input to the user input device 26. Some examples of user-oriented context include, but are not limited to, a user identifier, time of day, daytime or nighttime status, disability status, trip length of the occupant 36, and the distance between the occupant 36 and a particular destination. For example, the one or more controllers 20 may receive data indicating the trip length of the occupant 36 from a navigation system that is part of the vehicle 12 via the vehicle bus 22.

[0036] Figure 2 The software architecture of the backend server 34 is shown. The backend server 34 includes a fusion module 50, an analysis module 52, a recommendation database 54, and an improvement module 56. The fusion module 50 of the backend server 34 receives data indicating vehicle-oriented context and user-oriented context from one or more controllers 20 as part of the vehicle 12 via the communication network 40.

[0037] The fusion module 50 of the one or more controllers 20 determines a set of possible context-based reminders R based on data indicative of a vehicle-oriented context and a user-oriented context received via the communication network 40, where there are p possible context-based reminders, or Specifically, first, the fusion module 50 determines a set of user context factors CU based on the vehicle-oriented context. i and determining a set of vehicle context factors CV based on the user-oriented context i .U i represents a unique user identifier corresponding to the occupant 36, where Where n represents n user context factors, V i represents a unique vehicle identifier corresponding to the vehicle 12, wherein m represents m vehicle situation factors.

[0038] Then, the fusion module 50 of the backend server 34 combines the group of user context factors CU i CV with the vehicle scenario factor of the group i fused together to identify a fused set of situational factors in, Situational factors that fused the group Indicates the user context factor CU of this group i and the vehicle background factor CV of the group i The tensor product of sets, or Each fused contextual factor corresponds to at least one possible context-based reminder, the fused contextual factor is part of the set of fused contextual factors, and the context-based reminder is part of the set of context-based reminders R. It should be understood that for the purpose of explanation, the set of vehicle background factors CV i Based on vehicle 12 ( Figure 1 However, it should be understood that the occupant 36 of the vehicle 12 can be associated with multiple vehicles, and each vehicle will include its own set of vehicle context factors. It should also be understood that each vehicle can also be associated with more than one occupant 36.

[0039] As an example, if the occupant 36 is planning a long trip, the set of user context factors CU i include in represents the user identifier, and in, represents the trip length of the occupant 36. The set of vehicle situational factors includes in, Indicates the fuel status. in, Indicates tire pressure, and in, Indicates the spare tire status. The set of possible situation-based reminders R includes as well as

[0040] Then, the fusion module 50 of the backend server 34 creates a plurality of matching pairs, wherein each matching pair includes a fused contextual reminder and at least one corresponding possible context-based reminder, wherein the matching pair is expressed as The analysis module 52 of the backend server 34 receives the plurality of matching pairs as input and assigns a score to each of the plurality of matching pairs based on a clustering algorithm. It should be understood that the clustering algorithm may include supervised learning techniques or unsupervised learning techniques. The clustering algorithm is based on the plurality of other vehicles 44 ( Figure 1) to create multiple data clusters, wherein the external data includes other vehicle-oriented scenarios related to a specific one of the multiple other vehicles 44 and external user-oriented scenarios related to the occupants of the specific one of the multiple other vehicles 44.

[0041] Each matching pair is represented by a data point that is assigned to one of a plurality of data clusters created by a clustering algorithm. The plurality of data clusters are time-specific data clusters or geography-specific data clusters. The time-specific data clusters classify each matching pair as a data point that is part of one of the time-specific data clusters based on a specific time that triggers a possible scenario-based reminder. The specific time refers to a time of day, or, alternatively, a specific day or date of the week. For example, the time of day may refer to between 7 and 9 a.m. on a weekday, when the occupant 36 drives to his or her place of work. The geography-specific data clusters refer to a specific destination that triggers a possible scenario-based reminder. For example, if the destination is an airport, a possible scenario-based reminder will be triggered to remind the occupant 36 to bring his or her passport, boarding pass, and luggage.

[0042] The score assigned to the matching pair indicates the distance measured from the data point representing the matching pair and the center of the particular cluster. Therefore, the score assigned to the matching pair indicates the accuracy with which the data point is assigned to the particular cluster. The analysis module 52 of the back-end server 34 compares the score assigned to the matching pair with a threshold score. The threshold score represents the maximum allowable radius of the particular cluster, wherein the maximum allowable radius is determined based on the maximum allowable size of the particular cluster. In response to determining that the score assigned to the matching pair is greater than the threshold score, the analysis module 52 of the back-end server 34 sets the corresponding possible scenario-based reminder corresponding to the matching pair as a scenario-based reminder, and the matching pair is saved in the recommendation database 54.

[0043] Also refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the contents of the recommendation database 54 of the backend server 34 are shared with one or more controllers 20 of the vehicle 12. The one or more controllers 20 of the vehicle 12 monitor the vehicle bus 22 for triggering events, wherein, in response to detecting the triggering event, the one or more controllers 20 instruct the output device 24 to generate a notification indicating a context-based reminder for an occupant 36 of the vehicle 12. As described above, the notification includes auditory content, visual content, or both auditory and visual content.

[0044] Continue to refer Figure 1 and Figure 2, the triggering event is indicated by an occupant 36 entering the vehicle 12 during shutdown of the vehicle 12 or during startup of the vehicle 12, wherein startup may include activating an accessory mode. One or more controllers 20 receive a signal from the vehicle bus 22 indicating the triggering event, wherein an output device 24 of the vehicle 12 creates a notification indicating a context-based reminder to the occupant in response to receiving the signal indicating the triggering event. It should be understood that the information conveyed by the notification is formatted based on the context.

[0045] The one or more controllers 20 receive user-generated feedback created by the occupant 36, which indicates the effectiveness level of the context-based reminder. The user-generated feedback is explicitly created by the occupant 36 or implicitly created by the occupant 36. The user-generated feedback is explicitly created when the occupant 36 enters a user input indicating the effectiveness level of the context-based reminder into the user input device 26, or explicitly created by accepting or rejecting the context-based reminder. The user-generated feedback is implicitly created based on one or more affirmative actions from the occupant 36, such as navigating the vehicle 12 to a destination associated with the reminder, moving the vehicle 12 out of a parking space, or opening a door of the vehicle 12. For example, if the occupant 36 moves the vehicle 12 out of a parking space without accepting the context-based reminder, the one or more controllers 20 receive the implicitly created user-generated feedback in the form of a signal through the vehicle bus 22 indicating that the occupant 36 moved the vehicle 12 out of the parking space without accepting the context-based reminder.

[0046] In one embodiment, three effectiveness levels are set for the context-based reminders, where the effectiveness levels include helpful, not helpful, or partially helpful. Occupant 36 may indicate that the context-based reminder is partially helpful by providing user input to user input device 26. For example, occupant 36 may provide user input indicating an evaluation score from one to ten, where one indicates that the context-based reminder is not helpful at all and ten indicates that the context-based reminder is completely helpful.

[0047] In response to receiving user-generated feedback created by the occupant 36 indicating the level of effectiveness of the context-based reminder, the one or more controllers 20 transmit a signal to the backend server 34 via the communication network 40, wherein the signal includes the user-generated feedback. In an embodiment, in response to receiving the signal, the backend server 34 improves the context-based reminder corresponding to the matching pair stored in the recommendation database 54, as will be explained below. Specifically, as Figure 2As shown, the improvement module 56 of the backend server 34 receives a signal including as input the user-generated feedback and the matching pairs from the recommendation database 54 and the profile of the occupant 36. The profile of the occupant 36 indicates user-specific information of the occupant 36, such as the occupant's 36 work location, residence location, and total number of family members.

[0048] The improvement module 56 improves the context-based reminder corresponding to the matching pair stored in the recommendation database 54 based on one or more machine learning algorithms to create an improved context-based reminder as part of the matching pair, wherein the one or more machine learning algorithms take into account user-generated feedback and the profile of the occupant. In another embodiment, a regression model creates the improved context-based reminder as part of the matching pair. Improving the context-based reminder corresponding to the matching pair includes modifying the context-based reminder or, alternatively, removing the context-based reminder from the recommendation database 54 in response to receiving user-generated feedback. For example, in one embodiment, if the context-based reminder includes reminding the occupant 36 to bring a wholesale membership card when the destination is a wholesale club, but the user-generated feedback indicates that the reminder is completely unhelpful, the improvement module 56 can remove the context-based reminder from the recommendation database 54.

[0049] Now, the modification of the reminder based on the scenario will be described. In an embodiment, the notification includes the option of editing the reminder based on the information provided by the user-generated feedback created by the occupant 36. For example, in one embodiment, the notification includes the option of accepting, modifying the time of the reminder (e.g., snooze button) or eliminating the reminder. In another embodiment, the notification includes the option of editing the content of the message conveyed by the notification. For example, if the reminder based on the scenario is a message narrating "bring your identification card to work", and if the user-generated feedback created by the occupant 36 indicates that he or she also hopes to be reminded to bring a lunch box to work, the message scenario conveyed by the notification is modified to "bring your identification card and lunch box to work". In another embodiment, the notification includes the option of modifying the way to convey the notification. For example, if the notification generated by the output device 24 is a visual notification displayed on a display and an audio notification played through a speaker, and the user-generated feedback created by the occupant 36 indicates that the occupant prefers to receive only the audio notification, the notification is generated only through the speaker. Therefore, the reminder based on the scenario is improved by modifying at least one of the following: the time of the notification, the content of the message conveyed by the notification, and the way to modify the notification.

[0050] Figure 3 is a process flow diagram illustrating a method 300 for determining a context-based reminder by the context-based reminder system 10. In general, referring to Figures 1 to 3, the method 300 may begin at decision block 302. At block 302, the fusion module 50 of the backend server 34 receives data indicating vehicle-oriented context and user-oriented context from one or more controllers 20 of the vehicle 12 via the communication network 40. The method 300 may then proceed to block 304.

[0051] At block 304, the fusion module 50 of the backend server 34 determines the set of user context factors CU based on the vehicle-oriented context. i and determining the set of vehicle situation factors CV based on the user-oriented situation i The method 300 may then proceed to block 306 .

[0052] At block 306, the fusion module 50 of the backend server 34 combines the group of user context factors CU i CV with the vehicle scenario factor of the group i Situational factors that merge together to create this fusion of groups Each fused contextual factor corresponds to at least one possible context-based reminder, and the fused contextual factor is a set of fused contextual factors. This context-based reminder is part of the contextual factors of the group fusion. Then, the method 300 may proceed to block 308 .

[0053] At block 308 , the fusion module 50 of the backend server 34 creates a plurality of matching pairs, wherein each matching pair includes a fused contextual reminder and at least one corresponding possible context-based reminder. The method 300 may then proceed to block 310 .

[0054] At block 310 , the analysis module 52 of the backend server 34 assigns a score to each of the plurality of matching pairs based on a clustering algorithm. The method 300 may then proceed to decision block 312 .

[0055] At decision block 312, the analysis module 52 of the backend server 34 compares the score of each matching pair to a threshold score. Then, in response to determining that the score is less than or equal to the threshold score, the method 300 may terminate. However, in response to determining that the score associated with the matching pair is greater than the threshold score, the method 300 proceeds to block 314.

[0056] At block 314 , the analysis module 52 of the backend server 34 sets the corresponding possible context-based reminder as a context-based reminder, wherein the output device 24 of the vehicle 12 creates a notification for the occupant 36 indicating the context-based reminder. The method 300 may then proceed to block 316 .

[0057] At block 316 , the matching pairs are saved in the recommendation database 54 of the backend server 34 , wherein the contents of the recommendation database 54 of the backend server 34 are shared with one or more controllers 20 of the vehicle 12 . The method 300 may then proceed to decision block 318 .

[0058] At block 318, the one or more controllers 20 of the vehicle 12 monitor the vehicle bus 22 for a triggering event. In response to detecting the triggering event, the one or more controllers 20 instruct the output device 24 to generate a notification indicating a context-based reminder for the occupant 36 of the vehicle 12. The method 300 may then terminate.

[0059] In general, referring to the accompanying drawings, the disclosed context-based reminder system has various technical effects and benefits. It should be understood that the context-based reminder is not a user-generated reminder that is explicitly created by the user. Instead, the context-based reminder system is an intelligent system that determines the context-based reminder based on a vehicle-oriented context corresponding to the vehicle and a user-oriented context related to the occupant. The context-based reminder system also provides a method for communicating the context-based reminder to the vehicle occupant as part of the back office.

[0060] A controller may refer to an electronic circuit, a combinational logic circuit, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a processor (shared, dedicated or grouped) that executes code, or a portion thereof, or a combination of some or all of the above, such as in a system on a chip. In addition, the controller may be microprocessor-based, such as a computer having at least one processor, memory (RAM and / or ROM), and associated input and output buses. The processor may operate under the control of an operating system residing in the memory. The operating system may manage computer resources so that computer program code embodied as one or more computer software applications (e.g., applications residing in the memory) may have instructions executed by the processor. In an alternative embodiment, the processor may execute the application directly, in which case the operating system may be omitted.

[0061] The description of the present disclosure is merely exemplary in nature, and variations that do not depart from the gist of the present disclosure are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure. These variations should not be regarded as departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A context-based reminder system that determines a context-based reminder to be communicated to a vehicle occupant, the context-based reminder system comprising: A backend server in wireless communication with one or more controllers as part of the vehicle via a communication network, wherein the vehicle includes an output device in electronic communication with the one or more controllers, wherein the backend server executes instructions to: receiving data indicative of a vehicle-oriented context and a user-oriented context from the one or more controllers of the vehicle via the communication network; determining a set of user contextual factors based on the vehicle-oriented context and determining a set of vehicle contextual factors based on the user-oriented context; fusing the set of user contextual factors with the set of vehicle contextual factors to create a set of fused contextual factors, wherein each fused contextual factor corresponds to at least one possible context-based reminder, the fused contextual factor is part of the set of fused contextual factors, and the context-based reminder is part of the set of context-based reminders; creating a plurality of matching pairs, wherein each matching pair includes a fused contextual reminder and at least one corresponding possible context-based reminder; Assigning a score to each of the plurality of matching pairs based on a clustering algorithm; comparing the score for each matching pair to a threshold score; and In response to determining that the score associated with the matching pair is greater than the threshold score, setting the corresponding possible contextual-based reminder as the contextual-based reminder, wherein the output device of the vehicle creates a notification for the occupant indicating the contextual-based reminder.

2. The context-based reminder system according to claim 1, wherein: The set of fused contextual factors represents a tensor product of the set of user contextual factors and the set of vehicle contextual factors.

3. The context-based reminder system according to claim 1, wherein: The vehicle-oriented context refers to one or more vehicle context factors that affect the vehicle when the vehicle travels to a specific destination during a specific time period.

4. The context-based reminder system according to claim 3, wherein: The vehicle contextual factors include one or more of: a vehicle identifier, fuel status, geographic location of the vehicle, battery charge status, engine oil age, spare tire status, and tire pressure.

5. The context-based reminder system of claim 1, wherein: The user-oriented context refers to one or more occupant context factors related to the occupant of the vehicle.

6. The context-based reminder system according to claim 5, wherein: The user-oriented context includes one or more of: a user identifier, a time of day, a daytime or nighttime status, a disability status, a length of the occupant's trip, and a distance between the occupant and a particular destination.

7. The context-based reminder system according to claim 1, wherein: The backend server communicates wirelessly with a plurality of other vehicles, wherein each of the other vehicles also includes a corresponding scenario-based reminder system.

8. The context-based reminder system according to claim 7, wherein: The clustering algorithm creates a plurality of data clusters based on external data collected by the plurality of other vehicles, wherein the external data includes other vehicle-oriented contexts related to a particular one of the plurality of other vehicles and external user-oriented contexts related to occupants of the particular one of the plurality of other vehicles.

9. The context-based reminder system according to claim 8, wherein: The plurality of data clusters are time-specific data clusters or geography-specific data clusters.

10. The context-based reminder system according to claim 9, wherein: The matching pairs are represented by data points that are assigned to one of the plurality of data clusters created by the clustering algorithm.

Images