Method for determining a seat position of a user in a vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a method (10) for determining and outputting a sitting position (21a) of a user in a vehicle (20). The method (10) comprises the following steps: determining (11) a position (23a) of at least one first user device (23) associated with the user outside the vehicle (23) using an electromagnetic transceiver (22); determining (12) a login position (23b) of the user equipment (23) into the vehicle (20) while continuing to use the electromagnetic transceiver (22); determining (13) a sitting position (21c) of the user on the basis of the determined login position (23b); and outputting (14) the determined sitting position (21c) of the user.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiment relates to a method for determining and outputting the seating position of a user in a vehicle. In addition, a computer program product having program code for implementing the method is proposed. Background Art

[0002] In modern motor vehicles, comfort and seat settings are partially stored in a user profile so that when the user is seated on the seat, these comfort and seat settings can be automatically adjusted on the seat. This can avoid the user having to manually adjust each time, especially when frequently changing vehicles or seats. Various methods for identifying the current seat occupant are known.

[0003] Currently, for example, ultra-wideband (UWB) technology is used for position identification of mobile devices (such as smartphones) and for the exchange of a small amount of data. Currently, this technology is focused on vehicle entry. Currently, automatic personalization of comfort functions (seat adjustment, air conditioning adjustment, audio adjustment, etc.) is provided for the driver because only the driver can be uniquely identified based on the key (or digital key), and the driver can be accurately associated with the seating position in the vehicle, i.e., the driver's seat.

[0004] There are methods for detecting the position of a user device in a vehicle. Thus, for example, Zhang, Dongyu proposed a solution in "Ultra-Wideband Ranging for In-Vehicle Smartphone Positioning" (May 13, 2021, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; http: / / hdl.handle.net / 1880 / 113426) that can improve position identification in a vehicle by means of UWB ranging.

[0005] US20190176837A1 proposes a personalization for a vehicle based on the position of body parts. The personalization system for the vehicle includes: an image acquisition device configured to capture a plurality of images of one or more occupants in the vehicle; and a control circuit configured to estimate, based on the plurality of images acquired by the image acquisition device, the plurality of Z heights of a plurality of body parts of each of one or more occupants from a reference position in the vehicle, determine an association relationship between the plurality of Z heights of the plurality of body parts of each of one or more occupants in the vehicle and a plurality of vehicle interior systems based on defined user preferences, and control the plurality of vehicle interior systems based on the estimated plurality of Z heights and the determined association relationship to direct the output of the corresponding vehicle interior system to a specific body part of each of one or more occupants in the vehicle.

[0006] Determining the position of a user device in a vehicle by means of UWB may require a complex system in order to be able to determine the position accurately enough. Existing vehicles may, for example, only have antennas that can cover the external area of the vehicle, for example for digital key access. For example, the identification of the user by means of a camera may be problematic or infeasible, for example due to data protection regulations. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The object of the present disclosure is to provide an improved concept for determining the seating position of a user in a vehicle.

[0008] The object is achieved by the technical solution of the independent claims. Other advantageous embodiments are described in the dependent claims, the following description and in conjunction with the drawings.

[0009] Accordingly, a method for determining and outputting the seating position of a user in a vehicle is proposed. The method comprises the following steps: determining the position of at least one first user device assigned to the user outside the vehicle using an electromagnetic transceiver, and determining the login position of the user device in the vehicle while continuing to use the electromagnetic transceiver. Furthermore, the following are performed: determining the seating position of the user based on the determined login position, and outputting the determined seating position of the user.

[0010] For example, the position of the user device can be determined by means of radio position identification. Advantageously, for this purpose it is sufficient according to the present method to determine the position only outside the vehicle, so that the determination of the position of the user device inside the vehicle can be dispensed with. For example, the existing antennas or transceivers of the vehicle that cover the external area can thus be used, and no other antennas or transceivers for the internal area need to be installed.

[0011] It is detected according to the present method at which login position the user device reaches the vehicle. In most cases, the user to whom the device belongs carries the user device, so that the login position of the device can be equivalent to the login position of the user. Furthermore, the following assumption is made according to the present method: the user mostly sits on the seat at the login position or (for example when multiple users log in at the same login position) at least on a seat near the login position. For example, in some cases it can be assumed that the user sits on the seat closest to the login position, and this seat is thus output as the seating position based on the determined login position. By using this assumption, the method can determine the seating position of the user particularly effectively.

[0012] Compared with other concepts that can identify an occupant based on the position of a mobile phone or a user device associated with the user in a vehicle, according to this method, the seating position of the user is determined or estimated based on the login position. However, the position determination in the interior space according to other concepts may have drawbacks. The positioning and identification of a mobile phone in the interior space of a vehicle is sometimes not as accurate and reliable as in an external area; the mobile phone may be placed at different locations or positions in the vehicle (e.g., charging port, stored in the middle armrest, on the co-pilot seat), and thus cannot be uniquely associated with a seating position in the vehicle (e.g., the second row seat on the left or right). Therefore, when identifying the position of a user device in the interior space of a vehicle, for example, when the user device is on the seat next to the user, the seat next to the user may be incorrectly output as the seating position.

[0013] The advantage of the proposed concept is that it can be evaluated through which door (e.g., the login position) a mobile phone (e.g., a user device associated with the user) enters the interior space of the vehicle, and thus the mobile phone can be associated with a seating position in the vehicle. Therefore, the method provides an algorithm for improving the association between a mobile phone or a user device and the seating position of a user in a vehicle.

[0014] According to one aspect of this method, it is stipulated that determining the seating position includes: selecting a seat in the vehicle that has the minimum distance to the determined login position among multiple seats in the vehicle. Here, as an empirical value, it is utilized that users mostly remain seated on the seat next to the door they logged in through.

[0015] According to one aspect of this method, the determination of the seating position of the user is also carried out using the seat occupancy information of the vehicle. For example, the seating position can be determined considering the time correlation between the login position and the identified occupied seating position. The seat occupancy recognition can be carried out by means of seat belt contact and / or pressure sensors in the seat cushion and / or camera recognition. For example, for evaluating seat occupancy through a camera, anonymous camera recognition may be sufficient, thereby making it easier to meet data protection requirements and without the need to identify the user through image recognition. According to this aspect, the following seat in the vehicle can be determined as the seating position of the user, which has the minimum distance to the determined login position among all occupied seats in the vehicle. Thus, the seating position of the user can be determined more reliably. For example, the user may log in through the rear right door, but then move completely to the left. Now, if it is determined that the user logs in with their user device at the rear right, but only the rear left seat is occupied, the rear left seat can be determined and output as the seating position of the user.

[0016] According to one aspect of the method, the determination of the position of the user device is only carried out outside the vehicle. For example, the position can be determined outside the vehicle up to the login position. As already mentioned, more precise position determination can thus be utilized, for example, compared to the interior area of the vehicle. In addition, an antenna for position identification within the vehicle can be dispensed with.

[0017] According to one aspect, the method further includes associating the login position with a vehicle door. Thus, for example, the seat closest to the vehicle door can be selected as the seating position of the user. When the user arrives in the vehicle with the user device, for example, through a login position associated with the co-driver's door of the vehicle, the co-driver's seat can be output as the seating position for this user.

[0018] According to one aspect, the method further includes checking: whether the vehicle door at the determined login position is open; and in the case where the vehicle door is open, associating the login position with the vehicle door at the determined login position. Then, for example, an inaccurate position identification of the user device can be sufficient. For example, if the login position cannot be clearly distinguished between the front door and the rear door, the login position can be associated with the vehicle door that is exactly open when the other vehicle doors are closed. Thereby, the requirement for the position identification accuracy of the user device can be reduced.

[0019] According to one aspect of the method, an electromagnetic transceiver is used, which is configured to determine the position of the user device with a position accuracy of at least 50 cm (or at least 30 cm, at least 20 cm, or at least 10 cm). In other words, according to the present method, position data with a deviation of up to 30 cm can be sufficient to reliably determine the seating position of the user. Since the method can function even with a relatively inaccurate position determination of the user device, an error greater than 10 cm (or greater than 20 cm) can be set when determining the position. Therefore, the requirement for the accuracy of the transceiver can be reduced, and the method can be implemented more cost-effectively, for example. In contrast, for particularly precise position determination, optionally, an ultra-wideband transceiver is used as the electromagnetic transceiver.

[0020] Multiple users often travel together in a vehicle. Therefore, it can be advantageous to also determine corresponding seating positions for multiple users and thus enable automatic adjustment, for example, based on the respective user profiles. Thus, according to one aspect, the method further includes determining the entry position of another user device, which is associated with another user and moves into the vehicle (e.g., arrives in the vehicle) after the first user device in time. In the case where the same or a sufficiently similar entry position (e.g., the same vehicle door) is determined for two user devices: Output the following seat in the vehicle as the seating position of the other user, which has the minimum distance to the determined entry position among all seats in the vehicle; and output the following seat in the vehicle as the seating position of the first user, which has the second shortest distance to the determined entry position among all (e.g., normally accessible) seats in the vehicle. This feature is based on the experience that the first passenger entering the vehicle moves one position further to leave a seat, for example, located next to the door, for the subsequent passengers entering the vehicle through the same door. Normally accessible seats should be understood as seats that can be reached in the usual way, without having to, for example, climb over the seat backrest. For example, existing sensor devices in the vehicle (e.g., sensors for "seat backrest flipped") can be evaluated here to determine the accessibility of the seats at the moment when the user or the user device enters (e.g., for the case where three users enter through one door, such as the co-driver door).

[0021] Determining the same entry position can include determining sufficiently similar entry positions, especially through the same vehicle door (e.g., associating similar entry positions with the same vehicle door). Two or more entry positions can, for example, potentially be at different locations (e.g., up to 30 cm or up to 60 cm apart from each other), yet be made through the same vehicle door (e.g., two user devices can reach the vehicle through a rear right door).

[0022] The described aspects may cover, for example, application scenarios where multiple passengers log in and move around in the rear seat row. For example, it can be assumed that the last user to log in sits in the seat closest to the door, and the previous users sit next to it in sequence. For example, it can be determined that multiple (e.g., three) user devices log in in sequence. Then, the last user device is matched with the seat closest to the login position, the penultimate user device is matched with the second closest seat to the login position, and the xth user device is matched with the xth closest seat to the login position (e.g., a seat row with multiple positions; e.g., a two-door vehicle with folding seats). Thus, for example, in a two-door vehicle, three users can log in through the passenger door, and the left rear seat is matched with the first user as the seating position, the right rear seat is matched with the second user as the seating position, and the passenger seat is matched with the third user as the seating position.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present method, the output seating position is automatically adjusted according to the user profile of the user associated with the user device. For example, the seat information can be used for automatic adjustment of music, comfort, seat settings, air conditioning systems, etc. Advantageously, the output of the seating position for one or more users can be directly carried out in the vehicle and directly used for automatic adjustment according to the user profile.

[0024] Another aspect relates to a computer program product or non-volatile storage medium having program code for performing the method described above or below when the computer program is executed on a processor, computer, or programmable hardware. Such a program can advantageously be executed on an in-vehicle computer or backend (e.g., a server or cloud service coupled to the vehicle) to perform the proposed method. Thus, for example, the user profile can be called by the vehicle (e.g., online call; e.g., for controlling user settings in a rental vehicle) and set on the seat identified for the user. Description of the Drawings

[0025] Embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings:

[0026] Figure 1 A flowchart of a method for determining and outputting the seating position of a user in a vehicle is shown;

[0027] Figure 2 A schematic example of a user with a user device is shown, where the user logs in to the vehicle through the door and the seating position is determined according to the present method;

[0028] Figure 3 A schematic example of two users with user devices is shown, where the users log in to the vehicle through the same door and the seating positions are determined according to the present method. Detailed Description of the Embodiments

[0029] Various embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some embodiments are shown. In the drawings, for clarity, the thickness dimensions of lines, layers, and / or regions may be exaggerated. In the following description of the drawings that show only some exemplary embodiments, the same reference numerals may represent the same or comparable components.

[0030] An element that is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element may be directly connected or coupled to that other element, or there may be intervening elements therebetween. All terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments belong, unless otherwise defined.

[0031] Figure 1 A flowchart of a method 10 for determining and outputting a seating position of a user in a vehicle is shown. Method 10 includes: determining 11 the position of at least one first user device that is associated with the user and is outside the vehicle, using an electromagnetic transceiver; and determining 12 the log-in position of the user device into the vehicle, continuing to use the electromagnetic transceiver. Subsequently, based on the determined log-in position, determining 13 the seating position of the user, and outputting 14 the determined seating position of the user.

[0032] Based on current technology, such as when applied in digital keys for vehicles that utilize a mobile device (illustrated hereinafter by way of example with a smartphone), ultra-wideband (UWB) technology or similar short-range wireless communication technologies can be used to also identify / authenticate all other persons (driver and passengers) within the vehicle, and then provide automatic personalization of comfort functions for said persons in their exact seats. To achieve this, with the disclosure described herein, the following steps are required: 1. The user (e.g., a passenger) has an account with a unique, distinct ID number. On this ID number, personal settings of comfort functions for each seating position (driver, co-driver, rear seat) are stored, for example, in a backend; 2. The unique ID number is stored on the user device, such as a smartphone; 3. Once the user is near the vehicle, the position of the smartphone is identified via UWB, and the unique ID number is exchanged; 4. The position identification in front of the vehicle (external area) is so good that, in particular, from coupled information such as "co-driver door opened" and the smartphone arriving from the external area of the vehicle into the internal area near the door (or, if the UWB position identification inside the vehicle is not good enough or does not exist, the smartphone simply disappears from the external area of the vehicle and / or is no longer detected), it is inferred that the user with the ID number is seated at the corresponding seating position (in this case, the co-driver seat). Optionally, the information can be verified with other information from occupant identification: whether there is indeed a person sitting in this seating position; 5. The vehicle automatically loads the personal settings for comfort functions stored for the ID number from the backend / smartphone and adopts these settings for the corresponding seat. One aspect of the concept is to associate the information "door opened / closed" with the precise position identification of the smartphone in order to thus identify through which door the smartphone enters the vehicle and determine the seating position.

[0033] Figure 2 Schematic example of a user with a user device 23 who logs into a vehicle 20 through a door and determines their seating position 21c according to the method 10. The user moves from a starting position 23a in the external area of the vehicle 20 to a login position 23b. Assuming the user carries their user device 23 with them, the path and login position 23b of the user together with the user device 23 are determined by position identification of the user device 23. According to the method 10, the position identification of the user device 23 can be carried out using a transceiver 22 of the vehicle 20 (e.g., a UWB transceiver).

[0034] The vehicle 20 has, for example, four seats 21a - 21d, and the boarding position 23b can be closest to the left - rear seat 21c. For example, the boarding position 23b can be arranged in correspondence with the left - rear door (not shown). Based on the assumption of the determined boarding position 23b, the user with the user device 23 sits directly on the seat 21c at the boarding position 23b. Therefore, in this case, the left - rear seat 21c is output as the seating position of the user of the user device 23.

[0035] More details and aspects are mentioned in connection with the embodiments described before or after. Figure 2 The embodiments shown may have one or more optional additional features that correspond to one or more aspects, the one or more aspects being mentioned in connection with the proposed concept or in connection with one or more of the above - described (e.g. Figure 1 ) or below - described (e.g. Figure 3 ) embodiments.

[0036] Figure 3 shown Figure 2 A schematic example of the vehicle 20 shown, which has two users with respectively arranged user devices 23, 30, the users boarding the vehicle 20 through the same door and the seating positions 21c, 21d of the users being determined according to the method 10.

[0037] By means of radio position identification, the positions of the user devices 23, 30 outside the vehicle 20 can be accurately determined (e.g. with a precision deviation of less than 20 cm) using the transceiver 22. Thereby, the start position 23a of the first user device 23 and the start position 30a of the second user device 30 can be determined. The two user devices 23, 30 can be located at a distance from each other (e.g. less than 50 cm) at the boarding positions 23b, 30b in the vehicle that are adjacent to each other. For example, both boarding positions 23b, 30b can be arranged in correspondence with the right - rear door. For example, when the two user devices 23, 30 board, the front - passenger door can be closed while the right - rear door is open, so that it can be inferred with high certainty that the two user devices 23, 30 reach the vehicle 20 through the right - rear door.

[0038] For example, the vehicle can have two seats at the rear, namely the right - hand seat 21d and the left - hand seat 21c. If the first user device 23 arrives in the vehicle 20 before the second user device 30 in terms of time, it can be inferred therefrom that the first user moves and makes room for the second user. Therefore, the following information can be determined and output: the user of the first user device 23 uses the left - hand seat 21c as the seating position, while the user of the second user device 30 uses the right - hand seat 21d as the seating position.

[0039] In the case where, for example, a middle seat can also be provided in the rear region of the vehicle 20, seat occupancy recognition can be employed, for example, to more precisely determine the seating position. For example, if the middle seat and the right seat 21d are occupied, it can be inferred therefrom that the first user has moved to the middle seat and the second user is seated on the right seat 21d.

[0040] More details and aspects are mentioned in connection with the embodiments described before or after. Figure 3 The embodiments shown may have one or more optional additional features, which correspond to one or more aspects, and the one or more aspects are mentioned in connection with the proposed concept or in connection with one or more of the above (e.g. Figure 1 - Figure 2 ) or the embodiments described below.

[0041] An example relates to a method for identifying and authenticating drivers and passengers in a vehicle. The steps of the method can be: 1. The user (passenger) has an account with a unique and distinct ID number. On this ID number, the individual settings of the comfort functions for each seating position (driver, co-driver, rear seat) are stored in the backend; 2. The unique ID number is stored on the smartphone; 3. Once the user is near the vehicle, the position of the smartphone is identified via UWB and the unique ID number is exchanged; 4. The position recognition in front of the vehicle is so good that from information such as "the co-driver's door is opened" and the smartphone arrives from the external area of the vehicle into the internal area near the door (or, if the UWB position recognition in the vehicle is not good enough, the smartphone only disappears from the external area of the vehicle or is no longer detected), it is inferred that the user with this ID number is seated at the corresponding seating position (in this case, the co-driver's seat). This information can be re-verified using the information from the occupant recognition: whether there is indeed a passenger sitting at this seating position; 5. The vehicle automatically loads from the backend / smartphone the personal settings for the comfort functions stored for this ID number and adopts these settings for the corresponding seat. The case with multiple users can also be covered: for example, two smartphones log in through one of the rear doors (e.g. the left rear door). It can be inferred therefrom that the first logged-in smartphone or user device or user "moves" and is thus assigned to the right rear seat, and subsequently the second smartphone or user device or user is assigned to the left rear seat. The method enables the seating position to be assigned to the user device in the vehicle based on radio, where the radio position recognition device outside the vehicle is sufficient to determine the seating position.

Claims

1. A method (10) for determining and outputting a seating position (21a) of a user in a vehicle (20), the method (10) comprising: - determining (11) a position (23a) of at least one first user device (23) associated with the user outside the vehicle (23) using an electromagnetic transceiver (22); - determining (12) a login position (23b) of the user device (23) into the vehicle (20) while continuing to use the electromagnetic transceiver (22); - determining (13) the seating position (21c) of the user based on the determined login position (23b); and - outputting (14) the determined seating position (21c) of the user.

2. The method (10) according to claim 1, wherein, Determining (13) the seating position (21c) includes: selecting a seat (21c) of the vehicle (20) that has a minimum distance to the determined login position (23b) among a plurality of seats (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d) of the vehicle (20).

3. The method (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The determination (13) of the seating position (21c) of the user is further performed using seat occupancy information of the vehicle (20).

4. The method (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The determination (11) of the position of the user device (23) is only performed outside the vehicle (20).

5. The method (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: - associating the login position (23b) with a vehicle door of the vehicle (20).

6. The method (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: - checking whether a vehicle door at the determined login position (23b) is open; and - in the case where the vehicle door is open, associating the login position (23b) with the vehicle door at the determined login position (23b).

7. The method (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, Using an electromagnetic transceiver (22) configured to determine the position (23a, 23b) of a user device (23, 30) with a positioning accuracy of at least 30 cm.

8. The method (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, Using an ultra-wideband transceiver as the electromagnetic transceiver (22).

9. The method (10) according to claim 1 or any one of claims 3 to 8, further comprising: - determining a login position (30b) of another user device (30) associated with another user and the other user device moving into the vehicle (20) after the first user device (23) in time; and in the case where the same login position (23b, 30b) is determined for two user devices (23, 30): - outputting the following seat (21d) of the vehicle (20) as the seating position (21d) of the other user, the seat having a minimum distance to the determined login position (23b, 30b) among all seats (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d) of the vehicle (20); and - Output the following seat (21c) of the vehicle (20) as the seating position (21c) of the first user, where the seat has the second shortest distance to the determined boarding position (23b, 30b) among all seats (21c, 21d) of the vehicle (20) that can be normally reached from the boarding position (23b, 30b).

10. The method (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, Automatically adjust the output (14) seating position (21c) according to the user profile of the user associated with the user device (23).

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