Method for determining a setting value of a vehicle component and for adjusting the vehicle component

Abstract

Method for determining a setting value of a vehicle component and for adjusting the vehicle component, the method comprising: Collecting user-specific body data of a user; Deriving the user’s body measurements from the user-specific body data; Determining the setting value of the vehicle component of an adjustment function of the vehicle component derived from an adjustment field; wherein the adjustment field has setting values ​​of the vehicle component depending on the body measurements of a plurality of persons of a standard collective, where body measurements are known for each of the large number of people in the standard collective and the adjustment field is determined by simulating a vehicle-specific posture and at least one resulting setting value of at least one vehicle component is determined for the plurality of persons of the standard collective, where the adjustment function is determined based on the adjustment field as a parameterized homomorphic mapping of the body measurements of the standard collective to the setting values ​​of the vehicle components; and Adjust the vehicle component according to the determined setting value.

Description

The invention relates to a method for determining a setting value of a vehicle component and for setting the vehicle component.The adjustment of vehicle components, such as exterior mirrors, vehicle seat and steering wheel, contributes not only to the ergonomy and thus to driver satisfaction, but is also of great importance for traffic safety. Even if assist systems are increasingly installed in vehicles, which enable, for example, an electric driver seat adjustment, the setting of all vehicle components is still time-consuming. This is all the more true when multiple drivers use the same vehicle. In addition, there is always the possibility of non-optimum setting of the vehicle components, which can be detrimental to the comfort of the vehicle passenger and to the safety thereof.To assist in the adjustment of vehicle components, indications are often found in the vehicle's boarding book or alternative information sources. Modern displays also allow interactive guidance of the user. In addition, modern vehicles often have the possibility of storing manually performed settings of a user. It is also known to link settings stored in this way locally to a profile and to perform automatic setting of the components when the user enters the vehicle or even already when he approaches it.The methods known from the prior art, however, initially always assume manual setting of the vehicle components. An unsafe and uncomfortable setting of the vehicle components by a user is thus not excluded. In addition, the manual setting delays at least one initial start of travel. Automated setting of vehicle components has not been known to date.DE 10 2017 100 482 A1 describes a method for monitoring a seat position and thus a posture of a driver using at least one sensor arranged in the vehicle seat. If a poor posture state is detected by means of the sensor, a warning signal for the driver and, if appropriate, a control signal for correcting the detected state are output. A poor posture state is detected when a seating angle is greater or less than a predetermined threshold range. How this threshold value range is determined is not disclosed in DE 10 2017 100 482 A1.EP 3 251 889 A1 discloses a method for adapting the seat position of a driver. In this case, a current seat position in the form of a pressure distribution detected in the seat by means of pressure sensors is compared with stored pressure distributions. The stored pressure distributions may have been recorded beforehand for the same driver, for example in order to avoid the latter remaining in the same seating position for too long. Alternatively, the stored pressure distributions may correspond to ergonomic seating postures, but it is not disclosed how such pressure distributions are to be determined.DE 10 2010 062 317 A1 discloses a positioning device for a vehicle seat which selects a parameter set on the basis of a multiplicity of parameter sets for vehicle seat settings and a body size of a user and uses this to actuate a control device for positioning a vehicle seat. DE 20 2013 002 800 U1 discloses an adjustment system for an automobile seat which performs adjustments on the basis of measurements of a user, wherein the measurements are carried out using an imaging camera. US 2016 / 0 368 509 A1 describes a method for determining a suitable position of an adjustable component of a vehicle on the basis of an image of an occupant of the vehicle recorded by a 3D camera. US 2012 / 0 053 794 A1 discloses a system for automatically adjusting a component of a vehicle based on information about the size of the driver. US 2012 / 0 086 249 A1 describes the determination of a seat solution on the basis of the data of a vehicle occupant, on the basis of the calculation of the body dimensions from the occupant data and on the basis of the calculation of a most suitable body arrangement for the occupant. DE 10 2013 001 365 A1 relates to a three-dimensional CAD vision model that enables quantification of vision properties by defining the properties of vision and defining the quantification of these properties. None of these references discloses determining seat settings for a plurality of people of a standard collective.The object of the invention is therefore to overcome or at least reduce the disadvantages of the prior art and to provide a method for determining a setting value for a vehicle component and for setting the vehicle component, which method reduces the setting effort for a user and prevents incorrect manual settings of the vehicle components.The object according to the invention is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Preferred refinements are the subject matter of the dependent claims.A first aspect of the present invention relates to a method for determining a setting value of a vehicle component and for setting the vehicle component using the method steps described below. The method is preferably carried out by a vehicle, in particular a control device of a vehicle. However, individual aspects of the method can also be executed by a peripheral device, such as a smartphone or a tablet, or a network server, or in the cloud. In such a case, the control device of the vehicle, optionally using at least one communication module of the vehicle, checks the communication with the peripheral device and / or the network server and sends and / or receives the information relevant to the method.In a first method step, user-specific body data of a user are acquired. In other words, information characterizing the body of a specific user (driver) is acquired. The user-specific body data is preferably data which is known to the user himself and can be entered by the user via a user interface. Alternatively preferably, the user-specific body data relate to such information that can be easily acquired or provided by the user or a helper.In a preferred embodiment, the user-specific body data is a whole body recording, a body size, a weight, a clothes size and / or a BMI of the user. Particularly preferably, the user-specific body data, in particular a body size, a weight and / or a BMI, are input by the user directly via a user interface of the vehicle, for example a touchscreen of a multimedia system. Alternatively, the user-specific body data, for example as a whole body recording, video, 3D body scan or body weight, is captured by means of a peripheral device, for example a mobile terminal or 3D scanner, and transmitted from this peripheral device to the vehicle. It is essential that, when the user-specific body data are acquired, a sufficient database is created for all the information required for setting the vehicle components.In a further step of the method according to the invention, body measurements of the user are derived from the acquired user-specific body data. The body dimensions in this case denote a minimum set of data which are required for setting a specific vehicle component or for simulating a human model. The body dimensions relate in particular to body joint dimensions describing the proportions of the user. Preferably, the body dimensions comprise the hip point (H point), the body height, the trunk length, a proportion indicator / proportion (trunk length by body height), the leg length, the arm length and / or the position of knees and elbows of a user. In addition, further body dimensions can be derived which describe, for example, the abdominal periphery of a user or orthopedic peculiarities of a user, such as, for example, a hollow cross.Finally, in the method according to the invention, at least one setting value of at least one vehicle component is determined on the basis of an adjustment function of the vehicle component derived from an adjustment field. The setting value of the vehicle component corresponds to a setting, preferably exactly one setting, of this vehicle component, for example in the form of a spatial position or the like. The determination of the setting value takes place automatically in the method according to the invention and is made possible in that the adjustment field contains a plurality of setting values of the vehicle component depending on a plurality of body dimensions. In other words, the adjustment field is an LUT or a graphical representation which contains adjustment values of a vehicle component as a function of body dimensions. According to the invention, the adjustment function is a homomorphic mapping of body dimensions to adjustment values of a vehicle component. In other words, the adjustment function maps elements from the set of body dimensions into the set of adjustment values such that the adjustment values behave in the same way as the body dimensions with respect to the structure of the set. This advantageously allows, on the basis of the body dimensions and the adjustment values simulated therewith of the persons of the standard collective, the parameterization (fitness) of a homomorphic mapping, in particular of a transformation matrix, so that this maps the body dimensions homomorphically to the adjustment values. On the basis of the data records of the body dimensions and the simulated setting values, such parameterizing (fitting) of a homomorphic image can be carried out using known math programs.According to the invention, the adjustment field has a plurality of body dimensions of a plurality of persons of a standard collective. The standard collective comprises a plurality of persons with different body structures, i.e. in particular with different body heights, h-points, trunk lengths, etc. The person-standard collective is preferably representative of the population of a country and / or a specific time.In the method according to the invention, body dimensions are known for each of the plurality of persons of the standard collective. These data sets have preferably been acquired by surveys or experimentally by surveying a statistically representative group of users, particularly preferably over a relatively long period of time. Such anthropometric data sets are known to the person skilled in the art. The method according to the invention further comprises simulating a vehicle-specific posture for the plurality, preferably each of the plurality, of persons of the standard collective. In other words, at least one posture in the specific vehicle is simulated for each of the persons on the basis of the body dimensions of the standard collective and using data characterizing a specific vehicle, for example CAD data. Preferably, for each person, a plurality of postures are simulated in the specific vehicle, and a preferred posture is selected from the plurality of simulated postures. The preferred posture is, for example, particularly ergonomic with respect to one or more vehicle components, such as, for example, seat, steering wheel, pedals, and exterior and interior mirrors.The method according to the invention thus advantageously enables the automated determination of at least one setting value of at least one vehicle component by means of an adjustment function. The automatically determined setting value is intended in particular to replace an initial manual setting and thus to avoid rough errors in the setting of a vehicle component, for example with regard to ergonomy or driving safety. Essential to the invention is the use of the adjustment function.In a next method step, the vehicle component is adjusted according to the ascertained adjustment value. The setting value is, for example, a seat position in the adjustment field of the seat surface, in particular an x- and z-coordinate in the adjustment field of the seat surface. It may thus be necessary to process the setting value obtained from the adjustment function further before adjustment of the vehicle component is actually possible. This further processing particularly preferably consists of a transformation of the setting value into a coordinate system of the vehicle. For example, a seat surface of the vehicle seat can have an inclination with respect to the horizontal, so that x- and z-coordinates related to the horizontal must be adjusted accordingly. This further processing of the determined adjustment values likewise preferably consists in a transformation of the same into a step size of one or more adjusting motors, in particular in the case of a torso angle.The method for setting a vehicle component is a method carried out by a vehicle, in particular a modern vehicle having one or more wireless interfaces and network access. The method begins with determining a set value as described above. This is preferably automated as soon as the user approaches the vehicle to a specific distance or alternatively requires authorization by the user and / or the starting of a specific application. As explained herein, the vehicle either receives the user-specific body data from a peripheral device or detects the latter itself, for example a driver weight by means of pressure sensors. On the basis of this user-specific body data, the vehicle determines the body dimensions and / or the setting values themselves, as described herein. Alternatively, the vehicle transmits the user-specific body data and / or the body measurements to a network server. The network server then determines the body dimensions and / or the adjustment values, as described herein, and transmits them to the vehicle. The network server is, for example, a backend server of a vehicle manufacturer or of a fleet operator, which can be contacted for the user in a charge-free manner particularly preferably by the vehicle (also on the foreign country).In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the determined at least one setting value of at least one vehicle component is linked to a user ID. The user ID allows a unique identification of the user, in particular by data processing devices. The user ID is preferably designed as a profile which comprises further information of the user, such as name, favourite music, climate preferences or the like. Furthermore, the setting values are preferably transmitted to a network server together with the user ID. Linking the user's setting values to the user ID and transmitting this information to a network server advantageously subsequently allows decentral retrieval of this information by network access.Furthermore, according to this preferred embodiment, a setting value for at least one vehicle component, preferably for a plurality of vehicle components, is determined for each person of the standard collective on the basis of at least one simulated posture, in particular the preferred posture selected therefrom. In other words, the simulation is fed with the body measurements of a plurality of persons of a standard collective as input data and outputs a plurality of vehicle-specific setting values, preferably for each of the plurality of persons, as output values. From the body dimensions used as input data and the setting values simulated for these body dimensions, a vehicle-specific adjustment field is created, which can be used in the method according to the invention.Body measurements are preferably derived from the user-specific body data by means of a control unit of a vehicle. Alternatively, the vehicle can, however, also transmit the user-specific body data acquired by itself or received, for example, from a peripheral device to a network server, for example, in the cloud. The body measurements are then preferably determined in the network server and transmitted to the vehicle. Likewise preferably, the setting values are determined by means of an adjustment function by a control device of the vehicle. Alternatively, however, the setting values are also determined in the network server, wherein the adjustment function is stored in the network server. The simulation of the vehicle-specific posture of the user is also preferably carried out in the network server on the basis of the body measurements thereof and by means of sufficient computing power. Preferably, however, the simulation of the postures of persons takes place in advance of the method according to the invention and / or the adjustment field or the adjustment function is stored locally in the vehicle.In a likewise preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the simulation of the vehicle-specific posture and at least one setting value of at least one vehicle component that follows it for the plurality of persons of the standard collective is carried out by a computer-supported human model, that is to say by means of a three-dimensional, exemplary, virtual reproduction of a real person.Computer-based human models have been developed since 1960s and a large number of such computer-based human models are known to the person skilled in the art from the prior art. Examples of computer-aided human models include the BoeMan, Safety, Tempus models, but are in part two-dimensional models, as well as the completely three-dimensional models AnySim, Jack model, eM human, human builder, Santos, BHMS, SAMMIE. For this purpose, digital human models are described, inter alia, in the publication Muhlstedt J. (2016). In: Bullinger-Hoffmann A., Muhlstedt J. (eds) Homo Sapiens Digitalis - Virtual Ergonomy and Digital Human Models. Springer Vieweg, Berlin, Heidelberg, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.Particularly preferably, the simulation of the vehicle-specific posture and at least one setting value of at least one vehicle component that follows it for the plurality of persons of the standard collective is carried out by a computer-supported anthropometric-mathematical system for occupant simulation, RAMSIS for short. RAMSIS is also a 3D human model known to the skilled person in the form of software for ergonomic analysis of CAD designs. In a likewise preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the simulated adjustment field is supplemented by known methods of interpolation and extrapolation.In the context of the present invention, a computer-aided human model, preferably RAMSIS, is thus used to create a vehicle-specific adjustment field for at least one vehicle component of a vehicle by simulating a preferred posture for each of a plurality of persons of a standard collective on the basis of body dimensions of these persons; by deriving at least one setting value of a vehicle component on the basis of this preferred posture; and by defining the adjustment field by linking the simulated setting values to the associated body dimensions. Furthermore, the standard person collective and the body dimensions thereof are preferably part of the database of the computer-assisted human model, preferably of the RAMSIS 3D human model. As already explained, the simulation is preferably carried out on a network basis on the basis of the body dimensions of a specific user and the CAD data for a specific vehicle (both preferably received by the vehicle) as part of the method according to the invention for determining the setting value. Alternatively, the simulation preferably takes place in advance, for example in a data center of a vehicle manufacturer, and in the method according to the invention, only the adjustment function determined from the adjustment field created by the simulation is accessed, which adjustment function is particularly preferably stored locally in the vehicle.In a first particularly preferred embodiment of the method, the vehicle component is a vehicle seat and the setting value is a seat position. The seat position preferably denotes a position of the seat surface in space, particularly preferably in the coordinate system of the vehicle. For this purpose, only a center of gravity, a reference point or another characteristic point of the seat surface can be considered in a simplified manner. Furthermore, a seat surface is usually adjustable only in height and in the front and rear direction. Consequently, the adjustment field according to this embodiment preferably has the position of the seat surface as a set value, in particular as an x- and a z-coordinate, depending on body dimensions of a user, in particular a body height and a trunk length of the user. The x and z coordinates can be coordinates in the vehicle network of the vehicle or coordinates in the adjustment field of the seat. Alternatively or additionally, the adjustment value is the torso angle, i.e. the angle between the seat surface and the seat back. For this purpose, a separate adjustment field can be provided, for example as its own LUT, or the adjustment field of the seat can have both the seat position and the torso angle.In a further preferred embodiment, the vehicle component is a steering wheel and the setting value is the steering wheel position. The steering wheel is also usually adjustable only in height and forward and rearward, so that the adjustment values preferably in turn have only x and z components of the steering wheel. Consequently, the adjustment field according to this embodiment preferably has the position of the steering wheel as a set value, in particular as an x- and a z-coordinate, depending on body dimensions of a user, in particular a body height and a trunk length of the user.The method steps of the method according to the invention can be implemented by electrical or electronic components (hardware), by firmware (ASIC) or can be realized by executing a suitable program (software). The method for adjusting a vehicle component is preferably additionally carried out using at least one servomotor and / or actuator of the vehicle component.The method according to the invention is preferably realized or implemented by a combination of hardware, firmware and / or software. For example, individual components for carrying out individual method steps are designed as a separately integrated circuit or are arranged on a common integrated circuit.Further preferably, components configured to perform individual method steps are arranged on a printed (flexible) circuit carrier (PCB), a tape carrier package (TCP) or another suitable substrate.The individual method steps of the methods according to the invention are furthermore preferably embodied as one or more processes which run on one or more processors in one or more electronic computing devices and are generated during the execution of one or more computer programs.The electronic computing devices are preferably designed to use other components, for example radio modules, input means or user interfaces, in order to realize the functionalities described herein.The computer programs are preferably stored in a volatile memory, for example a RAM element, or in a nonvolatile storage medium, such as a CD-ROM, a flash memory or the like.It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the functionalities of multiple computers (data processing devices) may be combined or combined in a single device or that the functionality of a particular data processing device may be distributed among a plurality of devices to perform the steps of the methods of the invention without departing from the methods of the invention.A further aspect of the present invention relates to a vehicle configured to carry out the method according to the invention. The vehicle preferably has a control unit, for example a CPU, a memory, for example RAM, vehicle components, such as, for example, a driver's seat with servomotors, external mirrors with servomotors and a steering wheel with servomotors and / or actuators, wherein the CPU is particularly preferably designed to carry out the steps of the method according to the invention. Further preferably, the vehicle components comprise an interior mirror of the vehicle, the passenger seat, seats of a second seat row and / or a belt deflector.A further aspect of the invention relates to a computer program product comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out a method according to the invention as described above. A further aspect of the invention relates to a computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a vehicle according to the invention as described above, cause said vehicle to execute a method according to the invention as described above. The storage medium is preferably a volatile memory, for example a RAM element, or a nonvolatile memory, such as a flash memory or the like.Further preferred embodiments of the invention result from the other features mentioned in the dependent claims. Unless stated otherwise, the various embodiments mentioned herein can be combined with one another with advantage.The invention is explained below in exemplary embodiments with reference to the associated drawings. The following are shown: FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an adjustment field of a vehicle seat with body dimensions entered therein; FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of the adjustment field of the vehicle seat according to FIG. 1 with coordinates of the seat surface entered therein; FIG. 3 shows the comparison of the body dimensions of FIG. 1 entered in corresponding coordinate systems with the setting values of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 shows a schematic representation of the transformation matrix used for homomorphic mapping of the body dimensions to the setting values; FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration of an adjustment field of a vehicle seat with body dimensions entered therein and a torso angle as the setting value; FIG. 6 shows a regression of the torso angle as a function of the root length; and FIG. 7 shows a schematic illustration of an adjustment field of a steering wheel with coordinates of the steering wheel entered therein.FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an adjustment field of a vehicle seat with body dimensions entered therein. In particular, the body heights (KH) and the proportions (Prop) of a plurality of persons of a standard collective are arranged along the axes body height (short arrow) and proportions (long arrow). The proportions correspond to a ratio of stem length and body height (stem length by body height).These anthropometric data are based on empirically recorded values, for example by interrogation and / or 3D scans, and are stored in a database. Indicators of groups of persons with the syntax F / M-XX-YyZz are also assigned to different points of the adjustment field of FIG. 1. These indicators are arranged at crossing points of isolines of the body size or isolines of the proportions. Here, F or M denotes the individual's sex as female (F) or male (M). The following statement XX indicates a percentile related to the body size and thus how many percent of the standard collective is smaller than the body size corresponding to the respective isoline. The term Yy denotes various types of bodies, and is one of "di" for "thick", "mi" for "medium", and "du" for "thin". The indication Zz also denotes different body types and is one of "Sz" for "seating force", "Sr" for "seating spray", and "mi" for "means". The body type indicators YyZz thus characterize a body type more accurately than would be possible solely by means of the body height and the stem length.The database with the body dimensions on which the adjustment field of FIG. 1 is based is in particular a database of a computer-assisted human model, preferably of a computer-assisted anthropometric mathematical system for occupant simulation, RAMSIS. This database preferably also contains probability functions for joint angles (ergonomy) and restrictions, for example with respect to the mobility of various joints.This database is preferably used together with CAD data of a vehicle, in particular CAD data which have the positions and adjustment possibilities of at least one and preferably a plurality of vehicle components, in order to simulate seat postures of the human model in the vehicle represented by the CAD data on the basis of the body dimensions. Furthermore, a preferred seat position is selected from the simulated seat positions and the adjustment values of the vehicle components corresponding to this preferred seat position are determined from the simulation. Thus, the body dimensions of the adjustment field of FIG. 1 are the input values of the simulation carried out by means of RAMSIS as a computer-assisted human model, which produces at least one setting value of at least one vehicle component as an output value for each or at least some of the points of the adjustment field of FIG. 1. These setting values taken from the simulation can finally be combined with the body dimensions via the adjustment field.FIG. 2 shows the adjustment field of the vehicle seat according to FIG. 1, but with coordinates of the seat surface entered therein, in particular a reference point of the seat surface. The adjustment field thus corresponds to a region that can be approached by the seat surface. Furthermore, the coordinates can be related to an arbitrary zero point. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the Y coordinate is the same for all positions, and the seat surface is therefore adjustable only in height and can be moved forwards and backwards. The adjustment field of FIG. 2 is identical to that of FIG. 1, only the information shown differs. The adjustment field is a data structure which contains the body dimensions of FIG. 1 and at least one setting value of a vehicle component for each of these body dimensions, such as for example the seat surface position of the vehicle seat illustrated for example in FIG. 2.The adjustment field essential to the invention thus advantageously enables the automated determination of setting values of at least one vehicle component with respect to known body dimensions of a user. The setting value determined in this way then advantageously enables the automated setting of the respective vehicle component, for example before the user enters a vehicle for the first time. This is also advantageous in particular for car rentalers and fleet operators. The adjustment field is thus necessary for carrying out the methods according to the invention. In order to minimize the storage space required for this, an adjustment function derived from the adjustment field is used according to the invention for determining the adjustment values on the basis of the body dimensions.FIG. 3 shows, by way of example, the values of the body dimensions of the adjustment field of FIG. 1, i.e. the body height (KH) and the proportions (Prop), in an upper coordinate system. The seat surface positions of the adjustment field of FIG. 2, i.e. the seat surface position, are likewise represented as x- and z-coordinates in a lower coordinate system. As can be seen from FIG. 3, at least a suitable scaling of the axes leads to a similar structure of the value ranges in the respective coordinate systems. In particular, the value ranges can obviously be transformed into one another by scaling, rotation and perspective distortion. Such transformations can be represented in combination by a transformation matrix, as exemplarily shown in FIG. 4.The calculation of the transformation matrix itself is unproblematic on the basis of the available data relating to the body dimensions and the seat surface positions. As a rule, only the value ranges to be mapped onto one another have to be input in an orderly manner into a suitable math program, whereupon a calculation can thus take place automatically. An adjustment function can thus be easily determined as a transformation matrix of a homomorphic mapping of the body dimensions of a user to adjustment values of a vehicle component with knowledge of the adjustment field or the adjustment field of FIGS. 1 and 2.A schematic illustration of an adjustment field of a vehicle seat with body dimensions entered therein and a torso angle as the setting value is shown in FIG. 5. This will only be described insofar as it deviates from the adjustment fields of FIGS. 1 and 2. The adjustment field of FIG. 5 can be an alternative adjustment field, for example as an alternative LUT, to the adjustment fields of FIGS. 1 and 2. Alternatively, it is again only a different representation of the same data structure as the displacement fields of FIGS. 1 and 2 The torso angles represented in the displacement field of FIG. 5 were likewise carried out by means of simulation by a RAMSIS tool as a computer-supported human model in a vehicle-specific manner using CAD data also for the vehicle. The adjustment field can advantageously be stored as an LUT in a vehicle and thus enables the automated setting of the angle between backrest and seat surface solely on the basis of known body dimensions of a user.In order to make it possible to reduce the storage requirement for the LUT of the torso angle again, it is desirable in turn to derive an adjustment function. It has been found that the height of the upper body (trunk length) is at least in some regions almost linear to the torso angle. This linear dependence is shown in FIG. 6. As can be seen from the figure, an adjustment function can be determined on the basis of two linear regressions ("Model 1" and "Model 2"). In this case, one of the two regressions is used as an adjustment function as a function of the root length. In the example of FIG. 6, the limit is approximately at a trunk length of 90 cm or a body height of 1.82 m. The use of the linear regressions of FIG. 6 advantageously enables the adjustment of the torso angle of a driver's seat solely on the basis of the body size of a user.FIG. 7 shows a schematic illustration of an adjustment field of a steering wheel with coordinates of the steering wheel entered therein. This will only be described insofar as it deviates from the adjustment fields of FIGS. 1 and 2. The adjustment field again contains a quantity of body dimensions, which are plotted along the axes body height and proportions. Distinctive points of the adjustment field are again body type indicators, as already described with reference to FIG. 1. The steering wheel is likewise movable only in height and forwards and backwards, the adjustment field is thus once again two-dimensional and enables a steering wheel position to be derived from the body height and the proportions. Experience has shown that the steering wheel position depends essentially only on the body height. In this case, a linear regression is again possible by two linear equations which are applied as a function of the body height.By means of the adjustment fields of FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 7 or the adjustment functions derived therefrom, the seat surface position and the torso angle of a vehicle seat and a steering wheel position can be determined automatically for a user on the basis of the body dimensions thereof, as will be described in the following by way of example. On the basis of the setting values determined in this way, automated setting of the components is also possible.In an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention, user-specific body data of a user are captured by means of a mobile terminal and have at least one whole body recording and one body size of the user. In this case, the user is instructed when recording this information. For this purpose, a user input relating to the height of the user is initially detected in response to a corresponding input request and via a user interface of the mobile terminal, such as a keyboard or a touchscreen. Further, guidance information for capturing a whole body capture of the user is displayed on a display of the mobile terminal.The guidance information includes at least information about a distance, in particular a minimum distance, between the mobile terminal and the user as well as information regarding a hand posture of the user. This instructs the user to place his hand with his thumb facing forward on his hip or iliac crest, so that the wrist is located at the height of the iliac crest. In a next step, the entire body recording of the user is captured by means of a camera of the mobile terminal device in accordance with the instruction information.The exemplary acquisition of the user-specific body data by means of a mobile terminal advantageously enables the acquisition of body measurements of a user with a device which constantly carries the plurality of all car drivers. Furthermore, the method enables the direct playing of this data onto a network server and / or the control unit of a vehicle without the need for further devices, such as a PC. The method thus advantageously enables a decentralized cloud-based provision of information of a user which is sufficient for setting vehicle components.The following steps are performed in a network server or the control unit of a vehicle, except for setting the components in the mobile terminal.On the basis of values relating to the height of the user, zoom factor of the camera of the mobile terminal, angle of the camera relative to the horizontal and the height of the user on the display, an image correction of the whole body recording is carried out by means of a distortion correction. These values are detected by suitable sensors or determined by programs, for example from the whole body recording itself. From these values, the distance of the camera from the ground and one or more distortion angles are determined, with which an equalization of the recording is possible. Numerous applications for equalizing digital recordings are freely available. Alternatively or additionally, the instruction information informs about an ideal recording position, for example at hip height of the photographed user, at which only minimal distortions are to be expected.In a next step, the position of at least one thumb of the user on the recorded whole body image is determined. This is done by means of image analysis known to the skilled person, such as, for example, segmentation and image recognition. Finally, the H point of the user is determined on the basis of the position of the at least one thumb and the height of the user. The H-point or hip point is a generally known theoretical point of the hip of a user, in particular of the pivot point between the torso and the thighs. Between this H-point and the thumb of a user positioned according to the guidance information, there is a first distance and a second distance. The first distance relates to the distance between thumb and wrist and the second distance relates to the distance between iliac crest and H-point. The wrist of the user is located on the receptacle at the height of the iliac crest. Values of these distances are taken from a look-up table, LUT. On the basis of the H point determined by means of the whole body recording and the distances, the trunk length and the proportion of the user are also determined as the ratio of trunk length to body height.For the body dimensions of the user thus determined, in particular on the basis of body height and base length (proportion), a seat surface position is then determined as a setting value for the seat surface of a vehicle seat by using an adjustment function derived from the adjustment field of FIGS. 1 and 2. Furthermore, on the basis of body height and root length (proportion), a set value for the torso angle is determined by using the adjustment field of FIG. 5 or only on the basis of the body height by using one of the linear regressions of FIG. 6. Finally, a steering wheel position is determined as the setting value for the steering wheel on the basis of body height and trunk length (proportion) and using the adjustment field of FIG. 7. These setting values are also transmitted, provided they have been determined by a mobile terminal, for example in an app, or a network server, to a control unit of a vehicle, for example via a mobile radio network and a communication module of the vehicle.In the vehicle, a transformation of the determined or received adjustment values into a vehicle network (coordinate system of the vehicle) and / or into step sizes of at least one servomotor or actuator of a vehicle component optionally also takes place. Finally, the control unit controls the at least one servomotor or actuator of the at least one vehicle component in such a way that it adjusts the vehicle component in accordance with the optionally transformed setting value.

Claims

Method for determining a setting value of a vehicle component and for setting the vehicle component, the method comprising: acquiring user-specific body data of a user; deriving body measurements of the user from the user-specific body data; determining the setting value of the vehicle component of an adjustment function of the vehicle component derived from an adjustment field; wherein the adjustment field has adjustment values of the vehicle component as a function of body dimensions of a plurality of persons of a standard collective, wherein body dimensions are known for each of the plurality of persons of the standard collective and the adjustment field is determined by simulating a vehicle-specific posture and at least one adjustment value of at least one vehicle component that follows therefrom for the plurality of persons of the standard collective, wherein the adjustment function is determined on the basis of the adjustment field as a parameterized homomorphic mapping of the body dimensions of the standard collective to the adjustment values of the vehicle components; and adjusting the vehicle component according to the determined adjustment value.The method of claim 1, wherein the user-specific body data comprises a whole body pick-up, a body size, a weight, a clothes size and / or a BMI of the user and / or wherein the body dimensions comprise a body height, a trunk length and / or a proportion indicator of the user.Method according to claim 1, wherein the simulation is performed by a computer-aided human model, preferably an anthropometric mathematical system for occupant simulation.Method according to claim 3, wherein the simulated adjustment field is supplemented by interpolation and extrapolation.Method according to one of the preceding claims, having a vehicle seat as the vehicle component and a seat position and / or a torso angle as the setting value or a steering wheel as the vehicle component and a steering wheel position as the setting value.Method according to Claim 1, wherein the setting value is transformed into a coordinate system of the vehicle and / or into a step size of at least one servomotor.A computer program product comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out a method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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