A method for darkening an interior of a vehicle, a darkening device, and a vehicle

Abstract

A method for darkening a vehicle interior 12 with a darkening device 14, with at least one adjustable darkening element (e.g. motorised shades or different transparency films), by the adjustment of wh

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of automobiles. More specifically the present invention relates to a method for darkening an interior of a vehicle by using an, in particular electric, darkening device with at least one adjustable darkening element. Furthermore, the method relates to a corresponding darkening device and a corresponding vehicle. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

[0002] It could be quite distracting for a user of a car to adjust the car shades every time a climatic condition changes particularly when the user is not able to do it themselves, for example, if the user of the car is a child or a pet. In addition, most vehicles have also fully opaque shades, which is not optimal for every lighting condition. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method, a darkening device, and a vehicle, by which an automatic shading of external light, in particular sun light, reaching the vehicles interior is performed according to a user’s need and the incidence of light into the interior.

[0004] The subject matters according to the independent patent claims solve this object. Further embodiments are shown in the description, the dependent claims, and the drawings.

[0005] A first aspect of the present invention relates to a method f interior of a vehicle by using an in particular electric darkening devk adjustable darkening element, wherein by the adjustment a degree of darkening for the interior is predeterminable. The method according to the invention comprises the following steps:

[0006] In a first step detecting of at least one sensor value of an environmental sensor, in particular of the vehicle, wherein the sensor value characterizes an incidence of light into the interior, is performed. The second step is recalling a stored user value, for example a user preference, an external value or something alike. In the third step determining the degree of darkening as a function of or in dependence on the user value and the sensor value is performed. In the fourth step, a control signal is outputted for a controller or for controlling the adjustable darkening element of the darkening device in dependence on the determined degree of darkening. In addition, in a fifth step darkening the vehicle interior according to the determined degree of darkening by adjusting the darkening element with the outputted control signal is performed.

[0007] In other words, the darkening element may comprise shades, which automatically adjust for example a front car of a window via a motor control based on sensor input. There may be multiple films in the shade of varying transparency and material with differing properties appropriate for different climatic situations. An algorithm will determine which layer in the shade is suitable to be rolled down for the sensed / determined climatic conditions and rolls down the appropriate shade. The system will learn over time, users’ preferences and incorporates feedback in decision-making. A combination of parameters might be used to understand user preferences without limiting to sensor input such as occupants in the vehicle, time of day, route, season, external environment and / or additional data from third party sources.

[0008] An advantage of the method according to the invention is that light passing through the car’s windows into the interior may be perfectly regulated to achieve a climatic condition in the interior preferred by a user.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present invention, the termination of the degree of darkening is performed by self-learning algorithm and / or an artificial intelligence.

[0010] In another embodiment of the present invention a past use into account when determining the degree of darkening. In other wc learn overtime, users’ preferences and incorporates feedback into decision-making.

[0011] In yet another embodiment of the present invention a combination of parameters is used to understand user preferences, in particular without being limited to sensor inputs.

[0012] In still another embodiment, the user value characterizes occupants in the vehicle, time of the day, route, season, external environment and / or additional data from third party sources.

[0013] In another embodiment of the present invention the brightness of optical elements in the interior of the vehicle may be adjusted based on the determined degree of darkening. The optical element may, for example, be one or more screens, interior trim illumination and / or illumination for controls.

[0014] A second aspect of the present invention relates to a darkening device for darkening an interior of a vehicle with at least one adjustable darkening element, by the adjustment of which a degree of darkening for the interior is predeterminable and configured to perform a method according to the first step of the present invention.

[0015] Advantages and advantageous embodiments of the first aspect of the invention are to be regarded as advantages and advantageous embodiments of the second aspect of the present invention and vice versa.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present invention, the darkening element comprises several different transparent and / or individual adjustable layers or shades.

[0017] In another embodiment of the present invention a motor is provided by which the darkening element and in particular the layers are movable and / or an environmental sensor is provided for detecting the incidence of lights, which is in particular designed as a photovoltaic light sensor, photoelectric sensor or a rain light sensor. Additionally or alternatively, the darkening device comprises a control device for determining the incidence of light and / or outputting a control signal.

[0018] A third aspect of the present invention relates to a vehicle ( the method according to the first aspect of the present invention an darkening device according to the second aspect of the present invention.

[0019] Advantages and advantageous embodiments of the third aspect of the present invention are to be regarded as advantages and advantageous embodiments of the first and / or second aspect of the present invention and vice versa.

[0020] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention derive from the following description of preferred embodiment as well as from the drawings. The features and feature combinations previously mentioned in the description as well as the features and feature combinations mentioned in the following description of the figures and / or shown in the figures alone can be employed not only in the respectively indicated combination but also in any other combination or taken alone without leaving the scope of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The novel features and characteristic of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and together with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system and / or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described below, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0022] The drawings show in:

[0023] Fig. 1 a schematic diagram of a method for darkening an interior of a vehicle by using a darkening device; and

[0024] Fig. 2 a schematic diagram of the vehicle comprising the darkening device with a control unit for performing the method as shown in Fig. 1.

[0025] In the figures, the same reference signs indicate the same elements or elements having the same function. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used her_... ________ _____a as an example, instance, or illustration". Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

[0027] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawing and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure.

[0028] The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion so that a setup, device or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus preceded by “comprises” or “comprise” does not or do not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or method.

[0029] In the following detailed description of the embodiment of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawing that forms part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration a specific embodiment in which the disclosure may be practiced. This embodiment is described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

[0030] Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a method for darkening an interior 12 of a vehicle 10 by using a darkening device 14, with at least one adjustable darkening element, by the adjustment of which a degree of darkening 22 for the interior 12 is predeterminable.

[0031] The method comprises the following five steps: in the first step detecting of at least one sensor value 36 of an environmental sensor 18 characterizing an incidence of light 16 into the interior 12 is performed. Recalling a stored user val the second step of the method. The third step is determining the de by a control unit 24 (shown in Fig. 2) as a function of the user value 20 and the sensor value 36. In a fourth step outputting a control signal by the controller unit 24 for controlling the adjustable darkening element in dependence on the determined degree of darkening 22 is performed. The fifth step is darkening the vehicles interior 12 according to the determined degree of darkening 22 by adjusting the darkening element for example with a motor.

[0032] The control unit 24 may be Al driven and comprise a Motor Temp model, which is capable of making predictions or decisions based on multiple data points. For example, this model may also process text input. The model is capable of multiple input such as sensor value 36 and / or the user value 20, which may comprise route data from a depth camera 26, a user preference gained by user preference input 28, third party input 30 and / or external environment input 32.

[0033] The input from the environmental sensor 18 may be, for example, for direct light incidence the input of a photovoltaic light sensor, which uses pulse modulated light that basically emits light repeatedly at fixed intervals. That captures the current driving condition based on incoming sunlight and reflecting infrared light flashes and provide this information to a micro controller such as the control unit 24.

[0034] For light intensity of incidence, for example, a photoelectric sensor could be used with pulse modulated light that basically emits light repeatedly at fixed intervals.

[0035] For glare, a rain light sensor may be used. For enhanced performance, the output of the rain light sensor and a forward facing camera may be fused and weighted because the rain light sensor may output just a function of the light intensity, but discomfort glare and disabling glare are functions of relatively light intensity of the scene and the angle of the light source, which may be captured by a camera and not by the light sensor.

[0036] In an initial state, the microcontroller or the controller unit 24 may receive these inputs for direct light, for a light intensity, or for the glare and feed input a DC motor, which is capable of adjusting the darkening element. If the darkening element comprises several different transparent and / or individually adjustable layers, the motor may move a particular film or layer, and the motor power may be changed for thi control logic.

[0037] A self-learning artificial intelligence algorithm may perform continuous learning based on multiple inputs, e.g., the Al engine temp module uses decision-making algorithms to continue learning to achieve their user-defined preference, for example, by following the ISO 26262 automotive safety target. The output 34 of the controller 24 may be an estimated drive input of a changeable shape for the motor based on an Al model. In other words, in particular past user preference is taken into account when determining the degree of darkening 22.

[0038] A combination of parameters may be used to understand the user’s preference in particular without being limited to sensor input. The user value 20 may characterize occupants in the vehicle 10, time of the day, route, season, external environment and / or additional data from third party sources.

[0039] Also introduced besides the method is the darkening device 14 for darkening the interior 12 with at least one adjustable darkening element, by the adjustment of which a degree of darkening 22 for the interior 12 is predeterminable and wherein the darkening device is configured to perform a method as shown here. Also invited besides the method and the darkening device 14 is a vehicle 10 configured to perform the method as shown here and / or comprising the darkening device 14. Reference Signs 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 vehicle interior darkening device incidence of light environmental sensor user value degree of darkening controller unit route data user preference input third party input external environmental input output sensor value

Claims

1. A method for darkening an interior (12) of a vehicle (10) by using a darkening device (14), with at least one adjustable darkening element, by the adjustment of which a degree of darkening (22) for the interior (12) is predeterminable, comprising the steps:- detection of at least one sensor value (36) of an environmental sensor (18), which characterizes an incidence of light (16) into the interior (12);- recalling a stored user value (20);- determining the degree of darkening (22) as a function of the user value (20) and the sensor value (38);- outputting a control signal for controlling the adjustable darkening element in dependence on the determined degree of darkening (22); and- darkening the interior (12) according to the determined degree of darkening (22) by adjusting the darkening element.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe determination of the degree of darkening (22) is performed by a self-learning algorithm and / or an artificial intelligence algorithm.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in thata user preference is taken into account when determining the degree of darkening (22).

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in thata combination of parameters is used to understand the user's preferences.

5. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in thatthe user value (20) characterizes occupants in the vehicle, time of the day, route, season, external environment, additional data from third party sources.

6. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in thatthe brightness of optical elements in the interior (12) of the vehicle (10) is adjusted based on the determined degree of darkening (22).

7. A darkening device (14) for darkening an interior (12) of a vehicle (10) with at least one adjustable darkening element, by the adjustment of which a degree of darkening (22) for the interior (12) is predeterminable, and configured to perform a method according to one of the preceding claims.

8. The darkening device (14) according to claim 6, characterized in thatthe darkening element comprises several differently transparent and / or individually adjustable layers.

9. The darkening device (14) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in thatthe darkening device comprises a motor, by which the darkening element and in particular the layers are movable, and / or an environmental sensor (18), which is in particular designed as a photovoltaic light sensor, photoelectric sensor or a rain light sensor, for detecting an incidence of light (16) and / or a controller unit (24) for determining the incidence of light (16) and / or outputting a control signal.

10. A vehicle (10) configured to perform a method according to one of claims 1 to 5 and / or comprising a darkening device (14) according to one of claims 6 to 8.

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