Vehicle Occupant Identification via Portable Device Path Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Identifying and adjusting vehicle settings for multiple users who share a vehicle is complex, as existing systems lack efficient methods to differentiate between drivers and non-driving occupants based on their preferences.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that uses received signal strength measurements from portable devices to track user movement and identify occupants as drivers or non-driving passengers, allowing for the execution of customized vehicle settings through communication with the vehicle's electronic control unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If vehicle settings are manually adjusted for each user, then user preferences can be customized, but the process becomes complicated and time-consuming when multiple individuals share the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically identifies occupants and applies their preferred settings without manual intervention. The portable device autonomously tracks the user's movement path, determines seat location, and triggers the appropriate vehicle profile, eliminating the need for users to manually adjust settings each time they enter the vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
User preferences and vehicle settings are pre-configured and stored in the system before the user enters the vehicle. The tracking pattern and seat mapping are established in advance, allowing the system to automatically retrieve and apply the correct settings as soon as the user is identified, rather than requiring real-time manual configuration.
2Extent of automation
If the system tracks user movement to identify occupants, then automatic setting application is enabled, but additional sensors and processing are required
Solution Approach 1:
The portable device serves multiple functions: it acts as both the tracking sensor (receiving communication signals) and the processing unit (evaluating signal strength measurements and determining tracking patterns). This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated tracking hardware in the vehicle, simplifying the overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The portable device serves as an intermediary between the user and the vehicle system. Instead of requiring complex arrays of sensors throughout the vehicle to detect occupant presence and movement, the portable device mediates the tracking process by using its movement relative to the vehicle to generate the tracking pattern, reducing the vehicle's hardware requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables seamless identification and customization of vehicle settings for specific occupants, enhancing user experience by automatically adjusting settings based on the occupant's type, thereby simplifying the process of accommodating multiple users' preferences.
Implementation Method 1
evaluating received signal strength measurements of the plurality of communication signals to determine a tracking pattern that includes a tracked path of the portable device
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for identifying a type of vehicle occupant based on locations of a portable device that include receiving a plurality of communication signals from the portable device and evaluating received signal strength measurements of the plurality of communication signals to determine a tracking pattern that includes a tracked path of the portable device as a user approaches a vehicle, enters the vehicle, and is seated within a particular seat of the vehicle. The system and method also include identifying the user as a driver of the vehicle or a non-driving occupant of the vehicle based on the tracking pattern and controlling at least one vehicle system by executing vehicle settings associated with the driver of the vehicle and the non-driving occupant of the vehicle based on identifying the user as the driver of the vehicle or the non-driving occupant of the vehicle.