Seat-Zone Mobile Access for Passenger Vehicle Controls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle systems lack efficient methods for passengers to access and control vehicle electronics and settings through mobile devices, limiting personalized comfort and convenience during travel.
Innovation Solution
A system that enables vehicles to share data with mobile devices, providing passengers with access to vehicle controls and settings through a graphical user interface, using on-board computers and wireless communication to identify device location and offer relevant controls based on the passenger's seat zone, with cloud services managing user profiles and privileges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If passengers are provided with access to vehicle controls through mobile devices, then comfort and convenience are improved, but system complexity and security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cloud-based server as an intermediary between the vehicle and passenger mobile devices. The server handles authentication, authorization, and control signal routing, eliminating the need for direct peer-to-peer communication between the vehicle system and multiple passenger devices. This mediator approach simplifies the overall system architecture while enabling multiple passengers to access vehicle controls securely through their personal devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service mechanisms where passenger mobile devices automatically perform authentication and device discovery when entering the vehicle. The onboard system automatically detects connected devices, retrieves passenger profiles from the cloud, and configures appropriate access rights without requiring manual intervention from the driver or complex setup procedures. This automated self-configuration reduces system complexity while maintaining ease of use.
2Adaptability or versatility
If location-based control access is implemented, then personalized comfort is improved, but measurement precision and privacy concerns increase
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle interior is divided into multiple zones (e.g., front seat, rear seat, driver side, passenger side), with each zone having its own set of controllable features. Instead of tracking precise continuous location, the system determines which discrete zone the passenger device is in and provides access to controls relevant to that zone. This segmentation approach reduces the precision requirements for location detection while still enabling personalized comfort controls for each area.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements location-based access with sufficient rather than excessive precision. Instead of requiring exact seat identification, the system uses wireless signal strength thresholds to determine general proximity to different vehicle zones. This partial action approach provides adequate personalization for comfort controls without demanding high-precision location measurement, thereby reducing technical complexity and privacy concerns.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods of a vehicle for sharing vehicle controls are provided. One example is a vehicle including a system for sharing vehicle system control of the vehicle with a passenger. The system uses an on-board computer and communications circuitry of the vehicle. The communications circuitry is configured to use a wireless network for accessing the Internet, and the on-board computer is configured to enable the communications circuitry to provide a wireless connection to a portable device of the passenger of the vehicle. The on-board computer has access to one or more vehicle sub-systems, and via the wireless connection, the on-board computer provides the portable device access to at least one graphical user interface. The graphical user interface includes input options that enable control of settings or functions of one or more of said vehicle sub-systems. The on-board computer is configured to process data associated with a wireless signal of the portable device, and the processing of the data is used to identify the portable device inside the vehicle. The identified portable device is utilized to identify a passenger seat of the vehicle and enable said control of settings or functions that relate to an area proximate to the passenger seat that was identified.