CN117002414A

CN117002414A - Customizable system

Info

Publication number: CN117002414A
Application number: CN202310476171.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 顾洁; 高卓
Original assignee: Apple Inc
Current assignee: Apple Inc
Priority date: 2022-05-03
Filing date: 2023-04-28
Publication date: 2023-11-07

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to customizable systems. The present application provides a system that may have a sensor that collects information about a user. These users may have portable electronic devices such as wristwatches, cellular phones, and computers. These sensors may include facial recognition image sensors, fingerprint sensors, voice sensors configured to recognize a user by voice, and other biometric sensors. Pressure sensors may be used to measure the weight of users to help identify the users and/or determine their age. Using these sensors, the user identity and user location can be ascertained. The system may have equipment such as adjustable seats, climate control systems, media systems, and other components that may be customized based on identity and user location.

Description

Customizable system

The present application claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/172,175, filed on 21, 2, 2023, and U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/337,728, filed on 3, 5, 2022, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to systems with sensors, and more particularly to customizing systems using sensors.

Background

The system may have an adjustable component. These adjustable components may include, for example, adjustable media systems and adjustable seats. It may be desirable to facilitate adjustment of such components.

Disclosure of Invention

The vehicle may have sensors that collect information about the vehicle occupants and/or electronics used by the vehicle occupants. Using the sensors, the identity of the vehicle occupant and the vehicle occupant position can be ascertained. The electronic devices of the vehicle occupants may include portable electronic devices such as wristwatches worn by the vehicle occupants and cellular phones and computers used by the vehicle occupants. The sensors may include facial recognition image sensors, fingerprint sensors, microphones for recognizing a user through voice, and other biometric sensors. The seat pressure sensor may be used to measure the weight of a vehicle occupant to help identify the occupant and/or determine its age. Wireless sensors such as wireless transceivers using time-of-flight measurements, signal strength measurements, and/or other measurements, and two-way wireless communications between the sensors and the portable electronic devices (e.g., communications to ascertain device identifiers, usernames, and other information identifying users of the devices) may be used to interact with the portable electronic devices to determine the identity of the users of the devices and their locations.

The vehicle may have equipment such as adjustable seats, climate control systems, media systems, and other components that may be customized based on the identity and location of the vehicle occupants. For example, the position of the adjustable seat in the rear right portion of the vehicle may be customized to accommodate occupants located in the rear right portion of the vehicle, media playback preferences (favorites, historical items (such as recently viewed episodes), age-based restrictions, favorite genres, watch list items, and/or other media system settings), climate control settings, volume settings, and other audio system settings, and other adjustable component settings may also be customized based on the identity and position of occupants. If desired, the message may be transmitted wirelessly from the vehicle to the portable electronic device of the vehicle occupant. As an example, a warning message may be transmitted to the occupant when the occupant leaves the vehicle to alert the occupant to the presence of a pet, device, or other item.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary system that may include types of vehicles according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a top view of an exemplary vehicle according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of exemplary operations involved in customizing a vehicle, such as the vehicle of FIG. 2, according to one embodiment.

Detailed Description

A system such as a vehicle may have adjustable components. These components may include speakers, displays, and other components forming an adjustable media system, seats, mirrors, lights, air conditioning units, and/or other components forming an adjustable vehicle system (e.g., climate control system, seating system, driving system, etc.), and/or may form other vehicle subsystems. During operation of the vehicle, the vehicle may collect information about the user of the vehicle and may use the information to customize operation of the vehicle components and/or take other suitable actions (e.g., provide notifications to the user, etc.). As an example, upon identifying that person X is located in seat Y of the vehicle, a media playback system for seat Y may be customized to present media customized for person X. As another example, the climate control function associated with seat Y may be adjusted according to the preferences of person X.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary system of the type that may collect information about a vehicle user and may use that information in customizing vehicle operation or taking other suitable actions. As shown in fig. 1, system 8 may include one or more systems (subsystems) 10. The system 10 may communicate via wired and/or wireless communication links (see, e.g., wireless communication path 40). The system 10 may include vehicles, electronic devices, such as cellular telephones, wristwatch devices, laptop computers, tablet computers and other portable electronic equipment, remote databases, and other systems implemented on servers or other computer equipment, and/or other systems. As an illustrative example, the system 8 may include a vehicle, such as an automobile, occupied by one or more vehicle occupants (sometimes referred to as users), may include personal electronic devices associated with each such occupant (e.g., a cellular telephone used by each vehicle occupant, a wristwatch used by each occupant, and/or other electronic devices used by each occupant), and may include remote electronic equipment (e.g., media servers and/or other servers accessed through the internet and/or other networks). The online service provider may be associated with a media server or other cloud computing equipment accessed through the internet. The vehicle occupants may have accounts at the online service provider that allow the vehicle occupants to obtain photos, emails and other messages, video and audio, and other media (e.g., these items may be obtained wirelessly by equipment in the vehicle over the internet).

Each system 10 may include one or more components 26. The components 26 may include control circuitry 20, input-output devices (input-output circuitry) 22, and/or other components 24.

Control circuitry 20 may be included for adjusting the operation of components such as media system components and other components. For example, in a vehicle, the control circuit 20 may be used to adjust components in the vehicle, such as a seat (e.g., an adjustable seat positioner), a mirror, interior and/or exterior vehicle lighting, windows, climate control systems, and so forth. The control circuit 20 may run software for controlling the components 26. For example, in a vehicle, the control circuit 20 may run software for controlling vehicle systems such as fans, air heaters, and/or air conditioning of cooling air, as well as vehicle systems that handle lighting, media playback, window movement, window transparency, door operation, seat settings, sensor operation, transmission settings, and/or other vehicle operations.

The control circuit 20 may include processing circuitry and storage, and may be configured to use hardware(e.g., dedicated hardware or circuitry), firmware, and/or software perform operations in system 8. The software code and other data for performing operations in the system 8 are stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium (e.g., a tangible computer readable storage medium) in the control circuitry. Software code may sometimes be referred to as software, data, program instructions, computer instructions, or code. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may include non-volatile memory, such as non-volatile random access memory, one or more hard disk drives (e.g., magnetic disk drives or solid state drives), one or more removable flash drives or other removable media or other storage devices. Software stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium may be executed on the processing circuitry of the control circuit 20. The processing circuitry may include an application specific integrated circuit with processing circuitry, one or more microprocessors, a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other processing circuitry. The control circuitry 20 may include wireless communication circuitry (transceivers, antennas, etc.) that supports wireless communications over any suitable wireless link 40 in the system 8, such as a cellular telephone link, a wireless local area network link (e.g., Link, & gt>Links, near Field Communication (NFC) links, millimeter wave links, ultra Wideband (UWB) communication links, satellite communication links, and/or other wireless communication paths. Wireless communication circuits (e.g., transceivers, antennas, etc.) that support communication over short-range wireless links, such as links characterized by centimeters or meters (e.g., bluetooth, UWB, NFC, and/or WiFi), may sometimes be referred to as short-range wireless communication circuits. The short-range communication circuit may be used to determine the position of the systems 10 relative to one another in the system 8, and thus the short-range communication circuit in the system 10 may sometimes be referred to as a wireless sensor circuit, a sensor circuit, or a sensor. For example, in a vehicle, a short range communication may be used to determine which seat of the vehicle is occupied by a user wearing a wireless wristwatch device that uses a short rangeThe pass communication communicates with devices in the vehicle.

Input-output devices 22 may include displays, sensors, buttons, light emitting diodes and other light emitting devices, haptic devices, speakers, and/or other devices for collecting environmental measurements, information regarding system operation (e.g., vehicle operation in a system such as a vehicle), and/or user input. The communication circuitry of circuitry 20 may also be used to wirelessly receive user input from an external system. The sensors in the device 22 may include ambient light sensors, touch sensors, force sensors, proximity sensors, temperature sensors, optical sensors, such as cameras operating at visible, infrared, and/or ultraviolet wavelengths (e.g., fisheye cameras, two-dimensional sensors (such as two-dimensional visible and/or infrared cameras, three-dimensional sensors (such as visible and/or infrared structured light cameras, time-of-flight cameras, stereo cameras, and/or other three-dimensional cameras), capacitive sensors, resistive sensors, ultrasonic sensors (e.g., ultrasonic distance sensors), microphones, radio frequency sensors, such as radar sensors, lidar (light detection and ranging) sensors, door opening/closing sensors, seat pressure sensors (e.g., the output devices in device 22 may be used to provide output to a user (e.g., a vehicle occupant in a vehicle system) and others, for example, a haptic output device may provide haptic output (e.g., force feedback, vibration, etc.) to a user, a speaker may be used to provide sound (audio output) to a user, and a touch screen display, touch sensitive display, and/or other light emitting devices (e.g., one or more light emitting diodes) may be used to provide visual output (e.g., display content, light, status indicator light output, etc.).

Each system 10 may also include other components 24. For example, the vehicle may include a steering and propulsion system (e.g., a computer-controlled drive system implemented on control circuitry in the vehicle that operates under manual control from a user and/or operates autonomously). Steering and propulsion systems (sometimes referred to as drive systems or vehicle systems) may use actuators to steer wheels coupled to a vehicle, and may use propulsion control components, such as brakes, motors, and transmission components, to regulate vehicle speed.

During operation, the control circuit 20 may use sensors in the device 22 to make environmental measurements (e.g., measurements regarding temperature, ambient light level, etc.) and biometric measurements (e.g., measurements of facial features, fingerprints, voice signatures, etc.) of the user. Sensors (e.g., capacitive touch sensors, microphones, push-button switches, etc.) may also be used to collect user touch input, user force input, user voice commands, user button presses, and/or other user input. The wireless sensor may collect information about the user's portable device. Based on this information, the vehicles and/or other systems in system 8 may be customized. As an example, a facial scan may be used to identify a vehicle occupant and to identify which seats within the vehicle are being occupied by the occupant. In response, the control circuitry of the vehicle may customize the position of the seat (e.g., the seat positioner may be used to recline and/or otherwise adjust the seat position), may customize media playback options (e.g., settings that may access an online service provider account of the vehicle occupant and/or may retrieve other occupant media information from locally stored information so that the display may display radio stations, audio tracks, videos, genres, and/or other items that are most favored or most recently used by the vehicle occupant), and/or may customize other vehicle settings (lighting, mirror positions, window attributes, vehicle transmission motion/comfort settings, navigation system settings, audio volume, bass/treble settings, settings that indicate which particular speaker or group of speakers in the vehicle is used to present audio to the vehicle occupant, which display is active, and/or any other adjustable vehicle component settings). The information collected with the sensors can be used to send wireless reminders and other wireless messages to the portable device of the vehicle user, if desired. For example, the camera and/or the seat pressure sensor may detect when the vehicle user leaves the pet in the vehicle, and in response, the notification may be wirelessly transmitted to the user's device to notify the user of the fact.

Fig. 2 is a top view of an exemplary vehicle (one of the systems 10 in fig. 1). The vehicle 50 of fig. 2 may be manually driven (e.g., by a human driver), may be operated via remote control, and/or may be autonomously operated (e.g., by an autonomous vehicle drive system implemented using control circuitry, sensors, and other components of the vehicle 50).

The vehicle 50 may include a body, such as the body 12. The body 12 may include a vehicle structure, such as a body panel formed of metal and/or other materials, which may include doors, hoods, trunk, fenders, wheel-mounted chassis, roofs, and the like. The window 16 may be formed in the door 18 (e.g., on the side W of the body 12), may be formed in the roof T of the vehicle 50, may be formed in the front F and/or rear R of the vehicle 50, and/or in other portions of the vehicle 50. The windows 16, doors 18, and other portions of the body 12 may isolate the interior of the vehicle 50 (interior region 34) from the exterior environment surrounding the vehicle 50 (exterior region 36). The vehicle window 16 may include a front window (sometimes referred to as a front windshield), a rear window, and/or other windows.

The vehicle 50 may include a component 26V. The component 26V may include a steering and propulsion system (e.g., a computer-controlled drive system implemented on the control circuit 20 in the vehicle 50 that operates under manual control from a user and/or operates autonomously). Steering and propulsion systems (sometimes referred to as drive systems or vehicle systems) may have wheels coupled to the body 12, steering actuators coupled to the wheels to steer the wheels, one or more motors for driving the wheels, brakes, transmission components, etc., as well as other vehicle systems. Component 26V may include output components such as a display, speakers, haptic output devices, devices for providing internal lighting (illumination) to interior region 34, climate control systems such as Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, and other components (see, e.g., component 26 of fig. 1).

The seat 30 may include one or more front facing seats, one or more rear facing seats, and/or seats facing each other (e.g., a rear facing seat and an opposing front facing seat). Motors and other devices may be used to make seat adjustments to the seat 30 (e.g., tilt adjustments, fore and aft slide adjustments, lumbar support adjustments, seat heater adjustments, seat massager adjustments, etc.). The vehicle 50 may be occupied by one or more users (e.g., one or more vehicle occupants may be seated in each of the seats 30). The sensors 32 (sometimes referred to as sensor circuits) may be located within a seat cushion in the seat 30, on a back rest of the seat in the seat 30 (e.g., such that a camera or other sensor on a given seat back faces forward of a vehicle occupant sitting on a seat directly behind the seat back), on a roof T of the vehicle body 12 (e.g., forward and/or rearward facing the vehicle occupant), on an instrument panel or other support structure at a front F of the vehicle body 12, on an interior panel at a side W or rear R of the vehicle body 12, and/or elsewhere in the vehicle body 12. Other input-output devices such as a touch screen display, microphone, speaker, keyboard, buttons, knobs, light sources, and/or other devices for providing input and output may be co-located with sensor 32, may be located adjacent to sensor 32, and/or may be placed at any other suitable location within vehicle 50 (e.g., in interior area 34), if desired.

The sensor 32 (sensor circuit 32) may include wireless communication circuitry (e.g., short-range wireless communication circuitry and/or sensor circuitry, such as a receiver and/or transmitter with bluetooth circuitry, wiFi circuitry, NFC circuitry, and/or UWB circuitry). Triangulation, time-of-flight measurements using beacons and/or other wireless signals, signal strength measurements, and/or other wireless measurements may be made by the short-range wireless communication circuit (sensor circuit) to determine where the vehicle occupants are located. As an example, a user may wear a wireless wristwatch, a pair of augmented reality glasses, a pair of earplugs, or other wearable electronic devices and/or may carry a portable electronic device (such as a cellular phone or other electronic device) in a pocket or may otherwise hold or support such a portable electronic device. The user may also carry a wireless smart card or a wireless vehicle key fob. In these cases, wireless measurements from a plurality of different short-range wireless communication sensors may be used to ascertain where the user's electronic device (and thus the user) is located within the interior region 34 (e.g., which seat the user occupies). The wireless sensor measurements can thus be used to identify the user (vehicle occupant identity) and to ascertain the user position (vehicle occupant position).

Another way of identifying a user and determining the user's location involves collecting biometric measurements. An image sensor (a camera in the sensor 32 configured to act as a facial recognition sensor) may be used to capture an image of the user. The user may then be identified using facial recognition operations and/or other pattern recognition operations. Known image capture locations and/or image capture directions (fields of view) may be used to identify the location of each user within the interior region 34. An audio sensor (microphone in sensor 32) may be used to detect user speech if desired. A speaker's location may be determined using a voice localization operation (e.g., time-of-flight and/or triangulation analysis). The voice pattern recognition operation may be used to determine the identity of each user (e.g., a microphone may collect voiceprints). The fingerprint sensors in the sensors 32 (e.g., fingerprint sensors adjacent to each seat in the vehicle 50) may be used to determine the user identity and user location, as may the seat pressure sensors in the sensors 32 (e.g., pressure sensors in each seat that measure the weight of the occupant of that seat) may also be used to identify and locate the user, as may any other type of biometric sensor (e.g., iris scan camera, palm print sensor, body contour sensor, height sensor, handwriting recognition sensor, etc.). The user may also be provided with an opportunity to enter a user identifier and password or other user credentials (e.g., online service provider credentials) by typing, voice input, etc. For example, each seat in the vehicle 50 may have an associated touch screen display, touchpad, keyboard and/or keypad, microphone, mouse, and/or other user input device. This allows each user to provide a user name and password, a Personal Identification Number (PIN), and/or other login credentials. From this user input, the user's location and identity can be ascertained.

After determining the location and identity of each user, the vehicle operation may be customized for each user and/or other suitable actions may be taken. Consider, for example, media functions. The media may be provided for use from a local storage and/or from a remote media server or other remote device associated with an online service provider in wireless communication with the vehicle 50. Each user may have different favorites settings (favorite channels, volume levels, bass and treble settings, favorite genres) and may have different media viewing histories (e.g., different histories of recently played audio and/or video media tracks). Upon identifying that a given user is present, the user may be automatically presented with a history of his recent views (including the partially played media that may resume from the user's recent point of suspension), may be presented with an option to select a favorite channel, program, genre, etc., may be presented with media using a default speaker configuration, volume level, brightness level, and/or may be otherwise provided with media selections and consumption environments tailored to the user. Customized media selection functions (e.g., operations related to presenting favorites, historical information, etc.) may be provided (as an example) using customized menu options on a touch screen display. Custom playback functions (e.g., custom display settings, custom audio system settings) may be provided by automatically adjusting display attributes (brightness, color cast, contrast, etc.) and/or may be provided by automatically adjusting audio system attributes (active speaker, volume level, bass and treble settings, etc.). The media access and playback functions may also be customized in a manner that is age-appropriate. For example, a particular video or game may be accessed only when the user is identified as an adult. The media content may not be available to the child. Restrictions may also be imposed on children, such as screen time restrictions, audio volume restrictions, genre restrictions, and so forth. The user age may be assessed using previously provided registration information (e.g., user age information provided to the vehicle 50, online service provider, and/or other equipment in the system 8 when the user is initially registered with the equipment and/or service provider) and/or sensor measurements (e.g., weight measurements indicating that the user has child weight).

As another example, consider an adjustment of vehicle hardware. The vehicle 50 may include mirrors, seats, visors, windows, steering wheels, pedals, other steering and propulsion control devices, and/or other equipment including motors, linear electromagnetic actuators, and/or other positioning equipment. Using the positioners, the vehicle 50 may move the seat forward and backward, may adjust seat recline, may adjust lumbar support, may adjust thigh support, and/or may adjust other positions of portions of the seat (seat cushion, rear cushion, headrest, armrest, lumbar cushion, thigh support cushion, etc.). The positioner may also be used to advance, retract and tilt the steering wheel, adjust the angular orientation of the rear view mirror, and control the position and other physical characteristics of the movable vehicle components. These user preferences may be preserved when manual adjustments are made to these components by the driver or passenger of the vehicle 50 (e.g., by making seat position adjustments, steering wheel adjustments, mirror adjustments, etc.). Later, when a user is identified by the vehicle 50, the saved hardware settings for that user may be retrieved and automatically used to adjust seats, mirrors, and/or other vehicle hardware (e.g., climate control components such as fans, heaters, and air conditioning units). Airbag settings, door locking operations, and other vehicle settings may also be adjusted based on user identification. As one example, the airbag may be deactivated when appropriate to improve the safety of the young child.

In addition to adjusting media settings and hardware settings, the vehicle 50 may also use information about the user's identity and location to provide custom messages. As an example, a given user's incoming wireless communications may be routed to an input-output device associated with a seat in which the given user is seated. If the user leaves the vehicle 50, a wireless message may be sent from the vehicle to the user's electronic device. As an example, the vehicle 50 may use cameras in the sensors 32, seat pressure sensors, and/or other vehicle occupancy sensors to detect when a child or pet is left in the vehicle 50. To ensure that the user is alerted of such a condition, the vehicle 50 may send a wireless message to the portable electronic device of one or more users that have left the vehicle 50. As just one example, if the camera captures an image of a pet after the user has left the vehicle 50 and locked the door to the vehicle 50, the vehicle 50 may send a wireless notification to the user's cellular phone or other electronic device. The wireless notification may notify the user that the pet is still in the vehicle. The wireless notification may include an image of the pet captured by the camera, if desired. The custom message may also be sent if the user leaves an electronic device within the vehicle 50. As an example, if the user leaves a laptop or other electronic device in the seat of the vehicle 50, the vehicle 50 may send a reminder message to the user's cellular phone or watch to inform the user that the laptop is still in the vehicle. Speakers may also be used (e.g., by sounding an audible alarm when the user leaves the vehicle in the event that the sensor 32 detects the device) to provide the user with a reminder to carry their device when they leave the vehicle.

Sometimes, the user of the vehicle 50 is previously known to the vehicle 50 or an online service provider associated with the vehicle 50. In this case, the user may have registered with the vehicle 50 and/or an associated service provider, and thus may have provided user credentials (e.g., a user name and password, a fingerprint, facial scan, and/or other registration information and/or biometric details) to the vehicle 50 and/or an associated service provider. During registration and/or later during use of one or more systems 10 (e.g., during use of a cellular telephone, during use of vehicle 50, etc.), a user may provide preferences (e.g., media preferences, vehicle hardware preferences, etc.). Whenever such users are detected in the vehicle 50, the vehicle 50 may automatically customize some or all of the vehicle 50 for each detected user (e.g., the seats and associated portions of the vehicle 50 that each detected user is using may be adjusted to the user's preferences).

Other users of the vehicle 50 may be new users and therefore may never interact with the vehicle 50 or a service provider associated with the vehicle 50. In such a scenario, the vehicle 50 may provide the user in the vehicle 50 with an opportunity to register with the vehicle 50 and/or an online service provider associated with the vehicle 50 in response to determining that the user is an unknown user. As an example, an online service provider may have one or more servers for accepting registration information, preserving user preferences, storing media for playback in accordance with user preferences and requests, and the like. In the absence of user-provided preference information, the vehicle 50 may set the user's seat and other vehicle hardware to a default configuration, may set the media playback settings to a default, and/or may otherwise adjust the vehicle 50 (or at least a portion of the vehicle 50 associated with the seat in which the user is seated) to a default configuration. The user may be provided with the option to interact with the vehicle 50 as a guest (e.g., receive media as a guest without registration), if desired.

The user of the vehicle 50 may be a long-term user who repeatedly returns to the vehicle 50 (e.g., when the vehicle 50 is owned by an individual or home private). The vehicle 50 may provide such users with a screen option of "trust the vehicle". User selection of this option allows the vehicle 50 to retain user login information for the user, thereby facilitating subsequent interactions of the user with the vehicle 50 (e.g., the user may resume use of his account without repeated authentication with the vehicle). In other cases, the user may be a visitor, such as when the vehicle 50 is owned by a ride share service or friend. Such users will not choose to "trust the vehicle option" or will choose to "not trust the vehicle option". In response, when the user leaves the vehicle 50, the vehicle 50 will not retain any personal information of the user, thereby enhancing user privacy. The guest user may set a trust period if desired. For example, the user may select the "trust the vehicle for 5 days" option. In response, the vehicle 50 will retain the user's settings to facilitate the user's interaction with the vehicle for 5 days, after which the vehicle 50 may delete all personal information about the user to enhance user privacy.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of exemplary operations involved in using vehicle 50.

During operation of block 46, the vehicle 50 may use wireless circuitry, microphones, cameras, seat pressure sensors, and/or other sensors 32 to gather information about the vehicle occupants. From this collected information, the control circuit 20 may determine where each vehicle occupant is located within the interior region 34 and may determine the identity of each vehicle occupant. Examples of techniques that may be used to monitor a user in the vehicle 50 include: a) Using one or more wireless transceivers to determine where the user's wrist watch, cellular telephone, computer, and/or other electronic device is located within the interior area (and thus in which seats the user of these devices is located), b) using image capture and image processing techniques (such as facial recognition techniques) to identify the user and determine the user location (sometimes referred to as vehicle occupant seat location); c) Determining an identity and a position of the user (seat position) using a microphone, d) determining a position of the user (seat position) using a seat pressure sensor, determining a rough age of the user (e.g., whether the user is a child or an adult), and helping to identify the user; e) The identity and location of the user (seat position) are determined using fingerprint sensors, f) the identity and location of the user (seat position) are determined using other sensors 32, g) the identity and location of the user (seat position) are determined using user inputs (e.g., user credentials, such as user ID and password, PIN, etc.), and/or the identity and/or location of the user (seat position) are determined using other factors. The operations of block 46 may involve detecting pets and inanimate objects (e.g., computers, etc.) in the vehicle 50.

During operation of block 48, the vehicle 50 (e.g., the control circuit 20, the input-output device 22, and/or other components 24) may process the user identity and user location information (seat location information) obtained during operation of block 46, and use that information to customize components of the vehicle 50, issue notifications (e.g., audible, visual, and/or wireless alert messages, etc.), and/or take other suitable actions. The customization operations may involve presenting each identified user with on-screen options pre-populated with favorites, historical items, and/or other items associated with the user (e.g., favorite media channels, favorite media tracks, favorite genres, recommendations based on user preferences and viewing history information, etc.), may involve audio system adjustments (e.g., volume setting adjustments, etc.), may involve adjustments to movable vehicle hardware (seats, mirrors, steering wheels, other steering and propulsion devices, etc.), adjustments to climate control systems and lighting, and adjustments to other vehicle systems based on the identity of each user. These customization operations may take into account the location of each identified user (sometimes referred to as a vehicle occupant seat location). For example, if it is determined that the user is sitting behind the right of the vehicle 50, the volume preference of the identified user in the rear right seat may be used to activate speakers adjacent the rear right seat of the vehicle 50.

A notification may be issued during the operation of block 48. The notification may be sent using audio and video components of the vehicle 50. For example, a tone, voice message, or other audible message may be played for the user using the speakers and other audio system components of the vehicle 50. Visual notifications may be presented using blinking light emitting diodes, using a display that displays text and/or graphics, and/or by otherwise providing visual output messages to a user. In some cases, the notification may be sent wirelessly to equipment associated with the one or more users. As an example, the notification message may be transmitted wirelessly to the user's cellular telephone or one or more other portable electronic devices. In response to conditions detected by analyzing the information collected during the operation of block 46, a wireless message may be sent by the vehicle 50 to the identified user. For example, if an image processing operation and/or sensor output from one or more of the sensors 32 detects the presence of a pet in the vehicle 50 after an identified user of the vehicle 50 has left the vehicle 50 (and, if desired, after the user has locked the vehicle 50 or performed other tasks and/or after other conditions such as a hot external temperature condition has been met), the vehicle 50 may use its wireless communication circuitry to send a wireless message (e.g., a text message, email, or other wireless message) that serves as an alert to notify the user of the presence of the detected pet. Wireless messages such as these may also be sent whenever a vehicle occupant and/or electronic device is left in the vehicle 50 by a user. For example, if the vehicle is occupied by a front seat user and a rear seat user (e.g., children), the vehicle 50 may send a notification to the front seat user upon detecting that the front seat user has left the vehicle 50 informing the front seat user that the rear seat user is still present in the vehicle 50. The front seat user may also be notified if the front seat user leaves the electronic device on the vehicle 50. In general, one or more users may be provided with wireless notifications, audible alerts (e.g., messages played externally using internal and/or external speakers in the vehicle 50), visual alerts (e.g., flashing lights, messages presented as text and/or graphics on an internal visual or external visual display), and/or any other suitable messages (alerts, notifications, etc.). When a user has been identified, a message may be wirelessly transmitted to one or more known devices of the user (e.g., devices identified as having been previously present in the vehicle 50 or associated with a user identified as present in the vehicle 50). When users have not been identified (e.g., because such users are guests that have not yet registered with the vehicle 50 and/or an online service provider associated with the vehicle 50), audible and/or visual alerts may be presented to these users and to all other people in the vicinity of the vehicle 50.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a vehicle including: a vehicle body separating an outer region surrounding the vehicle body from an inner region within the vehicle body; an image sensor coupled to the vehicle body, the image sensor configured to capture facial recognition information about a user in the interior region to determine an identity and a location of the user; and equipment in the vehicle, the equipment being customized based on the identity and location of the user.

According to another embodiment, the location includes a seat location of the user within the interior area, and the equipment includes an adjustable seat in the vehicle that is customized based on the identity of the user and the seat location of the user.

According to another embodiment, an apparatus includes a media system having a display, and the media system is configured to present a user-specific item on the display based on an identity of a user.

According to another embodiment, the image sensor is configured to capture an image of the interior region, and the vehicle further comprises a wireless communication circuit configured to wirelessly transmit a message comprising the image of the interior region.

According to another embodiment, a vehicle includes a wireless circuit configured to detect a portable electronic device in an interior of the vehicle, and the wireless communication circuit is configured to wirelessly transmit a message to the detected portable electronic device.

According to another embodiment, the wireless circuit includes at least one ultra-wideband wireless transceiver.

According to another embodiment, the apparatus includes an adjustable mirror that is adjusted based on the identity and location of the user.

According to another embodiment, the equipment includes a climate control system that adjusts based on the identity and location of the user.

According to another embodiment, the vehicle includes a seat, the position of the user includes a seat position of the user within the seat, the image sensor is configured to determine the seat position of the user using the facial recognition information, and the equipment includes adjustable vehicle hardware customized based on the identity of the user and the seat position of the user.

According to another embodiment, the vehicle comprises a seat, the position of the user comprises a seat position of the user within the seat, the image sensor is configured to determine the seat position of the user using the facial recognition information, and the apparatus comprises a display configured to display media received wirelessly from the online service provider based on the seat position of the user and based on the identity of the user.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a vehicle including: a vehicle body separating an outer region surrounding the vehicle body from an inner region within the vehicle body; a sensor circuit in the vehicle body, the sensor circuit configured to determine a vehicle occupant identity and a vehicle occupant seat position; and a media system in the vehicle, the media system including a display, the media system configured to present customized media options on the display based on the vehicle occupant identity and the vehicle occupant seat position determined by the sensor circuit.

According to another embodiment, the sensor circuit comprises at least one wireless transceiver selected from the group consisting of:transceiver, near field communication transceiver +.>A transceiver.

According to another embodiment, the sensor circuit includes at least one ultra-wideband transceiver.

According to another embodiment, the sensor circuit includes a wireless transceiver configured to determine a vehicle occupant identity and a vehicle occupant seat position by communicating with a vehicle occupant portable electronic device selected from the group consisting of: a vehicle occupant cellular telephone and a vehicle occupant wristwatch.

According to another embodiment, the sensor circuit includes a microphone, and the microphone is configured to determine the identity of the vehicle occupant.

According to another embodiment, the sensor circuit includes a seat pressure sensor, and the seat pressure sensor is configured to determine a vehicle occupant seat position.

According to another embodiment, the media system is configured to present customized media options on the display based at least in part on weight information from the seat pressure sensor.

According to another embodiment, a vehicle includes a wireless communication circuit configured to send a wireless message to a portable electronic device of a user based on information about the identity of a vehicle occupant.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a vehicle including: a vehicle body separating an outer region surrounding the vehicle body from an inner region within the vehicle body; a sensor circuit in the vehicle body configured to ascertain an identity of a user of the vehicle in the interior region, the sensor circuit comprising a selected one of: a) A face recognition sensor; b) A microphone; and c) a wireless transceiver configured to detect a portable electronic device of a user selected from the group consisting of: a user's wristwatch device and a user's cellular telephone; and identity-based customized adjustable equipment in the vehicle.

According to another embodiment, the adjustable equipment in the vehicle comprises equipment selected from the group consisting of: an adjustable seat, an adjustable climate control system, and an adjustable media system.

According to another embodiment, the sensor circuit includes an ultra-wideband transceiver configured to determine a seat position associated with a portable electronic device of a user.

The foregoing is merely exemplary and various modifications may be made to the embodiments described. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented independently or may be implemented in any combination.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

a body separating an exterior region surrounding the body from an interior region within the body;

an image sensor coupled to the vehicle body, the image sensor configured to capture facial recognition information about a user in the interior region to determine an identity and location of the user; and

equipment in the vehicle, the equipment being customized based on the identity and location of the user.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the location comprises a seat location of the user within the interior region, and wherein the equipment comprises an adjustable seat in the vehicle that is customized based on the identity of the user and the seat location of the user.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the equipment comprises a media system having a display, and wherein the media system is configured to present user-specific items on the display based on the identity of the user.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the image sensor is configured to capture an image of the interior region, and wherein the vehicle further comprises a wireless communication circuit configured to wirelessly transmit a message comprising the image of the interior region.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the vehicle comprises a wireless circuit configured to detect a portable electronic device in the vehicle interior, and wherein the wireless communication circuit is configured to wirelessly transmit the message to the detected portable electronic device.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the wireless circuitry comprises at least one ultra-wideband wireless transceiver.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the equipment includes an adjustable mirror that is adjusted based on the identity and the location of the user.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the equipment includes a climate control system that is adjusted based on the identity and the location of the user.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of seats, wherein the location of the user comprises a seat location of the user among the plurality of seats, wherein the image sensor is configured to determine the seat location of the user using the facial recognition information, and wherein the equipment comprises adjustable vehicle hardware customized based on the identity of the user and the seat location of the user.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of seats, wherein the location of the user comprises a seat location of the user among the plurality of seats, wherein the image sensor is configured to determine the seat location of the user using the facial recognition information, and wherein the equipment comprises a display configured to display media received wirelessly from an online service provider based on the seat location of the user and based on the identity of the user.

11. A vehicle, comprising:

a sensor circuit in the vehicle body, the sensor circuit configured to determine a vehicle occupant identity and a vehicle occupant seat position; and

a media system in the vehicle, the media system comprising a display, wherein the media system is configured to present customized media options on the display based on the vehicle occupant identity and the vehicle occupant seat position determined by the sensor circuit.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the sensor circuit comprises at least one wireless transceiver selected from the group consisting of: Transceiver, near field communication transceiver and +.>A transceiver.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the sensor circuit comprises at least one ultra-wideband transceiver.

14. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the sensor circuit comprises a wireless transceiver configured to determine the vehicle occupant identity and the vehicle occupant seat position by communicating with a vehicle occupant portable electronic device selected from the group consisting of: a vehicle occupant cellular telephone and a vehicle occupant wristwatch.

15. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the sensor circuit comprises a microphone, and wherein the microphone is configured to determine the vehicle occupant identity.

16. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the sensor circuit comprises a seat pressure sensor, and wherein the seat pressure sensor is configured to determine the vehicle occupant seat position.

17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the media system is configured to present customized media options on the display based at least in part on weight information from the seat pressure sensor.

18. The vehicle of claim 11, further comprising a wireless communication circuit configured to send a wireless message to a user's portable electronic device based on information about the identity of the vehicle occupant.

19. A vehicle, comprising:

a sensor circuit in the vehicle body configured to ascertain an identity of a user of the vehicle in the interior region, wherein the sensor circuit comprises one selected from: a) a face recognition sensor, b) a microphone, and c) a wireless transceiver configured to detect a portable electronic device of the user selected from the group consisting of: a wristwatch device of the user and a cellular telephone of the user; and

an adjustable arming in the vehicle, the adjustable arming being customized based on the identity.

20. The vehicle of claim 19, wherein the adjustable equipment in the vehicle comprises equipment selected from the group consisting of: an adjustable seat, an adjustable climate control system, and an adjustable media system, and wherein the sensor circuit comprises an ultra-wideband transceiver configured to determine a seat position associated with the portable electronic device of the user.