GB2407406A

GB2407406A - Method of customising a motor vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2407406A
Application number: GB0324705A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Simon Collins; Paul Campbell; Michael Rodley; Jaromir Chech; Erika Tsubaki; Christopher Svensson; Christopher Hamilton; Alexander Ehrmann
Original assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Current assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Priority date: 2003-10-22
Filing date: 2003-10-22
Publication date: 2005-04-27
Also published as: GB0324705D0

Abstract

A motor vehicle 40 has one or more customisable parameters 42, a database 10 containing data relating to each customisable parameter 42. Access to the data stored in the database 10 is via an internet connection to a personal computer 20 and data relating to the reconfigured customisable parameter 42 is transferred to the motor vehicle 40 in order to effect a change to that parameter 42.

Description

A Method of Customisina a Motor Vehicle This invention relates to motor

vehicles and in particular to a method of customising a motor vehicle.

Motor vehicle purchasers have thus far been limited in their ability to customise their vehicle by the limited number of options available to them when they purchase the motor vehicle and the need for the motor vehicle manufacturer to produce motor vehicles that appeal to and are suitable for use by a wide range of potential customers.

This has resulted in motor vehicles being produced that are not optimised for use by the customer.

It is an object of this invention to provide a method by which a motor vehicle can be customised to better suit the needs of a customer.

According to the invention there is provided a method of customising a motor vehicle comprising providing a motor vehicle with one or more customizable parameters, providing a database holding data for use in customising the or each customizable parameter, providing remote access to the database, facilitating the remote selection and configuration of each customizable parameter, transferring data relating to each customised parameter to the motor vehicle, and using the transferred data to reconfigure the or each customizable parameter to effect a change to that parameter.

Providing remote access to the database may further comprise providing access to the database by means of the internet from a personal computer.

Transferring the modified customizable parameter to the motor vehicle may comprise transferring the data by means of a wireless link between the personal computer and the motor vehicle. - 2

Alternatively, transferring the modified customizable parameter to the motor vehicle may comprise transferring the data by means of a data media upon which the data is stored and transferring the data from the data media to the motor vehicle by means of a data reader fitted to the motor vehicle.

Facilitating the remote selection and configuration of each customizable parameter may further comprise displaying at least one configuration screen on the personal computer for use in reconfiguring the motor vehicle.

Facilitating the remote selection and configuration of each customizable parameter may further comprise saving as part of the database a customer created user profile for the motor vehicle on the database.

The method may further comprise saving data relating to any modification to a customizable parameter as updated configuration data on the database.

The method may further comprise facilitating the simulation of the effect any change to a configurable parameter will have on the motor vehicle.

The motor vehicle may have a spark ignition internal combustion engine and the configurable parameter may be the ignition timing of the engine.

The motor vehicle may have an internal combustion engine having electronically controlled valves and the configurable parameter may be the valve timing of the engine.

The motor vehicle may have an internal combustion engine with electronically controlled fuelling and the configurable parameter may be the fuelling of the engine The motor vehicle may have an electronic throttle pedal and the configurable parameter may be the output to input characteristic of the electronic throttle pedal.

The motor vehicle may have an electronically controlled gearbox and the configurable parameter may be one or more control parameters of the electronic gearbox, in which case the control parameters of the gearbox may include the engine speed and throttle position at which an alternative ratio is selected.

The motor vehicle may have one or more display screens upon which operating information of the motor vehicle is displayed and the configurable parameter may be the arrangement in which the operating information is displayed upon the or each display screen.

The arrangement in which the operating information is displayed may be the colour used for displaying the operating information, or may be the positioning of the operating information on the or each screen.

The arrangement in which the operating information is displayed may be the form in which the operating information is displayed on the or each screen, in which case the form in which the operating information is displayed may be one of an analogue form and a digital form.

The arrangement in which the operating information is displayed may be the particular operating information chosen for displaying on the or each screen.

At least one display screen may be a touch sensitive display screen displaying pseudo control buttons and the customizable parameter may further comprise the function which each of the pseudo buttons performs.

The motor vehicle may have a suspension system including springs and dampers, and the customizable parameter of the motor vehicle may be the damping characteristics of the suspension.

The motor vehicle may have a suspension system including springs and dampers, and the customizable parameter of the motor vehicle may be the ride height of the motor vehicle.

The motor vehicle may have interior lighting and the customisable parameter may be the appearance of the interior lighting when it is illuminated.

The motor vehicle may have one or more electronically controlled seats and the customizable parameter may be the setting of the or each seat.

The motor vehicle may have a navigation system and the customizable parameter may be the mode of operation of the navigation system.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing of which: Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a system for customising a motor vehicle; and Fig.2 is a block diagram of a method of customising a motor vehicle in accordance with the invention.

With reference to Fig.1 there is shown a database 10 holding data relating to all of the customizable parameters 42 of a motor vehicle 40. Remote access to the data stored on the database 10 is facilitated by means of an internet connection 15 to a personal computer 20. The database 10 is operated by the manufacturer of the motor vehicle 40 or a party designated by the motor vehicle manufacturer to provide this service.

Data is transferable from the personal computer 20 to the motor vehicle 40 by means of a wireless communications link 30 which transmits the data from the personal computer to a receiver 41 linked to all of the customizable parameters 42 fitted to the motor vehicle 40. Instead of the wireless link, data could be transferred from the personal computer 20 to the motor vehicle 40 by means of a transportable data media upon which the relevant data is stored. In this case the motor vehicle 40 is fitted with a data reader into which the data media is plugged or inserted so as to permit the data carried therein to be transferred to the motor vehicle for use in reconfiguring the customizable parameters 42.

As yet another alternative, the data stored on the database 10 could be directly downloaded from the database 10 to the motor vehicle 40 after it has been reconfigured by providing a link from the database 10 to the motor vehicle 40. In this case every time the vehicle 40 is used the vehicle 40 automatically searches for updated information and downloads it before operation of the motor vehicle 40 can commence.

The motor vehicle 40 can be fitted with a large number of customizable parameters 42, the only constraint being that the parameter must be able to be reconfigured remotely via the transfer of data. In most cases this means that the customizable parameter must be an electrical or electronic feature or a feature that can be electrically or electronically 1 5 reconfigured.

The motor vehicle 40 is fitted with a number of customizable parameters but it will be appreciated that these are merely illustrative and that other customizable parameters could be fitted to the motor vehicle if required.

The motor vehicle 40 has a spark ignition internal combustion engine (not shown) controlled by an electronic engine management system (not shown). The electronic engine management system is arranged to receive data from the personal computer 20 relating to the ignition timing of the engine, and the first configurable parameter of the motor vehicle is the ignition timing of the engine. The internal combustion engine is fitted with electronically controlled inlet and exhaust valves controlled by the electronic engine management system. The opening and closing of the inlet and exhaust valves is controlled by the electronic engine management system based upon data stored therein. This data is - 6 - reconfigurable remotely so that the second configurable parameter is the valve timing of the engine. By changing the valve timing and ignition timing of the engine, the performance of the engine can be changed by a user of the motor vehicle 40. The range of change that can be effected is controlled and is governed by a need to ensure that no reconfiguration can occur that would cause damage to the engine or reduce its reliability.

The electronic engine management unit also controls the fuelling of the engine, and so this forms a third customizable parameter of the motor vehicle. In most cases the process used to reconfigure the ignition timing, valve timing and fuelling is an interlinked process in which various templates are provided to the user to choose from so as to ensure that the engine performs efficiently after it has been reconfigured. For example, the user may be able to choose between economy, low end power, mid range power and maximum power.

The motor vehicle 40 is fitted with an electronic throttle pedal (not shown) and the fourth configurable parameter is the output to input characteristic of the electronic throttle pedal. This allows a user of the motor vehicle to reconfigure the electronic throttle pedal to provide the response required. This is particularly useful for a vehicle that can be used on or off-road. For off-road use it is preferred to have a characteristic in which a large initial movement of the throttle pedal produces very little increase in output and then the output increases more rapidly thereafter. This prevents excessive changes in throttle when traversing bumpy ground and allows the throttle to be more accurately controlled in slippery conditions. In normal road use the relationship between displacement of the throttle pedal and the output therefrom is often a linear one so that moving the throttle pedal 25% of its travel will produce a throttle opening of 25%. However, using the method according to this invention the relationships can be customised to suit a user's preferences.

The motor vehicle 40 is fitted with an electronically controlled gearbox (not shown) controlled by an electronic controller (not shown). The electronic controller is connectable to the personal computer 20 so as to permit the data forming control parameters used by - 7 the electronic controller to control the electronically controlled gearbox to be reconfigured or customised.

The fifth configurable parameter of the motor vehicle is the control parameters of the electronic gearbox. In the embodiment disclosed the electronically controlled gearbox is an epicyclic gearbox with clutches used to select the various ratios. The control parameters used to control operation of the gearbox are the engine speed and throttle position at which an alternative ratio is selected. By customising this parameter, the characteristic of the gearbox can be customised to suit the user. For example, by requiring a high engine speed to be reached before an up change occurs, the motor vehicle will be given a more sporty feel. In most cases this customizable parameter will be changeable by providing a number of templates representing various operating characteristics such as sporty, economy, city etc. It will be appreciated that a similar technique could be applied to continuously variable gearboxes used to provided simulated stepped drive and that other characteristics of the gearbox such as kick-down operation could also be customised.

The motor vehicle 40 is fitted with a number of LCD display screens (not shown) upon which operating information of the motor vehicle is displayed. These display screens are similar to those used on laptop computers and allow virtually any type of information to be displayed on them. In the embodiment disclosed there are two display screens fitted to the dashboard of the motor vehicle 40, a primary display screen located in front of the driver and a secondary display screen located centrally in the dashboard. These display screens are controlled by an onboard graphics controller (not shown) which is connectable to the personal computer 20 so that the control functions performed by the graphics controller can be customised by a user of the motor vehicle 40. The sixth configurable parameter of the motor vehicle is therefore the arrangement in which the operating information is displayed upon each display screen.

The arrangement in which the operating information is displayed may be the colour used for displaying the operating information, the positioning of the operating information on the or each screen, the form in which the operating information is displayed on the or each screen, such as whether the operating information is displayed in an analogue form or digital form, the particular operating parameters chosen for displaying on the or each screen, or may be a combination of these.

The operating information includes any information that a user may require to operate the motor vehicle such as vehicle speed, engine speed, oil pressure, warning signals, in car entertainment information, navigational information etc. In the disclosed embodiment the central display screen is a touch sensitive display screen displaying pseudo control buttons for the in car entertainment and heating, and the customizable parameters further comprise the function which each of the pseudo buttons performs. A user is therefore able to change the colour, shape, position and function of each of these pseudo buttons to suit their preferences.

In addition, the user is able to choose what information is displayed on each screen and so, for example, may decide to display on the primary screen only the vehicle speed, fuel tank contents and a clock, and may choose to show the vehicle speed as a digital output and the others as analogue information. If more display screens are provided, then the location of the information displayed may also be customised so that, for example, the clock of the above example would be displayed on one of the additional display panels located somewhere else within the motor vehicle 40.

The motor vehicle 40 has a suspension system including springs (not shown) and dampers (not shown) which are controlled by a chassis controller (not shown). The damping rate of each of the dampers fitted to the motor vehicle 40 is electronically controlled by the chassis controller based upon damping characteristics stored as data - 9 - within the chassis controller. The chassis controller is connectable to the personal computer so as to facilitate customization of the damper characteristics and so the seventh customizable parameter of the motor vehicle is the damping characteristics of the suspension.

The chassis controller also controls electronically adjustable spring abutments which can be moved to vary the ride height of the motor vehicle, and this forms an eighth customizable parameter of the motor vehicle.

The motor vehicle 40 is fitted with interior mood lighting in which three light emitting diodes, one red, one green and one yellow, are controlled by a lighting controller to provide various levels and colours of light. The lighting controller is connectable to the personal computer so that the interior lighting of the motor vehicle may be customised. The ninth customizable parameter of the motor vehicle 40 is the appearance of the interior lighting when it is illuminated. The customization of this parameter allows a user to choose lighting that is very bright or dim, and to change the colour of the lighting. It will be appreciated that this could be applied to other lighting on the motor vehicle if required.

The motor vehicle is fitted with driver and front passenger seats (not shown) that are electronically controlled by means of a seat controller (not shown). The seat controller contains data used to configure each of the seats and is connectable to the personal computer to permit the seats to be remotely customised, and so the tenth customizable parameter of the motor vehicle 40 is the setting of each seat. In the embodiment disclosed the height, fore-aft position, angle of backrest and lumbar support are all electronically controlled and so it is these parameters that can be customised for each seat. The customization of these parameters may be aided by a template in which details regarding the user of the seat are input to the personal computer and an optimum seat position is automatically set. - 10

The motor vehicle is fitted with a GPS based navigation system having a navigation controller containing data relating to the current position of the motor vehicle and data relating to the road system of the country in which the vehicle is currently operating. The navigation controller is connectable to the personal computer so that the eleventh customisable parameter of the motor vehicle is the mode of operation of the navigation system.

That is to say a user of the vehicle can customise the navigation system to choose a route that is the fastest, most picturesque, shortest, or can input particular locations that need to be passed by or stopped at on the route.

It will be appreciated that the customisable parameters given above are examples and that other features of a motor vehicle could also be customisable providing they are electronically customisable such as, for example, the operation and tracks stored on the in car entertainment system. In addition, it will be appreciated that the re-configured data could be transferred directly from the database 10 to the motor vehicle 40 rather than from the personal computer 20.

With particular reference to Fig.2 the method for customising the customisable parameters 42 will now be described in greater detail.

The first step of the method is to provide a motor vehicle 40 with one or more customisable parameters 42 such as those previously described. The next step is to provide the database 10 holding or containing data relevant to all of the customisable parameters 42 and data that can be used to customise the customisable parameter. That is to say, not only the data currently being used by each customisable parameter but also other data that is required to effect reconfiguration of each customisable parameter. This may include, for example, limits that cannot be exceeded or permitted combinations of configuration. The next step is to provide remote access to the database 10 via the - 1 1 internet connection 15 to the personal computer 20 that will be used by a user of the motor vehicle 40 to customise it.

The next step is to facilitate the remote selection and configuration of each of the customizable parameters 42, and this process is set forth in steps 200 to 220 on Fig.2.

In step 200 a user or customer access screen is displayed on the personal computer 20. At step 202 a decision is made as to whether the user has on a previous occasion customised the motor vehicle 40. If this is not the first use of the customization process then entry of a password will permit direct access to the customising process and the process proceeds to steps 208 in which previously entered user data is retrieved from the database 10 and then to step 210. If this is the first use of the process by user, then at step 202 the process will proceed to step 204 in which user data must be entered, and then to step 206 in which the entered data is stored on the database 10 for future use. This data may include information regarding the user, details regarding the motor vehicle 40 and security information for setting up a password.

The process then proceeds to step 210 in which the user is given the opportunity to decide whether they wish to reconfigure the motor vehicle 40 (referred to as the product on Fig.2 for simplicity). This step enables a user to skip the reconfiguration process if they merely wish to check the current configuration of the motor vehicle.

If the user wishes to reconfigure one or more of the customizable parameters then the process proceeds to step 212 otherwise the process proceeds to step 216.

At step 212 various configure screens are displayable on the personal computer 20 to enable the user to reconfigure the customizable parameters. The user selects the customizable parameter to be reconfigured and is then able to change one or more features of that configurable parameter. These screens may provide merely a pick list of available templates or may permit the user to vary the source data for the customizable - 12 parameter between limits set to ensure that the safety and reliability of the motor vehicle is not compromised by the reconfiguration. After the customizable parameter has been reconfigured, the process may provide a simulation step (not shown) in which the changes made can be simulated for consideration by the user. For example, if the change relates to the gearbox of the motor vehicle, the motor vehicle can be simulated driving down a road or on a race track with the existing and the new configuration to examine the differences, or the customer may be able to receive information relating to how the reconfiguration will change the time it takes to complete a standard journey or the amount of fuel used for a standard journey. The standard journey could be a typical journey preset by the manufacturer of the motor vehicle or could be based upon data logged by the motor vehicle during day to day use.

When the user is satisfied with the reconfiguration selected the process proceeds to step 214 in which this reconfigured data is stored on the database 10. The process then proceeds to step 216 in which the user has to decide whether or not to proceed with the reconfiguration. If the decision is no then the process terminates but if the decision is yes the process continues to step 218.

In step 218 the user is given an opportunity to review all of the reconfigurations proposed and then at step 220 the user is given an opportunity to modify any of the proposed reconfigurations. If the user does not wish to modify any of the customizable parameters then the process proceeds to step 224 otherwise the process proceeds to step 222 which uses the same techniques employed in steps 212 and 214 to reconfigure the chosen customizable parameter.

At step 224 the motor vehicle 40 itself is physically changed by the transfer from the personal computer 20 to the motor vehicle 40 of the reconfigured data for the customizable parameters 42. As previously described, this can be by any practical means. After this transfer has been carried out the process advances to step 238 where the user can end the - 1 3 process or restart it if they decide they wish to perform a further customization of the motor vehicle 40.

It will be appreciated that the above process is provided by way of example and that further steps could be added to it or some of the steps could be omitted as required.

Therefore in summary the invention provides a method in which any characteristic or parameter of a motor vehicle that is remotely changeable can be customised by a user of the motor vehicle or some other person authorised to change the motor vehicle so as to provide a motor vehicle that is customised to suit the preferences of the user. The key elements of this method are the use of a personal computer to modify data stored on a remote database and the transfer of this modified data to the motor vehicle to change the physical characteristic or parameter being customised.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications or alternatives to the embodiments disclosed herein may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, although the invention has been described by way of example to a passenger vehicle or automobile it is not limited to such a vehicle, and the invention could equally be applied to motorcycles and other road going vehicles. - 14

Claims

Claims 1. A method of customising a motor vehicle comprising providing a

motor vehicle with one or more customisable parameters, providing a database holding data for use in customising the or each customisable parameter, providing remote access to the database, facilitating the remote selection and configuration of each customisable parameter, transferring data relating to each customised parameter to the motor vehicle, and using the transferred data to reconfigure the or each customisable parameter to effect a change to that parameter.
2. A method as claimed in claim1, wherein providing remote access to the database further comprises providing access to the database by means of the intemet from a personal computer.
3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein transferring the modified customisable parameter to the motor vehicle comprises transferring the data by means of a wireless link between the personal computer and the motor vehicle.
4. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein transferring the modified customisable parameter to the motor vehicle comprises transferring the data by means of a data media upon which the data is stored and transferring the data from the data media to the motor vehicle by means of a data reader fitted to the motor vehicle.
5. A method as claimed in claim 2 or in claim 3 when dependent upon claim 2, or in claim 4 when dependent upon claim 2, wherein facilitating the remote selection and configuration of each customisable parameter further comprises displaying at least one configuration screen on the personal computer for use in reconfiguring the motor vehicle. -
6. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, wherein facilitating the remote selection and configuration of each customizable parameter further comprises saving as part of the database a customer created user profile for the motor vehicle on the database.
7. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the method further comprises saving data relating to any modification to a customizable parameter as updated configuration data on the database.
8. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the method further comprises facilitating the simulation of the effect any change to a configurable parameter will have on the motor vehicle.
9. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the motor vehicle has a spark ignition internal combustion engine and the configurable parameter is the ignition timing of the engine.
10. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the motor vehicle has an internal combustion engine having electronically controlled valves and the configurable parameter is the valve timing of the engine.
11. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the motor vehicle has an internal combustion engine with electronically controlled fuelling and the configurable parameter is the fuelling of the engine.
12. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 11, wherein the motor vehicle has an electronically controlled gearbox and the configurable parameter is one or more control parameters of the electronic gearbox.
13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the control parameters of the gearbox include the engine speed and throttle position at which an alternative ratio is selected. - 16
14. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 13, wherein the motor vehicle has one or more display screens upon which operating information of the motor vehicle is displayed and the configurable parameter is the arrangement in which the operating information is displayed upon the or each display screen.
15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the arrangement in which the operating information is displayed is the coiour used for displaying the operating information.
16. A method as claimed in claim 13 or 14, wherein the arrangement in which the operating information is displayed is the positioning of the operating information on the or each screen.

17. A method as claimed in any of claims 13 to 15, wherein the arrangement in which the operating information is displayed is the form in which the operating information is displayed on the or each screen.
17. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the form in which the operating information is displayed is one of an analogue form and a digital form.
18. A method as claimed in any of claims 13 to 17, wherein the arrangement in which the operating information is displayed is the particular operating information chosen for displaying on the or each screen.
19. A method as claimed in any of claims 13 to 18, wherein at least one display screen is a touch sensitive display screen displaying pseudo control buttons and the customizable parameter further comprises the function which each of the pseudo buttons performs. f. - 17
20. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 19, wherein the motor vehicle has a suspension system including springs and dampers and the customizable parameter of the motor vehicle is the damping characteristics of the suspension.
21. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 19, wherein the motor vehicle has a suspension system including springs and dampers and the customizable parameter of the motor vehicle is the ride height of the motor vehicle.
22. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 21, wherein the motor vehicle has interior lighting and the customizable parameter is the appearance of the interior lighting when it is illuminated.
23. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 22, wherein the motor vehicle has one or more electronically controlled seats and the customizable parameter is the setting of the or each seat.
24. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 23, wherein the motor vehicle has a navigation system and the customizable parameter is the mode of operation of the navigation system.
25. A method of customizing a motor vehicle substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing.