WO2020035233A1

WO2020035233A1 - Key apparatus for adjusting a vehicle parameter

Info

Publication number: WO2020035233A1
Application number: PCT/EP2019/068719
Authority: WO
Inventors: Simon Boeck; Joern-Marten Ohle; Kai Hartmann; Oemer CAN
Original assignee: Daimler Ag
Priority date: 2018-08-16
Filing date: 2019-07-11
Publication date: 2020-02-20
Also published as: DE102018006480A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a key apparatus (10) for adjusting a vehicle parameter using a vehicle key (12) designed to activate a motor vehicle (40). The vehicle key (12) has a microphone (13) for receiving acoustic waves (21). Moreover, the key apparatus (10) has an interface (17, 17') for sending a signal to an evaluation unit. The signal is based on the acoustic waves (21). The key apparatus (10) is distinguished in that the evaluation unit is designed to take the signal as a basis for adjusting the vehicle parameter. This allows the motor vehicle (40) to be adjusted in advance before a person (20) reaches the motor vehicle (40).

Description

Key device for setting a vehicle parameter

The present invention relates to a key device for setting a

Vehicle parameters with a vehicle key that is designed to activate a motor vehicle. The vehicle key has a microphone for receiving acoustic waves. In addition, the vehicle key has an interface for sending a signal to an evaluation unit, the signal being based on the acoustic waves. The invention also provides a method for adjusting a

Vehicle parameters ready using a vehicle key.

At automobile fairs such as the CES in Las Vegas, various infotainment systems for motor vehicles are regularly presented. According to the applicant's current state of knowledge, it has so far only been possible to use this infotainment technology in the respective motor vehicle. In many cases, however, customers wish to be able to make certain settings on the infotainment system or on the motor vehicle in advance. It is particularly desirable to be able to do this using current vehicle keys. The applicant is not aware of any such possibility.

The publication DE 11 2014 007 288 T5 describes a speech recognition system. This speech recognition system comprises a speech acquisition unit for acquiring what has been spoken, which is preset by a user

T on acquisition period is uttered long. The speech is recognized with the aid of a speech recognition unit. A determination unit is used to determine whether the user performs a predetermined operation or action.

The published patent application DE 10 2014 016 827 A1 describes voice control for a motorcycle. It describes a method for controlling a motorcycle by means of a microphone integrated in a helmet. One entered into the microphone

A user's voice command activates at least one function in the motorcycle. It is an object of the present invention to facilitate or improve the setting of a vehicle parameter of a motor vehicle.

This object is achieved in accordance with the independent claims of this application. Useful examples and forms of embodiment are described in the subclaims.

The invention provides a key device for setting a vehicle parameter with a vehicle key, which is designed to activate a motor vehicle. The vehicle key is in particular a physical or physical vehicle key. The term vehicle key does not mean digital information. The vehicle key is therefore preferably of an objective nature. The vehicle key preferably has similar dimensions to conventional ones

Vehicle key. In particular, it is provided that the vehicle key has no extension that exceeds a size of 20 cm. This information preferably refers to the vehicle key without a key bit that may have been unfolded. Many vehicle keys have integrated the associated key bit foldable. If the key bit is unfolded, the extension of the

Take the vehicle key a dimension larger than 20 cm. The vehicle key preferably has a spatial extent, so that it is conveniently in one

Pocket or a handbag can be transported. The greatest spatial extent of the key is preferably in an interval of 5 cm to 10 cm.

The vehicle key has a microphone for receiving acoustic waves. The microphone is used in particular to deliver spoken speech information

take. The microphone is thus preferably set up to receive spoken text. The vehicle key also has an interface for sending a signal to an evaluation unit, the signal being based on the acoustic waves. The interface can be a WIFI module, a Bluetooth interface, an LTE module or an interface close to the vehicle, such as nearfield or highfield.

The key device is characterized in that the evaluation unit is designed to set the vehicle parameter as a function of the signal. In this case, the location of the evaluation unit has not yet been determined. The evaluation unit can be integrated in the vehicle key, it can be integrated in the motor vehicle or in a cloud server. Vehicle parameters in particular address those parameters which make it possible to operate the motor vehicle. These are therefore preferably those parameters on which a user of the motor vehicle can usually act. This includes, for example, temperature settings for an air conditioning system, settings relating to an alignment of the vehicle mirror, a vehicle steering wheel, a vehicle seat, activation or deactivation of the

Motor vehicle, opening or closing a vehicle door or a trunk lid, a setting regarding the chassis of the motor vehicle (for example sports suspension), a lighting setting in a vehicle interior of the motor vehicle, a setting for a light animation which is outside the

Motor vehicle is represented using a headlight, etc. This list is not exhaustive and merely represents an example of what type of vehicle parameters can be set using the vehicle key.

For example, if a person wants to use the

Cool down the vehicle interior, for example, into the microphone

Speak a voice instruction that includes the command to lower the vehicle interior temperature using the air conditioner. For example, the person could say, “Hey Mercedes, please adjust the air conditioning so that the vehicle temperature does not exceed 25 degrees.” In another example, the person could use a corresponding voice command to ask the motor vehicle to make itself known. This is particularly advantageous if the motor vehicle cannot be found so easily in a large parking garage. For example, using a voice command such as "Hey Mercedes, where are you?", The evaluation unit of the motor vehicle could be stimulated to emit a sound or light signal. So could a driver

or a user of the vehicle key can find the associated motor vehicle more easily and quickly. Depending on how the acoustic waves or the voice command is designed, a different vehicle parameter can be set. A driver of the motor vehicle can thus set vehicle parameters before he reaches the motor vehicle. This is particularly advantageous if the driver wants to set a certain comfortable temperature in advance. This usually takes a certain amount of time and cannot be set immediately. The microphone is designed in particular as a receiving unit for acoustic waves or speech information. The evaluation unit can be designed as a microchip or as a separate, independent computing unit.

A further embodiment of this invention provides that the vehicle key has a loudspeaker and / or a display in order to provide feedback after an evaluation of the acoustic waves. The vehicle key can thus contain a monitor in order to provide feedback after the evaluation of the acoustic waves. The loudspeaker and / or the display thus serve in particular to provide appropriate feedback after the evaluation of a voice command. For example, if a driver gives the instruction "Hey Mercedes, please cool the vehicle interior to 20 degrees", it could

For example, a green confirmation hook is shown in the display or an acceptance of the instruction is acoustically confirmed using the loudspeaker. Based on the feedback, the driver can be sure that his voice command has been accepted and is being executed.

A further embodiment of this invention provides a key device, the evaluation unit being designed as an internal computing unit of the vehicle key, as a vehicle computing unit of the motor vehicle and / or as an external computing module of a cloud server with a neural network with respect to the motor vehicle and the vehicle key. The evaluation unit can thus be arranged at different points. For example, the internal computing unit of the

Vehicle keys are preferably used when the corresponding voice commands are standardized and easy to evaluate. The internal computing unit of the vehicle key can be designed as a corresponding microchip. The vehicle computing unit of the motor vehicle can access an on-board network of the motor vehicle and thus generally more digital resources. As a result, the vehicle computing unit usually has more digital resources than the internal one

Computing unit of the vehicle key. The vehicle computing unit could

can be used, for example, when the corresponding voice instruction is too complex to be evaluated by the internal computing unit of the vehicle key. In this case, the acoustic waves can be converted to the signal and transmitted in the form of the signal to the vehicle computing unit. The The vehicle computing unit can then evaluate the signal accordingly and set the vehicle parameter based thereon.

If the acoustic waves contain a voice command, for example, which is extremely complex, it may be necessary to use the external computing module of the cloud server for evaluation. Since the external computing module is equipped with a neural network, it is also able to carry out complex analyzes. For example, the external computing module could determine a navigation plan, which at the same time takes into account predetermined dates and a capacity of an electric battery.

In this case, the external computing module could determine a route profile in which speed and acceleration values are calculated or designed so that locations selected by the driver can be reached at the desired times. The neural network of the external computing module could reduce the power consumption of certain vehicle components of the motor vehicle in order to best perform the task set by the driver. In this case, it may be possible that the external computing module offers the driver several options that can fulfill his request. The driver could select a convenient option via the display of the vehicle key. The voice instruction

or the acoustic waves can be in the vehicle key

be cached if there is no data connection to the cloud server. A complex voice command can thus be temporarily stored and later, as soon as a data connection to the cloud server is available again, transmitted to the external computing module.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a key device with a charging cradle for the vehicle key. Here is the charging cradle

trained to inductively load the vehicle key. The charging cradle can thus inductively charge a battery of the vehicle key. Energy can thus be transmitted from the charging cradle to the vehicle key without a cable connection. In the case of such an energy transmission, an internal energy store of the

Vehicle key charged. This is usually a battery. The vehicle key is preferably charged according to a QI standard. Thus, the

Vehicle keys can be conveniently charged by simply placing the vehicle key on the charging cradle. It is not necessary to plug the vehicle key into a cable. A further embodiment of this invention provides a key device, the charging cradle being designed as a network node between a network

Build vehicle key and cloud server and / or the vehicle computing unit and transmit the signal for evaluation to the external computing module of the cloud server or to the vehicle computing unit of the motor vehicle. The charging cradle can thus set up a meshed network between the vehicle key, the cloud server and the vehicle computing unit. The charging cradle thus enables a range of data transmission to be increased. In this sense, the charging cradle can also be viewed as an amplifier. Signals from the vehicle key can be stored in the charging cradle and / or forwarded. The is preferred

Charging cradle set up in a building. This is usually the home of the

Owner of the vehicle key.

The charging cradle can dial into an existing home network with a corresponding interface or connect to the home network. The vehicle key can thus be connected to the charging cradle in a building. The charging cradle can also have a microphone and an interface to establish a data connection to the cloud server. The interface often provides WiFi functionality. The charging cradle can also have a loudspeaker that can provide appropriate feedback for voice commands. As a rule, the charging cradle can transmit the signals based on the acoustic waves over a greater range than the vehicle key. Thus a

Data connection between the vehicle key and the vehicle computing unit of the motor vehicle can also be established if the range would not be sufficient to transmit the data only by the vehicle key. In addition, the

The charging cradle amplify the signal accordingly so that it reaches the vehicle computing unit despite the walls in a building. This can ensure that the vehicle key can also establish a data connection in buildings with the vehicle computing unit or with the computing module external to the vehicle.

Another embodiment of this invention provides that the charging cradle has a microphone and a loudspeaker and is designed to be in one

predetermined space acoustically to receive the acoustic waves and / or to improve a transmission of the signal to the external computing module of the cloud server or the vehicle computing unit of the motor vehicle. The charging cradle microphone is usually a separate microphone. The microphone of the

The vehicle key and the microphone of the charging cradle are therefore usually two separate and often different components. These two components can be, for example, microphones of different types. When the charging cradle is acoustically measured, acoustic parameters of the charging cradle can be modified such that an optimal transmission of the signal to the external computing module or to the vehicle computing unit is possible. For this purpose, the respective orientations of the microphone and the loudspeaker can be changed, for example. The charging cradle can do this with the help of appropriate electric motors. In addition, the

Charging cradle select or set the frequency range in which the signal is to be transmitted. For example, the charging cradle from one

Use high frequency field from 315 to 433 megahertz or a low frequency field from about 21 to 125 kilohertz. The so-called ultra wide band with the frequency ranges for HRP (high rate pulse) and LRP (low rat pulse) is preferably used for the transmission. Relevant standards include IEEE802.15.4.a, IEEE 802.15.4f and IEEE802.15.4.Z. In these frequency ranges, signals can be sent or received via the interface of the charging cradle. Likewise, the charging cradle can use frequency ranges for a WLAN, LTE or Bluetooth transmission. A transmission quality of the signal can thus be improved and a range of the signal transmission can be increased.

A further embodiment provides that the vehicle key has a circuit which is designed to continuously analyze the acoustic waves with regard to a predetermined keyword and in the case of the detected one

Keyword to establish a connection to an information system of the motor vehicle. In many cases, it is provided that a key on the vehicle key should be pressed so that voice control is possible. In this

However, an embodiment provides that the voice control function is continuously activated. For this purpose, the vehicle key can have a separate circuit, which is designed exclusively to permanently analyze the acoustic waves with regard to a predetermined keyword. In other words, the vehicle key listens to everything and analyzes the acoustic waves regarding the keyword. Instead of the keyword, a key phrase can be used which has several words.

This is preferably achieved by constantly activating the microphone. The keyword could be "Hey Mercedes" or "Hey Daimler" or an artist name. The internal computing unit of the vehicle key preferably analyzes the acoustic waves arriving at the microphone with regard to the keyword. If the key word is recognized, a connection is established to the infotainment system of the motor vehicle. A connection to the vehicle computing unit can also be established. The circuit can thus have a chip set which continuously listens to the surroundings of the vehicle key according to the keyword. This means that an owner of the vehicle key has constant access to the infotainment system of the motor vehicle. He does not have to activate the voice control separately. As soon as the keyword is pronounced, the

Voice control is activated and the owner can send appropriate instructions to the vehicle computing unit.

The invention also provides a method for setting a vehicle parameter using a vehicle key. This process is characterized by the following process steps. In step a) acoustic waves are received on a microphone of the vehicle key. The acoustic waves are preferably designed as voice commands. The acoustic waves thus preferably correspond to a spoken text and not to a diffuse background noise. In step b), a signal based on the acoustic waves is sent to a

Evaluation unit sent to analyze this signal. The acoustic waves mostly correspond to sound waves that come from a speaking person. These acoustic waves or the sound waves can be converted into another data format. The signal based on it can be generated from the acoustic waves. For example, the acoustic waves can be converted into an MP4 format, ogg, opus or another format for storing acoustic waves. In step c), the vehicle parameter is set as a function of the signal. The statements and examples given for the

previous embodiments apply mutatis mutandis to this method. A further variant of this invention provides that, depending on the signal, a charging parameter for charging a vehicle battery, a route profile based on a user request and / or auxiliary heating of the motor vehicle as the respective one

Vehicle parameters is set. The list of different vehicle parameters mentioned in this variant is not exhaustive. The signal does not have to contain the direct instruction for setting the respective vehicle parameter. The requirement to set the respective loading parameter can result from an inquiry. For example, voice control can be used to express a wish to reach a specific destination at a specific time. The vehicle computing unit or the external one could be based on this

Cloud computing module set the charging parameters for charging the vehicle battery so that the request can be met. The vehicle parameters can thus be set using a voice command. The voice command can also be designed as an inquiry. A driver could, for example, activate the auxiliary heater on the way back to his motor vehicle in order to remove ice from the motor vehicle. A laborious or troublesome removal of ice and snow in winter would thus be eliminated. This can significantly increase comfort.

Another variant provides that a person in the microphone of the

Vehicle key speaks and the vehicle parameter is set depending on an analysis of the spoken. With many conventional ones

Vehicle keys, it is necessary to activate certain functions using appropriate keys. The range of functions is generally specified or limited by the number of buttons. The invention therefore preferably provides that a person speaks in the direction of the vehicle key and the spoken text is analyzed. The spoken text can be analyzed by means of the internal computing unit of the vehicle key or another computing unit. If the analysis of the spoken turns out to be too complex, the spoken can be converted into the signal and for further analysis to the external one

Computing module or the vehicle computing unit are transmitted. Methods of machine learning or a neural network can be used. Complex analyzes are preferably carried out by the external computing unit. This has a neural network and can therefore carry out complex analyzes quickly. The invention will now be explained by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. It shows:

Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a key as the

Key device;

Fig. 2 shows a key system with the key, a cloud server and one

Motor vehicle; and

Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of the key system that the

Key, the cloud server, the motor vehicle and a charging cradle.

1 shows an example of a key 12 which contains several components. In the example of FIG. 1, the key 12 corresponds to a key device 10. The key 12 can have a key bit 11. A motor vehicle 40 can be opened or started manually using the key bit 11. In the example of FIG. 1, the key bit 11 is arranged pivotably, which is indicated by the associated double arrow. The key bit 11 is used in particular to mechanically activate a motor vehicle or to open a vehicle door of the motor vehicle 40. The key 12 is in particular an intelligent key (i-key

or intelligent key). This i-Key is a multifunctional key 12 of the next generation. This key 12 preferably uses an architecture of modern smartwatches. It can therefore be seen as a hybrid between a smartwatch and a conventional vehicle key. The key 12 has an interface 17, a key 16, a microphone 13, an internal computing unit 18, a loudspeaker 13 and a touch display 14.

The key 12 can use the interface 17 to operate both Bluetooth, WIFI, LTE and interfaces near the vehicle, such as a low-frequency range (LF frequency) or a high-frequency range (HF frequency). The

Low frequency range can be arranged in a range from 21 to 125 kilohertz. The high frequencies of the high frequency range can range from 315 to

433 megahertz. However, UWB and BTLE are preferred: HRP according to IEEE 802.15.4a, IEEE 802.15.4z and LRR according to IEEE802.15.4f. The frequencies are then between 3.1 GHz and 8.5 GHz. The interface 17 can thus cover different frequency ranges. Signals can be sent to other external components using these different frequencies. The interface 17 can also receive signals from external components. The key 12 is preferably based on an RTOS operating system, which is in particular a

Realtime processing should enable. This can increase the life of the key 12.

2 shows an example of how a person 20 can use the key 12. The person 20 is in the immediate vicinity of the key 12 and emits acoustic waves 21 in the direction of the microphone of the key 12. It therefore speaks in the key 12. The acoustic waves 21 represent sound waves and represent a voice command from the person 20. Thus, the acoustic waves 21 can, for example, express “Hey Mercedes, I want to start in 20 minutes”. This voice command is by means of the acoustic waves 21 to the microphone 13 of the

Key 12 transferred. The internal computing unit 18 of the key 12 can either process the acoustic waves 21 directly or transmit them to other components for further analysis via the interface 17. In the example of FIG. 2, the voice control of the key 12 can be activated, for example, by pressing the key 16. In the case of simple voice instructions, the internal computing unit 18 can evaluate the instruction directly. In this case, a vehicle computing unit 41 of motor vehicle 40 could be controlled via interface 17.

The vehicle computing unit 41 can control one or more electric motors 42 in order to set the vehicle parameter accordingly. With the voice command “Hey Mercedes, I want to start driving in 20 minutes”, a vehicle battery of the motor vehicle 40 could be charged via the vehicle computing unit 41. The motor vehicle 40 can in particular be an electric vehicle. If the voice command of the person 20 cannot be evaluated directly by the internal computing unit 18, it is provided in particular that the acoustic waves 21 are transformed into a signal and this signal is transmitted to an external computing module 23 of a cloud server 22 for further analysis. The cloud server 22 is often also referred to as a back-end system. The voice command can be converted into a stream and transmitted directly to the external computing module 23. However, it is also possible that the acoustic waves 21 after a transformation to the signal in are stored temporarily in an internal memory of the key 12 and are translated into a corresponding format and are then transmitted to the external computing module 23. The internal computing unit 18 of the key 12 can thus convert the acoustic waves 21 into a transmissible signal and additionally process this signal in order to improve the transmission. This

Transmission can take place to the external computing module 23 or to the vehicle computing unit 41.

Finds the evaluation of acoustic waves 21 using the external

Computing module 23 instead of, the motor vehicle 40 can be controlled after the evaluation by the external computing module 23. For this purpose, corresponding control signals can be transmitted from the external computing module 23 to the vehicle computing unit 41. The respective transmission paths are shown in dashed lines in FIG. 2. The integration of the cloud server 22 makes it possible to provide different and also complex functions. If, for example, a new service is provided via the cloud server 22, this is immediately available on the key 12 itself. Preferably, only simple voice commands are evaluated directly by the internal computing unit 18 of the key 12. More complex voice commands going beyond this are preferably evaluated by the external computing module 23 of the cloud server 22. The key 12 can have a circuit 24 which continuously examines acoustic waves 21 received via the microphone 13 for a key word. This means that the key 12 is constantly listening to its surroundings with regard to the keyword. This keyword can be, for example, "Hey Mercedes". The person 20 can of course also use a different keyword or a different one

Set key phrase.

Via the touch display 14, the key 12 can show the person 20 whether their voice command is received and carried out. With the help of the circuit 24, the key 12 constantly listens to the surroundings according to the keyword or the

Key phrase, the person 20 can use the underlying functions continuously. In particular, permanent access to a

Infotainment system of the motor vehicle 40 are made possible. Such a thing

Infotainment system is known for example under the term "MBUX" (Mercedes Benz User Experience). Circuit 24 could be separate for wiretapping only of the keyword are available. In this case, further components of the key 12 would not be charged.

The intelligent key 12 is preferably identical in size to

conventional vehicle keys. Since the person 20 carries the key 12 with them anyway, the key 12 does not give them any functional disadvantages. In addition to the known functions of the key 12, namely opening and starting the motor vehicle 40, the person 20 receives the key using the now intelligent key 12

Possibility to set vehicle parameters in advance using voice control. That is, the person 20 can set predetermined vehicle parameters before they reach the motor vehicle 40. Thus, for example, after a visit to a city center, the person can adjust their motor vehicle 40 accordingly before they reach it. For example, the person 20 could activate an air conditioning system of the motor vehicle 40 on a hot summer day before arriving at the motor vehicle 40 and thus cool the vehicle interior accordingly.

3 shows a further schematic illustration for the key device 10, a charging cradle 30 additionally being used here. In FIG. 3, as in FIG. 2, the key 12, the motor vehicle 40 and the cloud server 22 are part of the

Key device 10 shown. In the example of FIG. 3, the key device 10 is additionally expanded by the charging cradle 30. The charging cradle 30 can also have an interface 17 'for transmitting the signal. The charging cradle 30 can also have its own control unit 31. In addition, the charging cradle 30 can offer acoustic feedback using the loudspeaker 33. In FIG. 3, the key 12 additionally has a conversion unit 19. The internal computing unit 18 of the key 12 can convert the acoustic waves 21 into the signal. This signal can be buffered or reformatted using the conversion unit 19. In this way, the acoustic waves 21 can be processed in such a way that an optimal transmission via the interface 17 to the external computing module 23 or to the interface 17 'of the charging cradle 30 is possible.

The charging cradle 30 is preferably used in buildings. It is preferably placed at home in a living room. The charging cradle 30 can serve as a network node and set up a meshed network between the key 12, the motor vehicle 40 and the cloud server 22. For this purpose, the charging cradle 30 can be, for example, in a Integrate existing home network. For this purpose, the charging cradle 30 can use an already existing WLAN network, for example. The person 20 is with her

Key 12, for example in a basement of the building, it may be possible that a direct transmission of signals to the motor vehicle 40 is not possible. In this case, the signals could first be transmitted via the interface 17 of the key 12 to the interface 17 'of the charging cradle 30. The interface 17 'of the charging cradle 30 generally has a sufficiently long range to transmit the signals to the vehicle computing unit 41 of the motor vehicle 40. If the charging cradle 30 has access to a WLAN network via the interface 17 ', a data connection to the cloud server 22 or the backend can also be established. In this case, complex voice commands from person 20 could be transmitted to cloud server 22 via charging cradle 30. Because the external

Computing module 23 of the cloud server 22 has a neural network, these complex voice instructions can generally be analyzed and processed without problems. As a result of this analysis, control signals can be transmitted to the vehicle computing unit 41. As shown by way of example in FIG. 3, this can be done using the charging cradle 30. Thus, the charging cradle 30 can next to the

Charging an internal memory of the key 12 can also be used as a data node.

The charging cradle 30 charges the intelligent key 12 preferably according to the QI standard. The charging cradle 30 can also have a microphone 13 and loudspeaker 33 in order to be able to receive acoustic waves 21 or to provide acoustic feedback. Thus, the charging cradle 30 can be used in a similar way to, for example, an Echo Dot from Amazon. The voice control can be activated via the key 16 or the key 12 can permanently listen to the surroundings for a key word. Voice control can be activated using these methods. Vehicle parameters can be set on motor vehicle 40 with the aid of this voice control. Key 16 is often referred to as a "push-to-talk" key. If this push-to-talk button is pressed, the voice control of the

Key 12 activated.

The intelligent key 12 shown here represents a new milestone. It is a so-called “next customer touch point”. An intuitive operating concept by means of voice control is created, which extends to others Life fields of person 20 can be expanded. The person 20 can directly

Voice commands such as "Hey Mercedes, where are you?" Or "Hey Mercedes, I'm hungry, where's the next pizzeria?"

Set vehicle parameters of motor vehicle 40. With the help of the neural network of the external computing module 23, such instructions that are not clearly articulated can also be analyzed to find out which vehicle parameters have to be set in order to best meet the requirement. The key 12 can thus support its owner in everyday life.

A result of this analysis can be communicated to the person 20 via the loudspeaker 33 or the touch display 14 of the key 12. Become the external

If the computing module 23 and the motor vehicle 40 as well as the key 12 are provided by a single provider, a high level of protection regarding personal data of the person 20 can be achieved. In this case, the personal data of person 20 remain with a single provider. Such a system is independent of other providers and can offer the person 20 a high degree of comfort.

The following three embodiments, which have already been described above, are currently favored.

version 1

Vehicle key with push-to-talk button:

In this case, the voice control of the key 12 is activated by pressing the key 16. The key 16 is referred to as a push-to-talk key.

Variant 2

Vehicle key with push-to-talk button and charging cradle 30:

The intelligent key 12 is linked to the charging cradle 30. The key 12 or a battery of the key 12 can be charged inductively via the charging shell 30. In addition, the charging cradle 30 can set up a meshed network between the key 12, cloud server 22 and motor vehicle 40.

Variant 3

Key 12 with an "always-on function":

With the help of the circuit 24, which can have its own chip set, the Voice control activated when pronouncing the key word or key phrase. In this case, the key 12 continuously listens to the environment for the occurrence of the keyword or the key phrase. An important advantage of the intelligent key 12 is that the person 20 does it

Motor vehicle 40 can adjust before it reaches motor vehicle 40. This is particularly advantageous if certain adjustments or settings require a certain lead time. This can be, for example, thawing an icy windscreen or setting a comfortable temperature inside the vehicle.

Claims

claims

1. Key device (10) for setting a vehicle parameter with

- A vehicle key (12) which is designed to activate a motor vehicle (40), the vehicle key (12)

^{* has} a microphone (13) for receiving acoustic waves (21),

^{* has} an interface (17) for sending a signal to an evaluation unit, the signal being based on the acoustic waves (21), characterized in that

- The evaluation unit is designed to set the vehicle parameter as a function of the signal.

2. Key device (10) according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle key (12) has a loudspeaker (33) and / or a display (14) in order to provide feedback after an evaluation of the acoustic waves (21).

3. key device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the

Evaluation unit as an internal computing unit (18) of the vehicle key (12), as a vehicle computing unit (41) of the motor vehicle (40) and / or as an external computing module (23) of a cloud server with respect to the motor vehicle (40) and the vehicle key (12) (22) is formed with a neural network.

4. Key device (10) according to one of the preceding claims with a

Charging cradle (30) for the vehicle key (12), the charging cradle (30) being designed to inductively charge the vehicle key (12).

5. Key device (10) according to claim 3 and 4, wherein the charging cradle (30) is designed as a network node to set up a network between the vehicle key (12) and cloud server (22) and / or the vehicle computing unit (41) and that Signal for evaluation to the external computing module (23) of the cloud server (22) or to the vehicle computing unit (41) of the motor vehicle (40).

6. Key device (10) according to one of claims 4 to 5, wherein the charging cradle (30) has a microphone (13) and a loudspeaker (33) and is designed to be acoustically measured in a predetermined space in order to receive the acoustic waves ( 21) and / or a transmission of the signal to the external computing module (23) of the cloud server (22) or the vehicle computing unit (41) of the motor vehicle (40).

7. key device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the

Vehicle key (12) has a circuit (24) which is designed to continuously transmit the acoustic waves (21) with respect to a predetermined one

To analyze the keyword and, in the case of the recognized keyword, to establish a connection to an infotainment system of the motor vehicle (40).

8. Method for setting a vehicle parameter using a

Vehicle key (12) characterized by:

a) receiving acoustic waves (12) on a microphone (13) of the

Vehicle key (12),

b) sending a signal based on the acoustic waves (21) to an evaluation unit for analyzing the signal,

c) Setting the vehicle parameter depending on the signal.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein depending on the signal

Charging parameters for charging a vehicle battery, a route profile based on a user request and / or auxiliary heating of the motor vehicle (40) is set as the respective vehicle parameter.

10. The method according to any one of claims 8 or 9, wherein a person (20) speaks into the microphone (13) of the vehicle key (12) and the vehicle parameter is set as a function of an analysis of the spoken word.