U.S. patent application number 14/977627 was filed with the patent office on 2017-06-22 for biometric based personalized settings for a driving apparatus.
The applicant listed for this patent is Thunder Power Hong Kong Ltd.. Invention is credited to Jia-Wei Ding.
Application Number | 20170174158 14/977627 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57965619 |
Filed Date | 2017-06-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170174158 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ding; Jia-Wei |
June 22, 2017 |
Biometric Based Personalized Settings For A Driving Apparatus
Abstract
A system and method for facilitating a personalizing settings in
a driving apparatus using user's biometric information are
provided. Individual users of an automobile are facilitated to set
personal settings through a biometric information device in the
driving apparatus. In one embodiment, a given user of the driving
apparatus is facilitated to provide his/her fingerprint in a first
mode through the fingerprint scanner to store settings of a set of
currently configured components as the personalized settings for
those components. The given user is facilitated to subsequently
provide his/her fingerprint in a second mode through the
fingerprint scanner to retrieve the personalized settings for the
set of configured components and have the set of components
configured in accordance with those settings. In some examples,
security is provided to determine whether a given user is
authorized to personalize certain customizable components in the
driving apparatus.
Inventors: |
Ding; Jia-Wei; (Tainan City,
TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Thunder Power Hong Kong Ltd. |
CENTRAL |
|
HK |
|
|
Family ID: |
57965619 |
Appl. No.: |
14/977627 |
Filed: |
December 21, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 50/30 20130101;
B60R 16/037 20130101; G06Q 10/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B60R 16/037 20060101
B60R016/037 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method for configuring a driving
apparatus comprising one or more customizable components, the
method comprising: storing component configuration information for
users of the driving apparatus, wherein the component configuration
information including first component configuration information
indicating configurations of a first set of customizable
components; receiving, from a biometric capturing device, first
biometric information regarding a first user of the driving
apparatus and first indicating information indicating a first
duration for which the first user provided biometric information
through the biometric capturing device; determining the first
duration is less than a threshold duration; in response to
determining the first duration is less than a first threshold
duration, retrieving the first component configuration information
based on the first biometric information regarding the first user;
receiving, from the biometric capturing device, second biometric
information regarding a second user of the driving apparatus and
second indicating information indicating a second duration for
which the second user provided biometric information through the
biometric capturing device, wherein the second user is distinct and
separate from the first user; determining the second duration is
longer than the threshold duration; in response to determining the
second duration is longer than the threshold duration, obtaining,
from the second user, at least one configuration change for the
first set of customizable components; and in response to obtaining
the at least one configuration change for the first set of
customizable components, updating the configurations of the first
set of customizable components with the at least one configuration
change.
2. (canceled)
3. (canceled)
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein updating the
configurations of the first set of customizable components
comprises determining whether the second user is authorized to
update configurations of the second set of customizable
components.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first
biometric information regarding the first user includes information
indicating at least one of a fingerprint, a voice pattern and a
retina pattern of the first user.
6. (canceled)
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the
component configuration information for the users of the driving
apparatus is stored in a remote storage over a network, and wherein
the first component configuration information for the first user is
retrieved from the remote storage over the network.
8. (canceled)
9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first
set of customizable components include at least one of a mirror, a
seat, a steering wheel, a climate control, a navigation system, an
entertainment system, a window and a light of the driving
apparatus.
10. A system configured to facilitate a user to configure and
automatically retrieve personalized settings for customizable
components in a driving apparatus, the system comprising a
processor configured to perform: storing component configuration
information for users of the driving apparatus, wherein the
component configuration information including first component
configuration information indicating configurations of a first set
of customizable components; receiving, from a biometric capturing
device, first biometric information regarding a first user of the
driving apparatus and first indicating information indicating a
first duration for which the first user provided biometric
information through the biometric capturing device; determining the
first duration is less than a threshold duration; in response to
determining the first duration is less than a first threshold
duration, retrieving the first component configuration information
based on the first biometric information regarding the first user;
receiving, from the biometric capturing device, second biometric
information regarding a second user of the driving apparatus and
second indicating information indicating a second duration for
which the second user provided biometric information through the
biometric capturing device, wherein the second user is distinct and
separate from the first user; determining the second duration is
longer than the threshold duration; in response to determining the
second duration is longer than a the threshold duration, obtaining,
from the second user, at least one configuration change for the
second set of customizable components; and in response to obtaining
the at least one configuration change for the second set of
customizable components, updating the configurations of the first
set of customizable components with the at least one configuration
change.
11. (canceled)
12. (canceled)
13. The system of claim 12, wherein updating the configurations of
the first set of customizable components comprises determining
whether the second user is authorized to update configurations of
the second set of customizable components.
14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first biometric information
regarding the first user includes information indicating at least
one of a fingerprint, a voice pattern and a retina pattern of the
first user.
15. (canceled)
16. The system of claim 10, wherein the component configuration
information for the users of the driving apparatus is stored in a
remote storage over a network, and wherein the first component
configuration information for the first user is retrieved from the
remote storage over the network.
17. (canceled)
18. The system of claim 10, wherein the first set of customizable
one or more configurable components include at least one of a
mirror, a seat, a steering wheel, a climate control, a navigation
system, an entertainment system, a window and a light of the
driving apparatus.
19. The method of claim 1, further comprising: after retrieving the
first configuration information, effectuating configuration of the
first set of customizable components using the first configuration
information.
20. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of customizable
components comprise at least one component that is not configurable
by the first user.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to configuring a
driving apparatus, and more specifically to personalized
configuration of a driving apparatus using user biometric
information.
[0002] Automobile typically includes various components that can be
adjusted manually. Examples of such adjustable components may
include mirror (e.g., side-view and rear-view), seats, steering
wheel, air and/or temperature control, radio station, display (e.g.
lighting intensity), headlight (e.g., light always on during the
day), brake, engine (e.g., economy or sports mode), or any other
adjustable components in an automobile. Conventionally, an
automobile with adjustable components can typically facilitate a
person entering the automobile (e.g., a driver) to manually select
and set his/her preferred settings for the adjustable components.
For example, a female driver entering the automobile can be
facilitated to adjust various levers to position the seat properly
for her body type. She can also be facilitated to set the steering
wheel to an angle for ease of use, adjust the rear and side-view
mirrors for her height, select a favorite station on the radio,
and/or select any of the additional personal settings.
[0003] Traditional automobiles require manually selecting and
setting preferences of the adjustable components every time an
incoming person desires a change to the setting preferences.
However, the manual selection and setting described above can take
a considerable amount of time. As an improvement, some automobiles
allow the incoming person to adjust preferences for certain
components and store the preferences for later automatic
adjustment. For example, such an automobiles allows a person to set
and store seat and mirror settings (e.g., seat height, legroom,
recline angle, mirror angle, etc.) through a user profile of the
person. For example, the incoming person can store configurations
of seat and mirror to his/her profile via a wireless remote or a
button within such an automobile. The person can later recall the
seat and mirror settings via the key or the button when he/she
enters the automobile.
[0004] One drawback of the aforementioned conventional automatic
technique is that the user profile of the person is typically
stored in a memory device in the automobile, which is powered by a
battery of the automobile; and once the battery is drained, the
settings for the persons is lost and requires that person to store
those settings again by adjusting the seat again. Another drawback
of the conventional technique is that the number of users that can
have preferred settings is limited. Typically no more than four
users can have their own preferred settings for the automobile. If
there are more than four people that use the automobile regularly,
some or all of those people are required to readjust the components
manually when they enter the conventional automobile.
[0005] Yet another drawback of the conventional technique is that
it does not allow different users of the automobile to set and
store preferences for different sets of the customizable
components. That is, although different users can be facilitated
through different user profiles by the conventional technique, each
user profile contains configuration information for the same
components (e.g., mirror and seat). Thus, the individual users of
the automobile cannot be associated with different components under
the conventional technique.
[0006] Still another drawback of the conventional technique is that
it lacks measures to ensure the settings are recalled and/or
updated by the same person that set those settings. For example,
the conventional technique does not really identify whether a user
is a child, so it does not prevent a child from adjusting and
storing the settings of the adjustable components in the automobile
and thus could cause inconvenience to the adults that use the
automobile. Sometimes mistakes can also happen under the
conventional technique such that an incoming person can press a
wrong button to recall pre-stored settings for another user of the
automobile.
[0007] Therefore, it is desirable to provide new systems and
methods for facilitate personalized configuration of components in
an automobile.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0008] Embodiments can provide systems and methods for configuring
customizable components in a driving apparatus based on user
biometric information. Each of multiple users of the driving
apparatus can be facilitated to set and store his/her own
personalized settings for a set of customizable components
associated with the user by providing his/her biometric
information. In one embodiment, without limitation, the individual
users are facilitated to do so through a fingerprint scanner within
the driving apparatus. In that embodiment, a given user of the
driving apparatus is facilitated to provide his/her fingerprint in
a first mode (e.g., a long touch) through the fingerprint scanner
to store settings of a set of currently configured components as
the personalized settings for those components. The given user is
facilitated to subsequently provide his/her fingerprint in a second
mode (e.g., a short touch) through the fingerprint scanner to
retrieve the personalized settings for the set of configured
components and have the set of components configured in accordance
with those settings. In this way, each of the multiple users of the
driving apparatus can be facilitated to store and automatically
recall personalized settings for a set of customizable components
associated with the user. Compared with the conventional technique
described above, there is no user limit under this approach--any
number of users can be facilitated to have his/her personalized
settings for the customized components in the driving
apparatus.
[0009] In some examples, different sets of customizable components
can be associated with different users of the driving apparatus
through their biometric information. For example, a driver of the
driving apparatus can be facilitated to store and automatically
recall his/her personalized settings for the steering wheel,
display light intensity on the dashboard, mirror angles, while one
or more passengers may not store, retrieve and/or update settings
for these components. In some examples, different user biometric
information capturing devices can be provided in the driving
apparatus, for instance, one for the driver(s) and one for the
passenger(s). Compared with the conventional automatic adjustment
technique described above, this facilitates personalized settings
on a component level--i.e., different users can have different
components customized--rather than on a user level as facilitated
by the conventional technique described above.
[0010] In some examples, security is provided to determine whether
a given user is authorized to personalize certain customizable
components in the driving apparatus. For example, a child user of
the driving apparatus may be prevented from personalizing certain
driving features or safety features of the driving apparatus. As
another example, the child user may be limited to customizing only
a subset of the components in the driving apparatus. For instance,
upon biometric information regarding the child user is received,
configurations for certain components (e.g., such as mirror angles,
steering wheel configurations, driving mode, brake mode, and/or any
other driving features provided by the driving apparatus) can be
disabled.
[0011] In some examples, a system for facilitating personalized
components in multiple driving apparatuses is provided. The system
may comprise one or more servers configured to communicate with the
multiple driving apparatuses. The server(s) may comprise a user
management component configured to manage user information for the
multiple driving apparatus. The user information may include
information regarding configurations of particular components of
the multiple driving apparatuses for the different users. For
example, without limitation, configurations of a first set of
components in a first driving apparatus may be managed for a first
user for the first driving apparatus; configurations of a second
set of components in a first driving apparatus may be managed for a
second user for the first driving apparatus; configurations of a
third set of components in a second driving apparatus may be
managed for the first user for the second driving apparatus; and so
on. In those examples, the individual driving apparatuses can be
configured to communicate user biometric information with the
server(s) over a network.
[0012] This summary is not intended to identify key or essential
features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be
used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject
matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to
appropriate portions of the entire specification of this patent,
any or all drawings, and each claim.
[0013] The foregoing, together with other features and embodiments,
will become more apparent upon referring to the following
specification, claims, and accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The detailed description is set forth with reference to the
accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a
reference number identifies the FIG. in which the reference number
first appears. The use of the same reference numbers in different
FIGS. indicates similar or identical items.
[0015] FIG. 1 is a diagram generally illustrating a driving
apparatus in accordance with the disclosure.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram generally illustrating an infrastructure
for facilitating users to personalize settings of components of a
plurality of driving apparatuses in accordance with one example of
the disclosure.
[0017] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary
implementation for facilitating biometrics based personalized
settings in a driving apparatus in accordance with the
disclosure.
[0018] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary
implementation of the server shown in FIG. 2.
[0019] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary
implementation of the processor shown in FIG. 3.
[0020] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary
implementation of the server shown in FIG. 5.
[0021] FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for
facilitating a user to store, retrieve and/or update personalized
setting for a set of customizable components associated with the
user in a driving apparatus.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] In the following description, various embodiments will be
described. For purposes of explanation, specific configurations and
details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding
of the embodiments. However, it will also be apparent to one
skilled in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without
the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features may be
omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the embodiment being
described.
[0023] In accordance with the disclosure, personalized settings of
customizable components in a driving apparatus can be facilitated.
Biometrics, such as fingerprint, retina pattern, voice pattern
and/or any other biometrics of a given user of the driving
apparatus, can be captured to identify the given user. The given
user can be associated with a set of customizable components such
that the given user may configure and store the settings of these
customizable components as personalized settings, and retrieve or
update the personalized settings later for automatically adjusting
these components. FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a driving
apparatus 100 that allows a user to provide his/her biometric
information to store, retrieve, and/or update the personalized
settings described above.
[0024] As shown, driving apparatus 100 in accordance with the
disclosure may include a processor 102 configured to execute
machine-readable instructions. The machine-readable instructions,
when executed, can cause process 102 to perform one or more
operations to implement storing, recalling and/or updating the
personalized settings of customizable components in the driving
apparatus 100. As shown, processor 102 may be operatively connected
to one or more biometric information capturing devices 104, such as
the biometric capturing devices 104a-b shown in this example. The
biometric information capturing device 104 can be configured to
acquire biometric information from a user of the driving apparatus
100. In some examples, the biometric information capturing device
104 may be configured to identify the user based on the biometric
information provided by the user. However, this is not necessarily
the only case. In some examples, the biometric information
capturing device 104 may not identify the user. In those examples,
the biometric information capturing device 104 may be configured to
simply transmit the captured user biometric information to
processor 102 for further processing.
[0025] As shown, driving apparatus 100 can comprise customizable
components 106. Some customizable components 106 in the driving
apparatus 100 may have one or more settings that can define
corresponding modes of operations for those customizable components
106. Examples of those customizable components 106 may include
driving mode of an engine of driving apparatus 100 (e.g., sports or
economy mode), automatic headlight mode (e.g., daytime running
mode, tunnel light mode), light intensity on dashboard display(s),
airbag mode, cruise control, camera mode and/or another components
that can be customized to operate in a particular mode for a given
user of the driving apparatus 100.
[0026] Some customizable components 106 in the driving apparatus
100 may have one or more settings that can define a position and/or
an operational angle of those components. Examples of such
customizable components 106 may include one or more seats (front
and/or rear), one or more seat belts, one or more mirrors, a
steering wheel, one or more windows and accessories thereto, and/or
any other customizable components whose position(s) or angle(s) can
be adjusted.
[0027] Some customizable components 106 in the driving apparatus
100 may have one or more settings that can define a starting point
of the customizable components. Examples of such components may
include a radio (e.g., start station, start volume, etc.), a
navigation system (e.g., language, voice guide volume, voice guide
accent), climate control (e.g., start temperature, wind strength,
wind direction, humidity, and so on), an entertainment system
(e.g., personalized start screen for a particular passenger),
and/or any other customizable components 106 that has a
configurable initial state of operation. Other examples of
customizable components 106 are contemplated.
[0028] As still shown, driving apparatus 100 can facilitate
multiple users 108 to personalize their settings of the
customizable components 106. The users may include one or more
drivers of the driving apparatus 100 and/or one or more passengers
of the driving apparatus 100. As mentioned above, separate
biometric information capturing devices 104 can be provided to
different types of users of driving apparatus 100. For example,
without limitation, the biometric information capturing device 104a
can be provided to the driver(s) of the driving apparatus 100 for
storing, recalling, and/or updating the personalized settings of
customizable components 106 associated with the driver(s); and the
biometric information capturing device 104b can be provided to the
passenger(s) of the driving apparatus 100 for storing, recalling,
and/or updating personalized settings of the customizable
components 106 associated with the passenger(s).
[0029] It should be understood driving apparatus 100 in accordance
with this disclosure is not necessarily limited to an automobile.
Other types of driving apparatus 100 are contemplated. For example,
the driving apparatus 100 can be a train, a bus, a vessel, a
motorcycle, an electronic bike, a rocket ship, an airplane, and/or
any other types of apparatus that can move in distance.
[0030] FIG. 2 is a diagram generally illustrating an infrastructure
for facilitating users to personalize settings of components in a
plurality of driving apparatuses in accordance with one example of
the disclosure. As shown, in some examples, as in this example, one
or more servers 204 can be provided to communicate with the
multiple driving apparatuses, such as driving apparatus 200a-x
shown. In those examples, a given driving apparatus 200, such as
driving apparatus 202a, can store, retrieve, and/or update settings
of customizable components for one or more users of the given
apparatus 200 by communicating with the server 204 via a network
202. The network 202 may comprise wired and/or wireless
connections. The server 204 may be configured to manage the users
of the driving apparatuses 200a-x, to manage component
configuration information regarding the components of the driving
apparatuses 200a-x for the users, and/or to perform any other
operations.
[0031] With the apparatus 100 and an exemplary infrastructure for
facilitating users to personalize settings of components of the
driving apparatus 100 having been generally described and
illustrated, attention is now directed to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 where
exemplary implementations of process 102 shown in FIG. 1 and the
server 204 shown in FIG. 2 are provided. They will be described
with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the biometric
information capturing device 104 may be configured to capture
biometric information regarding a user of the driving apparatus
100. As shown, the captured biometric information can include
information regarding a fingerprint of the user, a retina pattern
of the user, a voice pattern of the user, a facial feature of the
user and/or any other biometric information regarding the user. As
shown, in some examples, the biometric information capturing device
104 may include a fingerprint scanner configured to capture
fingerprint information regarding the user; in some examples, the
biometric information capturing device 104 may include an eye
scanner configured to capture a retina pattern of the user of the
driving apparatus 100; and in some examples, the biometric
information capturing device 104 may include a voice recognition
device configured to capture a voice pattern of the user of the
driving apparatus 100. Other examples of the biometric information
capturing device 104 are contemplated. For instance, the biometric
information capturing device 104 can include a camera configured to
capture a facial image of the user.
[0032] As shown in this example, the user biometric information
captured by the biometric information capturing device 104 can be
transmitted to the processor 102 for further processing. As shown
in this exemplary implementation, processor 102 can include a user
component 302, a biometric identification component 304, a
configuration information retrieval component 306, a configuration
information update component 308, a component configuration
component 310, a network component 312, and/or any other
components.
[0033] User component 302 can be configured to manage users of the
driving apparatus 100. Managing users of the driving apparatus 100
by the user component 302 may include storing, retrieving,
updating, and/or removing user information regarding a particular
user of the driving apparatus 100. The user information regarding
the particular user managed by the driving apparatus 100 can
include information indicating a user profile associated with the
particular user. The user profile can include various
configurations of a set of customizable components associated with
the particular user. For example, the configurations may include
personalized settings one or more seats (front and/or rear), one or
more seat belts, one or more mirrors, a steering wheel, one or more
windows, driving mode of an engine of driving apparatus 100 (e.g.,
sports or economy mode), automatic headlight mode (e.g., daytime
running mode, tunnel light mode), light intensity on dashboard
display(s), airbag mode, cruise control, camera mode, a radio
(e.g., start station when the driving apparatus 100 is on, start
volume), a navigation system (e.g., language, voice guide volume,
voice guide accent), climate control (e.g., personalized start
temperature, wind strength, wind direction, humidity, and so on),
an entertainment system (e.g., personalized start screen for a
particular passenger), and/or any other customizable components in
the driving apparatus 100.
[0034] In some examples, the user profiles managed by the user
component 302 may specify different sets of customizable components
for different users of the driving apparatus 100. For example, a
user profile for a first user of the driving apparatus 100 (e.g.,
an owner of the driving apparatus 100) may specify personalized
settings for a first set of customizable components that include
mirrors and driver's seat; and a user profile for a second user of
the driving apparatus 100 (e.g., a child of the owner of the
driving apparatus 100) may specify a personalized settings for an
entertainment system within the driving apparatus 100, but may not
specify personalized settings for the mirrors and driver's seat.
That is, the set of customizable components specified for the first
and second users of the driving apparatus 100 can be different by
at least one customizable component. However, it should be
appreciated it is contemplated that for some users of the driving
apparatus 100, the same set of customizable components can be
associated with them. For example, there can be two or more drivers
for the driving apparatus 100 and they can be associated with the
same customizable components.
[0035] In some examples, user profiles managed by the user
component 302 may comprise verified biometric information regarding
the users of the driving apparatus 100. For example, a user profile
for a particular user may comprise fingerprint, voice pattern,
retina, blood characteristics, one or more facial feature, height,
weight, and or any other verified biometric information regarding
the particular user. The verified biometric information may be
provided by the particular user during a configuration time of the
driving apparatus 100 for the particular user. For example, the
particular user may present a password and have the biometric
information capturing device 104 read his/her fingerprint and store
it as the verified biometric information regarding the particular
user.
[0036] In some examples, the user component 302 may manage
aforementioned user information regarding the users of the driving
apparatus 100 via a local storage within the driving apparatus 100.
As illustration, the storage in those examples can be configured to
store user information regarding the users of the driving apparatus
100 via a user database or a user file. However, it should be
understood this is not necessarily the only case. In some examples,
the user component 302 may manage aforementioned user information
regarding the users of driving apparatus 100 via a remote server,
such as the server 204 shown in FIG. 2. In those examples, user
component 302 can be configured to store, retrieve and/or update
the user information regarding the particular user by initiating
requests to the server 204.
[0037] Biometric identification component 304 may be configured to
receive biometric information from the biometric information
capturing device 104 and make a user identification based on the
received biometric information. In implementations, the biometric
identification component 304 may make the user identification by
obtaining the verified biometric information regarding the users of
driving apparatus 100 from the user component 302. Making the user
identification based on the user biometric information may involve
analyzing a pattern or patterns in the biometric information
received from biometric information capturing device 104 and
matching the pattern(s) to verified biometric information regarding
a particular user.
[0038] Configuration information retrieval component 306 may be
configured to retrieve component configuration information for the
particular user as identified by the biometric identification
component 304. The configuration information retrieval component
306 may retrieve the component configuration information for the
particular user through the user component 302. For example, as
illustration, the configuration information retrieval component 306
may present an user ID of the particular user to the user component
302 so that user component 302 can locate the user profile of the
particular user and extract component configuration information
from the user profile.
[0039] In some examples, the configuration information retrieval
component 306 may be configured to retrieve the component
configuration information for the particular user from a remote
server, such as the remote server 204. In those examples, the
configuration information retrieval component 306 may be configured
to generate a request with a user ID of the particular user and
transmit the request to the remote server via the network 202.
[0040] Configuration information update component 308 can be
configured to update component configuration information for a
particular user identified by the biometric identification
component 304. The configuration information update component 308
may update the component configuration information for the
particular user through the user component 302. For example, as
illustration, the configuration information update component 308
may present a user ID of the particular user to the user component
302 so that user component 302 can locate the user profile of the
particular user. In some examples, the configuration information
update component 308 may be configured to capture various settings
of the set of customizable components associated with the
particular user after receiving an indication from the particular
user indicating the settings for the set of customizable components
to be updated. For example, the particular user may be facilitated
to provide a long touch of his fingerprint through a fingerprint
scanner 104 indicating that the particular user would like to
update the stored personalized settings of the set of customizable
components associated with the particular user as they are
currently configured. As another example, a mode control such as an
update button on a touch screen of the biometric information
capturing device 104 can be provided to enable the particular user
to update the stored personalized settings. Other examples are
contemplated.
[0041] In some examples, the configuration information update
component 308 may be configured to update the component
configuration information for the particular user from a remote
server, such as the remote server 204. In those examples, the
configuration information update component 308 may be configured to
generate a request with a user ID of the particular user and
transmit the request to the remote server via the network 202.
[0042] Component configuration component 310 may be configured to
effectuate configurations of customizable components in accordance
with the configuration information retrieved by the configuration
information retrieval component 306 for the particular user.
Effectuating the customizable components by the component
configuration component 310 may involve generating control signals
and/or instructions for each of the customizable components
indicated in the component configuration information retrieved by
configuration information retrieval component 306. Upon receiving
the control signal(s) and/or the instructions, the individual
customizable components may be adjusted accordingly.
[0043] In some examples, as in this example, the processor 102 may
comprise a network component 312. The network component 312 may be
configured to facilitate remote communications between the driving
apparatus 100 and the server(s) 204. Facilitating the remote
communications by the network component 312 may include manage
remote connections with the server(s) 204. In one example, the
connections between the driving apparatus 100 and the server(s) 204
are via a cellular network 202. In another example, the connections
between the driving apparatus 100 and the server(s) 204 are via
satellite.
[0044] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary
implementation of server 204. In the example shown in FIG. 4,
server 204 comprises a user management component 402, a
configuration information management component 404, a security
component 406, a security component 408, and/or any other
components. The user management component 402 can be configured to
manage users of multiple driving apparatuses, such as the driving
apparatus 200a-x shown in FIG. 2. A particular user and a
particular driving apparatus 200 can be managed by the user
management component 402 by mapping the particular user to the
particular driving apparatus 200. It should be appreciated that the
particular user can be mapped to one or more driving apparatuses
200. For example, the particular user may be an owner of a first
driving apparatus, an authorized driver of a second driving
apparatus, a passenger of a third driving apparatus, and so on. In
that example, the user management component 402 may map the user to
the first, second and third driving apparatuses. It should also be
appreciated that the particular driving apparatus can have one or
more users. For example, the particular driving apparatus can have
a first user as the owner, a second user as an authorized driver, a
third user as a passenger, and so on. In implementations, a user
table may be implemented for the users such that each record in the
user table is mapped to a corresponding driving apparatus in a
driving apparatus table.
[0045] The configuration information management component 404 may
be configured to manage component configuration information for
individual users of the driving apparatus 100. Managing the
component configuration information for a particular user by the
configuration information management component 404 may involve
managing configuration information for various components for the
particular user. For example, for a first user, a set of
customizable components can be managed such that the first user is
enabled to use the configurations for these customizable components
for the one or more driving apparatuses associated with the first
user. As illustration, the configuration information management
component 404 may manage a first set of customizable components for
the first user including rear-view mirror and seat configuration.
The first user can be mapped to the first and a second driving
apparatuses 200 in that example, and the first user may be enabled
to set and store personalized settings for rear-view mirror and
seat configuration through the first driving apparatus as described
herein. The first user in that example can then be enabled to
replicate the personalized settings of the rear-mirror and seat to
the second driving apparatus. For example, as illustration, the
first user can retrieve the personalized settings for the rear-view
mirror and the seat by presenting his/her biometric information in
the second driving apparatus, which may be then transmitted to
server 204. In response to receiving the user biometric ID at
server 204, the configuration information management component 404
may consult the user management component 402 and determine that
the first user is also mapped to the first driving apparatus. Upon
this determination, the configuration information management
component 404 may determine which customizable component(s)
associated with the first user can be commonly configured in the
first and second driving apparatus. For instance, the rear-mirror
and seat in the first and second driving apparatuses may be
configured the same way as or similarly. In implementations, a
configuration table may be managed by configuration information
management component 404 for each user. Each record in the
configuration table may specify a personalized setting for a
corresponding customizable component.
[0046] The security component 406 may be configured to authenticate
and/or filter user access to the user information managed by user
management component 402 and/or the component information managed
by the configuration information management component 404.
Operations provided by security component 406 may involve
determining whether a particular user is authorized to access the
user information and/or component configuration information. For
example, in response to the first user's request to update
configuration for a set of customizable components in the first
driving apparatus, the security component 406 may determine if the
first user has a permission to update these customizable
components. In the event that the first user does not have the
permission to update, the security component 406 may deny the
update request from the first user. In some examples, the security
determination by the security component 406 may be on a user basis.
For example, a set of privileges associated with a given user of a
driving apparatus may be predetermined by a power user of the
driving apparatus (e.g., an owner), an administrator of sever 204,
a manufacturer of the driving apparatus, and/or any other entities
related to the driving apparatus. As illustration, the owner of the
driving apparatus may be enabled to specify which users can have
access to certain customizable components, and which users cannot
have access to those customizable components.
[0047] With exemplary implementations of the processor 102 and
server 204 in accordance with some examples of the disclosure
having been generally described, attention is now directed to FIGS.
5-6. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating further details about
the exemplary implementation of the processor 102 shown in FIG. 2
in accordance with one example of the disclosure. As shown, user
biometric information 502, e.g., a fingerprint of a particular user
can be received by the biometric identification component 304 from
biometric information capturing device 104. Based on the user
biometric information 502 received, biometric identification
component 304 may obtain user information 504 from the user
component 302 and determine a user ID associated with the user that
provides the biometric metric information 502. As shown, the user
component 302 may be configured to provide the user information 504
through a local storage (e.g., a memory device) or through a
network component that communicates with one or more remote servers
as described and illustrated here.
[0048] After the user ID is determined, the biometric
identification component 304 may determine whether the user that
provided user biometric information 502 has indicated to store
personalized settings for one or more customizable components
associated with the user or the user has indicated to update the
personalized settings. As described above, indication information
506 can be received by the biometric identification component 304
and to enable the biometric identification component 304 to make
this determination. For example, the indication information 506 can
indicate a time period for which the user has provided the
biometrics included in the biometric information 502. For instance,
the user may be enabled to provide a long touch on the biometric
information capturing device 104 if he/she presses his finger on
the biometric information capturing device 104 for longer than 3
seconds. In that example, the indication information 506 may
indicate that the user has provided the fingerprint included in the
user biometric information 502 for longer than 3 seconds. The
indication information 506 can be used by biometric identification
component 304 to determine whether the current settings of those
customizable components associated with the user are to be stored
as personalized settings for that user for those customizable
components. In the event that the biometric identification
component 304 determines this is the case based on the indication
information 506, the biometric identification component 304
transmits the user ID 508 to the configuration information update
component 308 to instruct it to update the personalized settings of
the customizable components associated with the user with current
settings of those customizable components. As shown, in some
examples, the configuration information update component 308 may
update the local storage with the new configurations 516 for those
customizable components. As also shown, in some examples, the
configuration information update component 308 may initiate an
update request 514 to a remote server, requesting the remote server
to update the personalized settings for those customizable
components for the first user.
[0049] In the event that the biometric identification component 304
determines the indication information 506 indicates the user
requests the component configuration information 512 to be
retrieved (e.g., a short touch), the biometric identification
component 304 transmits the user ID to the configuration
information retrieval component 306 to instruct it to retrieve the
personalized settings of the customizable components associated
with the user. As shown, in some examples, the configuration
information retrieval component 306 may retrieve the component
configuration information 512 from the local storage. As also
shown, in some examples, the configuration information retrieval
component 306 may initiate a retrieval request 510 to a remote
server, requesting the remote server to retrieve the personalized
settings for those customizable components for the first user.
[0050] In any event, after retrieving the component configuration
information for the user that provided the biometric information,
the configuration information retrieval component 306 may transmit
the component configuration information 512 to the component
configuration component 310. As shown, the component configuration
component 310 may generate control signals and/or instructions 518
to instruct various customizable components in accordance with the
component configuration information retrieved for the user.
[0051] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating further details about
the exemplary implementation of the server 204 shown in FIG. 4 in
accordance with one example of the disclosure. It will be described
with reference to FIG. 4. As shown, the network component 408 can
receive configuration retrieval request 510 or update request 514
from individual driving apparatuses 200. The network component 408
can then transmit the request to the configuration information
management component 404, which can communicate with the user
management component 402 and the security component 406. The
request may comprise information indicating an identification of
the user for whom the component configuration information 512 is to
be retrieved and an identification of the driving apparatus 200
from which the request is initiated. The configuration information
management component 404 can pass the user ID and driving apparatus
ID in the request to the user management component 402. The user
management component 402 can obtain user driving apparatus
information 602 using the user ID and driving apparatus ID, which
may specify a set of customizable components that are associated
with the user for the particular driving apparatus from which the
request is initiated. As shown, a set of records 606 can be
maintained to keep track of customizable components in a particular
driving apparatus for a corresponding user.
[0052] The security component 604 can provide authorization
information 604 regarding the user's permission to retrieve or
update settings for customizable components with the driving
apparatus from which the request is initiated. For example, the
authorization information 604 may indicate that the user cannot
update settings for certain customizable components. As another
example, the authorization information 604 may indicate that the
user cannot retrieve or update any settings of any customizable
components with that particular driving apparatus at all. As shown,
a security matrix 608 can be maintained to keep track of individual
user's permissions for a corresponding driving apparatus with
respect to retrieving and/or updating customizable components in
that particular driving apparatus.
[0053] Based on the user driving apparatus information 602 and the
authorization information 604, the configuration information
management component 404 can retrieve or update the component
configuration information of the particular driving apparatus for
the user. For example, as illustration, the request can be an
update request, and the user driving apparatus information 602 can
indicate that the user is associated with a set of customizable
components in the driving apparatus and the authorization
information 604 can indicate that the user has a permission to
update any customizable components in the particular driving
apparatus. In that example, the configuration information
management component 404 can then update the component
configuration information for the set of customizable components in
the particular driving apparatus stored in the storage 608. As
another example, the request can be a retrieval request, and the
user driving apparatus information 602 can indicate that the user
is associated with the set of customizable components in the
driving apparatus and the authorization information 604 can
indicate that the user has a permission to retrieve any
customizable components in the particular driving apparatus. In
that example, the configuration information management component
404 can then retrieve the component configuration information 612
for the set of customizable components in the particular driving
apparatus stored in the storage 608 and transmit the component
configuration information 612 to the particular driving apparatus.
Still as another example, the request can be an update request, and
the authorization information indicates that the user does not have
a permission to update any customizable components in the
particular driving apparatus. In that example, the configuration
information management component 404 can deny the request.
[0054] FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for
facilitating a user to store, retrieve and/or update personalized
setting for a set of customizable components associated with the
user in a driving apparatus. It will be described with reference to
FIGS. 1-6. The operations of method 700 presented below are
intended to be illustrative. In some embodiments, method 700 may be
accomplished with one or more additional operations not described
and/or without one or more of the operations discussed.
Additionally, the order in which the operations of method 700 are
illustrated in FIG. 7 and described below is not intended to be
limiting.
[0055] In some embodiments, method 700 may be implemented in one or
more processing devices (e.g., a digital processor, an analog
processor, a digital circuit designed to process information, an
analog circuit designed to process information, a state machine,
and/or other mechanisms for electronically processing information).
The one or more processing devices may include one or more devices
executing some or all of the operations of method 700 in response
to instructions stored electronically on an electronic storage
medium. The one or more processing devices may include one or more
devices configured through hardware, firmware, and/or software to
be specifically designed for execution of one or more of the
operations of method 700.
[0056] At 702, component configuration information for multiple
users of a driving apparatus can be stored and managed. The
component configuration information for a given user stored and
managed at block 702 can include personalized settings one or more
seats (front and/or rear), one or more seat belts, one or more
mirrors, a steering wheel, one or more windows, driving mode of an
engine of the driving apparatus (e.g., sports or economy mode),
automatic headlight mode (e.g., daytime running mode, tunnel light
mode), light intensity on dashboard display(s), airbag mode, cruise
control, camera mode, a radio (e.g., start station when the driving
apparatus is on, start volume), a navigation system (e.g.,
language, voice guide volume, voice guide accent), climate control
(e.g., personalized start temperature, wind strength, wind
direction, humidity, and so on), an entertainment system (e.g.,
personalized start screen for a particular passenger), and/or any
other customizable components in the driving apparatus. The
component configuration information for different users stored and
managed at 702 can specify different sets of customizable
components for different users of the driving apparatus.
[0057] Storage and management of aforementioned component
configuration information for the users of the driving apparatus
can be done via a local storage within the driving apparatus.
However, it should be understood this is not necessarily the only
case. In some examples, storage and management of aforementioned
component configuration information for the users of the driving
apparatus can be done via a remote server, such as the server 204
shown in FIG. 2 and described herein. In some examples, block 702
can be implemented by a user component the same as or substantially
similar to the user component 302 described and illustrated
herein.
[0058] At block 704, biometric information regarding a first user
of the driving apparatus can be received. Block 704 may involve
determining a user ID associated with the first user by analyzing a
pattern or patterns in the biometric information received and
matching the pattern(s) to verified biometric information regarding
the first user. The first user ID can be used to retrieve the
component configuration information for the given user. In some
examples, block 704 can be implemented by biometric identification
component the same as or substantially similar to the biometric
identification component 304 described and illustrated herein.
[0059] At block 706, a determination whether a retrieval request or
an update request can be made. In some examples, block 706 may
involve determining indication information indicating the first
user requests to retrieve the component configuration information.
For example, time period information may be embedded in the
biometric information received indicating for how long the first
user has provided the biometric information. For instance, the
first user may provide his/her fingerprint via a short touch (e.g.,
3 second or less) or a long touch (e.g., 3 seconds or longer) on
the fingerprint scanner. The time information can be embedded in
the biometric information. Based on the time information, block 706
can determine whether a request to retrieve component configuration
information for the first user (e.g., a short touch is provided) or
to update the component configuration information for the first
user (e.g., a long touch is provided). As shown, in the event that
decision block 706 determines a retrieval request is initiated,
method 700 proceeds to block 708; and in the event that decision
block 708 determines an update request is initiated, method 700
proceeds to block 712.
[0060] At block 708, component configuration information can be
retrieved for the first user based on the biometric information
received at 704. In some examples, block 708 can be implemented by
a configuration information retrieval component the same as or
substantially similar to the configuration information retrieval
component 306 described and illustrated herein.
[0061] At block 710, configuration of a first set of customizable
components can be effectuated for the first user based on the
component configuration information retrieved at block 708. In some
examples, block 710 can be implemented by a component configuration
component the same as or substantially similar to the component
configuration component 310 described and illustrated herein.
[0062] At block 712, current settings for the first set of
components can be acquired for the first user. As mentioned above,
after it is determined that an update request is initiated (e.g.,
as indicated by a long touch on the fingerprint scanner), method
700 proceeds to block 712. The current settings for the first set
of components can be acquired and captured at block 712 in a new
configuration component information set (e.g., a file). In some
examples, block 712 can be implemented by a configuration
information update component the same as or substantially similar
to the configuration information update component 308 described and
illustrated herein.
[0063] At block 714, the component configuration information for
the first user can be updated based on current settings for the
first set of components acquired at block 714. In some examples,
block 714 can be implemented by a configuration information update
component the same as or substantially similar to the configuration
information update component 308 described and illustrated
herein.
[0064] At block 716, biometric information regarding a second user
of the driving apparatus can be received. In some examples, block
716 can be implemented by a biometric identification component the
same as or substantially similar to the biometric identification
component 304 described and illustrated herein.
[0065] At block 718, it can be determined that the second user
requests to retrieve component configuration information. In some
examples, block 718 can be implemented by a biometric
identification component the same as or substantially similar to
the biometric identification component 304 described and
illustrated herein.
[0066] At block 720, component configuration information can be
retrieved for the second user based on the biometric information
received at 716. In some examples, block 720 can be implemented by
a configuration information retrieval component the same as or
substantially similar to the configuration information retrieval
component 306 described and illustrated herein.
[0067] At block 722, configuration of a second set of customizable
components can be effectuated for the first user based on the
component configuration information retrieved at block 720. In some
examples, block 722 can be implemented by a component configuration
component the same as or substantially similar to the component
configuration component 310 described and illustrated herein.
[0068] Implementations of the invention may be made in hardware,
firmware, software, or various combinations thereof. The invention
may also be implemented as instructions stored on a
machine-readable medium, which may be read and executed using one
or more processing devices. In one implementation, machine-readable
media may include various mechanisms for storing and/or
transmitting information in a form that can be read by a machine
(e.g., a computing device). For example, machine-readable storage
media may include read-only memory, random access memory, magnetic
disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices,
and other media for storing information, and machine-readable
transmission media may include forms of propagated signals,
including carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, and
other media for transmitting information. While firmware, software,
routines, or instructions may be described in the above disclosure
in terms of specific exemplary aspects and implementations
performing certain actions, it will be apparent that such
descriptions are merely for the sake of convenience and that such
actions in fact result from computing devices, processing devices,
processors, controllers, or other devices or machines executing the
firmware, software, routines, or instructions.
[0069] Furthermore, aspects and implementations may be described in
the above disclosure as including particular features, structures,
or characteristics, but it will be apparent that every aspect or
implementation may or may not necessarily include the particular
features, structures, or characteristics. Further, where particular
features, structures, or characteristics have been described in
connection with a specific aspect or implementation, it will be
understood that such features, structures, or characteristics may
be included with other aspects or implementations, whether or not
explicitly described. Thus, various changes and modifications may
be made to the preceding disclosure without departing from the
scope or spirit of the invention, and the specification and
drawings should therefore be regarded as exemplary only, with the
scope of the invention determined solely by the appended
claims.
* * * * *