METHOD FOR OPERATING AN ASSISTANCE SYSTEM AND ASSISTANCE SYSTEM

Abstract

The following assistance functions: (a) an operating instruction for the motor vehicle, stored on a memory device of at least one motor vehicle; (b) an operating instruction for the motor vehicle stored on a vehicle-external server device; and (c) a telephone connection to a customer advisor, are made available by an assistance system of at least one motor vehicle and a vehicle-external server device. The assistance system determines a vehicle function of the motor vehicle required to provide requested assistance for a vehicle occupant and generates an output from at least one assistance function, previously made available, by at least one output device of the motor vehicle in accordance with the vehicle function that was determined and/or a sensed user input by the vehicle occupant.

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12. A method for operating an assistance system of at least one motor vehicle, comprising: making available assistance functions, including: a first operating instruction for the at least one motor vehicle, stored on a memory device of the at least one motor vehicle, a second operating instruction for the at least one motor vehicle stored on a vehicle-external server device, and a telephone connection to a customer advisor; determining that a vehicle occupant of a specific motor vehicle, included among the at least one motor vehicle, requires assistance to control a vehicle function of the specific motor vehicle; producing output of at least one of the assistance functions, by at least one output device of the specific motor vehicle, in accordance with at least one of the vehicle function determined by said determining and a sensed user input of the vehicle occupant.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising limiting at least part of a functional scope of the assistance functions a predefined time period after a change in possession of the specific motor vehicle.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising canceling the limiting of the functional scope upon receipt of a predefined enable signal by the vehicle-external server device.

15. The method according to claim 12, further comprising limiting said making available of the assistance functions and said producing output of the at least one of the assistance functions.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the at least one motor vehicle, having the assistance functions made available, includes at least one further motor vehicle, and further comprising producing output of the at least one of the assistance functions in one of the at least one further motor vehicle when a predefined user authentication has been sensed in the one of the at least one further motor vehicle.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising performing the predefined user authentication by at least one of a camera system of the one of the at least one further motor vehicle, a device sensing a mobile terminal carried by the vehicle occupant when in the one of the at least one further motor vehicle, and an input device sensing a user identifier input at the one of the at least one further motor vehicle.

18. The method according to claim 12, wherein said making available of the assistance functions includes generating a display of the assistance functions available, upon sensing a predefined user action of the vehicle occupant.

19. The method according to claim 12, wherein said making available of the assistance functions includes generating a display of the assistance functions available upon detecting, based on at least one predefined criterion, that the vehicle occupant has difficulty operating at least the vehicle function determined to have assistance required.

20. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: determining a further assistance function of the specific motor vehicle, necessary for provision of the assistance to the vehicle occupant, associated with at least one operator control element of the specific motor vehicle; increasing, to a first lighting intensity, lighting of the at least one operator control element; and decreasing, to a second lighting intensity, lighting of other operator control elements of the specific motor vehicle not included in the at least one operator control element.

21. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: determining, as a further assistance function of the specific motor vehicle, an operator control sequence manipulating operator control elements of the specific motor vehicle required by the vehicle function of the motor vehicle for provision of assistance to the vehicle occupant, and displaying the operator control sequence of the operator control elements by a display device of the specific motor vehicle.

22. The method according to claim 12, wherein the displaying produces an animation.

23. An assistance system, comprising a vehicle-external server device; and at least one motor vehicle, each including a memory device; a vehicle-side control device configured to determine that a vehicle occupant of the motor vehicle, where the vehicle-side control device is located, requires assistance to control a vehicle function; and make available assistance functions, including: a first operating instruction for the motor vehicle, stored on the memory device of the at least one motor vehicle, a second operating instruction for the motor vehicle; stored on the vehicle-external server device, and a telephone connection to a customer advisor; and at least one output device configured to output, in accordance with at least one of the vehicle function determined to have assistance required and a detected user input of the vehicle occupant, at least one of the assistance functions that are available.

24. The assistance system according to claim 23, wherein the output device in each of the at least one motor vehicle is further configured to output the at least one of the assistance functions when a predefined user authentication has been sensed.

25. The assistance system according to claim 23, wherein each of the at least one motor vehicle further includes, to perform the predefined user authentication, at least one of a camera system; a sensor sensing a mobile terminal carried by the vehicle occupant; and an input device sensing a user identifier input.

26. The assistance system according to claim 23, wherein each of the at least one motor vehicle further includes a detection device configured to detect a predefined user action of the vehicle occupant, and wherein the at least one output device in each of the at least one motor vehicle is further configured to display the assistance functions available when the predefined user action of the vehicle occupant is detected.

27. The assistance system according to claim 23, wherein each of the at least one motor vehicle further includes a detection device configured to detect, based on at least one predefined criterion, that the vehicle occupant has difficulty operating at least the vehicle function determined to have assistance required, and wherein the at least one output device in each of the at least one motor vehicle is further configured to display the assistance functions available when the detection device detects that the vehicle occupant has difficulty operating at least the vehicle function determined to have assistance required.

28. The assistance system according to claim 23, wherein each of the at least one motor vehicle further includes operator control elements, and wherein the vehicle-side control device in each of the at least one motor vehicle is further configured to determine a further assistance function of the motor vehicle, necessary for provision of the assistance to the vehicle occupant, associated with at least one of the operator control elements; increase, to a first lighting intensity, lighting of the at least one operator control element; and decrease, to a second lighting intensity, lighting of other operator control elements of the motor vehicle not included in the at least one operator control element.

29. The assistance system according to claim 23, wherein each of the at least one motor vehicle further includes operator control elements, wherein the vehicle-side control device in each of the at least one motor vehicle is further configured to determine, as a further assistance function, an operator control sequence manipulating at least two of the operator control elements required by the vehicle function for provision of assistance to the vehicle occupant, and wherein each of the at least one motor vehicle further includes a display device configured to display the operator control sequence of the at least two of the operator control elements.

30. A motor vehicle communicating with a vehicle-external server device, comprising: a memory device; a vehicle-side control device configured to determine that a vehicle occupant of the motor vehicle requires assistance to control a vehicle function; and make available assistance functions, including: a first operating instruction for the motor vehicle, stored on the memory device, a second operating instruction for the motor vehicle; stored on the vehicle-external server device, and a telephone connection to a customer advisor; and at least one output device configured to output, in accordance with at least one of the vehicle function determined to have assistance required and a detected user input of the vehicle occupant, at least one of the assistance functions that are available.

31. The motor vehicle according to claim 30, further comprising: operator control elements, and a display device, wherein the vehicle-side control device is further configured to determine, as a further assistance function, an operator control sequence manipulating at least two of the operator control elements required by the vehicle function for provision of assistance to the vehicle occupant, and wherein the display device is configured to display the operator control sequence of the at least two of the operator control elements.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] These and other aspects and advantages will become more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which

[0032] The single FIGURE is a schematic block diagram of an assistance system which has a motor vehicle, a vehicle-external server device and a service center.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0033] Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

[0034] An assistance system 10 having a motor vehicle 12, a vehicle-external server device 14 and having a service center 16 is shown in a schematic illustration in the single FIGURE. The assistance system 10 can, furthermore, also have a multiplicity of further motor vehicles which are not illustrated here. The assistance system 10 serves to make available a circle variety of provisions of assistance relating to a wide variety of vehicle functions of the motor vehicle 12 to a vehicle occupant, wherein the same applies to further motor vehicles (not illustrated here) and corresponding vehicle occupants.

[0035] The motor vehicle 12 includes a vehicle-side control device 18 which is designed to determine for which vehicle functions of the motor vehicle 12 the provision of assistance to a vehicle occupant is required. The vehicle function may be essentially any vehicle function such as an air-conditioning system, an on-board computer, a navigation system and the like. The control device 18 is also designed to make available the following assistance functions: an operator instruction for the motor vehicle 12, stored on a storage device 20 of the motor vehicle 12; an operating instruction for the motor vehicle 12, stored on the vehicle-external server device 14; and a telephone connection 22 to a customer advisor 24 of the service center 16. The telephone connection 22 can be made here, for example, via a mobile radio link or by another form of wireless connection. In order to produce the telephone connection 22 and to communicate with the vehicle-external server device 14, the motor vehicle 12 has a communication device 26 which is correspondingly configured for this.

[0036] The control device 18 is also designed to actuate an output device 28 of the motor vehicle 12 in accordance with the determined vehicle function and/or a sensed user input of the vehicle occupant in order to output at least one of the assistance functions which are made available. The output device 18 can have in this context one or more displays and also one or more loudspeakers, so that the operating instructions can be reproduced both graphically and acoustically, wherein, furthermore, it is also made possible for a telephone call to be made with the customer advisor 24.

[0037] A method for operating the assistance system 10 will be explained in more detail below. The assistance functions are made available and displayed, for example, by a display of the motor vehicle as soon as a predefined user action of the vehicle occupant of the motor vehicle 12 has been sensed. For example, it may be the case that the vehicle occupant has difficulty while operating a navigation system of the motor vehicle and activates a correspondingly provided assistance pushbutton key in the motor vehicle, for example on a touchscreen or the like. Furthermore, there can also be provision that the vehicle occupant carries out a predefined assistance gesture or utters a correspondingly predefined voice command, as a consequence of which the assistance functions are made available and displayed.

[0038] Alternatively, or additionally there can also be provision that the assistance functions are made available and displayed as soon as it has been sensed on the basis of at least one predefined criterion that the vehicle occupant is having problems while operating at least one of the vehicle functions. If the vehicle occupant has difficulties, for example, while operating the navigation system of the motor vehicle 12, this can be sensed, for example, by virtue of the fact that it takes much too long to enter an intermediate destination or always carries out incorrect control operations on the navigation system. As a consequence of this there can be provision that the assistance functions are made available automatically and displayed by a display of the motor vehicle 12.

[0039] In this context there can be provision that depending on which of the vehicle functions the vehicle occupant requires the provision of assistance for, a selection menu is displayed, wherein only those assistance functions by which the vehicle occupant can be assisted in respect of the currently present problematic situation are also displayed.

[0040] The full functional scope of the assistance system 10 in relation to the assistance functions which can be made available and can be called can be limited, for example, to a predefined time period. For example, the motor vehicle 12 could be a new vehicle which has just been picked up by a customer. On a standard basis, for example the entire functional scope of the assistance system 10 in respect of the assistance functions can be made available at the factory, wherein for example 3 months after the delivery of the motor vehicle 12 the functional scope in relation to the assistance functions is considerably reduced. In this context a certain period of time, for example a week, before the expiry of the limitation of the functional scope of the assistance functions a corresponding warning message may be output on the vehicle side so that the respective vehicle occupant is informed that soon all the assistance functions will no longer be made available to him free of charge.

[0041] As a consequence of this, the vehicle occupant can, insofar as he does not wish any limitation of the functional scope in relation to the assistance functions, purchase a type of subscription so that by making a payment he can continue to enjoy the full functional scope of the assistance functions for a specific operating duration. The purchasing of the subscription can be carried out, for example, directly via a vehicle-side interface, via a smartphone, via a computer or the like. As soon as the subscription has been purchased, corresponding information is stored, for example, on the vehicle side and in the vehicle-external server device 14. Subsequently, the vehicle occupant can continue to access a full functional scope of the assistance functions.

[0042] In this context there can be provision that the making available and output of the assistance functions is limited precisely to this motor vehicle 12. If, for example, a plurality of persons wish to use the motor vehicle 12, there can be provision that the respective assistance functions can be made available and output independently of the person as long as these assistance functions relate to the motor vehicle 12. Alternatively, there can also be provision that the making available and outputting of the assistance functions is made possible at a plurality of motor vehicles, that is to say to more than one motor vehicle. For example, there can be provision that a vehicle owner is assigned a specific use identifier which authorizes him to call and to use all the assistance functions which are booked by him.

[0043] In order to be able to access the assistance functions which are bought by him, there can be provision, for example, that the respective vehicle occupant, or also other persons if they have the corresponding access data, firstly have to carry out corresponding user authentication in the motor vehicle 12 or also in any other motor vehicles. The user authentication can be carried out, for example, by a camera system of the respective motor vehicle, by sensing a mobile terminal carried along by a vehicle occupant such as, for example, a smartphone or the like, and/or by sensing a user identifier which is input into the respective motor vehicle.

[0044] As soon as the respective vehicle occupant authenticates himself successfully, he can access the assistance functions bought by him, irrespective of the vehicle in which he is currently sitting. His user identifier can be stored, for example, in the vehicle-external server device 14 so that a corresponding comparison between the respective motor vehicle and the vehicle-external server device 14 can be used to carry out the authentication. In particular, if a person uses a multiplicity of vehicles, whether because he has a particularly large number of vehicles or frequently travels with hire cars, the person can access a multiplicity of useful assistance functions, in particular by purchasing the subscription, so that in a wide variety of motor vehicles he can familiarize himself with the operator control and display system of the vehicles particularly quickly.

[0045] A description has been provided with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof and examples, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the claims which may include the phrase at least one of A, B and C as an alternative expression that means one or more of A, B and C may be used, contrary to the holding in Superguide v. DIRECTV, 358 F3d 870, 69 USPQ2d 1865 (Fed. Cir. 2004).