Vehicle owners/operators send commands to their vehicles on a regular and recurring basis. Examples of sending commands to a vehicle include using a key fob to lock the doors of a vehicle or to open the rear hatch. Other examples include using a gear shift to change the state of the vehicle's transmission from park to drive or to reverse or to some other gear.
Sometimes however, the condition of a vehicle or a system of the vehicle is inconsistent or conflicting with the command that the vehicle owner/operator has given. For example, if the driver puts the transmission in drive or reverse while the vehicle's rear hatch is raised, it's likely that the driver has forgotten that the rear hatch is raised because drivers/vehicle operators typically prefer to have the rear hatch of a vehicle in a closed state when driving the vehicle. Similarly, if the driver locks the vehicle's doors while a door of the vehicle is in an open state, the driver has probably forgotten that the door is open because most vehicle owners/operators typically prefer to have all of the doors and hatches of a vehicle in a closed state when locking the vehicle.
At other times, a command given to the vehicle may have been given unintentionally. For example, a vehicle owner/operator or some other person may accidentally depress a button on a key fob (e.g., accidentally sitting on a key fob, a small child playing with a key fob, etc.). This action can lead to unintentionally raising a power operated door or rear hatch at times when raising/opening such closures is undesired.
Furthermore, there may be occasions when a driver deliberately actuates a power operated closure at a time when the closure's pathway is obstructed by an obstacle. An example of this would be a vehicle having a power operated rear hatch that is parked to close to a lamp post or a bystander. In another example, a minivan having a power operated side door may be parked too close to an adjacent vehicle.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method by which a vehicle can confirm that a command received is actually intended despite an inconsistent condition or circumstance of the vehicle. In addition, it is desirable to equip a vehicle with a system which can confirm that a command received is actually intended despite an inconsistent condition or circumstance of the vehicle. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds