'Apple Car' may automatically configure seats, keep displays private
Passengers of the "Apple Car" may only be able to see displays inside the vehicle while wearing special glasses for privacy, while the driver may discover the car's seat and steering wheel could change position automatically by detecting the presence of their iPhone.
BMW has embraced CarKey, Apple's digital key protocol that uses an iPhone to replace a key fob.
The "Apple Car" is a long-rumored product that has been in development for a considerable length of time, but reports from the start of 2021 claim it may not be too long before it officially launches. Apple is said to be in talks with Hyundai subsidiary Kia to make the car for a potential 2024 launch, with a "beta" version likely to surface in 2022.
As a car that is thought to include an electric drive train and self-driving vehicle systems, the "Apple Car" is also anticipated to have many other radical designs, affecting both its appearance and its utility.
In a pair of patents granted on Tuesday by the US Patent and Trademark Office, Apple offers ways the vehicle could be different, both in terms of privacy and for driver comfort.
Furthermore, for in-car entertainment, passengers may not want to watch the same content if only one screen is available. Having multiple displays may be an expensive solution, but also one that may result in users having smaller screens to view, rather than a larger shared screen.
The patent, titled "Multi-user display system," aims to fix both elements by talking advantage of a concept explored by some 3D televisions that use special glasses. Passengers inside the vehicle are given glasses to wear that use a liquid crystal light modulating system, namely an active shutter system that repeatedly blocks light and lets it through.
The glasses could have built-in headphones for entertainment purposes.
This system is synchronized to the display system, allowing content to be emitted only at times when the shutter of the glasses are open. This happens at such a high rate that the wearer doesn't observe the shutters opening or closing, but can see the content.
To make the system private, Apple suggests that for times that the shutter in the glasses is closed, the same system displays other bogus content, making the user-viewable content unreadable for external observers who do not have the synchronized glasses.
The concept can be extended to account for multiple users and unique content. By adjusting the timing of the glasses to be offset, this means the system could display one set of content while one user's shutter is open and another's is closed, then switches to show different content to coincide with the opposite shutter arrangement.
The patent lists its inventors as David E. Kingman, Clarisse Mazuir, and James R. Wilson. It was originally filed on July 17, 2017.
In the second patent named "Automatic configuration of self-configurable environments," Apple suggests that the entire process of changing these and other items could be considerably easier for drivers, by automating the entire process.
Some vehicles already do this, providing automated changing of settings to suit the user at the touch of a button, but there is still room for improvement. For example, the process of telling the car to to change configuration could be eliminated entirely.
It may also be beneficial in making the settings portable from vehicle to vehicle, so a user doesn't have to set up the configuration in every new vehicle they enter.
The configuration could include the seat height, distance from pedals, lean, and other components.
Apple's solution involves the use of a mobile device that can carry multiple configuration settings, which could be read and interpreted by the vehicle over a wireless connection, which in turn changes the position of in-car elements. In effect, it could automatically configure the vehicle on detecting a driver approaching the vehicle.
Once the mobile device is aware of a configuration for one type of vehicle, it could also convert the data into a standard measurement, which can then be used in creating an initial configuration for a second vehicle the user may enter. This would give a baseline configuration that could be close to ideal for the driver, but could be further tweaked and saved for future configuration needs.
The patent was invented by Thomas Ethan Lowry, and was filed on September 21, 2018.
This is also true for many other patents that can apply to the "Apple Car."
The idea of using glasses in a car has been explored before, with Apple suggesting it could employ AR and VR headsets to offer virtual environments and enhance how data is presented to passengers, while taking into account inertia to reduce the chance of motion sickness.
Apple's CarKey is a digital key system that can use an iPhone to act as a key for a vehicle, one that could unlock or start a car. Given that data is transferred as part of the process, it wouldn't be a massive stretch to imagine configuration data could be exchanged at the same time, which could allow the first patent to work.
BMW has embraced CarKey, Apple's digital key protocol that uses an iPhone to replace a key fob.
The "Apple Car" is a long-rumored product that has been in development for a considerable length of time, but reports from the start of 2021 claim it may not be too long before it officially launches. Apple is said to be in talks with Hyundai subsidiary Kia to make the car for a potential 2024 launch, with a "beta" version likely to surface in 2022.
As a car that is thought to include an electric drive train and self-driving vehicle systems, the "Apple Car" is also anticipated to have many other radical designs, affecting both its appearance and its utility.
In a pair of patents granted on Tuesday by the US Patent and Trademark Office, Apple offers ways the vehicle could be different, both in terms of privacy and for driver comfort.
Multi-user display system
The first patent deals with a problem relating to in-vehicle displays. Unlike an analog dial or other non-illuminated elements informing the driver, a display typically emits light, and can potentially be readable from outside the vehicle by other road users.Furthermore, for in-car entertainment, passengers may not want to watch the same content if only one screen is available. Having multiple displays may be an expensive solution, but also one that may result in users having smaller screens to view, rather than a larger shared screen.
The patent, titled "Multi-user display system," aims to fix both elements by talking advantage of a concept explored by some 3D televisions that use special glasses. Passengers inside the vehicle are given glasses to wear that use a liquid crystal light modulating system, namely an active shutter system that repeatedly blocks light and lets it through.
The glasses could have built-in headphones for entertainment purposes.
This system is synchronized to the display system, allowing content to be emitted only at times when the shutter of the glasses are open. This happens at such a high rate that the wearer doesn't observe the shutters opening or closing, but can see the content.
To make the system private, Apple suggests that for times that the shutter in the glasses is closed, the same system displays other bogus content, making the user-viewable content unreadable for external observers who do not have the synchronized glasses.
The concept can be extended to account for multiple users and unique content. By adjusting the timing of the glasses to be offset, this means the system could display one set of content while one user's shutter is open and another's is closed, then switches to show different content to coincide with the opposite shutter arrangement.
The patent lists its inventors as David E. Kingman, Clarisse Mazuir, and James R. Wilson. It was originally filed on July 17, 2017.
Automatic configuration of self-configurable environments
One thing drivers of a shared vehicle have to contend with is a need to change how they are seated in the vehicle when they get in. Changing the position of the chair, the steering wheel height, mirror positions, and other elements may have to be updated, both for the safety of the driver and for comfort.In the second patent named "Automatic configuration of self-configurable environments," Apple suggests that the entire process of changing these and other items could be considerably easier for drivers, by automating the entire process.
Some vehicles already do this, providing automated changing of settings to suit the user at the touch of a button, but there is still room for improvement. For example, the process of telling the car to to change configuration could be eliminated entirely.
It may also be beneficial in making the settings portable from vehicle to vehicle, so a user doesn't have to set up the configuration in every new vehicle they enter.
The configuration could include the seat height, distance from pedals, lean, and other components.
Apple's solution involves the use of a mobile device that can carry multiple configuration settings, which could be read and interpreted by the vehicle over a wireless connection, which in turn changes the position of in-car elements. In effect, it could automatically configure the vehicle on detecting a driver approaching the vehicle.
Once the mobile device is aware of a configuration for one type of vehicle, it could also convert the data into a standard measurement, which can then be used in creating an initial configuration for a second vehicle the user may enter. This would give a baseline configuration that could be close to ideal for the driver, but could be further tweaked and saved for future configuration needs.
The patent was invented by Thomas Ethan Lowry, and was filed on September 21, 2018.
Prior Work
Apple files numerous patent applications on a weekly basis, but while the existence of a patent indicates areas of interest for the company's research and development teams, it's not a guarantee that the idea will appear in a future product or service.This is also true for many other patents that can apply to the "Apple Car."
The idea of using glasses in a car has been explored before, with Apple suggesting it could employ AR and VR headsets to offer virtual environments and enhance how data is presented to passengers, while taking into account inertia to reduce the chance of motion sickness.
Apple's CarKey is a digital key system that can use an iPhone to act as a key for a vehicle, one that could unlock or start a car. Given that data is transferred as part of the process, it wouldn't be a massive stretch to imagine configuration data could be exchanged at the same time, which could allow the first patent to work.
Comments
No, they are not. Nor do they charge for CarPlay any longer.
Side note, I bought the CPLAY2Air wireless CarPlay adapter for my Subaru, this thing is awesome. The auto makers have no excuse for not having implemented wireless CarPlay on their own by now.
Apple's Digital Key is dumb. My keyfob is far more convenient because I never have to take it out of my pocket to start the car or unlock the doors. Apple's innovation is requiring you to place the phone on a charge pad to start the car? Hey Apple, you might as well invent the physical key...and then you can lend that key to friends so they can wreck your car drop your policy limits to the minimum for 'permissive use'. No one leaves their house without their keys.
BMW is working on a new subscription feature to use 'driver enhanced' features, and that includes charging you a monthly fee to use the heated seats. Don't believe it, just google it. Both Forbes and The Drive both reported on it last summer. So that would easily include Apple's Digital Key. Sorry, but the keyfob is more convenient and useful than Apple's Digital Key that requires you to take your phone out of your pocket and place it on the charge pad. Key fob can stay in your pocket.
I was watching a walkthrough of the new Nissan Aryia last night (Late Brake Show) - they have that kind of auto-configure feature for the seats and climate control, etc. Not sure if you can link it to your phone, Jonny only mentioned the key fob.
Second, the Apple Car will be so expensive, if it ever becomes reality, that only the super-rich will be able to afford them. Consumers begged Apple to make a tower Mac Pro, so Apple delivered with a $6,000 product that no one could afford. Apple would be better off licensing their software technology to existing auto manufacturers, rather than build a car no one would buy, or afford to buy.
It seems the car will be like the cars in Demolition Man, a movie that turned out to have quite good predictions about our future Brave New World, and greater depth than it seems.
Now if I could only work out how to use the three shells.
Try reading the article again, specifically about shared screens with multiple users' content on them. Dummy content to obscure from outside observers. It's for passengers, not drivers.
Or they can just write about the myriad patents that have been coming out for the past five years and you can skip over the ones you're not interested in? Some of us are interested in the patents, thank you very much. What gets you excited could not be less interesting to me.