Updating vehicle ownership authorizations
A method of updating vehicle ownership authorizations in a vehicular system and such a system that includes a memory unit and an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit monitors data, provisioned by one or more vehicle sensory systems, related to a vehicle user and to at least one of vehicle access keys, vehicle parking position and further vehicle occupants, evaluates the monitored data, for determining if a vehicle user is unknown and upon determination that the vehicle user is unknown further evaluates the monitored data, for determining an indication of change of vehicle ownership, using data previously registered with the memory unit of the system related to at least one of vehicle access keys, vehicle parking positions, vehicle users and further vehicle occupants. In response to a determined indication of change of vehicle ownership and optional verification thereof, vehicle ownership authorizations are updated in the memory unit.
1 . A method of updating vehicle ownership authorizations in a vehicular system including a memory unit and an electronic control unit that manages vehicle ownership authorizations, the method comprises, by the electronic control unit:
monitoring data, provisioned by one or more vehicle sensory systems, related to a vehicle user and to at least one of vehicle access keys, vehicle parking position, and further vehicle occupants;
evaluating the monitored data for determining if the vehicle user is unknown and, upon determination that the vehicle user is unknown, further evaluating the monitored data for determining an indication of change of vehicle ownership, the further evaluating using data previously registered with the memory unit of the vehicular system related to at least one of vehicle access keys, vehicle parking positions, vehicle users, and further vehicle occupants, and the further evaluating determining if all vehicle access keys previously registered with the memory unit of the vehicular system are present in the vehicle for making the determination of the indication of change of vehicle ownership;
updating, in response to a determined indication of change of vehicle ownership, vehicle ownership authorizations in the memory unit of the vehicular system.
2 . The method of updating vehicle ownership authorizations according to claim 1 , further comprising, as verification of the updating of vehicle ownership authorizations by the electronic control unit, requesting and receiving, via a user interface associated with the vehicular system, confirmation of change of vehicle ownership as a prerequisite for updating vehicle ownership authorizations.
3 . The method of updating vehicle ownership authorizations according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluating of the monitored data comprises evaluating if user accounts related to the vehicle user and logged in the vehicular system are previously registered with the memory unit of the vehicular system or not and, if determined not previously registered, determining the vehicle user as unknown.
4 . The method of updating vehicle ownership authorizations according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluating of the monitored data comprises evaluating if any personal electronic devices or mobile phones, related to the vehicle user and connected to the vehicular system are previously registered with the memory unit of the vehicular system or not and, if determined not previously registered, determining the vehicle user as unknown.
5 . The method of updating vehicle ownership authorizations according to claim 1 , wherein the monitoring of data related to the vehicle user and to further vehicle occupants comprises monitoring data provisioned by one or more camera-based vehicle sensory systems using facial recognition algorithms for determining if the vehicle user and any further vehicle occupants are previously registered with the memory unit of the vehicular system or not for determining an indication of change of vehicle ownership.
6 . The method of updating vehicle ownership authorizations according to claim 5 , wherein, if the vehicle user and all further vehicle occupants are determined not previously registered with the memory unit of the vehicular system determining the vehicle user as unknown and determining an indication of change of vehicle ownership.
7 . The method of updating vehicle ownership authorizations according to claim 5 , wherein repeated determination of an unknown user over a pre-determined time period in combination with a determination that no vehicle occupants are previously registered with the memory unit of the vehicular system is used for determining an indication of change of vehicle ownership.
8 . The method of updating vehicle ownership authorizations according to claim 1 , wherein repeated determination of an unknown user over a pre-determined time period in combination with a determination of a vehicle parking position previously not registered with the memory unit of the vehicular system is used for determining an indication of change of vehicle ownership.
9 . A vehicular system comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a program configured to execute the method of updating vehicle ownership authorizations according to claim 1 when executed by the processor.
10 . The vehicular system according to claim 9 , wherein the system further comprises:
one or more interfaces configured to receive, to the electronic control unit, data, provisioned by one or more vehicle sensory systems, related to the vehicle user and to at least one of vehicle access keys, further vehicle occupants, and a vehicle parking position; and
that the memory unit further is configured to allow storage and retrieval of data related to vehicle ownership authorizations and at least one of vehicle access keys, vehicle users, further vehicle occupants, and vehicle parking positions.
11 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a program configured to execute the method of updating vehicle ownership authorizations according to claim 1 .
12 . A vehicle comprising a vehicular system according to claim 9 .
13 . The method of updating vehicle ownership authorizations according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises verifying the indication of change of vehicle ownership.