Remote interaction with an electrically powered vehicle
Contents
1. Notification includes n ES Display option to update N 412 Firmware update firmware update Yes Download new firmware to system 410 414 416 Notification includes Yes Mandatory Firmware update 418 Download new firmware to system 420 de arta Si Yes Notification includes Display option to update 422 settings update settings update 424 i Yes Download new settings to system Notification includes Yes Mandatory settings update 428 Download new settings to system 426 j 430 Is user data Yes 432 upload authorised mam upload user data to web hosted server idi FIG 11 US 2014 0052319 Al REMOTE INTERACTION WITH AN ELECTRICALLY POWERED VEHICLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 0001 1 Field of the Invention 0002 The present invention relates to control devices for electrically powered vehicles in particular those which allow configuration of the electrically powered vehicle 0003 2 Description of the Prior Art 0004 Itis known fora contemporary electrically powered vehicle such as an electrically powered wheelchair to exhibit a high degree of configurability This configurability may for example relate to control parameters for the electrically pow ered vehicle such as a maximum speed setting a maximum turning speed and so on or may relate to the internal con figuration of the components of the vehicle for example in terms of software running on a processor embedded in the2. E EOIR 02405 gor Jagouo j NC di ETATS Tam x y in SOIAN JORU07 SS920V f I euoudueurg p MEN 20 Adora sa NN PU ELI y AAA YA surau MA a PI 134198 CoA G1OUUOM Hor Patent Application Publication Feb 20 2014 Sheet 11 of 12 US 2014 0052319 A1 3684 USER WEB ACCOUNT l SERVER OEM DATA EXCHANGE amp a Um WEB CLIENT ue 364 INTERFACE RUM 210 conto 360 358 d INTERNET D DISPLAY r NTEGRATEDREMOTE PC SER OPTIONAL STAND ALONE 356 248 INTEGRATED IN SMART Se DEVICE HOTSPOT 200 SMART eu DEVICE DATA LOGS FILES 158 i CONTROLLER SETTINGS ETC 354 216 162 EMBEDDEDACD HARDWARE WEB CLIENT SECURITY SERVER INTERFACE WEB PAGES DONGLE OPTIONAL 350 WIFI COMMS WIRELESS PROTOCOL ACCESSIBLE OR WIRED MEMORY OPTIONAL 156 CONTROLLER PERIPHERAL 204 TFI COMMS WIFL COMNS I Browser INTERFACE P CONTROLLER COMMANDS ETC DEVICE OPTIONAL I I WEB CLIENT SERVER WIFI COMMS WEB PAGES INTERFACE I I I I I 178 Dey 208 INTEGRATED don REMOTE ye Patent Application Publication Feb 20 2014 Sheet 12 of 12 US 2014 0052319 A1 Configure ACD for 400 Connection to internet Connect to internet 402 ACD sends device details to 404 web hosted server ACD requests notifications 406 Webpage displayed on browser 408
3. E OOL Caads YYY m ECA 1860yX FYLTE CVOC ZO 10 yo SV M OIDOT dI ESTIOHINOO OP TOSINOOS3OOV 3145011531V1 NOGA AAYA H SMUVIS E3TIOUINOO US 2014 0052319 A1 Feb 20 2014 Sheet 6 of 12 Patent Application Publication WHOL SONIS 03 343H OD H MARE M UNA ATI ARR LLLI ALIS PNEFFA PERI BLAN LE SILL RA RARI NERE DES MUI LERRA LB ALA P Fa ARE IRA LET DESL PERSEA IIEL LLL LSE PAL BERE YTDEREPEREN YA CO KO OR DESL LELOLEL ERE ALLLL LIL ELL BESANA TINA GESIE 04 0 343H a Wo ANIGINO JONVHO US 2014 0052319 A1 Feb 20 2014 Sheet 7 of 12 Patent Application Publication AJO PARA 2857 O 5825 151504 931A9 RATY SLAO 4 oj 9 by sreudoidde se panal AAGO AROS 0155920 SAROY BASA JOJYUOD 3500y SADA SOA a iut pabo s ONS sash pabifialdd i oe T aen pr iia ujBojuasn sisanbas DORG OOO SID Wsbci oro LC ater d afedqom o1 saxeBiaeu g 4 J8SAAOIC Gam suado des E BB AGL jO42uO 3920 pansap OL PISULIOD 1st ost Patent Application Publication Feb 20 2014 Sheet 8 of 12 US 2014 0052319 A1 User navigates Diplay Parameters Webpage ipo Web server requests parameter I values via data interface i iParameter values retumed NT from stored location Web server generates Display Parameters 5 web page
4. The present invention will be described further by way of example only with reference to embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which 0042 FIG 1A schematically illustrates a user holding a tablet device and interacting wirelessly with an access control device embedded in an electrically powered wheelchair in one embodiment 0043 FIG 1B schematically illustrates a user holding a tablet device and interacting via a wired connection with an access control device plugged into the control unit of an electrically powered industrial vehicle in one embodiment 0044 FIG 2A schematically illustrates an access control device plugged into a charger socket ofa controller connected to a power module of an electrically powered vehicle in one embodiment 0045 FIG 2B schematically illustrates an access control device sharing a bus connection to a power module of an electrically powered vehicle with a control unit 0046 FIG 3 schematically illustrates in more detail the configuration of an access control device and a control unit in one embodiment 0047 FIG 4 schematically illustrates in more detail the configuration and context of both an embedded access control device and a detachable access control device in respective embodiments 0048 FIG 5A schematically illustrates a webpage pre sented to a user in one embodiment 0049 FIG 5B schematically illustrates another webpage presented to a user in one e
5. an excursion since the access control device can make use of available hot spots to contact the remote server Indeed the connection of the access control device to a particular wireless network can allow the vehicle s location to be determined 0088 In a wireless configuration because of the higher bandwidth it affords the smart device 200 will generally interact via its Wi Fi communications interface 204 with the router 354 both to communicate with the access control device 150 170 and to interact with the internet 358 How ever the smart device 200 in FIG 10 also has the capability of accessing the internet 358 via the 3G or 4G phone network 356 and accordingly it is possible for the web client 350 in access control device 150 or 352 in access control device 170 to access the internet 358 and the remote webserver 362 by direct wireless communication with the smart device and then via the 3G or 4G phone network 356 This for example affords possibility for a user say a called out engineer to allow communication between the access control device and the remote web server even outside the range of a Wi Fi network which may prove advantageous e g when a critical update or repair is available to download 0089 Once communication between the web client 350 352 is established with the remote webserver 362 for example by providing the correct access information to the access control 364 then various kinds ofinteraction may take pla
6. populated with current values IRAN ARS E Web server provides webpage L 208 toweb browser via comms interface FP ES 3t Ei dos ES o Dynamic display or w refresh requested qe owe Await next user action Fig 7 Patent Application Publication Feb 20 2014 Sheet 9 of 12 US 2014 0052319 A1 350 User navigates to Modify Parameters Webpage oy TOUT eet hal oy S T he MM M M M n ee o EE C ser level authorised to No _ Error Refusal Message Modify Parameters 7 oF ed bo M offer login ETUR WAS AU ER Web server retrieves includes current values of parameters Y Web server generates Modify Parameters Webpage including edificar interface SARA NAO NA Nee enti iiim Webpage displayed on browser i ge BEN be User modifies parameter ds via interaction n with webpage cese EEN NU LS Browser sands modification i data to web server i Ire eere rene A A S AR AAA UUPu suu uud N A ena e MM AS x ATT Web server CO confirms user authorisation ud icm modify parameters ot h server causes new values of parameter s to be written via Data interface US 2014 0052319 A1 Feb 20 2014 Sheet 10 of 12 Patent Application Publication 6 Bid gearanan ananitania N HABITS nre err rer rennes i A z
7. unit 104 In turn the data interface 120 is connected typically via an internal bus to a controller 122 which is provided to allow the user of the electrically powered vehicle to exert control over various different components of the electrically powered vehicle In the example embodiment shown in FIG 3 example components over which the user may seek to exert control are schematically illustrated as the motor 124 the seat 126 the pump 128 and the server 130 It should be appreciated that the motor 124 the seat 126 the pump 128 and the server 130 are not physically present within the control unit 104 but merely under the control thereof and are only illustrated therein in FIG 3 for convenience of illus tration only In practice the data interface 120 is coupled to the controller 122 via a local bus system and the other compo nents are also coupled to this bus system Other accessible components such as a pump controller generically labelled as auxiliary 132 in FIG 3 may be directly connected to the controller 122 rather than via the bus system 0062 In operation the user of the tablet 100 opens a web browser and via the web browser opens a webpage which is hosted by the webserver 110 within the ACD 102 The pro tocol used to communicate the webpage form the webserver 110 to the web browser can be http https ftp and so on As will be discussed in more detail hereinafter when the user first accesses this page there ma
8. US 20140052319A1 as United States a2 Patent Application Publication o Pub No US 2014 0052319 A1 TAYLOR et al 43 Pub Date Feb 20 2014 54 71 72 73 21 22 30 REMOTE INTERACTION WITH AN ELECTRICALLY POWERED VEHICLE Applicant PENNY amp GILES CONTROLS LIMITED Christchurch GB Inventors David Huw TAYLOR Sopley GB Paul Anthony FULLER Christchurch GB Assignee PENNY amp GILES CONTROLS LIMITED Christchurch GB Appl No 13 947 932 Filed Jul 22 2013 Foreign Application Priority Data Aug 16 2012 GB eee 1214627 0 CONTROL UNIT Publication Classification 51 Int Cl A6IG 5 04 2006 01 52 U S Cl A6IG 5 04 2013 01 MORD N T 701 22 57 ABSTRACT An access control device and access control method for an electrically powered vehicle such as an electric wheelchair are disclosed The access control device comprises a data interface configured to exchange data with at least one com ponent of the electrically powered vehicle and a webserver configured to generate a webpage incorporating that data wherein the webpage is formatted for viewing on a web browser The access control device also comprises a commu nication interface configured to provide the webpage to a web browser external to the electrically powered vehicle Patent Application Publication Feb 20 2014 Sheet 1 of 12 US 2014 0052319 A1 FIG 1a Patent Ap
9. air 14 Embedded within the controller 18 is an access control device ACD 22 The ACD 22 provides an interface via which the user 10 may interact with the electrically powered wheelchair 14 in particular to Feb 20 2014 view current configuration values and parameters together with other information relating to the current and recent per formance of the wheelchair as well as to be able to modify certain configuration values and parameters within the elec trically powered wheelchair 14 in order to improve its perfor mance for the benefit of the user 12 As will be discussed in more detail in the following the ACD 22 comprises a web server which generates webpages which incorporate data relating to the electrically powered wheelchair 14 and trans mits these wirelessly to the wirelessly enabled tablet 16 It should be noted that although FIG 1A schematically illus trates a direct wireless connection between the tablet 16 and the ACD 22 e g via Wi Fi Ad Hoc or Wi Fi Direct this connection may also be mediated via a local or even embed ded router 0057 FIG 1B schematically illustrates another example embodiment in this case the electrically powered vehicle being a fork lift industrial vehicle 30 The fork lift vehicle 30 also has a control unit 32 which is configured in particular to translate control signals from the user not shown into direct control of the electric motor etc Inthe example shown in FIG 1B an ACD 34 has
10. as claimed in claim 1 wherein said webserver is configured to receive said data from said at least one component via said data interface 9 The access control device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said webserver is configured to receive said data sent from said web browser via said communication interface and to provide said data to said at least one component via said data interface 10 The access control device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said webserver is configured to restrict access to a selected webpage or portion of a selected webpage in depen dence on an identified user level 11 The access control device as claimed in claim 10 wherein said identified user level is determined by at least one of password entry and connection of a detachable authenticating device to said access control device or said electrically powered vehicle 12 The access control device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said access control device is configured to store a unique identifier and to provide said unique identifier to said web browser upon request 13 The access control device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said webserver is configured to provide an initialisa tion webpage to authenticate a device on which said web browser is running 14 The access control device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said webserver is configured to provide additional webpages to said web browser said additional webpages comprising user information related to sa
11. as claimed in claim 18 wherein said access control device is configured to seek user approval for said exchange of further data with said remote webserver 22 An access control device for an electrically powered vehicle said access control device comprising data interface means for exchanging data with at least one component of said electrically powered vehicle webserver means for generating a webpage incorporating said data wherein said webpage is formatted for view ing on a web browser and communication interface means for providing said webpage to said web browser external to said electri cally powered vehicle 23 An access control method for an electrically powered vehicle said access control method comprising the steps of exchanging data via a data interface with at least one com ponent of said electrically powered vehicle generating a webpage incorporating said data wherein said webpage is formatted for viewing on a web browser and providing said webpage via a communication interface to said web browser external to said electrically powered vehicle
12. at step 366 the web server confirms that the user is authorised to modify these parameters If it is determined that a user does not have the authorisation to modify these parameters then the flow returns to step 354 Otherwise the flow proceeds to step 368 where the webserver causes the new values of these parameters to be written to their stored location in the elec trically powered vehicle via the data interface 0085 FIG 9 schematically illustrates an embodiment in which an access control device 400 interacts with both a web browser 402 running on a smart phone or smart device con nected to the local Wi Fi network and a remote webserver 404 This remote webserver 404 is in this example hosted by the manufacturer of the controller for the electrically powered vehicle The access control device 400 interacts with the controller 406 and the further control electronics 408 in the manner described previously Interaction with the remote server 404 takes place via a local router 410 which connects the access control device 400 to the remote webserver via the internet 412 0086 FIG 10 schematically illustrates more detail of the embodiment shown in FIG 9 Various components shown in FIG 10 are identical to those already discussed with refer ence to FIG 4 and for brevity are not further discussed here and the reader is referred to FIG 4 and its accompanying description A notable different within the access control devices 150 170 ar
13. been plugged into the control unit 32 by the attendant engineer 38 Further the engineer 38 is using a tablet device 36 coupled via a wired bus connection to the ACD 34 to interact with the control unit 32 Being detachable the ACD 34 belongs to the tool kit of the engineer 38 who can plug this component into any one of the range of electri cally powered industrial vehicles which he is required to service 0058 In both FIGS 1A and 1B the respective users 10 and 38 are shown interacting with the electrically powered vehicles via a tablet 16 36 However it should be recognised thatany device which can present the user with a web browser is suitable for the illustrated function and hence in other embodiments a desktop PC a laptop smartphone and so on may be used 0059 FIGS 2A and 2B schematically illustrate two ways in which a separate ACD may be connected to an electrically powered vehicle In the example shown in FIG 2A the ACD 44 is plugged into the charger socket of a control device 40 which includes a joystick for steering The control device 40 is separately coupled to the power module 42 which converts the control signals received from the controller 40 into motor control signals servo control signals and so on within the electrically powered vehicle Accordingly the user interact ing with the ACD 44 may view and perhaps modify param eters both within the controller 40 and or the power module 42 as well as other com
14. ccordingly in one embodiment said access control device is configured when connected to said control unit to determine a type of said control unit and to cause said webserver to configure said webpage in dependence on said type Hence by determining the type of control unit and configuring the webpage to match the user who is interacting with the web browser can be presented with an appropriate interface for that control unit and moreover the data which is exchanged via the communi cation interface and the data interface can be appropriately formatted and presented for the particular control unit cur rently being accessed 0019 Whilst as discussed above the access control device may be detachably connected to the control unit in some embodiments said access control device is comprised within a control unit of said electrically powered vehicle Thus in such embodiments the access control device is essen tially a part of the control unit and not necessarily physically distinct therefrom 0020 The communication interface via which the access control device communicates with the web browser may take a number of forms but in one embodiment said communica tion interface is configured to provide said webpage to said web browser via a wireless communication protocol This may be desirable because ofthe ease of connection via wire less communication avoiding the use of cables and so on This wireless protocol could take a number of
15. ce as will be discussed in more detail with reference to the flow diagram in FIG 11 In particular these may involve data exchange permitted with the original equipment manufac turer and the download of updates that the original equipment manufacturer releases item 366 or even allowing some degree of live control of the electrically powered vehicle via a remote PC 370 Messages to the user of the vehicle may also be communicated 0090 The interaction with the webserver may generally be dictated by the configuration of a local user account 368 which may relate specifically to the particular access control device 150 170 or may relate to the user interacting with the browser 202 on the smart device 200 User account settings held at the remote server 362 can define permissions for various updates and data exchanges on an on going basis as well as other user preferences and settings 0091 Whilst the communication with the remote server may be initiated by a user it may also be configured to be automatic for example when the electrically powered vehicle comes within range of a particular Wi Fi network e g that of the home ofthe user Thus in this example each time the user returns home the vehicle can automatically check in with the remote server to upload usage fault information and to request any available updates or messages 0092 FIG 11 schematically illustrates a series of steps taken when a user interacting with an access con
16. ce uniquely In this embodiment this ID takes the form of a serial number or subsequently pro grammed unique identifier allocated to the ACD 150 The ID number may also be complemented by device type version number and other information detailing the particular ACD or the controller it is embedded in 0067 In an alternative embodiment illustrated by the dashed box 190 the access control device is a detachable ACD 170 which is temporally plugged into the electrically powered vehicle In particular as shown in FIG 4 the ACD 170 is coupled to the local serial bus enabling communica tion with other components of the electrically powered vehicle to take place Various different protocols for such a serial bus are of course possible such as CAN RS232 SPI I2C etc The detachable ACD 170 is configured in essen tially the same way as embedded ACD 150 having webserver 172 Wi Fi interface 174 logging storage 176 and ID number 178 which correspond directly to the equivalent components shown in the embedded ACD 150 and the description thereof is not repeated here for brevity One feature which is particu lar to the ACD 170 is that it is compatible with a number of different vehicle systems in particular with a number of different controllers and is configured on being plugged into a particular say controller to interrogate that device to deter mine its type and then to configure itself on that basis such that the webpages presented t
17. e a technique which enabled such electronically powered vehicles to be more eas ily configured and maintained SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 0009 Viewed from a first aspect the present invention provides an access control device for an electrically powered vehicle said access control device comprising 0010 adata interface configured to exchange data with at least one component of said electrically powered vehicle 0011 a webserver configured to generate a webpage incorporating said data wherein said webpage is for matted for viewing on a web browser and 0012 acommunication interface configured to provide said webpage to said web browser external to said elec trically powered vehicle 0013 According to the present techniques communica tion with the electrically powered vehicle takes place via the access control device In particular the access control device Feb 20 2014 comprises a webserver which is configured to generate a webpage incorporating data it exchanges with at least one component of the electronically powered vehicle the webpage being formatted for viewing on a web browser The access control device has a data interface via which it can exchange data with at least one component of the electrically powered vehicle and a communication interface by which the webpage generated by the webserver can be communicated to a web browser external to the electrically powered vehicle Hence data taken from the componen
18. e that the web servers 152 172 in FIG 4 in this embodiment 350 352 are also configured to act as a web client In essence these components behave as a web server when interacting with the browser 202 of the smart device 200 but act as a web client when interacting with the remote webserver 362 Switching between these modes of operation may be activated by the user e g button selection on the controller or may be controlled by the smart device 200 It may also be triggered by the connection of a specific piece of hardware to the control system of the vehicle 0087 Whilst the access control device could communi cate with the smart device 200 via a direct wireless protocol or indeed via a wired connection in the illustrated embodi ment the communication takes place via a local router 354 which acts as a central hub for the local network Accordingly as illustrated a PC 360 may also be coupled to the router 354 via which a user may also open a browser and interact with one of the access control devices Note that as indicated in the box 354 in FIG 10 the router could alternatively be US 2014 0052319 Al integrated into the smart device 200 or be a hot spot style of router with which the access control device has opportu nistically connected This latter alternative means that an access control device in say an electric wheelchair can have regular contact with the remote web server 362 even when the wheelchair is on
19. egories of external user For example whilst the casual end user of the electrically powered vehicle might be allowed to view any data they care to request from the electrically powered vehicle only a service engineer might be permitted to amend certain control parameters set with the electrically powered vehicle and moreover only the original equipment manufacture OEM might be allowed to amend specific critical aspects of the configuration of the electrically powered vehicle such as the firmware installed on it Accordingly in one embodiment said webserver is configured to restrict access to a selected webpage in depen dence on an identified user level Hence different levels of access to data related to the electrically powered vehicle maybe provided in a number of corresponding webpages wherein access to certain webpages is only granted to permit ted authorised users Hence any user might be permitted access to atop level of webpages providing information about the status current configuration and so on of the electrically powered vehicle but further webpages via which the configu ration parameters may be adjusted may only be accessed by users permitted to make these changes 0023 Identifying given users may be carried out in a num ber of ways but in embodiments said identified user level is determined by at least one of password entry and connection of a detachable authenticating device to said access control device or said
20. electrically powered vehicle The password entry may for example be entered via the web browser or alternatively or in addition using a simple interface such as a limited keypad on the control unit of the electrically pow ered vehicle A detachable authenticating device colloqui ally known as a security dongle may be provided to higher level users the identification of which is carried out when the authenticating device is attached to the access control device or the electrically powered vehicle It will be understood that the attachment of this device may be a physical plugging in e g plugging a dongle into a USB port charger socket ReBUS connector CAN bus port etc or may be virtual e g by Bluetooth wherein the physical proximity of the dongle to the electrically powered vehicle is sufficient for authenti cation purposes 0024 In some embodiments said access control device is configured to store a unique identifier and to provide said unique identifier to said web browser upon request The allo cation of a unique identifier to the access control device allows an increased level of control over the interaction of the web browser and the access control device In particular this enables the web browser to determine that the correct access control device is communicating with the web browser In a situation in which a service engineer has a number of electri cally powered vehicles e g in a workshop or show room it is usef
21. erent vehicles Furthermore the detachability of the access control device can in itself serve as an authentication barrier for accessing the configuration of the electrically powered vehicle in that this access is only possible when the detach able access control device is connected to the electrically US 2014 0052319 Al powered vehicle and hence another user who is not in pos session of such an access control device cannot whether inadvertently or maliciously vary the configuration of the electrically powered vehicle 0017 It will be recognised that the access control device could be detachably connected to various different sub com ponents of the electrically powered vehicle but in one embodiment said access control device is configured to be detachably connected to a control unit of said electrically powered vehicle Connection of the access control device to a control unit allows for relatively direct physical access to the control parameters and data which are held within the control unit thus facilitating the provision of such access in terms of the necessary bus connections and so on 0018 Inproviding such embodiments in which the access control device is configured to be detachably connected to control unit of the electrically powered vehicle the inventors have recognised that a given access control device may be connected to a number of different control units which each may have different internal configurations A
22. erver configured to generate a webpage incorporat ing said data wherein said webpage is formatted for viewing on a web browser and a communication interface configured to provide said webpage to said web browser external to said electri cally powered vehicle 2 The access control device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said access control device is configured to be detachably connected to said electrically powered vehicle 3 The access control device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said access control device is configured to be detachably connected to a control unit of said electrically powered vehicle 4 The access control device as claimed in claim 3 wherein said access control device is configured when connected to said control unit to determine a type of said control unit and to cause said webserver to configure said webpage in depen dence on said type US 2014 0052319 Al 5 The access control device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said access control device is comprised within a control unit of said electrically powered vehicle 6 The access control device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said communication interface is configured to provide said webpage to said web browser via a wireless communication protocol 7 The access control device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said communication interface is configured to provide said webpage to said web browser via a wired communication protocol 8 The access control device
23. example and to transmit them for display on the web browser 0081 Other more dynamic webpages which may be dis played may allow more instantaneous control of components of the vehicle For example in the example of an electric wheelchair particular webpages accessible only to suitably authorised external users allow control over the driving func tions or seat positioning controls of the wheelchair to be delegated to the user holding the device running the browser This may be particularly useful where the user of the wheel chair has limited physical capability and would benefit from a third party such as an attendant carer being able to step in and take over control of the wheelchair when circumstances make this desirable 0082 FIG 6 schematically illustrates a series of steps taken when a user wishes to open a web browser on the smart device 200 see FIG 4 and navigate to the relevant webpage for interaction with the access control device e g by clicking on a stored bookmark Firstly step 250 a connection to the desired access control device is established This may include determining whether an access control device is within Wi Fi range and offering the user the choice to connect to that device or if there is no recognisable access control device within range reporting this to the user If the device on which the web browser is running is able to detect the presence ofan access control device then the user is informed
24. f it does then this is downloaded at step 418 without giving the user the option to refuse it Then at step 420 if the notifications available include a settings update then the user is given the option at step 422 of accepting these and if accepted at step 424 they are downloaded Next at step 426 if a mandatory settings update is included in the notification then at step 428 this is downloaded without giving the user the option to refuse it Finally at step 430 it is determined if auser data upload is authorised and if it is then at step 432 user data is uploaded to the webhosted server This upload may for example comprise a log file from log storage 158 or 176 which provides the manufacturer with useful information about the performance of the vehicle The flow completes at step 434 0094 Although a particular embodiment has been described herein it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited thereto and that many modifications and additions thereto may be made within the scope of the invention For example various combinations of the features ofthe follow ing dependent claims could be made with the features of the independent claims without departing from the scope of the present invention We claim 1 An access control device for an electrically powered vehicle said access control device comprising a data interface configured to exchange data with at least one component of said electrically powered vehicle a webs
25. forms such as WiFi Bluetooth wireless USB UWB and so on Alterna tively in another embodiment said communication interface is configured to provide said webpage to said web browser via a wired communication protocol e g Ethernet In some cir cumstances a wired communication protocol i e used in a situation in which the access control device is coupled to the web browser via a wired connection for example a serial bus may be preferred because of the inherent security and device identification which accompany the coupling of devices via a wired connection 0021 As mentioned above the data exchange which takes place via the data interface may involve data flow in both directions In other words there are embodiments in which the webserver is configured to receive said data from said at least one component via said data interface to then pass this on to the external web browser There are also embodiments in which said webserver is configured to receive said data sent Feb 20 2014 from said web browser via said communication interface and to provide said data to said at least one component via said data interface 0022 In providing the external user access to configura tion parameters within the electrically powered vehicle or merely to view data whether this involves configuration parameters logged performance information or other diag nostic information it may be advantageous to differentiate between different cat
26. hics display 0070 Particular functions for which this display may for example be used are to 0071 Display the operating status of the controller 218 and or the status of the WiFi connection to the smart device 200 and or the security dongle 216 Feb 20 2014 0072 Prompt a user to take or initiate an action such as enabling connection to the WiFi enabled smart device 200 and or security dongle 216 0073 Prompt a user to take some action related to the maintenance or operation of the vehicle such as arrange for a service 0074 Prompt a user to take or initiate an action such as agreeing to data being exchanged between the smart device 200 and the ACD and whether in future the exchange may be automatic or user restricted 0075 Prompt the user to agree that data extracted from the controller may be forwarded to a web site or email address 0076 Display information sent from the OEM for dis playing to the user 0077 The above mentioned user prompts may generated within the controller 218 or may be communicated to it via the WiFi enabled smart device 200 Various input devices 212 may also be coupled to the serial bus such as a joystick or keyboard pad to enable the user to select options confirm choices and so on 0078 Access to the configuration data of the electrically powered vehicle may be protected in various ways one of these being the provision of a hardware security dongle 216 which is detachably connec
27. id electrically pow ered vehicle 15 The access control device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said access control device is configured to require user approval prior to allowing said data interface to exchange data with at said least one component of said electrically powered vehicle Feb 20 2014 16 The access control device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said access control device further comprises a log ging unit configured periodically to record data related to operation of said electrically powered vehicle wherein said webserver is configured to generate a logging webpage incor porating said recorded data 17 The access control device as claimed in claim 16 wherein said logging unit is configured to be programmed via said web browser 18 The access control device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said communication interface is further configured to com municate with a remote webserver and said webserver is configured to exchange further data with said remote webserver via said communication inter face 19 The access control device as claimed in claim 18 wherein said exchange of further data with said remote web server via said communication interface is controlled by said web browser 20 The access control device as claimed in claim 18 wherein said exchange of further data with said remote web server via said communication interface is routed via a device running said web browser 21 The access control device
28. m or even as a detachable device plugged into the system The wireless communication between the embed ded ACD 150 and the smart device 200 may also take place via router 206 Web browser formatted information transmit ted from the ACD 150 to the smart device 200 is displayed to the user on the display 208 which typically forms part ofthe smart device 200 0065 The embedded access control device 150 is config ured much as the access control device 102 of FIG 3 in that it has a webserver 152 a control unit 162 and a Wi Fi commu nication interface 154 Additionally highlighted here are the locally stored data logs files settings etc 158 which the webserver 152 accesses as part of generating the required webpages for provision to the smart device 200 It will be understood that item 158 is therefore also local storage for the web server 152 Additionally the embedded ACD may have access to an additional memory 156 although this is optional this memory being provided as a static item of hardware or as a removable component such as a flash memory device e g SD card This removable memory can US 2014 0052319 Al be arranged for security purposes such that it may only be accessible by removing a sealed panel in the controller or peripheral 0066 Finally the embedded ACD 150 also holds an ID number 160 which it can provide on request to external devices this ID number enabling external devices to identify the access control devi
29. mbodiment 0050 FIG 6 schematically illustrates a series of steps taken when a user seeks to interact with the access control device in one embodiment 0051 FIG 7 schematically illustrates a series of steps taken when a user wishes to view selected parameters of the electrically controlled vehicle via the access control device in one embodiment 0052 FIG 8 schematically illustrates a series of steps taken whena user wishes to modify selected parameters of the electrically powered vehicle via the access control device in one embodiment 0053 FIG 9 schematically illustrates the communication between an access control device a web browser and a remote webserver in one embodiment 0054 FIG 10 schematically illustrates in more detail the configuration and context of a remote webserver a local smart device and an embedded or detachable access control device in respective embodiments and 0055 FIG 11 schematically illustrates a series of steps taken when the access control device interacts with a remote webserver DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 0056 FIGS 1A and 1B schematically illustrate two example embodiments FIG 1A shows a scenario which a user 10 is holding a wirelessly enabled tablet 16 and a user 12 is seated in an electrically powered wheelchair 14 The elec trically powered wheelchair 14 comprises a control unit 18 in particular having aa user input such as a joystick 20 via which the user 12 controls the wheelch
30. o the external user are adapted to the device to which the ACD 170 is providing access 0068 A further optional device which may be connected to the local serial bus is the controller peripheral device 182 which is configured to hold a unique ID number 184 and to store data logs files settings etc in memory 186 The con troller peripheral device represents a separate module within the system that can be communicated with either directly or indirectly motor 124 seat 126 pump 128 and servo 130 shown in FIG 3 are examples of this controller peripheral device 182 0069 Other components which may also be coupled to the local serial bus include a display 210 which may for example form part of the controller e g controller 18 in FIG 1A or may be elsewhere on the electrically powered vehicle or even a separate remote component Whilst this display will gener ally be used by the controller to present relevant information to the user of the electrically powered vehicle whilst in use when an external user is interacting via a connected smart device this display 210 may be used to inform the user of the electrically powered vehicle of that interaction taking place to ask for permission for various data to be exported from the electrically powered vehicle or to ask for permission for parameters or configuration settings to be changed on the electrically powered vehicle This display may be a simple character display or a more complex grap
31. ofthe identity of this access control device and confirms that communica tion with this access control device is desired If there is more than one access control device accessible as may for example be the case of a manufacturer s workshop or a dealer s show room then the user selects one of the access control devices At step 252 the user opens the web browser on the device and navigates to the relevant webpage At step 254 the access control device responds to the interaction request from the user by requesting user login The level of user login is then determined step 256 and ifthis is one of the privileged user levels then the flow proceeds to step 258 where the access control device allows access to dealer or original equipment manufacture OEM level webpages as appropriate How ever if no privileged user login is provided then the flow proceeds to step 260 where the access control device restricts access to user level information only 0083 FIG 7 schematically illustrates a series of steps taken when a user navigates to a display parameters webpage step 300 When this happens the webserver requests the relevant parameter values via the data interface at step 302 and at step 304 those parameter values are returned from their stored location At step 306 the webserver gener ates the requested webpage populating it with the current values ofthese parameters This webpage is then provided by the webserver via the communica
32. ol device itself may take a number of forms and in particular may form a permanent part of the electrically powered vehicle itself However in one embodi ment the access control device is configured to be detachably connected to said electrically powered vehicle 0016 Accordingly the access control device may be pro vided as a component which under normal operating circum stances is not part of the electrically powered vehicle but need only to be connected to the electrically powered vehicle when a user requires access to the configuration of the elec trically powered vehicle For example when a service engi neer wishes to view and or amend the configuration of the electrically powered vehicle he can first connect the access contro device to the electrically powered vehicle for example by plugging the access control device into an avail able port on the vehicle such as a bus connector or interface This has the advantage that one access control device maybe used to configure a number of electrically powered vehicles so that for example a service engineer may be in possession of justa single access control device issued to him by the vehicle manufacturer which he may then use to configure a range of electrically powered vehicles for which he performs the ser vicing As well as the convenience for the service engineer that this brings there are clear cost savings in only having to provide one access control device for a number of diff
33. plication Publication Feb 20 2014 Sheet 2 of 12 US 2014 0052319 A1 Charger Socket POWER MODULE Bus Connection Point POWER MODULE Fig 2b Patent Application Publication Feb 20 2014 Sheet 3 of 12 US 2014 0052319 A1 ANni Badr A a f fts AR e SN Nm P Atm rn rn M anette ores DIP A n A Ie mI gen ACCESS CONTROL DEVICE 108 92ej9ju uoneoiunuluo 122 CONTROLLER Poo 104 AUXILLIARY 132 Es Patent Application Publication Feb 20 2014 Sheet 4 of 12 US 2014 0052319 A1 WEB SERVER INTERFACE 2 218 DISPLAY ee NTEGRATEDIREMOTE O 212 CONTROLLER OPTIONAL 150 DATA LOGS FILES 158 SETTINGS ETC 154 200 SMART DEVICE 216 162 EMBEDDEDACD WIRELESS 202 amem PROTOCOL HARDWARE OR WIRED SECURITY INTERFACE oen fwr coms BROWSER ROUTER INTERFACE DONGLE E t 156 OPTIONAL ACCESSIBLE MEMORY 206 OPTIONAL SERIAL BUS 182 Day 208 INTEGRATED 186 REMOTE CONTROLLER PERIPHERAL DEVICE OPTIONAL DATA LOGS FLES IDNO SETTINGS ETC 190 170 174 ACCESS CONTROL I l i l i l I l i l i l i l l WEB SERVER WIFI COMMS WEB PAGES INTERFACE l Ty l i l i l i l i l i l i l 178 DETACHABLE ACD US 2014 0052319 A1 Feb 20 2014 Sheet 5 of 12 Patent Application Publication ec Bly EMANAN S32L2W NK APTN OL ALIH wor ESSE L SOS MANAL XVIA SH313WVHVd ANITA
34. ponents not illustrated of the elec trically powered vehicle coupled to the controller 40 In the example illustrated in FIG 2B the controller 46 is coupled to the power module 48 via a bus connection point 52 and the ACD 50 is also plugged into this bus connection point Via this bus connection point 52 the ACD 50 can thus access both the controller 46 and the power module 48 0060 FIG 3 schematically illustrates a wirelessly enabled tablet 100 which is being used to communicate with an access control device 102 which in turn is exchanging data with a control unit 104 within an electrically powered vehicle in one embodiment In this embodiment the ACD 102 is configured to communicate wirelessly with external devices such as the tablet 100 and therefore the communication interface 106 in this embodiment is a Wi Fi interface coupled to the antenna 108 The ACD 102 further comprises a webserver 110 a control unit 112 a memory 114 a logging unit 116 and a data US 2014 0052319 Al interface 118 The overall operation of the ACD 102 is con trolled by the control unit 112 which can steer and configure the operation of all sub components of the ACD 102 al though direct connections between the control unit 112 and every component of the ACD 102 are not shown for clarity of illustration only 0061 The ACD 102 is connected via its data interface 118 to the control unit 104 and in particular to the data interface 120 of the control
35. rovide these data values as measured values The webserver 110 then constructs a webpage representing the current posi tion status of the seat and transmits this via communication interface 106 and antenna 108 to the tablet 100 for display to the user In some embodiments the webpage presented to the user may be static providing a snap shot of the relevant data values at a particular moment in resent history but in other Feb 20 2014 embodiments the webpage may be more dynamically pre sented for example using client side techniques such as Ajax to create asynchronous webpages This can for example allow the user of the tablet 100 to dynamically monitor data values extracted from the electrically powered vehicle In the example of displaying information related to the seat 126 as the seat is moved by the user seating in the wheelchair the updated positioning information generated by the attached sensors may be passed from the control unit 104 to the access control device 102 and the webserver can pass these updated aspects of the webpage via the communication interface 106 and antenna 108 to the tablet 100 Hence the user of the tablet 100 is presented with a dynamically refreshing view of the status of the relevant components of the electrically powered vehicle 0063 The ACD 102 is also provided with logging unit 116 which is configured to periodically store selected data values relating to the electrically powered vehicle in the memor
36. rther data e g for each file which is to be sent to received from the remote webserver or the user approval may be determined once and then allow further data exchange e g for any updates from the remote webserver or any data exchange for a fol lowing predetermined time period and so on 0033 Viewed from a second aspect the present invention provides an access control device for an electrically powered vehicle said access control device comprising 0034 data interface means for exchanging data with at least one component of said electrically powered vehicle 0035 webserver means for generating a webpage incor porating said data wherein said webpage is formatted for viewing on a web browser and 0036 communication interface means for providing said webpage to said web browser external to said elec trically powered vehicle 0037 Viewed from a third aspect the present invention provides an access control method for an electrically powered vehicle said access control method comprising the steps of 0038 exchanging data via a data interface with at least one component of said electrically powered vehicle 0039 generating a webpage incorporating said data wherein said webpage is formatted for viewing on a web browser and 0040 providing said webpage via a communication interface to said web browser external to said electrically powered vehicle US 2014 0052319 Al BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 0041
37. s the external user interacting with the web browser can navigate to a log ging device configuration webpage and specify what data should be recorded by the logging device and when 0029 Whilst the access control device may be configured only to communicate with the external web browser in some embodiments said communication interface is further config ured to communicate with a remote webserver and said web server is configured to exchange further data with said remote webserver via said communication interface The remote webserver may take a number of forms but may particularly usefully be a webserver provided by the manufacturer of the electrically powered vehicle This remote webserver then provides a centralised location in which the manufacturer can provide updates for the vehicles it has already manufactured and conversely gather data regarding the operation of those vehicles 0030 In some embodiments the interaction within the remote server may be independent of the web browser for example in some embodiments the access control device is Feb 20 2014 configured to autonomously download firmware updates from the remote server but in some embodiments said exchange of further data with said remote webserver via said communication interface is controlled by said web browser Accordingly the interaction between the access control device and the remote webserver is then under the control of the user operating the web bro
38. t for example current configuration parameters or diagnostic information can be transmitted to the web browser for display and conversely data provided by the web browser can be transmitted to the component for example updated configuration parameters 0014 By providing in the access control device a web server which presents the data from the electrically powered vehicle in a webpage format various advantages with respect to the prior art are achieved In particular the device on which an external user typically a service engineer views the infor mation retrieved from the electrically powered vehicle is no longer constrained to be of a particular type as long as it is able to operate as a web browser and to display information presented in the form of a webpage Moreover differences between device types such as the operating system they are running or evolution ofthose operating systems is no longer a concern Additionally not only may the traditional desktop PC or laptop be used for this purpose but in particular more portable and intuitive contemporary devices such as tablets or smart phones may also readily be used A further advantage is that the webpage formatted for viewing on a web browser may be provided to the web browser external to the electri cally powered vehicle via a number of different communica tion channels e g wired or wireless and via a number of different communication protocols 0015 The access contr
39. ted to the serial bus e g via an available serial port wherein the ACD 150 or 170 is con figured only to allow certain activities especially the modi fication with respect to configuration parameters ofthe elec trical powered vehicle when the hardware security dongle is present The hardware security dongle may also be deemed to be present in other ways such as wirelessly by Bluetooth being then only required to be within the proximity of the access control device 0079 FIG 5A illustrates a screen shot showing a rela tively simple example of a webpage which may be presented to an external user On the left are displayed various high level items of information relating to the controller whilst on the right two current parameters are shown namely the maxi mum speed on the electrically powered vehicle and the maxi mum turn rate of the electrically powered vehicle In this example the information presented is static i e there is no continual updating of the presented values In other embodi ments a more continuous display of parameters such as vehicle speed user settings peripheral status and battery state is provided Additionally the right hand panel shown in FIG 5A presents a button to the user Click hereto modify param eters which is shown because the user is logged in with manufacturer status and is therefore allowed to do this Conversely if the user was only logged in as regular user then this bu
40. tions interface to the web browser step 308 If the display of the webpage is config ured to be dynamic or if a refresh is requested step 310 then the flow returns to step 302 Otherwise the next user action is awaited at step 312 Feb 20 2014 0084 FIG 8 schematically illustrates a series of steps which are taken when a user navigates to the modify param eters webpage step 350 When the user seeks to navigate to this webpage it is first determined at step 352 if the user is logged in at a level authorised to modify these parameters If the user is logged in at a level which is not authorised to do this or not logged in at all then the flow proceeds to step 354 where an error refusal message can be presented or the user can be presented with a login opportunity However if the user is already logged in at the level permitted to modify these parameters then the flow proceeds to step 356 where the webserver retrieves the current set of parameters and includes these in a webpage which it generates at step 358 including a modification interface such as the buttons 224 226 228 230 shown in FIG 5B Having being transmitted to the device running the browser the webpage is then displayed by that browser at step 360 The user modifies one or more param eters via interaction with the webpage at step 362 and once this is done the browser sends modification data to the web server at step 364 As an additional security measure
41. trol device via a browser causes the access control device to interface with a remote webserver At step 400 the user causes the access control device to be configured for connection to the internet e g for the Wi Fi communications interface 154 of embedded access control device 150 to communicate with the router 354 as an internet gateway Then at step 402 the con nection to the internet is established and at step 404 the ACD Feb 20 2014 sends device details i e its ID number 160 to uniquely iden tify it to the web hosted server 362 at step 404 Firstly the ACD then at step 406 requests any pending notifications from the webserver 362 and a corresponding webpage is returned which is displayed by the browser 202 ofthe smart device 200 step 408 for the user to decide what further steps to allow where such steps are optional 0093 At step 410 it is determined if the pending notifica tions available include a firmware update If they do then at step 412 an option to accept this update is displayed to the user which if accepted is carried out at step 414 wherein the webserver 362 passes this firmware update to the web client 350 352 which then causes itto be stored appropriately within the relevant component of the electrically powered vehicle e g in the controller 218 for a controller firmware update Thereafter the flow proceeds to step 416 where it is deter mined if the notification includes a mandatory firmware update I
42. trol device is configured to require user approval prior to allowing said data interface to exchange data with at said least one component of said electrically powered vehicle Further this user approval may be required each time new data is to be exchanged by the data interface or the access control device may be configured to allow data exchange for a predetermined period or to allow data updates from a pre determined source e g always allowing firmware updates from the manufacture to be installed and so on 0028 In order to provide diagnostic capability in some embodiments the access control device further comprises a logging unit configured periodically to record data related to operation of said electrically powered vehicle wherein said webserver is configured to generate a logging webpage incor porating said recorded data Hence various different kinds of data related to the operation of the vehicle can be recorded by the access control device and presented to the external user via the login webpage Any data which may be of benefit to the external user seeking to monitor the performance of the electrically powered vehicle or to diagnose problems in its operation can be logged and exported in this manner This data may be relatively simple status information or may be more detailed fault or error logs instructions or usage data In some embodiments the logging unit is configured to be pro grammed by said web browser In other word
43. tton would not be present 0080 FIG 5B illustrates a simple example of a webpage presented to the authorised user who clicks on the parameter modification button in the webpage shown in FIG 5A The user is presented with a display showing the current maxi mum speed value 220 and the current maximum turn value 222 The user can then incrementally increase or decrease those values using the respective buttons 224 226 228 and 230 In this illustrated embodiment the updating of these current parameters takes place dynamically in that as these buttons are pressed the new values are immediately transmit ted to the access control device and from there to the relevant storage location within the electrically powered vehicle However inother embodiments a more static arrangement for this webpage is also contemplated namely one in which the US 2014 0052319 Al values are first set to the desired value on the webpage and only thereafter e g by means of a Confirm button not shown are sent to the access control device once the user has decided on a final value FIG 5B also illustrates two addi tional buttons on the right hand side of the figure which offer the user the opportunity to be presented with a user manual button 232 or to be taken through a settings tutorial button 234 Clicking one of these causes the access control device to retrieve a locally stored set of information i e a user manual or a settings tutorial in this
44. ul to be able to identify a specific electrically powered vehicle from amongst them 0025 Conversely it may also be desirable for the access control device to limit its communication to recognised web browsers and hence in one embodiment said webserver is configured to provide an initialisation webpage to authenti US 2014 0052319 Al cate a device on which said web browser is running This means that the user interacting with the web browser who wishes to interact with the access control device may be required to enter a password identify themselves in some other way or it may be that a unique identifier stored in the device on which the web browser is running is deemed to be sufficient authentication 0026 Insome embodiments said webserver is configured to provide additional webpages to said web browser said additional webpages comprising user information related to said electrically powered vehicle In other words the web server may not only provide the web browser with data retrieved from the electrically powered vehicle but may itself store additional information which may be of benefit to the user for example a user guide manual or a tutorial which can also be usefully presented to the user by means of the web browser interface 0027 Whilst the access control device may freely allow data to be exchanged via the data interface possibly once a given user level has been authenticated in some embodi ments said access con
45. vehicle 0005 Further such a vehicle is commonly provided with a controller via which the user is not only able to steer and drive the vehicle but via which the user can also view and change various selectable settings for the vehicle Hence the control ler itself represents a component of the vehicle which is configurable both in terms of stored parameters and in terms of firmware running on the controller for example 0006 Previously the modification or updating of these changeable parameters has generally been carried out by a custom handheld device or a PC loaded with bespoke soft ware that is connected to the controller via a custom interface and cable Such an approaches is disadvantageous due to the necessity to use dedicated items of hardware e g interface device and or cable together with the fact that particular items of custom hardware are expensive liable to become outdated and make the service engineer reliant on particular components which may be difficult to replace 0007 U S Pat No 8 073 585 discloses a method and apparatus for setting or modifying programmable parameters in a powered driven wheelchair in particular where the oper ating instructions of the powered driven wheelchair may be updated by using portable storage media on to which a latest version of operating instructions is loaded to transfer the updated operating instructions to wheelchair controller memory 0008 It would be desirable to provid
46. wser who may for example have intentionally navigated to a webpage provided by the remote webserver to look for update information or other useful data when interacting with the electrically powered vehicle 0031 Whilst the exchange of further data with the remote webserver may be direct in the sense that the access control device communicates with the remote server for example via the local router connecting to the internet in some embodi ments said exchange of further data with said remote web server via said communication interface is routed via a device running said web browser Accordingly the access control device need only be configured to interact with the device running the web browser and may then make use of the ability of that device to communicate with further devices such as the remote webserver This further communication may for example be a wired internet connection or may be via a mobile phone s network connection where the web browser is running on a mobile device 0032 Whilst the access control device may be configured generally to allow an exchange of further data with a remote webserver in some embodiments said access control device is configured to seek user approval for said exchange of further data with said remote webserver This user approval may be indicated via a control unit on the electrically powered vehicle or via the web browser Furthermore the user approval may be required for each exchange of fu
47. y 114 These may then be presented to the external user via a request for logged data sent to the webserver 110 The web server 110 is configured to present a logging unit configura tion page to the external user such that the external user can program the login unit to specify which data values should be recorded and how frequently 0064 FIG 4 schematically illustrates further configura tion details relating to an access control device providing information related to an electrically powered vehicle to a nearby smart device running a browser In fact FIG 4 illus trates two alternative embodiments a first in which the access control device is an embedded ACD 150 this embedded ACD 150 forming a permanent part of the electrically powered vehicle and an second alternative embodiment where the access control device is a detachable ACD 170 configured to be plugged into the electrically powered vehicle when access to its configuration and parameters are required and detached at other times The embedded ACD 150 embodiment com prises the embedded ACD 150 itself which communicates via a wireless protocol or wired in other embodiments with a smart device 200 which is capable of running a web browser to and is provided with a Wi Fi communication inter face 204 The Wi Fi communication interface 204 is an inte grated part of the ACD 150 but in other embodiments the Wi Fi communication interface may be provided in another part ofthe syste
48. y be some respective authen tication between the tablet 100 and the ACD 102 to establish that the correct devices are communication with one another and that the required level of authorisation is granted In essence the webserver 110 generates webpages which con tain content related to the electrically powered vehicle which it passes to the communication interface 106 to be transmitted wirelessly via the antenna 108 to the tablet 100 for display To generate the required webpage the webserver 110 can request data to be retrieved from the control unit 104 via the data interfaces 118 120 Additionally the webserver may access the memory 114 within the ACD 102 in its generation of the webpage The memory 114 can be used to store both static elements of the webpage background graphic ele ments static text and so on as well as further storage of previously retrieved data values from the control unit 104 To take a specific example the user may use the browser on the tablet 100 to navigate to a page hosted by the webserver 110 relating to the current positioning of the seat 126 When this request is received from the communication interface 106 the webserver 110 requests the relevant data parameters via data interfaces 118 120 and these data parameters are retrieved from the controller 122 this being the component which dictates the current positioning of the seat Alternatively orin addition sensors within the seat 126 may be accessed to p
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