End to end system for service delivery to and from a vehicle using a dongle

• US 10,002,479 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Intelligent Transportation Systems LLC (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Intelligent Transportation Systems LLC (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Oz, Seval, Zhai, Yao
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Dionne H
• Application Number:
  US14/866,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20160098876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00341 keyless data carrier having more than one limited data transmission ranges
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00396 starting with prompting the keyless data carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00492 whereby the code is a rolling code
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00769 with data transmission performed by wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/63 Comprising locating means for detecting the position of the data carrier, i.e. within the vehicle or within a certain distance from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/02 Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication

Abstract

A dongle module to be installed in a vehicle is discussed. The dongle module has memory buffers and processors. The dongle module also has a first transceiver that couples the on-board diagnostic (OBD) port of the vehicle to communicate with a fault and diagnostic module of the vehicle. A second transceiver uses wireless communications to communicate with one or more client devices. An RF transmitter transmits RF signals to Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) module of the vehicle. A mapping module either include a first map calculating chip to calculate map coordinates of the vehicle, or periodically receive map coordinates from a client device. A security module is configured either to receive, or to implement an algorithm to determine, a rolling security key of the RKE module of the vehicle. The security module also receives commands to be transmitted by the RF transmitter to the RKE module to be executed.

Claims

1. A method of geo-proximity access for service delivery to a target vehicle, comprising:

configuring one or more cloud based servers having a first group of one or more processors and one or more cloud based databases;

executing computer-executable instructions on the first group of one or more processors;

executing instructions to ensure a secure access by a service delivery person associated with a service delivery vehicle to the target vehicle;

receiving current GPS coordinates of the target vehicle from a first client device associated with the target vehicle;

receiving current GPS coordinates of the service delivery vehicle from a second client device associated with the service delivery person;

monitoring a distance between the service delivery vehicle and the target vehicle;

waking-up an on-board dongle module of the target vehicle while establishing a close proximity by a first threshold distance between the service delivery vehicle and the target vehicle;

causing the target vehicle to give an alert via any of i) honking a horn, ii) flashing lights of the target vehicle, and iii) activating a security alarm of the target vehicle while in a close proximity established by a second threshold distance between the service delivery vehicle and the target vehicle;

unlocking or opening a door including a trunk of the target vehicle for the service delivery person to perform one or more services with the target vehicle, where the one or more services on the target vehicle to be performed include any of package exchange with the target vehicle, vehicle maintenance to the target vehicle, cleaning the target vehicle, and vehicle repair of the target vehicle; and

locking the target vehicle after establishing a fourth threshold distance between the service delivery vehicle and the target vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the on-board dongle module is installed in the target vehicle and has one or more memory buffers, a second group of one or more processors, a first transceiver, a second transceiver, a RF transmitter, a mapping module, and a security module, the on-board dongle module further performing:

coupling the first transceiver of the on-board dongle module to an on-board diagnostic (OBD) port of the target vehicle and communicating with a fault and diagnostic module of the target vehicle;

receiving displacement data including velocity of the target vehicle by the first transceiver, where the displacement data is periodically received and stored in the one or more memory buffers of the on-board dongle module;

configuring the second transceiver of the on-board dongle module to use wireless communications to communicate with one or more client devices including the first client device associated with the target vehicle and the second client device associated with service deliver person;

configuring the RF transmitter of the on-board dongle module to transmit RF signals to command a Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) module of the target vehicle;

performing by the mapping module of the on-board dongle module one of i) receiving GPS signals and calculating GPS coordinates of the target vehicle, or ii) receiving the GPS coordinates of the target vehicle from the first client device associate with the target vehicle;

storing the GPS coordinates of the target vehicle in the one or more memory buffers of the on-board dongle module;

performing by a security module of the on-board dongle module one of i) receiving a current rolling security key of the RKE module of the target vehicle from the second client device associated with the service delivery person, or ii) determining the current rolling security key of the RKE module of the target vehicle, where after receiving a first algorithm and a first data from the second client device associated with the service delivery person, implementing the first algorithm by the security module and using the first data to determine the current rolling security key of the RKE module;

receiving by the security module one or more commands from the second client device associated with a service delivery person;

sending the received commands to the RKE module by transmitting the received commands and the current rolling security key from the RF transmitter to the RKE module of the target vehicle; and

validating the current rolling security key by the RKE module of the target vehicle and then executing the commands.

3. The method of claim 1, further including:

receiving learning commands by the security module of the on-board dongle module from an automated program in the computer-executable instructions of cloud based servers outside the target vehicle to teach the on-board dongle module to become a key fob; and

registering and validating the on-board dongle module with the RKE module of the target vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, further including:

communicating directly between the computer-executable instructions and the on-board dongle module using cellular communication;

sending the current GPS coordinates of the target vehicle to the computer-executable instructions;

receiving directly one of i) the current rolling security key of the RKE module of the vehicle from the computer-executable instructions, or

     2) the first algorithm and the first data from the cloud based servers and to determine the current rolling security key of the RKE module of the vehicle by implementing the first algorithm and using the first data in the first routine running on the second group of one or more processors of the dongle module; and

receiving directly the command to be executed on the target vehicle, where transmitting, via RF transmitters, a command and the current rolling security key to the RKE module of the target vehicle, where the command to be executed by the RKE module of the vehicle after verification of the current rolling security key.

5. The method of claim 1, further including:

communicating indirectly between the computer-executable instructions and the on-board dongle module through the first client device and the second client device;

where sending, through the first client device associated with the target vehicle, the current GPS coordinates of the target vehicle to the computer-executable instructions;

where receiving, through the second client device associated with the service delivery person, one of i) the current rolling security key of the RKE module of the vehicle from the computer-executable instructions, or

     2) the first algorithm and the first data from the cloud based servers and to determine the current rolling security key of the RKE module of the vehicle by implementing the first algorithm and using the first data in the first routine running on the second group of one or more processors of the dongle module; and

receiving, through the second client device associated with the service delivery person, the command to be executed on the target vehicle, where transmitting, via RF transmitters, a command and the current rolling security key to the RKE module of the target vehicle, where the command to be executed by the RKE module of the vehicle after verification of the current rolling security key.