Contents inventory tracking system and protocol

• US 10,062,227 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2014
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Van Wiemeersch, John Robert, Hille, Kevin Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mahase, Pameshanand
• Application Number:
  US14/151,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20150193996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,692 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00396 starting with prompting the keyless data carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

A vehicle inventory system may include a passive entry system configured to authenticate a key fob and including at least one antenna and a controller operably arranged with the at least one antenna. The controller causes, during a tag challenge period, the at least one antenna to transmit at least one tag challenge. The tag challenge period is initiated based on an end of a key fob challenge period. The controller further receives a tag response to the challenge indicative of a tag in the vicinity of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle inventory system comprising:

a passive entry system including an antenna and a controller configured to;

cause, during a key fob challenge period, the antenna to transmit at least one key fob challenge for authenticating a key fob in a vicinity of the vehicle,

cause, during a tag challenge period, the antenna to transmit at least one tag challenge, the tag challenge period starting after the key fob challenge period has ended, and

receive, during a tag response period, a tag response to the challenge indicative of a tag in a vicinity of the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the tag response period starts after the tag challenge period ends.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the challenges includes an identifier indicating whether the challenge is a key fob challenge or a tag challenge.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the tag challenge period overlaps a key fob response period and wherein the key fob response period starts at an end of the key fob challenge period.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to transmit the at least one tag challenge at intervals based on a number of associated programmed tags.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein a duration of the tag response period is based on the number of associated programmed tags.

7. A vehicle inventory system comprising:

a passive entry system configured to authenticate a key fob and including an antenna and a controller configured to

cause, during a tag challenge period, the antenna to transmit at least one tag challenge, the tag challenge period being initiated based on an end of a key fob challenge period, and

receive a tag response to the challenge indicative of a tag in a vicinity of the vehicle.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein, during the key fob challenge period, the controller is further configured to cause the antenna to transmit key fob challenges to authenticate the key fob.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein each of the challenges includes an identifier indicating whether the challenge is a key fob challenge or a tag challenge.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the tag challenge period overlaps a key fob response period and wherein the key fob response period starts at an end of the key fob challenge period.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the tag response is received during a tag response period initiated after the tag challenge period has ended.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to transmit the at least one tag challenge at intervals based on a number of associated programmed tags.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the tag response period is based on the number of associated programmed tags.

14. A method comprising:

transmitting at least one key fob challenge during a key fob challenge period to authenticate a key fob in a vicinity of a vehicle;

transmitting at least one tag challenge during a tag challenge period based on an end of the key fob challenge period to excite programmed tags in the vicinity of the vehicle;

receiving at least one key fob response during a key fob response period starting after an end of the key fob challenge period; and

receiving at least one tag response during a tag response period starting after an end of the tag challenge period indicative of at least one of the programmed tags.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the tag challenge period and the key fob challenge period do not overlap to avoid interference between the at least one key fob response and the at least one tag response.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the challenges includes an identifier indicating whether the challenge is a key fob challenge or a tag challenge.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one tag challenge is transmitted at intervals based on a number of the programmed tags.