Motor vehicle key location system using wireless signal

• US 10,104,499 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2017
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Denso International America Incorporated (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Denso International America Incorporated (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Sute, Steven James
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandt, Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US15/440,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20180242105A1
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/04 Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided that include a transceiver system. The transceiver system is configured to (i) transmit a location request signal to a user identification device (UID), (ii) receive, in response to the UID receiving the location request signal, a position signal transmitted from the UID, and (iii) measure angles of arrival of the position signal for each transceiver of the transceiver system. A controller is in communication with the transceivers and is configured to (i) receive the angles of arrival, (ii) determine a location of the UID based on the angles of arrival, and (iii) activate at least one of an ignition system of a vehicle and a locking system of the vehicle based on the location of the UID.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a transceiver system that includes a plurality of transceivers, wherein the transceiver system is configured to (i) transmit, using a first transceiver of the plurality of transceivers, a location request signal to a user identification device (UID), (ii) receive, using the plurality of transceivers and in response to the UID receiving the location request signal, a position signal transmitted from the UID, and (iii) measure, using the plurality of transceivers, a plurality of angles of arrival, wherein the plurality of angles of arrival is based on the position signal and each angle of arrival corresponds to one transceiver of the plurality of transceivers; and

a controller in communication with the plurality of transceivers, wherein the controller is configured to, using a processor executing instructions stored in a non-transitory memory, (i) receive the plurality of angles of arrival, (ii) determine a location of the UID based on the plurality of angles of arrival, (iii) determine a distance between the UID and a vehicle based on the location of the UID, (iv) compare the distance with a distance threshold, and (v) activate at least one of an ignition system of the vehicle and a locking system of the vehicle based on the comparison; and

wherein the controller is further configured to determine an outdoor temperature, compare the outdoor temperature with at least one of a minimum temperature threshold and a maximum temperature threshold, and increase the distance threshold when at least one of the outdoor temperature is below the minimum temperature threshold and the outdoor temperature is above the maximum temperature threshold.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver system is configured to, using the plurality of transceivers, measure a plurality of received signal strengths (RSS), wherein the plurality of RSS is based on the position signal and each RSS corresponds to one transceiver of the plurality of transceivers.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to, using the processor executing instructions stored in the non-transitory memory, (i) receive the plurality of RSS, and (ii) determine the location of the UID additionally based on the plurality of RSS.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver system includes a primary transceiver system and a secondary transceiver system.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the primary transceiver system is configured to transmit the location request signal to the UID.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the primary transceiver system includes the controller.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the secondary transceiver system is configured to receive the position signal and measure the plurality of angles of arrival.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the UID transmits the position signal using at least one of a Bluetooth signal, cellular data signal, and Wi-Fi signal.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller activates the locking system of the vehicle in response to at least one of the location, a range, and a direction satisfying one of a lock condition and an unlock condition.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller activates the ignition system of the vehicle in response to at least one of the location, a range, a direction, and a temperature satisfying a start condition.

11. A method comprising:

transmitting, using a first transceiver of a plurality of transceivers, a location request signal to a user identification device (UID);

receiving, using the plurality of transceivers and in response to the UID receiving the location request signal, a position signal transmitted from the UID;

measuring, using the plurality of transceivers, a plurality of angles of arrival, wherein the plurality of angles of arrival is based on the position signal and each angle of arrival corresponds to one transceiver of the plurality of transceivers;

receiving, using a processor that is configured to execute instructions stored in a non-transitory memory, the plurality of angles of arrival from the plurality of transceivers;

determining, using the processor, a location of the UID based on the plurality of angles of arrival;

determining, using the processor, a distance between the UID and a vehicle based on the location of the UID;

comparing, using the processor, the distance with a distance threshold;

activating, using the processor, at least one of an ignition system of the vehicle and a locking system of the vehicle based on the comparison;

determining, using the processor, an outdoor temperature;

comparing, using the processor, the outdoor temperature with at least one of a minimum temperature threshold and a maximum temperature threshold; and

increasing, using the processor, the distance threshold when at least one of the outdoor temperature is below the minimum temperature threshold and the outdoor temperature is above the maximum temperature threshold.

12. The method of claim 11 further including measuring, using the plurality of transceivers, a plurality of received signal strengths (RSS), wherein the plurality of RSS is based on the position signal and each RSS corresponds to one transceiver of the plurality of transceivers.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

receiving, using the processor, the plurality of RSS; and

determining, using the processor, the location of the UID additionally based on the plurality of RSS.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the processor activates the locking system of the vehicle in response to at least one of the location, a range, and a direction satisfying one of a lock condition and an unlock condition.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the processor activates the ignition system of the vehicle in response to at least one of the location, a range, a direction, and a temperature satisfying a start condition.