Control module activation to monitor vehicles in a key-off state

• US 10,217,297 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2017
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: DeCia, Nunzio, Herman, David A., Dutta, Arun, Dierker, Bill, Cartwright, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US15/491,878
• Publication Number:
  US 20180308293A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on 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 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0891 Video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/12 in graphical form
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/65 Control of camera operation in relation to power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

Method and apparatus are disclosed for control module activation to monitor vehicles in a key-off state. An example system includes a vehicle at a location in a key-off state that includes a sensor for collecting damage detection data, a camera module including a camera for collecting damage identification data, and a communication module. The example system also includes a remote processor to receive the damage detection data from the communication module and detect damage to the vehicle based upon the damage detection data. The remote processor also is to send, responsive to detecting the damage, an activation signal to activate the camera.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a vehicle at a location in a key-off state including;

a sensor for collecting damage detection data;

a camera for collecting damage identification data; and

a communication module; and

a remote processor to;

determine a current charge level of a battery of the vehicle based upon a charge level prior to the vehicle being in the key-off state and a time duration of the vehicle being in the key-off state;

receive the damage detection data from the communication module; and

detect damage to the vehicle based upon the damage detection data; and

send, responsive to detecting the damage, an activation signal to activate the camera.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the camera collects the damage identification data to facilitate identification of a source of the damage.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor collects the damage detection data when the camera is in a sleep mode, and the camera collects the damage identification data when the camera is in an active mode.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is at least one of a proximity sensor of a body control module, an accelerometer of an inertial measurement unit, and a tilt sensor of the inertial measurement unit.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor further collects the damage identification data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes a telematic control unit including a GPS receiver that determines the location.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes a clock of a central timing module that is activated via the activation signal to detect a time at which the damage is caused to the vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes a dedicated short range communication module that is activated via the activation signal, the dedicated short range communication module is to communicate with at least one of a nearby vehicle and nearby infrastructure to collect the damage identification data from the at least one of the nearby vehicle and the nearby infrastructure.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle at least one of stores the damage identification data in a database and sends the damage identification data to the remote processor via the communication module.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication module is to send the location and the current charge level of the battery to the remote processor prior to the vehicle being in the key-off state.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes a battery sensor to detect a charge level of the battery.

12. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes a battery control module that activates the camera upon the communication module receiving the activation signal from the remote processor.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote processor:

activates the camera in response to determining that the current charge level is greater than a predetermined charge threshold; and

determines a data collection duration during which the damage identification data is collected to prevent the battery from draining.

14. A method for activating vehicle control modules, the method comprising:

collecting prior to activation of a camera of a vehicle, via a sensor, damage detection data of the vehicle at a location in a key-off state;

detecting, via a processor, whether there is damage caused to the vehicle based upon the damage detection data;

activating the camera responsive to detecting the damage; and

after activation of the camera, collecting damage identification data via the camera.

15. The method of claim 14, further including:

activating a central timing module and a dedicated short range communication module of the vehicle responsive to detecting the damage; and

detecting, via a clock of the central timing module, a time at which the damage is caused to the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 14, further including sending, via a communication module, the location and a charge level of a battery of the vehicle to a remote processor prior to the vehicle being in the key-off state.

17. The method of claim 16, further including:

determining a current charge level of the battery based upon the charge level received via the communication module and a time duration of the vehicle being in the key-off state; and

activating the camera in response to determining that the current charge level is greater than a predetermined threshold.

18. A tangible computer readable medium including instructions which, when executed, cause a vehicle to:

send, via a communication module, a location and a charge level of a battery of a vehicle to a remote processor prior to the vehicle being in a key-off state;

collect, via a sensor, damage detection data of the vehicle at the location in the key-off state;

detect, via a processor, whether there is damage caused to the vehicle based upon the damage detection data;

activate a camera module of the vehicle responsive to detecting the damage; and

collect damage identification data via a camera of the camera module.