Status tests of wireless communication nodes of vehicles

• US 10,257,730 B1
• Filed: 11/27/2017
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2017
• 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, McNabb, David, Hille, Kevin Thomas, Elangovan, Vivekanandh, Thivierge, Jr., Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Phu, Sanh D
• Application Number:
  US15/823,084
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 4552262
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• 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

Method and apparatus are disclosed for status tests of wireless communication nodes of vehicles. An example vehicle includes communication nodes including a first node and a second node. The first node is to send a first of test signals to and receive a second of the test signals from the second node. The example vehicle also includes a controller to determine signal strengths of the test signals and at least partially disable passive entry passive start responsive to determining one or more of the communication nodes is impaired based upon the signal strengths.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

communication nodes including a first node and a second node, the first node to send a first of test signals to and receive a second of the test signals from the second node, the communication nodes include an exterior node configured to wirelessly communicate with a mobile device to initiate passive entry into a vehicle cabin; and

a controller to;

determine signal strengths of the test signals; and

at least partially disable passive entry passive start responsive to determining one or more of the communication nodes is impaired based upon the signal strengths.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller determines that one of the communication nodes is impaired responsive to identifying that one of the signal strengths corresponding to the one of the communication nodes is less than a first threshold signal strength or greater than a second threshold signal strength.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the communication nodes include short-range wireless communication modules.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first node is a master node dedicated for communication with other of the communication nodes.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first node is configured to communicate with the mobile device for passive entry passive start.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the communication nodes send the test signals in a bonded mode of at least one of a Bluetooth®

low-energy communication protocol and a Wi-Fi communication protocol.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the communication nodes further include a third node, the first node is to send a third of the test signals to and receive a fourth of the test signals from the third node.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is to disable passive entry through a first vehicle door adjacent to the exterior node responsive to identifying that the exterior node is impaired.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the controller is to permit passive entry through a second vehicle door spaced apart from the exterior node that is impaired.

10. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the controller is to provide an instruction to a user of the mobile device to access the vehicle cabin in another manner other than passive entry through the first vehicle door.

11. A vehicle of comprising:

communication nodes including a first node and a second node, the first node to send a first of test signals to and receive a second of the test signals from the second node, the communication nodes include an interior node configured to wirelessly communicate with a mobile device within a vehicle cabin to initiate passive start of a vehicle engine; and

a controller to;

determine signal strengths of the test signals; and

at least partially disable passive entry passive start responsive to determining one or more of the communication nodes is impaired based upon the signal strengths.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the communication nodes include an exterior node configured to wirelessly communicate with the mobile device to initiate passive entry into the vehicle cabin.

13. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the controller is to disable passive start of the vehicle engine responsive to identifying that the interior node is impaired.

14. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the controller is to provide an instruction to a user of the mobile device to start the vehicle engine in another manner other than passive start.

15. A vehicle comprising:

communication nodes including a first node and a second node, the first node to send a first of test signals to and receive a second of the test signals from the second node;

a controller to;

determine signal strengths of the test signals; and

at least partially disable passive entry passive start responsive to determining one or more of the communication nodes is impaired based upon the signal strengths; and

an ignition switch sensor to monitor a status of a vehicle engine, the communication nodes to send the test signals responsive to the ignition switch sensor detecting a status change of the vehicle engine.

16. A vehicle comprising:

communication nodes including a first node and a second node, the first node to send a first of test signals to and receive a second of the test signals from the second node;

a controller to;

determine signal strengths of the test signals; and

at least partially disable passive entry passive start responsive to determining one or more of the communication nodes is impaired based upon the signal strengths; and

an impact sensor to monitor for a vehicle collision event and a hard braking event, the communication nodes to send the test signals responsive to the impact sensor detecting at least one of the vehicle collision event and the hard braking event.

17. A vehicle comprising:

communication nodes including a first node and a second node, the first node to send a first of test signals to and receive a second of the test signals from the second node;

a controller to;

determine signal strengths of the test signals; and

at least partially disable passive entry passive start responsive to determining one or more of the communication nodes is impaired based upon the signal strengths; and

a sensor configured to record at least one of a temperature measurement and a humidity measurement that is utilized by the controller to normalize the signal strengths with baselines readings.

18. A method comprising:

sending a first of test signals from a first node to a second node of communication nodes;

receiving a second of the test signals at the first node from the second node;

determining, via a processor, signal strengths of the test signals; and

at least partially disabling passive entry passive start responsive to determining one or more of the communication nodes is impaired based upon the signal strengths.

19. The method of claim 18, further including determining one of the communication nodes is impaired responsive to identifying that one of the signal strengths corresponding to the one of the communication nodes is less than a first threshold signal strength or greater than a second threshold signal strength.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein at least partially disabling passive entry passive start includes at least one of disabling passive entry through a vehicle door adjacent to an exterior node of the communication nodes responsive to identifying that the exterior node is impaired and disabling passive start of a vehicle engine responsive to identifying that an interior node of the communication nodes is impaired.