Controlling access to a vehicle using wireless access devices

• US 10,369,966 B1
• Filed: 05/23/2018
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NIO Technology Company Limited (Shanghai Anbin Technology Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Nio Usa Inc.
• Inventors: Higgins, James S., Abel Rayan, Infantdani, Butler, Joshua T., Youssef Gamarra, Rachad, Liang, Anthony Tao, Muralidhar, Gautam
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Brian E
• Application Number:
  US15/986,940
• Time in Patent Office: 440 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/241 whereby access privileges are related to the identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/243 with more than one way to gain access
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/246 characterised by the challenge triggering
• 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 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00563 using personal physical data of the operator, e.g. finger prints, retinal images, voicepatterns
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

Embodiments are directed to employing various methods and devices to access a vehicle and controlling a level of access granted based on the device and methods employed. Controlling access to a vehicle can comprise maintaining a plurality of security profiles, each security profile associated with a different access device or type of access device. When the presence of an access device in proximity to the vehicle or a request to access the vehicle is detected, a security profile associated with the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle can be retrieved and used to determine whether to grant access to the vehicle. In response to determining to grant access to the vehicle, access to the vehicle can be provided according to an access level for the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle identified in the retrieved security profile.

Claims

1. A method for controlling access to a vehicle, the method comprising:

maintaining, by a security system controller of the vehicle, a plurality of security profiles, each security profile associated with a different access device or type of access device;

detecting, by the security system controller through a wireless communications interface, presence of an access device in proximity to the vehicle or a request to access the vehicle;

retrieving, by the security system controller from the plurality of security profiles, a security profile associated with the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle;

determining, by the security system controller, whether to grant access to the vehicle based on the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle and the retrieved security profile, wherein determining whether to grant access to the vehicle further comprises;

determining whether to authenticate a user associated with the detected access device or request to access the vehicle based on the retrieved security profile,

in response to determining to authenticate the user, performing an authentication process indicated by the retrieved security profile, and

determining whether to grant access to the vehicle based on a result of performing the authentication process; and

in response to determining to grant access to the vehicle, granting, by the security system controller, access to the vehicle according to an access level for the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle, wherein the access level is identified in the retrieved security profile and is selected from a plurality of different access levels.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the authentication process further comprises receiving input from one or more input devices, the input devices comprising one or more of the access device, one or more integrated sensors of the vehicle, or one or more cloud-based devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to grant access to the vehicle based on the detected access device and the retrieved security profile is based on a Universally Unique IDentifier (UUID), a Media Access Control (MAC) address, or a serial number of the access device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the access device comprises a mobile device, a fob, or an access card.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to access the vehicle is received from a cloud-based application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each access level of the plurality of access levels relates to one or more systems or components of the vehicle.

7. A security system of a vehicle, the security system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled with and readable by the processor and storing therein a set of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to control access to the vehicle by;

maintaining a plurality of security profiles, each security profile associated with a different access device or type of access device;

detecting, through a wireless communications interface, the presence of an access device in proximity to the vehicle or a request to access the vehicle;

retrieving, from the plurality of security profiles, a security profile associated with the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle;

determining whether to grant access to the vehicle based on the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle and the retrieved security profile, wherein determining whether to grant access to the vehicle further comprises;

determining whether to authenticate a user associated with the detected access device or request to access the vehicle based on the retrieved security profile,

in response to determining to authenticate the user, performing an authentication process indicated by the retrieved security profile, and

determining whether to grant access to the vehicle based on a result of performing the authentication process; and

in response to determining to grant access to the vehicle, granting access to the vehicle according to an access level for the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle, wherein the access level is identified in the retrieved security profile and is selected from a plurality of different access levels.

8. The security system of claim 7, wherein performing the authentication process further comprises receiving input from one or more input devices, the input devices comprising one or more of the access device, one or more integrated sensors of the vehicle, or one or more cloud-based devices.

9. The security system of claim 7, wherein determining whether to grant access to the vehicle based on the detected access device and the retrieved security profile is based on a Universally Unique IDentifier (UUID), a Media Access Control (MAC) address, or a serial number of the access device.

10. The security system of claim 7, wherein the access device comprises a mobile device, a fob, or an access card.

11. The security system of claim 7, wherein the request to access the vehicle is received from a cloud-based application.

12. The security system of claim 7, wherein each access level of the plurality of access levels relates to one or more systems or components of the vehicle.

13. A vehicle comprising:

a wireless communications interface;

a plurality of sub-systems of the vehicle; and

a security system controlling access to the vehicle by;

maintaining a plurality of security profiles, each security profile associated with a different access device or type of access device;

detecting, through the wireless communications interface, a presence of an access device in proximity to the vehicle or a request to access the vehicle;

retrieving, from the plurality of security profiles, a security profile associated with the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle;

determining whether to grant access to the vehicle based on the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle and the retrieved security profile, wherein determining whether to grant access to the vehicle further comprises;

determining whether to authenticate a user associated with the detected access device or request to access the vehicle based on the retrieved security profile,

in response to determining to authenticate the user, performing an authentication process indicated by the retrieved security profile, and

determining whether to grant access to the vehicle based on a result of performing the authentication process; and

in response to determining to grant access the vehicle, granting access to one or more sub-systems of the plurality of sub-systems of the vehicle according to an access level for the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle, wherein the access level is identified in the retrieved security profile and is selected from a plurality of different access levels.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein performing the authentication process further comprises receiving input from one or more input devices, the input devices comprising one or more of the access device, one or more integrated sensors of the vehicle, or one or more cloud-based devices.

15. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein determining whether to grant access to the vehicle based on the detected access device and the retrieved security profile is based on a Universally Unique IDentifier (UUID), a Media Access Control (MAC) address, or a serial number of the access device.

16. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the access device comprises a mobile device, a fob, or an access card.

17. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the request to access the vehicle is received from a cloud-based application.