Vehicle driver locator

• US 10,384,641 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2017
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: McNabb, David, Elangovan, Vivekanandh, Lavoie, Erick Michael, Van Wiemeersch, John Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Aynalem, Nathnael
• Application Number:
  US15/421,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20180134212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 348148
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0023 the element being a sensor, e.g. distance sensor, camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/247 for illuminating the close surroundings of the vehicle, e.g. to facilitate entry or exit for reverse drive B60Q1/22; by opening a side door B60Q1/323
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2607 comprising at least two indicating lamps
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/323 on or for doors illuminated exterior door handles B60Q1/2669; illuminated door locks E05B17/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/40 Welcome lights, i.e. specific or existing exterior lamps to assist leaving or approaching the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2900/30 Lamps commanded by wireless transmissions
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/01 operating on vehicle systems or fittings, e.g. on doors, seats or windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/245 where the antenna reception area plays a role
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A vehicle may include: a motor, nodes, sensors, puddle lights, and processor(s) configured to: command the nodes to produce high power signal patterns to link with a mobile device; command at least some of the nodes to produce low power signal patterns to link with the mobile device based detecting the high power link; activate at least some of the puddle lights based on the low power link. The vehicle may activate at least some of the puddle lights based on the low power link by running processing software on measurements captured by the nodes based on the low power link.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a driver door, nodes, sensors, puddle lights, and processor(s) configured to;

produce, via the nodes, signal patterns to link with a mobile device of a user;

define an area within the signal patterns and corresponding to the driver door;

responsive to detecting, via the nodes, the mobile device, determine, via the sensors, a trajectory of the user; and

responsive to the trajectory intersecting the area, activate the puddle lights, wherein the trajectory includes estimated future positions of the user determined based on past positions of the user.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the signal patterns include a request for the mobile device to reply with an identifier.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the processor(s) are further configured to activate one or more of the sensors based on which node receives a reply from the mobile device.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor(s) are further configured to:

determine one or more properties of the user based on data captured by the sensors, the one or more properties including height; and

activate none of the puddle lights in response to the height being less than a prestored height.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the one or more properties include position and processor(s) are further configured to determine a position of the user in response to the height being greater than the prestored height.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the processors are further configured to activate one or more of the puddle lights based on the position.

7. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the one or more properties include trajectory and the processor(s) are further configured to activate one or more of the puddle lights based on the trajectory.

8. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the puddle lights include first and second puddle lights, and the processor(s) are further configured to activate first puddle lights, but not second puddle lights, in response to the trajectory intersecting the driver door.

9. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the vehicle further comprises a trunk, the puddle lights include first and second puddle lights, and the processor(s) are further configured to:

activate the first and second puddle lights in response to the trajectory intersecting the driver door; and

activate the second puddle lights, but not the first puddle lights, in response to the trajectory intersecting the trunk.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the sensors include ultrasonic sensors and cameras.

17. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more properties include trajectory and the method further comprises activating one or more of the puddle lights based on the trajectory.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the puddle lights include first and second puddle lights, and the method further comprises activating first puddle lights, but not second puddle lights, in response to the trajectory intersecting the driver door.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the vehicle further comprises a trunk, the puddle lights include first and second puddle lights, and the method further comprises:

selecting the first and second puddle lights in response to the trajectory intersecting the driver door; and

activate the second puddle lights, but not the first puddle lights, in response to the trajectory intersecting the trunk.

20. The vehicle of claim 19, wherein the sensors include ultrasonic sensors and cameras.

21. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the area is defined by one of the signal patterns, wherein the processor(s) are further configured to, responsive to the trajectory intersecting a boundary that is defined by the area and that is within the one of the signal patterns, activate the puddle lights.

22. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor(s) are further configured to, responsive to the trajectory intersecting the area and responsive to the trajectory being within the signal patterns, activate the puddle lights.

11. A method of controlling a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a driver door, nodes, sensors, puddle lights, and processor(s), the method comprising, via the processor(s):

producing, via the nodes, signal patterns to link with a mobile device of a user;

defining an area within the signal patterns and corresponding to the driver door;

responsive to detecting, via the nodes, the mobile device, determining, via the sensors, a trajectory of the user; and

responsive to the trajectory intersecting the area, activating the puddle lights, wherein the trajectory includes estimated future positions of the user determined based on past positions of the user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the signal patterns include a request for the mobile device to reply with an identifier.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising activating one or more of the sensors based on which node receives a response from the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining one or more properties of the user based on data captured by the sensors, the one or more properties including height; and

activating none of the puddle lights in response to the height being less than a prestored height.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more properties include position and the method further comprises determining a position of the user in response to the height being greater than the prestored height.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising activating one or more of the puddle lights based on the position.