In-vehicle location uncertainty management for passive start

• US 10,685,515 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2018
• Issued: 06/16/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Hazebrouck, Laura Viviana, Elangovan, Vivekanandh, Lavoie, Erick Michael, Hassani, Ali, Van Wiemeersch, John Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, K.
• Application Number:
  US16/126,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20200082653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/60 wherein the transmitter and receiver are mounted on the moving object, e.g. for determining ground speed, drift angle, ground track G01S13/64 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/01 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00325 and the lock having only one limited data transmission range
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00547 starting ignition
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• 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

Abstract

Method and apparatus are disclosed for managing location uncertainty areas for a passive start system of a vehicle. An example vehicle includes antenna modules for determining signal strengths of communication with a mobile device. The example vehicle also includes a wireless module configured to, when the mobile device is in a location uncertainty area (LUA), determine first and second location predictors. The wireless module is also configured to enable passive start when the first and second location predictors both indicate the mobile device is inside the vehicle. The wireless module is further configured to disable passive start if the mobile device is outside the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

antenna modules for determining a signal strength of communication with a mobile device; and

a wireless module configured to;

determine that the mobile device is in a location uncertainty area (LUA), wherein the LUA comprises an area inside the vehicle for which location of the mobile device cannot be determined based on signal strengths determined by the antenna modules;

determine, based on the determination that the mobile device is in the LUA, first and second location predictors for the mobile device;

determine that the first and second location predictors both indicate the mobile device is inside the vehicle; and

enable, based on the determination that the first and second location predictors both indicate the mobile device is inside the vehicle, a passive start of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the wireless module is further configured to:

track the location of the mobile device based on a measured signal strength of the mobile device before the mobile device enters into the LUA.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, having a plurality of LUAs, wherein the plurality of LUAs are based on coverage areas of the antenna modules.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the wireless module is further configured to:

determine the first location predictor using a first model; and

determine the second location predictor using a second model, the second model being determined based on a different technique than the first model.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first and second location predictors are estimated locations of the mobile device within the LUA.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the wireless module is further configured to:

determine that the first and second location predictors match; and

enable, based on the determination that the first and second location predictors match, passive start of the vehicle for a limited amount of time.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of LUAs, wherein the wireless module is further configured to:

determine that the first and second location predictors match; and

determine, based on the determination that the first and second location predictors match, a target LUA of the plurality of LUAs in which the mobile device is located.

8. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the target LUA is determined based on at least one of:

a comparison of vehicle acceleration and vehicle heading to mobile device acceleration and mobile device heading;

a presence of a wired connection between the mobile device and the vehicle;

the presence of the mobile device on a wireless charging pad having a known location in the vehicle;

an analysis of sound from a microphone of the mobile device;

an analysis of camera data from the mobile device;

inertial data; and

Global Positioning System (GPS) data.

9. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the wireless module is further configured to display an alert on a vehicle display indicating that the mobile device is located in the target LUA.

10. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the wireless module is further configured to transmit a command to the mobile device to cause the mobile device to emit a sound.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the wireless module is further configured to:

determine that either one or both of the first and second location predictors indicate the mobile device is outside of the vehicle; and

disable, based on the determination that either one or both of the first and second location predictors indicate the mobile device is outside of the vehicle, a passive start of the vehicle.

12. A method comprising:

determining, with antenna modules of a vehicle, a signal strength of communication with a mobile device;

determine that the mobile device enters a location uncertainty area (LUA), wherein the LUA comprises an area inside the vehicle for which location of the mobile device cannot be determined based on signal strengths determined by the antenna modules;

determining, based on the determination that the mobile device enters the LUA, first and second location predictors for the mobile device;

determining that the first and second location predictors both indicate the mobile device is inside the vehicle; and

enabling, based on the determination that the first and second location predictors both indicate the mobile device is inside the vehicle, a passive start of the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining the first location predictor using a first model; and

determining the second location predictor using a second model, the second model being determined based on a different technique than the first model.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining that either one or both of the first and second location predictors indicate the mobile device is outside of the vehicle; and

disabling, based on the determination that either one or both of the first and second location predictors indicate the mobile device is outside of the vehicle, a passive start of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining that the first and second location predictors match; and

determining, based on the determination that the first and second location predictors match, a target LUA of a plurality of LUAs in the vehicle in which the mobile device is located.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the target LUA is determined based on at least one of:

a comparison of vehicle acceleration and vehicle heading to mobile device acceleration and mobile device heading;

a presence of a wired connection between the mobile device and the vehicle;

the presence of the mobile device on a wireless charging pad having a known location in the vehicle;

an analysis of sound from a microphone of the mobile device;

an analysis of camera data from the mobile device;

inertial data; and

Global Positioning System (GPS) data.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying an alert on a vehicle display indicating that the mobile device is located in the target LUA.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting a command to the mobile device to cause the mobile device to emit a sound.

19. A vehicle comprising:

antenna modules for determining a signal strength of communication with a mobile device;

a first location uncertainty area (LUA) and a second LUA, the first LUA and the second LUA being located inside the vehicle; and

a wireless module configured to;

determine that the mobile device is in either the first LUA or the second LUA;

determine, based on the determination that the mobile device is in the first LUA or the second LUA, first and second location predictors for the mobile device;

determine that the first and second location predictors match;

determine, based on the first and second location predictors matching; and

enable passive start when the first and second location predictors both indicate the mobile device is inside the vehicle.

20. The vehicle of claim 19, wherein the wireless module is further configured to:

determine that either one or both of the first and second location predictors indicate the mobile device is outside of the vehicle; and

disable, based on the determination that either one or both of the first and second location predictors indicate the mobile device is outside of the vehicle, a passive start of the vehicle.