System and method for providing hands free operation of at least one vehicle door

• US 10,740,993 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2019
• Issued: 08/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kim, Wesley W., Lickfelt, Brian K., Reed, Douglas R., Perez Zenteno, Emanuel Ulises, Rupp, Tyler J., Yoshimura, Kentaro, Muh, Chyuan Y., Kennedy, Spencer A., Watanabe, Tomonori
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Adnan, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US16/438,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20190295346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 427 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/245 where the antenna reception area plays a role
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/78 as part of a hands-free locking or unlocking operation
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00769 with data transmission performed by wireless means
• 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

A system and method for providing hands free operation of at least one vehicle door that include receiving at least one polling response signal that is sent by a portable device and analyzing the at least one polling response signal to determine a signal strength of the at least one polling response signal. The system and method additionally include determining if the portable device is located within at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle based on a comparison of the signal strength of the at least one polling response signal to at least one local area threshold value that is specifically associated with at least one transceiver of the vehicle that receives the at least one polling response signal with a highest signal strength and determining if the portable device is stationary for a predetermined period of time within the at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing hands free operation of at least one vehicle door comprising:

receiving at least one polling response signal that is sent by a portable device in response to the portable device receiving at least one polling signal sent from a vehicle;

analyzing the at least one polling response signal received by the vehicle to determine a signal strength of the at least one polling response signal;

determining if the portable device is located within at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle based on a comparison of the signal strength of the at least one polling response signal to at least one local area threshold value that is specifically associated with at least one transceiver of the vehicle that receives the at least one polling response signal with a highest signal strength; and

determining if the portable device is stationary for a predetermined period of time within the at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle, wherein at least one difference value between the signal strength of the at least one polling response signal received from the portable device and a signal strength of at least one subsequent polling response signal received from the portable device is computed to determine if the portable device is stationary for the predetermined amount of time, wherein the at least one difference value is compared to at least one signal strength deviation threshold that is associated with at least one transceiver of the vehicle that is in proximity to the at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle in which the portable device is located, wherein an amount of power is supplied to a motor associated with the at least one vehicle door to open or close the at least one vehicle door if it is determined that the portable device is stationary for the predetermined period of time within the at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining if the portable device is located within at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle includes determining that the portable device is located within at least one local area polling zone when the signal strength of the at least one polling response signal is equal to or above the at least one local area threshold value that is specifically associated with the at least one transceiver of the vehicle that receives the at least one polling response signal with the highest signal strength.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining if the portable device is located within at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle includes determining that the portable device is located within at least one local area polling zone that is in proximity to the at least one transceiver that receives the at least one polling response signal with the highest signal strength.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further including determining that the portable device is located within at least one door area zone of the vehicle when the signal strength of at least one polling response signal is equal to or above at least one door area threshold value.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the portable device is determined to be located within the at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle when the signal strength of the at least one polling response signal is below the at least one door area threshold value and equal to or above the at least one local area threshold value that is specifically associated with the at least one transceiver of the vehicle that receives the at least one polling response signal with the highest signal strength.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further including determining that the portable device is located within a wide area polling zone when the signal strength of the at least one polling response signal is below the at least one local area threshold value that is specifically associated with the at least one transceiver of the vehicle that receives the at least one polling response signal with the highest signal strength.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining if the portable device is stationary for the predetermined period of time includes comparing the at least one difference value to the at least one signal strength deviation threshold that is associated with the at least one transceiver of the vehicle that is in proximity to the at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle in which the portable device is located to determine if the at least one difference value is within a predetermined stationary range.

8. A system for providing hands free operation of at least one vehicle door comprising:

a memory storing instructions when executed by a processor cause the processor to;

receive at least one polling response signal that is sent by a portable device in response to the portable device receiving at least one polling signal sent from a vehicle;

analyze the at least one polling response signal received by the vehicle to determine a signal strength of the at least one polling response signal;

determine if the portable device is located within at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle based on a comparison of the signal strength of the at least one polling response signal to at least one local area threshold value that is specifically associated with at least one transceiver of the vehicle that receives the at least one polling response signal with a highest signal strength; and

determine if the portable device is stationary for a predetermined period of time within the at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle, wherein at least one difference value between the signal strength of the at least one polling response signal received from the portable device and a signal strength of at least one subsequent polling response signal received from the portable device is computed to determine if the portable device is stationary for the predetermined amount of time, wherein the at least one difference value is compared to at least one signal strength deviation threshold that is associated with at least one transceiver of the vehicle that is in proximity to the at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle in which the portable device is located, wherein an amount of power is supplied to a motor associated with the at least one vehicle door to open or close the at least one vehicle door if it is determined that the portable device is stationary for the predetermined period of time within the at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein determining if the portable device is located within at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle includes determining that the portable device is located within at least one local area polling zone when the signal strength of the at least one polling response signal is equal to or above the at least one local area threshold value that is specifically associated with the at least one transceiver of the vehicle that receives the at least one polling response signal with the highest signal strength.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein determining if the portable device is located within at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle includes determining that the portable device is located within at least one local area polling zone that is in proximity to the at least one transceiver that receives the at least one polling response signal with the highest signal strength.

11. The system of claim 10, further including determining that the portable device is located within at least one door area zone of the vehicle when the signal strength of at least one polling response signal is equal to or above at least one door area threshold value.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the portable device is determined to be located within the at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle when the signal strength of the at least one polling response signal is below the at least one door area threshold value and equal to or above the at least one local area threshold value that is specifically associated with the at least one transceiver of the vehicle that receives the at least one polling response signal with the highest signal strength.

13. The system of claim 8, further including determining that the portable device is located within a wide area polling zone when the signal strength of the at least one polling response signal is below the at least one local area threshold value that is specifically associated with the at least one transceiver of the vehicle that receives the at least one polling response signal with the highest signal strength.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein determining if the portable device is stationary for the predetermined period of time includes comparing the at least one difference value to the at least one signal strength deviation threshold that is associated with the at least one transceiver of the vehicle that is in proximity to the at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle in which the portable device is located to determine if the at least one difference value is within a predetermined stationary range.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, which includes at least a processor, causes the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving at least one polling response signal that is sent by a portable device in response to the portable device receiving at least one polling signal sent from a vehicle;

analyzing the at least one polling response signal received by the vehicle to determine a signal strength of the at least one polling response signal;

determining if the portable device is located within at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle based on a comparison of the signal strength of the at least one polling response signal to at least one local area threshold value that is specifically associated with at least one transceiver of the vehicle that receives the at least one polling response signal with a highest signal strength; and

determining if the portable device is stationary for a predetermined period of time within the at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle, wherein at least one difference value between the signal strength of the at least one polling response signal received from the portable device and a signal strength of at least one subsequent polling response signal received from the portable device is computed to determine if the portable device is stationary for the predetermined amount of time, wherein the at least one difference value is compared to at least one signal strength deviation threshold that is associated with at least one transceiver of the vehicle that is in proximity to the at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle in which the portable device is located, wherein an amount of power is supplied to a motor associated with at least one vehicle door to open or close the at least one vehicle door if it is determined that the portable device is stationary for the predetermined period of time within the at least one local area polling zone of the vehicle.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further including determining that the portable device is located within a wide area polling zone when the signal strength of the at least one polling response signal is below the at least one local area threshold value that is specifically associated with the at least one transceiver of the vehicle that receives the at least one polling response signal with the highest signal strength.