Process for Determining Vehicle Position

• US 20090048778A1
• Filed: 08/15/2007
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG), Chrysler Group LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Original Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Wilke, John A., Huber, Joerg, Roessler, Roland, Borkowicz, Neil L., Senske, Wilhelm, Willikens, Axel, Herges, Peter
• Application Number:
  US11/839,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20090048778A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236

Abstract

Method for finding a vehicle (2), wherein

a direction information item relating to the position of a mobile terminal (P2) with respect to the position (P1) of the vehicle is derived by comparing satellite supported position coordinates (P1, P2), and the respective direction information item is output by means of a display unit which is integrated into the mobile terminal (4),

the geographic position (P1) of the vehicle (2) is stored in the mobile terminal (4) in the form of position coordinates when the vehicle (2) is deactivated, wherein

if the mobile terminal (4) is in a second zone (Z2) surrounding a first zone (Z1), the current coordinates of the geographic position (P2) of the mobile terminal (4) are compared with the stored position (P1) of the vehicle, and

if the mobile terminal (4) is in the first zone (Z1), the coordinates of the position (P1) of the vehicle are interrogated from the vehicle on an updated basis by means of a satellite supported position determining system, and this position (P1) of the vehicle is compared with the current position (P2) of the device.

Claims

1-5. -5. (canceled)

6. A method for finding a vehicle, comprising:

deriving a direction information item relating to a current position of a mobile terminal with respect to a position of the vehicle by comparing satellite supported position coordinates, and outputting the direction information item by way of a display unit that is integrated into the mobile terminal,

storing the geographic position of the vehicle in the mobile terminal as position coordinates when the vehicle is deactivated,

comparing current coordinates of the position of the mobile terminal with the stored geographic position of the vehicle when the mobile terminal is in a second zone surrounding a first zone, and

interrogating the coordinates of the position of the vehicle from the vehicle on an updated basis by way of a satellite supported position determining system, and comparing this position of the vehicle with the current position of the device when the mobile terminal is in the first zone.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein a range of the first zone is determined by the reception range of radio contact between the mobile terminal and the vehicle.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein, in the first zone, the mobile terminal requests current satellite supported position data from the vehicle by way of radio contact.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the mobile terminal is integrated into a vehicle key.

10. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein, when the vehicle is deactivated, the position of the vehicle is identified by a GPS receiver in the vehicle, and is transmitted to the mobile terminal or identified by a GPS receiver in the mobile terminal.