SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING THE PRESENCE OF AN IDENTIFIER INSIDE A PASSENGER COMPARTMENT

• US 20130314269A1
• Filed: 02/03/2012
• Published: 11/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive France (Continental AG), Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive France (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Jansseune, Luc
• Application Number:
  US13/984,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20130314269A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/44
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/245 where the antenna reception area plays a role
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/08 using synchronised clocks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/765 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• 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 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

A system for determining the presence of an identifier (7, 7′) inside a passenger compartment (2), such as a passenger compartment (2) of a motor vehicle (1), includes:

• • a fixed transmitter (3), associated with the passenger compartment (2), including at least one transceiver (4) and at least one processing unit (5);
  • at least one mobile identifier (7, 7′) including a transceiver (8, 8′) and a processing unit (9, 9′),
  • the respective transceivers (4, 8, 8′) of the transmitter (3) and of the identifier (7, 7′) being capable of exchanging wireless signals; and
  • a comparison unit capable of comparing a signal, originating from the identifier (7, 7′), received by the transmitter (3), with at least one characteristic signature of the inside of the passenger compartment (2), the identifier (7, 7′) being assumed to be located inside the passenger compartment (2) when the comparison unit returns a positive comparison result.

Claims

1. A system for determining the presence of an identifier (7, 7′

) inside a passenger compartment (2), such as a passenger compartment (2) of a motor vehicle (1), comprising;

a fixed transmitter (3), associated with said passenger compartment (2), comprising at least one transceiver (4) and at least one processing unit (5),

at least one mobile identifier (7, 7′

) comprising a transceiver (8, 8′

) and a processing unit (9, 9′

),

said respective transceivers (4, 8, 8′

) of the transmitter (3) and of the identifier (7, 7′

) being capable of exchanging wireless signals,

characterized in that it comprises a comparison means (52) capable of comparing a signal (51), originating from said identifier (7, 7′

), received by the transmitter (3), with at least one characteristic signature (53) of the inside of said passenger compartment (2), said identifier (7, 7′

) being assumed to be located inside the passenger compartment (2) when the comparison means (52) returns a positive comparison result (55).

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, also comprising a storage means (54) capable of recording a characteristic signature (53), said characteristic signature (53) being predetermined on the basis of a signal received by a transmitter (3), originating from an identifier (7) placed at a given point of the inside of said passenger compartment (2).

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, also comprising a preprocessing means (56) capable of preprocessing a characteristic signature in order to determine a min./max. range (53), and in that the comparison means (52) is capable of returning a positive comparison result (55) if a signal (51) originating from the identifier (7) is included in said min./max. range (53) of the characteristic signature according to a proportion at least equal to a given acceptance threshold.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, also comprising:

a normalization means (57), capable of normalizing the power of the received signal (51) as a function that is inversely proportional to a received-signal power-level measurement.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, also comprising:

a measuring means (58) capable of measuring a distance between the transmitter (3) and the identifier (7, 7′

),

a decision means (59) capable of carrying out the following processing;

if said distance is less than a first threshold R1, the identifier (7, 7′

) is assumed to be situated on the inside,

if said distance is greater than a second threshold R2, the identifier (7, 7′

) is assumed to be situated on the outside,

if said distance is between said first threshold R1 and said second threshold R2, the signal (51), originating from said identifier (7, 7′

), received by the transmitter (3), is transmitted to the comparison means (52) for comparison with at least one characteristic signature (53) of the inside of said passenger compartment (2).

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first threshold R1 corresponds to the radius of a circle drawn in said passenger compartment (2), centered on the antenna (6) of the transceiver (4) of the transmitter (3).

7. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second threshold R2 corresponds to the radius of a circle circumscribed to said passenger compartment (2), centered on the antenna (6) of the transceiver (4) of the transmitter (3).

8. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the distance-measuring means (58) comprises:

an emission means capable of emitting from at least one of the devices (3, 7, 7′

), amongst the transmitter (3) and the identifier (7, 7′

), a signal,

a returning means capable of receiving and of returning, from the other device (3, 7, 7′

), said signal, to the emitting device,

a reception means capable of receiving, from the emitting device (3, 7, 7′

), said returned signal,

a dating means capable of comparing an emission date and a reception date, in order to determine a time of flight,

a translation means capable of translating said time of flight into a distance between the two devices (3, 7, 7′

).

9. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the distance-measuring means (58) comprises:

an emission means capable of emitting from at least one of the devices (3, 7, 7′

), amongst the transmitter (3) and the identifier (7, 7′

), a dated message,

a reception means capable of receiving, from the other device (3, 7, 7′

), said dated message,

a dating means capable of comparing an emission date contained in said message and a reception date, in order to determine a time of flight,

a translation means capable of translating said time of flight into a distance between the two devices (3, 7, 7′

).

10. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the reception means is capable of deleting any possible multiple receptions and of considering only the reception date of a first reception.

11. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the distance-measuring means (58) also comprises a means for transmitting the determined distance value, from the device (3, 7, 7′

) that has determined it, to the other device.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the distance-measuring means (58) also comprises an averaging means capable of calculating an average between a distance determined by one device (3, 7, 7′

) and a distance determined by the other device and transmitted.

13. The system as claimed in claim 1, also comprising a reduction means capable of reducing the signal frequency exchange, between the identifier (7, 7′

) and the transmitter (3), while the measured distance remains substantially constant.

14. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transceivers (4, 8, 8′

) are capable of using a modulation wherein the signals are exchanged by means of pulses of very short duration.

15. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transceivers (4, 8, 8′

) are capable of using a multi-channel redundant modulation, wherein the comparison means (52) is capable of comparing a signal transmitted via a first channel, and wherein the system comprises at least one additional comparison means capable of comparing a signal transmitted via another channel, and an arbitrating means capable of arbitrating a final comparison result as a function of the respective comparison results (55) of the comparison means (52).

16. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transceivers (4, 8, 8′

) are capable of using a very high frequency modulation in the band between 4 GHz and 6.5 GHz.

18. A transmitter (3) capable of being incorporated into a system as claimed in claim 1.

19. An identifier (7, 7′

) capable of being incorporated into a system as claimed in claim 1.

17. The system as claimed in, wherein the transceivers are capable of using an ultra wide band modulation.