METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR IDENTIFYING THE USER OF A SMARTPHONE INSIDE A MOVING VEHICLE AND AUTOMATIC DETECTION AND CALCULATION OF THE TIME AND LOCATION WHEN AND WHERE A VEHICLE HAS BEEN PARKED

• US 20170347238A1
• Filed: 05/30/2016
• Published: 11/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qatar University Qstp-B
• Original Assignee: Qatar University Qstp-B
• Inventors: MENOUAR, Hamid
• Granted Patent: US 9,888,357 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/163 Determination of attitude using inertial means G01C9/00; control of attitude G05D1/49
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/30 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• 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 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for identifying a user of a smart object inside a moving vehicle and as well as automatic detection and calculation of a time and a location when and where the vehicle has been parked. The systems and methods are capable to enable the identification of the user of an object inside a moving entity based on the orientation of the object to be localized as well as the movement direction of the moving entity.

Claims

1. A system for identifying at least a user of at least a smart object inside a moving vehicle, comprising:

at least a transceiver installed inside the vehicle at a strategic location, the transceiver is capable of broadcasting packets/messages periodically;

at least the smart object capable of sensing signals coming from the transceiver and estimating signal strength and a distance based on any of a time of arrival and signal strength of received packets;

at least a three dimensional Compass sensor adapted to determine the orientation of the smart object within the surrounding space;

at least a gyroscope sensor adapted to determine a current direction of the smart object; and

at least at least a localization module capable of comparing an orientation of the smart object to a movement direction of the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the smart object includes a smart phone, a wireless communication device equipped with a sound receiver, a wireless receiver, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver includes a wireless transmitter, a sound transmitter, a sensor, a Wi-Fi, a Bluetooth, a low energy Bluetooth, a low energy Wi-Fi, an infrared, a localization sensor and any kind of short range wireless device capable of periodically sensing, receiving, and transmitting signals, messages.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein an identification of an exact user of the smart object inside the vehicle including in a Doubt Area is carried out based on an orientation of the smart object relative to a movement direction of the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of transceivers are installed inside the vehicle at different strategic locations for accurate localization of the smart object.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the localization module capable of working based on a localization system which includes GPS and any other satellite localization system capable of providing the movement direction of the smart object.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the orientation of the smart object is compared to a movement direction of the vehicle in which the smart object is used.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein a light-based sensor is adapted to identify whether the smart object is facing at close distance the face or the ear of the user.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the three dimensional Compass sensors, the gyroscope sensor, a three dimensional Accelerometer sensor, and the localization module communicably connected with the smart object.

10. A method for identifying a user of a smart object inside a moving vehicle, comprising the steps of:

calculating at least a distance between at least a smart object and at least a transceiver based on a wireless signal attenuation (RSSI) or signal time arrival;

checking whether a myDistance is greater than a maximum distance;

identifying a an Object holder as a passenger if the myDistance is greater than the maximum distance;

checking whether the myDistance is greater than the minimum distance;

identifying the Object holder as a driver if the myDistance is less than the minimum distance;

indicating a Doubt Area if the myDistance is greater than the minimum distance;

calculating a current direction of the smart object;

checking whether a current direction of the smart object is in a way a front screen of the smart object is facing the passenger;

confirming the smart object holder as the passenger if the current direction of the smart object is in the way the front screen of the smart object is facing the passenger; and

confirming the smart object holder as the driver if the current direction of the smart object is not in the way the front screen of the smart object is facing the passenger,

wherein the transceiver is located in a front-left side of the moving vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the Doubt Area lies in between a Distracting Area and a Safe Area, wherein the Doubt Area is smaller than the Distracting Area and the Safe Area.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the Distracting Area represents a space surrounding the driver and the Safe Area represents the space surrounding the passenger.

13. A method for automatic detection and calculation of the time and location when and where the vehicle has been parked, comprising the steps of:

calculating a current distance between a first object and a second object based on a RSSI as sensed by the first object of the wireless signal transmitted by the first object;

checking whether a current_distance is greater than a maximum_distance, wherein the maximum_distance is a predefined threshold;

calculating the current_distance between the first object and the second object if the current_distance is not greater than the maximum_distance;

capturing a separation_time and a separation_location if the current_distance is greater than the maximum_distance;

calculating a current distance between a first object and a second object based on a RSSI as sensed by the first object of the wireless signal transmitted by the first object;

checking whether the current_distance is greater than the maximum_distance; and

calculating the current_distance between the first object and the second object,

wherein the first object include a transceiver and the second object include a mobile terminal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a change in a strength of the wireless signal coming from the transceiver is directly linked to the change in the distance between the mobile terminal and the transceiver.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the change in the signal strength is used as a trigger or an indication for knowing if an user is being close or moving away from the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the transceiver is provided with a unique identifier capable of identify the transceiver of interest installed inside the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the unique identifier includes Medium Access Control (MAC) address.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the mobile terminal rely on at least one of a learning-based module and a manual configuration to know the identifier of the transceiver of interest, wherein the learning-based module uses a historical data.

19. A system for automatic detection and calculation of the time and location when and where the vehicle has been parked, comprising:

at least a transceiver installed in a vehicle;

at least a mobile terminal hold by a user, the mobile terminal is capable of continuously scan and monitor different or a specific wireless transceiver in a vicinity and then calculating the strength of the signals received from said different and specific transceiver,

wherein a change in the signal strength detect that the user is still close by the vehicle or started moving away from the vehicle,

wherein the change in the signal strength is used as a trigger to record and calculate a location where the vehicle has been parked.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein a change in a strength of the wireless signal coming from the transceiver is directly linked to the change in the distance between the mobile terminal and the transceiver.