COMMUNICATIVELY COUPLING MOBILE DEVICES TO WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORKS OF VEHICLES

• US 20180213414A1
• Filed: 01/26/2017
• Published: 07/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Be, Tuan Anh, Murray, Allen R., Orris, David Joseph, Lei, Oliver, Mohammed, Noorulla, Slyusar, Vladyslav
• Granted Patent: US 10,305,527 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3291 mounted in or on other locations inside the vehicle or vehicle body
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/04 using two or more spaced independent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Method and apparatus are disclosed for communicatively coupling mobile devices to wireless local area networks of vehicles. An example vehicle includes a communication module for a wireless local area network including an internal antenna and an external antenna. The example vehicle also includes an antenna adjuster to communicatively couple, in response to determining a mobile device is inside a vehicle cabin, the internal antenna to the mobile device and to communicatively couple, in response to determining the mobile device is outside of the vehicle cabin, the external antenna to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a communication module for a wireless local area network including an internal antenna and an external antenna; and

an antenna adjuster to;

communicatively couple, in response to determining a mobile device is inside a vehicle cabin, the internal antenna to the mobile device; and

communicatively couple, in response to determining the mobile device is outside of the vehicle cabin, the external antenna to the mobile device.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the communication module includes the antenna adjuster.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the communication module detects the mobile device by broadcasting a beacon to prompt the mobile device to send a return signal and receiving the return signal from the mobile device.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, further including a GPS receiver to determine a vehicle location.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the antenna adjuster:

collects the vehicle location via the GPS receiver;

collects a location of the mobile device from the mobile device via the communication module; and

compares the vehicle location to the location of the mobile device to determine whether the mobile device is inside the vehicle cabin.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein, when the external antenna is communicatively coupled to the mobile device, the communication module collects connection strength data from the mobile device.

7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the connection strength data includes at least one of a received signal power and a packet error rate.

8. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the antenna adjuster determines a connection strength based on the connection strength data.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the antenna adjuster compares the connection strength to a first threshold and adjusts, in response to determining the connection strength is less than the first threshold, the external antenna to increase the connection strength between the external antenna and the mobile device.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the antenna adjuster increases the connection strength by increasing a transmitted signal power and adjusting a direction of the external antenna.

11. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the antenna adjuster compares the connection strength to a second threshold greater than the first threshold and adjusts, in response to determining the connection strength is greater than the second threshold, the external antenna to decrease the connection strength between the external antenna and the mobile device.

12. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the communication module includes a plurality of external antennas to communicatively couple to the mobile device.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the antenna adjuster utilizes antenna beamforming to form a directional signal from the plurality of external antennas that is directed toward the mobile device to increase a connection strength between the communication module and the mobile device.

14. A method for communicatively coupling mobile devices to wireless local area networks of vehicles, the method comprising:

communicatively coupling, via a processor, an internal antenna of a communication module of a vehicle to a mobile device in response to determining the mobile device is inside a vehicle cabin; and

communicatively coupling an external antenna of the communication module to the mobile device in response to determining the mobile device is outside the vehicle cabin.

15. The method of claim 14, further including detecting the mobile device by broadcasting, via the communication module, a beacon to prompt the mobile device to send a return signal and receiving, via the communication module, the return signal from the mobile device.

16. The method of claim 14, further including:

collecting a vehicle location via a GPS receiver of the vehicle;

collecting, via the communication module, a location of the mobile device from the mobile device; and

comparing the vehicle location to the location of the mobile device to determine whether the mobile device is inside the vehicle cabin.

17. The method of claim 14, further including collecting, when the external antenna is communicatively coupled to the mobile device, connection strength data from the mobile device and determining a connection strength based on the connection strength data.

18. The method of claim 17, further including comparing the connection strength to a first threshold and adjusting, in response to determining the connection strength is less than the first threshold, the external antenna to increase the connection strength between the external antenna and the mobile device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein adjusting the external antenna to increase the connection strength includes increasing a transmitted signal power and adjusting a direction of the external antenna.

20. The method of claim 14, further including utilizing antenna beamforming to form a directional signal from a plurality of external antennas of the vehicle, the directional signal to be directed toward the mobile device to increase a connection strength between the communication module and the mobile device.