SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATING WITH A VEHICLE

• US 20180222445A1
• Filed: 02/05/2018
• Published: 08/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huf North America Automotive Parts Mfg. Corp. (Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Huf North America Automotive Parts Mfg. Corp. (Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG)
• Inventors: Odejerte, JR., Antonio, Nantz, John, Honkanen, Matthew R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,239,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/101 Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• 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 52/0258 controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication system includes a control module, a primary wireless communication node, and a plurality of secondary wireless communication nodes. The primary wireless communication node is in communication with the control module. The primary wireless communication node is in communication with each of the plurality of secondary wireless communication nodes through a common communication line.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a connection status between a vehicle access device and a vehicle, the vehicle having a primary communication node, a plurality of secondary communication nodes, and a control module, the primary communication node in communication with the plurality of secondary communication nodes through a common communication line;

transmitting identification information corresponding to the vehicle access device from the primary communication node to the secondary communication nodes through the common communication line based on whether the vehicle access device and the vehicle are in a connected state;

storing the identification information in a memory of at least one of the plurality of secondary communication nodes based on whether the vehicle access device and the vehicle are in a connected state; and

removing the identification information from the memory of the at least one secondary communication node based on whether the vehicle access device and the vehicle are in a disconnected state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary communication node and the plurality of secondary communication nodes include a Bluetooth Low Energy communication node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein primary communication node is in communication with the control module.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the primary communication node is in communication with the control module via a controller area network communication protocol.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary communication node is in communication with the plurality of secondary communication nodes via a local interconnect network communication protocol.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, from one or more of the at least one secondary communication node to the primary communication node, a signal acknowledging removal of the identification information from the memory of the at least one secondary communication node.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the identification information in a memory of the primary communication node prior to storing the identification information in the memory of the at least one of the plurality of secondary communication nodes.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the vehicle access device is within a predetermined distance of the vehicle;

activating the at least one of the plurality of secondary communication nodes based on whether the vehicle access device is within the predetermined distance of the vehicle; and

transmitting, from the at least one of the plurality of secondary communication nodes to the primary communication node, a signal acknowledging activation of the at least one of the plurality of secondary communication nodes.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising instructing, with the primary communication node, the at least one of the plurality of secondary communication nodes to scan for the vehicle access device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, with the at least one of the plurality of secondary communication nodes, received single strength indication values corresponding to the vehicle access device;

transmitting, from the at least one of the plurality of secondary communication nodes to the primary communication node, filtered received single strength indication values; and

determining, with the primary communication node, a location of the vehicle access device.

11. A communication system comprising:

a control module;

a primary wireless communication node in communication with the control module; and

a plurality of secondary wireless communication nodes, wherein the primary wireless communication node is in communication with each of the plurality of secondary wireless communication nodes through a common communication line.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the primary and secondary wireless communication nodes include Bluetooth Low Energy communication nodes.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the common communication line includes a local interconnect network communication line.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the primary communication node is in communication with the control module via a controller area network communication protocol.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the primary wireless communication node is configured to communicate with a vehicle access device having identification information.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the vehicle access device includes at least one of a key fob or a phone.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the primary wireless communication node is configured to transmit the identification information to each of the secondary wireless communication nodes through the common communication line.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising a gateway module in communication with the primary wireless communication node and the control module.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the gateway module is in communication with the control module through a controller area network communication protocol.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the control module includes a body control module, and wherein the system further comprises a telematics control module configured to communicate with the control module and the gateway module.