Automatic walk-away detection
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An automatic walk-away detection system for use with a vehicle comprising:
- a fob configured to passively emit an in-zone signal upon receipt of a query signal and to emit an out-of-zone signal when the query signal is not received within an identified period of a repeatedly recurring timing loop programmed to the fob; and
a controller within the vehicle configured to issue the query signal at a beginning of the identified period and to automatically lock the vehicle depending on whether the fob is considered to have walked away from the vehicle, wherein the controller considers the fob to have walked away from the vehicle upon receipt of the out-of-zone signal and Wherein the controller considers the fob to have walked away from the vehicle upon failure to receive the in-zone signal during the identified time period.
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Abstract
A method and system for walk-away locking of a vehicle. The vehicle may be automatically locked when an occupant walks away from the vehicle in a passive manner. The automatic locking capabilities may be incorporated within an energy conservation strategy that allows one or more vehicle components and a fob to enter a sleep mode or otherwise become inactive at particular intervals when signals necessary to automatically locking the vehicle are less likely.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An automatic walk-away detection system for use with a vehicle comprising:
- a fob configured to passively emit an in-zone signal upon receipt of a query signal and to emit an out-of-zone signal when the query signal is not received within an identified period of a repeatedly recurring timing loop programmed to the fob; and
a controller within the vehicle configured to issue the query signal at a beginning of the identified period and to automatically lock the vehicle depending on whether the fob is considered to have walked away from the vehicle, wherein the controller considers the fob to have walked away from the vehicle upon receipt of the out-of-zone signal and Wherein the controller considers the fob to have walked away from the vehicle upon failure to receive the in-zone signal during the identified time period. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
- a fob configured to passively emit an in-zone signal upon receipt of a query signal and to emit an out-of-zone signal when the query signal is not received within an identified period of a repeatedly recurring timing loop programmed to the fob; and
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8. A method of supporting a smart entry system (SES) and remote keyless entry (RKE) while conserving battery life by selectively activating and deactivating a receiver used within a vehicle by a controller to capture SES and RKE related wireless signals, the method comprising:
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at a first instance in time, transmitting a fob polling signal from the vehicle; for a first period of time occurring after the first instance, operating the receiver in a first operating mode characterized as a SES mode, the receiver being continuously active and configured to process only SES signals received from the fob when in the first operating mode; for a second period of time occurring after the first period, operating the receiver in a second operating mode characterized as a RKE mode, the receiver being continuously active and configured to process only RKE signals received from the fob when in the second operating mode; and for a third period of time occurring after the second period, operating the receiver in a third operating mode characterized as a an RKE polling mode, the receiver alternating between active and inactive states when in the third operating mode such that the receiver is only able to process the RKE signals when active. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A controller operable for supporting a smart entry system (SES) and remote keyless entry (RKE) while conserving battery life by selectively activating and deactivating a receiver used within a vehicle to capture SES and RKE related wireless signals, the controller operable to:
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at a first instance in time, transmit a fob polling signal from the vehicle; for a first period of time occurring after the first instance, operate the receiver in a first operating mode characterized as a SES mode, the receiver being continuously active and configured to process only SES signals received from the fob when in the first operating mode; for a second period of time occurring after the first period, operate the receiver in a second operating mode characterized as a RKE mode, the receiver being continuously active and configured to process only RKE signals received from the fob when in the second operating mode; and for a third period of time occurring after the second period, operate the receiver in a third operating mode characterized as a an RKE polling mode, the receiver alternating between active and inactive states when in the third operating mode such that the receiver is only able to process the RKE signals when active.
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Specification