Device location determination by a vehicle

• US 9,079,560 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2012
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Gautama, Neeraj R., Kalhous, Amanda J., Saraydar, Cem U.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Torchinsky, Edward
• Application Number:
  US13/667,387
• Publication Number:
  US 20140129051A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/245 where the antenna reception area plays a role
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/38 Testing, calibrating, or compensating of compasses
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/466 by Trilateration, i.e. two antennas or two sensors determine separately the distance to a target, whereby with the knowledge of the baseline length, i.e. the distance between the antennas or sensors, the position data of the target is determined
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

A device location determination includes authenticating a device within range of a vehicle via a node in a vehicle. The vehicle includes a first peripheral device and a second peripheral device that is disposed at a location on the vehicle that is different than the first peripheral device. The peripheral devices are coupled to an antenna of the node. The device location determination also includes receiving from the device a first signal strength value associated with a first signal of the first peripheral device, a second signal strength value associated with a second signal of the second peripheral device, and a third signal strength value associated with a third signal transmitted by the node. The device location determination also includes determining a location of the device from the signal strength values and performing a remote function with respect to the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a node embedded in a vehicle, the node including a computer processor and an antenna;

a first peripheral device disposed at a first location on the vehicle;

a second peripheral device disposed at a second location on the vehicle that is different than the first location, the first peripheral device and the second peripheral device communicatively coupled to the node, and each of the first peripheral device and the second peripheral device includes an antenna;

an application executable by the computer processor, the application configured to implement a method, the method including;

authenticating a device within wireless communicative range of the vehicle;

receiving, from the device, a first signal strength indicator value associated with a first signal transmitted by the first peripheral device, a second signal strength indicator value associated with a second signal transmitted by the second peripheral device, and a third signal strength indicator value associated with a third signal transmitted by the antenna of the node, each of the first, second, and third signal strength indicator values indicating a strength of respective first, second, and third signals;

determining a location of the device from the first, second, and third signal strength indicator values using a triangulation algorithm; and

performing a remote function with respect to the vehicle upon determining that results of the triangulation algorithm meet a threshold value.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the application further implements:

determining a direction of movement of the device from a comparison of successively calculated signal strength indicator values;

wherein performing the remote function is based on a difference between the successively calculated signal strength indicator values.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first location is an opposing side of the vehicle with respect to the second location.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first location is a driver-side side-view mirror and the second location is a passenger-side side-view mirror.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first location is a driver-side door handle and the second location is a passenger-side door handle.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first peripheral device, the second peripheral device, and the node are configured to communicate using wireless low-energy communication protocols.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the wireless low-energy communication protocols include Bluetooth low energy protocol.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first peripheral device and the second peripheral device communicate with the node over a wireless network.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote function includes at least one of a passive entry passive start function and a remote keyless entry function.

10. A method, comprising:

authenticating, via a computer processor of a node embedded in a vehicle, a device within wireless communicative range of the vehicle, the vehicle including a first peripheral device disposed at a first location on the vehicle and a second peripheral device disposed at a second location on the vehicle that is different than the first location, the first peripheral device and the second peripheral device communicatively coupled to an antenna of the node;

receiving, from the device via an application executable by the computer processor, a first signal strength indicator value associated with a first signal transmitted by the first peripheral device, a second signal strength indicator value associated with a second signal transmitted by the second peripheral device, and a third signal strength indicator value associated with a third signal transmitted by the antenna of the node, the first, second, and third signal strength indicator values indicating a strength of respective first, second, and third signals;

determining a location of the device from the first, second, and third signal strength indicator values using a triangulation algorithm; and

performing a remote function with respect to the vehicle upon determining that results of the triangulation algorithm meet a threshold value.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a direction of movement of the device from a comparison of successively calculated signal strength indicator values;

wherein performing the remote function is based on a difference between the successively calculated signal strength indicator values.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first location is an opposing side of the vehicle with respect to the second location.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first location is a driver-side side-view mirror and the second location is a passenger-side side-view mirror.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the first location is a driver-side door handle and the second location is a passenger-side door handle.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the first peripheral device, the second peripheral device, and the node are configured to communicate using wireless low-energy communication protocols.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the wireless low-energy communication protocols include Bluetooth low energy protocol.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the first peripheral device and the second peripheral device communicate with the node over a wireless network.

18. A non-transitory computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having instructions embodied thereon, which when executed by a computer processor embedded in a vehicle, causes the computer processor to implement a method, the method including:

authenticating a device within wireless communicative range of the vehicle, the vehicle including a first peripheral device disposed at a first location on the vehicle and a second peripheral device disposed at a second location on the vehicle that is different than the first location, the first peripheral device and the second peripheral device communicatively coupled to an antenna of a node in the vehicle;

receiving, from the device, a first signal strength indicator value associated with a first signal transmitted by the first peripheral device, a second signal strength indicator value associated with a second signal transmitted by the second peripheral device, and a third signal strength indicator value associated with a third signal transmitted by the antenna of the node, the first, second, and third signal strength indicator values indicating a strength of respective first, second, and third signals;

determining a location of the device from the first, second, and third signal strength indicator values using a triangulation algorithm; and

performing a remote function with respect to the vehicle upon determining that results of the triangulation algorithm meet a threshold value.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the method further includes:

determining a direction of movement of the device from a comparison of successively calculated signal strength indicator values;

wherein performing the remote function is based on a difference between the successively calculated signal strength indicator values.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein:

the first location is an opposing side of the vehicle with respect to the second location; and

wherein the first location is a driver-side side-view mirror and the second location is a passenger-side side-view mirror.