Method of determining user intent to use services based on proximity

• US 9,247,373 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Denso International America Incorporated (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Denso International America Incorporated (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Golsch, Kyle N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fang, Keith
• Application Number:
  US13/782,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20140248863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• 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 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• 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 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A method for accessing functionality of a mobile electronic device through a vehicle system onboard a motor vehicle. The method includes making functionality of the mobile electronic device accessible through the vehicle system based on where a sensor that the mobile electronic device is paired with is physically located about the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for accessing functionality of a mobile electronic device through a vehicle system onboard a motor vehicle comprising:

positioning a first mobile electronic device on a first pad within the motor vehicle and positioning a second mobile electronic device on a second pad within the motor vehicle;

making functionality of the first mobile electronic device accessible through the onboard vehicle system by positioning the first mobile electronic device proximate to a first sensor of the first pad and positioning the second mobile electronic device away from a second sensor of the second pad; and

making functionality of the second mobile electronic device accessible through the onboard vehicle system by positioning the second mobile electronic device proximate to the second sensor and positioning the first mobile electronic device away from the first sensor;

wherein;

a first connected area is at a first side of the first pad, and a first disconnected area is at a second side of the first pad that is opposite to the first side of the first pad; and

a second connected area is at a first side of a second pad, and a second disconnected area is at a second side of the second pad that is opposite to the first side of the second pad.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wirelessly pairing the first mobile electronic device with the vehicle system when the first mobile electronic device is moved to the first sensor;

wirelessly pairing the second mobile electronic device with the vehicle system when the second mobile electronic device is moved to the second sensor; and

a device ID of the first or second mobile electronic device paired is read by the first or second sensor of the vehicle system when the first or second mobile electronic device is brought into close proximity to the first or second sensor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first or second mobile electronic device is wirelessly paired with a hands-free telephone communication subsystem of the vehicle system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first or second mobile electronic device is wirelessly paired with an audio subsystem of the vehicle system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first or second mobile electronic device is wirelessly paired with an Internet access subsystem of the vehicle system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising disconnecting the first or second mobile electronic device from the vehicle system when the first or second mobile electronic device is moved out of range of the first or second sensor.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the functionality of the first or second mobile electronic device to be accessible through the onboard vehicle system from a plurality of available functions listed on a display.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising issuing an alert as a user exits the vehicle to notify the user that the first or second mobile electronic device remains in the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first sensor is at the first connected area of the first pad, and spaced apart from the first disconnected area of the first pad; and

the second sensor is at the second connected area of the second pad, and spaced apart from the second disconnected area of the second pad.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein;

the first mobile electronic device is connected to the vehicle system when the first mobile electronic device is positioned at the first connected area, and the second mobile electronic device is not connected to the vehicle system when the second mobile electronic device is positioned at the second disconnected area; and

the first mobile electronic device is not connected to the vehicle system when the first mobile electronic device is positioned at the first disconnected area, and the second mobile electronic device is connected to the vehicle system when the second mobile electronic device is positioned at the second connected area.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein when the first mobile electronic device is at the first connected area and the second mobile electronic device is at the second connected area, only the one of the first and second mobile electronic devices designated as a priority device is connected to the vehicle system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first connected area of the first pad is at a front of the first pad, and the first disconnected area of the first pad is at a rear of the first pad;

and

wherein the second connected area of the second pad is at a front of the second pad, and the second disconnected area of the second pad is at a rear of the second pad.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein each one of the first pad and the second pad are recharging pads.