Vehicle contents inventory system

• US 9,633,496 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2014
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kaminski, David Paul, Van Wiemeersch, John Robert, Kleve, Robert Bruce, Hille, Kevin Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, QUANG
• Application Number:
  US14/151,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20150191150A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

A vehicle may include a passive entry system having a controller and at least one antenna within the vehicle. The controller is operably arranged with the at least one antenna, and configured to cause, in response to a trigger event, the at least one antenna to transmit at least one challenge, receive a response to the challenge indicative of a tag in a vicinity of the vehicle, and identify an item based on the tag.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a passive entry system configured to unlock the vehicle upon authenticating a fob in a vicinity of the vehicle,

at least one antenna within the vehicle; and

a controller operably arranged with the at least one antenna and configured to cause, concurrent with a listening period for authenticating the fob of the passive entry system, the at least one antenna to transmit a challenge at a frequency less than 150 kHz,

receive a response to the challenge from a tag indicative of the tag in the vicinity of the vehicle, the response having a frequency of at least 200 MHz, and

identify an item associated with the tag in the vehicle based on the response of the tag.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the at least one antenna to transmit the challenge in response to a trigger event.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the challenge is transmitted at a frequency of approximately 125 kHz.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising another antenna attached with a roof of the vehicle and configured to receive responses having frequencies of at least 200 MHz.

5. A vehicle comprising:

a passive entry system configured to unlock the vehicle upon authenticating a fob in a vicinity of the vehicle and including a first antenna configured to transmit challenges at a frequency less than 150 kHz;

a second antenna configured to receive responses at a frequency greater than 200 MHz; and

a controller operably arranged with the first and second antennas and configured to cause the first antenna to transmit a challenge during a listening period for authenticating the fob of the passive entry system, to receive, after the listening period, a response to the challenge from a tag having a frequency of at least 200 MHz indicative of the tag in the vicinity of a vehicle, and to identify an item associated with the tag in the vehicle based on the response of the tag.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the first antenna to transmit the challenge in response to a trigger event.

7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the trigger event includes a keyless entry action recognized by the passive entry system.

8. A vehicle comprising:

a passive entry system configured to

concurrently receive an authentication signal from a key fob to unlock the vehicle upon authenticating the key fob in a vicinity of the vehicle and transmit a challenge signal having a frequency less than 150 kHz,

identify an item associated with the tag in the vehicle using a response signal having a frequency if at least 200 MHz received from the tag responsive to the challenge signal.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the passive entry system is further configured to transmit the challenge signal in response to a trigger event.

10. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the passive entry system includes at least one antenna attached with a roof of the vehicle and configured to receive response signals having a frequency greater than 200 MHz.

11. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the trigger event includes detecting the key fob in the vicinity of the vehicle.

12. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the passive entry system is further configured to receive the response signal to the challenge signal in response to a conclusion of a tag challenge period during which the passive entry system is configured to transmit the challenge signal.