Systems and methods for regulating vehicle access

• US 9,738,255 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2017
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scoot Rides, Inc. (Bird Global, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Scoot Networks, Inc. (Bird Global, Inc.)
• Inventors: Keating, Michael, Passmore, J. Loren, Russo, Peter R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US15/411,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20170197584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 214 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/20 Means to switch the anti-theft system on or off
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: B62H 5/20 indicating unauthorised use, e.g. acting on signalling devices alarm locks in general E05B45/00, e.g. alarm cable or chain lock E05B45/005
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 11/00 Supporting arrangements specially adapted for fastening specific devices to cycles, e.g. supports for attaching maps
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 45/10 Arrangement of audio equipment; Supports therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 50/22 electronic, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 50/225 Mounting arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 50/28 characterised by quick release, e.g. snap on connectors
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 21/12 Handlebars; Handlebar stems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/29 the pass containing active electronic elements, e.g. smartcards
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/30 not involving the use of a pass
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3877 Arrangements for enabling portable transceivers to be used in a fixed position, e.g. cradles or boosters
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• 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]

Abstract

A method for regulating vehicle access comprises receiving, from an electronic device of a user, a request to access a vehicle. The vehicle can be disposed at a designated geographic location. Next, geographic information of the user is received from the electronic device. The geographic information is determined with the aid of the electronic device of the user. The user is then provided access to the vehicle if, based on the received geographic information, a geographic location of the user is within a given distance from the designated geographic location of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of operating a vehicle, comprising:

providing (i) an electronic control unit of the vehicle configured to control access to the vehicle and (ii) a housing configured to receive a mobile electronic device of a user, wherein the housing comprises a cover configured to enclose the mobile electronic device within the housing when the vehicle is in use by the user;

initiating, at the electronic control unit, communication with the mobile electronic device through an electronic communication interface of the electronic control unit; and

instructing an instrument cluster of the vehicle to display vehicle state information of the vehicle, wherein instructing the instrument cluster comprises instructing a graphical user interface of the mobile electronic device to display the vehicle state information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising disabling the vehicle upon determining that the mobile electronic device is not enclosed within the housing.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the electronic control unit, an instruction signal instructing the electronic control unit to permit the user to access the vehicle; and

permitting the user to access the vehicle in response to receiving the instruction signal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving the instruction signal instructing the electronic control unit to permit the user access to the vehicle comprises receiving the instruction signal from the mobile electronic device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving the instruction signal instructing the electronic control unit to permit the user access to the vehicle comprises receiving the instruction signal from a remote server.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising tracking, by the electronic control unit, a geographic location of the vehicle, and communicating the geographic location to a remote server.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the instruction signal is indicative of the user being within a given distance from the geographic location of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein geographic information of the user is provided by the mobile electronic device.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein permitting the user to access the vehicle comprises permitting the user to access the vehicle further in response to receiving a detection signal indicative of a presence of the mobile electronic device within the housing.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the detection signal comprises receiving a detection signal from a switch of the housing.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the detection signal is indicative of the presence of the mobile electronic device within the housing and in electronic communication with the electronic control unit.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the detection signal is indicative of the mobile electronic device being attached to the housing.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the detection signal is indicative of the mobile electronic device being mated with a mounting bracket of the housing.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the electronic control unit of the vehicle comprises providing an electronic control unit of a scooter.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle state information comprises a charged state of an energy storage system of the vehicle.