Provision of a status indication to a user in a vehicle communication system

• US 9,764,713 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2014
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Original Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Inventors: Siswick, Howard, Khan, Mohammed
• Primary Examiner(s): FILE, ERIN M
• Application Number:
  US14/894,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20160107611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00555 comprising means to detect or avoid relay attacks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/62 Comprising means for indicating the status of the lock
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/63 Comprising locating means for detecting the position of the data carrier, i.e. within the vehicle or within a certain distance from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• 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: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• 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 vehicle communication system (100) comprises a base station (104) positioned in the vehicle (102) and a mobile communication unit (122). The base station (104) comprises a first transmitter for transmitting a signal to the mobile communication unit (122) and a first receiver for receiving an authentication signal from the mobile communication unit (122). The base station (104) is configured to track a position of the mobile communication unit with respect to the vehicle based on a time of flight of a communication between the mobile communication unit and at least the first transmitter and the first receiver, to receive a subsystem status signal relating to performance of a monitored vehicle (102) function and to determine, based on the subsystem status signal, a monitored function status relating to the monitored vehicle (102) function. The base station (104) is also configured to output a status update signal for receipt by the mobile communication unit (122), the status update signal being indicative of the monitored function status. The vehicle communication system (100) is configured to provide a status indication to a user based on the status update signal in dependence on the position of the mobile communication unit (122).

Claims

1. A vehicle communication system for facilitating control over a function of a vehicle, the vehicle communication system comprising:

a base station positioned in the vehicle;

one or more transmitters and a plurality of receivers positioned in the vehicle; and

a mobile communication unit;

wherein the base station is configured to;

track a position of the mobile communication unit in a three-dimensional space around the vehicle based on a time of flight of a communication between the mobile communication unit and the plurality of receivers;

receive a subsystem status signal relating to performance of a monitored vehicle function;

determine, based on the subsystem status signal, a monitored function status relating to the monitored vehicle function;

output a status update signal, the status update signal being indicative of the monitored function status; and

receive a request from the mobile communication unit, wherein the request seeks performance of a requested vehicle function comprising the monitored vehicle function, wherein the performance of the requested vehicle function is based on a position of the mobile communication unit in the three-dimensional space relative to an authorization zone of the vehicle;

wherein the vehicle communication system is configured to provide a status indication to a user based on the status update signal in dependence on the position of the mobile communication unit in the three-dimensional space, and wherein the status update signal is indicative of a status of the requested vehicle function.

2. The vehicle communication system of claim 1, wherein the base station is configured to provide a status indication to a user based on the status update signal.

3. The vehicle communication system of claim 1, wherein the base station is configured to transmit the status update signal for receipt by the mobile communication unit, and wherein the mobile communication unit is configured to:

receive the status update signal; and

provide a status indication to a user based on the status update signal.

4. The vehicle communication system of claim 1, wherein the subsystem status signal is based on a position of the mobile communication unit relative to the vehicle.

5. The vehicle communication system of claim 1, wherein the performance of the requested vehicle function is based on an absolute location of the vehicle.

6. The vehicle communication system of claim 5, wherein the absolute location of the vehicle is based on a global positioning system.

7. The vehicle communication system of claim 1, wherein the requested vehicle function comprises one or more of:

locking a vehicle aperture, closing a vehicle aperture, starting a vehicle engine, and controlling a vehicle lighting system.

8. The vehicle communication system of claim 2, wherein the base station is configured to provide the status indication by causing the vehicle to emit light and/or sound.

9. The vehicle communication system of claim 3, wherein the mobile communication unit is configured to provide the status indication by one or more of:

emitting light, emitting sound, and vibrating.

14. A vehicle comprising the vehicle communication system of claim 1.

10. A method for facilitating communication between a vehicle and a user, the method comprising:

tracking a position of a mobile communication unit in a three-dimensional space around the vehicle based on a time of flight of a communication between the mobile communication unit and a plurality of receivers positioned in the vehicle;

receiving a subsystem status signal relating to performance of a monitored vehicle function;

determining, based on the subsystem status signal, a monitored function status relating to the monitored vehicle function;

outputting a status update signal, the status update signal being indicative of the monitored function status;

receiving a request from the mobile communication unit, wherein the request seeks performance of a requested vehicle function comprising the monitored vehicle function, wherein the performance of the requested vehicle function is based on a position of the mobile communication unit in the three-dimensional space relative to an authorization zone of the vehicle; and

providing a status indication to a user based on the status update signal in dependence on the position of the mobile communication unit, wherein the status update signal is indicative of a status of the requested vehicle function.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting the status update signal for receipt by the mobile communication unit.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the requested vehicle function comprises one or more of:

locking a vehicle aperture, closing a vehicle aperture, starting a vehicle engine, and controlling a vehicle lighting system.

13. A vehicle configured to perform the method of claim 10.