Efficient tracking of personal device locations

• US 9,967,717 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2015
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Buttolo, Pietro, Rankin, II, James Stewart, Tokish, Stephen Ronald, Salter, Stuart C., Strumolo, Gary Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, CONGVAN
• Application Number:
  US14/842,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20170064516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 455418-420, 4554141, 45545616, 455457
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/566 Mobile devices displaying vehicle information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/573 Mobile devices controlling vehicle functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/5905 Wi-fi
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/5911 Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/731 Instruments adaptations for specific vehicle types or users by comprising user programmable systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/741 Instruments adapted for user detection
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/65 Instruments specially adapted for specific vehicle types or users, e.g. for left- or right-hand drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/85 Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/037 for occupant comfort , e.g. for automatic adjustment of appliances according to personal settings, e.g. seats, mirrors, steering wheel
• 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 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/005 Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication

Abstract

A system may include zones associated with respective seating positions of a vehicle and in-vehicle components each associated with at least one of the zones. An in-vehicle component may identify a personal device associated with the zone of the in-vehicle component by identifying a personal device associated with the zone of the in-vehicle component by determining average signal strength between the personal device and the in-vehicle components of each zone, and identifying for which zone the average signal strength is highest, and sending a notification to the personal device responsive to a detected user interaction. A method may include detecting user interaction to an in-vehicle component of a zone; acquiring signal strength intensity information of personal devices from other in-vehicle components of the zone; calculating average signal strengths of the personal devices to the in-vehicle components; associating one of the personal devices to the zone as having a highest average signal strength to the in-vehicle components of the zone; and sending a notification to the one of the personal devices.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

vehicle seating having zones associated with seating positions; and

in-vehicle components, each associated with at least one of the zones, each zone including a plurality of in-vehicle components, one of the in-vehicle components programmed to

identify a personal device associated with the zone of the in-vehicle component by determining average signal strength between the personal device and the plurality of in-vehicle components of each zone, and identifying for which zone the average signal strength of the respective plurality of in-vehicle components is highest, and

send a notification to the personal device responsive to a detected user interaction.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification is configured to cause the personal device to invoke a vehicle component interface application to display a user interface for the in-vehicle component using the personal device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the zones include a first zone associated with a driver seating position, a second zone associated with a front passenger seating position, a third zone associated with a driver-side rear seating position, and a fourth zone associated with a passenger-side rear seating position.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the zones further include a fifth zone associated with a driver-side third-row seating position, and a sixth zone associated with a passenger-side third-row seating position.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the personal device includes one or more of a cellular telephone, a tablet computer, a smart watch, a laptop computer, a portable music player, a smartwatch, smart glasses, a fitness band, and a control ring.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the detected user interaction includes receipt of user input to a set of user interface controls of the in-vehicle component.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the in-vehicle component includes a wireless transceiver, and the detected user interaction includes identifying an increasing wireless signal intensity of a personal device to the wireless transceiver.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one of the in-vehicle components is further programmed to:

acquire wireless signal strength intensity information for personal devices from other of the in-vehicle components of the vehicle;

identify zones of the in-vehicle components;

calculate an average signal strength of the personal device to the in-vehicle components in each of the zones; and

associate the personal device with the zone having a highest average signal strength to the personal device.

9. A system comprising:

an in-vehicle component, associated with a zone seating position of a vehicle, programmed to

acquire wireless signal strength intensity information of a personal device from other in-vehicle components;

identify zones of the other in-vehicle components, each zone including a plurality of in-vehicle components;

for each of the zones, calculate an average signal strength of the personal device to the in-vehicle components in the zone; and

associate the personal device with the zone having a highest average signal strength to the personal device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein each of the zones is associated with a respective seating position of the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the zones include a first zone associated with a driver seating position, a second zone associated with a front passenger seating position, a third zone associated with a driver-side rear seating position, and a fourth zone associated with a passenger-side rear seating position.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the personal device is a cellular telephone.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the in-vehicle component is further programmed to query other of in-vehicle components for the wireless signal strength intensity information of the personal device responsive to a detected user interaction.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the detected user interaction includes receipt of user input to a set of user interface controls of the in-vehicle component.

15. A computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting user interaction to an in-vehicle component of a zone;

acquiring signal strength intensity information of personal devices from other in-vehicle components of the zone;

calculating average signal strengths of the personal devices to the in-vehicle components;

associating one of the personal devices to the zone as having a highest average signal strength to the in-vehicle components of the zone; and

sending a notification to the one of the personal devices.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising associating each of respective seating position of the vehicle with a respective zone.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the notification includes information requesting a vehicle component interface application to display a user interface for the in-vehicle component using the personal device.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the personal device includes one or more of a cellular telephone, a tablet computer, a smart watch, a laptop computer, a portable music player, a smartwatch, smart glasses, a fitness band, and a control ring.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the user interaction includes receiving user input to a set of user interface controls of the in-vehicle component.

20. A system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor programmed to;

for each seating zone of a vehicle, identify a plurality of in-vehicle components associated with the zone and average signal strength between the personal device and the plurality of in-vehicle components of the zone,

identify for which zone the average signal strength is highest, and

receive a notification responsive to a user interaction detected by one of the in-vehicle components of the zone.