Integration of vehicle boundary alert system with external transaction equipment

• US 10,586,226 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2016
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Van Wiemeersch, John Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess, Daniel A
• Application Number:
  US16/083,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20190080313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: 235384
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/10 actuating a signalling device
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/305 using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/027 Parking aids, e.g. instruction means
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/886 for alarm systems alarms with electrical actuation G08B13/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• 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 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• 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 vehicle includes a boundary alert system. The boundary alert system includes at least one camera and a controller. The controller is programmed to activate the boundary alert system when the vehicle is in proximity to an external transaction system. The controller further outputs boundary alert system data for display on a screen. The screen also displays transaction data for the external transaction system.

Claims

1. A vehicle boundary alert system for a vehicle comprising:

one or more boundary alert sensors including at least one non-camera sensor and a plurality of cameras, each of the cameras associated one of a plurality of detection zones;

a display disposed in the vehicle; and

a controller programmed to, in response to establishing communication with an external transaction system to perform a transaction, (i) activate the boundary alert system to monitor the at least one non-camera sensor for potential threats proximate the vehicle and (ii) cause the display to show screen data received from the external transaction system in a first display zone to facilitate the transaction, and, responsive to signals from the at least one non-camera sensor being indicative of a potential threat in one of the detection zones, change the display to show a video stream from one of the cameras associated with the one of the detection zones in a second display zone.

2. The vehicle boundary alert system of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to receive video data from the external transaction system and cause the display to show the video data in a third display zone.

3. The vehicle boundary alert system of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to process the video stream to detect an object within a predetermined distance of the vehicle boundary alert system and, in response to detecting the object, cause the display to show an alert indicator.

4. The vehicle boundary alert system of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to cause the display to show a lock-up button on the display and, in response to receiving a signal indicative of an activation of the lock-up button, command activation of door locks, command closing of windows, and flash external lights.

5. The vehicle boundary alert system of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to cause the display to show a panic button, and in response to receiving a signal indicative of user activation of the panic button, initiate a call to emergency personnel.

6. The vehicle boundary alert system of claim 5 wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the signal, command activation of lights of the vehicle and command activation of a horn of the vehicle.

7. The vehicle boundary alert system of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to allocate screen area of the display to the first display zone and the second display zone and, in response to receiving signals from the boundary alert sensors that are indicative of a potential threat in a vicinity of the vehicle, reduce screen area allocated to the first display zone and increase screen area allocated to the second display zone.

8. The vehicle boundary alert system of claim 1 wherein the at least one non-camera sensor includes one or more of a radar, an infrared sensor, a LIDAR, and an ultrasonic sensor.

9. The vehicle boundary alert system of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to establishing communication with a nomadic device when the vehicle is proximate the external transaction system, output to the nomadic device the video stream and signals from the boundary alert sensors for display on the nomadic device to facilitate the transaction.

10. A vehicle comprising:

one or more boundary alert sensors including at least one non-camera sensor and a plurality of cameras for monitoring a plurality of detection zones; and

a controller programmed to output screen data received from an external transaction system to a display device and, in response to signals from the at least one non-camera sensor being indicative of a potential threat in one of the detection zones while communicating with the external transaction system to perform a transaction, cause the display device to show a video stream from one of the cameras associated with the one of the detection zones.

11. The vehicle of claim 10 wherein the controller is further programmed to output video streams from each of the cameras to the display device for display and, in response to signals from the boundary alert sensors being indicative of the potential threat in one of the detection zones, cause the display device to highlight the one of the video streams associated with the one of the detection zones.

12. The vehicle of claim 10 wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to receiving an alarm signal from the display device, activate external lights of the vehicle and activate a horn.

13. The vehicle of claim 10 wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to receiving a lock-up signal from the display device, request activation of door locks to a locked position and request activation of windows to a closed position.

14. The vehicle of claim 10 wherein the controller is further programmed to output presence and position data of potential threats identified by the controller to the display device.

15. A method comprising:

activating, by a controller, a boundary alert system of a vehicle in response to the vehicle being proximate an external transaction system; and

outputting, by the controller, a video stream from an on-board camera and data indicative of a presence and a position of a potential threat identified by the boundary alert system to a display unit for display on a screen with a transaction interface from the external transaction system.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the display unit is one or more of an on-board display, a nomadic device, and the external transaction system.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising activating, by the controller, in response to receiving a signal indicative of user activation of an alarm button, at least one light on the vehicle and a horn of the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising activating, by the controller, in response to receiving a signal indicative of user activation of a lock-up button, door locks of the vehicle to a locked position.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising processing, by the controller, sensor data from the boundary alert system to identify a potential threat in one of a plurality of detection zones and selecting the video stream to output from the on-board camera associated with the one of the detection zones.