Audio alerts for remote park-assist tethering

• US 10,627,811 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2017
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Golgiri, Hamid M., Lavoie, Erick Michael, Elangovan, Vivekanandh
• Primary Examiner(s): Kleinman, Lail A
• Application Number:
  US15/805,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20190137990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/06 Automatic manoeuvring for parking
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/005 by providing the operator with signals other than visual, e.g. acoustic, haptic
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space

Abstract

Method and apparatus are disclosed for audio alerts for remote park-assist tethering. An example vehicle includes an exterior surface, a speaker, a communication node for wireless communication with a mobile device, an autonomy unit for remote parking, and a controller. The controller is to receive, via the communication node, an instruction from the mobile device to perform the remote parking and emit an alert, via the speaker, responsive to determining the mobile device is beyond a threshold range from the exterior surface while sending the instruction.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

an exterior surface;

a speaker;

a communication node for wireless communication with a mobile device;

a controller to;

receive, via the communication node, an instruction from the mobile device to perform remote parking;

emit a first alert, via the speaker, responsive to determining that the mobile device is beyond a first threshold range from the exterior surface when sending the instruction;

determine that the mobile device is beyond the first threshold range but within a second threshold range that is further from the vehicle than the first threshold range, the first threshold range and second threshold range both being within a tethering range; and

emit, via the speaker and based on the determination that the mobile device is beyond the first threshold range but within the second threshold range, a second alert, the second alert being different than the first alert; and

an autonomy unit configured to perform the remote parking responsive to the controller determining that the mobile device is within a tethering range from the exterior surface when sending the instruction, the tethering range being larger than the threshold range.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the autonomy unit is configured to perform the remote parking only when the mobile device is located outside of a vehicle cabin.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, whether the autonomy unit is configured to not perform the remote parking responsive to the controller determining that the mobile device is beyond the tethering range from the exterior surface when sending the instruction.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller determines a distance between the mobile device and the exterior surface via at least one of a received signal strength indicator, a time-of-flight, an angle-of-arrival, and dead reckoning of the instruction.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller increases at least one of an intensity and a frequency of the alert responsive to detecting an increase in a distance between the mobile device and the exterior surface.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the speaker includes a door-chirp speaker of a door that is configured to emit a chirp when the door becomes locked.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the speaker includes at least one of a cabin speaker and an audio actuator coupled to a window.

8. The vehicle of claim 7, further including sensors that detect an occupant presence within a vehicle cabin.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the controller prevents the at least one of the cabin speaker and the audio actuator from emitting the alert responsive to determining that an occupant is located within the vehicle cabin.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller sends an alert signal to the mobile device via the communication node to instruct the mobile device to emit the alert.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller emits a third alert, via the speaker, responsive to determining that the mobile device is along an outer boundary of the tethering range from the exterior surface when sending the instruction, the third alert being different than the first alert and the second alert.

12. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller adjusts the alert to prevent a Doppler effect from affecting a sound of the alert heard by an operator.

13. A method comprising:

receiving, via a communication node of a vehicle, an instruction from a mobile device to perform remote parking of the vehicle;

determining, via a processor, whether the mobile device is within a tethering range from an exterior surface of the vehicle when sending the instruction;

determining, via the processor, whether the mobile device is beyond a threshold range from the exterior surface while sending the instruction, wherein the threshold range is smaller than the tethering range;

performing, via an autonomy unit of the vehicle, the remote parking responsive to determining that the mobile device is within the tethering range when sending the instruction;

emitting a first alert, via a speaker of the vehicle, responsive to determining the mobile device is beyond the threshold range when sending the instruction;

determining that the mobile device is beyond the first threshold range but within a second threshold range that is further from the vehicle than the first threshold range, the first threshold range and second threshold range both being within a tethering range; and

emitting, via the speaker and based on the determination that the mobile device is beyond the first threshold range but within the second threshold range, a second alert, the second alert being different than the first alert.

19. The method of claim 13, further including:

emitting a third alert, via the speaker, responsive to determining that the mobile device is along an outer boundary of the tethering range from the exterior surface when sending the instruction, the third alert being different than the alert and the second alert.

14. A system comprising:

a mobile device to send an instruction to perform remote parking; and

a vehicle including;

an exterior surface;

a speaker;

a communication node;

a controller to;

receive the instruction via the communication node;

emit a first alert, via the speaker, responsive to determining the mobile device is beyond a first threshold range from the exterior surface when sending the instruction;

determine that the mobile device is beyond the first threshold range but within a second threshold range that is further from the vehicle than the first threshold range, the first threshold range and second threshold range both being within a tethering range; and

emit, via the speaker and based on the determination that the mobile device is beyond the first threshold range but within the second threshold range, a second alert, the second alert being different than the first alert; and

an autonomy unit to perform the remote parking responsive to the controller

determining that the mobile device is within a tethering range from the exterior surface when sending the instruction, the tethering range being larger than the threshold range.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the mobile device includes:

a processor;

a communication module to;

send the instruction to the communication node of the vehicle; and

receive an alert signal from the communication node of the vehicle; and

a mobile device speaker to emit the alert responsive to the communication module receiving the alert signal.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the speaker of the vehicle and the mobile device speaker are synchronized to emit the alert.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein at least one of the vehicle and the mobile device includes a microphone to facilitate synchronization of the alert emitted by the speaker of the vehicle and the mobile device speaker.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the processor of the mobile device and the controller of the vehicle processes an audio signal collected via the microphone to reduce an effect of ambient noise on the synchronization of the alert emitted by the speaker and the mobile device speaker.