Vehicle driver locator

• US 10,647,289 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2016
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: McNabb, David, Elangovan, Vivekanandh, Lavoie, Erick Michael, Van Wiemeersch, John Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Aynalem, Nathnael
• Application Number:
  US15/352,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20180137381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 348148, 340 516, 34042616, 340 572
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0023 the element being a sensor, e.g. distance sensor, camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/247 for illuminating the close surroundings of the vehicle, e.g. to facilitate entry or exit for reverse drive B60Q1/22; by opening a side door B60Q1/323
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2607 comprising at least two indicating lamps
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/323 on or for doors illuminated exterior door handles B60Q1/2669; illuminated door locks E05B17/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/40 Welcome lights, i.e. specific or existing exterior lamps to assist leaving or approaching the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2900/30 Lamps commanded by wireless transmissions
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/01 operating on vehicle systems or fittings, e.g. on doors, seats or windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/245 where the antenna reception area plays a role
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A vehicle may include: a motor, nodes, sensors, puddle lights, and processor(s) configured to: command the nodes to produce high power signal patterns to link with a mobile device; command at least some of the nodes to produce low power signal patterns to link with the mobile device based detecting the high power link; activate at least some of the puddle lights based on the low power link. The vehicle may activate at least some of the puddle lights based on the low power link by running processing software on measurements captured by the nodes based on the low power link.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

one or more nodes and one or more cameras positioned to monitor a surrounding area of the vehicle;

one or more puddle lights; and

a processor configured to;

command the one or more nodes to produce a first power signal pattern to link with a mobile device of a user;

identify which of the nodes linked with the mobile device via the first power signal patterns;

based on the identified nodes, command at least some of the nodes to produce second power signal patterns covering a smaller area than that of the first power signal patterns;

identify a zone of the surrounding area based upon which of the nodes linked with the mobile device via the second power signal patterns;

select a portion of the one or more cameras that are configured to monitor the identified zone;

detect, via the selected portion of the one or more cameras, a static feature of the user, wherein the detected static feature is related to at least one of a group consisting of a face and a height of the user; and

responsive to identifying that the detected static feature is one of a plurality of prestored features corresponding with the user, activate a portion of the one or more puddle lights based on the identified zone.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein production of the first power signal patterns requires more energy than production of the second power signal patterns.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein each of the nodes includes a plurality of antennas including one or more first antennas and one or more second antennas, and wherein the processor is configured to command the first antennas of each of the nodes, but not the second antennas of each of the nodes, to produce the first power signal patterns.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to command the first antennas and the second antennas of at least one of the nodes to produce the second power signal patterns.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to unselected nodes to not produce the second power signal patterns.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to run image processing software on the images captured by the selected portion of the one or more cameras.

7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to not run the image processing software on the images captured by an unselected portion of the one or more cameras.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, further including sensors, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a position of the user via the sensors.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the position of the user by running image processing software on at least some of images captured by the selected portion of the one or more cameras.

10. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to only run the image processing software on images captured the selected portion of the one or more cameras for monitoring the user.

11. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to compare the position of the user to a predetermined perimeter and activate the portion of the one or more puddle lights upon identifying that the position is inside the identified zone.

12. The vehicle of claim 1, further including sensors, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a trajectory of the user via the sensors.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to activate the portion of the one or more puddle lights based on the determined trajectory.

14. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein, the processor is further configured to:

responsive to determining that the position of the user is within a threshold distance of the vehicle, the processor is configured to activate the portion of the one or more puddle lights, the threshold distance being shorter than the maximum range of the first power signal patterns.

15. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a door comprising a handle, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the door to unlock responsive to identifying the detected static feature is one of the plurality of prestored features and detecting actuation of the handle.

16. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a door and sensors, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the door to unlock responsive to identifying the detected static feature is one of the plurality of prestored features and determining, via at least one of a group consisting of the one or more cameras and the sensors, that the user is approaching the vehicle.

17. A method of controlling a vehicle, the vehicle comprising one or more nodes, one or more cameras, one or more puddle lights, and a processor, the method comprising, via the processor:

commanding the one or more nodes to produce first power signal patterns to link with a mobile device of a user;

identifying which of the nodes linked with the mobile device via the first power signal patterns;

based on the identified nodes, commanding at least some of the nodes to produce second power signal patterns covering a smaller area than that of the first power signal patterns;

identifying a zone of a surrounding area of the vehicle based upon which of the nodes linked with the mobile device via the second power signal patterns;

selecting a portion of the one or more cameras that are configured to monitor the identified zone;

detecting, via the selected portion of the one or more cameras, a static feature of the user, wherein the detected static feature is related to at least one of a group consisting of a face and a height of the user; and

responsive to identifying that the detected static feature is one of a plurality of prestored features corresponding with the user, activating a portion of the one or more puddle lights based on the identified zone.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein each of the nodes includes a plurality of antennas including one or more first antennas and one or more second antennas and further comprising commanding the first antennas of each of the nodes, but not the second antennas of each of the nodes, to produce the first power signal patterns.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising commanding the first antennas and the second antennas of at least one of the nodes to produce the second power signal patterns.