Mobile device tethering for a remote parking assist system of a vehicle

• US 10,688,918 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2018
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Elangovan, Vivekanandh, Golgiri, Hamid M., Lavoie, Erick Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu, Julie B
• Application Number:
  US15/860,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20190202348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/48 for parking purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/486 for indicating that vehicle is in a parked state
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/488 for indicating intention to park
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/507 specific to autonomous vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/543 for indicating other states or conditions of the vehicle indicating taxis' state of hire or fare G07B13/045
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/50 Projected symbol or information, e.g. onto the road or car body
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/245 where the antenna reception area plays a role
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0064 using a remote, e.g. cordless, transmitter or receiver unit, e.g. remote keypad or mobile phone
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/06 Automatic manoeuvring for parking
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/00 Steering controls, i.e. means for initiating a change of direction of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00

Abstract

Method and apparatus are disclosed for mobile device tethering for a remote parking assist system of a vehicle. An example vehicle includes projection lamps and a body control module. The body control module determines a distance of a mobile device from the vehicle. The body control module also projects a representation of a boundary around the vehicle using the projection lamps and modifies the representation of the boundary based on the distance of the mobile device from the vehicle and an operational state of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

projection lamps; and

a body control module to;

determine a distance of a mobile device from the vehicle by using wireless communication between the mobile device and the body control module;

project a representation of a boundary around the vehicle via the projection lamps;

modify the representation of the boundary based on the distance of the mobile device from the vehicle and an operational state of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the body control module is to modify the representation of the boundary when (a) autonomous parking is enabled and (b) in response to attempting to determine the distance of the mobile device from the vehicle, the mobile device is not detected.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein to modify the representation of the boundary, the body control module is to project the representation of the boundary as a blinking red line when (a) autonomous parking is enabled and (b) in response to attempting to determine the distance of the mobile device from the vehicle, the mobile device is not detected.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the body control module is to modify the representation of the boundary when (a) autonomous parking is enabled and (b) the distance of the mobile device from the vehicle is greater than a threshold distance indicated by the representation of the boundary.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein to modify the representation of the boundary, the body control module is to project the representation of the boundary as a solid red line when (a) autonomous parking is enabled and (b) the distance of the mobile device from the vehicle is greater than a threshold distance indicated by the representation of the boundary.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the body control module is to modify the representation of the boundary when (a) autonomous parking is enabled and (b) the distance of the mobile device from the vehicle is less than a threshold distance indicated by the representation of the boundary, and (c) the vehicle is stationary.

7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein to modify the representation of the boundary, the body control module is to project the representation of the boundary as a solid green line when (a) autonomous parking is enabled and (b) the distance of the mobile device from the vehicle is less than a threshold distance indicated by the representation of the boundary, and (c) the vehicle is stationary.

8. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein to modify the representation of the boundary, the body control module is to project the representation of the boundary as a dashed line when (a) autonomous parking is enabled and (b) the distance of the mobile device from the vehicle is less than a threshold distance indicated by the representation of the boundary, and (c) the vehicle is stationary.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the body control module is to modify the representation of the boundary when (a) autonomous parking is enabled and (b) the distance of the mobile device from the vehicle is less than a threshold distance indicated by the representation of the boundary, and (c) the vehicle is in motion.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein to modify the representation of the boundary, the body control module is to project the representation of the boundary as a blinking green line when (a) autonomous parking is enabled and (b) the distance of the mobile device from the vehicle is less than a threshold distance indicated by the representation of the boundary, and (c) the vehicle is in motion.

11. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein to modify the representation of the boundary, the body control module is to project the representation of the boundary as an animated dashed line when (a) autonomous parking is enabled and (b) the distance of the mobile device from the vehicle is less than a threshold distance indicated by the representation of the boundary, and (c) the vehicle is in motion.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the animated dashed line is animated to indicate a direction of travel of the vehicle.

13. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the body control module is to modify the representation of the boundary when (a) autonomous parking is enabled and (b) the distance of the mobile device from the vehicle is less than a threshold distance indicated by the representation of the boundary, and (c) the mobile device is proximate the threshold distance.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein to modify the representation of the boundary, the body control module is to project the representation of the boundary as a yellow line when (a) autonomous parking is enabled and (b) the distance of the mobile device from the vehicle is less than a threshold distance indicated by the representation of the boundary, and (c) the mobile device is proximate the threshold distance.

15. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the body control module is to, when autonomous parking is enabled:

modify the representation of the boundary to display a first pattern when in response to determining the distance of the mobile device from the vehicle, the mobile device is not detected; and

modify the representation of the boundary to display a second pattern when the distance of the mobile device from the vehicle is greater than a threshold distance indicated by the representation of the boundary.

16. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the body control module is to, when autonomous parking is enabled and the distance of the mobile device from the vehicle is less than a threshold distance indicated by the representation of the boundary:

modify the representation of the boundary to display a third pattern when the vehicle is stationary; and

modify the representation of the boundary to display a fourth pattern when the vehicle is in motion.

17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the body control module is to, when autonomous parking is enabled, the distance of the mobile device from the vehicle is less than a threshold distance indicated by the representation of the boundary, and the mobile device is proximate the threshold distance:

modify the representation of the boundary to display a fifth pattern when the vehicle is stationary; and

modify the representation of the boundary to display a sixth pattern when the vehicle is in motion.

18. The vehicle of claim 1, including a lighting fixture comprising individually controllable lighting elements, and wherein the body control module is to illuminate particular ones of the lighting elements based on the distance of the mobile device from the vehicle and an operational state of the vehicle.

19. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the lighting elements include light emitting diodes.

20. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the lighting elements include headlights and an illuminating vehicle badge.