Method and Device for Assigning a First Automobile to a Second Automobile

• US 20090076666A1
• Filed: 09/18/2008
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Tschofen, Robert, Schneider, Herbert, Vretska, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,346,407 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A method for assigning a first motor vehicle to a second motor vehicle by exchanging electromagnetic signals. The electromagnetic signals are transmitted from the first motor vehicle in a predetermined temporal signal pattern and received by the second motor vehicle, where they are compared as to whether the received electromagnetic signals correspond to a signal pattern stored in the second motor vehicle. The first motor vehicle then is assigned as a function of the comparison. This method is particularly suited to assigning trailers to a towing vehicle.

Claims

1-6. -6. (canceled)

7. A method for assigning a first motor vehicle to a second motor vehicle by exchanging electromagnetic signals, comprising the steps of:

transmitting electromagnetic signals from the first motor vehicle in a predetermined temporal signal pattern to a second motor vehicle;

receiving the electromagnetic signals transmitted from the first motor vehicle in the second motor vehicle;

comparing in the second motor vehicle whether the received electromagnetic signals correspond to a signal pattern stored in the second motor vehicle; and

assigning the first motor vehicle in dependence on the comparison.

8. The method according to claim 7, which comprises assigning the first motor vehicle if the received signal pattern and the signal pattern stored in the second motor vehicle correspond to each other.

9. The method according to claim 7, which comprises not assigning the first motor vehicle if the received signal pattern and the signal pattern stored in the second motor vehicle do not correspond to each other.

10. The method according to claim 9, including the step of repeating the method of claim 7.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the temporal signal pattern is not periodic.

12. A device for assigning an object to a motor vehicle having a stored signal pattern by exchanging electromagnetic signals, wherein said device includes

a communication device on the motor vehicle, including a unit for receiving electromagnetic signals transmitted from the object in the form of a predetermined temporal signal pattern;

and

a control device on the motor vehicle for receiving the signal pattern and comparing the stored signal pattern with the received signal pattern, and assigning the object as a function of the comparison.