Symmetrical reference personal device location tracking

• US 9,860,710 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2015
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Buttolo, Pietro, Tokish, Stephen Ronald, Rankin, II, James Stewart, Salter, Stuart C., Strumolo, Gary Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): SIVJI, NIZAR N
• Application Number:
  US14/847,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20170070862A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication

Abstract

A system may include in-vehicle components arranged symmetrically within and delimiting boundaries of a vehicle interior; and a processor programmed to identify signal strength information indicative of distance of a personal device from wireless transceivers of each of the in-vehicle components; and compute, using the signal strength information, a quadrant and diagonal sector including a location of the personal device, and whether the location is within the vehicle interior. A method may include identifying a quadrant of a vehicle including a location of a personal device by comparing signal strength information of pairs of wireless transceivers in adjacent quadrants to signal strength information of wireless transceivers opposite the pairs; and determining a diagonal sector including the location by comparing the signal strength information from the wireless transceiver of the quadrant to the signal strength information from the wireless transceiver in a diagonally-opposite quadrant.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

first, second, third, and fourth in-vehicle components arranged symmetrically within and delimiting boundaries of a vehicle interior; and

a processor programmed to

identify signal strength information indicative of distance of a personal device from wireless transceivers of each of the in-vehicle components;

compute, using the signal strength information, a quadrant and diagonal sector including a location of the personal device, and whether the location is within the vehicle interior;

compare a sum of signal strength information from the first in-vehicle component and the second in-vehicle component to a sum of signal strength information from the third in-vehicle component and the fourth in-vehicle component to determine an indication whether the personal device is within a front half or a rear half of the vehicle;

compare a sum of signal strength information from the first in-vehicle component and the third in-vehicle component to a sum of signal strength information from the second in-vehicle component and the fourth in-vehicle component to determine an indication of whether the personal device is within a driver half or a passenger half of the vehicle;

identify the quadrant based on the indication of whether the personal device is within the front half or the rear half of the vehicle and the indication of whether the personal device is within the driver half or the passenger half of the vehicle; and

authorize the personal device located in the quadrant to wirelessly access features of the in-vehicle component located in the quadrant,

wherein the quadrant is one of;

a rear driver-side seating position quadrant in which the first in-vehicle component is located, a rear passenger-side seating position quadrant in which the second in-vehicle component is located, a front driver-side seating position quadrant in which the third in-vehicle component is located, and a front passenger-side seating position quadrant in which the fourth in-vehicle component is located.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to compare the signal strength information to a constant k to determine whether the location is within the vehicle interior.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to prevent the personal device from wirelessly accessing features of the in-vehicle component when the location is determined to be outside the vehicle interior.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth in-vehicle components is associated with a respective seating position of the vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein one of:

the first, second, third, and fourth in-vehicle components are reading lights and the first, second, third, and fourth in-vehicle components are speakers.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the personal device is a smartphone.

5. A system comprising:

first, second, third, and fourth in-vehicle components arranged symmetrically within and delimiting boundaries of a vehicle interior; and

a processor programmed to

identify signal strength information indicative of distance of a personal device from wireless transceivers of each of the in-vehicle components;

compute, using the signal strength information, a quadrant and diagonal sector including a location of the personal device, and whether the location is within the vehicle interior, wherein the quadrant is one of a rear driver-side seating position quadrant in which the first in-vehicle component is located, a rear passenger-side seating position quadrant in which the second in-vehicle component is located, a front driver-side seating position quadrant in which the third in-vehicle component is located, and a front passenger-side seating position quadrant in which the fourth in-vehicle component is located;

compare a sum of signal strength information from the first in-vehicle component and the second in-vehicle component to a sum of signal strength information from the third in-vehicle component and the fourth in-vehicle component to determine an indication whether the personal device is within a front half or a rear half of the vehicle;

compare a sum of signal strength information from the first in-vehicle component and the third in-vehicle component to a sum of signal strength information from the second in-vehicle component and the fourth in-vehicle component to determine an indication of whether the personal device is within a driver half or a passenger half of the vehicle;

identify the quadrant based on the indication of whether the personal device is within the front half or the rear half of the vehicle and the indication of whether the personal device is within the driver half or the passenger half of the vehicle;

when the quadrant is the front passenger-side seating position quadrant or the rear driver-side seating position quadrant, determine the diagonal sector by comparing the signal strength information from the second in-vehicle component to the signal strength information from the third in-vehicle component;

when the quadrant is the front driver-side seating position quadrant or the rear passenger-side seating position quadrant, determine the diagonal sector by comparing the signal strength information from the first in-vehicle component to the signal strength information from the fourth in-vehicle component; and

authorize the personal device located in the quadrant to wirelessly access features of the in-vehicle component located in the quadrant.

8. A method comprising:

identifying a quadrant of a vehicle divided into first and second dimensions that includes a location of a personal device by comparing signal strength information of pairs of wireless transceivers in adjacent quadrants to signal strength information of wireless transceivers opposite the pairs, the wireless transceivers being included within first, second, third, and fourth in-vehicle components arranged symmetrically within and delimiting boundaries of an interior of the vehicle;

determining a diagonal sector including the location by comparing the signal strength information from quadrants adjacent to the quadrant in the first and the second dimensions;

locating the personal device as within an intersection of the quadrant and diagonal;

comparing a sum of signal strength information from the first in-vehicle component and the second in-vehicle component to a sum of signal strength information from the third in-vehicle component and the fourth in-vehicle component to determine an indication whether the personal device is within a front half or a rear half of the vehicle;

comparing a sum of signal strength information from the first in-vehicle component and the third in-vehicle component to a sum of signal strength information from the second in-vehicle component and the fourth in-vehicle component to determine an indication of whether the personal device is within a driver half or a passenger half of the vehicle;

identifying the quadrant based on the indication of whether the personal device is within the front half or the rear half of the vehicle and the indication of whether the personal device is within the driver half or the passenger half of the vehicle,

when the quadrant is the front passenger-side seating position quadrant or the rear driver-side seating position quadrant, determining the diagonal sector by comparing the signal strength information from the second in-vehicle component to the signal strength information from the third in-vehicle component;

when the quadrant is the front driver-side seating position quadrant or the rear passenger-side seating position quadrant, determining the diagonal sector by comparing the signal strength information from the first in-vehicle component to the signal strength information from the fourth in-vehicle component;

preventing the personal device from wirelessly accessing features of the vehicle when the location is determined to be outside the vehicle; and

authorizing the personal device to wirelessly access features of in-vehicle components located within the quadrant when the location is determined to be inside the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising comparing the signal strength information to a constant k to determine whether the location is inside or outside an area bounded by the wireless transceivers.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving the signal strength information from a first of the wireless transceivers located in a rear driver-side seating position quadrant;

a second of the wireless transceivers located in a rear passenger-side seating position quadrant;

a third of the wireless transceivers located in a front driver-side seating position quadrant; and

a fourth of the wireless transceivers located in a front passenger-side seating position quadrant.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the signal strength information includes received signal strength indication (RSSI) information received over Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) protocol wireless connections.

12. A system comprising:

a personal device including

a wireless transceiver; and

a processor programmed to

identify signal strength information indicative of distance of the personal device from wireless transceivers of each of first, second, third, and fourth in-vehicle components arranged symmetrically within and delimiting boundaries of a vehicle interior; and

compute, using the signal strength information, a quadrant and diagonal sector including a location of the personal device;

locate the personal device as within an intersection of the quadrant and diagonal;

compare a sum of signal strength information from the first in-vehicle component and the second in-vehicle component to a sum of signal strength information from the third in-vehicle component and the fourth in-vehicle component to determine an indication whether the personal device is within a front half or a rear half of the vehicle;

compare a sum of signal strength information from the first in-vehicle component and the third in-vehicle component to a sum of signal strength information from the second in-vehicle component and the fourth in-vehicle component to determine an indication of whether the personal device is within a driver half or a passenger half of the vehicle;

identify the quadrant based on the indication of whether the personal device is within the front half or the rear half of the vehicle and the indication of whether the personal device is within the driver half or the passenger half of the vehicle,

when the quadrant is the front passenger-side seating position quadrant or the rear driver-side seating position quadrant, determine the diagonal sector by comparing the signal strength information from the second in-vehicle component to the signal strength information from the third in-vehicle component;

when the quadrant is the front driver-side seating position quadrant or the rear passenger-side seating position quadrant, determine the diagonal sector by comparing the signal strength information from the first in-vehicle component to the signal strength information from the fourth in-vehicle component; and

authorize the personal device located in the quadrant to wirelessly access features of the in-vehicle component located in the quadrant.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further programmed to compare the signal strength information to a constant k to determine whether the location is inside or outside the vehicle interior.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the quadrant is one of:

a rear driver-side seating position quadrant in which the first in-vehicle component is located, a rear passenger-side seating position quadrant in which the second in-vehicle component is located, a front driver-side seating position quadrant in which the third in-vehicle component is located, and a front passenger-side seating position quadrant in which the fourth in-vehicle component is located.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth in-vehicle components is associated with a respective seating position of the vehicle.