Vehicle control apparatus, vehicle control method, recording medium with program for control recorded, and vehicle control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11866005-B2
Application number	US-202017117529-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2020
Priority date	Dec 17, 2019
Publication date	Jan 9, 2024
Grant date	Jan 9, 2024

Abstract

A vehicle control apparatus includes a first vehicle communication unit performing communication with a mobile terminal, a first distance measuring unit measuring, with first precision, a vehicle-terminal distance being a distance between a vehicle and the mobile terminal, a terminal position information obtaining unit obtaining terminal position information transmitted from the mobile terminal, a second distance measuring unit measuring the vehicle-terminal distance with second precision being measurement precision lower than the first precision based on the terminal position information, and a high-precision distance measurement determining unit determining whether the first distance measuring unit is caused to measure the vehicle-terminal distance or not based on the vehicle-terminal distance measured by the second distance measuring unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle control apparatus comprising a CPU (central processing unit) that includes:
a vehicle communication control unit performing communication by a first communication specification with a mobile terminal used by a user of a vehicle when the mobile terminal positions within an out-vehicle communication area within a predetermined distance from the vehicle;
a first distance measuring unit measuring a vehicle-terminal distance with first precision, the vehicle-terminal distance being a distance between the vehicle and the mobile terminal;
a vehicle position information obtaining unit obtaining vehicle position information including current position information on the vehicle;
a terminal position information obtaining unit obtaining terminal position information including current position information on the mobile terminal transmitted from the mobile terminal by the first communication specification by receiving the terminal position information from the mobile terminal through the vehicle communication control unit;
a second distance measuring unit measuring the vehicle-terminal distance with second precision based on the vehicle position information and the terminal position information, the second precision being measurement precision lower than the first precision;
a high-precision distance measurement determining unit determining whether the first distance measuring unit is caused to measure the vehicle-terminal distance or not based on the vehicle-terminal distance measured by the second distance measuring unit, and determining to cause the first distance measuring unit to measure the vehicle-terminal distance when the vehicle-terminal distance decreases by a predetermined distance or larger in a plurality of the vehicle-terminal distances measured at different points in time by the second distance measuring unit; and
an electronic-key-app operation recognizing unit recognizing that an electronic key app for remotely operating the vehicle with the mobile terminal is in operation based on operating state information on the mobile terminal transmitted from the mobile terminal to the vehicle communication control unit,
wherein the high-precision distance measurement determining unit determines to cause the first distance measuring unit to measure the vehicle-terminal distance when the electronic-key-app operation recognizing unit recognizes that the electronic key app is in operation even though the vehicle-terminal distance does not decrease by a predetermined distance or larger in a plurality of the vehicle-terminal distances measured at different points in time by the second distance measuring unit.

2. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the CPU further includes a battery remaining-amount recognizing unit recognizing a remaining amount of a battery included in the vehicle,
the high-precision distance measurement determining unit determines not to cause the first distance measuring unit to measure the vehicle-terminal distance when the remaining amount of the battery recognized by the battery remaining-amount recognizing unit is equal to or lower than a predetermined remaining amount even though the vehicle-terminal distance decreases by a predetermined distance or larger in a plurality of the vehicle-terminal distances measured at different points in time by the second distance measuring unit.

3. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the terminal position information includes current position information on the mobile terminal detected by a terminal global positioning system (GPS) sensor provided in the mobile terminal,
the vehicle position information includes current position information on the vehicle detected by a vehicle GPS sensor provided in the vehicle,
the second distance measuring unit measures the vehicle-terminal distance with the second precision based on a current position of the vehicle detected by the vehicle GPS sensor and recognized from the vehicle position information and the terminal position information detected by the terminal GPS sensor and recognized from the terminal position information, and
the first distance measuring unit measures the vehicle-terminal distance with the first precision by performing, by the vehicle communication control unit, communication with the mobile terminal by a second communication specification involving larger power consumption for communication than the first communication specification.

4. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the first communication specification is a communication specification by Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and the second communication specification is a communication specification by Ultra Wide Band (UWB).

5. A vehicle control method to be executed by a vehicle control apparatus performing communication with a mobile terminal used by a user of a vehicle, the method comprising:
a vehicle communication control step of performing communication by a first communication specification with the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal positions within an out-vehicle communication area within a predetermined distance from the vehicle;
a first distance measuring step of measuring a vehicle-terminal distance with first precision, the vehicle-terminal distance being a distance between the vehicle and the mobile terminal;
a vehicle position information obtaining step of obtaining vehicle position information including current position information on the vehicle;
a terminal position information obtaining step of obtaining terminal position information including current position information on the mobile terminal transmitted from the mobile terminal by the first communication specification by receiving the terminal position information from the mobile terminal through processing in the vehicle communication control step;
a second distance measuring step of measuring the vehicle-terminal distance with second precision based on the vehicle position information and the terminal position information, the second precision being measurement precision lower than the first precision;
a high-precision distance measurement determining step of determining whether the first distance measuring step is caused to measure the vehicle-terminal distance or not based on the vehicle-terminal distance measured in the second distance measuring step, and determining to cause the first distance measuring step to measure the vehicle-terminal distance when the vehicle-terminal distance decreases by a predetermined distance or larger in a plurality of the vehicle-terminal distances measured at different points in time by the second distance measuring step; and
an electronic-key-app operation recognizing step recognizing that an electronic key app for remotely operating the vehicle with the mobile terminal is in operation based on operating state information on the mobile terminal transmitted from the mobile terminal to the vehicle control apparatus,
wherein the high-precision distance measurement determining step determines to cause the first distance measuring step to measure the vehicle-terminal distance when the electronic-key-app operation recognizing step recognizes that the electronic key app is in operation even though the vehicle-terminal distance does not decrease by a predetermined distance or larger in a plurality of the vehicle-terminal distances measured at different points in time by the second distance measuring step.

6. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium with a program for control recorded, the program being executed by a vehicle control apparatus performing communication with a mobile terminal used by a user of a vehicle and causing the vehicle control apparatus to function as:
a vehicle communication control unit

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hasegawa Satoshi
• Lee Seonghun
• Yamane Katsuyasu
• Yamaguchi Fumiaki

Classifications

• B60R25/245 Primary

  where the antenna reception area plays a role · CPC title

• G07C5/008

  communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C) · CPC title

• H04W4/023

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title

• B60R25/01

  operating on vehicle systems or fittings, e.g. on doors, seats or windscreens · CPC title

• B60R25/209

  Remote starting of engine · CPC title