Position determination device, position determination method, and vehicular electronic key system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12570237-B2
Application number	US-202418747246-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2024
Priority date	Dec 21, 2021
Publication date	Mar 10, 2026
Grant date	Mar 10, 2026

Abstract

A position determination device includes at least one processor, a first communication device for transmitting a signal in a first frequency band, a second communication device for communicating with a vehicle mobile device using radio waves in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band. The at least one processor acquires first data indicating the reception state at the vehicle mobile device of a signal from the first communication device, acquires second data indicating the distance from the second communication device to the vehicle mobile device, and determines the location of the vehicle mobile device based on the acquired data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A position determination device including at least one processor and a determination data storage unit storing determination data, wherein
the at least one processor is used in connection with a plurality of first communication device configured to transmit a signal in a first frequency band, and at least one second communication device configured to communicate with a vehicle mobile device carried by a user of the vehicle using radio waves in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band, the determination data is a data set associating, for each of the plurality of first communication devices, the first data and the second data that can be observed when the vehicle mobile device is present within a predetermined target area, the at least one second communication device is configured to communicate with a mobile terminal which is a general-purpose information processing terminal in addition to the vehicle mobile device, the mobile terminal is used as an electronic key for the vehicle, the at least one processor is configured to cause the position determination device to:
acquire first data indicating a reception state at the vehicle mobile device of a signal transmitted by the first communication device;
acquire second data indicating a distance from the second communication device to the vehicle mobile device, the second data being determined by causing the second communication device to communicate with the vehicle mobile device;
determine a location of the vehicle mobile device based on the first data and the second data;
determine whether the vehicle mobile device is located within the target area by comparing actually observed first data and the second data with the determination data;
acquire a signal indicating a device type from a communication partner in cooperation with the second communication device;
determine whether a device type of the communication partner corresponds to the vehicle mobile device based on the signal acquired from the communication partner; and
change an algorithm for determining a position of a communication partner depending on whether the device type of the communication partner is the vehicle mobile device.

2 . The position determination device according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one processor is configured to cause the position determination device to:
determine the location of the communication partner using the determination data when the device type of the communication partner is the vehicle mobile device; and
determine the location of the communication partner without using the determination data when the communication partner is the mobile terminal.

3 . The position determination device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first data is data indicating a reception strength of a wireless signal in the first frequency band observed by the vehicle mobile device.

4 . The position determination device according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one processor is configured to cause the position determination device to:
acquire, as the second data, data indicating a round trip time, which is a time from transmitting a response request signal to the vehicle mobile device to receiving a response signal from the vehicle mobile device; and
determine that the vehicle mobile device is not present in a predetermined target area when the round trip time is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

5 . The position determination device according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one processor is configured to cause the position determination device to:
acquire, as the second data, data indicating a transmission and reception phase difference for each of frequencies obtained by transmitting and receiving continuous wave signals at the frequencies in the second frequency band;
acquire a phase difference measured distance value indicating a distance from the second communication device to the vehicle mobile device based on the transmission and reception phase difference for each frequency; and
determine that the vehicle mobile device is not present in a predetermined target area when the phase difference measured distance value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

6 . The position determination device according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one processor is configured to cause the position determination device to:
acquire, as the second data, data indicating a round trip time, which is a time from transmitting a response request signal to the vehicle mobile device to receiving a response signal from the vehicle mobile device;
acquire, as the second data, data indicating a transmission and reception phase difference for each of frequencies obtained by transmitting and receiving continuous wave signals at the frequencies in the second frequency band;
acquire a phase difference measured distance value indicating a distance from the second communication device to the vehicle mobile device based on the transmission and reception phase difference for each frequency; and
determine that the vehicle mobile device is not present in a predetermined target area when the round trip time is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, or when the phase difference measured distance value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and the round trip time is less than the predetermined value.

7 . The position determination device according to claim 6 , wherein
the at least one processor is configured to cause the position determination device to perform a position determination process of the vehicle mobile device using the first data when the round trip time is less than the predetermined value and the phase difference measured distance value is less than the predetermined value.

8 . A position determination device including at least one processor, wherein
the at least one processor is used in connection with at least one first communication device configured to transmit a signal in a first frequency band, and at least one second communication device configured to communicate with a vehicle mobile device carried by a user of the vehicle using radio waves in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band, the at least one processor is configured to cause the position determination device to:
acquire first data indicating a reception state at the vehicle mobile device of a signal transmitted by the first communication device;
acquire second data indicating a distance from the second communication device to the vehicle mobile device, the second data being determined by causing the second communication device to communicate with the vehicle mobile device;
determine a location of the vehicle mobile device based on the first data and the second data;
acquire, as the second data, data indicating a round trip time, which is a time from transmitting a response request signal to the vehicle mobile device to receiving a response signal from the vehicle mobile device;
acquire, as the second data, data indicating a transmission and reception phase difference for each of frequencies obtained by transmitting and receiving continuous wave signals at the frequencies in the second frequency band;
acquire a phase difference measured distance value indicating a distance from the second communication device to the vehicle mobile device based on the transmission and reception phase difference for each frequency; and
determine that the vehicle mobile device is not present in a predetermined target area when the round trip time is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, or when the phase difference measured distance value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and the round trip time is les

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Saiki Takashi
• Nakakura Yohei
• Sanji Kenichiro
• Tanaka Yasuhiro

Classifications

• G07C2209/63

  Comprising locating means for detecting the position of the data carrier, i.e. within the vehicle or within a certain distance from the vehicle · CPC title

• G07C2209/61

  Signal comprising different frequencies, e.g. frequency hopping · CPC title

• G07C2009/00793

  by Hertzian waves · CPC title

• G07C9/00309 Primary

  operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks · CPC title

• G01S13/84

  for distance determination by phase measurement · CPC title