Apparatus and method for in-vehicle location of a mobile device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016248905-A1
Application number	US-201515032494-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 6, 2015
Priority date	Jan 6, 2014
Publication date	Aug 25, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

In at least one embodiment, an apparatus including a controller that is electrically coupled to a plurality of transceivers within a vehicle for enabling bi-directional wireless communication via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) between the controller and an occupant communication device (OCD). The controller is further configured to: transmit an advertisement signal indicative of the vehicle being in motion from each transceiver to the OCD via BLE and to receive, at each transceiver, a scan request signal from the OCD via BLE at a first power level. The controller is further configured to determine the location of the OCD in the vehicle in response to receiving the scan request signal at each transceiver at the first power level.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus comprising:
a controller electrically coupled to a plurality of transceivers within a vehicle for enabling bi-directional wireless communication via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) between the controller and an occupant communication device (OCD), the controller being configured to:
transmit an advertisement signal indicative of the vehicle being in motion from each transceiver to the OCD;
receive, at each transceiver, a scan request signal from the OCD at a first power level; and
determine a location of the OCD in the vehicle in response to receiving the scan request signal at each transceiver at the first power level.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to transmit a scan response signal indicative of the location of the OCD in the vehicle to the OCD.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the plurality of transceivers include a first transceiver positioned in a driver zone of the vehicle and at least one second transceiver positioned in a passenger zone of the vehicle.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the controller is further configured to transmit the scan response signal to indicate whether the OCD is located in one of the driver zone, the passenger zone, and an indeterminate position within the vehicle.

5 . The apparatus of claim 3 wherein:
the controller is further configured to:
measure a signal strength of the first power level of the scan request signal at the first transceiver to provide a first measured signal strength; and
increment a first count in response to measuring the signal strength at the first transceiver.

6 . The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the controller is further configured to compare the first count to a first predefined threshold prior to determining the location of the OCD in the vehicle.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the controller includes a filter that is configured to determine a first exponentially weighted average of the first measured signal strength and a first previous exponentially weighted average of first previously measured signal strength values at the first transceiver in response to the first count being greater than the first predefined threshold.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the controller is further configured to compare the first exponentially weighted average to a first threshold value and to determine that the OCD is in the driver zone in response to the first exponentially weighted average being greater than a first threshold value.

9 . The apparatus of claim 7 wherein:
the controller is further configured to:
measure a signal strength of the first power level of the scan request signal at the at least one second transceiver to provide a second measured signal strength; and
increment a second count in response to measuring the signal strength at the at least one second transceiver.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the controller is further configured to compare the second count to a second predefined threshold prior to determining the location of the OCD in the vehicle.

11 . The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the controller includes a filter that is configured to determine a second exponentially weighted average of the second measured signal strength and a second previous exponentially weighted average of second previously measured signal strength values at the at least one second transceiver in response to the second count being greater than the second predefined threshold.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the controller is further configured to take a difference between the second exponentially weighted average and the first exponentially weighted average to generate a difference exponentially weighted average and to compare the difference exponentially weighted average to a second threshold value.

13 . The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the controller is further configured to determine that the OCD is in the passenger zone in response to the difference exponentially weighted average being greater than the second threshold value.

14 . A method for locating an occupant communication device in a vehicle, the method comprising:
communicating between a plurality of transceivers in a vehicle and an occupant communication device (OCD) via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE); transmitting an advertisement signal indicative of the vehicle being in motion from each transceiver to the OCD; receiving, at each transceiver, a scan request signal from the OCD at a first power level; and determining a location of the OCD in the vehicle in response to receiving the scan request signal at each transceiver at the first power level.

15 . The method of claim 14 further comprising transmitting a scan response signal indicative of the location of the OCD in the vehicle to the OCD.

16 . The method of claim 15 wherein the plurality of transceivers includes a first transceiver positioned in a driver zone of the vehicle and at least one second transceiver positioned in a passenger zone of the vehicle.

17 . The method of claim 16 further comprising transmitting the scan response signal to indicate whether the OCD is located in one of the driver zone, the passenger zone, and an indeterminate position within the vehicle.

18 . A method comprising:
communicating between a vehicle including transceivers and an occupant communication device (OCD) via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE); transmitting an advertisement signal indicating vehicle motion from each transceiver to the OCD; receiving, at each transceiver, a scan request signal from the OCD at a power level; and determining a location of the OCD in the vehicle in response to receiving the scan request signal at each transceiver at the power level.

19 . The method of claim 18 further comprising transmitting a scan response signal indicative of the location of the OCD in the vehicle to the OCD.

20 . The method of claim 18 wherein the transceivers include a first transceiver positioned in a driver zone of the vehicle and at least one second transceiver positioned in a passenger zone of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Miller Thomas Lee
• Reed Eric L
• Elliott Doron M
• Chechak Bridget
• Hatton David Anthony

Classifications

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• H04W24/10

  Scheduling measurement reports {; Arrangements for measurement reports} · CPC title

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title

• H04W4/40

  for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P] · CPC title

• H04W4/48

  for in-vehicle communication · CPC title