Vehicle integration of BLE nodes to enable passive entry and passive start features

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9536364-B2
Application number	US-201414179699-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2014
Priority date	Feb 25, 2013
Publication date	Jan 3, 2017
Grant date	Jan 3, 2017

Abstract

A system and method for employing BLE nodes in a PEPS system to determine whether a FOB is within or outside of a vehicle. The method includes interrogating the FOB using a signal transmitted by a BLE device on the vehicle to determine whether the FOB is in a predetermined vicinity of the vehicle and receiving a Bluetooth signal at the BLE device that is transmitted by the FOB if the FOB is in the vicinity of the vehicle. The method also included determining a transmit power of the Bluetooth signal transmitted by the FOB and determining a receive power of the Bluetooth signal transmitted by the FOB and received by the BLE device. The method uses the transmit power and the receive power in a comparison process to determine whether the FOB is inside or outside of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for determining whether a vehicle FOB is located within the vehicle or outside of the vehicle, said method comprising:
providing a primary Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device on the vehicle;
interrogating the FOB using a signal transmitted by the primary BLE device to determine whether the FOB is in a predetermined vicinity of the vehicle;
receiving a Bluetooth signal at the primary BLE device that is transmitted by the FOB if the FOB is in the vicinity of the vehicle;
determining a receive power of the Bluetooth signal transmitted by the FOB and received by the BLE device in the primary BLE device; and
using the receive power in a comparison process in the primary BLE device to determine whether the FOB is inside or outside of the vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein providing a primary BLE device includes providing the primary BLE device within a door of the vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein providing the primary BLE device includes providing the primary BLE device in a driver side door of the vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising determining a transmit power of the Bluetooth signal transmitted by the FOB, wherein using the receive power in a comparison process to determine whether the FOB is inside or outside of the vehicle includes using the transmit power and the receive power in a comparison process to determine whether the FOB is inside or outside of the vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein using the transmit power and the receive power in a comparison process to determine whether the FOB is inside or outside of the vehicle includes providing a difference between the receive power and the transmit power, comparing the difference between the receive power and the transmit power to a predetermined threshold value, determining that the FOB is outside of the vehicle if the difference is greater than the threshold, and determining that the FOB is inside the vehicle if the difference is less than the threshold.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising providing a secondary BLE device on the vehicle, receiving a Bluetooth signal by the primary BLE device that is transmitted by the secondary BLE device, determining a transmit power of the Bluetooth signal transmitted by the secondary BLE device, and determining a receive power of the Bluetooth signal transmitted by the secondary BLE device and received by the primary BLE device.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein using the transmit power and the receive power in a comparison process to determine whether the FOB is inside or outside of the vehicle includes providing a first difference between the receive power and the transmit power of the FOB, providing a second difference between the receive power and the transmit power of the secondary BLE device, comparing the first difference and the second difference, determining that the FOB is outside of the vehicle if the first difference is greater than the second difference, and determining that the FOB is inside the vehicle if the first difference is less than the second difference.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising providing a secondary BLE device on the vehicle, receiving a Bluetooth signal at the secondary BLE device that is transmitted by the FOB, determining a receive power of the Bluetooth signal transmitted by the FOB and received by the secondary BLE device, and using the receive power at the primary and secondary BLE devices in a comparison process to determine whether the FOB is inside or outside of the vehicle.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein using the transmit power and the receive power in a comparison process to determine whether the FOB is inside or outside of the vehicle includes using an effective signal path loss of the Bluetooth signal that is transmitted by the FOB as determined by a knife edge diffraction propagation model and two ray propagation model.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle FOB is a smart phone.

11. The method according to claim 1 further comprising allowing the vehicle to be started if it is determined that the FOB is within the vehicle.

12. The method according to claim 11 further comprising providing a warning if the vehicle is started and the FOB exits the vehicle.

13. A method for determining whether a vehicle FOB is located within the vehicle or outside of the vehicle, said method comprising:
providing a primary Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device in a driver side door of the vehicle;
interrogating the FOB using a signal transmitted by the primary BLE device to determine whether the FOB is in a predetermined vicinity of the vehicle;
receiving a Bluetooth signal at the primary BLE device that is transmitted by the FOB if the FOB is in the vicinity of the vehicle;
determining a transmit power of the Bluetooth signal transmitted by the FOB in the primary BLE device;
determining a receive power of the Bluetooth signal transmitted by the FOB and received by the BLE device in the primary BLE device;
providing a difference between the receive power and the transmit power in the primary BLE device;
comparing the difference between the receive power and the transmit power in the primary BLE device to a predetermined threshold value;
determining that the FOB is outside of the vehicle if the difference is greater than the threshold; and
determining that the FOB is inside the vehicle if the difference is greater less the threshold.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein using the transmit power and the receive power in a comparison process to determine whether the FOB is inside or outside of the vehicle includes using an effective signal path loss of the Bluetooth signal that is transmitted by the FOB as determined by a knife edge diffraction propagation model and two ray propagation model.

15. The method according to claim 13 wherein the vehicle FOB is a smart phone.

16. The method according to claim 13 further comprising allowing the vehicle to be started if it is determined that the FOB is within the vehicle.

17. A method for determining whether a vehicle FOB is located within the vehicle or outside of the vehicle, said method comprising:
providing a primary Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device in a driver side door of the vehicle;
providing a secondary BLE device on the vehicle;
interrogating the FOB using a signal transmitted by the primary BLE device to determine whether the FOB is in a predetermined vicinity of the vehicle;
receiving a Bluetooth signal at the primary BLE device that is transmitted by the FOB if the FOB is in the vicinity of the vehicle;
receiving a Bluetooth signal at the primary BLE device that is transmitted by the secondary BLE device;
determining a transmit power of the Bluetooth signal transmitted by the FOB;
determining a transmit power of the Bluetooth signal transmitted by the secondary BLE device;
determining a receive power of the Bluetooth signal transmitted by the FOB and received by the primary BLE device;
determining a receive power of the Bluetooth signal transmitted by the secondary BLE device and received by the primary BLE device;
providing a first difference between the receive power and the transmit power of the Bluetooth signal from the FOB;
providing a second difference between the receive power and the transmit power of the Bluetooth signal from the secondary BLE device;
comparing the first difference and the second difference;
determining that the FOB is outside of the vehicle if the first differe

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Talty Timothy J
• Kalhous Amanda J
• Gautama Neeraj R

Classifications

• G07C2009/00317

  keyless data carrier having only one limited data transmission range · CPC title

• G07C2009/00365

  in combination with a wake-up circuit · CPC title

• G07C9/00309 Primary

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

• G01C21/3688

  Systems comprising multiple parts or multiple output devices (not client-server), e.g. detachable faceplates, key fobs or multiple output screens · CPC title

• E05B19/0082

  Keys or shanks being removably stored in a larger object, e.g. a remote control or a key fob (general constructional details of electronic keys G07C9/00944) · CPC title