CN112534484A - Portable device, method and system for finding vehicle - Google Patents

Portable device, method and system for finding vehicle Download PDF

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Publication number
CN112534484A
CN112534484A CN201880096318.0A CN201880096318A CN112534484A CN 112534484 A CN112534484 A CN 112534484A CN 201880096318 A CN201880096318 A CN 201880096318A CN 112534484 A CN112534484 A CN 112534484A
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China
Prior art keywords
vehicle
portable device
signal
indication
distance
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CN201880096318.0A
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Chinese (zh)
Inventor
K·拜尔
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Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
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Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
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Publication of CN112534484A publication Critical patent/CN112534484A/en
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    • GPHYSICS
    • G08SIGNALLING
    • G08GTRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
    • G08G1/00Traffic control systems for road vehicles
    • G08G1/005Traffic control systems for road vehicles including pedestrian guidance indicator
    • GPHYSICS
    • G08SIGNALLING
    • G08GTRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
    • G08G1/00Traffic control systems for road vehicles
    • G08G1/20Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
    • G08G1/205Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Lock And Its Accessories (AREA)

Abstract

A portable device (2) for finding a vehicle (1), and a suitable method to be performed at least partly in a portable device (2), and a system for finding a vehicle (1). For this purpose, the portable device (2) has at least one signal receiving means (21) and at least one indicating means (22), the at least one signal receiving means (21) being configured for receiving a signal (S) emitted by the vehicle (1) and determining from the signal a distance between the signal receiving means (21) and an apparatus which transmits the signal (S), the at least one indicating means (22) being configured for outputting an indication depending on the determined distance.

Description

Portable device, method and system for finding vehicle
Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a portable device, method and system for finding a vehicle.
Background
Vehicles can usually only be found by manual operation. For example, after pressing the opener button on the car key, a short indicator tone will sound and/or a light on the vehicle will be turned on. It has also been recognized in german patent applications DE102012214601a1, DE102014224999a 1: it would be advantageous to detect the proximity of an authorized user, such as the driver of a vehicle, for example, in order to activate a greeting function. Such a greeting may be turning on internal or external lighting, or playing a sound greeting or horn, as this is obligatory in the united states, for example.
However, these systems still need to be improved, for example to better find the vehicle or to achieve improved personalization.
Disclosure of Invention
It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide a corresponding device, as well as a method and a system, by means of which a vehicle can be found in an improved manner. According to the disclosure, this object is achieved by the features of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claims.
A portable device for finding a vehicle is proposed, wherein the device has: at least one signal receiving means configured for receiving a signal emitted by a vehicle and thus also an associated signal strength, and determining from the signal a distance between the signal receiving means and a device which transmitted the signal; and at least one indication device configured to output an indication in dependence on the determined distance or the received signal strength. By means of the possibility of determining the distance of a user from his vehicle or a corresponding signal receiving device, such as a portable device, an improved finding of a vehicle may become feasible. Here, the distance may be determined according to a signal strength, which depends on the proximity of the user to the vehicle. The device for transmitting said signal, in short a signal transmitting device, is for example implemented in a portable apparatus carried by the user, such as a smart phone or a car key.
In one embodiment, the indication is terminated in case a predetermined determined value of the distance or signal strength is reached. Thus, it is possible to indicate that the user has arrived at the vehicle and avoid that the indication remains active despite the vehicle having been found.
In one embodiment, the indication becomes more intense the smaller the distance between the signal receiving means and the device sending the signal, or the higher the received signal strength. Thus, a simple and understandable indication can be made that the user is approaching the vehicle.
In one embodiment, the indication is a visual and/or audible and/or tactile indication. In one embodiment, the tactile indication is a vibration of the device. Due to the different possibilities of the indication, different requirements can be fulfilled and a variety of conditions can be taken into account.
In one embodiment, the portable device is a mobile phone having signal receiving means and indicating means for indicating. The signal receiving means and the indicating means may be separate devices or devices already present in the mobile phone. Alternatively, the portable device is a car key having a signal receiving means and an indicating means. By using a device that the user has anyway carried around, acceptance is increased, but less material is required to provide the apparatus.
It is further proposed a method for finding a vehicle, which is at least partially implemented as a software application at least partially in the aforementioned portable device, and in which a signal emitted by the vehicle and thus an associated signal strength are received and processed in such a way that a distance between the signal receiving means and the device which transmitted the signal is determined from the signal and the signal strength, and an indication is output depending on the determined distance or the received signal strength.
In an embodiment, the indication is a visual and/or audible and/or tactile indication, wherein the indication becomes stronger the smaller the distance or the higher the received signal strength, and/or terminates the indication in case a predetermined value of the signal strength is reached.
In one embodiment, the portable device is a mobile phone or a car key.
Furthermore, a system for finding a vehicle is proposed, which has at least one vehicle and the described portable device. The vehicle has at least one signaling device configured for transmitting a signal to an exterior of the vehicle.
Further features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the following description of embodiments of the disclosure, with reference to the drawings showing inventive details, and from the claims. In variants of the disclosure, individual features may be realized individually or for a plurality of features in any combination.
Up to now, starting from a vehicle, its location is indicated, for example by means of a light signal or an acoustic signal. However, this must be initiated by the user, for example by pressing a button of the key-off. By indicating the location of the vehicle by the portable device, rather than by the vehicle, the location of the vehicle can be automatically indicated once the portable device is in the vicinity of the vehicle.
As a portable device, a mobile terminal device, such as a mobile phone or a smartphone, may be used, but a car key with corresponding equipment may also be used. As described in more detail below, as a basic equipment of the portable apparatus, it is sufficient that the portable equipment has a signal receiving means and a corresponding indicating means. The signal receiving means should be able to process the received data such that a signal is output to the indicating means, by means of which the proximity to the location of the vehicle can be determined. However, a processing device may additionally be provided for processing the received data, i.e. the processing then takes place independently of the signal receiving device.
Vehicles are now increasingly equipped with signaling devices such as WiFi (i.e., wireless communication means) bluetooth or the like. In this case, these signal transmitting means may also transmit to an area outside the vehicle, so that the signals can be received by a device outside the vehicle (such as the described portable device) via the corresponding signal receiving means. In the case of a mobile phone or smart phone, a receiving interface (i.e. signal receiving means) already present in the device may be used for this purpose. In another portable device (e.g. a car key), it may be necessary that the other portable device has to be adapted accordingly, i.e. a corresponding signal receiving means, such as a WiFi interface or a bluetooth receiver, has to be installed.
The same applies to the indicating means, that is, the indicating means already installed in the portable device may be used, or the indicating means may be provided afterwards. In the case of a mobile phone or smart phone, the indication may be used to provide a visual indication of the location of the vehicle, for example by an arrow indicating a direction towards the location. Further, a speaker function may be used to provide an audible signal, or a vibration function may be used to provide a tactile signal. Combinations of visual and/or audible and/or tactile signals may also be used to indicate the location of the vehicle.
The signaling may be designed to be variable in its strength depending on the distance between the portable device and the vehicle. Here, the tactile indication (e.g., vibration) may have a slower frequency in the case of a larger distance from the vehicle than in the case of a smaller distance. The closer the portable device is to the vehicle, the faster and/or brighter the visual indication may blink and the louder the audible indication may become. The terms large distance and small distance depend on the type of signal, the receiver in the portable device (i.e. the associated transmission or reception range), but also on personalized values set by the user, for example. For example, either preset or user-set may be: an indication should be made from a distance of 10m from the vehicle. The distance may also be chosen smaller or larger. The distances may also be individually selected according to the scene when the vehicle is equipped to recognize the current scene. For example, when searching for a vehicle in a parking garage, the indication may be made at a distance of 10m, whereas when the user is picked up by a driver or an autonomous vehicle, the indication may be made at a distance of 50m, if the signaling of the vehicle and the receiving capabilities of the portable device allow it.
The distance to the vehicle can be determined by the signal strength, i.e. the stronger the signal, the closer the portable device is to the vehicle. In this case it is advantageous if the type of signal is known, for example WiFi or bluetooth. It is also advantageous to know the arrangement of the signal generator on the vehicle. From which it can be determined what distance the portable device is from the vehicle and from which direction the portable device is approaching. Thus, it is possible to determine what indication strength is indicated and from what signal strength it is determined that the portable device is on the vehicle or sufficiently close to the vehicle so that the signaling can be terminated.
As described above, it is advantageous to increase the strength of signaling, that is, the signal strength becomes higher, as the portable device gets closer to the vehicle, that is, the distance between the portable device and the vehicle is smaller. Termination of the signaling may occur when the portable device is within a predetermined distance (e.g., within 2 m) from the vehicle, wherein this may also be set individually by the user. The distance between the portable device and the vehicle may be defined differently. The distance may be, for example, between the signal generator and the portable device, or between an outer end of the vehicle, from which the portable device approaches, and the portable device, or between another defined point or location on the vehicle and the portable device. The definition may depend on the existing equipment of the vehicle and on the portable device used, that is to say on the information available about the signal, the signal itself or other settings (for example presets of the manufacturer or of the user).
For example, if the signal generator is located in the region of the windshield of the vehicle, the signal may be transmitted in all directions around the vehicle. It should be noted that the vehicle has certain dimensions in the longitudinal and transverse directions. Therefore, in the case where it is detected from which direction the portable device is approaching, the following distances are considered: from which it is determined that the portable device is on or sufficiently close to the vehicle in order to terminate the signaling. This can be done by a separate processing device located in the portable device or in the vehicle, or by information sent together with the signal and processed accordingly in the portable device. For this purpose, the portable device (for example a car key) may have a corresponding processing device, or the processing device may be integrated in the signal receiving device.
Advantageously, the signal generators of the portable device and the vehicle can be recognized by each other via a secure connection and connected or communicated to each other accordingly. Such methods are known, for example, from the WLAN field.
In order to avoid undesired movements of the vehicle, different measures can be provided. For example, the indication may be provided after a certain delay time from leaving the vehicle. It may be determined that the portable device is moving away from the vehicle and therefore no indication should be performed. In this case it would be advantageous to: the following predeterminations are made: the portable device is in or near the vehicle before moving away from the vehicle, for example within a radius of less than 2 m. Thus, it is possible to avoid making no indication to a user who searches his vehicle and is far away from the vehicle.
In addition, in the case of using a mobile phone or a smart phone, a sound or vibration type specific to a vehicle search other than a phone call may be used.
In addition, other functions may be activated on or in the vehicle when it has been detected that the portable device is approaching the vehicle. The vehicle may for example be unlocked automatically when the portable device is located within a predetermined distance (e.g. less than 3m) from the vehicle. Air conditioning, radio, engine, etc. may also be started. It is also possible to detect which portable device is approaching and therefore who the driver will be. This can be done in case the portable device is assigned to a user and thus certain settings can be assigned to the user, as is often the case today. Thus, in addition to the type of indication and the distance setting, also settings adapted to the corresponding driver (e.g. seat adjustments or radio and air conditioning settings) may be made simultaneously.
In principle, at least part of the described functionality may be provided via a software application at least partly in the portable device. The software application is used to process the signal and select the appropriate type of indication, e.g. according to the detected user and/or the detected scene, e.g. parking garage, parking lot, pick-up user, etc. The software application may be executed partly in the portable device and partly in the vehicle, for example, depending on what information is provided by the vehicle. If, for example, already prepared information is transferred from the vehicle to the portable device, it is possible, for example, to implement only in the portable device: which type of indication is to be selected. However, a large amount of information may also be determined by the portable device, so that the software application has to perform processing in the portable device. At a minimum, the software application in the portable device must adjust the indication according to the signal strength.
It is particularly helpful to find a vehicle with the proposed portable device in the following cases: a vehicle is parked in e.g. a parking garage or a larger parking lot, many similar vehicles are in the vicinity of the vehicle, or even the vehicle is not used for a longer time and the user does not remember exactly where he left the vehicle. It may also be helpful for the portable device to indicate the location of the vehicle when the vehicle is used by multiple people and parked in different locations. Therefore, even if the previous user has made a description of the place, the new user can find the vehicle more easily.
By indicating that the portable device is approaching the vehicle, the proximity of the vehicle to the portable device is also included. Thus, in the case of a user being picked up, for example, by a driver or other driver, but also by an autonomous vehicle, the user can be prepared for the arrival of the vehicle. Thus, the user can for example stand or stand at a specific place of the pickup with a conversation partner without having to wait for an unnecessarily long time there. This may be particularly advantageous when it is raining and the take-up should take place in open air.
Furthermore, through direct, advantageously secured communication between the vehicle and the portable device, inappropriate use of functions such as unlocking the vehicle can be largely avoided.
In addition to the possibility of portable device indication, the indication may still be performed by the vehicle, e.g. turning on lights, light signals even running in welcome mode, horn sounds, music, etc.
Drawings
Advantageous embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of relevant components required to find a vehicle and perform a method according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
Fig. 2a and 2b exemplarily show an implementation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure and an indication intensity in the case of a large distance from the vehicle.
Fig. 3a and 3b exemplarily show an implementation according to another embodiment of the present disclosure and an indication distance in case of a small distance from the vehicle.
Detailed Description
In the following description of the figures, identical elements or functions are provided with the same reference numerals.
Fig. 1 shows the interaction of the described system comprising a vehicle 1 and a portable device 2. For communication with the portable device 2, the vehicle 1 has a signal transmission means or signal generator 11 which transmits a corresponding signal S (for example WiFi or bluetooth) to the outside of the vehicle 1 for finding the vehicle 1. The signal strength is shown in the figure by arcuate lines at different distances from each other. The portable device 2, which may for example be a mobile phone (e.g. a smart phone) or a car key, has at least one signal receiving means 21 and an indicating means 22. The indication means 22 may be composed of a plurality of parts, for example of a display for visual indication and/or a sound output unit, such as a loudspeaker for visual indication, and/or of a tactile device which can vibrate.
Fig. 2a, 2b and 3a, 3b schematically show how signal strength affects the behavior of a portable device communicated via tactile indication. This means that the basic procedure of the method is shown here. In fig. 2a, the distance a between the vehicle 1 and the portable device 2 is large, and therefore the signal strength of the signal emitted by the signal generator 11 of the vehicle 1 is relatively weak, which is indicated by the larger distance between the arcs of the signal S, which is in any case weak, such as in the case of the smaller distance shown in fig. 3 a. Fig. 2b shows that in the case of a large distance a, a slower vibration frequency is used than in the case of a small distance. In the case of a smaller distance, that is to say with a higher signal strength, a higher frequency is used, as indicated by the arcs of the signal S which are closer to one another, as shown in fig. 2 b.

Claims (11)

1. A portable device (2) for finding a vehicle (1), the portable device (2) comprising:
-at least one signal receiving means (21) configured for receiving a signal (S) emitted by the vehicle (1) and determining from said signal a distance between the signal receiving means (21) and the device that transmitted said signal (S),
-at least one indication means (22) configured to output an indication depending on the determined distance.
2. Portable device (2) according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the signal receiving means (21) and the apparatus transmitting the signal (S) is determined based on the detected signal strength of the signal (S).
3. The portable device (2) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the indication is terminated in case a predetermined distance is reached.
4. Portable device (2) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the indication is stronger the smaller the distance between the signal receiving means (21) and the apparatus sending the signal (S).
5. Portable device (2) according to any of the previous claims, wherein the indication is a visual and/or an audible and/or a tactile indication.
6. The portable device (2) of claim 5, wherein the tactile indication is a vibration of the portable device (2).
7. Portable device (2) according to any of the preceding claims, being a mobile phone with said signal receiving means (21) and indicating means (22) for indicating; or the portable device (2) is a car key comprising the signal receiving means (21) and an indicating means (22).
8. A method for finding a vehicle, the method being at least partly implemented as a software application at least partly in a portable device (2) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a signal emitted by a vehicle (1) is received and processed in such a way that a distance between a signal receiving means (21) and a device sending the signal (S) is determined from the signal and an indication is output depending on the determined distance.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the indication is a visual and/or audible and/or tactile indication, wherein the smaller the distance, the stronger the indication; and/or terminating the indication in case a predetermined value of the distance is reached.
10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the portable device (2) is a mobile phone or a car key.
11. A system for finding a vehicle (1), comprising at least:
-a vehicle (1) having at least one signalling means (11) configured for transmitting signals to the outside of the vehicle (1), and
-a portable device (2) according to any of claims 1 to 7.
CN201880096318.0A 2018-08-16 2018-08-16 Portable device, method and system for finding vehicle Pending CN112534484A (en)

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PCT/CN2018/100723 WO2020034129A1 (en) 2018-08-16 2018-08-16 Portable device, method and system for finding vehicle

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE10063971A1 (en) * 2000-12-20 2002-07-04 Beatrix Sanders-Esser Location of a parked vehicle by a driver using a mobile field strength evaluation device working in conjunction with a base field strength emitter associated with the vehicle
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EP3837678A4 (en) 2022-04-06
EP3837678A1 (en) 2021-06-23

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