DE102021134156A1 - Method for operating a WLAN router in a motor vehicle and a correspondingly equipped motor vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a WLAN router (13), which provides radio-based network access (14) to a data network (15) in a predetermined room (12), the network access (14) for at least one mobile terminal device (17) of a respective user (16) is only released if the respective end device (17) successfully registers with the WLAN router (13) using current access data (19). The access data (19) are provided by means of an output device (20) for contactless transmission to the terminal (17). The invention provides that a monitoring circuit (23) monitors a predetermined absence condition (21), which is met if the respective user (16) and/or the at least one terminal (17) since the last login in the lounge (12) is absent again. In the event that the monitoring circuit (23) detects that the absence condition (21) is met for at least a predetermined minimum period of time, the access data (19) of the WLAN router (13) are updated by the monitoring circuit (23) with changed, updated access data ( 24) and made available by means of the output device (20).

Description

The invention relates to a method for operating a WLAN router or WLAN router in order to provide radio-based network access to a data network in a predetermined room (e.g. a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle or in a waiting room of an office building). Network access is only released for a user's end device if the end device in question successfully registers with the WLAN router using current access data. The invention also relates to a motor vehicle in whose passenger compartment a data network is provided by means of a WLAN router. The motor vehicle can be used to transport different passengers alternately and/or together, e.g. as part of a “ride sharing”.

The use of “ride sharing” offers is becoming increasingly popular and autonomous taxis will also play an important role in the future. A small number of people can share a large-capacity taxi here. As a convenience function, passengers can be provided with free WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) using a WLAN router, which can be used, for example, to provide Internet access or access to an entertainment database (music, series, films, games). Passengers gain access to such a vehicle WLAN either by manually entering the access data or by scanning a QR code (see, for example DE 10 2019 004 721 A1 ) or by reading an NFC tag. Once this data has been read in, it is permanently stored on the passenger's smartphone.

However, access to this WLAN should be limited to the duration of the current journey. Otherwise, the WLAN and thus the services offered could also be accessed after the end of the journey if the relevant vehicle is nearby.

This problem is not limited to vehicles with WiFi routers. Wherever guests are to be granted temporary WLAN network access, this restriction may be necessary, for example in the waiting room of a doctor's office. In general, we are therefore talking about a “lounge” in which radio-based network access to a data network is provided. In the aforesaid way, the accommodation space can be a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle or a waiting room, these being only examples. The aim is therefore to prevent a former passenger or, in general, a user of a mobile device from continuing to connect to the data network and continue to use the services offered after actually using the network access. In addition, it should be prevented that the smartphone / mobile device of a former passenger / user unintentionally reconnects to the network access at a later point in time - just because it happens to be within range.

However, smartphones have the property of automatically reconnecting to a known WLAN as soon as it is within range. So if a former passenger is walking through the city and happens to drive past a previously used ride-sharing vehicle nearby, the smartphone would automatically connect to this WLAN. On the one hand, this is critical against the background of data protection (tracking) and, on the other hand, it can result in restrictions for the user when using their smartphone if the smartphone tries to establish an Internet connection via the WLAN network, which may be far away at the time, and not via their own cellular connection.

From the DE 10 2018 214 630 A1 It is known that for a rental vehicle, the access data for a radio-based network access to a data network of the vehicle are reset when the vehicle is rented again. To do this, however, the password must be agreed using a server when the rental agreement is concluded and transmitted to the motor vehicle via a network connection. If you fail to do this, the old password will remain in the vehicle.

From the WO 2016 / 162 103 A1 measures are known to detect the removal of a mobile terminal from a motor vehicle. In addition, measures are known for determining the identity of a user of a terminal device. This is used to assign the current responsibility for the motor vehicle to a specific person.

From the DE 10 2017 117 296 A1 It is known to use a seat occupancy detector to detect which seat in a vehicle interior is currently occupied. This makes it possible to check whether a registered person has actually taken part in a reserved ride in a ride-sharing offer.

From the DE 10 2015 226 643 A1 It is known to use the so-called MAC address of mobile terminals on the one hand and a list of permitted terminals on the other to check whether a detected mobile terminal should have access to a radio network. This is what everyone needs however, maintaining or updating said list.

A motor vehicle with a WLAN data network for the vehicle interior is also from the WO 2020/226 700 A1 known.

The invention is based on the object of restricting radio-based access to a data network to those users who are in a predetermined lounge, in particular a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle.

Current vehicles already support the possibility of offering a WLAN WLAN network in the passenger compartment and/or in the vehicle environment. It is already possible to register or log in to the radio-based network access of this data network with a mobile device by manually and/or voice-based entering the access data and/or scanning a QR code and/or reading an NFC tag. However, this access data can then be stored permanently in the respective mobile device, which could make it possible to log in again later.

As a solution to the above-mentioned problem that arises as a result, the invention includes a method for operating a WLAN router WLAN, the said radio-based network access to the data network being provided by the WLAN router in a predetermined room (e.g. in a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle , in an office building, in a waiting room, e.g. a doctor's surgery or in a public place) and the network access for at least one mobile device of a respective user is only released if the device successfully registers with the WLAN router using current access data. The access data are provided by an output device for contactless transmission to the terminal. Here, “WLAN” and “WLAN” mean in particular the radio technology according to the IEEE standard 802.1x, in particular 802.11. The terms “WLAN” and “WiFi” are used synonymously here. The access data can in particular include a password which is assigned to an SSID (service set identifier) of the network access in the known manner and which must be signaled for successful registration at the network access. The output device can provide the current access data in the known manner as a QR code on at least one screen in the lounge and/or via at least one NFC transmitter in the lounge.

In order to block permanent use of the network access to the data network for an external or unauthorized end device after the end device is no longer in the lounge, it is provided that a monitoring circuit monitors a predetermined absence condition that signals that the respective user and/or the respective end device has not been in the common room since the last login to the network access or is absent there again. In the event that the monitoring circuit detects that the absence condition is met for at least a predetermined minimum period of time, the access data of the WLAN router are replaced by changed, updated access data by the monitoring circuit and made available by the output device. This means that the previously valid access data is invalid or unusable. The absence condition can be designed by a person skilled in the art in such a way that it is met if all terminals currently authorized for network access are absent at a given point in time, i.e. if the lounge is empty or at least no terminal is registered for the monitored network access. Alternatively, it can be provided that the absence condition is already met when an individual terminal is no longer detected or is absent, even in the event that at least one other terminal is still logged on to the network access or is authorized or is at least in the lounge is located. Said minimum period of time can be set to a suitable value by a person skilled in the art. If the minimum time period is set to zero, the step described is carried out immediately when the absence condition is met, ie the access data is updated. However, the minimum period of time can also be in a range of values from 10 seconds to one day, just to name examples. Said monitoring circuit can be based on at least one microprocessor and/or microcontroller. For example, in the case of a motor vehicle whose vehicle interior or passenger compartment is monitored as a lounge, the monitoring circuit can be implemented by a control unit or a combination of several control units of the motor vehicle.

The advantage of the invention is that by setting or defining or programming the absence condition in the monitoring circuit, an automatic update or new setting or changing of the access data is triggered. For example, if a passenger in a motor vehicle leaves the passenger compartment or a predetermined area of the passenger compartment monitored by the monitoring circuit, for example the back seat of the motor vehicle, this can be the case this can be used as a trigger for updating the access data. Thus, no maintenance or updating of the access data by an operator is necessary. Nevertheless, the data network in the motor vehicle is protected from a mobile device that was authorized or approved by access data, for example, during a previous trip or use and which should no longer be authorized, can continue to use the network access. If the user of this terminal device no longer uses the motor vehicle but is only in its vicinity, he will no longer be able to access the motor vehicle's data network with the previous old access data. Likewise, when leaving a common room, such as a waiting room, for example in a doctor's office, or in a public place, for example a marketplace, it can be ensured that after leaving the respective common room, a mobile device of a user with the access data stored in the mobile End device are stored, when re-entering the common room or in the vicinity of the common room in the transmission range of the WLAN router, this means that no connection or access to the data network can take place.

Of course, at least one further network access with permanent or static access data can also be operated for the respective lounge, for example for a mobile terminal device of a driver of a motor vehicle whose network access should not be impaired by a change of driving customers.

A smartphone or a tablet PC or a smartwatch can be monitored as a mobile end device, to name just a few.

The invention also includes developments that result in additional advantages.

A development includes the monitoring circuit receiving a sensor signal from at least one sensor. The respective sensor generates a sensor signal which is correlated with a presence and/or absence of at least one person in a predetermined spatial area in the recreation room. Accordingly, the absence condition includes that the sensor signal has a sensor value and/or a time profile which signals the absence of any person in the spatial area. In other words, the check as to whether the access data should be reset or reset is sensor-based. The at least one sensor used for this purpose can monitor or sense the entire lounge or just a partial area, for example a lounge area or seating area for the at least one user with his or her terminal device. In a motor vehicle, the at least one sensor can be used, for example, to monitor a occupied area or room area for passengers, so that the behavior of a driver, for example, does not affect the access data. The sensor-based triggering of the renewal of the access data has the advantage that the access data is automatically updated in the WLAN router if it is recognized from the sensor signal that an update is necessary or that the update cannot cause any disruption to the operation of end devices.

A further development includes that the monitoring circuit receives an occupancy signal from a seat occupancy detector of at least one seat in the lounge and includes the absence condition that a predetermined seat or a predetermined group of seats in the lounge changes from an "occupied status" to an "unoccupied status". . In other words, the detection that no terminal device is present or present occurs indirectly by checking whether a user is in the at least one seat or seat. If the lounge is the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, for example at least one vehicle seat, for example a seat on a back seat in a passenger car, and/or the vehicle seats in a passenger bus can be monitored using the seat occupancy detector. Corresponding seat occupancy detectors are known from the prior art, as has already been described above. If there are several seats in the lounge, the occupancy signal can also be used to distinguish between seats and only a single seat or a predetermined group, in particular a subgroup of seats, can be monitored with regard to the occupied status/unoccupied status. The occupied status indicates that one person is sitting on the seat at a time, while the unoccupied status indicates that the seat is free.

A further development includes that the monitoring circuit receives a status signal from a transceiver unit of an ultra-wideband communication unit, UWB communication unit, which signals a connection status of a UWB connection to the terminal device, and the absence condition includes that the UWB connection is terminated became. A UWB communication unit can operate a broadband radio link with a terminal that has a bandwidth of more than 500 MHz. Such a radio connection can be provided, for example, for locating the terminal device in the recreation room or in an area around the recreation room be. In a motor vehicle, a UWB communication unit can be used, for example, to locate or localize a vehicle key or a terminal that is to be used as a vehicle key or as an identifier for the driver. A corresponding communication unit for operating such a UWB radio connection can signal the connection status, which shows whether UWB reception or a UWB connection with a terminal device has currently been successfully established or is being operated. This can be expected when a terminal is in or around the living space within a predetermined maximum distance, for example within 10 meters or within 5 meters, and then the network access is used. If the UWB connection then breaks down again, it can be assumed that the terminal has been removed from the recreation room and/or has been removed from the recreation room beyond the maximum distance, for example by a motor vehicle. It can then be assumed that the access data from this end device is no longer required and the access data can be updated accordingly.

A further development includes that the monitoring circuit receives detection data from an interior camera and/or an ultrasonic sensor and/or a radar and includes the absence condition that the detection data is used to detect that any person is absent. In other words, the presence of a mobile terminal device and/or its user can be monitored based on images or cameras. For example, a difference signal can be generated that includes the subtraction of pixel values or color intensity values of corresponding pixels of two images that were generated at different recording times. As long as a user with an end device is in the area covered by the indoor camera after successfully establishing a connection to the network access in the lounge, the difference signal results in difference values other than 0 if the first camera image was generated before a person entered, i.e. when the lounge was empty, or due to a movement of the user, which can always be taken for granted in the case of human users. If the recreation room is empty, on the other hand, the difference signal or difference image results in differential values of 0, from which an empty recreation room can be recognized, so that in this case the network access is no longer required and the access data can therefore be updated. In addition or as an alternative to this, an occupant observation can be used, as is known, for example, for a motor vehicle. An occupant observation can include a person model that is harmonized or matched with the image data, that is to say a current state of a user in the recreation room can be described using the person model. Corresponding occupant observations are known per se from the prior art. If the occupant monitoring signals that no user is present in the lounge or does not require network access, the access data can be updated. In addition or as an alternative to this, the image data can also provide infrared information if the interior camera has infrared detection. As a result, the inherent heat of a user's body can be used to detect the presence of a user in the recreation room. If no person is successfully detected based on the image data, it can be assumed that no person is present, ie in particular no user of a terminal, and the access data can be updated. Such a detection can additionally or alternatively be based on ultrasound and/or radar.

A further development includes that the monitoring circuit receives a user ID from a locking system of the common room, which is assigned to a radio key and/or a digital access key and/or a predetermined identification feature, by means of which the common room was last unlocked, and the absence condition includes that thereafter another user ID is signaled. Such a locking system can be provided in a motor vehicle, for example. But a locking system can also be available in an office building. An identification feature can, for example, be a biometric feature, for example a fingerprint, an iris scan, a result of image processing of a body image and/or facial image of the user. A digital access key can be provided in a smartphone, for example, which can be operated like a radio key by means of a radio module in relation to the key system. A locking system can use a radio key or a digital access key to determine a user ID that is assigned to the relevant radio key or digital access key. If the person responsible for unlocking the lounge changes, for example if the driver of a motor vehicle changes, this can be taken as a trigger for updating the access data, since another person in particular has now assumed responsibility for the lounge . This can be detected by changing or changing the user ID. The user ID can, for example, contain the name of the bearer of the Radio key / digital access key and / or include a sequence of digits assigned to it. By waiting until a change in the user ID is signaled, there is the advantage that a person can lock the lounge, for example a driver can lock a motor vehicle whose passenger compartment is monitored as a lounge, for example to run an errand , and can then unlock the common room again without the access data changing in the meantime due to the absence. Only when a different or new user ID is recognized will the access data be updated.

A further development includes that the monitoring circuit monitors a data transmission taking place via the network access and/or a connection status of a network connection operated via the network access and includes the absence condition that the data transmission is inactive and/or the network connection to the connection status "disconnected" (not connected ") is reset. In other words, the actual use of the network access by the at least one end device can be taken into account. If there is no data traffic for the said predetermined minimum period of time and/or all network connections are disconnected again, this can be used as a trigger, update or reset the access data If, for example, a motor vehicle whose passenger compartment is monitored as a lounge is parked overnight and there is no one in the vehicle, this can be the trigger for updating the access data.

A development includes that in addition to the network access, at least one further network access is provided, with different access data being provided for each network access and the output device issuing the different access data at different seats in the common room and/or the network accesses via different subnets (e.g. a layer 2 isolation) are kept separate from each other. In other words, the administration or the resetting or updating of the access data can take place individually for each network access. For example, a separate network access can be provided for each mobile device, so that in the event that a user leaves the common room with his device and his network access therefore receives updated access data, at least one other user who is still in the common room does not have any His network access is impaired because different access data apply to him and these remain unchanged. If several network accesses with different access data are provided, they can also be kept separate in the data network by different subnets, i.e. data traffic that is fed into the data network via one network access cannot be directly observed or read from another network access . For example, the subnets can be separated by using different network masks or subnet masks, so that knowledge of the subnet mask at a network access does not yet enable a user to estimate or guess the data packets or addresses of data packets of other subnet masks.

Furthermore, a segmentation of the network into so-called virtual LANs (VLANs) can be achieved. Additional information (e.g. a VLAN ID) is included in the packet headers of the data packets in order to logically separate the networks/VLANs from one another.

A further development includes the access data for a network access being checked when a network connection is established between the terminal device and the WLAN router and several times during operation of the network connection. If the access data is checked several times during the operation of the network connection, changing the access data can ensure that every network connection that has already been established or exists can continue to be monitored to determine whether the end device can still prove valid or current access data. For this purpose, all frames / data packets of the network data traffic (except possibly management frames) are encrypted and if the access data (i.e. SSID and/or passphrase) change, the frames can then no longer be decrypted and the connection is terminated immediately. The passphrase that the user enters can be converted in a known manner, e.g. into a 64-byte key, which - depending on the duration of the connection and the network parameters - can be automatically exchanged in the meantime (so-called rekeying). When changing the passphrase / access data in the WLAN network, the WLAN standard stipulates that all key material is discarded, so that "old" clients are discarded automatically.

As already explained, the method can be used for lounges in different environments. Use in a motor vehicle is preferred, since customer traffic can occur here, for example in the area of a taxi service or ride-sharing (ie several people who do not know each other book themselves as a passenger in a motor vehicle for a joint trip). In the context of this description, a taxi includes a vehicle with a driver or an autonomously operated transport solution. For example, a taxi can also be an autonomous “driving capsule”.

As a further solution, the invention accordingly comprises a motor vehicle with a passenger compartment as a lounge and with a WLAN router for a data network and with an output device for contactless transmission of access data for a network access of the data network to a user's terminal device. In addition, a monitoring circuit is provided for monitoring a predetermined absence condition, which signals that the user and/or his terminal device has been absent from the motor vehicle since the last login, the motor vehicle being set up to carry out an embodiment of the method according to the invention. In the manner described, the monitoring circuit can be based on at least one microprocessor, which can be provided, for example, in a control device or, in the case of a plurality of microprocessors, alternatively in a combination of control devices. The monitoring circuit can also be implemented by a central computer in the motor vehicle. The absence condition can be implemented, for example, as software or as program code for the at least one microprocessor. For this purpose, the program code can be stored in a data memory which can be coupled to the at least one microprocessor. In general, the method steps described can be implemented by a program code or program instructions which, when executed by at least one microprocessor, are set up to cause this at least one microprocessor to carry out the respective embodiment of the method. In the manner described, these program instructions or the program code can be stored in a data memory which can be coupled to the at least one microprocessor.

The invention also includes developments of the motor vehicle according to the invention, which have components as have already been described in connection with the developments of the method according to the invention. For this reason, the corresponding developments of the method according to the invention are not described again here.

The invention also includes combinations of the features of the developments described.

• Fig. eine schematische Darstellung einer Draufsicht auf eine Ausführungsform des erfindungsgemäßen Kraftfahrzeugs, in welchem eine Ausführungsform des erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens durchgeführt werden kann.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below. The only figure shows this:

• 2 shows a schematic representation of a plan view of an embodiment of the motor vehicle according to the invention, in which an embodiment of the method according to the invention can be carried out.

The exemplary embodiments explained below are preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention. In the exemplary embodiments, the described components each represent individual features of the invention to be considered independently of one another, which also develop the invention independently of one another and are therefore also to be regarded as part of the invention individually or in a combination other than that shown. Furthermore, the exemplary embodiments described can also be supplemented by further features of the invention already described.

Elements with the same function are each provided with the same reference symbols in the figure.

The figure shows a motor vehicle 10, which can be a motor vehicle, for example a passenger car or truck, or a passenger bus. The motor vehicle 10 can also be a passenger train or an airplane or a spaceship, for example. A passenger compartment 11 of the motor vehicle 10 can represent a lounge 12 in the sense already described. However, a waiting room in a doctor's surgery or an office building or a floor in an office building or a room in an office building or a publicly accessible space, for example a marketplace, can also be provided outside of a motor vehicle (i.e. a roof over the lounge is not absolutely necessary). These are just examples of possible lounges. In the following it is assumed that the lounge 12 is the passenger compartment 11 of the motor vehicle 10 in order to further describe the implementation example.

Network access 14 to a data network 15 can be provided in recreation room 12 by means of a WLAN router 13, as is the case, for example, in motor vehicle 10 for providing an Internet connection and/or for providing media content, for example video films and/or music files or a data stream with music data, can be provided. In the motor vehicle 10 or generally in the recreation room 12, at least one user 16 can stay, each with a mobile Terminal 17 wants to use the network access 14. For this purpose, a radio-based network connection 18 must be set up by the respective terminal device 17 in a manner known per se. In the WLAN router 13 it can be provided that only those terminals 17 which provide so-called credentials or access data 19 when the network connection 18 is set up or during operation are permitted for the network access 14 . The access data 19 can in particular provide what is known as a password or password data, as is known per se. So that a user 16 does not have to enter the access data 19 manually into their terminal 17, an output device 20 can be provided for the recreation room 12, i.e. for example in the motor vehicle 10, which displays the current access data 19 for retrieval or reading out by a terminal 17 can provide, for example on the basis of a QR code (QR - Quick Response) and / or on the basis of an NFC transmission (NFC - Near Field Communication).

In the motor vehicle 10 or in general for the recreation room 12, it can be provided that the access data is updated or reset when a predetermined absence condition 21 is met, i.e. changed, so that a mobile terminal device 17 that has meanwhile no longer been in the recreation room 12 has or was absent there, cannot rebuild the network connection 18 for the network access 14 again with the old previous access data. This can be provided, for example, if the lounge 12 has been empty in the meantime. Different access data 19 can also be provided for different seats or seats 22, so that when an individual user 16 leaves the lounge 12 with his terminal 17, another user 16 with his terminal 17 continues to be unaffected with the data for his seat or seat 22 applicable access data can use its network connection 18 or can rebuild it.

The absence condition 21 can be monitored or checked by a monitoring circuit 23 which can then set or adjust the new access data or updated access data 24 in the output device 20 and the WLAN router 13 if the absence condition 21 is met. The previously valid access data 19 can then be marked as invalid or deleted.

The access data for the WLAN network are therefore not static and are updated automatically. The access data no longer has to be changed manually via an input device in the infotainment system.

• - die Konfiguration auf QR-Code oder NFC basieren kann und/oder
• - die Verfügbarkeit auf den mobilen Endgeräten nicht garantiert ist (im Gegensatz der „Consumer-Authentifizierung“) und/oder
• - der Implementierungsaufwand durch Bereitstellung eines Authentifizierungsservers (gegebenenfalls. sogar im Backend) wesentlich höher ist.

For a preferred usage scenario, authentication can now be implemented advantageously because:

• - the configuration can be based on QR code or NFC and/or
• - the availability on the mobile devices is not guaranteed (in contrast to "consumer authentication") and/or
• - the implementation effort is significantly higher due to the provision of an authentication server (possibly even in the backend).

The access data for a WLAN network (data network with radio-based network access) consists, for example, of a network identifier (SSID) and a password (passphrase). This data can be entered manually in a WLAN client (mobile device) or it can be "encoded" in a QR code or NFC tag. The QR code is created or the NFC tag is written by the WLAN access point (network access) that provides the WLAN network. The QR code is e.g. shown on one or more displays in the vehicle, the NFC tag is also located inside the vehicle, where it can be easily reached by the passengers.

When entering the vehicle, passengers can scan the QR code or the NFC tag with their mobile device / smartphone and thus gain access to the WLAN network.

The access data of the WLAN network are the same for all users and devices that are already connected, i.e. if the access data change while one or more WLAN clients (end devices) are currently connected to the WLAN network, these WLAN clients would lose the connection .

The access data can be updated at a time when there are no passengers in the vehicle. Current vehicles today have seat occupancy detection (a safety requirement anyway and therefore available in a motor vehicle as a seat occupancy detector). All current vehicles today usually have seat occupancy detection, so this implementation is possible without additional hardware/sensors. The WLAN access data should preferably be updated whenever the last seat is no longer occupied. When the access data is updated, the QR code and the NFC tag(s) are also updated at the same time.

The access data is updated automatically whenever there are no passengers there is more in the vehicle. This is done as early as possible and as late as necessary.

The detection of whether there are passengers in the vehicle can also or alternatively be carried out using an interior camera or other sensors such as UWB (Ultra Wide Band) and/or ultrasound and/or radar.

There can also be several (virtually) separate WLAN networks (one per seat or per seat), each with individual access data. Each seat would then have its own display to show the QR code or its own NFC tag. As an advantage for individual WLAN networks per user, one could also emphasize that the security for the connection at the end customer increases. Even today, "Layer2 Client Isolation" means that different clients / end devices can be treated separately from one another in terms of communication and therefore have no access to one another. However, this is not immediately comprehensible for the user. However, if the user is offered his own "disposable" WLAN (automatically updating access data), then - if not the actual security - at least the perceived security for the user increases.

The access data could also be updated when no end device is currently connected to the WLAN network (which should happen relatively soon after the passenger has got off the train).

Reference List

10

motor vehicle

11

passenger compartment

12

lounge

13

WLAN router

14

network access

15

data network

16

user

17

end device

18

network connection

19

access data

20

output device

21

absence condition

22

Seat

23

monitoring circuit

24

Updated credentials

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• DE 102019004721 A1 [0002]
• DE 102018214630 A1 [0006]
• WO 2016162103 A1 [0007]
• DE 102017117296 A1 [0008]
• DE 102015226643 A1 [0009]
• WO 2020226700 A1 [0010]

Claims (10)

Method for operating a WLAN router (13), the WLAN router (13) providing radio-based network access (14) to a data network (15) in a predetermined lounge (12) and the network access (14) for at least one mobile terminal (17) of a respective user (16) is only released if the respective terminal (17) successfully registers with the WLAN router (13) using current access data (19), the access data (19) using an output device (20) for contactless transmission to the terminal (17), characterized in that a monitoring circuit (23) monitors a predetermined absence condition (21) which is met if the respective user (16) and/or the at least one Terminal (17) has been absent again since the last registration in the recreation room (12), and in the event that the monitoring circuit (23) detects that the absence condition (21) is met for at least a predetermined minimum period of time, the monitoring circuit (23 ) the access data (19) of the WLAN router (13) are replaced by changed updated access data (24) and are provided by means of the output device (20). procedure after claim 1 , wherein the monitoring circuit (23) receives a sensor signal from at least one sensor, which generates a sensor signal which is correlated with a presence of at least one person in a predetermined spatial area in the recreation room (12), and the absence condition (21) comprises that the sensor signal has a sensor value and/or a time profile which signals the absence of any person in the spatial area. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the monitoring circuit (23) receives an occupancy signal from a seat occupancy detector of at least one seat of the lounge (12) and the absence condition (21) comprises that a pre-determined seat or a predetermined group of seats has an occupied status changes to an idle status. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the monitoring circuit (23) receives a status signal from a transceiver unit of an ultra-wideband communication unit, UWB communication unit, which signals a connection status of a UWB connection with the terminal device (17), and the Absence condition (21) includes that the UWB connection has been terminated. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the monitoring circuit (23) receives detection data from an interior camera and/or an ultrasonic sensor and/or a radar and the absence condition (21) comprises that it is detected on the basis of the detection data that in a predetermined location area in the lounge (12) and/or around the lounge (12) any person is absent. Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which the monitoring circuit (23) receives a user ID from a locking system in the recreation room (12) which corresponds to a radio key and/or a digital access key and/or a predetermined identification feature, by means of which the recreation room (12) was last unlocked, and the absence condition (21) includes signaling a different user ID thereafter. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the monitoring circuit (23) monitors data transmission taking place via the network access (14) and/or a connection status of a network connection (18) operated via the network access (14) and the absence condition (21) comprises that the Data transmission is inactive and/or the network connection (18) is reset to the connection status "disconnected" or "not connected". Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which at least one further network access (14) is provided in addition to the network access (14), different access data (24) being provided for each network access (14) and the output device (20) sending the different access data (24 ) at different seats in the recreation room (12) and/or the network accesses (14) are kept separate from one another by means of different subnets. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the access data (24) of a network access (14) is checked when a network connection (18) is established from the terminal device (17) to the WLAN router (13) and several times during operation of the network connection (18). become. Motor vehicle (10) with a passenger compartment (11) as a lounge (12) and with a WLAN router (13) for a data network (15) and with an output device (20) for contactless transmission of access data (24) of a network access (14 ) of the data network (15) to a terminal (17) of a user (16), characterized in that a monitoring circuit (23) is provided for monitoring a predetermined absence condition (21), which signals that the user (16) and/or his terminal device (17) has been absent from the motor vehicle (10) since the last login, wherein the motor vehicle (10) is set up to carry out a method according to one of the preceding claims.

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