Attachable vehicle controls

Abstract

The computer is programmed to receive commands in the vehicle via an ultra-short range transceiver mounted below an exterior surface of the vehicle and to actuate vehicle components based on the received commands.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to vehicle controls and, more particularly, to attachable vehicle controls. Background Art

[0002] Autonomous vehicles, sometimes referred to as self-driving vehicles, can operate partially or completely without user intervention. For example, a vehicle computer can control vehicle operation (e.g., steering, acceleration, braking, etc.). Thus, an autonomous vehicle may lack controls found in a non-autonomous vehicle to allow a user to control vehicle motion, for example, an autonomous vehicle may lack one or more of a vehicle steering wheel, a brake pedal, and / or an accelerator pedal, etc. Summary of the invention

[0003] According to the present invention, a computer is provided, wherein the computer programming is:

[0004] receiving the command in the vehicle via an ultra-short range transceiver mounted beneath an exterior surface of the vehicle; and

[0005] A vehicle component is actuated based on the received command.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the computer is further programmed to prevent the vehicle from rolling back after determining that the control device is attached to an outer surface of the vehicle trunk.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the invention, the computer is further programmed to prevent the vehicle from moving forward upon determining that the control device is attached to an outer surface of a hood of the vehicle.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the invention, the computer is further programmed to determine whether the control device is attached to an outer surface of a hood of the vehicle based on a location of the ultra-short range transceiver in the vehicle.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the received instruction includes at least one of a forward, reverse, brake, and steering request.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the invention, the computer is further programmed to receive instructions from a control device attachable to an exterior surface of the vehicle.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the invention, the control device comprises a second ultra short range transceiver.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the second ultra short range transceiver is a near field communication transceiver.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the invention, the computer is further programmed to determine whether the control device is attached to an exterior surface of the vehicle based on the received instruction.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the invention, the ultra short range transceiver is a near field communication transceiver.

[0015] According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle, comprising:

[0016] An ultra-short range transceiver mounted beneath an exterior surface of the vehicle; and

[0017] A computer in a vehicle that is programmed to:

[0018] receiving commands via an ultra-short range transceiver; and

[0019] A vehicle component is actuated based on the received command.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the invention, the computer is further programmed to receive instructions from a control device attachable to an exterior surface of the vehicle.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the invention, the computer is further programmed to receive instructions from a second wireless transceiver included in the control device.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the invention, the control device is magnetically attachable to an outer surface of the vehicle.

[0023] According to one embodiment of the invention, the computer is further programmed to receive instructions from the control device only when the control device is attached to a portion of the vehicle's exterior surface above the transceiver.

[0024] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the ultra-short range transceiver includes a first transceiver installed under a luggage compartment door of a vehicle and a second transceiver installed under a hood of the vehicle.

[0025] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the computer is further programmed to prevent the vehicle from rolling back after determining that a command is received via the first transceiver.

[0026] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the computer is further programmed to prevent the vehicle from moving forward upon determining that a command is received via the second transceiver.

[0027] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first transceiver is a first near field communication transceiver, and the second transceiver is a second near field communication transceiver. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1A-1B is a block diagram of a vehicle and an exemplary control device attached to an exterior surface of the vehicle;

[0029] Figure 2 shows the control device of Figure 1;

[0030] Figure 3 A control device having an ultra-short range communication transceiver and a portion of an exterior surface of a vehicle is shown;

[0031] Figure 4is a flow chart of an exemplary process for controlling vehicle operation;

[0032] Figure 5 is a flow chart of an exemplary process for sending operating commands to a vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] introduce

[0034] A computer is disclosed herein that is programmed to receive commands in a vehicle via an ultra-short range transceiver mounted below an exterior surface of the vehicle and to actuate vehicle components based on the received commands.

[0035] The computer may also be programmed to prevent the vehicle from rolling back upon determining that the control device is attached to an exterior surface of the vehicle trunk.

[0036] The computer may also be programmed to prevent the vehicle from moving forward upon determining that the control device is attached to an exterior surface of a hood of the vehicle.

[0037] The computer may also be programmed to determine whether the control device is attached to an exterior surface of a hood of the vehicle based on the location of the ultra-short range transceiver in the vehicle.

[0038] The received command may include at least one of a forward, reverse, brake, and steering request.

[0039] The computer may also be programmed to receive instructions from a control device attachable to an exterior surface of the vehicle.

[0040] The control device may include a second ultra short range transceiver. The second ultra short range transceiver may be a near field communication transceiver.

[0041] The computer may also be programmed to determine whether the control device is attached to an exterior surface of the vehicle based on the received instructions.

[0042] The ultra short range transceiver may be a near field communication transceiver.

[0043] Also disclosed herein is a vehicle including an ultra-short range transceiver mounted below an exterior surface of the vehicle, and a computer in the vehicle, the computer being programmed to receive instructions via the ultra-short range transceiver and actuate vehicle components based on the received instructions.

[0044] The computer may also be programmed to receive instructions from a control device attachable to an exterior surface of the vehicle.

[0045] The computer may also be programmed to receive instructions from a second wireless transceiver included in the control device.

[0046] The control device may be magnetically attached to an exterior surface of the vehicle.

[0047] The computer may also be programmed to receive instructions from the control device only when the control device is attached to a portion of the exterior surface of the vehicle above the transceiver.

[0048] The ultra short range transceiver may include a first transceiver mounted under a trunk door of the vehicle and a second transceiver mounted under a hood of the vehicle.

[0049] The computer may also be programmed to prevent the vehicle from rolling back upon determining that a command has been received via the first transceiver.

[0050] The computer may also be programmed to prevent the vehicle from moving forward upon determining that a command has been received via the second transceiver.

[0051] The first transceiver may be a first near field communication transceiver, and the second transceiver may be a second near field communication transceiver.

[0052] Also disclosed is a computing device programmed to perform any of the above method steps.

[0053] Also disclosed is a computer program product comprising a computer readable medium storing instructions executable by a computer processor to perform any of the above method steps.

[0054] Exemplary System Elements

[0055] Figure 1A-1B An exemplary control device 150 is shown attached to the vehicle 100 . Figure 1A and 1B A control device 150 is shown attached to the exterior surface 105 of the vehicle 100. Figure 1A In one example shown, the control device 150 is attached to a luggage compartment 160 of the vehicle 100. Figure 1B In another example shown, the control device 150 is attached to a hood 170 of the vehicle 100 .

[0056] The vehicle 100 may be powered in various known ways (e.g., using an electric motor and / or an internal combustion engine). The vehicle 100 may be a land vehicle (e.g., a car, a truck, etc.). Figure 1A-1B As shown, vehicle 100 may include a computer 110 , actuators 120 , sensors 130 , and a human machine interface (HMI) 140 .

[0057] The computer 110 includes a processor (such as is known) and a memory. The memory includes one or more forms of computer-readable media and stores instructions executable by the computer 110 to perform various operations, including the operations disclosed herein.

[0058] The computer 110 can operate the vehicle 100 in an autonomous mode, a semi-autonomous mode, or a non-autonomous mode. For the purposes of this disclosure, the autonomous mode is defined as a mode in which each of the propulsion, braking, and steering of the vehicle 100 is controlled by the computer 110; in the semi-autonomous mode, the computer 110 controls one or two of the propulsion, braking, and steering of the vehicle 100; and in the non-autonomous mode, the operator controls the propulsion, braking, and steering of the vehicle 100.

[0059] The computer 110 may include programming to operate one or more of land vehicle braking, propulsion (e.g., controlling the acceleration of the vehicle 100 by controlling one or more of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, an internal combustion engine / electric hybrid powertrain, etc.), steering, climate control, interior and / or exterior lights, etc.

[0060] The computer 110 may include or be communicatively connected to more than one processor (e.g., controllers included in the vehicle for monitoring and / or controlling various vehicle controllers (e.g., powertrain controller, brake controller, steering controller, etc.) (e.g., via a communication bus of the vehicle 100 as described below). The computer 110 is typically arranged to communicate over a vehicle communication network, which may include a bus in the vehicle (e.g., a controller area network (CAN), etc.), and / or other wired and / or wireless mechanisms.

[0061] Through the network of the vehicle 100, the computer 110 can send and / or receive messages to and from various devices in the vehicle, such as actuators 120, sensors 130, etc. Alternatively or additionally, where the computer 110 includes multiple devices, the communication network of the vehicle 100 can be used to communicate between the devices represented in this disclosure as the computer 110. In addition, as described below, various controllers and / or sensors can provide data to the computer 110 through the vehicle communication network.

[0062] The actuator 120 of the vehicle 100 is implemented by a circuit, chip, or other electronic and / or mechanical component that can actuate various subsystems of the vehicle 100 according to known appropriate control signals. The actuator 120 can be used to control the braking, acceleration, and steering of the vehicle 100.

[0063] The sensors 130 of the vehicle 100 may include various devices known to provide data via a vehicle communication bus. For example, the sensors may include one or more cameras, radars, and / or light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors 130 disposed within and / or on the vehicle 100 for providing data including at least some of the exterior of the vehicle 100. The computer 110 of the vehicle 100 may receive the object data and operate the vehicle in an autonomous and / or semi-autonomous mode based at least in part on the received object data.

[0064] The vehicle 100 may include a human machine interface (HMI) 140 configured to receive information from a user (e.g., an operator) during operation of the vehicle. For example, a user may select an operating mode (e.g., an autonomous mode) by inputting the requested operating mode via a user interface device (e.g., included in the HMI 140). In addition, the user interface device may be configured to present information to the user. Thus, the HMI 140 may be located in a passenger compartment of the vehicle 100. In one example, the computer 110 may output information indicating an operating mode of the vehicle 100 (e.g., an autonomous mode is deactivated due to, for example, receiving a control instruction from the control device 150).

[0065] like Figure 2 As shown, the control device 150 can receive user inputs and send these inputs to the computer 110 of the vehicle 100. The control device 150 may include an input element 210 (e.g., a knob, button, lever, etc.). The control device 150 may include a steering wheel 220. The control device 150 is typically attached to the exterior surface 105 of the vehicle 100, such as magnetically (as described below), as a means for providing such input to the user.

[0066] Because computer 110 can operate vehicle 100 without user input, autonomous vehicle 100 may lack a steering wheel, accelerator and / or brake pedals. However, in various situations, such as a malfunction in sensor 130, computer 110, etc., and / or during maintenance or repair at a service center, etc., autonomous vehicle 100 may operate in a non-autonomous mode. Therefore, user input including a requested steering angle, an acceleration request, and / or a requested brake pressure may be provided by control device 150.

[0067] refer to Figure 3 The computer 110 of the vehicle 100 is programmed to receive instructions via the ultra-short range transceiver 310 mounted below the exterior surface 105 of the vehicle 100. The computer 110 is also programmed to actuate components of the vehicle 100 (e.g., the actuator 120) based on the received instructions. The computer 110 can be programmed to receive instructions from a control device 150 that can be attached to the exterior surface 105 of the vehicle 100.

[0068] As used in this disclosure, the term "ultra-short range" communication means a communication protocol that operates between transceivers that are very close to each other, where very close is defined as no more than ten centimeters, and in many examples means four centimeters or less. An exemplary ultra-short range protocol in this disclosure is near field communication (NFC), and therefore ultra-short range transceivers 310, 320 are sometimes referred to as NFC transceivers 310, 320 in the context of the examples disclosed herein. NFC is a set of communication protocols that enable two electronic devices (e.g., a computer 110 and a control device 150 of a vehicle 100) to establish communication by bringing NFC transceivers 310, 320 very close to each other. Transceivers 310, 320 include electronic and / or radio frequency circuits (e.g., antennas). The antenna can be in the form of a coil, a printed circuit board, etc.

[0069] As described above, the transceiver 310 of the vehicle 100 is mounted below the outer surface 105 of the vehicle 100. The outer surface 105 is generally understood to be the outer surface of the body of the vehicle 100. The body of the vehicle 100 may be formed of metal, plastic, composite material, etc. The transceiver 310 may be mounted below the outer surface 105, for example, 1 cm below the outer surface 105. Therefore, when the control device 150 is placed on the outer surface 105 above the outer surface 105, the distance d between the transceivers 310, 320 is less than or equal to 4 cm. For example, the transceiver 320 of the control device 150 may be mounted inside the control device 150 to the bottom 340 of the device 150.

[0070] The control device 150 may be attached (e.g., magnetically) to the exterior 105 of the vehicle 100. For example, the control device 150 may include a magnet 300 in the form of a layer attached to the bottom 340 of the device 150 and / or disposed in the packaging of the device 150. As described above, the body of the vehicle 100 may be formed of metal and / or at least include metal. Thus, the magnet 300 may releasably attach the control device 150 to the exterior surface 105 of the vehicle 100. Additionally or alternatively, the magnet may be mounted below the exterior surface 105 of the vehicle 100 to releasably attach the control device 150 to the exterior surface 105. Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle 100 and / or the control device 150 may include a mechanical attachment (e.g., a ball or other shape) that is snap-fitted or otherwise secured in a socket, pin, clip, bolt, etc. to releasably attach the control device 150 to the exterior surface 105 of the vehicle 100.

[0071] In one example, the location where the transceiver 310 on the exterior surface 105 is mounted below the exterior surface 105 can be marked, for example, a printed symbol can be provided on the exterior surface 105, etc. and / or such a location can be specified in the user manual of the vehicle 100. A user (e.g., a service technician) can attach the control device 150 to the exterior surface 105, for example, at the location with the mark. The computer 110 of the vehicle 100 can be programmed to receive instructions from the control device 150 only when the control device 150 is attached to a portion of the exterior surface 105 above the transceiver 310 (e.g., because otherwise the distance d may exceed 4 cm). As described above, the NFC transceivers 310, 320 can communicate when they are located very close to each other (e.g., 4 cm). Therefore, in one example, the computer 110 can receive instructions only when the distance d is less than 4 cm. In one example, the computer 110 can be programmed to determine whether the control device 150 is attached to the exterior surface 105 of the vehicle 100 based on the received instruction (e.g., a request to start communication with the computer 110 of the vehicle 100). Computer 110 may be programmed to determine whether the received instruction is from control device 150 based on information stored in the memory of computer 110. For example, an identifier of control device 150 may be stored in the memory of computer 110.

[0072] The computer 110 may be programmed to receive instructions from the transceiver 320 of the control device 150. Thus, the processor of the control device 150 may be programmed to send instructions (eg including an identifier of the control device 150) to the computer 110 of the vehicle 100 via the transceivers 320, 310.

[0073] The computer 110 may be additionally programmed to determine whether the vehicle 100 may be controlled based on instructions received from the control device 150. For example, the computer 110 may output an approval request to the HMI 140 of the vehicle 100 and actuate the actuators 120 of the vehicle 100 only upon receiving a confirmation (e.g., user input) from the HMI 140 of the vehicle 100. In one example, the computer 110 may activate a non-autonomous operating mode of the vehicle 100 and actuate the actuators 120 of the vehicle 100 based on instructions (e.g., forward, reverse, brake, and / or steer, etc.) received from the control device 150. The control device 150 may be programmed to send such instructions to the computer 110 of the vehicle 100 based on input received through the input element 210, steering wheel 220, etc. of the control device 150.

[0074] The vehicle 100 may include a plurality of transceivers 310. In one example, the vehicle 100 may include a first transceiver 310 mounted below a door of a trunk 160 of the vehicle 100 and a second transceiver 310 mounted below a hood 170 of the vehicle 100. Thus, the computer 110 may be programmed to determine whether the control device 150 is attached to the exterior surface 105 of the trunk 160 of the vehicle 100 based on the location of the first transceiver 310 (in this case, the location, i.e., the location of the control device 150 relative to the surface 105, is the location of the device 150 on the surface 105). Additionally or alternatively, the computer 110 may be programmed to determine whether the control device 150 is attached to the exterior surface 105 of the hood 170 of the vehicle 100 based on the location of the second transceiver 310. Each of the first and second transceivers 310 may have a substantially unique identifier. Thus, the computer 110 may be programmed to determine whether the control device 150 is attached to the trunk 160 or the hood 170 based on an identifier of the transceiver 310 that is typically included in the received command.

[0075] As described above, the control device 150 can send a command for the vehicle 100 to move forward and / or backward. However, when the control device 150 is attached to the luggage compartment 160 (see Figure 1A ), the vehicle 100 moves backwards, which may pose a risk to a user standing behind the vehicle 100 to operate the control device 150. Similarly, when the control device 150 is attached to the hood 170, the vehicle 100 moves forward (see Figure 1B ) may pose a risk to a user standing in front of the vehicle 100 and operating the control device 150.

[0076] In one example, the computer 110 may be programmed to prevent the vehicle 100 from rolling back upon determining that the control device 150 is attached to the exterior surface 105 of the trunk 160 of the vehicle 100. The computer 110 may also be programmed to prevent the vehicle 100 from rolling back upon determining that a command is received via the first transceiver 310.

[0077] The computer 110 may be programmed to prevent the vehicle 100 from moving forward upon determining that the control device 150 is attached to the outer surface 105 of the hood 170 of the vehicle 100. The computer 110 may be programmed to prevent the vehicle 100 from moving forward upon determining that a command is received via the second transceiver 310.

[0078] process

[0079] Figure 4 is a flow chart of an exemplary process 400 for controlling operation of the vehicle 100. For example, the computer 110 of the vehicle 100 may be programmed to perform the blocks of the process 400.

[0080] Process 400 begins at decision block 410, where computer 110 determines whether control device 150 is attached to an exterior surface 105 (e.g., trunk 160) of vehicle 100. Computer 110 may be programmed to make such a determination upon receiving an identifier of control device 150 via transceiver 310 of vehicle 100, i.e., the location or position of device 150 may be determined based on the storage location or position of transceiver 310 reporting receipt of the identifier of control device 150. Additionally, computer 110 may be programmed to send a response to receiving the identifier of control device 150 via transceiver 310. For example, computer 110 may be programmed to send a confirmation message to control device 150. If the computer 110 determines that the control device 150 is attached to the outer surface 105 of the vehicle 100, the process 400 proceeds to box 420; otherwise, the process 400 ends (i.e., the vehicle 100 can operate in any applicable mode, such as an autonomous mode that does not receive instructions from the control device 150, a manual mode in which the vehicle 100 is usually operated by an operator according to conventional controls in the vehicle 100, etc.).

[0081] At box 420 , the computer 110 activates the non-autonomous mode of the vehicle 100 . In other words, the computer 110 may be programmed to activate operation of the vehicle 100 based on instructions from the control device 150 .

[0082] Next, at decision block 430, the computer 110 determines whether a command is received from the control device 150. The command may include a command to advance, reverse, brake, and / or turn. The computer 110 may be programmed to determine that a command is received from the control device 150 after determining that a command is received via the transceiver 310. If the computer 110 determines that a command is received from the control device 150, the process 400 proceeds to decision block 440; otherwise, the process 400 returns to decision block 410.

[0083] At decision block 440, the computer 110 determines whether the control device 150 is attached to the front (e.g., hood 170) or the rear (e.g., trunk 160) of the vehicle 100. In one example, the vehicle 100 includes a first transceiver 310 mounted under the door of the trunk 160 and a second transceiver 310 mounted under the hood 170. The computer 110 can be programmed to determine whether the control device 150 is attached to the front or rear of the vehicle 100 based on identifying one of the transceivers 310 through which the command was received. If the computer 110 determines that the control device 150 is mounted to the front (e.g., hood 170) of the vehicle 100, the process 400 proceeds to block 450; otherwise, the process 400 proceeds to block 460.

[0084] At box 450, the computer 110 disables the vehicle 100 from moving forward. For example, the computer 110 may be programmed to ignore instructions to move forward. Alternatively or additionally, the computer 110 may activate emergency brakes, etc.

[0085] At box 460, the computer 110 disables the reverse of the vehicle 100. For example, the computer 110 may be programmed to ignore the command to reverse. Alternatively or additionally, the computer 110 may activate an emergency brake or the like.

[0086] Next, at block 470, the computer 110 causes the vehicle 100 to perform an action. The computer 110 may be programmed, for example, to instruct the actuators 120 of the vehicle 100 to cause the vehicle 100 to move and / or turn. The computer 110 may be programmed to ignore a received instruction if the computer 110 has already stopped executing the received instruction. For example, the computer 110 may be programmed to ignore a forward instruction after determining that the forward movement of the vehicle 100 is disabled (see block 450). Additionally or alternatively, the computer 110 may be programmed to ignore a reverse instruction after determining that the reverse movement of the vehicle 100 is disabled (see block 460). After block 470, the process 400 ends, or (although Figure 4 ) alternatively returns to decision box 410.

[0087] Figure 5 is a flow chart of an exemplary process 500 for sending instructions from control device 150. In one example, a processor of control device 150 may be programmed to perform the blocks of process 500.

[0088] Process 500 begins at decision block 510, where the processor of control device 150 determines whether device 150 is attached to vehicle 100. In one example, control device 150 receives a signal from computer 110 of vehicle 100 via transceiver 310, 320 (see FIG. Figure 4 After receiving a response (e.g., confirming that the computer 110 has received a message from the device 150 via one of the transceivers 310, 320) at block 410 in the control unit 500, the process 500 determines whether the device 150 is attached to the vehicle 100. If the processor controlling the device 150 determines that the device 150 is attached to the vehicle 100, the process 500 proceeds to decision block 520; otherwise, the process 500 returns to decision block 510.

[0089] At decision block 520 , the processor of control device 150 determines whether user input is received, such as from input element 210 , steering wheel 220 , etc. If the processor of control device 150 determines that user input is received, process 500 proceeds to block 530 ; otherwise process 500 returns to decision block 510 .

[0090] At block 530, the control device 150 sends the instruction to the computer 110 of the vehicle 100 via the transceiver 320 of the device 150 and the transceiver 310 of the vehicle 100. In one example, the processor of the control device 150 may be programmed to determine the instruction based on received user input (e.g., rotation of the steering wheel 220, pushing the input element 210, etc.).

[0091] After block 530, process 500 ends, or (although Figure 5 ) alternatively returns to decision box 510.

[0092] The computing devices discussed herein generally each include instructions that can be executed by one or more computing devices (such as the computing devices described above) and for performing the blocks or steps of the above-described processes. The computer-executable instructions can be compiled or interpreted by a computer program created using a variety of programming languages ​​and / or techniques, including but not limited to Java, used alone or in combination. TM , C, C++, Visual Basic, Java Script, Perl, HTML, etc. Typically, a processor (e.g., a microprocessor) receives instructions, such as from a memory, a computer-readable medium, etc., and executes these instructions, thereby performing one or more steps, including one or more steps described herein. Various computer-readable media can be used to store and send such instructions and other data. Files in a computing device are typically a collection of data stored on a computer-readable medium such as a storage medium, a random access memory, etc.

[0093] Computer-readable media include any media that participate in providing data (e.g., instructions) that can be read by a computer. Such media can take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile media, volatile media, etc. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical disks or magnetic disks and other persistent memories. Volatile media include dynamic random access memory (DRAM) that usually constitutes main memory. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, floppy disks, foldable disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes, any other magnetic media, CD-ROMs, DVDs, any other optical media, punch cards, paper tapes, any other physical media with hole patterns, RAMs, PROMs, EPROMs, flash memory, EEPROMs, any other memory chips or cartridges, or any other medium that a computer can read.

[0094] It should be understood with respect to the media, processes, systems, methods, etc. described herein that, although the steps of these processes, etc. have been described as occurring according to a certain ordered sequence, these processes may be implemented by performing the described steps in an order other than the order described herein. It should also be understood that certain steps may be performed simultaneously, other steps may be added, or certain steps described herein may be omitted. In other words, the system and / or process descriptions herein are provided for the purpose of illustrating certain embodiments and should not be construed as limiting the disclosed subject matter.

[0095] It should therefore be understood that the present disclosure, including the above description and the accompanying drawings and the following claims, is intended to be illustrative rather than limiting. After reading the above description, many embodiments and applications other than the provided embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The scope of the rights to which the present invention is entitled should not be determined with reference to the above description, but should be determined with reference to the appended claims and the claims included in the non-provisional patent application based on the present invention, and the full scope of the equivalents of these claims. Future developments that may occur in the field discussed herein can be anticipated and intended, and the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into future embodiments. In general, it should be understood that the disclosed subject matter can be modified and varied.

Claims

1. A method for a vehicle, comprising: The command is received in the vehicle via an ultra-short range transceiver mounted below the outer surface of the vehicle; detecting a location of a control device based on communications via the ultra-short range transceiver; Limiting movement of the vehicle based on the detected position of the control device comprises: preventing the vehicle from rolling back if the detected position of the control device is an exterior surface of a trunk of the vehicle; as well as Advancement of the vehicle is prevented if the detected position of the control device is an exterior surface of a hood of the vehicle. 2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a location of the control device based on a location of the ultra-short range transceiver in the vehicle. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the received command includes at least one of a forward, reverse, brake, and steering request. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving instructions from a control device attachable to an exterior surface of the vehicle. The method of claim 4 , wherein the control device comprises a second ultra short range transceiver. The method of claim 5 , wherein the second ultra short range transceiver is a near field communication transceiver. 7 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising determining whether the control device is attached to the vehicle exterior surface based on the received instruction. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ultra short range transceiver is a near field communication transceiver.

9. A computing device programmed to perform the method of any one of claims 1-8.

10. A ground vehicle comprising a computing device programmed to perform the method of any one of claims 1-8.

11. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium storing instructions executable by a computer processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 8.

12. A vehicle comprising: an ultra-short range transceiver mounted beneath an exterior surface of the vehicle; and A computer in the vehicle, the computer being programmed to: receiving instructions via the ultra-short range transceiver; and detecting a location of a control device based on communications via the ultra-short range transceiver; Limiting movement of the vehicle based on the detected position of the control device comprises: preventing the vehicle from rolling back if the detected position of the control device is an exterior surface of a trunk of the vehicle; as well as Advancement of the vehicle is prevented if the detected position of the control device is an exterior surface of a hood of the vehicle.

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