Input signal management for vehicle parking assistance

Abstract

The present disclosure provides "input signal management for vehicle parking assistance." Methods and apparatuses for input signal management for vehicle parking assistance are disclosed. An example vehicle includes an autonomous unit, a communication module, and a controller. The controller is to perform remote parking via the autonomous unit upon receiving a remote parking signal from a mobile device via the communication module. The controller is also to: receive an unlock request from a first key fob during the remote parking; determine a number of key fobs within a tethered range; and prevent processing of the unlock request when the number of key fobs is one.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application relates to U.S. Application 15 / 948,428, filed April 9, 2018, with case number 83900463 (NGE file number 026780.8971) and U.S. Application 15 / 948,461, filed April 9, 2018, with case number 83951862 (NGE file number 026780.9090), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to vehicle parking assistance, and more specifically, to input signal management for vehicle parking assistance. Background Technology

[0004] Many vehicles include features that allow the vehicle to autonomously control at least some of its motion functions. For example, some vehicles include cruise control, where the vehicle controls its acceleration and / or deceleration to maintain a constant speed. Some vehicles also include adaptive cruise control, where the vehicle controls its acceleration and / or deceleration to maintain a constant speed while maintaining a predetermined following distance from other vehicles ahead. Furthermore, some vehicles include parking assistance features, where the vehicle autonomously or semi-autonomously controls its motion functions to park itself in a parking space. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The appended claims define this application. This disclosure summarizes various aspects of the embodiments and should not be construed as limiting the claims. Other implementations are contemplated based on the technology described herein, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the accompanying drawings and detailed description, and these implementations are intended to be within the scope of this application.

[0006] An exemplary embodiment of input signal management for vehicle parking assistance is illustrated. An exemplary disclosed vehicle includes an autonomous unit, a communication module, and a controller. The controller is configured to perform remote parking via the autonomous unit upon receiving a remote parking signal from a mobile device via the communication module. The controller is further configured to: receive an unlock request from a first key fob during the remote parking; determine the number of key fobs within the connection range; and, when the number of key fobs is one, prevent processing of the unlock request.

[0007] An exemplary disclosed method includes: receiving a remote parking signal from a mobile device via a vehicle's communication module; and performing remote parking via an autonomous unit upon receiving the remote parking signal. The exemplary disclosed method further includes: receiving an unlock request from a first key fob during the remote parking; and determining the number of key fobs within the connection range via a processor. The exemplary disclosed method further includes: blocking processing of the unlock request when the number of key fobs is one. Attached Figure Description

[0008] To better understand the invention, reference can be made to the embodiments shown in the following figures. Components in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale, and related elements may be omitted, or in some cases the scale may be exaggerated to emphasize and clearly illustrate the novel features described herein. Furthermore, as is known in the art, system components may be arranged in different ways. Additionally, in the figures, similar reference numerals denote corresponding parts in several views.

[0009] Figure 1 An exemplary vehicle configured to communicate with a user’s mobile device and key fob, in accordance with the teachings of this document, is shown.

[0010] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A block diagram of the vehicle's electronic components.

[0011] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A block diagram of the electronic components of a mobile device.

[0012] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A block diagram of the electronic components of the keychain.

[0013] Figure 5 Describes the use of management for Figure 1 An exemplary system for input signals to remotely park a vehicle.

[0014] Figure 6 This is a flowchart for managing input signals used for remote parking assistance, based on the teachings of this article.

[0015] Figure 7 Describes the use of management for Figure 1 Another exemplary system for input signals for remote parking assistance of vehicles.

[0016] Figure 8 This is another flowchart for managing input signals used for remote parking assistance, based on the teachings of this article.

[0017] Figure 9 Describes the use of management for Figure 1Another exemplary system for input signals for remote parking assistance of vehicles.

[0018] Figure 10 This is another flowchart for managing input signals used for remote parking assistance, based on the teachings of this article. Detailed Implementation

[0019] While the invention may be embodied in various forms, some exemplary and non-limiting embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings and will be described below. It should be understood that this disclosure should be regarded as an example of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments shown.

[0020] Many vehicles include features that allow the vehicle to autonomously control at least some of its motion functions. For example, some vehicles include cruise control, where the vehicle controls its acceleration and / or deceleration to maintain its speed. Some vehicles also include adaptive cruise control, where the vehicle controls its acceleration and / or deceleration to maintain its speed while also maintaining a predetermined following distance from other vehicles ahead.

[0021] In addition, some vehicles include parking assistance features (e.g., remote parking assistance features), in which the vehicle autonomously / semi-autonomously controls its motion functions to park the vehicle in a parking space. Remote parking assistance features enable the vehicle to park autonomously and / or semi-autonomously when the driver has left the vehicle. For example, to use remote parking assistance features to enable the vehicle to park autonomously in a parking space, the driver (1) positions the vehicle near the parking space, (2) leaves the vehicle, (3) stands near the vehicle and / or the parking space, and (4) (e.g., via a mobile device) sends a remote signal to the vehicle to activate the remote parking assistance feature.

[0022] In some situations, a vehicle may receive several input signals from multiple sources within a short period of time. For example, the vehicle may receive one or more remote parking assist start signals from one or more mobile devices; one or more remote keyless entry requests from one or more key fobs and / or one or more mobile phone-based keys; one or more passive engine start requests from one or more key fobs and / or one or more mobile phone-based keys; one or more door locking and / or unlocking requests from one or more keys, one or more mobile phone-based keys, one or more vehicle keypads, one or more door handle sensors, one or more gesture sensing systems and / or one or more liftgate sensors; one or more engine start requests from one or more key fobs, one or more mobile phone-based keys and / or one or more vehicle keypads; one or more emergency signals from one or more key fobs, one or more mobile phone-based keys and / or one or more vehicle keypads; etc. Consequently, managing vehicle input sources from multiple sources may be difficult without interrupting and / or preventing the execution of the desired remote parking assist features.

[0023] The methods and apparatus disclosed herein by way of example facilitate uninterrupted execution of remote parking assistance features by a vehicle upon receiving a request by prioritizing input signals sent by a user’s device to activate remote parking assistance features with input signals sent by other devices to activate (other) vehicle features.

[0024] Some examples disclosed herein prioritize input requests by designating the first mobile device for activating a remote parking assist feature when (i) it is determined that remote parking of the vehicle is currently inactive and (ii) an activation request is received from the first mobile device. In such examples, the vehicle's autonomous unit is used to perform the motion function of the remote parking assist feature activated by the first mobile device designated for remote parking. Furthermore, to facilitate prioritization of input signals, the vehicle controller prevents the autonomous unit from processing remote parking assist requests sent from other mobile devices, i.e., keys, while designating the first mobile device for remote parking. To prevent potential emergencies from occurring while remote parking is being performed, the vehicle controller is configured to instruct the autonomous unit to stop vehicle movement in response to receiving an emergency request while the first mobile device is designated for remote parking. For example, an emergency request is received when an object is detected in the vehicle's path. Additionally, to allow a user to enter the vehicle's cabin, the vehicle controller is configured to instruct the autonomous unit to stop vehicle movement in response to detecting that the user has grasped and / or otherwise engaged a door handle while designating the first mobile device. In addition, to further facilitate the prioritization of remote parking assistance requests, the vehicle controller is configured to block the processing of all other non-emergency requests (e.g., those sent from other mobile devices) while designating the first mobile device for remote parking.

[0025] Some examples disclosed herein prioritize input requests by monitoring vehicle speed while the vehicle's autonomous unit is performing a motion function for remote parking. In such examples, the vehicle's autonomous unit performs the motion function for remote parking in response to the vehicle's communication module receiving a remote parking signal from the user's mobile device. The vehicle controller is also configured to receive unlock requests (e.g., from a key fob, vehicle keypad, etc.) to unlock the doors while the autonomous unit is performing the motion function of the remote parking assist feature. To enable the user to enter the vehicle's cabin, the vehicle controller is configured to instruct the autonomous unit to stop the vehicle's movement in response to (i) receiving an unlock request and (ii) determining that the vehicle speed is less than or equal to a threshold speed. When the vehicle stops, the user is able to unlock and / or open the doors. Furthermore, to facilitate prioritization of input requests while remote parking is being performed, the vehicle controller prevents the doors from unlocking in response to (i) receiving an unlock request and (ii) determining that the vehicle speed is greater than a threshold speed. In such cases, the vehicle controller does not instruct the autonomous unit to stop the vehicle, and the autonomous unit continues to perform the motion function for remote parking based on one or more remote parking signals received from the user's mobile device.

[0026] Some examples disclosed herein prioritize input requests by monitoring the number of key fobs within the vehicle's connectivity range. In such examples, the vehicle's autonomous unit executes a motion function for remote parking in response to the vehicle's communication module receiving a remote parking signal from the user's mobile device. The vehicle controller is also configured to receive unlock requests from key fobs to unlock the doors while the autonomous unit is executing the motion function of the remote parking assist feature. To facilitate prioritization of input requests while remote parking is in progress, the vehicle controller determines the number of key fobs within the vehicle's connectivity range when it receives an unlock request while remote parking is in progress. If the number of key fobs is one, the vehicle controller determines that the unlock request was sent from the key fob used by the user to initiate remote parking via the mobile device, without needing to identify the location and / or distance from the key and / or mobile device. The vehicle controller then determines that the unlock request was sent unexpectedly and blocks processing of the unlock request to facilitate prioritization of input requests. Furthermore, in some examples, the vehicle controller processes the unlock request in response to identifying that the number of key fobs within the connectivity range is two or more. In other examples, the vehicle controller attempts to determine whether the key fob sending the unlock request belongs to the user by comparing the distance between the key fob and the vehicle with the distance between the mobile device and the vehicle. If the key fob distance matches and / or is within a threshold margin of the mobile device distance, the vehicle controller determines that the user's key fob sent the unlock request and subsequently blocks processing of the unlock request. If the key fob distance does not match and / or is not within the threshold margin of the mobile device distance, the vehicle controller determines that another user's key fob sent the unlock request and subsequently processes the unlock request.

[0027] As used herein, “remote parking,” “vehicle remote parking assist,” “remote parking assist,” and “RePA” refer to systems that control the vehicle’s movement functions to autonomously park the vehicle in a parking space without direct steering or speed input from the driver while the driver is outside the vehicle. For example, the autonomous unit of a remote parking assist system controls the vehicle’s movement functions when it receives a remote start signal from the driver’s movement device.

[0028] As used herein, "keychain" refers to a dedicated electronic mobile device that wirelessly communicates with the vehicle to unlock and / or lock one or more doors, open and / or close one or more doors, activate the vehicle's engine, and / or control one or more other functions of the vehicle. In some examples, the vehicle's user utilizes another mobile device that acts as a mobile phone-as-a-key, communicating wirelessly with the vehicle. As used herein, "phone-as-a-key" and "PaaK" refer to electronic mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, wearable smartwatches, tablets, etc.) that include hardware and / or software to function as a keychain.

[0029] As used herein, “attached” refers to an authenticated mobile device used to initiate remote parking of a vehicle. For example, a vehicle may be configured to perform remote parking when one or more instructions are received from a mobile device attached to the vehicle, and may not perform remote parking when one or more instructions are received from a mobile device disconnected from the vehicle. As used herein, “attached device” refers to a mobile device capable of sending instructions to the vehicle to perform remote parking. For example, a mobile device may be attached to the vehicle in response to being wirelessly coupled to the vehicle and located within a predetermined attachment range (e.g., 6 meters) of the vehicle. In such an example, if the mobile device sending the instructions to the vehicle to perform remote parking is outside the attachment range of the vehicle, the mobile device may be disconnected from the vehicle.

[0030] As used herein, “passive entry” and “passive access” refer to a vehicle system that unlocks and / or opens one or more doors of the vehicle when it detects that a key fob and / or mobile phone key is near the vehicle door. Some passive entry systems prepare to open a door in response to detecting that a key fob and / or mobile phone key is near and / or within a predetermined range of the vehicle. In such examples, the door is unlocked in response to detecting (1) that a user has touched the door handle and (2) that the key fob and / or mobile phone key is near the door when the handle is touched. As used herein, “passive start” and “passive start” refer to a vehicle system that activates the vehicle engine when it detects that a key fob and / or mobile phone key is inside the vehicle cabin. Some passive start systems prepare the engine for ignition in response to detecting that a key fob and / or mobile phone key is near and / or within a predetermined range of the vehicle. In such examples, the engine is started in response to detecting that (1) a user has engaged the vehicle ignition switch and (2) that the key fob and / or mobile phone key is inside the cabin when the ignition switch is engaged. As used in this article, “passive entry and passive start,” “passive entry and passive start,” and “PEPS” refer to the vehicle’s system configured to perform passive entry and passive start.

[0031] Turn to the attached diagram. Figure 1 An exemplary vehicle 100 is shown in accordance with the teachings herein. Vehicle 100 may be a standard gasoline-powered vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, and / or any other type of mobility realization. Vehicle 100 includes mobility-related components such as a powertrain with an engine, a transmission, suspension, driveshaft, and / or wheels. Vehicle 100 may be semi-autonomous (e.g., vehicle 100 controls some conventional motion functions) or autonomous (e.g., vehicle 100 controls motion functions without direct driver input). Figure 1As shown, user 102 communicates wirelessly with vehicle 100 via mobile device 104 configured to activate remote parking assistance and key fob 106.

[0032] In the illustrated example, vehicle 100 includes one or more doors 108 that enable user 102 to enter and / or exit the compartment of vehicle 100. Furthermore, each of the doors 108 in the illustrated example includes a door handle 110 (also referred to as a handle) and a handle sensor 112 (also referred to as a door handle sensor). The door handle 110 enables user 102 to open and / or close the corresponding door 108. For example, user 102 grips and / or otherwise engages the door handle 110 to open and / or close the corresponding door 108. Additionally, the handle sensor 112 detects when the door handle 110 of the corresponding door 108 is engaged (e.g., by user 102). For example, the handle sensor 112 of each of the doors 108 is a capacitive sensor and / or any other sensor configured to detect when the door handle 110 is engaged.

[0033] Furthermore, one of the doors 108 in the illustrated example (e.g., the front driver's side door) includes a keypad 114 configured to receive codes from user 102 (e.g., for unlocking door 108, for starting the engine, etc.). For example, keypad 114 includes buttons labeled with characters (e.g., numeric characters, alphanumeric characters, alphanumeric characters) to enable user 102 to recognize the buttons. For example, to enable user 102 to input numeric codes, one button may be labeled "1-2", another "3-4", another "5-6", another "7-8", and another "9-0". In other examples, keypad 114 is located on any other door 108 and / or other exterior surface of vehicle 100. Alternatively, keypad 114 is a virtual keypad projected onto a surface of vehicle 100 (e.g., a window). Furthermore, in some examples, vehicle 100 includes multiple keypads located at different locations on the exterior surface of vehicle 100 and / or projected onto said different locations.

[0034] In the illustrated example, vehicle 100 also includes a liftgate 116 and a liftgate sensor 118. For example, liftgate 116 is a door or panel that opens upwards to allow access to a cargo compartment located at the rear of vehicle 100. Liftgate sensor 118 is configured to detect a request from user 102 to open liftgate 116 via a hands-free liftgate system. For example, liftgate sensor 118 (e.g., a capacitive sensor, a kick sensor, a gesture recognition system utilizing a camera, etc.) is positioned on and / or near liftgate 116 to monitor an activation area near liftgate 116. Liftgate sensor 118 detects a request to open liftgate 116 via hands-free liftgate system when user 102 extends at least a portion of his or her leg (e.g., a foot) into the activation area. Furthermore, in some examples, one or more of the doors 108 are configured to be actuated in a similar manner. For example, when user 102 extends part of his or her leg and / or arm and / or performs another action, the system of vehicle 100 recognizes this gesture as a command and opens one or more of the vehicle 100's doors 108, windows, and / or other devices.

[0035] Furthermore, the vehicle 100 in the illustrated example includes a proximity sensor 120, a camera 122, and a vehicle speed sensor 124. For example, the proximity sensor 120 is configured to collect data for detecting and locating nearby objects within a region surrounding the vehicle 100. The proximity sensor 120 includes one or more radar sensors that detect and locate objects via radio waves, one or more lidar sensors that detect and locate objects via lasers, one or more ultrasonic sensors that detect and locate objects via ultrasound, and / or one or more other sensors capable of detecting and locating nearby objects. The camera 122 is configured to capture one or more images and / or videos of the area surrounding the vehicle 100 for detecting and locating nearby objects. In the illustrated example, one of the proximity sensors 120 and one of the cameras 122 are forward sensing devices monitoring the area in front of the vehicle 100. Additionally, one of the proximity sensors 120 and one of the cameras 122 are rearward sensing devices monitoring the area behind the vehicle 100. Furthermore, the vehicle speed sensor 124 detects the speed of the vehicle 100.

[0036] Vehicle 100 also includes a communication module 126, which includes a wired or wireless network interface for communication with other devices (e.g., mobile device 104, key fob 106) and / or external networks. One or more external networks may be: public networks, such as the Internet; private networks, such as intranets; or combinations thereof, and these external networks may utilize various networking protocols available now or developed in the future, including but not limited to TCP / IP-based networking protocols. In such examples, communication module 126 also includes hardware (e.g., processor, memory, storage device, antenna, etc.) and software for controlling the wired or wireless network interface. For example, communication module 126 includes one or more communication controllers for one or more short-range networks, one or more wireless local area networks, one or more cellular networks, and / or one or more other wireless networks. In the illustrated example, communication module 126 includes hardware and firmware to establish a wireless connection with user 102's mobile device 104 and / or key fob 106. For example, communication module 126 includes a communication module that enables wireless communication with mobile device 104 and / or key fob 106 when user 102 approaches vehicle 100.

[0037] In the example shown, communication module 126 includes LF module 128 (also referred to as low-frequency communication module, LF communication module, low-frequency module) and BLE module 130 (also referred to as... Low-power communication module, BLE communication module The low-power module 128 and the cellular module 132 (also referred to as the cellular network module) are included. The LF module 128 is configured for low-frequency communication. For example, the LF module 128 communicates with the key fob 106 and / or one or more other devices via low-frequency signals. The BLE module 130 is configured for... And / or communicate via the BLE protocol. For example, BLE module 130 communicates with mobile device 104 and / or one or more other devices via the BLE communication protocol. That is, BLE module 130 implements and / or Low-power (BLE) protocol. and the BLE protocol in Technology Alliance maintained This is described in Volume 6 of Specification 4.0 (and subsequent versions). Furthermore, cellular module 132 is configured for cellular communication. For example, cellular module 132 communicates with mobile device 104, key fob 106, one or more remote servers, and / or one or more other devices via one or more cellular communication protocols such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)). Alternatively or additionally, communication module 126 is configured to communicate wirelessly via Wi-Fi communication, Near Field Communication (NFC), UWB (Ultra-Wideband), Ultra High Frequency (UHF) communication, Ultra High Frequency (SHF) communication (communication between 3 GHz and 30 GHz), and / or any other short-range and / or local wireless communication protocol that enables communication module 126 to be communicatively coupled to mobile device 104, key fob 106, one or more remote servers, and / or one or more other devices.

[0038] In the illustrated example, communication module 126 is communicatively coupled to a mobile device (e.g., mobile device 104, key fob 106) to measure the signal strength (e.g., received signal strength index) of signals broadcast by the mobile device and / or to receive such measurements. For example, communication module 126 is communicatively coupled to the mobile device (e.g., mobile device 104, key fob 106) to track the distance between the mobile device and vehicle 100. That is, communication module 126 receives and analyzes the signal strength measurements between the mobile device and communication module 126 to determine the distance between the mobile device and vehicle 100.

[0039] The vehicle 100 shown in the example also includes antenna nodes 134, each of which includes hardware (e.g., a processor, memory, storage device, antenna, etc.) and software for controlling one or more wireless network interfaces. Antenna nodes 134 include features for personal or local area wireless networks (e.g., Low power (BLE) The communication controller (etc.). In some examples, when antenna node 134 is configured to implement BLE, antenna node 134 may be referred to as a "BLE antenna module" or "BLEAM". Antenna node 134 is communicatively coupled to mobile device 104 and / or one or more other devices to measure the signal strength (e.g., received signal strength index) of signals broadcast by mobile device 104 and / or receive its measurements. In the illustrated example, antenna node 134 includes an external node that facilitates determining when mobile device 104, key fob 106, and / or one or more other remote devices are outside vehicle 100. For example, antenna node 134 includes antenna nodes 134a, 134b, 134c, 134d, 134e, and 134f. Furthermore, in some examples, antenna node 134 includes one or more internal nodes located inside the vehicle 100 to facilitate determining when mobile device 104, key fob 106, and / or one or more other remote devices are inside the vehicle 100.

[0040] Communication module 126 is communicatively coupled to antenna node 134 to track the position of mobile device 104, key fob 106, and / or one or more other remote devices relative to vehicle 100. In some examples, when antenna node 134 is configured to implement BLE, the BLE module 130 of communication module 126 may be referred to as "BLEM". Communication module 126 receives and analyzes signal strength measurements between communication module 126 and the mobile device (e.g., mobile device 104, key fob 106). Based on these measurements, communication module 126 determines the position of the mobile device relative to vehicle 100.

[0041] The vehicle 100 illustrated also includes a body control module 136 that controls various subsystems of the vehicle 100. For example, the body control module 136 may be configured to control an anti-theft locking system and / or power mirrors, etc. The body control module 136 is electrically coupled to circuitry that, for example, drives relays (e.g., for controlling windshield washer fluid), drives brushed DC motors (e.g., for controlling power seats, power locks, power windows, windshield wipers, etc.), drives stepper motors, and / or drives LEDs, etc. The body control module 136 controls a door control unit that controls the power locks and power windows of the vehicle 100. Additionally, the body control module 136 controls the exterior lights of the vehicle 100. For example, when an authorized mobile device (e.g., mobile device 104, key fob 106) is within a predetermined area of ​​the vehicle 100, the body control module 136 controls various subsystems of the vehicle 100 to activate upon the arrival of the intended user 102 at the vehicle 100. For example, the body control module 136 can activate the exterior lights, change the position of the driver's seat, and prepare one or more of the doors 108 and / or liftgate 116 to unlock when the handle sensor 112 and / or liftgate sensor 118 respectively detect the presence of the user 102.

[0042] Furthermore, the vehicle 100 shown in the example includes an autonomous unit 138 and a RePA controller 140. For example, the autonomous unit 138 controls the execution of autonomous and / or semi-autonomous driving maneuvers of the vehicle 100 based at least in part on one or more images and / or videos captured by one or more of the cameras 122 and / or data collected by one or more of the proximity sensors 120. The RePA controller 140 is configured to manage one or more input signals received from the mobile device 104, key fob 106, one or more other mobile devices, keypad 114, handle sensor 112, liftgate sensor 118, proximity sensors 120, cameras 122 and / or one or more other data sources of the vehicle 100 before and / or while the autonomous unit 138 is performing autonomous and / or semi-autonomous driving maneuvers for remote parking assistance.

[0043] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of the electronic components 200 of vehicle 100. In the example shown, the electronic components 200 include an onboard computing platform 201, a communication module 126, an antenna node 134, a keypad 114, a camera 122, a sensor 202, an electronic control unit (ECU) 204, and a vehicle data bus 206.

[0044] The in-vehicle computing platform 201 includes a microcontroller unit, a controller or processor 208, and a memory 210. In some examples, the processor 208 of the in-vehicle computing platform 201 is configured to include a RePA controller 140. Alternatively, in some examples, the RePA controller 140, along with its own processor and memory, is integrated into another ECU (e.g., body control module 136) and / or other devices (e.g., communication module 126). The processor 208 can be any suitable processing device or group of processing devices, such as, but not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcontroller-based platform, an integrated circuit, one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). The memory 210 can be volatile memory (e.g., RAM, including non-volatile RAM, magnetic RAM, ferroelectric RAM, etc.), non-volatile memory (e.g., disk storage, flash memory, EPROM, EEPROM, memristor-based non-volatile solid-state memory, etc.), non-modifiable memory (e.g., EPROM), read-only memory, and / or high-capacity storage devices (e.g., hard disk drives, solid-state drives, etc.). In some examples, memory 210 includes multiple types of memory, particularly volatile and non-volatile memory.

[0045] Memory 210 is a computer-readable medium on which one or more sets of instructions, such as software for operating the methods of this disclosure, may be embedded. The instructions may implement one or more of the methods or logic described herein. For example, the instructions may reside wholly or at least partially in memory 210, any one or more of the computer-readable medium, and / or in processor 208 during execution of the instructions.

[0046] The terms "non-transitory computer-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" include single or multiple media, such as centralized or distributed databases, and / or associated caches and servers storing one or more sets of instructions. Furthermore, the terms "non-transitory computer-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" include any tangible medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying a set of instructions for execution by a processor or to cause a system to perform any or more of the methods or operations disclosed herein. As used herein, the term "computer-readable medium" is explicitly defined to include any type of computer-readable storage device and / or storage disk, and excludes propagating signals.

[0047] like Figure 2 As shown, the communication module 126 of the electronic component 200 includes an LF module 128, a BLE module 130, and a cellular module 132. Additionally, the electronic component 200 includes an antenna node 134, a keypad 114, and a camera 122.

[0048] The illustrated electronic component 200 also includes sensors 202 arranged in and around the vehicle 100 to monitor properties of the vehicle 100 and / or its environment. One or more of the sensors 202 may be mounted to measure properties of the external surroundings of the vehicle 100. Alternatively, one or more of the sensors 202 may be mounted in the cabin of the vehicle 100 or in the body of the vehicle 100 (e.g., engine compartment, wheel wells, etc.) to measure properties of the interior of the vehicle 100. For example, sensors 202 may include accelerometers, odometers, tachometers, pitch and yaw sensors, wheel speed sensors, microphones, tire pressure sensors, biometric sensors, and / or any other suitable type of sensor. In the illustrated example, sensors 202 include a handle sensor 112, a liftgate sensor 118, a proximity sensor 120, and a vehicle speed sensor 124.

[0049] ECU 204 monitors and controls subsystems of vehicle 100. For example, ECU 204 is a discrete group of electronic devices, including one or more of their own circuitry (e.g., integrated circuits, microprocessors, memories, storage devices, etc.) and firmware, sensors, actuators, and / or mounting hardware. ECU 204 communicates and exchanges information via a vehicle data bus (e.g., vehicle data bus 206). Additionally, ECU 204 may communicate attributes (e.g., ECU 204 status, sensor readings, control status, error and diagnostic codes, etc.) and / or receive requests from each other. For example, vehicle 100 may have dozens of ECUs 204 located in various positions around vehicle 100 and communicatively coupled by vehicle data bus 206. In the illustrated example, ECU 204 includes a body control module 136 and an autonomous unit 138.

[0050] The vehicle data bus 206 is communicatively coupled to the keypad 114, camera 122, antenna node 134, communication module 126, onboard computing platform 201, sensor 202, and ECU 204. In some examples, the vehicle data bus 206 includes one or more data buses. The vehicle data bus 206 may conform to the Controller Area Network (CAN) bus protocol, Media Directed System Transport (MOST) bus protocol, CAN Flexible Data (CAN-FD) bus protocol (ISO 11898-7), and / or K-line bus protocol (ISO 9141 and ISO 14230-1) and / or Ethernet as defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 11898-1. TM It is implemented using bus protocols such as IEEE 802.3 (since 2002).

[0051] Figure 3This is a block diagram of the electronic components 300 of the mobile device 104. In the example shown, the electronic components 300 include a processor 302, a memory 304, a communication module 306, a touch screen 308, and a speaker 310.

[0052] Processor 302 can be any suitable processing device or group of processing devices, such as, but not limited to: microprocessor, microcontroller-based platform, integrated circuit, one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and / or one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

[0053] Memory 304 may be volatile memory (e.g., RAM, including non-volatile RAM, magnetic RAM, ferroelectric RAM, etc.), non-volatile memory (e.g., disk storage, flash memory, EPROM, EEPROM, memristor-based non-volatile solid-state memory, etc.), non-modifiable memory (e.g., EPROM), read-only memory, and / or high-capacity storage devices (e.g., hard disk drives, solid-state drives, etc.). In some examples, memory 304 includes multiple types of memory, particularly volatile and non-volatile memory.

[0054] Memory 304 is a computer-readable medium on which one or more sets of instructions, such as software for operating the methods of this disclosure, may be embedded. The instructions may implement one or more of the methods or logic described herein. For example, the instructions may reside wholly or at least partially within memory 304, any one or more of the computer-readable medium, and / or within processor 302 during execution of the instructions.

[0055] The communication module 306 in the illustrated example includes a wired or wireless network interface for communication with other devices and / or external networks. One or more external networks may be: public networks, such as the Internet; private networks, such as intranets; or combinations thereof, and said one or more external networks may utilize various networking protocols currently available or developed in the future, including but not limited to TCP / IP-based networking protocols. Communication module 306 also includes hardware (e.g., processor, memory, storage device, antenna, etc.) and software for controlling the wired or wireless network interface. For example, communication module 306 includes one or more communication controllers for cellular networks, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). In the illustrated example, communication module 306 includes a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) module configured to wirelessly communicate with the communication module 126 of vehicle 100 via one or more short-range wireless communication protocols. In some examples, communication module 306 implements... and / or Low-power (BLE) protocol. Alternatively, the communication module 306 is configured to communicate via... Near Field Communication (NFC), Ultra Wideband (UWB) Communication, Ultra High Frequency (SHF) Communication, Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Communication, Low Frequency (LF) Communication and / or any other communication protocol that enables the communication module 306 to be communicatively coupled to the communication module 126 of the vehicle 100 for wireless communication.

[0056] The illustrated touchscreen 308 provides an interface between user 102 and mobile device 104, enabling user 102 to activate remote parking assistance and / or one or more other functions of vehicle 100. For example, touchscreen 308 is a resistive touchscreen, capacitive touchscreen, and / or any other type of touchscreen that displays output information to user 102 of mobile device 104 and receives input information from user 104 of mobile device 102 in a tactile manner. In some examples, the electronics 300 of mobile device 104 also include other input devices (e.g., buttons, knobs, microphones, etc.) and / or output devices (such as speakers 310, LEDs, etc.) to receive input information from user 102 of mobile device 104 and / or provide output information to user 102 of mobile device 104. User 102 interacts with touchscreen 308 to activate remote parking assistance and / or one or more other vehicle functions via mobile device 104. Based on input received from user 102 via touchscreen 308, communication module 306 of mobile device 104 wirelessly communicates with communication module 126 of vehicle 100 to activate motion function and / or one or more other functions for remote parking assistance of vehicle 100.

[0057] Figure 4 This is a block diagram of the electronic component 400 of the key fob 106. In the example shown, the electronic component 400 includes a processor 402, a memory 404, a communication module 406, a lock button 408, an unlock button 410, an open button 412, and an emergency button 414.

[0058] Processor 402 can be any suitable processing device or group of processing devices, such as, but not limited to: microprocessor, microcontroller-based platform, integrated circuit, one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and / or one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

[0059] Memory 404 may be volatile memory (e.g., RAM, including non-volatile RAM, magnetic RAM, ferroelectric RAM, etc.), non-volatile memory (e.g., disk storage, flash memory, EPROM, EEPROM, memristor-based non-volatile solid-state memory, etc.), non-modifiable memory (e.g., EPROM), read-only memory, and / or high-capacity storage devices (e.g., hard disk drives, solid-state drives, etc.). In some examples, memory 404 includes multiple types of memory, particularly volatile and non-volatile memory.

[0060] Memory 404 is a computer-readable medium on which one or more sets of instructions, such as software for operating the methods of this disclosure, may be embedded. The instructions may implement one or more of the methods or logic described herein. For example, the instructions may reside wholly or at least partially within memory 404, any one or more of the computer-readable medium, and / or within processor 402 during execution of the instructions.

[0061] The communication module 406 in the illustrated example includes a wired or wireless network interface to enable communication with other devices and / or external networks. One or more external networks may be: public networks, such as the Internet; private networks, such as intranets; or combinations thereof, and said one or more external networks may utilize various networking protocols currently available or developed in the future, including but not limited to TCP / IP-based networking protocols. Communication module 406 also includes hardware (e.g., processor, memory, storage device, antenna, etc.) and software for controlling the wired or wireless network interface. For example, communication module 406 includes one or more communication controllers for cellular networks, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). In the illustrated example, communication module 406 includes a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) module configured to wirelessly communicate with the communication module 126 of vehicle 100 via one or more short-range wireless communication protocols. In some examples, communication module 406 implements... and / or Low-power (BLE) protocol. Alternatively, the communication module 406 is configured to communicate via... Near Field Communication (NFC), Ultra Wideband (UWB) Communication, Ultra High Frequency (SHF) Communication, Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Communication, Low Frequency (LF) Communication and / or any other communication protocol that enables the communication module 406 to be communicatively coupled to the communication module 126 of the vehicle 100 for wireless communication.

[0062] Furthermore, the locking button 408, unlocking button 410, opening button 412, and emergency button 414 of the electronic component 400 provide an interface between the user 102 and the key fob 106, enabling the user 102 to activate one or more functions of the vehicle 100. Based on input received from the user 102 via the locking button 408, unlocking button 410, opening button 412, and / or emergency button 414, the communication module 406 of the key fob 106 wirelessly communicates with the communication module 126 of the vehicle 100 to activate one or more functions of the vehicle 100. For example, when the user 102 presses the locking button 408, the communication module 406 is configured to send a signal to the communication module 126 of the vehicle 100 to instruct the body control module 136 to lock one or more of the doors 108. When the user 102 presses the unlocking button 410, the communication module 406 is configured to send a signal to the communication module 126 of the vehicle 100 to instruct the body control module 136 to unlock one or more of the doors 108. When user 102 presses the open button 412, communication module 406 is configured to send a signal to communication module 126 of vehicle 100 to instruct body control module 136 to open one or more of the doors 108. Furthermore, when user 102 presses the emergency button 414, communication module 406 is configured to send a signal to communication module 126 of vehicle 100 to instruct body control module 136 to issue an emergency alarm (e.g., via horn, exterior lights, etc.). Alternatively, the electronic components 400 of key fob 106 may include other input devices (e.g., other buttons) and / or output devices to receive input information from user 102 and / or provide output information to user 102.

[0063] Figure 5 An exemplary system for managing input signals for remote parking assistance for vehicle 100 is depicted. In the illustrated example, user 102 uses mobile device 104 to initiate the execution of the remote parking assistance motion function via autonomous unit 138, so that vehicle 100 autonomously parks itself in parking space 502.

[0064] When user 102 is within the linkage range 504 of vehicle 100, the vehicle 100 of the illustrated example is permitted to autonomously perform motion functions for remote parking assistance, and autonomous execution of motion functions is prohibited when user 102 is outside the linkage range 504 of vehicle 100. For example, some governments have regulations requiring that user 102 be within the linkage range 504 of vehicle 100 while vehicle 100 autonomously performs remote parking assistance motion functions. The linkage range 504 of the illustrated example is defined as extending from the outer surface of vehicle 100 to a predetermined distance (e.g., 6 meters). If the distance between user 102 and the outer surface of vehicle 100 is less than or equal to the predetermined distance of linkage range 504, then user 102 is within the linkage range 504 of vehicle 100.

[0065] In the illustrated example, the RePA controller 140 determines the distance between user 102 and the outer surface of vehicle 100 by determining the distance between user 102's key fob 106 and vehicle 100's communication module 126. For example, key fob 106 communicates with vehicle's communication module 126 via low-frequency communication. Furthermore, mobile device 104 communicates with vehicle 100's communication module 126 via BLE, Wi-Fi, and / or UHF communication protocols. In the illustrated example, RePA controller 140 determines the distance between user 102 and vehicle 100 based on key fob 106's low-frequency communication rather than mobile device 104's wireless communication because RSSI distance calculation based on low-frequency communication is more accurate than RSSI distance calculation based on BLE, Wi-Fi, and / or UHF communication. In other words, because the key fob 106 has an LF communication module for low-frequency communication with the communication module 126 of the vehicle 100, the RePA controller 140 uses the RSSI of the communication between the key fob 106 and the communication module 126 to approximate the distance between the user 102 and the vehicle 100.

[0066] The vehicle 100 in the illustrated example also corresponds to a threshold range 506 that is greater than and / or extends beyond the linkage range 504. The RePA controller 140 utilizes the threshold range 506 to limit the distance at which certain other vehicle functions can be remotely activated by a remote device associated with the vehicle 100. For example, the RePA controller 140 allows other vehicle functions (e.g., passive entry, passive engine start, remote unlocking, remote opening, remote engine start, etc.) to be activated by a mobile device located within the threshold range 506, and prohibits these other vehicle functions from being activated by a mobile device located outside the threshold range 506. In some examples, the threshold distance is defined at least in part based on limitations of one or more communication protocols used for wireless communication between one or more mobile devices and the communication module 126 of the vehicle 100. Furthermore, in some examples, the RePA controller 140 allows certain vehicle functions (e.g., emergency functions) to be remotely activated by a remote device located outside the threshold range 506 (e.g., by sending an emergency signal).

[0067] In operation, the RePA controller 140 determines whether remote parking assistance is active for vehicle 100. That is, the RePA controller 140 identifies whether the autonomous unit 138 is performing a motion function for remote parking assistance initiated from user 102's mobile device 104 and / or another user's mobile device 104 associated with vehicle 100. If the RePA controller 140 determines that remote parking assistance is inactive, the RePA controller 140 waits to designate a mobile device for activating remote parking assistance. For example, when remote parking assistance for vehicle 100 is inactive, the RePA controller 140 designates the mobile device upon receiving an activation request from the mobile device via communication module 126. That is, the RePA controller 140 is configured to designate the user's mobile device 104 in response to the RePA controller 140 (i) determining that remote parking assistance is inactive and (ii) receiving an activation request from mobile device 104. In some examples, mobile device 104 sends the activation request when the user opens a remote parking application (app) via the touchscreen 308 of mobile device 104.

[0068] When RePA controller 140 designates a mobile device, it (i) enables the mobile device to activate the remote parking assist motion function and (ii) prevents one or more other mobile devices from activating the remote parking assist motion function while designating another mobile device. By preventing autonomous unit 138 from processing remote parking assist requests sent from one or more other mobile devices while the mobile phone i.e. key 104 is designated for remote parking assist, RePA controller 140 facilitates prioritization and processing of input requests while remote parking assist is being performed.

[0069] In the illustrated example, the autonomous unit 138 of vehicle 100 activates remote parking assistance in response to the RePA controller 140 designating the mobile device 104 for remote parking assistance. That is, upon designating the mobile device 104, the RePA controller 140 instructs the autonomous unit 138 to activate one or more remote parking assistance features. Furthermore, when the mobile device 104 is designated for remote parking assistance of vehicle 100, the RePA controller 140 processes the remote parking signal received from the mobile device 104 by the communication module 126.

[0070] Autonomous unit 138 is configured to perform motion functions for remote parking assistance based on a remote parking signal transmitted from mobile device 104, received by communication module 126, and processed by RePA controller 140. For example, if RePA controller 140 determines that user 102's key fob 106 is within the attachment range 504 of vehicle 100 when the remote parking signal is transmitted from mobile device 104, then autonomous unit 138 performs motion functions for remote parking assistance based on the remote parking signal transmitted by user 102's mobile device 104. That is, autonomous unit 138 performs motion functions for remote parking assistance when user 102 is within the attachment range 504, and does not perform motion functions for remote parking assistance when user 102 is outside the attachment range 504. To determine whether user 102 is within the attachment range 504 of vehicle 100, RePA controller 140 determines the distance between user 102 and vehicle 100, and then compares said distance with the distance within the attachment range 504. For example, to determine the distance between user 102 and vehicle 100, RePA controller 140 determines the distance between user 102's key fob 106 and vehicle 100's communication module 126 based on the signal strength (RSSI) of the wireless communication (e.g., BLE protocol communication) between key fob 106 and communication module 126. Furthermore, in some examples, RePA controller 140 determines that both key fob 106 and mobile device 104 correspond to user 102 when it identifies a distance and / or position of key fob 106 relative to vehicle 100 (e.g., determined based on the RSSI of communication between key fob 106 and communication module 126) corresponding to the distance and / or position of mobile device 104 relative to vehicle 100 (e.g., determined based on the RSSI of communication between mobile device 104 and communication module 126).

[0071] In the illustrated example, to prevent a potential emergency from occurring while remote parking is being performed, the RePA controller 140 is also configured to instruct the autonomous unit 138 to stop the movement of the vehicle 100 and the execution of remote parking assistance in response to receiving an emergency signal while the mobile device 104 is sending a remote parking signal to the vehicle 100. That is, the autonomous unit 138 is configured to stop the vehicle 100's motion functions for remote parking assistance upon receiving an emergency signal. For example, an emergency signal is emitted in response to an emergency when an obstacle (e.g., a person, animal, inanimate object) is detected locating along the vehicle path used for the vehicle 100's motion functions. In the illustrated example, the emergency signal is emitted when the RePA controller 140 detects an object 508 (e.g., a trash can) within the parking space 502 where the vehicle 100 is parked via one or more of the proximity sensor 120 and / or camera 122. Alternatively, the vehicle 100's communication module 126 receives the emergency signal from a nearby mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone, key, key fob). For example, user 102 can send an emergency signal via key fob 106 when they see object 508 within the path of vehicle 100. Another user 510, within a threshold range 506 of vehicle 100, can also send an emergency signal via mobile device 512 and / or key fob 514 when they see object 508 within the path of vehicle 100. In the illustrated example, mobile device 512 includes a mobile phone as a key and / or remote parking assistance functionality. In some examples, emergency signals sent from key fobs (e.g., key fob 106, key fob 514) include emergency request signals sent by a user (e.g., user 102, user 510) pressing an emergency button (e.g., emergency button 414) on the key fob. In some examples, the emergency signal sent from the keychain (e.g., keychain 106, keychain 514) includes a series of requests (e.g., two remote unlock requests) sent by a user (e.g., user 102, user 510) through a predetermined sequence of pressing one or more buttons on the keychain within a predetermined time period (e.g., two seconds). In some examples, the predetermined sequence of one or more buttons on the keychain can be configured according to user preferences. In some examples, the emergency signal sent from the keychain (e.g., keychain 106, keychain 514) includes a sequence of the user (e.g., user 102, user 510) continuously pressing a button (e.g., unlock button, lock button) within a predetermined time period. Furthermore, in some examples, the emergency signal sent from the keychain (e.g., keychain 106, keychain 514) includes a sequence of the user (e.g., user 102, user 510) simultaneously pressing two or more buttons (e.g., unlock button and emergency button).

[0072] To enable users (e.g., user 102, user 510) to enter the cabin of vehicle 100, the RePA controller 140 of the illustrated example is also configured to instruct the autonomous unit 138 to stop movement of vehicle 100 and execution of remote parking assistance in response to receiving an unlock trigger signal for unlocking one or more of the doors 108 of vehicle 100. For example, in response to (1) one of the handle sensors 112 detecting that a user has grasped and / or otherwise engaged the corresponding door handle 110 of door 108 and (2) the RePA controller 140 detecting that a key fob and / or moving device is near the corresponding door handle of door 108, an unlock trigger signal is received. That is, the RePA controller 140 is configured to unlock one or more of the doors 108 in response to (1) one of the handle sensors 112 detecting that a user (e.g., user 102, user 510) has grasped and / or otherwise engaged the door handle 110 of the corresponding door in the door 108 and (2) the RePA controller 140 detecting that the key fob and / or moving device are near the corresponding door in the door 108 when the vehicle 100 is stationary.

[0073] In the illustrated example, the RePA controller 140 also facilitates prioritization and processing of input requests while remote parking assistance is being performed by blocking the processing of other non-emergency requests to vehicle 100 (e.g., passive entry / passive start signals, remote keyless entry signals, remote door unlocking requests, etc.) during remote parking assistance activity. For example, the RePA controller 140 is configured to receive non-emergency requests via mobile devices including mobile phone-as-a-key functionality (e.g., mobile device 104, mobile device 512), key fobs (e.g., key fob 106, key fob 514), keypad 114, liftgate sensor 118, cellular networks, etc. In some examples, when user 102's mobile device 104 is designated for remote parking assistance of vehicle 100, the non-emergency request includes an activation request from user 510's mobile device 512. In such examples, the RePA controller 140 does not process the request designated for mobile device 512. Instead, the RePA controller 140 is configured to send an alert via the communication module 126 to the mobile device 512 indicating (i) that the mobile device 104 of user 102 is currently designated for remote parking assistance of vehicle 100 and / or (ii) that the mobile device 104 will maintain the designation for remote parking assistance for the duration specified. Alternatively, when vehicle 100 is stationary, the RePA controller 140 is configured to send a request via the communication module 126 to the mobile device 104 of user 102 to obtain permission to change the designation of remote parking assistance for vehicle 100 to the mobile device 512 of user 510.

[0074] Figure 6This is a flowchart of an exemplary method 600 for managing input signals for remote parking assistance. Figure 6 The flowchart represents the storage in memory (such as...) Figure 2 The memory 210 contains machine-readable instructions for one or more programs, which are read by a processor (such as...) Figure 2 When the processor 208 executes, it causes the vehicle 100 to achieve Figure 1 and Figure 2 An exemplary RePA controller 140. (Although reference...) Figure 6 The flowchart shown describes an exemplary procedure, but many other methods for implementing the exemplary RePA controller 140 can be used alternatively. For example, the execution order of combo boxes can be rearranged, changed, eliminated, and / or executed to perform method 600. Furthermore, because of the combination... Figures 1 to 5 The components disclosed method 600, so some of the functions of those components will not be described in detail below.

[0075] Initially, at box 602, the RePA controller 140 determines whether the remote parking assist of vehicle 100 is active. In response to the RePA controller 140 determining that the remote parking assist is activated, method 600 proceeds to box 608. Otherwise, in response to the RePA controller 140 determining that the remote parking assist is not activated, method 600 proceeds to box 604. At box 604, the RePA controller 140 determines whether the communication module 126 of vehicle 100 has received an activation request to activate the remote parking assist of vehicle 100 from a mobile device (e.g., mobile device 104 of user 102). In response to the RePA controller 140 determining that no activation request has been received, method 600 returns to box 602. Otherwise, in response to the RePA controller 140 determining that an activation request has been received, method 600 proceeds to box 606.

[0076] At block 606, RePA controller 140 specifies that mobile device 104 should send an activation request to initiate the remote parking assist feature. At block 608, RePA controller 140 determines whether user 102 of mobile device 104 is within the linkage range 504 of vehicle 100 for initiating the remote parking assist feature. For example, RePA controller 140 determines whether user 102 is within the linkage range 504 based on the signal strength of communication between vehicle 100's communication module 126 and user 102's key fob 106. In response to RePA controller 140 determining that user 102 is outside the linkage range 504, method 600 returns to block 602. Otherwise, in response to RePA controller 140 determining that user 102 is within the linkage range 504, autonomous unit 138 activates remote parking assist, and method 600 proceeds to block 610.

[0077] At block 610, autonomous unit 138 executes the remote parking assist motion function initiated by user 102's mobile device 104. At block 612, RePA controller 140 determines whether vehicle 100 has received another input request (e.g., via communication module 126, handle sensor 112, keypad 114, liftgate sensor 118, etc.). In response to RePA controller 140 determining that no other input request has been received, method 600 returns to block 602. Otherwise, in response to RePA controller 140 determining that another input request has been received, method 600 proceeds to block 614.

[0078] At box 614, RePA controller 140 determines whether another input request is an unlock trigger signal for unlocking one or more of the doors 108 of vehicle 100. For example, an unlock trigger signal is received when (1) one of the handle sensors 112 detects that a user has grasped and / or otherwise engaged the corresponding door handle 110 in door 108 and (2) RePA controller 140 detects that a key fob and / or moving device is near the corresponding door handle in door 108. In response to RePA controller 140 determining that the other input request is an unlock trigger signal, method 600 proceeds to box 618. Otherwise, in response to RePA controller 140 determining that the other input request is not an unlock trigger signal, method 600 proceeds to box 616.

[0079] At block 616, RePA controller 140 determines whether another input request is an emergency request. For example, an emergency request may be received from user 102's key fob 106, user 510's key fob 514, and / or mobile device 512, and / or based on information collected by one or more of proximity sensors 120, one or more of cameras 122, etc. In response to RePA controller 140 determining that the other input request is an emergency request, method 600 proceeds to block 618. At block 618, RePA controller 140 causes autonomous unit 138 to stop the movement of vehicle 100 and the execution of remote parking assistance. Otherwise, in response to RePA controller 140 determining that the other input request is not an emergency request, method 600 proceeds to block 620.

[0080] At block 620, RePA controller 140 determines whether the other input request is a RePA activation request from another mobile device (e.g., mobile device 512 of user 510). In response to RePA controller 140 determining that the other input request is an activation request from mobile device 512, method 600 proceeds to block 622. At block 622, RePA controller 140 sends an alert via communication module 126 to mobile device 512 indicating that mobile device 104 of user 102 is currently designated for remote parking assistance. In the illustrated example, method 600 further proceeds to block 624, where RePA controller 140, on behalf of user 510, sends a request to mobile device 104 to obtain permission to change the designation for remote parking assistance to user 510's mobile device 512. Returning to box 620, in response to RePA controller 140 determining that another input request is not a RePA activation request from another mobile device, method 600 proceeds to box 626, where RePA controller 140 blocks processing of the other input request.

[0081] Figure 7 Another exemplary system for managing input signals for remote parking assistance for vehicle 100 is depicted. In the illustrated example, when user 102 is within the tethering range 504 of vehicle 100, user 102 uses mobile device 104 to initiate the execution of the remote parking assistance motion function via autonomous unit 138, so that vehicle 100 autonomously parks itself in parking space 502. The RePA controller 140 of vehicle 100 in the illustrated example facilitates the prioritization and processing of input requests by determining whether to process an unlock request based on the vehicle speed during remote parking assistance.

[0082] When user 102 is within the linkage range 504 of vehicle 100, the vehicle 100 of the illustrated example is allowed to autonomously perform motion functions for remote parking assistance, and when user 102 is outside the linkage range 504 of vehicle 100, autonomous execution of motion functions is prohibited. The RePA controller 140 of the illustrated example determines the distance between user 102 and the outer surface of vehicle 100 based on the signal strength (e.g., RSSI) of the low-frequency communication between user 102's key fob 106 and the communication module 126 of vehicle 100. Furthermore, remote parking signals and / or other information are transmitted from mobile device 104 to RePA controller 140 using BLE communication, Wi-Fi communication, and / or UHF communication.

[0083] In operation, RePA controller 140 determines whether remote parking assistance is active for vehicle 100. If RePA controller 140 determines that remote parking assistance is inactive, it waits to designate a mobile device for activating remote parking assistance. For example, when remote parking assistance for vehicle 100 is inactive, RePA controller 140 designates the mobile device upon receiving an activation request from the mobile device via communication module 126. That is, RePA controller 140 is configured to designate the user's mobile device 104 in response to RePA controller 140 (i) determining that remote parking assistance is inactive and (ii) receiving an activation request from mobile device 104. In some examples, mobile device 104 sends the activation request when the user opens the remote parking application (app) via touchscreen 308 of mobile device 104.

[0084] In the illustrated example, the autonomous unit 138 of vehicle 100 activates remote parking assistance in response to the RePA controller 140 designating the mobile device 104 for remote parking assistance. That is, upon designating the mobile device 104, the RePA controller 140 instructs the autonomous unit 138 to activate one or more remote parking assistance features. Furthermore, when the mobile device 104 is designated for remote parking assistance of vehicle 100, the RePA controller 140 processes the remote parking signal received from the mobile device 104 by the communication module 126.

[0085] Autonomous unit 138 is configured to perform motion functions for remote parking assistance based on a remote parking signal transmitted from mobile device 104, received by communication module 126, and processed by RePA controller 140. That is, RePA controller 140 causes autonomous unit 138 to perform remote parking assistance when it receives a remote parking signal from mobile device 104 via communication module 126.

[0086] In the illustrated example, if the RePA controller 140 (i) identifies a key fob (e.g., key fob 106) corresponding to the mobile device 104 that sent the remote parking signal and (ii) determines that the key fob is within the engagement range 504 of the vehicle 100, the autonomous unit 138 performs motion functions for remote parking assistance based on the remote parking signal. For example, the RePA controller 140 determines that the key fob 106 corresponds to the mobile device 104 in response to recognizing that the distance and / or position of the key fob 106 relative to the vehicle 100 corresponds to the distance and / or position of the mobile device 104 relative to the vehicle 100. Furthermore, to determine whether the key fob 106 is within the engagement range 504 of the vehicle 100, the RePA controller 140 compares the engagement range 504 with the distance between the key fob 106 and the vehicle 100 and / or the relative position of the key fob 106 relative to the vehicle 100.

[0087] For example, communication module 126 is configured to determine the distance between key fob 106 and vehicle 100 (with error margin) based on the RSSI, time of flight, and / or angle of arrival of the communication between key fob 106 and communication module 126. In some examples, communication module 126 is configured to determine the distance between mobile device 104 and vehicle 100 (with error margin) based on the RSSI, time of flight, and / or angle of arrival of the communication between mobile device 104 and communication module 126. Alternatively, communication module 126 is configured to utilize triangulation to determine the position of mobile device 104 relative to vehicle 100 based on the RSSI, time of flight, and / or angle of arrival of the communication between mobile device 104 and antenna node 134 (with error margin). Furthermore, in some examples, communication module 126 is configured to utilize triangulation to determine the position of key fob 106 relative to vehicle 100 based on the RSSI, time of flight, and / or angle of arrival of the communication between key fob 106 and antenna node 134 (with error margin).

[0088] RePA controller 140 determines that key fob 106 corresponds to mobile device 104 in response to determining that key fob 106 and mobile device 104 are spaced at similar distances from vehicle 100 within a threshold margin and / or in response to determining that key fob 106 and mobile device 104 are within a threshold margin of each other. In some examples, if RePA controller 140 cannot distinguish between two or more key fobs near mobile device 104 that has activated remote parking assistance, RePA controller 140 determines that at least one of these key fobs corresponds to user 102. Furthermore, in some examples, RePA controller 140 monitors the location of mobile devices and / or key fobs that include RePA functionality over a period of time to determine the trajectories of these mobile devices and / or key fobs. In such examples, RePA controller 140 is configured to identify key fob 106 corresponding to mobile device 104 that has activated remote parking assistance based on the trajectories of key fob 106 and mobile device 104. In addition, in some examples, the RePA controller 140 identifies the key fob 106 corresponding to the mobile device 104 of the user 102 based on direct communication between the mobile device 104 and the key fob 106.

[0089] In the illustrated example, the RePA controller 140 facilitates prioritizing and processing of input requests while remote parking assistance is being performed by determining whether to process an unlock request based on the vehicle speed of vehicle 100. For example, while the autonomous unit 138 is performing remote parking assistance, the RePA controller 140 is configured to (i) receive an unlock request for unlocking one or more doors 108 via communication module 126 from user 102's key fob 106, (ii) receive an unlock request for unlocking one or more doors 108 via communication module 126 from user 510's key fob 514 and / or mobile device 512, (iii) receive an unlock request for unlocking one or more doors 108 in response to one of the handle sensors 112 detecting that the user has engaged and / or otherwise contacted the corresponding door handle 110 of the doors 108, and (iv) receive an unlock request for unlocking one or more doors 108 via keypad 114, etc. In the illustrated example, the mobile device 512 includes a mobile phone-as-a-key function.

[0090] In some examples, the unlock request is a remote request (e.g., sent from key fob 106, key fob 514, or mobile device 512). In other examples, the unlock request is a local request (e.g., from keypad 114, via one of handle sensors 112). When the unlock request is a remote request, RePA controller 140 is configured to determine whether the mobile device sending the remote request (e.g., key fob 106, key fob 514, or mobile device 512) is within a threshold range 506 of vehicle 100. If the mobile device sending the remote request is outside the threshold range 506, RePA controller 140 prevents door 108 from unlocking, and autonomous unit 138 continues to perform remote parking assistance.

[0091] The RePA controller 140 in the example shown collects vehicle speed from vehicle speed sensor 124 of vehicle 100. If RePA controller 140 determines that the vehicle speed is less than or equal to a threshold speed, RePA controller 140 unlocks and / or prepares to unlock one or more of the doors 108 of vehicle 100 to allow a user (e.g., user 102, user 510) to enter the cabin of vehicle 100. For example, when RePA controller 140 determines that the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the threshold speed, RePA controller 140 prepares the door 108 to unlock, and the door 108 is subsequently unlocked once one of the handle sensors 112 detects that a user has grasped and / or otherwise engaged the door handle 110 of the corresponding door 108. Furthermore, in some examples, if RePA controller 140 determines that the vehicle speed is greater than the threshold speed, RePA controller 140 prevents the door 108 from unlocking while autonomous unit 138 continues to perform motion functions for remote parking assistance. In other examples, the RePA controller 140 is configured to cause the autonomous unit 138 to stop the movement of the vehicle 100 and the execution of remote parking assistance when it determines that the vehicle speed is greater than a threshold speed. In such examples, once the vehicle 100 has stopped moving, the RePA controller 140 allows the door 108 to be opened.

[0092] In some examples, the RePA controller 140 prevents the door 108 from unlocking based on whether the remote unlock signal is sent via a permitted communication protocol. For example, if the remote request is sent to the vehicle 100's communication module 126 via a prohibited communication protocol (e.g., cellular communication), the RePA controller 140 prevents the door 108 from unlocking and the autonomous unit 138 continues to perform remote parking assistance. Furthermore, in some examples, the RePA controller 140 is configured to handle remote locking requests and / or remote emergency requests, regardless of the vehicle 100's speed.

[0093] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of another exemplary method 800 for managing input signals for remote parking assistance. Figure 8 The flowchart represents the storage in memory (such as...) Figure 2 The memory 210 contains machine-readable instructions for one or more programs, which are read by a processor (such as...) Figure 2 When the processor 208 executes, it causes the vehicle 100 to achieve Figure 1 and Figure 2 An exemplary RePA controller 140. (Although reference...) Figure 8The flowchart shown describes an exemplary procedure, but many other methods for implementing the exemplary RePA controller 140 can be used alternatively. For example, the execution order of combo boxes can be rearranged, changed, eliminated, and / or executed to perform method 800. Furthermore, because of the combination... Figures 1 to 4 and Figure 7 The components disclosed method 800, so some of the functions of those components will not be described in detail below.

[0094] Initially, at block 802, the RePA controller 140 determines whether the remote parking assist of vehicle 100 is active. In response to the RePA controller 140 determining that the remote parking assist is active, method 800 proceeds to block 812. Otherwise, in response to the RePA controller 140 determining that the remote parking assist is not active, method 800 proceeds to block 804. At block 804, the RePA controller 140 determines whether the communication module 126 of vehicle 100 has received an activation request to activate the remote parking assist of vehicle 100 from a mobile device (e.g., mobile device 104 of user 102). In response to the RePA controller 140 determining that no activation request has been received, method 800 returns to block 802. Otherwise, in response to the RePA controller 140 determining that an activation request has been received, method 800 proceeds to block 806.

[0095] At block 806, the RePA controller 140 determines whether a key fob (e.g., user 102's key fob 106) corresponds to the mobile device 104 that sent the activation request for remote parking assistance. For example, the RePA controller 140 determines whether the key fob 106 corresponds to the mobile device 104 by identifying whether the key fob 106 and the mobile device 104 are spaced at similar distances within a threshold margin from the communication module 126 of the vehicle 100 and / or by identifying whether the key fob 106 and the mobile device 104 are within each other's threshold margins. In some such examples, the RePA controller 140 determines the distance between the key fob 106 and the vehicle 100 based on the signal strength of the communication between the key fob 106 and the communication module 126, determines the distance between the mobile device 104 and the vehicle 100 based on the signal strength of the communication between the mobile device 104 and the communication module 126, and compares the distance of the key fob 106 with the distance of the mobile device 104. In response to RePA controller 140 determining that key fob 106 does not correspond to mobile device 104, method 800 returns to box 802. Otherwise, in response to RePA controller 140 determining that key fob 106 corresponds to mobile device 104, method 800 proceeds to box 808.

[0096] At block 808, RePA controller 140 specifies that the mobile device 104 should send an activation request to initiate the remote parking assist feature. At block 810, RePA controller 140 determines whether the key fob 106 corresponding to the mobile device 104 is within the linkage range 504 of vehicle 100 for initiating the remote parking assist feature. For example, RePA controller 140 determines whether user 102's key fob 106 is within the linkage range 504 based on the signal strength of the communication between vehicle 100's communication module 126 and key fob 106. In response to RePA controller 140 determining that user 102 is outside the linkage range 504, method 800 returns to block 802. Otherwise, in response to RePA controller 140 determining that user 102 is within the linkage range 504, autonomous unit 138 activates remote parking assist, and method 800 proceeds to block 812, where autonomous unit 138 performs the remote parking assist motion function initiated via user 102's mobile device 104.

[0097] At box 814, RePA controller 140 determines whether vehicle 100 has received an unlock request from one or more of the 108 devices 108 that unlock vehicle 100. For example, the unlock request may be received from user 102's key fob 106, another user's key fob and / or mobile phone (e.g., user 510's key fob 514 and / or mobile device 512), keypad 114, etc. In response to RePA controller 140 determining that no unlock request has been received, method 800 returns to box 802. Otherwise, in response to RePA controller 140 determining that an unlock request has been received, method 800 proceeds to box 816.

[0098] At block 816, RePA controller 140 determines whether the received unlock request is a remote request. For example, a remote unlock request includes an unlock request received by communication module 126 from user 102's key fob 106, another user's key fob (e.g., user 510's key fob 514), and / or another user's mobile phone / key (e.g., user 510's mobile device 512). Unlock requests that are not remote requests include requests received from devices on vehicle 100 (such as handle sensor 112, keypad 114, liftgate sensor 118, etc.). In response to RePA controller 140 determining that the unlock request is not a remote request, method 800 proceeds to block 822. Otherwise, in response to RePA controller 140 determining that the unlock request is a remote request, method 800 proceeds to block 818.

[0099] At block 818, RePA controller 140 determines whether the remote request was sent from a mobile device (e.g., key fob 106, mobile device 512, key fob 514) via an allowed communication protocol. For example, disallowed communication protocols include cellular communication protocols, and allowed communication protocols include Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi, and UHF communication. In response to RePA controller 140 determining that the remote request was not sent via an allowed communication protocol, method 800 returns to block 802. Otherwise, in response to RePA controller 140 determining that the remote request was sent via an allowed communication protocol, method 800 proceeds to block 820.

[0100] At block 820, RePA controller 140 determines whether the mobile device (e.g., key fob 106, mobile device 512, key fob 514) that sent the remote unlock request is within a threshold range 506 of vehicle 100. For example, RePA controller 140 determines whether the mobile device is within the threshold range 506 based on the signal strength of the communication between the mobile device and the communication module 126 of vehicle 100. In response to RePA controller 140 determining that the mobile device is outside the threshold range 506, method 800 returns to block 802. Otherwise, in response to RePA controller 140 determining that the mobile device is within the threshold range 506, method 800 proceeds to block 822.

[0101] At block 822, RePA controller 140 determines whether the current vehicle speed of vehicle 100 is greater than a threshold speed. For example, while autonomous unit 138 is performing a motion function for remote parking assistance, RePA controller 140 determines the vehicle speed via vehicle speed sensor 124. In response to RePA controller 140 determining that the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the threshold speed, method 800 proceeds to block 824, where RePA controller 140 unlocks and / or prepares to unlock one or more of the doors 108 of vehicle 100. Otherwise, in response to RePA controller 140 determining that the vehicle speed is greater than the threshold speed, method 800 proceeds to block 826, where RePA controller 140 prevents the unlocking of doors 108 while autonomous unit 138 continues to perform the motion function for remote parking assistance. Alternatively, at block 828, RePA controller 140 causes autonomous unit 138 to stop the movement of vehicle 100 and the execution of remote parking assistance. For example, once the vehicle 100 stops moving, the RePA controller 140 prompts the door 108 to open.

[0102] Figure 9Another exemplary system for managing input signals for remote parking assistance for vehicle 100 is depicted. In the illustrated example, when user 102 is within the engagement range 504 of vehicle 100, user 102 initiates the execution of a remote parking assistance motion function via autonomous unit 138 using mobile device 104, so that vehicle 100 autonomously parks itself in parking space 502. The RePA controller 140 of vehicle 100 in the illustrated example facilitates prioritization of input requests by determining whether to process a remote unlocking request based on the number of key fobs identified as being within the engagement range 504 of vehicle 100 while remote parking assistance is being performed.

[0103] When user 102 is within the linkage range 504 of vehicle 100, the vehicle 100 of the illustrated example is allowed to autonomously perform motion functions for remote parking assistance, and when user 102 is outside the linkage range 504 of vehicle 100, autonomous execution of motion functions is prohibited. The RePA controller 140 of the illustrated example determines the distance between user 102 and the outer surface of vehicle 100 based on the signal strength (e.g., RSSI) of the low-frequency communication between user 102's key fob 106 and the communication module 126 of vehicle 100. Furthermore, remote parking signals and / or other information are transmitted from mobile device 104 to RePA controller 140 using BLE communication, Wi-Fi communication, and / or UHF communication.

[0104] In operation, RePA controller 140 determines whether remote parking assistance is active for vehicle 100. If RePA controller 140 determines that remote parking assistance is inactive, it waits to designate a mobile device for activating remote parking assistance. For example, when remote parking assistance for vehicle 100 is inactive, RePA controller 140 designates the mobile device upon receiving an activation request from the mobile device via communication module 126. That is, RePA controller 140 is configured to designate the user's mobile device 104 in response to RePA controller 140 (i) determining that remote parking assistance is inactive and (ii) receiving an activation request from mobile device 104. In some examples, mobile device 104 sends the activation request when the user opens the remote parking application (app) via touchscreen 308 of mobile device 104.

[0105] In the illustrated example, the autonomous unit 138 of vehicle 100 activates remote parking assistance in response to the RePA controller 140 designating the mobile device 104 for remote parking assistance. That is, upon designating the mobile device 104, the RePA controller 140 instructs the autonomous unit 138 to activate one or more remote parking assistance features. Furthermore, when the mobile device 104 is designated for remote parking assistance of vehicle 100, the RePA controller 140 processes the remote parking signal received from the mobile device 104 by the communication module 126.

[0106] Autonomous unit 138 is configured to perform motion functions for remote parking assistance based on a remote parking signal transmitted from mobile device 104, received by communication module 126, and processed by RePA controller 140. That is, RePA controller 140 causes autonomous unit 138 to perform remote parking assistance when it receives a remote parking signal from mobile device 104 via communication module 126.

[0107] In the illustrated example, if the RePA controller 140 (i) identifies a key fob (e.g., key fob 106) corresponding to the mobile device 104 that sent the remote parking signal and (ii) determines that the key fob is within the engagement range 504 of the vehicle 100, the autonomous unit 138 performs motion functions for remote parking assistance based on the remote parking signal. For example, the RePA controller 140 determines that the key fob 106 corresponds to the mobile device 104 in response to recognizing that the distance and / or position of the key fob 106 relative to the vehicle 100 corresponds to the distance and / or position of the mobile device 104 relative to the vehicle 100. Furthermore, to determine whether the key fob 106 is within the engagement range 504 of the vehicle 100, the RePA controller 140 compares the engagement range 504 with the distance between the key fob 106 and the vehicle 100 and / or the relative position of the key fob 106 relative to the vehicle 100.

[0108] For example, communication module 126 is configured to determine the distance between key fob 106 and vehicle 100 (with error margin) based on the RSSI, time of flight, and / or angle of arrival of the communication between key fob 106 and communication module 126. In some examples, communication module 126 is configured to determine the distance between mobile device 104 and vehicle 100 (with error margin) based on the RSSI, time of flight, and / or angle of arrival of the communication between mobile device 104 and communication module 126. Alternatively, communication module 126 is configured to utilize triangulation to determine the position of mobile device 104 relative to vehicle 100 based on the RSSI, time of flight, and / or angle of arrival of the communication between mobile device 104 and antenna node 134 (with error margin). Furthermore, in some examples, communication module 126 is configured to utilize triangulation to determine the position of key fob 106 relative to vehicle 100 based on the RSSI, time of flight, and / or angle of arrival of the communication between key fob 106 and antenna node 134 (with error margin).

[0109] RePA controller 140 determines that key fob 106 corresponds to mobile device 104 in response to determining that key fob 106 and mobile device 104 are spaced at similar distances from vehicle 100 within a threshold margin and / or in response to determining that key fob 106 and mobile device 104 are within a threshold margin of each other. In some examples, if RePA controller 140 cannot distinguish between two or more key fobs near mobile device 104 that has activated remote parking assistance, RePA controller 140 determines that at least one of these key fobs corresponds to user 102. Furthermore, in some examples, RePA controller 140 monitors the location of mobile devices and / or key fobs that include RePA functionality over a period of time to determine the trajectories of these mobile devices and / or key fobs. In such examples, RePA controller 140 is configured to identify key fob 106 corresponding to mobile device 104 that has activated remote parking assistance based on the trajectories of key fob 106 and mobile device 104. In addition, in some examples, the RePA controller 140 identifies the key fob 106 corresponding to the mobile device 104 of the user 102 based on direct communication between the mobile device 104 and the key fob 106.

[0110] In the illustrated example, the RePA controller 140 facilitates prioritization and processing of input requests while remote parking assistance is being performed by determining whether to process a remote unlock request based on the number of key fobs identified as being within the attachment range 504 of vehicle 100. For example, while the autonomous unit 138 is performing remote parking assistance, the RePA controller 140 is configured to receive unlock requests for unlocking one or more of the doors 108 via communication module 126 (i) from key fob 106 of user 102, (ii) from key fob 514 of user 510, and (iii) from key fob of another user associated with vehicle 100.

[0111] If the RePA controller 140 identifies that the key fob sending the unlock request is outside the linkage range 504, the RePA controller 140 determines that the unlock request was not sent from the key fob 106 of user 102 who initiated remote parking assistance via mobile device 104. That is, the RePA controller 140 determines that the unlock request was sent from a different key fob than key fob 104. In such a case, suppose another user (e.g., user 510) intentionally sends an unlock request for one or more of the doors 108 while user 102 is initiating remote parking assistance via mobile device 104. Subsequently, if the key fob sending the unlock request is within the threshold range 506 of vehicle 100, the RePA controller 140 causes the autonomous unit 138 to stop the movement of vehicle 100 and the execution of remote parking assistance. Furthermore, the RePA controller 140 is configured to allow opening of door 108 once vehicle 100 has stopped moving. In some examples, once vehicle 100 is stationary, RePA controller 140 unlocks and / or prepares to unlock one or more of the doors 108 of vehicle 100 to allow a user (e.g., user 102, user 510) to enter the cabin of vehicle 100. For example, RePA controller 140 is prepared to unlock door 108 such that RePA controller 140 unlocks one or more of the doors 108 in response to (i) one of the handle sensors 112 detecting that the door handle 110 of one of the doors 108 has been engaged by a user and (ii) RePA controller 140 detecting that a key fob and / or mobile phone, i.e., a key, is near the corresponding one of the doors 108.

[0112] Otherwise, upon receiving an unlock request from a key fob within the connection range 504, the RePA controller 140 identifies the number of one or more key fobs within the connection range 504. For example, the RePA controller 140 identifies the number of one or more key fobs near vehicle 100 based on communication signals (e.g., beacon, ping, input signals, etc.) received by the communication module 126 of vehicle 100. That is, the RePA controller 140 identifies the number of one or more key fobs near vehicle 100 by identifying the number of one or more key fobs communicating with the communication module 126 of vehicle 100. Furthermore, the RePA controller 140 identifies the number of one or more key fobs within the connection range 504 by identifying which of the key fobs communicating with the communication module 126 are within the connection range 504 of vehicle 100. The RePA controller 140 is configured to determine which of the key fobs is within the connection range 504 based on the signal strength of the communication signals between one or more key fobs and the communication module 126.

[0113] In response to RePA controller 140 determining that the number of one or more key fobs within the connection range 504 is one, RePA controller 140 prevents door 108 from unlocking and autonomous unit 138 continues to perform motion functions for remote parking assistance. That is, if the number of one or more key fobs within the connection range 504 is one, RePA controller 140 does not process the unlock request. For example, if the number of one or more key fobs within the connection range 504 is one, RePA controller 140 determines that the unlock request was sent from key fob 106 of user 102 who is initiating remote parking assistance via mobile device 104. In such a case, it is assumed that user 102 does not intend to send an unlock request via key fob 106 while initiating remote parking assistance via mobile device 104. Subsequently, RePA controller 140 ignores the unlock request sent from key fob 106 to facilitate prioritization of input requests while remote parking assistance is being performed.

[0114] In response to the RePA controller 140 determining that the number of key fobs within the linkage range 504 is two or more, the RePA controller 140 attempts to determine whether the unlock request was sent from the key fob 106 of the user 102 corresponding to the mobile device 104 that initiated remote parking assistance. To determine whether the unlock request was sent from the user 102's key fob 106, the RePA controller 140 compares one or more relative distances and / or one or more positions of each of the one or more key fobs relative to the vehicle 100 within the linkage range 504 with the distance between the mobile device 104 and the vehicle 100 and / or the position of the mobile device 104 relative to the vehicle 100.

[0115] If the RePA controller 140 identifies that the key fob sending the unlock request is (i) spaced from the vehicle 100 at a different distance from the mobile device 104 and / or (ii) located at a different position from the mobile device that initiated the remote parking assistance, then the RePA controller 140 determines that the unlock request was not sent from the key fob 106 of the user 102 who initiated the remote parking assistance via the mobile device 104. That is, the RePA controller 140 determines that the unlock request was sent from another key fob (e.g., key fob 514). In such a case, it is assumed that another user (e.g., user 510) intentionally sent an unlock request for one or more of the doors 108 while user 102 was initiating the remote parking assistance via the mobile device 104. Subsequently, the RePA controller 140 causes the autonomous unit 138 to stop the movement of the vehicle 100 and the execution of the remote parking assistance. Furthermore, the RePA controller 140 is configured to allow the doors 108 to be opened once the vehicle 100 has stopped moving. In some examples, once vehicle 100 is stationary, RePA controller 140 unlocks and / or prepares to unlock one or more of the doors 108 of vehicle 100 to allow a user (e.g., user 102, user 510) to enter the cabin of vehicle 100. For example, RePA controller 140 is prepared to unlock door 108 such that RePA controller 140 unlocks one or more of the doors 108 in response to (i) one of the handle sensors 112 detecting that the door handle 110 of one of the doors 108 has been engaged by a user and (ii) RePA controller 140 detecting that a key fob and / or mobile phone, i.e., a key, is near the corresponding one of the doors 108.

[0116] If the RePA controller 140 identifies that the key fob sending the unlock request is the only one among one or more key fobs that is (i) within a threshold distance of the mobile device 104 that initiates remote parking assistance and / or (ii) spaced from the vehicle 100 at the same or similar distance within a threshold margin of the mobile device 104 that initiates remote parking assistance, then the RePA controller 140 determines that the unlock request was sent from the key fob 106 of the user 102 who initiated remote parking assistance via the mobile device 104. In response to determining that the unlock request was sent from the key fob 106 of the user 102, the RePA controller 140 prevents the door 108 from unlocking and the autonomous unit 138 continues to perform the motion functions for remote parking assistance. That is, it is assumed that the user 102 did not intend to send an unlock request via the key fob 106 while initiating remote parking assistance via the mobile device 104. In such cases, the RePA controller 140 does not process the unlock request sent from the key fob 106 to further facilitate prioritization of input requests while remote parking assistance is being performed.

[0117] Furthermore, in some examples, the RePA controller 140 may be unable to determine whether the key fob sending the unlock request corresponds to the mobile device 104 that activates remote parking assistance. For example, if the RePA controller 140 identifies a key fob sending an unlock signal, one or more other key fobs that did not send an unlock signal, and the mobile device 104 that activates remote parking assistance as being within a threshold distance of each other and / or at a similar distance from the vehicle 100 within a threshold margin, the RePA controller 140 cannot determine whether the key fob sending the unlock request corresponds to the mobile device 104 that activates remote parking assistance.

[0118] In some examples, when the RePA controller 140 cannot determine whether the key fob that sent the unlock request is the key fob 106 of user 102 who activated remote parking assistance via mobile device 104, the RePA controller 140 causes the autonomous unit 138 to stop the movement of vehicle 100 and the execution of remote parking assistance. That is, it is assumed that the unlock request was sent unintentionally at the same time that mobile device 104 activated remote parking assistance. Furthermore, the RePA controller 140 is configured to allow the opening of door 108 once vehicle 100 has stopped moving. In some examples, once vehicle 100 is stationary, the RePA controller 140 unlocks and / or prepares to unlock one or more of the doors 108 of vehicle 100 to allow a user (e.g., user 102, user 510) to enter the vehicle 100's cabin.

[0119] In other examples, when the RePA controller 140 cannot determine whether the key fob sending the unlock request belongs to the user 102 who initiated remote parking assistance via mobile device 104, the RePA controller 140 prevents the door 108 from unlocking, and the autonomous unit 138 continues to perform the motion functions for remote parking assistance. That is, assuming the unlock request was unintentionally sent while mobile device 104 initiated remote parking assistance. In such cases, the RePA controller 140 does not process the unlock request sent from key fob 106 to further facilitate prioritization of input requests while remote parking assistance is being performed.

[0120] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of another exemplary method 1000 for managing input signals for remote parking assistance. Figure 10 The flowchart represents the storage in memory (such as...) Figure 2 The memory 210 contains machine-readable instructions for one or more programs, which are read by a processor (such as...) Figure 2 When the processor 208 executes, it causes the vehicle 100 to achieve Figure 1 and Figure 2 An exemplary RePA controller 140. (Although reference...) Figure 10The flowchart shown describes an exemplary procedure, but many other methods for implementing the exemplary RePA controller 140 can be used alternatively. For example, the execution order of combo boxes can be rearranged, changed, eliminated, and / or executed to perform method 1000. Furthermore, because of the combination... Figures 1 to 4 and Figure 9 The components disclose method 1000, so some of the functions of those components will not be described in detail below.

[0121] Initially, at box 1002, the RePA controller 140 determines whether the remote parking assist of vehicle 100 is active. In response to the RePA controller 140 determining that the remote parking assist is active, method 1000 proceeds to box 1012. Otherwise, in response to the RePA controller 140 determining that the remote parking assist is not active, method 1000 proceeds to box 1004. At box 1004, the RePA controller 140 determines whether the communication module 126 of vehicle 100 has received an activation request to activate the remote parking assist of vehicle 100 from a mobile device (e.g., mobile device 104 of user 102). In response to the RePA controller 140 determining that no activation request has been received, method 1000 returns to box 1002. Otherwise, in response to the RePA controller 140 determining that an activation request has been received, method 1000 proceeds to box 1006.

[0122] At block 1006, the RePA controller 140 determines whether a key fob (e.g., user 102's key fob 106) corresponds to the mobile device 104 that sent the activation request for remote parking assistance. For example, the RePA controller 140 determines whether the key fob 106 corresponds to the mobile device 104 by identifying whether the key fob 106 and the mobile device 104 are within a threshold distance from each other and / or spaced at a similar distance within a threshold margin from the communication module 126 of the vehicle 100. In some such examples, the RePA controller 140 determines the distance and / or relative position between the key fob 106 and the vehicle 100 based on the signal strength of the communication between the key fob 106 and the antenna node 134, determines the distance and / or relative position between the mobile device 104 and the vehicle 100 based on the signal strength of the communication between the mobile device 104 and the antenna node 134, and compares the distance and / or position of the key fob 106 with the distance and / or position of the mobile device 104. In response to RePA controller 140 determining that key fob 106 does not correspond to mobile device 104, method 1000 returns to box 1002. Otherwise, in response to RePA controller 140 determining that key fob 106 corresponds to mobile device 104, method 1000 proceeds to box 1008.

[0123] At block 1008, RePA controller 140 specifies the mobile device 104 that sends an activation request to initiate the remote parking assist feature. At block 1010, RePA controller 140 determines whether the key fob 106 corresponding to the mobile device 104 is within the linkage range 504 of vehicle 100 for initiating the remote parking assist feature. For example, RePA controller 140 determines whether user 102's key fob 106 is within the linkage range 504 based on the signal strength of communication between vehicle 100's communication module 126 and key fob 106. In response to RePA controller 140 determining that user 102 is outside the linkage range 504, method 1000 returns to block 1002. Otherwise, in response to RePA controller 140 determining that user 102 is within range 504, autonomous unit 138 activates remote parking assistance, and method 1000 proceeds to block 1012, where autonomous unit 138 performs the remote parking assistance motion function initiated via user 102's mobile device 104.

[0124] At block 1014, RePA controller 140 determines the number of one or more key fobs within the linkage range 504 of vehicle 100. For example, RePA controller 140 identifies the number of one or more key fobs within linkage range 504 based on communication signals received by vehicle 100's communication module 126 (from one or more key fobs). At block 1016, RePA controller 140 determines whether communication module 126 has received a door unlock request from one of the one or more key fobs. In response to RePA controller 140 determining that no unlock request has been received from one of the one or more key fobs, method 1000 returns to block 1002. Otherwise, in response to RePA controller 140 determining that an unlock request has been received from one of the key fobs, method 1000 proceeds to block 1018.

[0125] At box 1018, RePA controller 140 determines whether the number of one or more key fobs within linkage range 504 is one. In response to RePA controller 140 determining that the number of one or more key fobs within linkage range 504 is one, method 1000 proceeds to box 1020, where RePA controller 140 prevents door 108 from unlocking while autonomous unit 138 continues to perform motion functions for remote parking assistance. Otherwise, in response to RePA controller 140 determining that the number of one or more key fobs within linkage range 504 is not one, method 1000 proceeds to box 1022.

[0126] At block 1022, RePA controller 140 determines whether the unlock request is sent from key fob 106 corresponding to the mobile device 104 that initiated remote parking assistance. For example, RePA controller 140 determines whether the key fob sending the unlock request corresponds to mobile device 104 by identifying that (i) the key fob sending the unlock request and mobile device 104 are within a threshold distance from each other and / or spaced at a similar distance within a threshold margin from the communication module 126 of vehicle 100, and (ii) one or more other key fobs in the linkage area are in different positions and / or spaced at one or more different distances from the communication module 126. In response to RePA controller 140 determining that the key fob sending the unlock request corresponds to mobile device 104, method 1000 proceeds to block 1024, where RePA controller 140 prevents door 108 from unlocking, while autonomous unit 138 continues to perform motion functions for remote parking assistance. Otherwise, in response to RePA controller 140 not knowing whether the key fob that sent the unlock request corresponds to mobile device 104 (e.g., RePA controller 140 determines that the unlock request was sent from another key fob, and RePA controller 140 cannot identify the key fob that sent the unlock request), method 1000 proceeds to block 1026.

[0127] At block 1026, RePA controller 140 determines whether an unlock request sent from one of one or more key fobs is within threshold range 506. For example, RePA controller 140 determines whether the key fob sending the unlock request is within threshold range 506 based on the signal strength of the communication between the key fob and the communication module 126 of vehicle 100. In response to RePA controller 140 determining that the key fob sending the unlock request is outside threshold range 506, method 1000 returns to block 1002. Otherwise, in response to RePA controller 140 determining that the moving device is within threshold range 506, method 1000 proceeds to block 1028, where RePA controller 140 causes autonomous unit 138 to stop the movement of vehicle 100 and facilitates the opening of door 108 once the movement of vehicle 100 has stopped (e.g., by unlocking door 108, by preparing to unlock door 108).

[0128] An exemplary disclosed vehicle includes an autonomous unit, a communication module, and a controller. The controller is configured to perform remote parking via the autonomous unit upon receiving a remote parking signal from a mobile device via the communication module. The controller is further configured to: receive an unlock request from a first key fob during the remote parking; determine the number of key fobs within the connection range; and, when the number of key fobs is one, prevent processing of the unlock request.

[0129] In some examples, the autonomous unit is configured to continue performing the remote parking even when the controller blocks the processing of the unlock request.

[0130] In some examples, the communication module is configured to communicate with the key fob via a first communication protocol and with the mobile device via a second communication protocol. In some such examples, the first communication protocol is low-frequency communication, and the second communication protocol is... At least one of low-power protocols, Wi-Fi protocols, and ultra-high frequency communications.

[0131] In some examples, the controller enables the autonomous unit to perform the remote parking in response to: identifying a user key fob corresponding to the mobile device; and determining that the user key fob is within the linkage range. In some such examples, the controller determines that the user key fob corresponds to the mobile device in response to determining that the user key fob and the mobile device are spaced from each other within a threshold margin. In some such examples, the controller determines that the user key fob corresponds to the mobile device in response to determining that the user key fob and the mobile device are within a threshold margin.

[0132] In some such examples, when the number of key fobs within the connection range is two or more, the controller attempts to determine whether the first key fob sending the unlock request is a user key fob corresponding to the user's mobile device. In some such examples, in response to determining that the first key fob is the user key fob, the controller blocks processing of the unlock request. In some such examples, in response to determining that the first key fob is not the user key fob, the controller stops the remote parking. In some examples, in response to the controller being unable to determine whether the first key fob is the user key fob, the controller stops the remote parking.

[0133] Some examples also include: a door, a door handle, and a door handle sensor. In some such examples, when the remote parking stops, the controller is configured to unlock the door in response to the door handle sensor detecting engagement with the door handle.

[0134] An exemplary disclosed method includes: receiving a remote parking signal from a mobile device via a vehicle's communication module; and performing remote parking via an autonomous unit upon receiving the remote parking signal. The exemplary disclosed method further includes: receiving an unlock request from a first key fob during the remote parking; and determining the number of key fobs within the connection range via a processor. The exemplary disclosed method further includes: blocking processing of the unlock request when the number of key fobs is one.

[0135] Some examples also include: continuing to perform the remote parking when processing of the unlock request is blocked. Some examples also include: enabling the autonomous unit to perform the remote parking in response to: identifying that the mobile device corresponds to the user key fob by determining, via a received signal strength indicator, that the user key fob and the mobile device are within a threshold margin of each other; and determining that the user key fob is within the connection range.

[0136] Some examples also include: when the number of key fobs within the linkage range is two or more, attempting to determine whether the first key fob sending the unlock request is a user key fob corresponding to the mobile device. Some such examples also include: blocking processing of the unlock request in response to determining that the first key fob is the user key fob. Some such examples also include: stopping the remote parking in response to determining that the first key fob is not the user key fob and being unable to determine whether the first key fob is at least one of the user key fobs. Some such examples also include: when the remote parking is stopped, unlocking the door in response to a door handle sensor detecting engagement with the door handle.

[0137] In this application, the use of conjunctions of contrast is intended to include the meaning of a conjunction. The use of definite or indefinite articles is not intended to indicate cardinality. In particular, references to “the” object or “an” and “a” object are also intended to indicate one of a plurality of such objects. Furthermore, the conjunction “or” can be used to convey the characteristics of concurrent rather than mutually exclusive schemes. In other words, the conjunction “or” should be understood to include “and / or”. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “including” are open-ended and have the same scope as “containing,” “including,” and “containing”, respectively. Additionally, as used herein, the terms “module,” “unit,” and “node” refer to hardware having circuitry typically combined with sensors to provide communication, control, and / or monitoring capabilities. “Module,” “unit,” and “node” may also include firmware executed on the circuitry.

[0138] The above embodiments, and specifically any "preferred" embodiments, are possible examples of implementations and are merely illustrative for the purpose of clearly understanding the principles of the invention. Many variations and modifications may be made to one or more of the above embodiments without substantially departing from the spirit and principles of the technology described herein. All modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure and are protected by the appended claims.

[0139] According to the present invention, a vehicle is provided, comprising: an autonomous unit; a communication module; and a controller, the controller being configured to: perform remote parking via the autonomous unit upon receiving a remote parking signal from a mobile device via the communication module; receive an unlock request from a first key fob during the remote parking; determine the number of key fobs within the connection range; and prevent processing of the unlock request when the number of key fobs is one.

[0140] According to one embodiment, the autonomous unit is configured to continue performing the remote parking even when the controller blocks the processing of the unlock request.

[0141] According to one embodiment, the communication module is configured to communicate with the key fob via a first communication protocol and with the mobile device via a second communication protocol.

[0142] According to one embodiment, the first communication protocol is low-frequency communication, and the second communication protocol is... At least one of low-power protocols, Wi-Fi protocols, and ultra-high frequency communications.

[0143] According to one embodiment, the controller enables the autonomous unit to perform the remote parking in response to: identifying a user key fob corresponding to the mobile device; and determining that the user key fob is within the connection range.

[0144] According to one embodiment, the controller determines that the user key fob corresponds to the mobile device in response to determining a distance between the user key fob and the mobile device that is spaced from the vehicle within a threshold margin.

[0145] According to one embodiment, the controller determines that the user key fob corresponds to the mobile device in response to determining that the user key fob and the mobile device are within a threshold margin of each other.

[0146] According to one embodiment, when the number of key fobs within the connection range is two or more, the controller attempts to determine whether the first key fob that sent the unlock request is a user key fob corresponding to the user's mobile device.

[0147] According to one embodiment, in response to determining that the first key fob is the user's key fob, the controller blocks the processing of the unlock request.

[0148] According to one embodiment, in response to determining that the first key fob is not the user's key fob, the controller stops the remote parking.

[0149] According to one embodiment, in response to the controller being unable to determine whether the first key fob is the user's key fob, the controller stops the remote parking.

[0150] According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized by: a car door, a car door handle, and a car door handle sensor.

[0151] According to one embodiment, when the remote parking stops, the controller is configured to unlock the door in response to the door handle sensor detecting engagement with the door handle.

[0152] According to the present invention, a method includes: receiving a remote parking signal from a mobile device via a vehicle's communication module; performing remote parking via an autonomous unit upon receiving the remote parking signal; receiving an unlock request from a first key fob during the remote parking; determining, via a processor, the number of key fobs within the connection range; and blocking processing of the unlock request when the number of key fobs is one.

[0153] According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized in that: the remote parking continues to be performed when the processing of the unlock request is blocked.

[0154] According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized in that the autonomous unit is able to perform the remote parking in response to: identifying that the mobile device corresponds to the user key fob by determining, via a received signal strength index, that the user key fob and the mobile device are within a threshold margin of each other; and determining that the user key fob is within the connection range.

[0155] According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized in that: when the number of key fobs within the connection range is two or more, an attempt is made to determine whether the first key fob that sent the unlock request is a user key fob corresponding to the mobile device.

[0156] According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized in that: in response to determining that the first key fob is the user's key fob, the processing of the unlocking request is blocked.

[0157] According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized in that: the remote parking is stopped in response to determining that the first key fob is not the user key fob and being unable to determine whether the first key fob is the user key fob at least one of them.

[0158] According to one embodiment, the invention is further characterized in that: when the remote parking is stopped, the door is unlocked in response to the door handle sensor detecting engagement with the door handle.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising: Autonomous unit; Communication module; as well as Controller, the controller is used for: When a remote parking signal is received from the mobile device via the communication module, remote parking is performed via the autonomous unit. During the remote parking, an unlock request is received from the first key fob. Determine the number of keychains within the connection area; and When there is only one key fob, the processing of the unlock request is blocked.

2. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The autonomous unit is configured to continue performing the remote parking even when the controller blocks the processing of the unlock request.

3. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The communication module is configured to communicate with the key fob via a first communication protocol and with the mobile device via a second communication protocol.

4. The vehicle as claimed in claim 3, wherein, The first communication protocol is low-frequency communication, and the second communication protocol is... At least one of low-power protocols, Wi-Fi protocols, and ultra-high frequency communications.

5. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The controller enables the autonomous unit to perform the remote parking in response to the following: The user's key fob was identified as corresponding to the mobile device; and It is determined that the user key fob is located within the connection range.

6. The vehicle as claimed in claim 5, wherein, The controller determines that the user key fob corresponds to the mobile device in response to determining that the distance between the user key fob and the mobile device and the vehicle is within a threshold margin.

7. The vehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein, The controller determines that the user key fob corresponds to the mobile device in response to determining that the user key fob and the mobile device are within a threshold margin of each other.

8. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein, When there are two or more key fobs within the connection range, the controller attempts to determine whether the first key fob that sent the unlock request is a user key fob corresponding to the user's mobile device.

9. The vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein, In response to determining that the first key fob is the user's key fob, the controller blocks the processing of the unlock request.

10. The vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein, In response to determining that the first key fob is not the user's key fob, the controller stops the remote parking.

11. The vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein, In response to the controller being unable to determine whether the first key fob is the user's key fob, the controller stops the remote parking.

12. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: Car doors, door handles, and door handle sensors.

13. The vehicle as claimed in claim 12, wherein, When the remote parking stops, the controller is configured to unlock the door in response to the door handle sensor detecting engagement with the door handle.

14. A method comprising: Receive remote parking signals from mobile devices via the vehicle's communication module; Upon receiving the remote parking signal, remote parking is executed via an autonomous unit; During the remote parking, an unlock request is received from the first key fob. The number of key fobs within the connection range is determined by the processor; as well as When there is only one key fob, the processing of the unlock request is blocked.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: The remote parking process continues even when the processing of the unlock request is blocked.

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