Dynamic vehicle-based ultra wide band anchor

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a dynamic vehicle-based ultra wide band anchor point. Localization is performed using a dynamic grid based on ultra wide band (UWB) anchor points of a vehicle. In one embodiment, one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points are detected using fixed location infrastructure UWB anchor points, the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points being components of a vehicle for access control of the vehicle. The one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points are added to a grid of UWB anchor points for positioning a mobile device, the grid of UWB anchor points including both the fixed location infrastructure UWB anchor points and dynamic vehicle-based UWB anchor points. The absolute location of the mobile device is determined using the grid of UWB anchor points.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to dynamic vehicle-based ultra-wideband (UWB) anchor points. Background Art

[0002] Automotive customers have embraced Passive Entry Passive Start (PEPS) systems because they allow customers to enter the vehicle and drive away without physically handling the key. Phone as a Key (PaaK) allows the use of a smartphone as a passive key and provides traditional key fob functionality such as unlocking, locking, remote start, and liftgate access. PaaK may be implemented using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), which is a built-in technology in most smartphones on the market. The Connected Car Consortium (CCC) is working on implementing UWB for phone positioning to provide better positioning compared to BLE positioning methods. UWB is an IEEE 802.15.4a / z standard technology optimized for location-based applications. Summary of the invention

[0003] In one or more illustrative examples, a method for positioning using a dynamic grid of vehicle-based ultra-wideband (UWB) anchor points includes: using fixed-location infrastructure UWB anchor points to detect one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points, wherein the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points are components of a vehicle for access control to the vehicle; adding the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points to a grid of UWB anchor points for positioning a mobile device, the grid of UWB anchor points including both the fixed-location infrastructure UWB anchor points and the vehicle-based UWB anchor points; and determining an absolute position of a mobile device using the grid of UWB anchor points.

[0004] In one or more illustrative examples, a system for positioning using a dynamic grid of vehicle-based ultra-wideband (UWB) anchor points includes: a plurality of fixed-location infrastructure UWB anchor points; and a UWB gateway. The UWB gateway is configured to: use the fixed-location infrastructure UWB anchor points to detect one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points, the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points being components of a vehicle for access control of the vehicle; add the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points to a grid of UWB anchor points for positioning a mobile device, the grid of UWB anchor points including both the fixed-location infrastructure UWB anchor points and the vehicle-based UWB anchor points; and use the grid of UWB anchor points to determine an absolute position of a mobile device.

[0005] In one or more illustrative examples, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions for positioning using a dynamic grid of vehicle-based ultra-wideband (UWB) anchor points, the instructions, when executed by a UWB gateway, cause the UWB gateway to perform operations including: using fixed-location infrastructure UWB anchor points to detect one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points, the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points being components of a vehicle for access control to the vehicle; adding the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points to a grid of UWB anchor points for positioning a mobile device, the grid of UWB anchor points including the fixed-location infrastructure UWB anchor points; The invention relates to a method of controlling a mobile device comprising: providing a plurality of UWB anchor points in a plurality of vehicle-based systems; wherein the plurality of UWB anchor points in the plurality of vehicle-based systems are provided in a plurality of ways ... BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 An example system configured for precise positioning using dynamic vehicle-based UWB anchors is shown;

[0007] Figure 2 An example of an intersection including an infrastructure UWB anchor point and a vehicle-based UWB anchor point is shown;

[0008] Figure 3 An example of vehicle-based UWB anchor points advertising their presence to a UWB gateway for use in a network of UWB infrastructure is shown;

[0009] Figure 4 An example of using a combination of infrastructure UWB anchor points and vehicle-based UWB anchor points to locate a mobile device is shown;

[0010] Figure 5 An example process for creating a set of static infrastructure UWB anchor points and dynamic vehicle-based UWB anchor points for use in precise positioning is shown;

[0011] Figure 6 An example process for determining the absolute location of a mobile device using a set of static infrastructure UWB anchor points and dynamic vehicle-based UWB anchor points is shown; and

[0012] Figure 7An example of a computing device for implementing aspects of precise positioning using dynamic vehicle-based UWB anchor points is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of the present invention that may be embodied in various forms and alternative forms. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, the specific structural details and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to employ the present invention in various ways.

[0014] It is desirable to achieve high accuracy positioning of vehicles and vulnerable road users (VRUs), especially at busy connected road intersections. However, many real-time tracking / positioning technologies have disadvantages. For example, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) may have a large error margin in urban canyon settings. WiFi and Bluetooth / BLE positioning may not achieve the required accuracy and connection stability. Although connected intersections may already have several smart sensors installed, installing additional sensing hardware (such as light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors or cameras) at the intersection may also be expensive and require additional maintenance.

[0015] The enhancement method can utilize a dynamic grid of UWB anchors to provide real-time, reliable and accurate location tracking of low-speed VRUs. Many vehicles are already equipped or plan to be equipped with UWB anchors inside the vehicle. These anchors can assist with features such as PaaK keys to locate the presence of users around the vehicle. These pre-existing in-vehicle UWB anchors can be used to dynamically enhance the location accuracy of UWB tags / VRUs at intersections. Vehicles stopped at traffic lights or parked near intersections can seamlessly participate in fixed infrastructure UWB anchors, thereby improving the accuracy and coverage of UWB systems. This can assist in the resource expansion of the location system in the presence of vehicles.

[0016] Figure 1An example system 100 configured for precise positioning using a dynamic vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 is shown. As shown, a vehicle 102 includes various electronic control units (ECUs) 104 that support the functionality of the vehicle 102. A mobile device 106 includes communication functionality, such as a mobile UWB transceiver 108 and a mobile GNSS controller 110. The vehicle 102 also includes passive entry components configured to interact with the communication functionality of the mobile device 106, the passive entry components including an array of vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116, a UWB controller 120, and a vehicle GNSS controller 122. As explained in detail herein, a positioning application 124 installed to the mobile device 106 can interact with a telematics control unit (TCU) 126 of the vehicle 102 to provide vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 positioning. It should be noted that the system 100 is merely an example, and more, fewer, and / or differently positioned components may be used.

[0017] Vehicle 102 may include various types of automobiles, crossover utility vehicles (CUVs), sport utility vehicles (SUVs), trucks, recreational vehicles (RVs), boats, airplanes, or other mobile machines for transporting people or goods. In many cases, vehicle 102 may be powered by an internal combustion engine. As another possibility, vehicle 102 may be a battery electric vehicle (BEV) powered by one or more electric motors. As another possibility, vehicle 102 may be a hybrid electric vehicle powered by both an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors, such as a series hybrid electric vehicle, a parallel hybrid electric vehicle, or a parallel / series hybrid electric vehicle. Since the type and configuration of vehicle 102 may vary, the capabilities of vehicle 102 may vary accordingly. As some other possibilities, vehicle 102 may have different capabilities in terms of passenger capacity, traction capacity and capacity, and storage capacity.

[0018] The vehicle 102 may include multiple ECUs 104 configured to perform and manage various vehicle 102 functions under the power of the vehicle 102 battery and / or drive train. In some examples, the ECUs 104 may be discrete devices. However, the vehicle ECUs 104 may share physical hardware, firmware, and / or software, such that functionality from multiple ECUs 104 may be integrated into a single ECU 104 or distributed across multiple ECUs 104. The vehicle ECUs 104 may include various vehicle 102 components configured to receive updates to associated software, firmware, or configuration settings.

[0019] As some non-limiting examples of vehicle ECUs 104: a powertrain control module (PCM) may be configured to control engine and transmission components; an anti-lock braking system (ABS) controller configured to control stopping and traction control components; an electric power steering (EPAS) controller configured to control steering assistance and adjust traction or drift compensation functions; an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), such as adaptive cruise control or automated stopping; and a headlight control module (HCM), which may be configured to control light on / off settings. The ECU 104 may also include other powertrain or chassis components, an infotainment system configured to support voice commands and Bluetooth interfaces with the driver and devices carried by the driver (e.g., the SYNC system provided by Ford Motor Company of Dearborn, Michigan), a connectivity controller (such as the TCU 126) configured to access networked devices external to the vehicle 102 using an embedded modem, electromechanical body controllers (such as window or lock actuators), and trailer controller components (such as light control and sensor data to support a connected trailer).

[0020] The mobile device 106 may be any of various types of portable computing devices that are brought into the vehicle 102 and have processing and communication capabilities, such as a cellular phone, tablet computer, smart watch, laptop computer, portable music player, key fob, or other such device. The mobile device 106 may include one or more processors configured to execute computer instructions, and a storage medium on which computer-executable instructions and / or data may be maintained.

[0021] The mobile device 106 may include various wireless transceivers, such as a mobile UWB transceiver 108 configured to provide UWB functionality to the mobile device 106, a mobile GNSS controller 110 configured to provide location services to the mobile device 106, and other functionality such as a Wi-Fi and / or cellular transceiver 112 configured to provide wide area communication functionality to the mobile device 106.

[0022] The mobile device 106 may be configured to use the mobile UWB transceiver 108 to calculate the location of the mobile device 106. For example, the environment around the vehicle 102 and the mobile device 106 may include one or more infrastructure UWB anchor points 114. In some examples, the infrastructure UWB anchor point 114 is installed at an intersection. In the intersection example, the infrastructure UWB anchor point 114 can be used to assist in locating the VRU carrying the mobile device 106. These infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 can form a relative coordinate system around the intersection. The mobile UWB transceiver 108 can use techniques such as two-way ranging, arrival phase difference, etc. to calculate the relative position of the mobile device 106 relative to the infrastructure UWB anchor point 114. A minimum of three infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 may be required to calculate the relative position of the mobile UWB transceiver 108 operating as a UWB tag. It is worth noting that the more the number of infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 there are, the higher the accuracy of the determined position of the mobile device 106.

[0023] The infrastructure UWB anchor point 114 can detect UWB pulses emitted by the mobile UWB transceiver 108 and forward them to the UWB gateway 118 for use in calculating the tag location (e.g., the location of the mobile device 106). In an example, the infrastructure UWB anchor point 114 can forward the captured information to the UWB gateway 118 via a wired or wireless connection provided by the infrastructure. The UWB gateway 118 can accordingly make the detected location of the device wirelessly available to the vehicle 102 and / or the mobile device 106 within the range of the UWB gateway 118.

[0024] In addition to being equipped with a TCU 126 and a vehicle GNSS controller 122, the vehicle 102 may also include vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 for proximity detection services such as PaaK. In some examples, the vehicle 102 may include a set of four vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 arranged in a 2x2 array around the cabin of the vehicle 102, but other numbers and locations of vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 are possible.

[0025] The vehicle 102 can use an array of vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 to facilitate location services between the mobile device 106 and the vehicle 102. As shown, the vehicle 102 includes a UWB controller 120 configured to perform message transmission between the mobile UWB transceiver 108 of the mobile device 106 and the vehicle 102 using the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116. Compared to BLE, UWB can provide more accurate location determination. For example, the accuracy of distance and location measured by UWB can reach about 5cm to 10cm, while Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other narrowband radio systems typically reach an accuracy of about a few meters.

[0026] The mobile device 106 may also include a display configured to provide a user interface to the user. In some examples, the display may be touch-sensitive and may be further configured to receive input from the user. In addition, the positioning application 124 may include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of the mobile device 106, cause the mobile device 106 to perform operations that facilitate access to the vehicle 102. In an example, the positioning application 124 may cause the mobile device 106 to display a user interface to the display, including controls similar to those of a key fob (e.g., lock, unlock, start, etc.).

[0027] In another example, the positioning application 124 can cause the mobile device 106 to interact with the vehicle 102 as a passive entry device, thereby providing presence information to the UWB controller 120, which allows the vehicle 102 to detect that an authorized user of the vehicle 102 is nearby and / or approaching. By executing the positioning application 124 to control the communication of the mobile device 106 with the vehicle 102, the mobile device 106 can be used to unlock, start, activate vehicle 102 features, or otherwise access the vehicle 102.

[0028] The positioning application 124 may allow the mobile device 106 to be authenticated to the vehicle 102. Authentication of the mobile device 106 to the vehicle 102 may utilize a PaaK feature implementation, thereby ensuring a secure connection between the user's mobile device 106 and the UWB controller 120, whereby the user's location may be located utilizing the vehicle-based UWB anchor 116, and features of the vehicle 102 (such as various ECUs 104, door locks, or ignition interlocks) may be activated in response to the user's presence.

[0029] The positioning application 124 may also be used to locate the location of the user of the mobile device 106 and provide the location to other traffic participants to ensure that the location of the VRU is available. This may improve the safety of the VRU while the VRU is traveling.

[0030] Figure 2 An example of an intersection 200 including an infrastructure UWB anchor point 114 and a vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 is shown. A mobile device 106 is shown located at the intersection 200, wherein the mobile UWB transceiver 108 of the mobile device is configured to operate as a tag. In one example, the mobile device 106 may be carried by a VRU. The infrastructure UWB anchor point 114 and the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 may be combined to act as a single UWB sensing network. The coverage and accuracy of such an extended network may be enhanced compared to a completely intersection-based system, resulting in better positioning of the VRU in an increased coverage area.

[0031] The illustrated intersection 200 includes four infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 (e.g., in this example, UWB anchor points 114A, 114B, 114C, and 114D, one at each corner of the intersection 200). These infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 collectively provide a first coverage area 202A in which the location of the mobile device 106 can be determined.

[0032] Additionally, the vehicle 102A is located near an intersection 200. The vehicle 102A may be parked at the intersection 200, or in another example, may be parked on the side of the road near the intersection 200. The vehicle 102A may include an array of vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 (e.g., in this example, one vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 at each corner of the cabin of the vehicle 102A). These vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 collectively provide a second coverage area 202B within which the location of the mobile device 106 may be determined.

[0033] The vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 may be identified, located, and added to the location determination of the mobile device 106. Those identified vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 may be present in vehicles 102 that are within a certain distance from the intersection 200, such as vehicles 102 stopped at traffic lights, vehicles 102 parked near the intersection 200, etc. Thus, the UWB gateway 118 may be configured to use the infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 and the vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 to locate the vehicle 102A.

[0034] Additionally, vehicle 102B is located near intersection 200. Vehicle 102B may be subscribed to receive the location of the VRU from UWB gateway 118. This may allow vehicle 102B to calculate its route through intersection 200, thereby facilitating understanding of the location of the VRU. It should be noted that this is merely an example, and other vehicles 102, mobile devices 106, remote servers, or other devices may be subscribed to receive the location of the VRU.

[0035] Figure 3 An example 300 of vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 advertising their presence to a UWB gateway 118 for use in a network of UWB infrastructure is shown. As shown, the vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 can be configured to advertise their presence in a beacon mode, to which the intersection-based infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 listen. These beacon transmissions 302 can include information such as an identifier of the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116. Using the signals received from the beacon transmissions 302 from the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116, the infrastructure UWB anchor point 114 can calculate accurate distance and angle measurements of the location of the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116.

[0036] The presence and location of the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 may be indicated to the UWB gateway 118. Based on the location, the UWB gateway 118 may include the detected vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 in an existing anchor network of infrastructure UWB anchor points 114. In one example, this may be accomplished by adding the address of the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 to a database of addresses 304. The database of addresses 304 may contain the addresses of all UWB anchor points (whether infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 or vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116) that define a grid 306 to be used in the location. In one example, the UWB gateway 118 may receive information about the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 from the infrastructure UWB anchor point 114 and may compare the location to a predefined threshold distance from the intersection 200. If the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 is within the distance (and / or other parameters of the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 , such as signal strength, satisfy the UWB gateway 118 parameters), the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 may be determined to be available for use by the UWB gateway 118 .

[0037] Additionally, if the vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 are determined to be no longer available, those vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 may be removed from consideration. In one example, this may be accomplished by removing those addresses of the vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 from the database of addresses 304. For example, in one example, the vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 may be automatically removed from consideration after a predefined timeout period has expired. Alternatively, in another example, the vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 may transmit a message to the infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 to remove the vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 from the list. Alternatively, in yet another example, the vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 may be identified by the infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 as having moved or no longer having sufficient signal strength for use by the UWB gateway 118.

[0038] Using these techniques, a vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 of a vehicle 102A that is temporarily present near an intersection 200 can be joined to the network of infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 that are already present at the intersection 200 to provide a larger and more complete combined network of anchor points. Thus, more accurate positioning and / or positioning over a greater range can be provided than by using the infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 alone without the vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116.

[0039] It should be noted that the method may provide cut-off load management for participating parked vehicles 102 by providing the vehicle 102 with the option to opt-in or opt-out of participation based on the charge level of the electric vehicle 102 (EV), the amount of time spent at the intersection 200 (e.g., based on SPaT information, etc.).

[0040] As another possibility, if the vehicle 102 has multiple anchor points, the vehicle 102 may supply some or all of the anchor points to the UWB gateway 118 based on its location relative to the intersection 200 (e.g., based on MAP information broadcast from the intersection 200 infrastructure indicating the location of the intersection 200). For example, the vehicle 102 may supply its vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 that is closest to the infrastructure UWB anchor point 114 because the infrastructure UWB anchor point 114 located on the side of the vehicle 102A away from the infrastructure UWB anchor point 114 may not be usable by the UWB gateway 118. As yet another possibility, if the vehicle 102 battery charge level is low, the vehicle 102 may only provide a subset of the vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 or no vehicle-based UWB anchor points.

[0041] Figure 4 An example 400 of locating a mobile device 106 using a combination of an infrastructure UWB anchor point 114 and a vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 is shown. The mobile device 106, using its mobile UWB transceiver 108 as a UWB tag, can calculate its relative position 404 relative to both the infrastructure UWB anchor point 114 and the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116. The mobile device 106 can send the relative position 404 to the UWB gateway 118. The UWB gateway 118 can convert the received relative position 404 into an absolute GNSS position based on its knowledge of the location of the infrastructure UWB anchor point 114 and / or the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116. This absolute position 408 can be shared with subscribed vehicles 102B and / or mobile devices 106, which can use this accurate absolute position 408 for various tasks.

[0042] Figure 5 An example process 500 is shown for creating a set of static infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 and dynamic vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 for use in precise positioning. In one example, the process 500 can be performed by infrastructure components such as infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 and UWB gateways 118 installed along a road (such as at an intersection 200).

[0043] At operation 502, the UWB gateway 118 detects one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 using the fixed location infrastructure UWB anchor point 114. The one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 may include components of the vehicle 102 for access control to the vehicle 102. In one example, the infrastructure UWB anchor point 114 may receive the beacon transmission 302 from the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116.

[0044] The beacon transmission 302 may include information such as an identifier of the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116. Using the signals received from the beacon transmission 302 from the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116, the infrastructure UWB anchor point 114 may calculate information such as time of flight (ToF), range, time difference of arrival (TDoA), and phase difference of arrival (PDoA). The infrastructure UWB anchor point 114 may send those detections to the UWB gateway 118, which may use the detections and the coordinates of the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 to determine the location of the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116.

[0045] At operation 504, the UWB gateway 118 adds one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 to the grid 306 of UWB anchor points 114A for locating the mobile device 106. In one example, the UWB gateway 118 may add one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 within a predefined distance threshold from the infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 to the database of addresses 304. For example, this may be a predefined maximum distance from the center of the intersection 200. Alternatively, this may be a predefined maximum distance from any infrastructure UWB anchor point 114 at the intersection 200. Thus, the grid 306 of UWB anchor points 114A includes both fixed-location infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 and dynamic vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116.

[0046] At operation 506, the UWB gateway 118 determines whether any of the vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 have moved away from the infrastructure UWB anchor point 114. This may be determined based on the beacon transmissions 302, similar to what was discussed above with respect to operation 502. The vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 may move based on the travel of the vehicle 102, and if the vehicle 102 has moved, it may no longer be desirable to include the vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 in the grid 306. If any of the vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 have moved (or if any of the vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 no longer have sufficient signal strength available to locate the mobile device 106), control passes to operation 508 to remove those vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 from the database of addresses 304 for the grid 306. In the alternative, control may return to operation 504 to establish whether the new location of the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 is within the predefined distance threshold, and if so, whether the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 should remain within the grid 306 at the new location.

[0047] At operation 510, the UWB gateway 118 determines whether any of the vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 has timed out. For example, in response to a predefined timeout period, the UWB gateway 118 may periodically remove those vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 that have been included in the grid 306 for at least a predefined maximum time period. This time may be a default timeout (such as one minute, one hour, etc.) for all vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116. Alternatively, a specific time for using the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 may be indicated to the UWB gateway 118 by the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116, for example, based on the expected duration that the vehicle 102 indicates that the vehicle 102 is to be parked near the intersection 200. In yet another example, the duration may be determined by a third-party device sending the remaining paid parking time to the UWB gateway 118, such as via a parking meter. If any of the vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 have timed out, control passes to operation 508 to remove those vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 from the grid 306 .

[0048] Otherwise, control returns to operation 502 to continue detecting the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116. After operation 508, control also returns to operation 502 to continue detecting the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116. It should be noted that the operations of process 500 are shown as discrete operations, but one or more of the operations may be performed in a different order and / or concurrently with each other.

[0049] Figure 6An example process 600 for determining the absolute location 408 of the mobile device 106 using the set of static infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 and dynamic vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 is shown.

[0050] At operation 602, the mobile device 106 identifies available infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 and vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116. In one example, the mobile device 106 receives information broadcast from a UWB gateway 118 or other intersection 200 infrastructure. This information may indicate the addresses 304 of infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 and vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 that are located within the grid 306 and that are available for location services.

[0051] At operation 604, the mobile device 106 sends beacon transmissions 302 to available anchor points. These beacon transmissions 302 may be received by the infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 as well as the vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116. As a tag operation, the mobile device 106 may initiate two-way ranging by sending a polling message with the addresses of the infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 and the vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116. The anchor points record the time the polling message is received and send a response.

[0052] At operation 606, the mobile device 106 calculates its relative position 404 based on the anchor point. When the mobile device 106 receives the response, the mobile device 106 can calculate the signal ToF based on the signal round trip time and the time it takes the anchor point to process and reply to the initial polling message. The distance can be calculated by multiplying the ToF by the speed of light. In the case of multiple anchor points, two-way ranging can be used to determine the location of the mobile device 106 or other tags.

[0053] At operation 608, the absolute position 408 of the mobile device 106 is calculated. In one example, if the locations of the infrastructure UWB anchor point 114 and the vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116 are shared by the UWB gateway 118 with the mobile device 106, the mobile device 106 itself can use the known locations of the anchor points to calculate its absolute position 408. In another example, if the locations are not shared, the mobile device 106 can send the relative position 404 information to the UWB gateway 118, which can then calculate the absolute position 408 using the known locations of the anchor points.

[0054] At operation 610, the absolute location 408 of the calculated mobile device 106 is shared with other devices. In one example, the location of the mobile device 106 may be shared via a broadcast message to be received by any vehicle 102 near the intersection 200. In another example, the vehicle 102 may subscribe to the UWB gateway 118 to receive the location of any mobile device 106 present as the vehicle 102 passes through the intersection 200, and may unsubscribe when the vehicle 102 has passed through the intersection 200. After operation 810, the process 800 ends.

[0055] Thus, the disclosed method provides an innovative use of existing in-vehicle UWB anchor points to help dynamically scale UWB positioning at intersections. As the number of UWB anchor points present increases, better accuracy can be achieved in locating mobile devices 106 operating as tags. This method provides a unique way to seamlessly engage in operation with infrastructure UWB anchor points 114 to enhance performance and improve coverage by incorporating vehicle-based UWB anchor points 116 without the need for additional hardware.

[0056] Figure 7 An example 700 of a computing device 702 for implementing precise path based passive entry is shown. Figure 7 And refer to Figures 1 to 6 , vehicle 102, ECU 104, mobile device 106, mobile UWB transceiver 108, mobile GNSS controller 110, cellular transceiver 112, infrastructure UWB anchor point 114, vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116, UWB gateway 118, UWB controller 120, vehicle GNSS controller 122, and TCU 126 may be examples of such computing devices 702. As shown, computing device 702 includes a processor 704, which is operatively connected to a storage device 706, a network device 708, an output device 710, and an input device 712. It should be noted that this is merely an example, and a computing device 702 having more, fewer, or different components may be used.

[0057] The processor 704 may include one or more integrated circuits that implement the functionality of a central processing unit (CPU) and / or a graphics processing unit (GPU). In some examples, the processor 704 is a system on a chip (SoC) that integrates the functionality of a CPU and a GPU. The SoC may optionally include other components (such as, for example, a storage device 706 and a network device 708) into a single integrated device. In other examples, the CPU and GPU are connected to each other via a peripheral connection device (such as a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) express) or another suitable peripheral data connection. In one example, the CPU is a commercially available central processing device that implements an instruction set, such as one of the x86, ARM, Power, or microprocessor (MIPS) instruction set families without interlocked pipeline stages.

[0058] Regardless of the details, during operation, the processor 704 executes stored program instructions retrieved from the storage device 706, such as those of the positioning application 124. The stored program instructions accordingly include software that controls the operation of the processor 704 to perform the operations described herein. The storage device 706 may include both non-volatile memory devices and volatile memory devices. Non-volatile memory includes solid-state memory, such as NAND flash memory, magnetic storage media, and optical storage media, or any other suitable data storage device that retains data when the system is disabled or loses power. Volatile memory includes static and dynamic random access memory (RAM), which stores program instructions and data during operation of the system 100.

[0059] The GPU may include hardware and software for displaying at least two-dimensional (2D) and optionally three-dimensional (3D) graphics to an output device 710. The output device 710 may include a graphics or visual display device, such as an electronic display screen, a projector, a printer, or any other suitable device for reproducing a graphical display. As another example, the output device 710 may include an audio device, such as a speaker or headphones. As yet another example, the output device 710 may include a tactile device, such as a mechanically elevable device, which in one example may be configured to display Braille or another physical output piece that may be touched to provide information to a user.

[0060] Input device 712 may include any of a variety of devices that enable computing device 702 to receive control input from a user. Examples of suitable input devices that receive human-computer interface input may include a keyboard, mouse, trackball, touch screen, voice input device, graphics tablet, etc.

[0061] The network devices 708 may each include any of a variety of devices that enable the vehicle 102, ECU 104, mobile device 106, mobile UWB transceiver 108, mobile GNSS controller 110, cellular transceiver 112, infrastructure UWB anchor point 114, vehicle-based UWB anchor point 116, UWB gateway 118, UWB controller 120, vehicle GNSS controller 122, and TCU 126 to send and / or receive data from external devices over a network. Examples of suitable network devices 708 include an Ethernet interface, a Wi-Fi transceiver, a cellular transceiver, or a Bluetooth or BLE transceiver, a UWB transceiver, or other network adapter or peripheral interconnect device that receives data from another computer or external data storage device, which may be useful for receiving large data sets in an efficient manner.

[0062] The process, method or algorithm disclosed herein may be capable of being delivered to / implemented by a processing device, a controller or a computer, which may include any existing programmable electronic control unit or a dedicated electronic control unit. Similarly, the process, method or algorithm may be stored as data and instructions that can be executed by a controller or a computer in many forms, including but not limited to information permanently stored on a non-writable storage medium such as a read-only memory (ROM) device and information that can be modified and stored on a writable storage medium such as a floppy disk, a tape, a compact disk (CD), a RAM device and other magnetic and optical media. The process, method or algorithm may also be implemented as a software executable object. Alternatively, the process, method or algorithm may be embodied in whole or in part using a suitable hardware component or a combination of hardware, software and firmware components, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a state machine, a controller or other hardware component or device.

[0063] Although exemplary embodiments are described above, these embodiments are not intended to describe all possible forms covered by the claims. The words used in the specification are descriptive words rather than restrictive words, and it should be understood that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. As previously described, the features of various embodiments can be combined to form other embodiments of the present invention that may not be explicitly described or shown. Although various embodiments may have been described as providing advantages or being superior to other embodiments or prior art implementations in terms of one or more desired characteristics, it should be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that one or more features or characteristics can be compromised to achieve the desired overall system properties, depending on the specific application and implementation. These properties may include, but are not limited to, strength, durability, life cycle, marketability, appearance, packaging, size, serviceability, weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. Therefore, in terms of one or more characteristics, to the extent that any embodiment is described as less than other embodiments or prior art implementations are ideal, these embodiments are not outside the scope of the present disclosure and may be desired for specific applications.

[0064] According to the present invention, a method for positioning using a dynamic grid of vehicle-based ultra-wideband (UWB) anchor points includes: using fixed-location infrastructure UWB anchor points to detect one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points, wherein the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points are components of the vehicle for access control of the vehicle; adding the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points to a grid of UWB anchor points for positioning a mobile device, the grid of UWB anchor points including both the fixed-location infrastructure UWB anchor points and the vehicle-based UWB anchor points; and using the grid of UWB anchor points to determine the absolute position of the mobile device.

[0065] In one aspect of the invention, the method includes maintaining a database of addresses of each of the UWB anchor points in the grid; and sending the addresses to the mobile device to allow the mobile device to perform ranging between the mobile device and each of the UWB anchor points in the grid.

[0066] In one aspect of the invention, the method includes filtering the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points to include in the grid the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points that are within a predefined distance threshold.

[0067] In one aspect of the invention, the method includes removing the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points in response to receiving a message from the vehicle to the infrastructure UWB anchor point requesting to remove one of the vehicle-based UWB anchor points from the grid.

[0068] In one aspect of the invention, the method includes removing the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points in response to the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points being identified by the infrastructure UWB anchor point as having moved or no longer having sufficient signal strength for use by a UWB gateway.

[0069] In one aspect of the invention, the method includes removing the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points in response to the occurrence of a predefined timeout period.

[0070] In one aspect of the invention, the method comprises determining, by a UWB gateway, the absolute position of the mobile device using the relative position of the mobile device, the relative position of the mobile device being determined using the grid of UWB anchor points and information about the positions of the UWB anchor points of the grid.

[0071] In one aspect of the invention, the method comprises: subscribing, by a second vehicle, to receive the absolute position of the mobile device as calculated by the grid; and sending the absolute position of the mobile device to the second vehicle.

[0072] According to the present invention, a system for positioning using a dynamic grid of vehicle-based ultra-wideband (UWB) anchor points is provided, which has: a plurality of fixed-location infrastructure UWB anchor points; and a UWB gateway, the UWB gateway being configured to: use the fixed-location infrastructure UWB anchor points to detect one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points, the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points being components of the vehicle for performing access control on the vehicle; add the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points to a grid of UWB anchor points for positioning a mobile device, the grid of UWB anchor points including both the fixed-location infrastructure UWB anchor points and the vehicle-based UWB anchor points; and use the grid of UWB anchor points to determine the absolute position of the mobile device.

[0073] According to one embodiment, the present invention is further characterized by a database, wherein the UWB gateway is further configured to: maintain the address of each of the UWB anchor points in the grid in the database; and send the address to the mobile device to allow the mobile device to perform ranging between the mobile device and each of the UWB anchor points in the grid.

[0074] According to one embodiment, the UWB gateway is further configured to filter the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points to include the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points within a predefined distance threshold in the grid.

[0075] According to one embodiment, the UWB gateway is further configured to remove the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points in response to receiving a message from the vehicle to the infrastructure UWB anchor point requesting to remove one of the vehicle-based UWB anchor points from the mesh.

[0076] According to one embodiment, the UWB gateway is further configured to remove the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points in response to the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points being identified by the infrastructure UWB anchor point as having moved or no longer having sufficient signal strength for use by the UWB gateway.

[0077] According to one embodiment, the UWB gateway is further configured to remove the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points in response to the occurrence of a predefined timeout period.

[0078] According to one embodiment, the UWB gateway is further configured to determine the absolute position of the mobile device using the relative position of the mobile device, the relative position of the mobile device being determined using the grid of UWB anchor points and information about the positions of the UWB anchor points of the grid.

[0079] According to one embodiment, the UWB gateway is further configured to: be subscribed by a second vehicle to receive the absolute position of the mobile device as calculated by the grid; and send the absolute position of the mobile device to the second vehicle.

[0080] According to the present invention, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, which has: instructions for positioning using a dynamic grid of vehicle-based ultra-wideband (UWB) anchor points, the instructions when executed by a UWB gateway causing the UWB gateway to perform operations, including: using a fixed-location infrastructure UWB anchor point to detect one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points, the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points being components of the vehicle for access control of the vehicle; adding the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points to a grid of UWB anchor points for positioning a mobile device, the grid of UWB anchor points including the fixed-location infrastructure UWB anchor points; The invention relates to a method of controlling a mobile device comprising: providing a plurality of vehicle-based UWB anchor points and a plurality of vehicle-based UWB anchor points; comprising: maintaining an address for each of the UWB anchor points in the grid; and determining an absolute position of a mobile device using the grid of UWB anchor points, comprising: sending the address to the mobile device to allow the mobile device to perform ranging between the mobile device and each of the UWB anchor points in the grid; and determining the absolute position of the mobile device using a relative position of the mobile device, the relative position of the mobile device being determined using the grid of UWB anchor points and information about the positions of the UWB anchor points of the grid.

[0081] According to one embodiment, the present invention is further characterized by instructions, which when executed by the UWB gateway cause the UWB gateway to perform operations including: filtering the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points to include the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points within a predefined distance threshold in the grid.

[0082] According to one embodiment, the present invention is further characterized by instructions, which when executed by the UWB gateway cause the UWB gateway to perform operations, including one or more of the following: removing the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points in response to receiving a message from the vehicle to the infrastructure UWB anchor point requesting to remove one of the vehicle-based UWB anchor points from the grid; removing the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points in response to the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points being identified by the infrastructure UWB anchor point as having moved or no longer having sufficient signal strength to be used by the UWB gateway; or removing the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points in response to the occurrence of a predefined timeout period.

[0083] According to one embodiment, the present invention is further characterized by instructions, which when executed by the UWB gateway cause the UWB gateway to perform operations, including: subscribing by a second vehicle to receive the absolute position of the mobile device as calculated by the grid; and sending the absolute position of the mobile device to the second vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for positioning using a dynamic grid of vehicle-based ultra-wideband (UWB) anchor points, comprising: Using a fixed location infrastructure UWB anchor point to detect one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points, the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points being components of a vehicle for performing access control on the vehicle; adding the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points to a grid of UWB anchor points for locating mobile devices, the grid of UWB anchor points including both the fixed-location infrastructure UWB anchor points and the vehicle-based UWB anchor points; and The grid of UWB anchor points is used to determine the absolute position of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: maintaining a database of addresses of each of said UWB anchor points in said grid; as well as The address is sent to the mobile device to allow the mobile device to perform ranging between the mobile device and each of the UWB anchor points in the grid.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points are filtered to include in the grid the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points that are within a predefined distance threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points are removed in response to receiving a message from the vehicle to the infrastructure UWB anchor point requesting that one of the vehicle-based UWB anchor points be removed from the mesh.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points are removed in response to the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points being identified by the infrastructure UWB anchor point as having moved or no longer having sufficient signal strength to be used by the UWB gateway.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points are removed in response to occurrence of a predefined timeout period.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The absolute position of the mobile device is determined by a UWB gateway using a relative position of the mobile device determined using the grid of UWB anchor points and information regarding the positions of the UWB anchor points of the grid.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: subscribing by a second vehicle to receive the absolute position of the mobile device as calculated by the grid; as well as The absolute position of the mobile device is sent to the second vehicle.

9. A system for positioning using a dynamic grid of vehicle-based ultra-wideband (UWB) anchor points, comprising: Multiple fixed-location infrastructure UWB anchor points; as well as UWB gateway, the UWB gateway is configured as: using the fixed location infrastructure UWB anchor point to detect one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points, the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points being components of a vehicle for performing access control on the vehicle, adding the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points to a grid of UWB anchor points for locating mobile devices, the grid of UWB anchor points including both the fixed-location infrastructure UWB anchor points and the vehicle-based UWB anchor points, and The grid of UWB anchor points is used to determine the absolute position of the mobile device.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising: database, wherein the UWB gateway is further configured to: maintaining in the database an address of each of the UWB anchor points in the grid; as well as The address is sent to the mobile device to allow the mobile device to perform ranging between the mobile device and each of the UWB anchor points in the grid.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the UWB gateway is further configured to filter the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points to include the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points within a predefined distance threshold in the grid.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the UWB gateway is further configured to remove the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points in response to receiving a message from the vehicle to the infrastructure UWB anchor point requesting to remove one of the vehicle-based UWB anchor points from the grid.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the UWB gateway is further configured to remove the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points in response to the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points being identified by the infrastructure UWB anchor point as having moved or no longer having sufficient signal strength for use by the UWB gateway.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the UWB gateway is further configured to remove the one or more vehicle-based UWB anchor points in response to the occurrence of a predefined timeout period.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the UWB gateway is further configured to do one or more of the following: determining the absolute position of the mobile device using a relative position of the mobile device, the relative position of the mobile device being determined using the grid of UWB anchor points and information regarding the positions of the UWB anchor points of the grid; and subscribing by a second vehicle to receive the absolute position of the mobile device as calculated by the grid; and sending the absolute position of the mobile device to the second vehicle.

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