Mobile device charging from vehicle based on public association

Abstract

The present disclosure provides mobile device charging from a vehicle based on a public association. A motor vehicle provides wireless charging to a mobile wireless device external to the vehicle. A wireless power transmitter initiates remote charging of the mobile wireless device after a person external to the vehicle issues a request. A vehicle controller is configured to respond to the charging request by (A) attempting to communicate with the mobile wireless device one or more times until a link is established, (B) prior to establishing the link, activating the wireless power transmitter to remotely charge the mobile wireless device, (C) when the link is established, activating the wireless power transmitter to remotely charge the mobile wireless device. If so, determining whether the mobile wireless device corresponds to a pre-established common group, and (D) deactivating the wireless power transmitter when the mobile wireless device does not correspond to the pre-established common group. Thus, the power reserve in the vehicle battery is protected from depletion.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] none. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a motor vehicle that provides wireless charging to a mobile wireless device external to the vehicle.

[0004] Statement Regarding Federally Sponsored Research

[0005] none. Background Art

[0006] The present invention relates generally to charging a mobile wireless device from a vehicle and, more particularly, to controlling access to an onboard charger.

[0007] Mechanical keys traditionally used to unlock access doors of motor vehicles and to unlock steering wheels and start propulsion units (e.g., internal combustion engines or electric vehicle powertrains) have been gradually replaced by passive and active electronic devices. Active devices include key fobs and smart phones (e.g., phone-as-key) with independent power supplies. In addition, passive devices including transponders, such as near field communication (NFC) cards, are also used.

[0008] Phone as a Key (PaaK) technology uses a wireless mobile device (e.g., a cellular smartphone) to access vehicle functions that are traditionally protected using a physical key or a dedicated wireless key fob. For PaaK, there may be a smartphone application that is downloaded and configured to direct secure communications with the vehicle to enable the user to access functions such as vehicle locking / unlocking, engine starting, door-controlled lighting, etc. An example of a phone as a key system is shown in U.S. Patent 10,244,476 B2, entitled “Reducing Power Consumption For Phone As A Key (PAAK) System,” issued on March 26, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein. As used herein, “mobile device” refers to any wireless unit capable of remotely controlling vehicle functions, wherein the wireless unit is handheld and includes a display, a transmit / receive antenna, and a rechargeable battery. In addition to smartphones, mobile devices may include, but are not limited to, smart watches (such as watches) and dedicated vehicle key fobs with or without displays.

[0009] On the vehicle side, there may be several different electronic controllers that handle the functionality to be accessed by the PaaK system. Likewise, there may be one or more wireless receivers in the vehicle that need to be accessible to the mobile device, where the wireless receivers may operate using several different wireless services, networks, or protocols. The types of wireless communications to be used by the PaaK system may include Wi-Fi, (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy or BLE), cellular, ultra-wideband (UWB), near-field communication (NFC), wireless charging (e.g., or )wait.

[0010] Mobile devices, such as cell phones, watches, and digital cameras, typically employ rechargeable batteries that must be periodically recharged. Traditionally, these electronic devices are charged using a physical connection to a charger via a wire. More recently, wireless charging devices, such as inductive chargers, have been available to charge the battery without requiring any physical wire connection between the mobile electronic device and the charging device. An inductive charger may be used that generates a magnetic field using an induction coil to transfer electrical energy from the charging device to a receiver on the battery or in the mobile device. For convenience, it has been proposed to use inductive chargers at various locations within the cockpit of a vehicle, typically near the driver and other passengers, to allow easy access to the device.

[0011] Industry standards for wireless inductive charging have been defined, which has led to an increase in the availability of wireless chargers and mobile devices that use them. For example, one popular wireless charging solution is called Charging technology, which has been deployed in vehicles by providing a charging surface within a storage compartment (e.g., in the center console between the left and right front seats). Longer range charging systems (such as those from Energous) Charging and Ossia Wireless power) can enable an onboard charger to deliver a charge to a mobile device residing outside the vehicle.

[0012] If the phone battery is dead or too low for the phone to operate, the Phone as a Key (PaaK) feature may be impeded, potentially preventing vehicle access and starting. There is a possibility that even the integrated NFC functionality may not work when the cell phone battery is substantially dead. Charging ports on an exterior surface of the vehicle (such as a A charging pad) can enable a user to overcome a depleted phone battery, but adds a significant cost for something that is not used often. In addition, it may not be desirable to allow anyone with access to the outside of the vehicle to use the vehicle as a charging source, as this may deplete the vehicle battery's reserve battery power required for operation and starting. Summary of the invention

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, a vehicle provides wireless charging to a mobile wireless device outside the vehicle. A peripheral interface responds to a request action initiated by a person outside the vehicle to charge the mobile wireless device. A wireless power transmitter is configured to remotely charge the mobile wireless device. A wireless transceiver is configured to provide a wireless communication link with the mobile wireless device. A controller is configured to respond to the request action detected by the peripheral interface by: (A) attempting to communicate with the mobile wireless device one or more times until a link is established, (B) before the link is established, starting the wireless power transmitter to remotely charge the mobile wireless device, (C) when the link is established, determining whether the mobile wireless device corresponds to a pre-established common group, and (D) when the mobile wireless device does not correspond to the pre-established common group, deactivating the wireless power transmitter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating portions of a vehicle security system and a mobile wireless device for authenticating a user.

[0015] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating a wireless transmitter on a vehicle capable of transferring charging energy to a mobile wireless device.

[0016] Figure 3 is a state diagram illustrating one preferred embodiment for making charging energy available from a vehicle to a mobile wireless device.

[0017] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention in more detail.

[0018] Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating a preferred method of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing management of group IDs.

[0020] Figure 7 is a flow chart illustrating a user setup process for configuring a public group. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] External charging of a mobile wireless device (e.g., a smartphone) from a vehicle can be based on: (1) dedicated components installed on the vehicle and / or the mobile device (e.g., and / or hardware and software), or (2) from a pre-existing vehicle transmitter (e.g. Energy is collected by wireless communication (Wi-Fi, UWB or cellular). When the battery of the mobile device used to access the vehicle is exhausted, the user can invoke external charging. In this way, the mobile device wirelessly receives energy from the vehicle and stores enough power to fully power the device or power it into a low power / reserve power mode. Once it becomes active, the mobile device can be located and authenticated by the vehicle so that the user can gain access to the vehicle and / or start the vehicle.

[0022] A vehicle user may experience mobile device battery drain. When the user approaches the vehicle, they may not be able to access or start the vehicle. The present invention enables the user to trigger the external charging system by performing a request action detected by the vehicle's peripheral interface. For example, the user may touch or pull a door handle, press a button or series of buttons on an external vehicle keypad, press a liftgate / trunk release switch, speak a voice command picked up by an external microphone, or perform a physical gesture picked up by an external camera.

[0023] Vehicles can be equipped with long-distance charging technology such as or The user's mobile device receives the energy and accumulates the charge. Long-distance charging technology can utilize antenna arrays, where the charging signal is focused in a certain direction to achieve efficient charging. The peripheral interface can locate the user carrying the mobile device (for example, based on which door handle is triggered) so that the charger can transmit energy in the corresponding direction.

[0024] In some embodiments, RF transmitters in the vehicle (such as BLE, Wi-Fi, UWB, and / or cellular transmitters) can be used to generate charging energy. The mobile device can collect energy from these RF radios to establish charging. To promote faster charging, the vehicle can increase the "on" time or duty cycle of these radio devices and / or temporarily increase the transmission power. Power consumption can be optimized by turning on only the RF transmitters near the location where the user triggers the request. For example, if the user triggers at the driver's door, the RF transmitter near the driver's door is activated.

[0025] Before starting the long-distance charger or RF transmitter, the vehicle can attempt to authenticate the mobile device. However, when the mobile device is exhausted, it may not be able to communicate using typical methods. However, if the device supports backscatter communication, passive NFC, or other battery-free communication, it may be able to respond to the vehicle authentication challenge even before it collects a lot of energy. Once authenticated via this method, the vehicle will charge the mobile device in an unconstrained manner. This type of authentication may be vulnerable to relay attacks, so it is not desirable to use it to grant vehicle access rights. Once the mobile device becomes sufficiently charged to interact in a normal manner over a two-way wireless communication link (such as BLE), vehicle access rights can be obtained.

[0026] Any mobile device in the vicinity of the vehicle can obtain a small amount of recharging energy to enable basic communication with the vehicle. Once a sufficient power level for a normal BLE, Wi-Fi, or other communication link is reached, charging can be terminated unless the vehicle somehow recognizes the mobile device. Identification can include specific authentication of previously known mobile devices (e.g., the vehicle owner's smartphone) or identification of members of a public group in "Good Samaritan" mode. The parameters of charging (such as the duration of charging) can be limited according to a specific public group or other factors. By limiting the availability of charging to the small amount of power required to enable basic communication with known mobile devices and members of a predetermined public group, the reserve energy stored in the vehicle battery can be protected from undesirable depletion.

[0027] The vehicle may provide the owner or other authorized user with access to a settings menu to define restrictions based on selected public groups and / or unrecognized mobile devices, such as time limits and / or conditions that may allow extended charging of unrecognized devices (e.g., only at certain GPS locations, only at certain times of the day, or only when the vehicle battery's state of charge is above a threshold). The threshold may be a dynamic threshold based on the vehicle's distance from its home base.

[0028] A public group for the "Good Samaritan" mode may include, but is not limited to, any organization or collection of persons or mobile devices that may be tagged using a group identifier. Examples of public groups include owners of vehicles manufactured by the same manufacturer, members of a social club, employees or agents of a business, or any arbitrarily defined group of persons (including, at least in some cases, any and all phones). For identification in the "Good Samaritan" mode, a public group may be assigned a public group ID that is distributed to vehicles and any mobile device for which the desired charging access is desired. In the case where a public group consists of mobile devices and vehicles associated with a user who is an owner of a vehicle manufactured by a particular manufacturer, the public group ID may be established by the vehicle manufacturer for use by each vehicle owner to access a mobile device charger installed on any vehicle manufactured by that manufacturer. One way to establish such a public group ID is for the vehicle manufacturer to program the BLE transmitter of its vehicle to embed a universally unique identifier (UUID) into the BLE transmitter of its vehicle. Communication signal, where the UUID is unique to the manufacturer.

[0029] refer to Figure 1, a wireless mobile device 10 operates as a remote security key for a vehicle 11. The mobile device 10 is shown as a smart phone incorporating various wireless technologies, including several short-range systems that require corresponding antennas. Depending on the specific design of different types of mobile devices, several different radio transceivers with corresponding antennas may be included in the device. For example, the mobile device 10 includes an NFC antenna 12, Antenna 13, Wi-Fi antenna 14 and Charging antenna 15.

[0030] The vehicle 11 includes an NFC reader 16 disposed in the interior passenger compartment of the vehicle 11 and an NFC reader 17 disposed in an exterior surface of the vehicle 11. The NFC reader 17 is positioned to enable a user outside the vehicle to utilize their mobile device 10 to unlock an entry door and gain access to the vehicle 11. The NFC reader 16 is accessible from within the vehicle 11 to enable the user to access various vehicle functions, such as starting the vehicle (e.g., starting the vehicle's engine and engaging the transmission). The NFC readers 16 and 17 are connected to a controller 20 for managing safety functions. Proper operation of the NFC communication link may require a sufficient charge level of a battery contained in the mobile device 10. The vehicle 11 may also include A Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transceiver 18 and an Ultra Wideband (UWB) transceiver 19 are used to establish corresponding communication links with the mobile device 10 .

[0031] like Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the mobile device 10 includes a power collection circuit 21 for collecting energy via RF radiation irradiated on one or more antennas in the mobile device 10. The collected energy is used to recharge an internal battery (not shown). The vehicle 11 is used as an RF radiation source, which can be mainly emitted in a specific direction corresponding to the location of the mobile device 10. The vehicle 11 includes a peripheral interface, which can be composed of peripheral sensors 22 to 24 connected to the controller 20, and the peripheral sensors are dispersed on the corresponding sides of the vehicle 11 to locate the mobile device 10 that initiates the charging event and / or the user carrying the mobile device 10. The sensors 22 to 24 can be composed of: a contact switch mounted on a door handle, a camera for capturing an image of the user, a microphone for detecting the user's speech, an ultrasonic object detection sensor, etc. RF transmitters 25 to 28 are dispersed at corresponding locations on the vehicle 11 and are connected to the controller 20, and when it is desired to emit RF radiation for the purpose of charging the mobile device 10, the controller selectively activates one or more transmitters 25 to 28 according to the relative position of the mobile device 10. Typically, the RF transmitters 25 to 28 are included in a transceiver that also receives RF signals.

[0032] Figure 31 shows a state diagram according to one embodiment of the present invention. After a person with a mobile device in the vicinity of the vehicle (e.g., initiated using a predetermined sequence of door contact switches) initiates a charge request, state 30 is entered to perform a communication check. The communication check in state 30 may consist of two-way RF communication (e.g., using BLE, Wi-Fi, or NFC communication) used with the mobile device for normal safety operation. If the vehicle transceiver for normal safety operation fails to establish a link with the mobile device, a transition is made to charging state 31 in which a wireless power transmitter (e.g., a dedicated remote charger such as or or RF radio transmitter (such as BLE). Initiating charging in state 31 is intended to allow a fully depleted mobile device to receive enough power to authenticate and determine whether charging should be allowed to continue. At a predetermined repetition rate, the method loops back to state 30 to repeat the communication check. In addition, the method periodically loops to state 32, where a check is performed to determine whether anonymous charging in state 31 has been initiated for more than a predetermined time period. If not, charging continues in state 31. If the predetermined time period has expired, a final communication check is performed in state 33. If a communication link has not been established with the mobile device, charging is turned off in state 34.

[0033] When a communication link is established in state 30 or state 33, an attempt is made to identify the common group to which the mobile device belongs in state 35. If not found, charging is turned off in state 37. If a common group is found, a charging mode corresponding to the identified common group is entered in state 36. A specific charging mode may be defined according to predetermined parameters corresponding to a common group, such as charging duration, transmission power level, or an action to obtain charging fee or payment.

[0034] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment in more detail. The controller 40 is coupled to a communication transceiver 41 and a wireless charger 42, either of which can be activated to remotely charge a mobile device 43. The mobile device 43 is also configured to perform various communications with the controller 40 via the RF communication transceiver 41. The transceiver 41 is also configured to communicate with a central server 44, which can provide management and storage of common group information such as group identifiers, and in some cases, for tracking mobile devices that are members of a common group. The vehicle has a data memory 45 containing selected group IDs and corresponding charging limits under the supervision and use of the controller 40, wherein the contents of the memory 45 are set in coordination with the central server 44.

[0035] A charging request generated by a user carrying a mobile device may be triggered using the perimeter sensors and security system 46 or by a spoken utterance received by a microphone 47 connected to the controller 40 via a human-machine interface (HMI) 48. In some instances, the controller 40 may grant access to charging features to the mobile device based on an anonymous public group due to other situations where the vehicle user desires to provide open availability for charging. For example, a GPS receiver 50 may be used to determine that the vehicle is parked in the user's home garage or other location where the user is confident that only certain acceptable people will attempt to utilize the vehicle as a charging source. A clock 51 coupled to the controller 40 may provide time and date information that may provide an alternative indicator for situations where the vehicle user desires to provide open charging availability.

[0036] In some cases, the vehicle user may expect payment or other compensation associated with providing recharging functionality to the mobile device user. Transaction record 52 is generated by controller 40 to facilitate such compensation.

[0037] Figure 5 A flow chart of one embodiment of the present invention is shown, in which a mobile device user initiates a charging request in step 55. In step 56, sensors of the vehicle perimeter interface locate the user or mobile device. In step 57, a check is performed to determine whether a normal wireless link can be established with the mobile device. If not, an attempt is made to initiate a low power communication link, such as backscatter communication, in step 58. A check is performed in step 59 to determine whether there is any response to the low power communication link. If not, general power transfer can be turned on in step 60 to provide RF transmission directed to the located mobile device so as to fully charge the mobile device to establish a communication link. Then, return to step 57.

[0038] Whenever a wireless link is obtained at step 57 or step 59, a check is performed in step 61 to determine whether any ID (e.g., a specific user ID or a public group ID) has been obtained using the communication link. If so, a check is performed in step 62 to determine whether a specific individual registered with the vehicle security system is authenticated. If authenticated, further unrestricted access to remote charging can be enabled in step 63 and / or actual access to the vehicle (e.g., by unlocking the doors and / or starting the vehicle engine) can be performed. If a specific identity is not authenticated in step 62, the ID obtained in step 61 is checked against a list of public group IDs in step 64. The parameters for power transfer are updated using the identified public group ID in step 65. If a public group ID is not obtained in step 61, a check is performed in step 66 to determine whether there is another type of "public group" event, such as an anonymous group based on the location and / or time of day of the vehicle. If conditions for providing anonymous charging are detected, the power transfer parameters can be updated accordingly in step 65. Otherwise, charging is stopped at step 67.

[0039] The public group ID may be determined in advance and programmed into the vehicle controller during vehicle manufacture. Such public group ID may then be issued for incorporation into mobile wireless devices (e.g., as part of a software application to be installed in a user's smartphone). The user interface in the vehicle is preferably configured to perform a setup operation with the vehicle user, which allows the user to enable or disable the pre-established public group ID and / or modify any associated charging parameters.

[0040] Additionally, a dynamic system for establishing, modifying, and distributing public group IDs and devices associated with each public group ID may be provided, such as Figure 6 . An administrative entity (e.g., a vehicle manufacturer) may provide a central server 70 for storing a database 71 of public group IDs. Pre-established public group IDs may include fleet IDs (e.g., all vehicles of a certain vehicle manufacturer, all vehicles of a certain model, or any subset of these). Users / vehicles 73 and mobile devices 74 may wirelessly communicate with the central server 70 to access pre-existing group IDs and, in some embodiments, add new group IDs for custom groups. A database 72 containing a list of members of corresponding public groups may also be stored on the central server 70 to enable mobile devices to retrieve, for example, group IDs available to them.

[0041] Figure 7A method is shown for configuring a vehicle controller for charging operations based on a public group to which a vehicle user wishes to extend the availability of wireless charging. In step 75, the user initiates a setup routine (e.g., via a menu on an HMI). In step 76, the user can optionally enable or disable a pre-established public group ID. In step 77, the user can edit the corresponding restrictions imposed on charging availability based on the selected group ID. The restrictions can include predetermined parameters regarding charging metrics, such as charging time span, geographic location, time of day, and minimum vehicle battery state of charge. In step 78, the user can define a custom group ID and restrictions (e.g., enabling anonymous charging when in the user's garage).

[0042] In one aspect of the invention, the fleet of vehicles has a common manufacturer.

Claims

1. A vehicle for providing wireless charging to a mobile wireless device external to the vehicle, the vehicle comprising: a peripheral interface responsive to a request action initiated by a person outside the vehicle to charge the mobile wireless device; a wireless power transmitter configured to remotely charge the mobile wireless device; a wireless transceiver configured to provide a wireless communication link with the mobile wireless device; as well as A controller coupled to the peripheral interface, the wireless power transmitter, and the wireless transceiver, wherein the controller is configured to respond to the request action detected by the peripheral interface by: (A) attempting to communicate with the mobile wireless device one or more times until a link is established, (B) before the link is established, activating the wireless power transmitter to remotely charge the mobile wireless device, (C) when the link is established, determining whether the mobile wireless device corresponds to a pre-established common group, and (D) when the mobile wireless device does not correspond to the pre-established common group, deactivating the wireless power transmitter.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said determining whether said mobile wireless device corresponds to a pre-established common group consists of: A public group ID is received from the mobile wireless device; and the received public group ID is compared to a plurality of stored public group IDs. 3 . The vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of stored public group IDs includes a user-selected public group ID. 4 . The vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of stored common group IDs include a manufacturer-defined common group ID.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to (E) continue to activate the wireless power transmitter according to predetermined parameters corresponding to the pre-established common group.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the predetermined parameters include making charging available based on at least one contextual metric selected from the group consisting of charging time span, geographic location, time of day, and vehicle battery state of charge.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the pre-established common group consists of a fleet of vehicles.

8. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the fleet of vehicles has a common manufacturer.

9. A method of providing wireless charging to a mobile wireless device external to a vehicle, comprising the steps of: The person outside the vehicle performs a request action to initiate charging of the mobile wireless device; A wireless power transmitter initiates remote charging of the mobile wireless device; The wireless transceiver in the vehicle attempts one or more times to communicate with the mobile wireless device until a link is established; When the link is established, determining whether the mobile wireless device corresponds to a pre-established common group; as well as When the mobile wireless device does not correspond to a pre-established common group, the wireless power transmitter is deactivated.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said determining whether said mobile wireless device corresponds to a pre-established common group consists of: A public group ID is received from the mobile wireless device; and the received public group ID is compared to a plurality of stored public group IDs. The method of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of stored public group IDs include a user-selected public group ID.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of stored public group IDs comprises a manufacturer-defined public group ID.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of: Activation of the wireless power transmitter continues according to predetermined parameters corresponding to the pre-established common set.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined parameters include making charging available based on at least one contextual metric selected from the group consisting of charging time span, geographic location, time of day, and vehicle battery state of charge.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the pre-established common group consists of a fleet of vehicles.

Images