System and method for enabling vehicle movement via external interface

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system and method for enabling vehicle movement via an external interface. A vehicle includes a transceiver, a vehicle sensor unit, and a processor. The transceiver may be configured to receive interface information from an interface sensor unit associated with an external interface. The external interface may be configured to be removably attached to a plurality of connection ports disposed on the vehicle. The vehicle sensor unit may be configured to determine vehicle information associated with vehicle movement and at least one of the plurality of connection ports. The processor may obtain the interface information and / or the vehicle information. The processor may further determine an interface location relative to the vehicle based on the interface information and / or the vehicle information. Additionally, the processor may control vehicle speed and / or vehicle steering wheel rotation based on the interface position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for enabling vehicle movement via an external interface configured to be removably attached to an exterior surface of the vehicle. Background Art

[0002] When the user may be performing an outdoor activity or task, the user may frequently move his vehicle within a relatively short distance. For example, when the user performs an activity, the user may frequently move the user's vehicle within a short distance (e.g., 5-10 meters).

[0003] It may be inconvenient for a user to frequently enter and move a vehicle, and then exit the vehicle multiple times to perform activities, and thus the user may not like to frequently enter the vehicle when the user may be performing such activities. Therefore, it may be desirable to have a system that can enable a user to conveniently move a vehicle within a relatively short distance without repeatedly entering and exiting the vehicle. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present disclosure describes a vehicle that can be moved by using an external interface that can be removably attached to the outer surface of the vehicle. A user can cause the vehicle to move and / or the vehicle steering wheel to rotate by providing a user input to the interface, and the interface can transmit the user input to the vehicle via a wired connection or a wireless network to cause the vehicle to move and / or the vehicle steering wheel to rotate. In some aspects, the vehicle can be configured to control the vehicle speed and / or the vehicle steering wheel rotation based on the interface position and / or orientation relative to the vehicle and the maximum allowable vehicle speed / steering wheel rotation angle associated with the interface position and / or orientation. For example, the vehicle may not enable the vehicle speed to increase beyond a first predefined maximum speed when the interface position may be in the vehicle (e.g., connected to a vehicle connection port disposed on the outer surface of the vehicle), and may not enable the vehicle speed to increase beyond a second predefined maximum speed when the interface position may be outside the vehicle (e.g., when the user can hold the interface in the user's hand). In an exemplary aspect, the first predefined maximum speed may be different from the second predefined maximum speed.

[0005] In some aspects, the vehicle may determine the position and / or orientation of the interface relative to the vehicle based on interface information obtainable by the vehicle from an interface sensor unit associated with the interface, vehicle information obtainable by the vehicle from a vehicle sensor unit, and user device information obtainable by the vehicle from a user device that may be carried by a user. In an exemplary aspect, the interface sensor unit may include an interface accelerometer, an interface gyroscope, and an interface magnetometer, and the interface information may include information associated with interface movement speed and direction, inclination / tilt relative to the ground, interface angular motion, etc. The vehicle sensor unit may include a vehicle accelerometer, a vehicle gyroscope, a vehicle magnetometer, and internal and external cameras of the vehicle, and the vehicle information may include information related to vehicle movement speed and direction, inclination / tilt relative to the ground, vehicle angular motion, etc. Similarly, the user device information may include user device movement speed and direction, inclination / tilt relative to the ground, user device angular motion, etc.

[0006] The vehicle may correlate the above interface information, vehicle information, and / or user device information to determine the interface location and / or orientation relative to the vehicle. For example, when the user may be outside the vehicle, the vehicle may correlate the above information to determine whether the interface may be located in the vehicle or may be held in the user's hand.

[0007] In another aspect, the vehicle information may include a connection status with the interface associated with each of a plurality of connection ports disposed on an exterior surface of the vehicle. The vehicle may determine whether the interface is attachable to the connection port and a corresponding interface orientation relative to the vehicle based on the connection status included in the vehicle information.

[0008] In response to determining the interface position and / or orientation relative to the vehicle, the vehicle may obtain a mapping of the determined interface position and / or orientation to a maximum allowable vehicle speed, steering wheel rotation angle, and / or travel distance from a vehicle memory or an external server to control vehicle movement. In some aspects, the vehicle may additionally control and / or activate vehicle advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) features and / or vehicle proximity sensors based on the determined interface position relative to the vehicle.

[0009] The present disclosure discloses a vehicle that can be moved by providing input to an interface that can be removably attached to an outer surface of the vehicle. The interface can enable a user to cause the vehicle to move without entering an inner portion of the vehicle. Since the user does not need to enter the vehicle to cause the vehicle to move, the interface can be beneficial for the user to perform outdoor activities that may require frequent vehicle movement over a short distance, such as farming, laying fences, etc. In addition, the interface is easily attached to the outer surface of the vehicle via multiple connection ports, thereby enhancing user ease of use.

[0010] These and other advantages of the present disclosure are provided in detail herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The specific embodiments are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The use of the same figure number may indicate similar or identical items. Various embodiments may utilize elements and / or components other than those illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and some elements and / or components may not be present in various embodiments. The elements and / or components in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Throughout this disclosure, singular and plural terms may be used interchangeably, depending on the context.

[0012] Figure 1 An environment is depicted in which techniques and structures for providing the systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented.

[0013] Figure 2 A block diagram of a system for implementing vehicle movement according to the present disclosure is depicted.

[0014] Figure 3 Depicted are different external interface locations relative to a vehicle in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 4 Depicted are pin orientations in an external interface and vehicle connection port according to the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 5 Depicted is a conductor pattern in a vehicle connection port according to the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 6 A flow chart of a method for inducing and controlling movement of a vehicle according to the present disclosure is depicted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments of the disclosure are shown and are not intended to be limiting.

[0019] Figure 1 An example environment 100 is depicted in which techniques and structures for providing the systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented. The environment 100 may include a vehicle 102 and a user 104. The user 104 may be performing outdoor activities in a farm 106 where the vehicle 102 may be located. For example, the user 104 may be sowing plants around the perimeter of the farm or may be laying a fence. The user 104 may be using the vehicle cargo box to store materials 108 that may be needed to perform outdoor activities, such as sand, plants, equipment / tools, fertilizer, etc. In some aspects, when the user 104 performs outdoor activities around the perimeter of the farm, the user 104 may need to frequently move the vehicle 102 within a short distance (e.g., 5-10 meters).

[0020] The vehicle 102 may take the form of any passenger or commercial vehicle, such as, for example, a sedan, a work vehicle, a crossover vehicle, a truck, a minivan, etc. Additionally, the vehicle 102 may be a manually driven vehicle and / or may be configured to operate in a fully autonomous (e.g., driverless) mode or a partially autonomous mode, and may include any powertrain, such as, for example, a gasoline engine, one or more electric actuation motors, a hybrid powertrain, etc.

[0021] Environment 100 may also include an external interface 110 (or interface 110), which may be configured to be removably attached to an exterior surface of the vehicle (or interior surface of the vehicle). In some aspects, the exterior surface of the vehicle may include one or more cavities or slots or connection ports (in the example of FIG. 1 ) into which user 104 may insert / attach or "plug in" interface 110. Figure 2 As an example, the connection port may be disposed on the top surface of the vehicle side wall, the right and left edges of the vehicle bumper, the vehicle cargo box, etc. The user 104 may connect to the vehicle via an elongated connector (in the embodiment of the present invention) that can be inserted into the connection port. Figure 3 The interface 110 is removably attached to the connection port (shown as connector 302). Figure 1 In the exemplary aspect depicted in FIG. 1 , the interface 110 is attached to a top surface of a vehicle sidewall, but the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0022] The interface 110 may be configured to cause and / or control vehicle movement based on user input. In some aspects, the user 104 may use the interface 110 to frequently move the vehicle 102 within a short distance around the perimeter of the farm without having to enter and exit the vehicle 102 multiple times. Since the interface 110 may be configured to be removably attached to an exterior surface of the vehicle, the user 104 may use the interface 110 to conveniently cause and control vehicle movement from outside the vehicle 102.

[0023] In some aspects, the interface 110 may be configured to cause and / or control vehicle movement when the interface 110 may be attached to one of the above-mentioned connection ports. In other aspects, when the interface 110 may be set within a predefined distance from the vehicle 102, the interface 110 may be configured to cause and / or control vehicle movement by wirelessly transmitting a command signal to the vehicle 102. As an example, the user 104 may hold the interface 110 in the user's hand / palm and provide user input to the interface 110. Then, the interface 110 may generate a command signal associated with the user input, and the command signal is wirelessly transmitted to the vehicle 102 to cause the vehicle to move. In some aspects, the maximum allowable vehicle speed and / or the maximum allowable vehicle steering wheel rotation angle may be different based on whether the interface 110 is attached to the connection port or the interface 110 is held in the palm of the user (rather than attached to any connection port). Additionally, the maximum allowable vehicle speed and / or the maximum allowable vehicle steering wheel rotation angle may differ based on whether the user 104 is in the vehicle 102 (e.g., holding the interface 110 in the user's hand) or the user 104 is walking near the vehicle 102 and holding the interface 110 in the user's hand (and outside the vehicle 102). The vehicle 102 may be configured to determine the interface position and / or orientation relative to the vehicle 102, and may correspondingly enable the interface 110 to cause and / or control vehicle movement based on the interface position and / or orientation and the user input.

[0024] In some aspects, the interface 110 can be dome-shaped (eg, Figure 1 102 ), and may include a user input detection unit (not shown), including but not limited to a pressure sensor, a spring-loaded rotational position sensing element, etc., which can detect user input associated with desired vehicle movement when the user 104 interacts with the interface 110. As an example, when the user 104 desires the vehicle 102 to move forward, the user 104 may provide a "forward push" to the interface 110. The forward push may be detected by the pressure sensor included in the user input detection unit, and the pressure sensor may then generate a current / command signal, which may be transmitted to the vehicle 102 via a wired connection or a wireless network to cause the vehicle to move forward. Similarly, when the user 104 desires the vehicle 102 to move in the opposite direction, the user 104 may provide a "backward push" to the interface 110. In addition, when the user 104 desires the vehicle steering wheel to rotate to the right or left, the user 104 may rotate the interface 110 in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. In this case, the spring-loaded rotational position sensing element may generate a command signal, which may enable the vehicle 102 to cause the vehicle steering wheel to rotate to the right or left.

[0025] In other aspects, the interface 110 may have the shape of an elongated stick or rod and may function like a joystick with one or more tilt sensors, twisting motion sensors, etc. In yet another aspect, the interface 110 may include a plurality of switches or buttons on a switchboard that may be removably attached to the vehicle 102 or may be handheld. Figure 1 The interface 110 is depicted as being dome-shaped and the following description is described in the context of a dome-shaped interface, but such depiction and description should not be construed as limiting and the interface 110 may have any other shape as described above.

[0026] In some aspects, in order to cause and / or control vehicle movement using interface 110, user 104 may first activate an external interface movement mode associated with vehicle 102. For example, when user 104 desires to cause and / or control vehicle movement using interface 110, user 104 may transmit a request to vehicle 102 to activate the external interface movement mode. User 104 may activate the external interface movement mode via a user device (on Figure 2 202) or a vehicle human machine interface (HMI) or a vehicle infotainment system (shown in FIG. Figure 2 In response to receiving the request, vehicle 102 may authenticate user 104, determine whether user 104 is in the vicinity of vehicle 102 and authenticate interface 110 (e.g., to determine that interface 110 is an authenticated interface associated with vehicle 102), and then enable user 104 to use interface 110 to cause and / or control vehicle movement.

[0027] In some aspects, the vehicle 102 may authenticate the user 104 by requesting the user 104 to enter a preset password / password on the infotainment system or user device, by authenticating the user device (e.g., when the user device may be executing a phone-as-a-key (PaaK) application and communicatively paired with the vehicle 102), and / or by authenticating / pairing with a key fob (not shown) that the user 104 may carry and associated with the vehicle 102. The methods described herein for authenticating the user 104 are exemplary in nature and should not be construed as limiting. The vehicle 102 may also authenticate the user 104 by any other method (e.g., facial recognition, fingerprint recognition, etc.) without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0028] The vehicle 102 may determine that the user 104 may be near the vehicle 102 by determining the user device location (when the user device may be executing a PaaK application and is communicatively paired with the vehicle 102) or the key fob location. When the user device may not be executing a PaaK application, the vehicle 102 may determine the user device location by determining a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value associated with the user device. In other aspects, the vehicle 102 may determine that the user 104 may be near the vehicle 102 by obtaining an image of the user from a vehicle camera and / or obtaining input from other vehicle sensors (e.g., a radio detection and ranging (radar) sensor). The methods described herein for determining that the user 104 may be near the vehicle 102 are exemplary in nature and should not be construed as limiting. The vehicle 102 may also determine the user location by any other method without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0029] When the interface 110 is communicatively coupled to the vehicle 102 via a wireless network and / or when the interface 110 is attachable to the connection port described above, the vehicle 102 may authenticate the interface 110 by exchanging a preset authentication code with the interface 110. When, for example, the interface 110 is first registered with the vehicle 102 (e.g., when the interface 110 is first used with the vehicle 102), the preset authentication code may be pre-stored in the vehicle 102 and the interface 110. In other aspects, in addition to or in lieu of exchanging the preset authentication code, when the interface 110 is communicatively coupled to the vehicle 102 and / or when the interface 110 is attachable to the connection port, the vehicle 102 and the interface 110 may receive a preset authentication code from an external server (in a Figure 2 In this case, the vehicle 102 can authenticate the interface 110 by obtaining the encryption key from the interface 110 and matching the encryption key with the encryption key that the vehicle 102 may have obtained from the external server. In some aspects, each time the interface 110 may be coupled / attached to the vehicle 102, a new encryption key may be generated by the external server and transmitted to the vehicle 102 and the interface 110.

[0030] When the vehicle 102 authenticates the user 104 and the interface 110 and determines that the user 104 may be located within a predefined distance from the vehicle 102, the vehicle 102 may enable the interface 110 to cause and / or control vehicle movement based on the user input received at the interface 110. In other words, in this case, the vehicle 102 may activate an external interface movement mode associated with the vehicle 102.

[0031] In some aspects, in response to enabling the interface 110 to cause and / or control vehicle movement, the vehicle 102 may determine whether the interface 110 is attachable to a connection port in the vehicle 102 or whether the user 104 may hold the interface 110, for example, in the palm / hand of the user. The vehicle 102 may further determine the interface position and / or orientation relative to the vehicle 102. In some aspects, the vehicle 102 may make such determinations based on user input on the interface 110 to identify the maximum allowable vehicle speed and / or the maximum allowable vehicle steering wheel rotation angle that may be allowed. For example, when the user 104 may hold the interface 110 in the palm of the user's hand, the vehicle 102 may allow a lower maximum vehicle speed than when the interface 110 is attachable to the connection port (and the user 104 may be outside the vehicle 102). In additional aspects, the vehicle 102 may make such determinations based on the determined interface position relative to the vehicle 102 to control and / or activate vehicle advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) features and / or vehicle proximity sensors. Additionally, based on the determined interface location relative to the vehicle 102, the vehicle 102 may use one or more vehicle speakers, vehicle lights, or vehicle displays that are closest to the determined interface location to provide / output notifications to the user 104 associated with the interface operation status, vehicle movement status, etc. The vehicle 102 may further use the remaining vehicle speakers, vehicle lights, or vehicle displays to provide similar or different notifications to bystanders that may be located near the vehicle 102.

[0032] In some aspects, the vehicle 102 may determine whether the interface 110 is attachable to or detachable from the connection port, and the interface position and / or orientation based on interface information available to the vehicle 102 from an interface sensor unit, vehicle information available to the vehicle 102 from a vehicle sensor unit, and / or user device information available to the vehicle 102 from a user device associated with the user 104. In an exemplary aspect, the interface sensor unit may include an interface accelerometer, an interface gyroscope, and / or an interface magnetometer, and the interface information may include information associated with interface movement speed and direction, inclination / tilt relative to the ground or north / south pole, interface angular motion, etc. In some aspects, by using the interface information obtained from the interface accelerometer, the interface gyroscope, and / or the interface magnetometer, the vehicle 102 may determine not only the interface position relative to the vehicle 102, but also the mounting point or connection port on the vehicle 102 to which the interface 110 may be attached. This is because the interface speed change rate pattern is a function of the mounting location / point on the vehicle 102, and the vehicle 102 can compare the axial speed change rate pattern associated with the interface 110 obtained from the interface sensor unit with the vehicle axial speed change rate pattern obtained from the vehicle sensor unit to determine the interface mounting location / point on the vehicle 102.

[0033] The vehicle sensor unit may include a plurality of vehicle sensors, including but not limited to a vehicle accelerometer, a vehicle gyroscope, a vehicle magnetometer, internal and external cameras of the vehicle, and the like. In some aspects, the vehicle information may include vehicle movement information associated with vehicle movement speed and direction, vehicle tilt / tilt relative to the ground, vehicle angular motion, and the like. In additional aspects, the vehicle sensor unit may be configured to obtain signals from a plurality of connection ports that may be located in the vehicle 102. In this case, the vehicle information may include information associated with the connection status of each connection port. For example, the vehicle information may include information indicating that the interface 110 may be attached to or inserted into a first connection port from a plurality of connection ports.

[0034] The user device information may include information associated with the user device movement speed, inclination / tilt relative to the ground or the North Pole / South Pole, angular motion of the user device, etc. The user device may determine the information based on signals obtained from the user device accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer.

[0035] In response to obtaining the interface information, the vehicle information, and / or the user device information, the vehicle 102 may correlate the obtained information to determine whether the interface 110 is attachable to or detachable from the connection port, and the interface position and / or orientation relative to the vehicle 102 based on the correlation. The process of determining whether the interface 110 is attachable to or detachable from the connection port, and the interface position and / or orientation is described later below in conjunction with Figure 2 Describe in detail.

[0036] In response to determining the interface position and / or orientation, the vehicle 102 may obtain / obtain a mapping of different interface positions and / or orientations to maximum permissible / allowable vehicle speeds and / or vehicle steering wheel rotation angles, which may be pre-stored in a vehicle memory or an external server. The vehicle 102 may then implement vehicle movement based on the mapping, the determined interface position and / or orientation, and user input obtained from the interface 110. For example, when the interface 110 is attachable to a connection port disposed at a rear portion of the vehicle and the maximum permissible forward vehicle speed for such an interface position may be 5 miles per hour, the vehicle 102 may enable the vehicle 102 to move forward at a speed of no more than 5 miles per hour when the user 104 provides input to the interface 110 to cause the vehicle 102 to move forward. As another example, when the interface 110 can be set on the palm of the user's hand (and not attached to the connection port) and the maximum allowable forward vehicle speed of such an interface position can be 3 miles per hour, the vehicle 102 can enable the vehicle 102 to move forward at a speed of no more than 3 miles per hour when the user 104 provides input to the interface 110 to cause the vehicle 102 to move forward. As described above, the vehicle 102 can further control and / or activate vehicle ADAS features and / or vehicle proximity sensors based on the determined interface position relative to the vehicle 102. For example, those vehicle proximity sensors that may be closer to the determined interface position may be activated. In addition, based on the determined interface position relative to the vehicle 102, the vehicle 102 can use one or more vehicle speakers, vehicle lights, or vehicle display screens that are closest to the determined interface position to provide / output notifications associated with the interface operation state, vehicle movement state, etc. to the user 104. The vehicle 102 can further use the remaining vehicle speakers, vehicle lights, or vehicle display screens to provide / output similar or different notifications to bystanders that may be located near the vehicle 102.

[0037] Additional details associated with the interface 110 and the vehicle 102 are described below in conjunction with subsequent figures.

[0038] The vehicle 102 and interface 110 implement and / or perform operations as described herein in the present disclosure in accordance with the owner's manual and safety guidelines. In addition, any actions taken by the user 104 based on recommendations or notifications provided by the vehicle 102 should comply with all rules (e.g., federal, state, country, city, etc.) specific to the location and operation of the vehicle 102. Recommendations or notifications as provided by the vehicle 102 should be considered suggestions and followed only in accordance with any rules specific to the location and operation of the vehicle 102.

[0039] Figure 2 A block diagram of a system 200 for implementing vehicle mobility according to the present disclosure is depicted. Figure 2 When Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 .

[0040] System 200 may include vehicle 102, interface 110, user device 202, and one or more servers 204 (or servers 204) communicatively coupled to each other via one or more networks 206 (or networks 206). In some aspects, vehicle 102 and interface 110 may communicate with each other via network 206 (e.g., Figure 2 as shown) or are communicatively coupled to each other via a wired connection.

[0041] The user device 202 may be associated with the user 104 and may be, for example, a mobile phone, a laptop, a computer, a tablet, a wearable device, or any other similar device having communication capabilities. The server 204 may be part of a cloud-based computing infrastructure and may be associated with and / or include a telematics service delivery network (SDN) that provides digital data services to the vehicle 102 and other vehicles (not shown) that may be part of a fleet of vehicles. In further aspects, the server 204 may be configured to provide an encryption key to the vehicle 102 and the interface 110 to enable interface authentication when the user 104 transmits a request to activate the external interface mobile mode to the vehicle 102, for example, via the user device 202, as described above in conjunction with Figure 1 Described. In additional aspects, the server 204 may store and provide to the vehicle 102 a mapping of different interface positions and / or orientations relative to the vehicle 102 and the maximum allowable / permissible vehicle speed and / or vehicle steering wheel rotation angle and / or the maximum allowable / permissible distance that the vehicle 102 can travel. In some aspects, the server 204 may transmit the mapping to the vehicle 102 at a predefined frequency or when the vehicle 102 transmits a request to obtain the mapping to the server 204. In other aspects, the mapping may be pre-stored in the vehicle memory. In an exemplary aspect, information associated with the mapping may be provided to the server 204 and / or the vehicle memory by the user 104 as part of the user preferences. In alternative aspects, information associated with the mapping may be provided to the server 204 and / or the vehicle memory by the vehicle manufacturer and / or the interface manufacturer.

[0042] The network 206 illustrates an example communication infrastructure in which the connected devices discussed in various embodiments of the present disclosure may communicate. The network 206 may be and / or include the Internet, a private network, a public network, or other configurations operating using any one or more known communication protocols, such as, for example, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), BLE, Wi-Fi based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard 802.11, ultra-wideband (UWB), and cellular technologies such as time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPDA), long-term evolution (LTE), global system for mobile communications (GSM), and fifth generation (5G), to name a few examples.

[0043] The interface 110 may include a plurality of units, including but not limited to a transceiver 208, a processor 210, a memory 212, and an interface sensor unit 214. The transceiver 208 may be configured to transmit / receive signals / information / data to / from one or more external systems or devices (e.g., user device 202, server 204, vehicle 102, etc.) via a wired connection or network 206. The interface sensor unit 214 may include a plurality of sensors, including but not limited to a pressure sensor, a capacitive sensor, a rotational position sensing element, an interface accelerometer, an interface gyroscope, an interface magnetometer, etc. The interface sensor unit 214 may be configured to determine / detect user inputs on the interface 110 associated with longitudinal movement of the vehicle (e.g., vehicle moving forward or backward) and / or vehicle steering wheel rotation, and generate current / command signals based on the user inputs. The interface sensor unit 214 may transmit the generated current / command signals to the transceiver 208 , which in turn may transmit command signals to the vehicle 102 to effectuate vehicle movement based on the user input (eg, when the vehicle 102 enables the interface 110 to cause and / or control vehicle movement).

[0044] In further aspects, the interface sensor unit 214 may be configured to determine / detect interface information associated with the interface 110 based on input received from an interface accelerometer, an interface gyroscope, and / or an interface magnetometer. In some aspects, the interface information may be associated with interface movement speed and direction, inclination / tilt relative to ground or north / south poles, interface angular motion, etc. The interface sensor unit 214 may transmit the interface information to the transceiver 208, which in turn may transmit the interface information to the vehicle 102 when the interface 110 may be communicatively coupled to the vehicle 102 and / or when the vehicle 102 causes the interface 110 to cause and / or control vehicle movement.

[0045] The processor 210 may be configured to communicate with one or more memory devices (e.g., memory 212 and / or Figure 2The processor 210 may utilize the memory 212 to store programs and / or store data in the form of code for performing various aspects of the present disclosure. The memory 212 may be a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium or memory that stores program code that enables the processor 210 to perform operations according to the present disclosure. The memory 212 may include any one or combination of volatile memory elements (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), etc.), and may include any one or more non-volatile memory elements (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), etc.). In some aspects, the processor 210 may be configured to control the operation of the interface sensor unit, and the interface sensor unit 214 may enable the above-mentioned interface information and command signals to be transmitted to the vehicle 102 based on instructions received from the processor 210.

[0046] The vehicle 102 may include a plurality of units including, but not limited to, a vehicle computer 216, a vehicle control unit (VCU) 218, and an interface management system 220 (or system 220). The VCU 218 may include a plurality of electronic control units (ECUs) 222 arranged to communicate with the vehicle computer 216.

[0047] In some aspects, the user device 202 can be configured to connect to the vehicle computer 216 and / or the system 220 via the network 206, which can communicate via one or more wireless connections, and / or the user device can communicate via the near field communication (NFC) protocol, Protocol, Wi-Fi, ultra-wideband (UWB), and other possible data connection and sharing technologies to connect directly with the vehicle 102.

[0048] According to the present disclosure, the vehicle computer 216 and / or the system 220 may be installed anywhere in the vehicle 102. In addition, the vehicle computer 216 may operate as a functional part of the system 220. The vehicle computer 216 may be or include an electronic vehicle controller having one or more processors 224 and a memory 226. In addition, the system 220 may be separate from the vehicle computer 216 (e.g., Figure 2 ), or may be integrated as part of the vehicle computer 216.

[0049] The one or more processors 224 may be configured to communicate with one or more memory devices (e.g., memory 226 and / or Figure 2The memory 226 may be configured to communicate with one or more external databases (not shown) and the one or more memory devices are configured to communicate with the corresponding computing system. One or more processors 224 may utilize the memory 226 to store programs and / or store data in the form of code for executing various aspects of the present disclosure. The memory 226 may be a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium or memory that stores interface management program code. The memory 226 may include any one or combination of volatile memory elements (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), etc.), and may include any one or more non-volatile memory elements (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), etc.).

[0050] According to some aspects, the VCU 218 can share a power bus with the vehicle computer 216 and can be configured and / or programmed to communicate between vehicle systems, connected servers (e.g., server 204), and other vehicles operating as part of a vehicle fleet (e.g., Figure 2 The VCU 218 may include or communicate with any combination of ECUs 222, such as a body control module (BCM) 228, an engine control module (ECM) 230, a transmission control module (TCM) 232, a telematics control unit (TCU) 234, a driver assistance technology (DAT) controller 236, etc. The VCU 218 may also include and / or communicate with a vehicle perception system (VPS) 238, which interfaces with and / or controls one or more vehicle sensing systems 240. The vehicle sensing system 240 may include one or more vehicle sensors, including but not limited to radio detection and ranging (RADAR or "radar") sensors configured to use radio waves to detect and locate objects within and outside the vehicle 102, seating area lock sensors, seating area sensors, light detection and ranging ("lidar") sensors, door sensors, proximity sensors, temperature sensors, wheel sensors, one or more ambient weather or temperature sensors, interior and exterior vehicle cameras, steering wheel sensors, vehicle accelerometers, vehicle gyroscopes, vehicle magnetometers, etc.

[0051] In some aspects, VCU 218 may control aspects of vehicle operation and implement one or more instruction sets received from server 204 , one or more instruction sets stored in memory 226 , including instructions to operate as part of system 220 .

[0052] The TCU 234 may be configured and / or programmed to provide vehicle connectivity to wireless computing systems on and off the vehicle 102 and may include a navigation (NAV) receiver 242 for receiving and processing GPS signals, module (BLEM) 244, a Wi-Fi transceiver, an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver, and / or may be configured to communicate between the vehicle 102 and other systems (e.g., a vehicle key fob ( Figure 2 ), server 204, user device 202, interface 110, etc.), other wireless transceivers (including cellular communications) for wireless communication between computers and modules Figure 2 2). The TCU 234 may be configured to communicate with the ECU 222 via a bus.

[0053] ECU 222 may control various aspects of vehicle operation and communications using input from a human driver, input from autonomous computer 216, system 220, and / or wireless signal input / command signals received via one or more wireless connections from other connected devices (such as server 204, user device 202, interface 110, etc.).

[0054] The BCM 228 typically includes an integration of sensors, vehicle performance indicators, and varactors associated with vehicle systems, and may include processor-based power distribution circuits that may control functions associated with the vehicle body (such as lights, windows, security devices, one or more cameras, one or more audio systems, speakers, wipers, door locks and entry controls, various comfort controls, etc.). The BCM 228 may also operate as a gateway for bus and network interfaces to communicate with remote ECUs ( Figure 2 In some aspects, BCM 228 may be configured to cause vehicle movement and vehicle steering wheel rotation based on command signals (or user input) obtained from interface 110.

[0055] The DAT controller 236 may provide Level 1 to Level 3 automated driving and driver assistance functions, which may include, for example, active parking assistance, vehicle reverse assistance, and / or adaptive cruise control, among other features. The DAT controller 236 may also provide various aspects of user and environmental input that may be used for user authentication.

[0056] In some aspects, the vehicle computer 216 may be connected to an infotainment system 246 (or vehicle human-machine interface (HMI)). The infotainment system 246 may include a touch screen interface portion, and may include voice recognition features, biometric identification capabilities, and the biometric identification capabilities may identify a user based on facial recognition, voice recognition, fingerprint identification, or other biometric identification means. In other aspects, the infotainment system 246 may be further configured to receive user commands via the touch screen interface portion, and / or output or display notifications, navigation maps, etc. on the touch screen interface portion.

[0057] The computing system architecture of the vehicle computer 216, VCU 218 and / or system 220 may omit certain computing modules. It should be readily understood that Figure 2 The computing environment depicted in FIG. 1 is an example of possible implementations according to the present disclosure and, therefore, should not be considered limiting or exclusive.

[0058] The vehicle 102 may also include a vehicle sensor unit 248 and a plurality of connection ports 250. In some aspects, the vehicle sensor unit 248 may be part of the vehicle sensing system 240. In other aspects, the vehicle sensor unit 248 may be separate from the vehicle sensing system 240. The vehicle sensor unit 248 may include a plurality of sensors, including but not limited to a vehicle accelerometer, a vehicle gyroscope, a vehicle magnetometer, interior and exterior vehicle cameras, etc. In some aspects, the vehicle sensor unit 248 may be configured to determine vehicle information associated with vehicle movement and / or the plurality of connection ports 250 (e.g., the connection status of each connection port with the interface 110). Figure 1 An example of vehicle information is described.

[0059] The interface 110 can be configured to be removably attached to an exterior surface of the vehicle via a plurality of connection ports 250. In some aspects, the plurality of connection ports 250 can be disposed on the exterior surface of the vehicle, and the interface 110 can be configured to be inserted into a connection port from the plurality of connection ports 250 to enable electromechanical attachment between the interface 110 and the vehicle 102.

[0060] According to some aspects, the system 220 can be integrated with and / or executed as part of the ECU 222. The system 220, whether integrated with the vehicle computer 216 or the ECU 222, or operating as a standalone computing system in the vehicle 102, can include a transceiver 252, a processor 254, and a computer readable memory 256.

[0061] The transceiver 252 may be configured to receive information / input from one or more external devices or systems (e.g., user device 202, server 204, interface 110, etc.) via network 206. In addition, the transceiver 252 may transmit notifications, requests, signals, etc. to the external devices or systems. In addition, the transceiver 252 may be configured to receive information / input from vehicle components (such as vehicle sensor unit 248, multiple connection ports 250, one or more ECUs 222, etc.). In addition, the transceiver 252 may transmit signals (e.g., command signals) or notifications to vehicle components such as BCM 228, infotainment system 246, etc.

[0062] The processor 254 and the memory 256 may be the same or similar to the processor 224 and the memory 226, respectively. In some aspects, the processor 254 may utilize the memory 256 to store programs and / or store data in the form of code for performing various aspects according to the present disclosure. The memory 256 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or memory that stores interface management program code. In some aspects, the memory 256 may additionally store instructions / information / data / mappings obtained from the server 204, the user device 202, the interface 110, etc.

[0063] In operation, when user 104 desires to use interface 110 to cause and / or control vehicle movement, user 104 may transmit a request to activate an external interface movement mode associated with vehicle 102 to transceiver 252 via user device 202 or infotainment system 246, as described above in conjunction with Figure 1 The transceiver 252 may then transmit the request to the processor 254. In some aspects, when the processor 254 obtains the request from the user 104 via the transceiver 252, the processor 254 may determine that a triggering event may have occurred.

[0064] In response to the obtain request, the processor 254 may authenticate the user 104, determine the user location and / or authenticate the interface 110, as described above in conjunction with Figure 1 Example methods that may be performed by the processor 254 to authenticate the user 104, determine the user location and / or authenticate the interface 110 are described above in conjunction with Figure 1 In some aspects, when the user 104 can be authenticated, the determined user location can be within a predefined distance from the vehicle 102, and / or the interface 110 can be authenticated, the processor 254 can determine that a triggering event can occur. In response to determining that a triggering event can occur, in some aspects, the processor 254 can activate an external interface mobile mode associated with the vehicle 102.

[0065] In addition, in parallel with receiving a request from the user 104 (via the user device 202 or the infotainment system 246) or in response to the external interface mobile mode being activated and / or the interface 110 being communicatively coupled with the vehicle 102, the transceiver 252 may receive interface information from the interface sensor unit 214 (via the transceiver 208 and the wired connection or network 206). In addition, the transceiver 252 may receive user device information from the user device 202 via the network 206. As described above in conjunction with Figure 1 As described, the user device information may include information associated with user device movement speed, inclination / tilt relative to the ground or the North / South Pole, user device angular motion, etc.

[0066] In some aspects, in response to determining that a trigger event may have occurred, the processor 254 may obtain interface information and / or user device information from the transceiver 252. In addition, in response to determining that a trigger event may have occurred, the processor 254 may obtain vehicle information from the vehicle sensor unit 248. As described above, the vehicle information may be associated with vehicle movement and / or the connection status of each connection port from the plurality of connection ports 250 with the interface 110. In some aspects, the processor 254 may determine the position and / or orientation of the interface relative to the vehicle 102 based on the interface information, the vehicle information, and / or the user device information, as described below. Specifically, in response to obtaining the above information, the processor 254 may determine whether the interface 110 can be physically / electromechanically attached to a connection port from the plurality of connection ports 250, or whether the user 104 can hold the interface 110 in the user's hand.

[0067] In a first exemplary aspect, the processor 254 may determine whether the interface 110 is physically / electromechanically attachable to the connection port or the user 104 may hold the interface 110 in the user's hand (and may be outside the vehicle 102) based on the interface information obtained from the interface sensor unit 214. In this case, the processor 254 may analyze the interface information and compare the interface information with historical interface information (which may be pre-stored in the memory 256 or obtained from the server 204) indicating interface movement when the interface 110 may have been attached to the vehicle 102 and when the interface 110 may have been held in the user's hand. In some aspects, based on comparing the interface information with the historical interface information, the processor 254 may determine whether the interface information corresponds to vehicle movement or human movement. For example, when the interface 110 is holdable in the user's hand, the interface information may indicate a greater change in interface movement direction or orientation and / or a sudden increase or decrease in interface speed when the interface 110 is attachable to the vehicle 102 (via the connection port) than when the interface 110 is holdable in the user's hand.

[0068] In some aspects, the processor 254 may analyze the interface information in the frequency domain (as described above) to determine whether the interface 110 is physically attachable to the vehicle 102 or the user 104 can hold the interface 110 in the user's hand. In some aspects, the processor 254 may use a windowed fast Fourier transform, a wavelet transform (Haar wavelet), or a bandpass digital filter to analyze the interface information in the frequency domain. In other aspects, the processor 254 may use artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML), classifiers (such as hidden Markov chains), deep learning methods, neural networks, etc. to analyze the interface information and determine the interface position and / or orientation (i.e., whether the interface 110 is physically attachable to the vehicle 102 or the user 104 can hold the interface 110 in the user's hand). An example view of the user 104 holding the interface 110 in the user's hand is shown in FIG. Figure 3 Shown in.

[0069] In a second exemplary aspect, the processor 254 may determine whether the interface 110 is physically attachable to the connection port or the user 104 may hold the interface 110 in the user's hand based on the interface information and the vehicle information associated with the vehicle movement. In this case, the processor 254 may associate the interface information with the vehicle information associated with the vehicle movement and determine the interface position and / or orientation relative to the vehicle 102 based on the association. For example, the processor 254 may compare the change in interface orientation (based on inputs obtained from the interface gyroscope and the interface magnetometer) with the change in vehicle orientation (based on inputs obtained from the vehicle gyroscope and the vehicle magnetometer), and when the change in interface orientation matches the change in vehicle orientation, determine that the interface 110 is set in the vehicle 102 (and connected to the connection port). The processor 254 may additionally compare frequency data obtained from the interface accelerometer and the vehicle accelerometer and identify a match between the frequency data. In response to determining that the interface 110 is set in the vehicle 102 based on the above comparison / match, the processor 254 may determine the interface orientation relative to the vehicle 102 based on the match between the interface orientation and the vehicle orientation. For example, when the interface orientation and the vehicle orientation can match, the processor 254 can determine that the interface forward motion direction (e.g., the direction of the "push" applied by the user 104 to the interface 110 to cause forward vehicle movement) can be aligned with the forward movement of the vehicle. Figure 1As described, by using the interface information obtained from the interface accelerometer, the interface gyroscope, and / or the interface magnetometer, the processor 254 can determine not only the interface location relative to the vehicle 102, but also the mounting point or connection port on the vehicle 102 at which the interface 110 can be attached. This is because the interface speed change rate pattern can be a function of the mounting location / point on the vehicle 102, and the processor 254 can compare the axial speed change rate pattern associated with the interface 110 obtained from the interface sensor unit with the vehicle axial speed change rate pattern obtained from the vehicle sensor unit 248 to determine the interface mounting location / point on the vehicle 102.

[0070] In response to determining that the interface 110 may be disposed in the vehicle 102 or the interface position may be in the vehicle 102 based on the above comparison / matching / association, the processor 254 may obtain a mapping of different interface positions and / or orientations relative to the vehicle 102 and the maximum allowable / permissible vehicle speed and / or vehicle steering wheel rotation angle and / or maximum allowable / permissible distance that the vehicle 102 may travel from the memory 256 or the server 204. The processor 254 may then associate the determined interface position and / or orientation with the mapping to determine a first maximum allowable / permissible vehicle speed and / or a first maximum allowable vehicle steering wheel rotation angle and / or a first maximum allowable / permissible distance that the vehicle 102 may travel based on the determined interface position and / or orientation. For example, when the interface position may be in the vehicle 102 (e.g., connected to a connection port), the processor 254 may determine that the vehicle 102 may travel at a maximum speed of 5 miles per hour and / or travel a maximum of 500 meters.

[0071] In further aspects, when the user 104 may provide user input to the interface 110 to cause and / or control vehicle movement (e.g., when the external interface movement mode may be activated), the transceiver 252 may receive a command signal from the transceiver 208. The command signal may be associated with the user input received from the user 104 at the interface 110. In response to the transceiver 252 receiving the command signal from the transceiver 208, the transceiver 252 may transmit the command signal to the processor 254.

[0072] In response to obtaining the command signal from the transceiver 252, the processor 254 may cause and control the vehicle forward / reverse movement / speed and / or vehicle steering wheel rotation via the BCM 228 based on the obtained command signal. In some aspects, the processor 254 may control the vehicle speed and / or vehicle steering wheel rotation based on a first maximum allowable / permissible vehicle speed and / or a first maximum allowable vehicle steering wheel rotation angle, such that the vehicle speed and / or vehicle steering wheel rotation may not exceed the corresponding maximum allowable values. In addition, the processor 254 may implement vehicle movement such that the vehicle 102 may not travel / move beyond the first maximum allowable / permissible distance. In addition, as described above in conjunction with Figure 1 As described, the processor 254 may control and / or activate vehicle ADAS features and / or vehicle proximity sensors based on the determined interface location relative to the vehicle 102. In addition, based on the determined interface location relative to the vehicle 102, the processor 254 may determine one or more vehicle speakers, vehicle lights, or vehicle displays that may be closest to the determined interface location. The processor 254 may then use the vehicle speakers, vehicle lights, or vehicle displays that are closest to the determined interface location to provide / output one or more notifications associated with the interface operation status, vehicle movement status, etc. to the user 104. The vehicle 102 may further use the remaining vehicle speakers, vehicle lights, or vehicle displays to provide / output similar or different notifications to bystanders that may be located near the vehicle 102.

[0073] In a third exemplary aspect, the processor 254 may determine the interface location and / or orientation based on the interface information, the vehicle information associated with the vehicle movement, and the user device information, i.e., whether the interface 110 is physically attachable to the connection port or the user 104 may hold the interface 110 in the user's hand. In this case, the processor 254 may associate the interface information with the vehicle information and associate the interface information with the user device information to determine whether the interface information matches the vehicle information or the user device information. In some aspects, when the interface information matches the vehicle information associated with the vehicle movement, the processor 254 may determine that the interface location may be in the vehicle 102. On the other hand, when the interface information matches the user device information and does not match the vehicle information, the processor 254 may determine that the interface location may be outside the vehicle 102. In an exemplary aspect, when the interface information, the vehicle information associated with the vehicle movement, and the user information match each other, the processor 254 may determine that the interface location may be in the vehicle 102 and the user 104 may also be in the vehicle 102. In this case, the processor 254 may determine whether the interface 110 is connectable to a connection port or held in a user's hand based on vehicle information associated with the plurality of connection ports 250 , as described later in the following description.

[0074] In some aspects, in response to determining that the interface location may be outside the vehicle 102 based on the association of the interface information, the vehicle information, and the user device information, the processor 254 may use the above-described mapping to determine a second maximum allowable / permissible vehicle speed and / or a second maximum allowable vehicle steering wheel rotation angle and / or a second maximum allowable / permissible distance that the vehicle 102 may travel based on the determined interface location outside the vehicle 102. The processor 254 may then control the vehicle speed, vehicle steering wheel rotation, and / or vehicle travel distance based on the command signal obtained from the transceiver 208 / interface 110 and the determined second maximum allowable vehicle speed, second maximum allowable vehicle steering wheel rotation angle, and / or second maximum allowable distance as described above.

[0075] In other aspects, the processor 254 may also use the interface information and / or the vehicle information associated with the vehicle movement and / or the user device information to determine whether to disable the external interface movement mode, reduce the vehicle speed, or stop the vehicle movement. For example, when the processor 254 determines that the vehicle 102 may be traveling on steep terrain (which is determined based on the vehicle information associated with the vehicle movement) (e.g., when the terrain slope angle / gradient may be greater than a predefined threshold), the processor 254 may disable the external interface movement mode. As another example, when the vehicle 102 may be traveling on rough terrain (which is determined based on the vehicle information associated with the vehicle movement), the processor 254 may reduce the vehicle speed. As yet another example, when the user device information indicates a sudden change in orientation (indicating that the user 104 may have fallen or slipped or touched the vehicle 102 or any other obstacle), the processor 254 may stop the vehicle movement. As yet another example, when the processor 254 determines that the user 104 may be holding the interface 110 in the user's hand (which is determined based on user device information, vehicle information, interface information, and / or images obtained from an external vehicle camera), the processor 254 may reduce the maximum allowable vehicle speed and / or vehicle steering wheel rotation.

[0076] In a fourth exemplary aspect, the processor 254 can determine the interface location and / or orientation relative to the vehicle 102 based on the vehicle information associated with the plurality of connection ports 250, i.e., whether the interface 110 can be physically attached to a connection port from the plurality of connection ports 250 disposed in the vehicle 102. In some aspects, the plurality of connection ports 250 can be disposed at a plurality of locations in an exterior surface of the vehicle. For example, Figure 3 As shown, the first connection port 250a can be disposed on the left side of the vehicle, the second connection port 250b can be disposed on the right side of the vehicle, and the third connection port 250c can be disposed on the rear side of the vehicle. The first connection port 250a, the second connection port 250b and the third connection port 250c are collectively referred to as a plurality of connection ports 250 in the present disclosure.

[0077] In some aspects, each connection port from the plurality of connection ports 250 may include one or more pins in a unique orientation / arrangement. The pins may be disposed at a bottom surface or a side surface of each connection port. For example, Figure 4As shown in view 402 of FIG. 4 , the bottom surface of the first connection port 250a may include a first pin 404 (at a center port location) and a second pin 406 that may be disposed toward the left side of the first pin 404. Similarly, as shown in view 402, the bottom surface of the second connection port 250b may include a first pin 404 and a third pin 408 that may be disposed toward the right side of the first pin 404. Additionally, as shown in view 402, the bottom surface of the third connection port 250c may include a first pin 404 and a fourth pin 410 that may be disposed toward the rear side of the first pin 404. The pin locations in the respective connection ports may indicate the connection port locations in the vehicle 102 and the relative orientation of the connection ports relative to the front portion of the vehicle.

[0078] In an exemplary aspect, interface 110 may be configured to communicate with the user via Figure 3 The elongated connector 302 shown in FIG. 1 is removably attached to a connection port from the plurality of connection ports 250. The elongated connector 302 may include a top portion 304 and a bottom portion 306. The interface 110 may be electromechanically attached or coupled to the top portion 304, and the bottom portion 306 may be configured to be inserted into the plurality of connection ports 250. Figure 3 The elongated connector shapes depicted in FIG. 5 are exemplary in nature and are shown for illustrative purposes only. Figure 3 The elongated connector shape depicted in should not be construed as limiting. The elongated connector 302 may have any other shape without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, in some aspects, the elongated connector 302 may be replaced by or may additionally include one or more of a clamp, a suction cup, a magnet, a mounting panel, etc.

[0079] In some aspects, the bottom surface or side surface of the bottom portion 306 may include one or more connector pins that may be configured to couple with the first pin 404, the second pin 406, the third pin 408, and the fourth pin 410 described above. Figure 4As shown, the bottom surface of the bottom portion 306 may include a first connector pin 412a, a second connector pin 412b, a third connector pin 412c, a fourth connector pin 412d, and a fifth connector pin 412e (collectively referred to as connector pins 412). The position of the connector pins 412 in the bottom portion 306 may correspond to all possible pin positions associated with the pins 404, 406, 408, and 410 in the plurality of connection ports 250. When the interface 110 can be inserted into a connection port from the plurality of connection ports 250 via the elongated connector 302, one or more connector pins 412 can engage with the corresponding pins 404, 406, 408, or 410 in the connection port, thereby generating a connection signal. The connection signal generated by the pins 404, 406, 408, or 410 or the connector pins can be used by the processor 254 to determine the interface position in the vehicle 102. Specifically, by using the connection signal, the processor 254 can determine the connection port to which the interface 110 can be attached, thereby determining the interface position and / or orientation relative to the vehicle 102.

[0080] In some aspects, when connector pins 412 may be disposed at the bottom surface of bottom portion 306, connector pins 412 may be disposed at a position (e.g., an elevated position) that may prevent water or snow from collecting at the bottom surface. In other aspects, when connector pins 412 may be disposed at the side surface of bottom portion 306, connector pins 412 may be spring-loaded so that connector pins 412 may retract when elongated connector 302 may be inserted into the connector port and snap when a connection between elongated connector 302 and the connection port may be established.

[0081] In an exemplary aspect, when the interface 110 can be plugged into the first connection port 250a, the vehicle sensor unit 248 (and / or the processor 254 directly) can receive a first connection signal from the pins 404, 406 when the connector pins 412a, 412b are engaged with the pins 404, 406. The first connection signal can indicate a unique orientation of the pins 404, 406 in the first connection port 250a. In response to receiving the first connection signal from the pins 404, 406, the vehicle sensor unit 248 can transmit the first connection signal to the processor 254 as part of the vehicle information associated with the plurality of connection ports 250.

[0082] The processor 254 may obtain the first connection signal from the vehicle sensor unit 248 or directly from the pins 404, 406, and may determine based on the first connection signal that the interface location may be in the vehicle 102 and that the interface 110 may be attached to the first connection port 250a. In response to such a determination, the processor 254 may use the above-mentioned mapping to determine the third maximum permissible / allowable vehicle speed and / or the third maximum permissible vehicle steering wheel rotation angle and / or the third maximum permissible / allowable distance that the vehicle 102 may travel based on the determined interface location. The processor 254 may then control the vehicle speed, vehicle steering wheel rotation, and / or vehicle travel distance based on the command signal obtained from the transceiver 208 / interface 110 and the third maximum permissible vehicle speed, the third maximum permissible vehicle steering wheel rotation angle, and / or the third maximum permissible distance determined as described above.

[0083] In some aspects, the pins 404, 406, 408, and 410 associated with the plurality of connection ports 250 may be passive pins, which may mean that the pins 404, 406, 408, or 410 may be used only to determine the connection status with the corresponding connector pins 412. In other aspects, the pins 404, 406, 408, and 410 may be active pins, which may mean that the pins 404, 406, 408, and 410 may additionally be used to transmit command signals from the interface 110 to the vehicle 102 (and / or transmit data / signals from the vehicle 102 to the interface 110).

[0084] When pins 404, 406, 408, and 410 may be passive pins, each connector pin 412 may be set to a digital "high" level (or level "1"), and pins 404, 406, 408, and 410 may be connected to ground (or set to a "0" level). When the elongated connector 302 may be inserted into the connection port, the corresponding connector pins connected to any two of the pins 404, 406, 408, and 410 may become a digital "low" level (because the pins 404, 406, 408, and 410 are connected to ground). In this case, the vehicle sensor unit 248 or the interface sensor unit 214 may poll each connector pin 412 to determine the connector pin that can be turned / pulled to a digital "low" level, thereby determining the connection status between the connection port and the elongated connector 302 and thus the interface position in the vehicle 102.

[0085] On the other hand, when pins 404, 406, 408, and 410 can be active pins, each connector pin 412 and pin 404 can first be set to a digital "high" level, and pin 406 can be connected to ground (associated with the first connection port 250a, used as an example). In this case, when the first connection port 250a can be connected to the elongated connector 302, only connector pin 412b can be turned / pulled to a digital "low" level (because the corresponding pin 406 is connected to the ground). The vehicle sensor unit 248 or the interface sensor unit 214 can read the digital low level of connector pin 412b to determine that connector pin 412b can be connected to pin 406. Thereafter, the remaining connector pins can be turned / pulled to a digital low level. In this case, only connector pin 412a can be turned to a digital high level because it can be connected to pin 404 that is set to be at a digital "high" level. The vehicle sensor unit 248 or the interface sensor unit 214 may then read the digital high level of the connector pin 412a to determine that the connector pin 412a may be connected to the pin 404. In response to determining the connection status of the connector pins 412a, 412b and the pins 404, 406, the processor 254 may configure these pins to pass signals between the interface 110 and the vehicle 102 (e.g., command signals associated with user input on the interface 110), as described above.

[0086] In an alternative aspect, instead of having pins 404-410, each connection port from the plurality of connection ports 250 may include a unique near field communication (NFC) tag, and the elongated connector 302 may include an NFC reader. In this case, when the elongated connector 302 may be attached to the second connection port 250b (used as an example), the vehicle sensor unit 248 (and / or the processor 254) may receive a second connection signal from the NFC reader (corresponding to the NFC tag). The second connection signal may indicate a unique NFC tag associated with the second connection port 250b. In response to receiving the second connection signal, the vehicle sensor unit 248 may transmit the second connection signal to the processor 254 as part of the vehicle information associated with the plurality of connection ports 250.

[0087] Processor 254 may obtain the second connection signal from vehicle sensor unit 248 or directly from the NFC reader. In response to receiving the second connection signal, processor 254 may determine based on the second connection signal that the interface location may be in vehicle 102 and interface 110 may be attached to second connection port 250b.

[0088] In yet another aspect, each connection port from the plurality of connection ports 250 can include one or more conductors having a unique pattern (or disposed in a unique arrangement) on a sidewall of the connection port, such as Figure 5 For example, Figure 5 As shown, the second connection port 250b may include five slots or stripes 502a, 502b, 502c, 502d, 502e on the side wall, and two conductors 504 and 506 may be present in two of the five slots 502a-502e. In addition, in this respect, the side wall of the bottom portion 306 may include five electrodes (e.g., sensing electrodes or capacitive electrodes) strips arranged similarly to the slots 502a-502e. In this case, when the lengthwise connector 302 can be inserted into / attached to the second connection port 250b, the vehicle sensor unit 248 (and / or the processor 254) can receive a second connection signal from the conductors 504, 506, which are connected to the corresponding electrodes associated with the lengthwise connector 302. The processor 254 can then use the second connection signal to determine that the interface 110 can be attached to the second connection port 250b, as described above.

[0089] Figure 6 A flow chart of an example method 600 for causing and controlling vehicle movement according to the present disclosure is depicted. Figure 6 The following process is exemplary and is not limited to the steps described below. Furthermore, alternative embodiments may include more or fewer steps than shown or described herein, and may include the steps in an order different from the order described in the following exemplary embodiments.

[0090] The method 600 starts at step 602. At step 604, the method 600 may include determining, by the processor 254, that a triggering event has occurred. At step 606, the method 600 may include obtaining, by the processor 254, interface information from the interface sensor unit 215 and / or vehicle information from the vehicle sensor unit 248 in response to determining that the triggering event has occurred.

[0091] At step 608, the method 600 may include: determining, by the processor 254, the interface position relative to the vehicle 102 based on the interface information and / or the vehicle information, as described above in conjunction with Figure 2 At step 610 , the method 600 may include: controlling, by the processor 254 , the vehicle speed and / or the vehicle steering wheel rotation based on the determined interface position.

[0092] Method 600 may end at step 612 .

[0093] In the above disclosure, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings that form a part of the above disclosure, which illustrate specific embodiments in which the present disclosure can be practiced. It should be understood that other implementations may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. References to "one embodiment," "embodiment," "example embodiment," etc. in this specification indicate that the described embodiment may include specific features, structures, or characteristics, but each embodiment may not necessarily include the specific features, structures, or characteristics. In addition, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, when features, structures, or characteristics are described in conjunction with an embodiment, whether or not explicitly described, those skilled in the art will recognize such features, structures, or characteristics in conjunction with other embodiments.

[0094] In addition, where appropriate, the functions described herein may be performed in one or more of: hardware, software, firmware, digital components, or analog components. For example, one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) may be programmed to perform one or more of the systems and programs described herein. Certain terms are used throughout the specification and claims to refer to specific system components. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, components may be referred to by different names. This document is not intended to distinguish between components that have different names but the same function.

[0095] It should also be understood that the word "example" as used herein is intended to be non-exclusive and non-limiting in nature. More specifically, the word "example" as used herein indicates one of several examples, and it should be understood that no undue emphasis or preference is placed on the specific example described.

[0096] Computer-readable media (also referred to as processor-readable media) include any non-transitory (e.g., tangible) media that participate in providing data (e.g., instructions) that can be read by a computer (e.g., by a processor of a computer). Such media may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. A computing device may include computer-executable instructions, where the instructions may be executable by one or more computing devices (such as those listed above) and stored on a computer-readable medium.

[0097] With respect to the processes, systems, methods, heuristics, etc. described herein, it should be understood that although the steps of such processes, etc. have been described as occurring according to a certain ordered sequence, such processes may be practiced by performing the described steps in an order different from that described herein. It should also be understood that certain steps may be performed simultaneously, other steps may be added, or certain steps described herein may be omitted. In other words, the descriptions of the processes herein are provided for the purpose of illustrating various embodiments and should in no way be construed as limiting the claims.

[0098] Therefore, it should be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Upon reading the above description, many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided will be apparent. The scope should not be determined with reference to the above description, but should be determined with reference to the entire scope of the appended claims and equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated and expected that the technology discussed herein will develop in the future, and the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In short, it should be understood that the present application is capable of modification and change.

[0099] Unless explicitly indicated to the contrary in this article, all terms used in the claims are intended to be given their ordinary meanings as understood by the skilled person described herein. Specifically, unless the claims state an explicit limitation to the contrary, the use of singular articles such as "one", "the", "said" and the like should be interpreted as describing one or more of the indicated elements. Unless otherwise specifically stated or understood in other ways within the context when used, conditional language such as, in particular, "can", "may", "can" or "may" is generally intended to express that certain embodiments may include certain features, elements and / or steps, while other embodiments may not include certain features, elements and / or steps. Therefore, such conditional language is generally not intended to imply that one or more embodiments require each feature, element and / or step in any way.

[0100] According to an embodiment, the vehicle sensor unit includes at least one of a vehicle accelerometer, a vehicle gyroscope, and a vehicle magnetometer.

[0101] According to an embodiment, the processor is further configured to: determine one or more vehicle speakers, vehicle lights, or vehicle displays closest to the interface location; and output one or more notifications via the vehicle speakers, vehicle lights, or vehicle displays.

[0102] According to the present invention, a method for controlling vehicle speed and vehicle steering wheel rotation includes: determining, by a processor, that a trigger event has occurred; obtaining, by the processor in response to determining that the trigger event has occurred, interface information from an interface sensor unit associated with an external interface and / or vehicle information associated with vehicle movement and at least one of a plurality of connection ports from a vehicle sensor unit, wherein the external interface is configured to be removably attached to a plurality of connection ports provided on the vehicle, and wherein the interface information is associated with external interface movement; determining, by the processor, a position of the interface relative to the vehicle based on the interface information and the at least one of the vehicle information; and controlling, by the processor, at least one of the vehicle speed and the vehicle steering wheel rotation based on the interface position.

[0103] In one aspect of the invention, the interface sensor unit comprises at least one of an interface accelerometer, an interface gyroscope and an interface magnetometer.

[0104] According to the present invention, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon is provided, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: determine that a trigger event has occurred; obtain interface information from an interface sensor unit associated with an external interface and / or obtain vehicle information associated with vehicle movement and at least one of a plurality of connection ports from a vehicle sensor unit in response to determining that the trigger event has occurred, wherein the external interface is configured to be removably attached to a plurality of connection ports provided on the vehicle, and wherein the interface information is associated with external interface movement; determine a position of the interface relative to the vehicle based on the interface information and the at least one of the vehicle information; and control at least one of a vehicle speed and a vehicle steering wheel rotation based on the interface position.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising: a transceiver configured to receive interface information from an interface sensor unit associated with an external interface, wherein the external interface is configured to be removably attached to a plurality of connection ports provided on the vehicle, and wherein the interface information is associated with external interface movement; a vehicle sensor unit configured to determine vehicle information associated with at least one of vehicle movement and the plurality of connection ports; a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the vehicle sensor unit, wherein the processor is configured to: Determine that the triggering event has occurred; obtaining at least one of the interface information and the vehicle information in response to determining that the triggering event has occurred; determining an interface location relative to the vehicle based on the at least one of the interface information and the vehicle information; and At least one of vehicle speed and vehicle steering wheel rotation is controlled based on the interface position.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: determining a maximum allowable distance that the vehicle is configured to move based on the interface position; and The vehicle is enabled to move to the maximum allowable distance.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: associating the interface information with the vehicle information associated with movement of the vehicle; determining a location of the interface in the vehicle based on associating the interface information with the vehicle information associated with movement of the vehicle; determining at least one of a first maximum allowable vehicle speed and a first maximum allowable vehicle steering wheel rotation angle in response to determining that the interface location is in the vehicle; and The at least one of the vehicle speed and the vehicle steering wheel rotation is controlled based on the first maximum allowable vehicle speed and the first maximum allowable vehicle steering wheel rotation angle. 4 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive user device information from a user device associated with a user, and wherein the processor is further configured to determine the interface location based on the user device information.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to: associating the user device information, the interface information, and the vehicle information associated with movement of the vehicle; determining that the interface location is external to the vehicle based on associating the user device information, the interface information, and the vehicle information associated with movement of the vehicle; determining at least one of a second maximum allowable vehicle speed and a second maximum allowable vehicle steering wheel rotation angle in response to determining that the interface location is external to the vehicle; and The at least one of the vehicle speed and the vehicle steering wheel rotation is controlled based on the second maximum allowable vehicle speed and the second maximum allowable vehicle steering wheel rotation angle.

6. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to authenticate the user, and wherein when the user is authenticated, the processor determines that the triggering event has occurred.

7. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to: determine a user location, wherein the processor determines that the triggering event has occurred when the user location is within a predefined distance from the vehicle.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to authenticate the external interface, and wherein the processor determines that the triggering event has occurred when the external interface is authenticated.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of connection ports includes one or more pins disposed in a unique orientation.

10. A vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein the vehicle sensor unit is configured to receive a first connection signal from one or more first pins associated with a first connection port when the external interface is attached to the first connection port from the plurality of connection ports, wherein the first connection signal indicates the unique orientation associated with the one or more first pins, and wherein the vehicle information associated with the plurality of connection ports includes the first connection signal.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to: obtaining the first connection signal from the vehicle sensor unit; determining, based on the first connection signal, that the interface location is in the vehicle and that the external interface is attached to the first connection port; determining at least one of a third maximum allowable vehicle speed and a third maximum allowable vehicle steering wheel rotation angle in response to determining that the interface location is in the vehicle and the external interface is attached to the first connection port; and The at least one of the vehicle speed and the vehicle steering wheel rotation is controlled based on the third maximum allowable vehicle speed and the third maximum allowable vehicle steering wheel rotation angle.

12. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of connection ports comprises at least one of a near field communication (NFC) tag and one or more conductors having a unique pattern.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the vehicle sensor unit is configured to receive a second connection signal from at least one of a second NFC tag and one or more second conductors associated with a second connection port when the external interface is attached to the second connection port from the plurality of connection ports, wherein the vehicle information associated with the plurality of connection ports includes the second connection signal, and wherein the processor is further configured to determine, based on the second connection signal, that the interface is located in the vehicle and that the external interface is attached to the second connection port.

14. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive a command signal from the external interface, wherein the command signal is associated with a user input received on the external interface, and wherein the processor is further configured to: control at least one of the vehicle speed and the vehicle steering wheel rotation based on the command signal.

15. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the interface sensor unit comprises at least one of an interface accelerometer, an interface gyroscope, and an interface magnetometer.

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