System and method for evaluating vehicle wireless communication technology status

Abstract

A computer-implemented method, when executed by data processing hardware, causes the data processing hardware to perform operations including: detecting one or more alarm events; evaluating an effect of the one or more alert events on a wireless communication technology of the vehicle; estimating a state of the wireless communication technology; evaluating resource management using digital keys; and providing the matrix of wireless communication technologies to the mobile device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for evaluating the state of wireless communication technologies, and more particularly, to systems and methods for evaluating the state of wireless communication technologies for accessing a vehicle using a digital key. Background Art

[0002] The information provided in this section is for the purpose of presenting the background of the present disclosure in general. To the extent described in this section, the work of the presently named inventors, as well as aspects that may not qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor implicitly admitted as prior art with respect to the present disclosure.

[0003] Some vehicles are equipped with systems for accessing the vehicle using a digital key. For example, the digital key may be arranged in an NFC key card or stored in the digital wallet of a smartphone. Typically, a user may attempt to use the digital key via a mobile device to access the vehicle and may face many problems due to damage or interruption of wireless communication technologies unknown to the user or the mobile device. Accordingly, the disadvantages of prior solutions are solved by the principles of the present disclosure. Summary of the Invention

[0004] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer-implemented method that, when executed by data processing hardware, causes the data processing hardware to perform operations. These operations include: detecting one or more alert events; evaluating the impact of one or more alert events on the wireless communication technology of a vehicle; estimating the state of the wireless communication technology; evaluating resource management for using the digital key; and providing a priority matrix of the wireless communication technology to a mobile device.

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure may include one or more of the following optional features. In some examples, the wireless communication technology may include a cellular module, a wireless internet module, a wireless low energy module, an ultra-wideband module, and a near field communication module. Estimating the state of the wireless communication technology may further include performing a dynamic impact assessment of the wireless communication technology. Estimating the state of the wireless communication technology may further include performing a pre-intel based assessment of the wireless communication technology. Estimating the state of the wireless communication technology may further include performing a repair assessment of the wireless communication technology. Estimating the state of the wireless communication technology may further include performing a replacement assessment of the wireless communication technology. Estimating the state of the wireless communication technology may further include performing a compliance assessment of the wireless communication technology.

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a system that includes data processing hardware and memory hardware communicatively coupled to the data processing hardware. The memory hardware stores instructions that, when executed on the data processing hardware, cause the data processing hardware to perform operations. These operations include: detecting one or more alert events; evaluating the impact of one or more alert events on the vehicle's wireless communication technology; estimating the state of the wireless communication technology; evaluating resource management using a digital key; and providing a priority matrix of the wireless communication technology to a mobile device.

[0007] Embodiments of this aspect of the present disclosure may include one or more of the following features. In some examples, the wireless communication technology may include a cellular module, a wireless internet module, a wireless low energy module, an ultra-wideband module, and a near field communication module. Estimating the state of the wireless communication technology may further include performing a dynamic impact assessment of the wireless communication technology. Estimating the state of the wireless communication technology may further include performing a pre-Intel-based assessment of the wireless communication technology. Estimating the state of the wireless communication technology may further include performing a repair assessment of the wireless communication technology. Estimating the state of the wireless communication technology may further include performing a replacement assessment of the wireless communication technology. Estimating the state of the wireless communication technology may further include performing a compliance assessment of the wireless communication technology.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a vehicle management system. The vehicle management system includes a communication system that includes wireless communication technology. The wireless communication technology includes a central processing unit communicatively coupled to a cellular module, a wireless internet module, a wireless low energy module, an ultra-wideband module, and a near field communication module. The communication system further includes data processing hardware and memory hardware communicatively coupled to the data processing hardware. The memory hardware stores instructions that, when executed on the data processing hardware, cause the data processing hardware to perform operations. These operations include: detecting one or more alert events; evaluating the impact of one or more alert events on the vehicle's wireless communication technology; estimating the state of the wireless communication technology; evaluating resource management using a digital key; and providing a priority matrix of the wireless communication technology to a mobile device.

[0009] Embodiments of this aspect of the present disclosure may include one or more of the following features. For example, estimating the state of the wireless communication technology may further include performing a dynamic impact assessment of the wireless communication technology. Estimating the state of the wireless communication technology may further include performing a pre-Intel-based assessment of the wireless communication technology. Estimating the state of the wireless communication technology may further include performing a repair assessment of the wireless communication technology. Estimating the state of the wireless communication technology may further include performing a replacement assessment of the wireless communication technology. Estimating the state of the wireless communication technology may further include performing a compliance assessment of the wireless communication technology. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The accompanying drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected configurations and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle environment including a vehicle, a mobile device, and a network in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure;

[0012] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a top view of the vehicle of;

[0013] Figure 3 is Figure 1 a schematic diagram of the vehicle management system of the vehicle of;

[0014] Figure 4 is Figure 1 a schematic diagram of the connectivity spectrum around the vehicle of;

[0015] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing Figure 3 the operation of the vehicle management system of;

[0016] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing a method for evaluating near-field communication wireless communication technology; and

[0017] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing a method for evaluating cellular wireless communication technology, wireless Internet communication technology, wireless low-energy communication technology, and / or ultra-wideband communication technology.

[0018] In all the drawings, corresponding reference numerals represent corresponding parts. Detailed Description

[0019] Example configurations will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example configurations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those of ordinary skill in the art. Specific details, such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the configurations of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the example configurations may be implemented in many different forms and that specific details and example configurations should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

[0020] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary configurations only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may also be intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and “containing” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein should not be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. Additional or alternative steps may be employed.

[0021] When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” “attached to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it can be directly on, engaged, connected, attached, or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” “directly attached to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, intervening elements or layers may not be present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like manner (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0022] The terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections. These elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or section from another. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms do not imply an order or sequence unless the context clearly dictates. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, or section discussed below may be referred to as a second element, component, region, layer, or section without departing from the teachings of the exemplary configuration.

[0023] In this application, including the definitions below, the term module may be replaced with the term circuit. The term “module” may refer to, or include as part of, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC); digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital discrete circuits; digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital integrated circuits; combinational logic circuits; field programmable gate arrays (FPGA); processors (shared, dedicated, or group) that execute code; memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by the processor; other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality; or some or all of the above combinations, such as in a system-on-chip.

[0024] The term codes used above can include software, firmware, and / or microcode, and can refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, and / or objects. The term shared processor includes a single processor that executes some or all of the codes from multiple modules. The term grouped processor includes a processor that, in combination with an additional processor, executes some or all of the codes from one or more modules. The term shared memory includes a single memory that stores some or all of the codes from multiple modules. The term grouped memory includes a memory that, in combination with additional memory, stores some or all of the codes from one or more modules. The term memory can be a subset of the term computer-readable medium. The term computer-readable medium does not include transient electrical signals and electromagnetic signals propagated through the medium, and thus can be considered tangible non-transitory memory. Non-limiting examples of non-transitory memory include tangible computer-readable media, including non-volatile memory, magnetic memory, and optical memory.

[0025] The devices and methods described in this application can be implemented in part or in whole by one or more computer programs executed by one or more processors. The computer programs include processor-executable instructions stored on at least one non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium. The computer programs can also include and / or rely on stored data.

[0026] A software application (i.e., software resource) can refer to computer software that causes a computing device to perform tasks. In some examples, a software application can be referred to as an "application program", "app", or "program". Example applications include, but are not limited to, system diagnostic applications, system management applications, system maintenance applications, word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, messaging applications, media streaming applications, social networking applications, and gaming applications.

[0027] Non-transitory memory can be a physical device for temporarily or permanently storing programs (e.g., sequences of instructions) or data (e.g., program state information) for use by a computing device. Non-transitory memory can be volatile and / or non-volatile addressable semiconductor memory. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, flash memory and read-only memory (ROM) / programmable read-only memory (PROM) / erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) / electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) (e.g., typically used for firmware, such as a boot program). Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), phase change memory (PCM), and magnetic disks or tapes.

[0028] These computer programs (also referred to as programs, software, software applications, or code) include machine instructions for a programmable processor and can be implemented in high-level procedural and / or object-oriented programming languages and / or assembly / machine languages. As used herein, the terms "machine-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" refer to any computer program product, non-transitory computer-readable medium, apparatus, and / or device (e.g., a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a memory, a programmable logic device (PLD)) that provides machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal. The term "machine-readable signal" refers to any signal that provides machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor.

[0029] The various implementations of the systems and techniques described herein can be implemented in digital electronic and / or optical circuits, integrated circuits, specially designed ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These different implementations can include implementations in one or more computer programs executable and / or interpretable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, at least one input device, and at least one output device, the programmable processor being either special-purpose or general-purpose and coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to send data and instructions to, a storage system.

[0030] The processes and logical flows described in this specification can be performed by one or more programmable processors, also known as data processing hardware, executing one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. These processes and logical flows can also be performed by special purpose logic circuitry, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). By way of example, processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. In general, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. In general, a computer will also include or be operatively coupled to one or more mass storage devices for storing data, such as magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks, to receive data from or transfer data to the mass storage device, or both. However, a computer need not have such devices. Computer-readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media and storage devices, including by way of example semiconductor storage devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

[0031] For providing interaction with a user, one or more aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented on a computer having a display device for displaying information to the user, such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) monitor, or a touch screen, and optionally a keyboard and a pointing device, such as a mouse or a trackball, by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other types of devices can also be used to provide interaction with the user; for example, the feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, such as visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user can be received in any form, including sound, voice, or tactile input. Additionally, the computer can interact with the user by sending documents to and receiving documents from the device used by the user; for example, by sending a web page to a web browser on the user's client device in response to a request received from the web browser.

[0032] Reference Figure 1, an example vehicle operating environment 10 is provided to illustrate the principles of the present disclosure. The vehicle operating environment 10 includes a vehicle 100 and a vehicle monitoring center 20. For the purposes of the present disclosure, the vehicle 100 can include, for example, any one of an automobile, an airplane, a drone, an electric bicycle, a moped, or other vehicles that can be accessed with a digital key. For illustrative purposes, the vehicle operating environment 10 is shown as including a single vehicle monitoring center 20. However, in other examples, the vehicle operating environment 10 can include multiple vehicle monitoring centers 20 that communicate with the vehicle 100 via a network 30 (such as the Internet, a cellular network). The vehicle monitoring center 20 can include a remote facility or system that receives and monitors diagnostic data and sensor data from the host vehicle 100 to determine one or more vehicle operating conditions. The vehicle operating environment 10 can also include a mobile device 40 that is configured to communicate with the vehicle 100, for example, directly and / or via the network 30.

[0033] Reference Figure 2 , the vehicle 100 is shown as including a body 102 that has an interior 104 (i.e., a passenger cabin) and an exterior 106. The body 102 can include a first or front end 108 and a second or rear end 110 that is longitudinally spaced apart from the front end 108 with respect to a longitudinal axis 112. The vehicle 100 can also include a first or left side 114 and a second or right side 116 that is laterally spaced apart from the left side 114 with respect to a lateral axis 118. The vehicle 100 can have one or more closures 120 (i.e., doors, tailgates, etc.) and body features such as a front bumper 122 and a rear bumper 124. The front and rear bumpers 122, 124 and other body features can be made of plastic or another material that does not interfere with the reception and / or transmission of wireless signals across the entire spectrum.

[0034] Reference Figure 3, Vehicle 100 may be equipped with a vehicle management system 200 (e.g., a telematics unit) including a network connection interface 202. In this example, the network connection interface 202 is communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system 200. Some examples of the network connection interface 202 may include a twisted pair / fiber optic Ethernet switch, an internal / external parallel communication bus, a local area network (LAN) interface, a controller area network (CAN), a media oriented system transport (MOST), a local interconnect network (LIN) interface, etc. Other communication interfaces may also include interfaces compliant with ISO, SAE, and IEEE standards and specifications. The network connection interface 202 enables components of the vehicle management system 200 to send and receive signals to and from each other and various systems and subsystems within the vehicle body 102 or “resident” to the vehicle body 102 as well as outside or “remote” from the vehicle body 102. This allows the vehicle 100 to perform various vehicle functions, such as communicating with a mobile device 40 via peer-to-peer communication or via a network 30 (i.e., over cellular or wireless Internet). The vehicle management system 200 may receive data and / or transmit data to and from one or more electronic control units (ECUs) such as a digital key ECU 204 and a sensor interface module 206. The vehicle management system 200 may also communicate with additional ECUs, such as an engine control module (ECM), a powertrain control module (PCM), a transmission control module, a brake system control module (BSCM), a climate control module (CCM), etc. The digital key ECU 204 may be configured such that a user or owner of the vehicle 100 may access (i.e., lock, unlock, etc.) the vehicle 100 through a mobile application (e.g., a vehicle original equipment manufacturer application or applet 42) of the mobile device 40 (which will be discussed in more detail below with respect to the mobile device 40). Additionally, the digital key ECU 204 may be configured with a security element 205 (e.g., an NCJ38A automotive security element), which provides storage and provision of credentials in the vehicle 100. For example, as Figure 3 shown, the security element 205 may be communicatively coupled to the digital key ECU 204 through the network connection interface 202.

[0035] Continuing to refer to Figure 3 , the vehicle management system 200 may include a communication system 208 (e.g., an in-vehicle computing device), which provides several functions either alone or through its communication with other networked devices. For example, the communication system 208 may communicate with a remote or non-vehicle cloud computing system 50 via the network 30 ( Figure 1) or wirelessly communicate with the mobile device 40 (e.g., via a cellular tower, base station, and / or mobile switching center (MSC), etc.). The communication system 208 generally consists of data processing hardware 210, and each data processing hardware can be implemented as a discrete microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a dedicated control module. The vehicle 100 can provide centralized vehicle control via a central processing unit (CPU) 212, and the central processing unit 212 is operatively coupled to memory hardware 214, and each memory hardware can take the form of a CD-ROM, disk, IC device, semiconductor memory (e.g., various types of RAM or ROM), etc. The vehicle 100 can include wireless communication technology 209, which includes remote vehicle communication capabilities and short-range vehicle communication capabilities. The remote vehicle communication capabilities with remote non-vehicle networking devices can be provided by one or more or all of a cellular chipset or module 216, a navigation and positioning chipset or module 218 (e.g., Global Positioning System (GPS)), or a wireless Internet chipset or module 220. The short-range wireless connection can be provided via a short-range wireless communication device, such as a wireless low-energy chipset or module 222 (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)), an ultra-wideband (UWB) chipset or module 224, and a near-field communication (NFC) chipset or module 226 and / or a dual antenna 228.

[0036] Reference Figure 4 , various communication chipsets or modules arranged in the communication system 208 can provide a connectivity spectrum 230 around the vehicle 100. For example, the NFC module 226 can provide short-range communication capabilities with devices (e.g., the mobile device 40) within a first distance 232 of the vehicle 100 (e.g., about 5 inches or less). The UWB module 224 can provide short-range communication capabilities with devices (e.g., the mobile device 40) within a second distance 234 of the vehicle 100 (e.g., about 30 meters). The wireless low-energy module 222 can provide short-range communication capabilities with devices (e.g., the mobile device 40) within a third distance 236 of the vehicle 100 (e.g., about 75 meters). The wireless Internet module 220 can provide remote communication capabilities with devices (e.g., the mobile device 40) within a fourth distance 238 of the vehicle 100 (e.g., about 200 meters) via the network 30. The cellular chipset 216 can provide remote communication capabilities with devices (e.g., the mobile device 40) within a fifth distance 240 of the vehicle 100 (e.g., about 600 meters) via the network 30.

[0037] The CPU 212 can receive data from one or more sensing devices of the sensor system 242, which is configured for cellular communication, wireless Internet communication, low-energy wireless communication, ultra-wideband communication, and / or near-field communication, or for other communication with the network 30 and / or the mobile device 40. According to the present disclosure, the vehicle 100 can be equipped with one or more sensors for each wireless communication technology 209. The one or more sensors can be arranged on or within the vehicle 100 and configured to receive wireless communication signals such as cellular communication, wireless Internet communication, low-energy wireless communication, ultra-wideband communication, and / or near-field communication. In this example, each wireless communication technology 209 can include four sensors arranged at the corners of the vehicle 100 (i.e., the left front, right front, left rear, and right rear). For example, the left front and right front cellular sensors 244a, 244b can be arranged on the left and right portions of the front bumper 122, and the left rear and right rear cellular sensors 244c, 244d can be arranged on the left and right portions of the rear bumper 124. The left front and right front wireless Internet sensors 246a, 246b can be arranged on the left and right portions of the front bumper 122, and the left rear and right rear wireless Internet sensors 246c, 246d can be arranged on the left and right portions of the rear bumper 124. The left front low-energy sensors 248a and the right front low-energy sensors 248b can be arranged on the left and right portions of the front bumper 122, and the left rear low-energy sensors 248c and the right rear low-energy sensors 248d can be arranged on the left and right portions of the rear bumper 124. The left front and right front UWB sensors 250a, 250b can be arranged on the left and right portions of the front bumper 122, and the left rear NFC sensors 252c and the right rear NFC sensors 252d can be arranged on the left and right portions of the rear bumper 124. The left front NFC sensors 252a and the right front NFC sensors 252b can be arranged on the left and right portions of the front bumper 122, and the left rear NFC sensors 252c and the right rear NFC sensors 252d can be arranged on the left and right portions of the rear bumper 124. In addition, the first internal sensor 254 can be arranged in a part of the interior 104 of the vehicle 100, such as in a part of the overhead canopy in the vehicle 100. The second internal sensor 256 can be arranged in a part of the interior 104 of the vehicle 100, such as in a part of the center console of the vehicle 100. It may be desirable to receive data at the CPU 212 from one or more vehicle key sensors 244-256 so that the vehicle 100 can communicate with the mobile device 40 and / or the NFC key card and provide multiple communication paths so that the user can access the vehicle 100 by using, for example, a digital key.

[0038] The mobile device 40 (e.g., a smartphone) can be configured to communicate with the wireless communication technology 209 directly or via the network 30. More specifically, it can communicate with one or more of the cellular module 216, the navigation and positioning module 218, the wireless Internet module 220, the wireless low-energy module 222, the UWB module 224, and / or the NFC module 226. The mobile device 40 can be equipped with a digital key applet 42, an NFC controller 44, and a mobile security element 46. The mobile security element 46 provides storage and provision of credentials in the mobile device 40. The digital key 48 can be stored in a digital wallet such as a wallet or a wallet-like digital wallet.

[0039] So far, the mobile device 40 would communicate with the vehicle 100 without intelligence (i.e., data) about the status of the wireless communication technology 209 necessary to access the vehicle 100 using the digital key 48. In other words, before knowing the status of the hardware or software associated with any of these technologies, the mobile device 40 would blindly attempt to use the digital key 48 to access the vehicle 100 by using transmission and wireless communication technologies such as fixed technology access schemes like received signal strength indicator, UWB ranging, and / or BLE transmission. However, there are many vehicle scenarios or events (hereinafter referred to as "alert events") that can affect the status of the wireless communication technology 209 of the vehicle 100, and multiple blind attempts (i.e., retries) usually result in a poor quality of experience for any user attempting to access the vehicle 100. For example, one or more alert events can also result in high latency and / or an inefficient proximity range. The first alert event can include a dynamic impact alert event, such as an accident, which can affect one or more of sensors, antennas, power supplies, hardware directivity, software binding, etc. The second alert event can include a pre-Intel alert event, such as an ECU over-the-air (OTA) update, which can affect time, ECU characteristics, duty cycle, etc. The third alert event can include a repair alert event where an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) part is repaired and cannot operate according to specifications or previous benchmarks. The fourth alert event can include a replacement alert event where an OEM part is replaced with a non-OEM part and does not meet the specifications of the OEM part. The fifth alert event can include a compliance alert event, such as a regulatory or warranty issue, which can affect the use of certain wireless communication technologies, e.g., depending on the region where the vehicle 100 operates. Other alert events that can affect the status of one or more aspects of the wireless communication technology 209 of the vehicle 100 are also possible.

[0040] In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, method 300 is provided and generally evaluates the state of wireless communication technology 209 (i.e., hardware and software) available at vehicle 100, prioritizes the wireless communication technology 209 based on the state and one or more constraints, and transmits the priority of the wireless communication technology 209 to mobile device 40 before activating or attempting to use digital key 48 to access vehicle 100. In practice, method 300 may be referred to as the dynamic reprioritization of wireless communication technology 209, which is desirable for retry mechanisms and for accelerating the ranging and connection process of vehicle 100 using digital key 48. Method 300 may also be applied in non-vehicle settings. For example, method 300 may also be executed for the use of digital keys in home security systems (such as door locks), computer access, locker access, and in other settings that rely on using digital keys to gain access to systems similar to vehicle 100. Method 300 will be discussed in more detail below with reference to Figure 5 Method 300 will be discussed in more detail.

[0041] At 302, method 300 begins. In fact, method 300 is initiated as long as vehicle 100 is at least in a low-power mode (such as extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) or power saving mode (PSM)). In other words, method 300 may still be executed even if vehicle 100 has been stationary for a long time and is in a low-power mode.

[0042] At 304, vehicle 100 may detect at least one of the one or more alert events described above. Alert events may generally be related to events that cause a change in the state of at least some of the wireless communication technologies 209 of vehicle 100.

[0043] At 306, one or more technology state evaluations may be used to evaluate the impact of one or more alert events on the wireless communication technology 209. Figure 6 And 7 Examples of technology state evaluation methods are provided.

[0044] Reference Figure 6 provides method 400 for evaluating the state of NFC wireless communication technology and will be discussed in more detail below.

[0045] At 402, method 400 begins. In fact, method 400 is initiated and may be executed when at least one of one or more impact events occurs.

[0046] At 404, the uptime of NFC module 226 may be evaluated. An uptime greater than zero may indicate that NFC module 226 is running and available for use. Thus, method 400 may proceed to 406. On the other hand, a zero uptime indicates that NFC module is not working properly, and method 400 may proceed to 408.

[0047] At 408, the desired task may be critical (such as an energy task, etc.), so it may be necessary to periodically evaluate the availability of NFC module 226 at 410. Once NFC module 226 is available, method 400 proceeds to 406. On the other hand, if the desired task is not critical, method 400 can proceed to 412, where data is provided to the matrix for further evaluation.

[0048] At 406, the performance of NFC module 226 can be evaluated. Some of the metrics that can be evaluated include near-field signal strength, Rayleigh distance, latency, grid alignment and size, NF beam splitting, and spatial effects. Other metrics can also be evaluated. The data obtained from this evaluation can be provided to the matrix at 412 for further evaluation, which will be discussed below.

[0049] At 414, method 400 ends.

[0050] Reference Figure 7 , method 500 for evaluating the status of cellular wireless communication technology, wireless Internet communication technology, wireless low-energy communication technology, and / or ultra-wideband communication technology is provided and will be discussed in more detail below.

[0051] At 502, method 500 starts. In fact, when at least one of one or more impact events occurs, method 500 is initiated and can be executed. Method 500 shows for evaluating a cellular communication module, but can also be similarly applied to other wireless communication technologies.

[0052] At 504, it is first determined whether the vehicle user has subscribed to a cellular service. If no subscription is found, method 500 continues to 508, where this information is provided to the matrix for further evaluation. On the other hand, if a subscription is found, the method continues to 506.

[0053] At 506, the cellular availability is determined. According to at least one aspect, this can include determining whether the service is enabled, available, and / or unavailable.

[0054] At 510, the cellular capacity can be evaluated and estimated. For example, the cellular signal strength, quality, and / or bandwidth can be determined. In addition, for example, the carrier aggregation bandwidth and multi-input multi-output (MIMO) performance can be estimated based on the antenna state and cellular measurements.

[0055] At 512, it is evaluated and determined whether the cellular capacity is sufficient. If it is not sufficient yet, method 500 continues to step 508, where the cellular unavailability is transmitted to the matrix for further evaluation. If the cellular capacity is sufficient, method 500 continues to 514.

[0056] At 514, the estimated latency (e.g., the first-hop latency) is estimated and it is determined whether it is sufficient to meet the requirements. If the latency requirement is met, the method proceeds to step 516, in which the cellular availability is transmitted to the matrix for further evaluation. If the latency requirement is not met, method 500 proceeds to step 508, in which the cellular unavailability is communicated to the matrix for further evaluation.

[0057] After step 508 or 516, method 500 ends at 518.

[0058] Returning to method 300, at 308, one or more constraint-based technology evaluations can be used to estimate the state (i.e., availability and performance) of the wireless communication technology. One or more constraint-based technology evaluations 309 can include a dynamic impact evaluation 309a, a pre-Intel-based evaluation 309b, a repair and / or replacement evaluation 309c, 309d, and / or a compliance evaluation 309e. Each of these constraint-based technology evaluations 309a - 309e can be performed individually or simultaneously for each of the sensors 244 - 252 disposed near the left front, right front, left rear, and right rear of the vehicle 100. For example, with respect to the right front sensors 244b, 246b, 248b, 250b, 252b, the dynamic impact evaluation 309a can be used to determine the impact of one or more alert events. Thus, if the vehicle 100 is in an accident (e.g., backing into a parking lot), the dynamic impact evaluation 309a can evaluate the right front sensors 244b, 246b, 248b, 250b, 252b of the wireless technology 209 and determine whether one or more of the right front sensors 244b, 246b, 248b, 250b, 252b are damaged and currently unavailable. The dynamic collision evaluation 309a can be performed on the left front sensors 244a, 246a, 248a, 250a, 252a, the left rear sensors 244c, 246c, 248c, 250c, 252c, and the right rear sensors 244d, 246d, 248d, 250d, 252d. The data collected from the dynamic impact evaluation 309a regarding the state (i.e., availability and performance) of the wireless technology 209 may help determine the best wireless communication technology 209 to use in the case where a user attempts to access the vehicle 100 using the digital key 48.

[0059] In a similar manner, the pre-Intel assessment 309b can be used to evaluate the left front sensors 244a, 246a, 248a, 250a, 252a, the right front sensors 244b, 246b, 248b, 250b, 252b, the left rear sensors 244c, 246c, 248c, 250c, 252c, and the right rear sensors 244d, 246d, 248d, 250d, 252d. For example, based on the pre-Intel assessment 309b, it can be determined whether the digital key ECU 204 is temporarily unavailable (e.g., due to an OTA update). According to at least one aspect of the present disclosure, if a user attempts to use the digital key 48 to access the vehicle 100 when the digital key ECU 204 is unavailable, another wireless communication technology can be prioritized for ranging and transmission. This may be desirable for alleviating any connectivity issues that would typically occur without such re-prioritization of the wireless communication technology 209.

[0060] The repair assessment 309c and / or the replacement assessment 309d can be used to evaluate the left front sensors 244a, 246a, 248a, 250a, 252a, the right front sensors 244b, 246b, 248b, 250b, 252b, the left rear sensors 244c, 246c, 248c, 250c, 252c, and the right rear sensors 244d, 246d, 248d, 250d, 252d. For example, the repair assessment 309c can be used to determine whether one of the sensors is mispositioned on the vehicle 100 after being repaired, or whether the performance of the repaired sensor has degraded when compared to the acceptable specifications of a fully operational sensor. In the case where a sensor of the vehicle 100 is replaced with an OEM or non-OEM part, the replacement assessment 309d can be used to determine whether the performance of the replacement sensor continues to meet the specifications of the sensor originally installed on the vehicle 100. In some cases, non-OEM replacement parts do not meet the specifications of the OEM design parts, which can affect the use of one or more features of the vehicle 100, such as using the digital key 48 to access the vehicle 100.

[0061] The compliance assessment 309e can be used to evaluate the left front sensors 244a, 246a, 248a, 250a, 252a, the right front sensors 244b, 246b, 248b, 250b, 252b, the left rear sensors 244c, 246c, 248c, 250c, 252c, and the right rear sensors 244d, 246d, 248d, 250d, 252d. The compliance assessment 309e can be performed on sensors arranged only on the left side 114 or the right side 116 of the vehicle 100. For example, the compliance assessment 309e can be used to determine whether the sensors comply with regulatory and / or warranty standards. Some countries or regions in the world have imposed requirements and / or restrictions on the use of the wireless communication technology 209, so the compliance assessment 309e can be used to determine whether the sensors of the vehicle 100 function accordingly (i.e., hardware and software).

[0062] At 310, the resource management of the wireless communication technology 209 can be evaluated. For example, other systems of the vehicle 100 (such as the battery management system and the tire pressure management system) can utilize some wireless communication technologies 209 (such as UWB). As a result of one or more alert events, one or more sensors (such as UWB sensors) may be affected, thereby degrading the function of one of the wireless communication technologies 209 (such as UWB). Therefore, due to the impact on the sensors and the use of the wireless communication technology 209 (such as UWB) by other vehicle systems, it may not be desirable to use the specific wireless communication technology 209 (such as UWB) when the user attempts to access the vehicle 100 using the digital key 48.

[0063] At 314, a priority matrix of the wireless communication technology can be generated. The above data is collected from the technical assessment and the impact-based constraint assessment, and a priority matrix considering availability, software capacity, hardware capacity, utilization, and latency is generated. An example of the solution output matrix that can be sent to the mobile device 40 is provided in Table 1 below.

[0064]

[0065] Table 1 - Solution Output Matrix

[0066] Based on the status feedback of hardware and software, low-energy wireless communication technologies (such as BLE) are the most desirable form of wireless communication technologies available on vehicle 100. Thus, according to this example, it should be used in the case where a user attempts to access the vehicle using digital key 48. As shown in the table, on the output matrix, wireless Internet is not listed as a preferred wireless communication technology. Wireless Internet may be an expensive (i.e., requires a large amount of energy) form of wireless communication technology 209, and thus it can be weighted and prioritized accordingly. On the other hand, low-energy wireless technologies (such as BLE) are low-cost (i.e., require low energy), and thus they can also be weighted and prioritized accordingly.

[0067] At 316, method 300 terminates.

[0068] Numerous implementations have been described. However, it should be understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, other implementations are also within the scope of the following claims.

[0069] The foregoing description has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure. The individual elements or features of a particular configuration are generally not limited to that particular configuration, but are interchangeable where applicable and can be used in a selected configuration. This can also vary in many ways. Such variations should not be regarded as a departure from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method that, when executed by data processing hardware, causes the data processing hardware to perform operations including the following: Detect one or more alert events; Evaluate the impact of one or more alert events on the vehicle's wireless communication technology; Estimate the state of the wireless communication technology; Evaluate the resource management using a digital key; And Provide a matrix of the wireless communication technology to a mobile device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The wireless communication technology includes a cellular module, a wireless Internet module, a wireless low-energy module, an ultra-wideband module, and a near-field communication module.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein Estimating the state of the wireless communication technology further includes performing a dynamic impact assessment on the wireless communication technology.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein Estimating the state of the wireless communication technology further includes performing a pre-Intel-based assessment on the wireless communication technology.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein Estimating the state of the wireless communication technology further includes performing a repair assessment on the wireless communication technology.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, Estimating the state of the wireless communication technology further includes performing a replacement assessment on the wireless communication technology.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, Estimating the state of the wireless communication technology further includes performing a compliance assessment on the wireless communication technology.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein Evaluating the impact of the one or more alert events on the vehicle's wireless communication technology further includes performing a technical assessment and an impact constraint-based assessment.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, Providing the matrix of the wireless communication technology to the mobile device further includes generating a priority matrix based on the results of the technical assessment and the impact constraint-based assessment.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, Generating the priority matrix includes ranking the wireless communication technology based on availability, software capacity, hardware capacity, utilization, and latency.

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