Energy efficient user tracking

Abstract

The present disclosure provides "energy efficient user tracking". A tracking approach for a mobile device is performed. In response to detecting, using a transceiver of the vehicle, that a mobile device reaches a first distance from the vehicle, a specified UWB anchor point of a plurality of UWB anchor points of the vehicle is activated to perform a time-of-flight (TOF) distance measurement between the vehicle and the mobile device. In response to the TOF distance measurements between the mobile device and the specified UWB anchor points indicating that the mobile device has reached a closer second distance from the vehicle, the plurality of UWB anchor points are activated to perform trilateration measurements between the vehicle and the mobile device to identify a location of the mobile device. Based on the location, the trilateration is continued with a subset of the UWB anchor points of the vehicle, and the remaining portions of the UWB anchor points other than the subset of the UWB anchor points are inhibited to conserve power.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to energy - saving techniques for detecting the proximity of a mobile device to a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Some vehicles can be unlocked or started with a digital key. The digital key (sometimes implemented with a smart phone (e.g., phone - as - a - key)) relies on communication between a mobile device such as a smart phone and the vehicle. When an application is launched on the mobile device and the mobile device is held at a specific position relative to the vehicle (such as next to a door handle), the vehicle unlocks the door. The digital key can communicate with the vehicle using near - field communication (NFC) and / or ultra - wideband (UWB). Summary of the Invention

[0003] In one or more illustrative examples, a method for implementing an improved tracking mode of a mobile device is performed. In response to detecting, by a transceiver of the vehicle, that the mobile device has reached a first distance from the vehicle, a designated UWB anchor among a plurality of UWB anchors of the vehicle is activated to perform a time - of - flight (TOF) distance measurement between the vehicle and the mobile device. In response to the TOF distance measurement between the mobile device and the designated UWB anchor indicating that the mobile device has reached a closer second distance from the vehicle, the plurality of UWB anchors are activated to perform trilateration between the vehicle and the mobile device to identify the position of the mobile device. Based on the position, trilateration is continued using a subset of the UWB anchors of the vehicle, and the remaining portion of the UWB anchors other than the subset of the UWB anchors is prohibited to save power. A component of the vehicle is actuated based on the result of the trilateration.

[0004] In one or more illustrative examples, a system for implementing an improved tracking method for a mobile device includes: a transceiver; a plurality of UWB anchors; and one or more computing devices. The one or more computing devices are configured to: in response to detecting, using the transceiver, that the mobile device has reached a first distance from the vehicle, activate a designated UWB anchor among the plurality of ultra-wideband (UWB) anchors to perform a time-of-flight (TOF) distance measurement between the vehicle and the mobile device; in response to the TOF distance measurement between the mobile device and the designated UWB anchor indicating that the mobile device has reached a closer second distance from the vehicle, activate the plurality of UWB anchors to perform trilateration between the vehicle and the mobile device to identify the position of the mobile device; based on the position, continue to perform trilateration using a subset of the UWB anchors of the vehicle, and prohibit the remaining portions of the UWB anchors other than the subset of the UWB anchors to save power; and actuate components of the vehicle based on the results of the trilateration.

[0005] In one or more illustrative examples, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions for implementing an improved tracking method for a mobile device, which when executed by one or more computing devices of a vehicle having a transceiver and a plurality of UWB anchors, cause the vehicle to perform the following operations, including: in response to detecting, using the transceiver, that the mobile device has reached a first distance from the vehicle, activate a designated UWB anchor among the plurality of ultra-wideband (UWB) anchors to perform a time-of-flight (TOF) distance measurement between the vehicle and the mobile device; in response to the TOF distance measurement between the mobile device and the designated UWB anchor indicating that the mobile device has reached a closer second distance from the vehicle, activate the plurality of UWB anchors to perform trilateration between the vehicle and the mobile device to identify the position of the mobile device; based on the position, continue to perform trilateration using a subset of the UWB anchors of the vehicle, and prohibit the remaining portions of the UWB anchors other than the subset of the UWB anchors to save power; and actuate components of the vehicle based on the results of the trilateration. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 An example system including a vehicle is shown, where the vehicle implements an improved tracking method to selectively power off various UWB anchors to conserve the vehicle's energy;

[0007] Figure 2 An example of the vehicle activating a designated UWB anchor in response to the position of the mobile device reaching a first distance is shown;

[0008] Figure 3An example is shown where the vehicle activates all UWB anchors in response to the position of the mobile device reaching a second distance;

[0009] Figure 4 An example is shown where the vehicle triangulates the mobile device as the user moves;

[0010] Figure 5 An example is shown where the vehicle continues to triangulate the mobile device as the user moves;

[0011] Figure 6 An example is shown where the vehicle adjusts the active UWB anchors based on continued triangulation of the mobile device;

[0012] Figure 7 An example data flow is shown for the operation of a controller for a vehicle in implementing an improved tracking method;

[0013] Figure 8 An example of the operation of a quadrant-based implementation of an improved tracking method is shown; and

[0014] Figure 9 An example computing device is shown for implementing an improved tracking method to selectively power down various UWB anchors to conserve the vehicle's energy. Detailed Description

[0015] As needed, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of the present invention, which may be embodied in various forms and alternative forms. The drawings are not necessarily to scale; some features may be enlarged or minimized to show details of particular components. Thus, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be construed as limiting, but rather as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in various ways.

[0016] The features of a vehicle can depend on the relative position of a mobile device (e.g., digital key, remote parking assist, smart tool, etc.) relative to the vehicle. The vehicle's controller can perform trilateration to determine the position of the mobile device. This can be performed using UWB anchors that communicate with the mobile device, which can also be equipped with UWB transceivers. The controller uses the UWB anchors to determine distance data, for example, based on TOF data between the mobile device and the UWB anchors, which can include the distance between the mobile device and the corresponding UWB anchor. Trilateration can be performed using at least three TOF distances. Once the position of the mobile device is determined, the controller can actuate vehicle components based on one of the features (e.g., unlocking the vehicle door for a digital key or operating the vehicle for remote parking assist). However, such an approach may consume the energy of the vehicle as well as the energy of the tracked mobile device.

[0017] An improved tracking method for reducing the power consumption of a vehicle can be implemented. In the improved method, a user initially carrying a mobile device may be walking towards the vehicle. When the user is still relatively far from the vehicle (e.g., more than 20 meters in the example), a transceiver can be used to track the mobile device. In the example, a Bluetooth Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) can be used to perform this monitoring of the user's distance, which requires less power than a UWB anchor. In response to the user reaching a first distance from the vehicle (10 meters in the example), the controller can activate a single designated UWB anchor among a plurality of UWB anchors of the vehicle. In the example, the designated UWB anchor can be the central UWB anchor among the UWB anchors. Alternatively, in another example, the designated UWB anchor can be cycled or randomly selected from the available UWB anchors, e.g., switching to the next UWB anchor every N milliseconds (e.g., as a possibility, every 100 milliseconds). When the user continues to approach the vehicle within the first distance threshold, the designated UWB device exchanges TOF messages and monitors the distance to the mobile device. Once the distance reaches a second smaller distance (e.g., 6 meters), the controller also activates the remaining UWB anchors. As the user's position continues to be tracked, the controller deactivates unnecessary UWB anchors so that only a minimum subset of the UWB anchors (e.g., those closest to the user) remain on. Thus, the controller can continue to track the user's position in an energy-efficient manner. Additional aspects of the present disclosure are discussed in detail herein.

[0018] Figure 1 An example system 100 including a vehicle 102 is shown, where the vehicle implements an improved tracking method to selectively power off various UWB anchors 104 to conserve the energy of the vehicle 102. As shown, the vehicle 102 includes a plurality of UWB anchors 104, a transceiver 106, and a controller 108. The system 100 can be used to track the position of a mobile device 110. These mobile devices 110 can include smart phones, smart tools, and / or other related devices.

[0019] More specifically referring to Figure 1, Vehicle 102 can be any passenger or commercial vehicle, such as a sedan, truck, sport utility vehicle, crossover vehicle, van, minivan, taxi, bus, etc. Vehicle 102 can include various types of automobiles, crossover utility vehicles (CUVs), sport utility vehicles (SUVs), trucks, recreational vehicles, motorcycles, boats, airplanes, or other mobile machines for transporting people or goods. Such a vehicle 102 may be human-driven or autonomous. In many cases, vehicle 102 can be powered by an internal combustion engine. As another possibility, vehicle 102 may be a battery electric vehicle powered by one or more electric motors. As another possibility, vehicle 102 may be a hybrid electric vehicle powered by both an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors, such as a series hybrid electric vehicle, a parallel hybrid electric vehicle, or a parallel / series hybrid electric vehicle.

[0020] The UWB anchor 104 communicates wirelessly with the mobile device 110 using radio waves. The UWB anchor 104 uses ultra-wideband signals, for example, signals with low energy levels spread over a wide range of radio spectra. The Federal Communications Commission and the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector define ultra-wideband as an antenna transmission in which the transmitted signal bandwidth exceeds the smaller of 500 MHz or 20% of the arithmetic center frequency. The UWB anchor 104 can use any suitable modulation method, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), phase shift keying (PSK), pulse position modulation (PPM), etc.

[0021] The UWB anchor 104 can be mounted to the body of the vehicle 102. The number of UWB anchors 104 can be at least four. In the example shown, seven UWB anchors 104 are shown. As shown, these anchors include a first UWB anchor 104a, a second UWB anchor 104b, a third UWB anchor 104c, a fourth UWB anchor 104d, a fifth UWB anchor 104e, a sixth UWB anchor 104f, and a seventh UWB anchor 104g. The UWB anchors 104 are spaced apart from each other, for example, spread over the vehicle 102 to increase the ability to distinguish positions when used for trilateration. For example, four of the UWB anchors 104 can be located at the respective corners of the vehicle 102 to maximize the horizontal spread of the UWB anchors 104, and the remaining three UWB anchors 104 can be located inside the coverage area of the vehicle 102 at different heights from the UWB anchors 104 mounted at the corners to provide vertical spread. To perform trilateration, calculating the intersection of three or more circles or spheres can provide the position of the detected device.

[0022] The transceiver 106 can be adapted to communicate via a communication protocol different from the communication protocol used by the UWB anchor 104 (such as cellular, Wirelessly transmit signals using low power consumption (BLE), WiFi, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a / b / g / p, cellular vehicle-to-everything (CV2X), dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), etc. The transceiver 106 is adapted to communicate using the same protocols as those used by the mobile device 110. Specifically, the transceiver 106 can use BLE. The transceiver 106 can be a single device or can include separate transmitter and receiver.

[0023] The controller 108 can be a microprocessor-based computing device, such as a general-purpose computing device (which includes a processor and a memory, an electronic controller, or a similar device), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a combination of the foregoing, etc. Generally, in electronic design automation, a hardware description language such as VHDL (VHSIC (Very High-Speed Integrated Circuit) Hardware Description Language) is used to describe digital and mixed-signal systems such as FPGAs and ASICs. For example, an ASIC is manufactured based on the VHDL programming provided before manufacturing, while the logic components inside an FPGA can be configured based on, for example, the VHDL programming stored in a memory electrically connected to the FPGA circuit. The controller 108 can thus include a processor, a memory, etc. The memory of the controller 108 can include media for storing instructions executable by the processor and for electronically storing data and / or databases, and / or the controller 108 can include structures providing programming, such as the foregoing structures. The controller 108 can be multiple computers connected together.

[0024] The controller 108 can transmit and receive data through a communication network, such as a controller area network (CAN), a bus, Ethernet, WiFi, a local interconnect network (LIN), an on-board diagnostic connector (OBD-II), and / or any other wired or wireless communication network. The controller 108 can be communicatively coupled to the UWB anchor 104, the transceiver 106, and other components via the communication network.

[0025] The UWB anchor 104 and the transceiver 106 can communicate with at least one mobile device 110. The mobile device 110 can include a portable computing device, such as a smart key fob; a mobile phone, e.g., a smart phone; a wearable device, e.g., a smart watch, headphones, etc.; a tablet computer; a smart tool, etc. The mobile device 110 is a computing device including a corresponding processor and a corresponding memory. The mobile device 110 can be owned and carried by a corresponding person who can be an operator and / or owner of the vehicle 102.

[0026] The UWB anchor 104 can continuously monitor the movement of the user. However, this may consume the energy of the vehicle 102, as well as the energy of the mobile device 110 of the user being tracked. Therefore, an improved tracking method can be implemented.

[0027] In an improved manner, a user carrying the mobile device 110 may be walking towards the vehicle 102. When the user is still relatively far from the vehicle 102 (e.g., more than 20 meters in the example), the transceiver 106 can be used to track the mobile device 110. In the example, this monitoring of the user's distance can be performed based on Bluetooth RSSI. In response to the user reaching a first distance (R1) from the vehicle 102 (10 meters in the example), the controller 108 can activate a single designated UWB anchor in the UWB anchors 104 (e.g., the UWB anchor 104f as shown in Figure 2 . In the example, the designated UWB anchor 104 can be the central UWB anchor among the UWB anchors 104. Alternatively, in another example, the designated UWB anchor 104 can be cycled or randomly selected from the available UWB anchors 104, for example, switching to the next UWB anchor 104 every N milliseconds (e.g., as a possibility, every 100 milliseconds). The vehicle 102 can start tracking the position of the user using one UWB anchor 104, provided that the user remains within the first distance around the vehicle 102, rather than using more than one UWB device 104, because only distance measurements are required at this distance, rather than full triangulation.

[0028] When the user continues to approach the vehicle 102 within R1, the UWB anchor 104f exchanges TOF messages and monitors the distance to the mobile device 110. Once this distance reaches a second, smaller radial distance (e.g., continuing the example as 6 meters), the controller 108 also activates the remaining UWB anchors 104 (e.g., as shown in Figure 3 .

[0029] The controller 108 can use trilateration to locate the position of the mobile device 110 based on the distance information collected between each of the UWB anchors 104 and the mobile device 110. When the user moves towards the vehicle 102, the controller 108 can selectively power off redundant or otherwise unnecessary UWB anchors 104 (e.g., as shown in Figures 4 to 6 . By this method, the vehicle 102 can deactivate unnecessary UWB anchors 104 that are not needed to track the position of the mobile device 110, which can save power and device lifespan. For example, the vehicle 102 can identify a group of three or four UWB anchors 104 that are closest to the mobile device 110 and can use these to perform trilateration.

[0030] Figure 2Example 200 is shown where vehicle 102 activates a designated UWB anchor 104 in response to the position of mobile device 110 reaching a first distance R1. In this example, the designated UWB anchor 104f is the central UWB anchor 104, but this is only an example, and in other cases, another anchor or rotation among the UWB anchors 104 may be used. As shown, a user with the mobile device 110 is walking towards the vehicle 102. The vehicle 102 can monitor the mobile device 110 using transceiver 106 (e.g., using RSSI). The transceiver 106 can identify and start tracking the user at approximately 20 meters from the vehicle 102. The transceiver 106 can continue to monitor the distance of the mobile device 110 via RSSI. In response to the mobile device 110 reaching R1, the controller 108 activates the designated UWB anchor 104f. Since the mobile device 110 is still relatively far from the vehicle 102, triangulation of the user's position is not required. Thus, the position service of a single UWB anchor 104 is sufficient for tracking simple distances. The UWB devices 104 and / or active transceivers 106 are shown in the figures as filled with a pattern, while the non-active UWB devices 104 and / or non-active transceivers 106 are shown without pattern filling.

[0031] Figure 3 Example 300 is shown where vehicle 102 activates all UWB anchors 104 in response to the position of mobile device 110 reaching a second radial distance R2. Since the mobile device 110 is now closer to the vehicle 102, triangulation may be required in addition to the single distance measurement. For example, it may be desirable for the vehicle 102 to actuate vehicle components based on one of the features (e.g., for unlocking the vehicle door with a digital key or operating the vehicle 102 for remote parking assistance). Thus, as shown, each of the UWB anchors 104 is activated to perform the positioning of the mobile device 110. This may result in identifying the position of the user at a first position (shown here as P1).

[0032] Figure 4 Example 400 is shown where vehicle 102 triangulates the mobile device 110 as the user moves. As shown, the user has moved from position P1 to an updated position P2. In the example, the controller 108 can continue to use trilateration to detect the position of the mobile device 110 periodically (e.g., every 100 milliseconds) based on the distance information received from the UWB anchors 104.

[0033] The user's heading and path (e.g., shown as PATH) can be determined by the controller 108 based on the positions P1, P2 (and / or additional positions periodically determined by the controller 108 of the mobile device 110). For example, the controller 108 can use various techniques to extrapolate the path using a sequence of multiple determined positions of the mobile device 110 (e.g., by finding the changes and / or rates of change of X, Y, and / or Z in a series of positions and using that change and / or rate of change to estimate future positions). Based on the positions and / or path, the controller 108 can selectively deactivate those UWB anchors 104 that are less useful in locating the mobile device 110.

[0034] As shown, the controller 108 has selected UWB anchors 104c, 104d, 104e, and 104g to remain active while deactivating UWB anchors 104a, 104b, and 104f. In one non - limiting example, the controller 108 can select the N closest UWB anchors among the UWB anchors 104, where N is a predefined number, such as three or four. In one non - limiting example, the controller 108 can select to include at least one UWB anchor located at a respective corner of the vehicle 102 among the N closest UWB anchors 104 and at least one UWB anchor located at a different height from the UWB anchor at the corner in the UWB anchors 104 to provide vertical spread to the determined subset. In addition to length and width, having vertical spread to the UWB anchors 104 can also allow the controller 108 to create zones in and around the vehicle 102 to identify whether the tracked mobile device 110 is above or below the vehicle 102.

[0035] Figure 5 An example 500 is shown where the vehicle 102 continues to triangulate the mobile device 110 as the user moves. As shown, the user has moved from position P2 to the updated position P3. Based on the updated position, the controller 108 maintains the same set of UWB anchors 104 for locating the mobile device 110.

[0036] Figure 6 An example 600 is shown where the vehicle 102 adjusts the active UWB anchors 104 based on continued triangulation of the mobile device 110. As shown, the user has moved from position P3 to the updated position P4. Additionally, at P4, the controller 108 determines that the set of active UWB anchors 104 should be changed to better reflect the UWB anchors 104 closest to the new position of the mobile device 110. As shown, the controller 108 has brought in the first UWB anchor 104a while deactivating the third UWB anchor 104c. Thus, the controller 108 can continuously determine and dynamically adjust the subset of UWB anchors 104, thereby maintaining accuracy and energy efficiency.

[0037] Figure 7 Illustrates an example data stream 700 of the operation of a controller 108 for a vehicle 102 in implementing an improved tracking mode. In the example, the data stream 700 may be executed by the vehicle 102 in the context of the system 100.

[0038] At index (A), the controller 108 uses the transceiver 106 to detect the presence of the mobile device 110. In the example, when the user is still relatively far from the vehicle 102 (e.g., more than 20 meters in the example), the transceiver 106 can be used to track the mobile device 110. This monitoring of the user's distance can be performed based on Bluetooth RSSI. Thus, the controller 108 can use the transceiver 106 to detect and track the mobile device 110 when the UWB anchor 104 is powered off.

[0039] At index (B), in response to detecting the mobile device 110, the controller 108 activates a designated UWB anchor 104. In the example, in response to the user reaching a first distance (R1) from the vehicle 102 (10 meters in the example), as determined using the transceiver 106, the controller 108 can activate a single designated UWB anchor among the UWB anchors 104. In one non-limiting example, the UWB anchor 104 closest to the center of the vehicle 102 (e.g., UWB anchor 104f) can be powered to operate to more precisely track the distance between the mobile device 110 and the vehicle 102 than using the transceiver 106. It is noted that the designated UWB anchor 104f may require more power than operating using the transceiver 106. Alternatively, in another example, the designated UWB anchor 104 can be cycled or randomly selected from the available UWB anchors 104 or a group of UWB anchors 104, e.g., switching to the next UWB anchor 104 every N milliseconds (e.g., as a possibility, every 100 milliseconds). It should be noted that in such an example, this switching can occur throughout the entire continuous operation from index (C) to (D).

[0040] At index (C), the controller 108 monitors the position of the mobile device 110. As the user continues to approach the vehicle 102 within R1, the designated UWB device 104 exchanges TOF messages and monitors the distance to the mobile device 110. The controller 108 can monitor the TOF signal between the designated UWB anchor 104 and the mobile device 110 to determine whether the position of the mobile device 110 has become within a second radial distance (R2).

[0041] In response to the user reaching R2 (10 meters in the example) from the vehicle 102, at index (D), the controller 108 may activate all the UWB anchors 104. This activation can be performed to allow the controller 108 to determine the position and / or path of the mobile device 110. This position and / or path information may allow the controller 108 to selectively deactivate those UWB anchors 104 that are less useful in locating the mobile device 110.

[0042] At index (E), the controller 108 uses a subset of the UWB anchors 104 to triangulate the position of the mobile device 110. This subset may be determined as the N closest UWB anchors among the UWB anchors 104 or the N UWB anchors with the highest signal strength among the UWB anchors 104, where N is a predefined number, such as three or four. In one non-limiting example, the controller 108 may choose to include in the N closest UWB anchors 104 at least one UWB anchor located at a respective corner of the vehicle 102 and at least one UWB anchor located at a different height from the UWB anchor 104 installed at the corner to provide vertical spread to the determined subset.

[0043] The controller 108 may use the subset of the UWB anchors 104 to continue tracking the mobile device 110. This tracking can be used to activate various vehicle 102 features. For example, the controller 108 may unlock only one or more of the closest doors of the mobile device 110. Alternatively, the controller 108 may activate the welcome lights on the side of the vehicle 102 that the user is approaching.

[0044] It should be noted that the subset of the UWB anchors 104 used to triangulate the position of the mobile device 110 can be adjusted periodically. For example, the position of the mobile device 110 may be determined periodically by the controller 108, and the subset of the UWB anchors 104 may be updated in response to these periodic determinations to allow the subset of the UWB anchors 104 to continue to be the best set of UWB anchors 104 for monitoring the mobile device 110 as the user moves around the vehicle 102.

[0045] Figure 8 An example 800 of the operation of a quadrant-based implementation of an improved tracking method is shown. As shown, the area around the vehicle 102 is divided into four quadrants: (X1, Y1), (X1, Y2), (X2, Y1), and (X2, Y2).

[0046] In Example 800, the controller 108 analyzes the Bluetooth signal from the transceiver 106 to identify the initial user authentication of the mobile device 110 to trigger the UWB network wake-up signal and observes the signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the initiator mobile device 110 (which includes both BLE capabilities and UWB capabilities and is carried by the user) increasing as the user approaches the vehicle 102 after an initial measurement (e.g., for 300 ms).

[0047] In response to the RSSI increasing beyond a predefined energy threshold T o , the controller 108 continues to send a Universal Command Interface (UCI) command to the UWB anchors 104 to start ranging the mobile device 110 to the vehicle 102.

[0048] When the user carrying the mobile device 110 as the UWB initiator device approaches the vehicle 102, the controller 108 detects a decreasing distance between the user and the UWB anchor 104. The controller 108 also detects an incremental increase in the received signal power between the corresponding UWB anchor 104 and the mobile device 110 acting as the initiator (e.g., after performing multiple ranging operations over several milliseconds).

[0049] Then, the controller 108 can continue to send new appropriate UCI commands to disable ranging for all the UWB anchors 104 (e.g., turn off some of the UWB anchors 104), except for only one or two UWB anchors 104 with the strongest received signal power and / or the shortest distance.

[0050] In response to the detected distance between the user (e.g., the mobile device 110 acting as the initiator) and any of the active UWB anchors 104 decreasing below a predefined distance threshold D o (indicating proximity to the vehicle 102 for certain vehicle 102 feature operations and functions), the controller 108 can wake them up by sending new target / appropriate UCI commands to one or more of the next closest UWB anchors 104. Similar operations can be applied when the user starts moving away from the vehicle 102 (but in the reverse order).

[0051] Similar operations can be applied to save power when the user moves around the vehicle 102. More specifically, the controller 108 can perform trilateration using the ranges of two or more received UWB anchors 104, where in response to the controller 108 determining that the calculated user position coordinates (X, Y) or (X, Y, Z) are in one of four possible regions (e.g., right front, left front, left rear, right rear) around the vehicle 102, the controller 108 can continue to turn off the UWB anchors 104 that range areas outside the area where the mobile device 110 is located, and wake them up only when the user approaches the edge of the current area or is about to leave the current area.

[0052] The coordinates of the UWB anchors 104 (relative to the vehicle 102) and the dimensions (length, width, height) of the vehicle 102 can be known a priori and can be embedded (or hard-coded) into the positioning mechanism / algorithm of the controller 108. Thus, once the position of the mobile device 110 is determined, the controller 108 can infer the zone or location where the mobile device 110 is located, including whether the mobile device 110 is inside, around, or below the vehicle 102.

[0053] Figure 9 An example computing device 902 is shown for implementing an improved tracking manner to selectively power off various UWB anchors 104 to conserve the energy of the vehicle 102. Refer Figure 9 and refer Figures 1 to 8 to, the vehicle 102, UWB anchors 104, transceiver 106, controller 108, and mobile device 110 can be examples of such a computing device 902. The computing device 902 generally includes computer-executable instructions, where the instructions can be executed by one or more computing devices 902. The computer-executable instructions can be compiled or interpreted according to computer programs created using various programming languages and / or technologies, which individually or in combination include but are not limited to Java TM , C, C++, C#, Visual Basic, JavaScript, Python, JavaScript, Perl, etc. Generally speaking, a processor (e.g., a microprocessor) receives instructions from, for example, a memory, a computer-readable medium, etc., and executes these instructions, thereby performing one or more processes, including one or more of the processes described herein. Such instructions and other data can be stored and transmitted using a variety of computer-readable media.

[0054] As shown, the computing device 902 can include a processor 904, which is operatively connected to a storage device 906, a network device 908, an output device 910, and an input device 912. It should be noted that this is merely an example, and a computing device 902 with more, fewer, or different components can be used.

[0055] The processor 904 may include one or more integrated circuits that implement the functionality of a central processing unit (CPU) and / or a graphics processing unit (GPU). In some examples, the processor 904 is a system-on-chip (SoC) that integrates the functionality of the CPU and GPU. The SoC may optionally include other components, such as the storage device 906 and the network device 908, into a single integrated device. In other examples, the CPU and GPU are connected to each other via a peripheral connection device, such as Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) Express, or another suitable peripheral data connection. In one example, the CPU is a commercially available central processing device that implements an instruction set, such as one of the x86, ARM, Power, or Microprocessor without Interlocked Pipeline Stages (MIPS) instruction set families.

[0056] Regardless of the details, during operation, the processor 904 executes the stored program instructions retrieved from the storage device 906. The stored program instructions accordingly include software that controls the operation of the processor 904 to perform the operations described herein. The storage device 906 may include both non-volatile memory devices and volatile memory devices. Non-volatile memory includes solid-state memory, such as NAND flash memory, magnetic and optical storage media, or any other suitable data storage device that retains data when the system is deactivated or loses power. Volatile memory includes static and dynamic random access memory (RAM), which stores program instructions and data during the operation of the system 100.

[0057] The GPU may include hardware and software for displaying at least two-dimensional (2D) and optionally three-dimensional (3D) graphics to the output device 910. The output device 910 may include a graphical or visual display device, such as an electronic display screen, a projector, a printer, or any other suitable device for reproducing a graphical display. As another example, the output device 910 may include an audio device, such as speakers or headphones. As yet another example, the output device 910 may include a tactile device, such as a device that can be mechanically raised, which in an example may be configured to display Braille or another physical output that can be touched to provide information to the user.

[0058] The input device 912 may include any of a variety of devices that enable the computing device 902 to receive control input from a user. Examples of suitable input devices 912 for receiving human-machine interface input may include a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a touch screen, a microphone, a graphics tablet, and the like.

[0059] The network devices 908 may each include any of a variety of devices that enable the described components to send and / or receive data over a network from an external device. Examples of suitable network devices 908 include Ethernet interfaces, Wi-Fi transceivers, cellular transceivers, or Bluetooth or BLE transceivers, or other network adapters or peripheral interconnect devices that receive data from another computer or external data storage device, which may be useful for receiving large amounts of data in an efficient manner.

[0060] Regarding 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 in accordance with 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 description of the processes herein is provided for the purpose of illustrating particular embodiments and should in no way be construed as limiting the claims.

[0061] Accordingly, it should be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided will be apparent upon reading the above description. The scope should not be determined with reference to the above description, but rather should be determined with reference to the appended claims and the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated and expected that the technology discussed herein will evolve in the future, and the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In summary, it should be understood that this application is capable of modification and variation.

[0062] All terms used in the claims are intended to be given their broadest reasonable construction and their ordinary meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art of the technology described herein, unless an explicit contrary indication is given herein. Specifically, unless the claims recite an express limitation to the contrary, the use of singular articles such as "a," "the," "said," etc. should be construed to recite one or more of the indicated elements.

[0063] A summary of the present disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It should be understood that the summary will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Additionally, in the foregoing detailed description, it can be seen that for the purpose of streamlining the present disclosure, various features are grouped together in various embodiments. This method of the present disclosure should not be construed as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as reflected in the appended claims, the inventive subject matter lies in less than all of the features of a single disclosed embodiment. Accordingly, the appended claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

[0064] Although the exemplary embodiments are described above, these embodiments are not intended to describe all possible forms of the present disclosure. Instead, the words used in this specification are descriptive rather than restrictive words, and it should be understood that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, the features of various embodiments can be combined to form other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0065] According to the present invention, a method for implementing an improved tracking method of a mobile device includes: in response to detecting that the mobile device has reached a first distance from the vehicle using a transceiver of the vehicle, activating a designated ultra-wideband (UWB) anchor among a plurality of UWB anchors of the vehicle to perform a time-of-flight (TOF) distance measurement between the vehicle and the mobile device; in response to the TOF distance measurement between the mobile device and the designated UWB anchor indicating that the mobile device has reached a closer second distance from the vehicle, activating the plurality of UWB anchors to perform trilateration between the vehicle and the mobile device to identify the position of the mobile device; based on the position, continuing to perform trilateration using a subset of the UWB anchors of the vehicle, and disabling the remaining part of the UWB anchors except the subset to save power; and actuating a component of the vehicle based on the result of the trilateration.

[0066] According to an embodiment, the present invention is further characterized in that: periodically identifying an updated position of the mobile device using the subset of the UWB anchors; and based on the identified updated position, updating the subset of the UWB anchors of the vehicle for performing trilateration, and disabling the remaining part of the UWB anchors except the subset to save power.

[0067] According to an embodiment, the subset of the UWB anchors includes N UWB anchors among the UWB anchors that are closest to the mobile device, where N is at least three.

[0068] According to an embodiment, the subset of the UWB anchors includes at least one UWB anchor located at a corner of the vehicle and at least one UWB anchor located at a different height from the UWB anchor installed at the corner to provide vertical spread to the determined subset.

[0069] According to an embodiment, the designated UWB anchor is the UWB anchor that is the most central one inside the vehicle among the plurality of UWB anchors.

[0070] According to an embodiment, the designated UWB anchor is cycled and / or randomly selected from the plurality of UWB anchors periodically.

[0071] According to an embodiment, actuating the component of the vehicle includes unlocking the vehicle door or operating a remote parking assist feature of the vehicle.

[0072] According to an embodiment, performing the trilateration includes identifying a quadrant around the vehicle where the mobile device is located, and wherein actuating the component of the vehicle includes actuating a component within the identified quadrant.

[0073] According to the present invention, there is provided a system for implementing an improved tracking method of a mobile device, having: a transceiver; a plurality of UWB anchors; and one or more computing devices configured to: in response to detecting, using the transceiver, that the mobile device has reached a first distance from the vehicle, activate a designated UWB anchor among the plurality of ultra-wideband (UWB) anchors to perform a time-of-flight (TOF) distance measurement between the vehicle and the mobile device; in response to the TOF distance measurement between the mobile device and the designated UWB anchor indicating that the mobile device has reached a closer second distance from the vehicle, activate the plurality of UWB anchors to perform trilateration between the vehicle and the mobile device to identify the position of the mobile device; based on the position, continue to perform the trilateration using a subset of the UWB anchors of the vehicle, and deactivate the remaining part of the UWB anchors except the subset to save power; and actuating a component of the vehicle based on the result of the trilateration.

[0074] According to an embodiment, the one or more computing devices are further configured to: periodically identify an updated position of the mobile device using the subset of the UWB anchors; and based on the identified updated position, update the subset of the UWB anchors of the vehicle for performing the trilateration, and deactivate the remaining part of the UWB anchors except the subset to save power.

[0075] According to an embodiment, the subset of the UWB anchors includes N UWB anchors among the UWB anchors that are closest to the mobile device.

[0076] According to an embodiment, the subset of the UWB anchors includes N UWB anchors among the UWB anchors that exhibit the closest distance to the mobile device.

[0077] According to an embodiment, the subset of the UWB anchors includes at least one UWB anchor located at a corner of the vehicle and at least one UWB anchor located at a different height from the UWB anchor installed at the corner to provide vertical spread to the determined subset.

[0078] According to an embodiment, actuating the component of the vehicle includes unlocking the vehicle door or operating a remote parking assistance feature of the vehicle.

[0079] According to an embodiment, performing the trilateration includes identifying a quadrant around the vehicle where the mobile device is located, and actuating the component of the vehicle includes actuating a component within the identified quadrant.

[0080] According to the present invention, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions for implementing an improved tracking manner of a mobile device, which when executed by one or more computing devices of a vehicle having a transceiver and a plurality of UWB anchors, cause the vehicle to perform the following operations, including: in response to detecting, using the transceiver, that the mobile device has reached a first distance from the vehicle, activating a designated UWB anchor among the plurality of ultra-wideband (UWB) anchors to perform a time-of-flight (TOF) distance measurement between the vehicle and the mobile device; in response to the TOF distance measurement between the mobile device and the designated UWB anchor indicating that the mobile device has reached a closer second distance from the vehicle, activating the plurality of UWB anchors to perform trilateration between the vehicle and the mobile device to identify the position of the mobile device; based on the position, continuing to perform the trilateration using a subset of the UWB anchors of the vehicle, and disabling the remaining part of the UWB anchors except the subset to save power; and actuating a component of the vehicle based on the result of the trilateration.

[0081] According to an embodiment, the features of the present invention further lie in instructions which, when executed by the one or more computing devices, cause the vehicle to perform the following operations, including: periodically identifying an updated position of the mobile device using the subset of the UWB anchors; and based on the identified updated position, updating the subset of the UWB anchors of the vehicle for performing the trilateration, and disabling the remaining part of the UWB anchors except the subset to save power.

[0082] According to an embodiment, the subset of the UWB anchors includes one or more UWB anchors among the UWB anchors that are closest to the mobile device or UWB anchors that exhibit the closest distance to the mobile device.

[0083] According to an embodiment, the subset of the UWB anchors includes at least one UWB anchor located at a corner of the vehicle and at least one UWB anchor located at a height different from that of the UWB anchor installed at the corner to provide vertical spread to the determined subset.

[0084] According to an embodiment, performing the trilateration includes identifying a quadrant around the vehicle in which the mobile device is located, and actuating the components of the vehicle includes actuating the components within the identified quadrant.

Claims

1. A method for implementing an improved tracking mode of a mobile device, comprising: In response to detecting that the mobile device has reached a first distance from the vehicle using a transceiver of the vehicle, activating a designated ultra-wideband (UWB) anchor among a plurality of UWB anchors of the vehicle to perform time-of-flight (TOF) distance measurement between the vehicle and the mobile device; In response to the TOF distance measurement between the mobile device and the designated UWB anchor indicating that the mobile device has reached a closer second distance from the vehicle, activating the plurality of UWB anchors to perform trilateration between the vehicle and the mobile device to identify the position of the mobile device; Based on the position, continue to perform the trilateration using a subset of the UWB anchors of the vehicle, and prohibit the remaining part of the UWB anchors except the subset of the UWB anchors to save power; And Actuate components of the vehicle based on the results of the trilateration.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Periodically identify an updated position of the mobile device using the subset of the UWB anchors; And Based on the identified updated position, update the subset of the UWB anchors of the vehicle for performing the trilateration, and prohibit the remaining part of the UWB anchors except the subset to save power.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the subset of the UWB anchors comprises N UWB anchors among the UWB anchors that are closest to the mobile device, where N is at least three.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the subset of the UWB anchors comprises at least one UWB anchor located at a corner of the vehicle and at least one UWB anchor located at a different height from the UWB anchor installed at the corner among the UWB anchors to provide vertical spread to the determined subset.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the designated UWB anchor is the UWB anchor that is the most central one inside the vehicle among the plurality of UWB anchors.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the designated UWB anchor is cycled and / or randomly selected periodically from the plurality of UWB anchors.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein actuating the components of the vehicle comprises unlocking the vehicle door or operating a remote parking assist feature of the vehicle.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein performing the trilateration comprises identifying the quadrant around the vehicle where the mobile device is located, and wherein actuating the components of the vehicle comprises actuating the components within the identified quadrant.

9. A system for implementing an improved tracking mode of a mobile device, comprising: A transceiver; A plurality of UWB anchors; And One or more computing devices configured to: In response to detecting, using the transceiver, that the mobile device has reached a first distance from the vehicle, activate a designated UWB anchor among the plurality of ultra-wideband (UWB) anchors to perform time-of-flight (TOF) distance measurement between the vehicle and the mobile device; In response to the TOF distance measurement between the mobile device and the designated UWB anchor indicating that the mobile device has reached a closer second distance from the vehicle, activate the plurality of UWB anchors to perform trilateration between the vehicle and the mobile device to identify the position of the mobile device; Based on the position, continue to perform the trilateration using a subset of the UWB anchors of the vehicle, and prohibit the remaining part of the UWB anchors other than the subset of the UWB anchors to save power; And Actuate components of the vehicle based on the result of the trilateration.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to: Periodically identify an updated position of the mobile device using the subset of the UWB anchors; and Based on the identified updated position, update the subset of the UWB anchors of the vehicle for performing the trilateration, and prohibit the remaining part of the UWB anchors other than the subset to save power.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the subset of the UWB anchors includes N UWB anchors among the UWB anchors that are closest to the mobile device.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the subset of the UWB anchors includes N UWB anchors among the UWB anchors that exhibit the closest distance to the mobile device.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the subset of the UWB anchors includes at least one UWB anchor located at a corner of the vehicle and at least one UWB anchor located at a different height from the UWB anchor installed at the corner to provide vertical spread to the determined subset.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein actuating the components of the vehicle includes unlocking the vehicle's doors or operating the vehicle's remote parking assist feature.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein performing the trilateration includes identifying the quadrant around the vehicle where the mobile device is located, and actuating the components of the vehicle includes actuating the components within the identified quadrant.

Images