System and method for locating and tracking portable devices around vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure provides systems and methods of positioning and tracking portable devices around a vehicle. A vehicle system includes a first communication device, a plurality of second communication devices, and a controller. The first communication device is configured to communicate using a first wireless communication method. The plurality of second communication devices are configured to communicate using a second wireless communication method and are disposed at two or more known positions along the vehicle. The controller is configured to: define a communication schedule identifying a specified communication session for a portable device (PD) to communicate via the second wireless communication method, providing data to the PD via the first communication device indicating a specified communication session of the communication schedule for the PD to communicate via the second wireless communication method, and responsive to detecting a location of the PD based on messages provided by the plurality of second communication devices at the specified communication session, the location of the PD is stored.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to detecting and tracking portable devices in and / or around a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

[0003] Vehicle systems can generally use wireless communication technologies / methods (such as but not limited to short-range communication (e.g., Bluetooth-type and / or ultra-wideband communication)) to identify and communicate with portable devices. In addition to communication, short-range communication can also be used to detect the location of portable devices. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This section provides a general overview of the present disclosure and is not a full disclosure of its entire scope or all of its features.

[0005] In one form, the present disclosure relates to a vehicle system that includes a first communication device, a plurality of second communication devices, and a controller. The first communication device is configured to communicate using a first wireless communication method. The plurality of second communication devices are configured to communicate using a second wireless communication method and are disposed at two or more known locations along the vehicle. The controller is configured to: define a communication schedule that identifies a designated communication session for a portable device to communicate via the second wireless communication method, provide, via the first communication device, data indicating the designated communication session of the communication schedule for the portable device to communicate via the second wireless communication method, and store the location of the portable device in response to detecting the location of the portable device based on messages provided by the plurality of second communication devices at the designated communication session.

[0006] In one form, the present disclosure relates to a method for locating a portable device by a vehicle, the vehicle having a first communication device and a plurality of second communication devices, the first communication device being configured to communicate using a first wireless communication method, and the plurality of second communication devices being configured to communicate using a second wireless communication method. The method includes: defining a communication schedule that identifies a designated communication session for a portable device to communicate via the second wireless communication method; providing, via the first communication device, data indicating the designated communication session of the communication schedule for the portable device to communicate via the second wireless communication method; and storing the location of the portable device in response to detecting the location of the portable device based on messages provided by the plurality of second communication devices at the designated communication session.

[0007] In one form, the present disclosure relates to a vehicle system that includes a first communication device, a plurality of second communication devices, and a controller. The first communication device is configured to communicate using a first wireless communication method. The plurality of second communication devices are configured to communicate using a second wireless communication method and are disposed at two or more known locations along the vehicle. The controller is configured to: define a communication schedule that identifies a plurality of designated communication sessions for a plurality of portable devices, where each designated communication session indicates when a corresponding portable device communicates via the second wireless communication method; provide, via the first communication device, data indicative of the designated communication sessions to each portable device; transmit messages at each designated communication session via the plurality of second communication devices; and store the locations of the plurality of portable devices in response to detecting the locations of the portable devices based on the messages provided by the plurality of second communication devices at the plurality of designated communication sessions.

[0008] Based on the description provided herein, additional applicable fields will become apparent. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] For a better understanding of the present disclosure, various forms of the present disclosure will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0010] Figure 1A is a side view of a vehicle having a plurality of communication devices according to the present disclosure;

[0011] Figure 1B is according to the present disclosure Figure 1A a top view of a vehicle showing portable devices within the vehicle;

[0012] Figure 2 is a top view of a vehicle according to the present disclosure showing the communication areas of the vehicle;

[0013] Figure 3 is a block diagram of a vehicle and portable devices according to the present disclosure; and

[0014] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing a device location routine according to the present disclosure.

[0015] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] 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 details and functional details disclosed herein are not to be construed as limiting, but rather as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to employ the present invention in various ways.

[0017] It may be difficult to locate a portable device inside and / or around a vehicle using current methods. The present disclosure provides a vehicle system configured to detect, locate, and track a portable device within a detection area of the vehicle using different wireless communication methods / techniques. More specifically, the vehicle system defines a communication schedule that identifies a dedicated communication session for each portable device. During the communication session, a selected wireless device at the vehicle broadcasts a message that will be received and responded to by one of the portable devices, as identified in the communication schedule (i.e., based on the specified communication session, or in other words, the session ID). Using one or more signal analyses, the location of the portable device can be determined, saved, and provided to the user.

[0018] Referring Figure 1A 、 Figure 1B and Figure 2 , vehicle 100 includes different types of communication devices 102, 104 configured to communicate with portable device 106 using different wireless communication methods / protocols. In a non-limiting example, vehicle 100 includes a Bluetooth (BT)-type communication device as a first communication device (FCD) 102 and multiple ultra-wideband (UWB) devices as a second communication device (SCD) 104. The BT-type communication device is configured to communicate using the BT protocol (e.g., the BT low energy protocol and / or the BT classic protocol) as a first communication method, and the UWB devices are configured to communicate using the UWB protocol as a second communication method. In the drawings, the first communication device 102 is shown as a triangle, and the SCD 104 is shown as a rectangle to distinguish devices 102, 104.

[0019] The portable device 106 is configured to communicate with the vehicle 100 via communication methods (e.g., BT protocol and UWB protocol) and is generally movable to and from the vehicle 100. In non-limiting examples, the portable device 106 may include, but is not limited to, tools (e.g., screwdrivers, drills, rock hammers), storage bins / containers, smart phones, tablets, and / or sensors, warning cones. As described herein, in the case where the portable device 106 moves into and out of the vehicle 100, the position of the portable device 106 is detected and saved to notify the user whether the portable device 106 is at or near the vehicle 100, whether it is not at the vehicle 100, and / or the last known position of the portable device 106.

[0020] More specifically, the communication devices 102, 104 of the vehicle 100 define a detection area 108 within which the portable device 106 is capable of communicating with the vehicle 100. The detection area 108 is generally defined by the communication areas 110 of the first communication method and the second communication method. In Figure 1A and Figure 1B the dashed circles represent the communication areas 110, and the detection area 108 includes the area captured by all the communication areas 110. In one form, the first communication method has a wider communication range than the second communication method, and as described in detail herein, the first communication method is used to provide messages / commands to the portable device 106, and the second communication method is used to detect the position of the portable device 106.

[0021] Referring Figure 2 , the detection area 108 can be further defined as a plurality of sections 202A, 202B, 202C, 202D (collectively referred to as "sections 202") to associate portions of the detection area 108 with the vehicle 100, where each section 202 is associated with at least one SCD 104. In non-limiting examples, SCDs 104-1, 104-2, 104-3 are associated with section 202A, SCDs 104-1, 104-3, and 10 as 4 are associated with section 202B, SCDs 104-5, 104-7 are associated with section 202C, and SCDs 104-6 and 104-7 are associated with section 202D. It should be readily understood that although the sections are shown in a two-dimensional plane (e.g., width and depth), the sections 202 also include a three-dimensional plane (e.g., vertical / height). Additionally, the number, size, and / or shape of the sections 202 may be different from those shown, and each section may be different from one another.

[0022] Referring Figure 3, in one form, the portable device 106 includes an FCD 302, an SCD 304, a device communication module (DCM) 306, a timer 308, and a power module 310 for providing power to the electrical components of the portable device 106. The FCD 302 and the SCD 304 may be referred to as a portable device FCD (PD-FCD) 302 and a portable device SCD 304 (PD-SCD) 304, respectively, to avoid confusion with the FCD 102 and the SCD 104 of the vehicle 100. The PD-FCD 302 and the PD-SCD 304 are similar to the FCD 102 and the SCD 104 of the vehicle 100 such that communication can be performed via a first wireless communication method and a second wireless communication method.

[0023] The DCM 306 is configured to communicate with other devices / systems (such as the vehicle 100) using the PD-FCD 302 and the PD-SCD 304. In one form, the DCM 306 is configured to follow the protocols associated with the first communication method and the second communication method to process and respond to the received messages. More specifically, the DCM 306 is configured to detect the FCD 102 and the SCD 104 and pair with the FCD 102 to automatically establish communication with it when the FCD 102 is in the detection area 108.

[0024] As detailed herein, the DCM 306 is also configured to detect and respond to messages transmitted via the second communication method according to a specified communication session assigned by the vehicle 100 to the portable device 106. That is, instead of scanning for signals transmitted via the second communication method, for example, every 100 ms, the specified communication session identifies the period during which the vehicle 100 intends to communicate with the portable device 106 and thus the portable device 106 can be turned on under this session. In a non-limiting example, the DCM 306 sets the timer 308 based on the specified communication session and transitions to the sleep mode. Once the specified communication session is reached, as detected by the timer 308, the DCM 306 turns on and scans for messages using the PD-SCD 304. If a message is received, the DCM 306 responds to the message and then transitions back to the sleep mode once the specified communication session ends, until the next specified communication session.

[0025] During the specified communication session or at other suitable communication times when the DCM 306 is activated, the DCM 306 can respond to other messages detected by the PD-FCD 302. For example, the DCM 306 is configured to provide information related to the power status / state of the portable device 106 based on an input from the power module 310, which estimates the power level of the power source (not shown) of the portable device 106.

[0026] In addition to other components, vehicle system 200 of vehicle 100 includes one or more human machine interfaces (HMIs) 320, a device tracking module (DTM) 322, a memory device 324, and a timer 326. In one form, HMI 320 is a device that exchanges information with a user (i.e., is configured to receive and / or output information). In non-limiting examples, the HMI includes audio devices (e.g., microphones and / or speakers), display devices (e.g., head-up displays and / or liquid crystal displays with touchscreens), and / or other suitable interfaces (e.g., buttons, knobs, etc.).

[0027] DTM 322 is configured to define a communication schedule 338 and detect the position of portable device 106 within detection area 108 based on communication schedule 338. In one form, DTM 322 includes a portable device mapping (PD-M) generator 330, a communication schedule generator (CSG) 332, and a device position detector (DLD) 334.

[0028] PD-M generator 330 is configured to define a portable device (PD) map 336 that correlates portable devices 106 that are to be paired to communicate with FCD 102 with media access control (MAC) addresses. Specifically, when portable device 106 is first brought into the communication zone of FCD 102, portable device 106 and FCD 102 are assigned MAC addresses to pair FCD 102 with portable device 106 using known techniques associated with a first wireless communication method. PD-M generator 330 stores the unique identifier associated with and received from each portable device 106 having a MAC address in PD map 336, where PD map 336 identifies the unique ID of each portable device 106 paired with FCD 102, and this unique ID is used to manage communication sessions with portable device 106. In some variations, to conserve power of portable device 106, portable device 106 and FCD 102 may be paired using low power techniques such as, but not limited to, the Generic Attribute Profile (GATT) protocol. PD map 336 is stored in memory 324 and may be updated to add and / or remove paired portable devices 106.

[0029] The CSG 332 is configured to define a communication schedule 338 for the portable devices 106 provided in the PD mapping diagram. The communication schedule 338 provides or more specifically defines a designated communication session (DCS) for each portable device 106 to communicate with the vehicle 100 via the SCD 104 using a second wireless communication method. In a non-limiting example, when the vehicle 100 is turned on, the CSG 332 assigns a designated communication session to each portable device 106 paired with the FCD 102, where each designated communication session is a set duration, such as 100 ms. In one form, the total duration for detecting the portable device 106 is substantially equal to the set duration multiplied by the number of portable devices 106 provided in the PD mapping diagram 336. That is, the communication schedule 338 is defined such that the portable devices 106 communicate using cyclic communication or time division multiplexing (TDM), so that each device communicates at the designated communication session. In a non-limiting example, if five portable devices 106 are to be tracked, the total duration for detecting the devices 106 is 500 ms. The total duration is divided into five 100-ms sessions, and each portable device 106 is assigned a session. In one form, the communication schedule 358 includes the information in the PD mapping diagram 336 and also provides a designated communication session for each portable device 106. In a non-limiting example, the designated communication session can be associated with a session identifier that indicates which of the five sessions the portable device 106 will open (e.g., the identifier can indicate the time tracked by the timer 308 of the portable device 106). An example of the communication schedule is provided in Table 1 below. Once defined, the communication schedule 338 is stored in the memory device 324. Additionally, the CSG 332 is configured to provide data indicating the corresponding designated communication session to each portable device 106 via the FCD 102.

[0030] BT mapping address Device name DCS 00:11:22:33:FF:EE Tool 1 0x1115 00:11:22:33:FE:AE Hammer 1 0x1116 00:11:22:33:FD:BE Hammer 2 0x1117

[0031] Table 1: Exemplary Communication Schedule

[0032] It should be readily understood that the duration of each designated communication session can be set to another value and should not be limited to 100 ms. Additionally, although the total duration is set to be variable based on the number of portable devices, the total duration can be set to a value less than or equal to a set threshold to prevent delays in tracking the location.

[0033] In some variations, more than one portable device 106 can be part of the same designated communication session to communicate with the vehicle 100 at the same time of the allotted time (i.e., at the designated communication session). Thus, the portable devices 106 can be grouped together and detected by the second communication device 104.

[0034] As described above, the portable device 106 can use the sleep mode to save power of the portable device 106. Another method of power saving for the portable device 106 can include saving power when transmitting a message via the PD-SCD 304. For example, if the portable device 106 is located inside the vehicle 100, it does not require the maximum power to communicate with the SCD 104. This power control may not affect the positioning of the portable device 106 because the method of estimating the distance is based on the time of flight rather than the received signal strength. In one form, the portable device 104 can reduce its power based on the signal strength of the message received from the FCD 102 or the SCD 104. This method is based on the reciprocity of the channel, by inferring that if the portable device 106 is receiving at a high signal level, the vehicle 100 will also receive at an unnecessarily high signal level, and thus, the portable device 106 can reduce its power level. In another form, using the signal level strength from the previous communication round, the DCM 306 identifies the power level in the updated communication schedule that the portable device 106 can use to communicate with the SCD 104, and requests the portable device 106 to reduce its power by sending a message via the FCD 102.

[0035] In some variants, the CSG 332 is configured to assign a specified communication session to the portable device 106 intended to be tracked by the vehicle 100. More specifically, when the portable device 106 is paired with the FCD 102, the PD-M generator 330 is configured to provide a notification via one or more HMIs to ask whether to track the portable device 106. A user (such as a passenger in the vehicle 100) can use one or more HMIs to input their selection (e.g., pressing an icon on the display device and / or providing a verbal response detected by the microphone). The PD map 336 can include data indicating whether to track each paired portable device 106, and the CSG 332 assigns the specified communication session only to the portable device 106 to be tracked.

[0036] The DLD 334 is configured to detect the location of the portable device 106 based on messages exchanged between the SCD 104 and the corresponding portable device 106 according to a communication schedule 338. More specifically, using each SCD 104, the DLD 334 broadcasts location messages at each of the specified communication sessions of the communication schedule 338 in a manner similar to time division multiplexing. If the portable device 106 intended to be turned on during the session is within the detection area 108, the corresponding portable device 106 transmits response messages detected by one or more of the SCDs 104 within the communication area 110 of the portable device 106. In a non-limiting example, the DLD 334 employs known time-of-flight (TOF) analysis to calculate the location of the portable device 106 using trilateration methods and data associated with the location messages and response messages. In some variations, the DLD 334 can also use angle-of-arrival (AOA) analysis of the response messages to further determine the orientation of the portable device 106 relative to the SCD 104, where the orientation can indicate whether the portable device 106 is in the vehicle 100, in a building near the vehicle 100, and / or outside the vehicle 100. In some cases, the portable device 106 can receive multiple messages from multiple SCDs 104 and transmit response messages to each SCD 104, which can be used to determine the location of the portable device 106.

[0037] In other words, the DLD 334 uses known TOF / AOA techniques to determine / calculate the distance of the portable device 106 from the corresponding SCD 104 based on the location and response messages exchanged between each SCD 104 and the portable device 106. Using the location of the SCD 104 and the distance of the portable device 106, the DLD 334 can determine the location of the portable device 106 relative to the vehicle 100. In the case where the location of each SCD 104 on the vehicle 100 is known, multiple communication areas 110 within and around the vehicle 100 are defined to identify the location of the portable device 106, and more specifically are employed to indicate whether the portable device 106 is, for example, inside, outside, above, and / or below the vehicle. In a non-limiting example, the location can be provided as coordinates (e.g., x, y, z).

[0038] Before sending the location message, the DLD 334 is configured to synchronize the timers of the portable device 106 with each other. In a non-limiting example, using the FCD 102, the DLD 334 transmits a timer interval command that identifies the time to set the timer 308, where the time is the total duration for detecting the portable device 106. The DLD 334 also initializes the timer 326 to the session duration (e.g., 100 ms) for each communication session such that when the DLD 334 moves down the communication schedule 338 to contact the portable device 106, the timer 326 triggers (resets) after each session duration.

[0039] In one form, once determined, the DLD 334 is configured to provide a notification via one or more HMIs 320. For example, the DLD 334 displays a device location interface that is similar to the Figure 2 graphical interface provided in, where location icons 210 indicate the detected location of the portable device 106. As part of the device location interface, the DLD 334 may also provide background information about the portable device 106, including but not limited to identification information associated with the portable device 106 and the detection time indicating the time when the portable device 106 was detected. In one form, the DLD 334 is configured to indicate the locations of all portable devices 106 on the device location interface and, if the user selects an icon, may provide background information in a pop-up menu.

[0040] The DLD 334 may provide the notification in various suitable ways and should not be limited to the examples provided herein. For example, a display device may be used to provide different views of the vehicle 100, where the different views show one or more location icons (if applicable); a table listing the portable devices 106 and indicating whether the portable devices 106 have been located may be provided; and / or instead of automatically providing the image / table, the image / table may be provided when requested by the user via one or more graphical interfaces associated with the DTM 322.

[0041] The DLD 334 is also configured to store the location of the portable device 106 and the unique identifier associated with the portable device 106 in the device location library 340 of the memory device 324. In a non-limiting example, the device location library 340 may store historical locations for a selected time period; the currently detected location may be stored; or the last detected and currently detected locations. In some variations, the data of the device location library 340 may be stored in the vehicle support server 350 to free up storage in the memory device 324. In one form, the vehicle support server 350 is a cloud-based remote server that communicates with the vehicle 100 using, for example, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication. In one form, the vehicle support server 350 may store the location history of the portable device 106 that is accessible by the user.

[0042] In the event that a response message is not received from the portable device 106, the DLD 334 is configured to provide a notification using the HMI 320, where the notification provides that the portable device 106 has not been detected. In some variations, the DLD 334 may also provide the last detected location of the portable device 106, which may be used by the user to track the portable device 106.

[0043] In some variations, the DTM 322 may also be configured to notify the user when the portable device 106 has been left behind. For example, if the vehicle 100 is moving and the location of the portable device 106 that was once detected is no longer detected, or if the location is detected but does not move while the vehicle 100 is moving, the DTM 322 may determine that the portable device 106 is not in the vehicle 100 and may have been left behind.

[0044] In some variations, the DTM 322 is also configured to obtain additional information from the portable device 106 using the FCD 102. In a non-limiting example, the DTM 322 is configured to request the power state of the portable device 106 and, if available, provide the information to the user via the HMI 320. Specifically, the DTM 322 is configured to transmit a power state request message to the portable device 106 via the FCD 102, which provides a power state response message indicating the power state of the portable device 106. In one form, the DTM 322 may provide power state information with the location of the portable device 106.

[0045] Reference Figure 4 , the exemplary device tracking routine 400 is provided and executed by the vehicle system 200 having the DTM 322 of the present disclosure. The routine 400 begins after the vehicle is turned on and provides a PD map 336 in the memory device 324. Details regarding each of the operations were described in detail above and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0046] At operation 402, a communication schedule 338 is generated using the PD mapping diagram 336, where the communication schedule 338 defines a dedicated communication session (DCS) for each portable device (PD) 106. Using the FCD 102, the vehicle system transmits the corresponding DCS to each PD 106 at operation 404 and synchronizes the timer 308 of each PD 106 at operation 406.

[0047] At operation 408, the vehicle system 200 begins tracking the PD 106 by transmitting a location message at operation 410. Specifically, at operation 412, the vehicle system 200 triggers the timer 326 for the communication session, and at operation 410A, the vehicle system 200 causes the SCD 104 to broadcast a location message. At operation 410B, the vehicle system 200 determines whether a response message is received. If no response message is received, the vehicle system 200 obtains the last location of the PD 106 from, for example, the memory device 324 and / or the server 350 at operation 410C and returns to 410A. If a response message is received, at operation 410D, the vehicle system 200 determines the location of the PD 106 providing the response message and stores it in the device location library 340. More specifically, based on the communication schedule 338, only one PD 106 is turned on to detect the location message from the SCD 104. If no response message is received, the PD 106 that should be turned on is identified as not located, and the last known location of the PD 106 is obtained. If a response message is received, the location of the PD 106 is determined using, for example, TOF / AOA and stored.

[0048] To detect each of the PDs 106 according to the communication schedule 338, at operation 414, the vehicle system 200 determines whether the currently specified communication session has passed based on the timer 326. If the DCS has passed, at operation 416, the vehicle system 200 determines whether all the DCSs of the communication schedule 338 have been completed. In a non-limiting example, the vehicle system 200 may have a counter to track the number of completed DCSs and determine whether the number of completed DCSs is consistent with the number of DCSs in the communication schedule 338. Other suitable methods may be used to determine whether each DCS has been completed. For example, a second timer may be used to track the total duration for tracking all the PDs 106.

[0049] If the current DCS has passed (i.e., operation 414: yes), but the communication scheduling is not complete (i.e., operation 416: no), then the vehicle system 200 proceeds to the next specified communication session at operation 417 and triggers timer 326 at operation 412 to proceed to the next specified communication session. Alternatively, if the communication scheduling is complete (i.e., operation 416: yes), then the vehicle system 200 stops the position messaging routine of operation 410, and the vehicle system 200 proceeds to operation 420 to provide a notification regarding the position of PD 106.

[0050] In a non - limiting example, routine 400 may be performed periodically when the vehicle is turned on, when the vehicle is turned off and stationary, and / or when the user requests to locate the portable device 106.

[0051] The device tracking routine 400 may be configured in various suitable ways in accordance with the present disclosure and should not be limited to the examples described herein. In a non - limiting example, instead of waiting until all DCSs are executed, a notification may be provided after the PD 106 is located and / or not detected. In another example, the vehicle system 200 may transmit a power status check to the portable device 106 via FCD 102 before or after operation 408, and may provide information from PD 106 along with the notification at operation 420.

[0052] The vehicle system 200 having DTM 322, FCD 102, and SCD 104 is configured to detect, locate, and track multiple portable devices 106 by employing a communication scheduling that assigns a specified communication session to each portable device. Each portable device 106 that the user desires to track may be located with an accuracy, for example, within the centimeter range, where each portable device 106 is associated with a unique identifier to distinguish it from other devices 106. In addition to the position, the user may also obtain the health / power status of the portable device 106.

[0053] In some variations, when a fleet of vehicles 100 is employed to carry multiple portable devices 106, the user is able to track the portable devices 106 within the fleet and thus locate the portable devices that a technician may require. This can save the technician's time in locating the devices 106.

[0054] Unless expressly indicated otherwise herein, all numerical values indicating mechanical / thermal properties, percentage compositions, dimensions, and / or tolerances or other properties should be understood to be modified by the word "about" or "approximately" when describing the scope of the present disclosure. This modification is desired for various reasons, including: industrial practices; material, manufacturing, and assembly tolerances; and test capabilities.

[0055] In the present application, the terms "controller" and / or "module" may refer to, be part of, or include the following: 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); processor circuits (shared, dedicated, or group) that execute code; memory circuits (shared, dedicated, or group) that store code executed by the processor circuits; other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality; or some or all of the combinations of the above, such as in a system on a chip.

[0056] The term "memory" is a subset of the term "computer-readable medium". As used herein, the term computer-readable medium does not cover transitory electrical or electromagnetic signals propagated through a medium (such as on a carrier wave); thus, the term computer-readable medium can be considered tangible and non-transitory. Non-limiting examples of non-transitory tangible computer-readable media are non-volatile memory circuits (such as flash memory circuits, erasable programmable read-only memory circuits, or mask read-only circuits), volatile memory circuits (such as static random access memory circuits or dynamic random access memory circuits), magnetic storage media (such as analog or digital magnetic tape or hard disk drives), and optical storage media (such as CDs, DVDs, or Blu-ray discs).

[0057] The devices and methods described in the present application can be implemented partially or fully by a special purpose computer created by configuring a general purpose computer to execute one or more specific functions embodied in a computer program. Functional blocks, flowchart components, and other elements described above serve as software specifications that can be translated into a computer program by routine work of a technician or programmer.

[0058] The description of the present disclosure is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the essence of the present disclosure are intended to be within the scope of the present disclosure. Such variations should not be regarded as departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0059] According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle system having: a first communication device configured to communicate using a first wireless communication method; a plurality of second communication devices configured to communicate using a second wireless communication method and disposed at two or more known positions along the vehicle; and a controller configured to: define a communication schedule that identifies a specified communication session for a portable device to communicate via the second wireless communication method, provide data of the specified communication session of the communication schedule for the portable device to communicate via the second wireless communication method to the portable device via the first communication device, and store the position of the portable device in response to detecting the position of the portable device based on a message provided by the plurality of second communication devices at the specified communication session.

[0060] According to an embodiment: the communication schedule defines the specified communication session for each portable device detected by the first communication device, and the plurality of second communication devices are configured to transmit the message at each of the specified communication sessions.

[0061] According to an embodiment, the controller is configured to detect the position of the portable device based on a response message from the portable device received by at least one of the plurality of second communication devices and the position of the at least one of the plurality of second communication devices.

[0062] According to an embodiment, the controller is configured to provide a notification including a previously detected position of the portable device in response to the plurality of second communication devices not receiving a response message from the portable device.

[0063] According to an embodiment, the controller is configured to request the portable device to reduce the power level of the portable device in a message transmitted by the first communication device based on the power level of a response message from the portable device received by at least one of the plurality of second communication devices in the specified communication session.

[0064] According to an embodiment, the communication schedule is defined based on a time-division multiplexing type technique.

[0065] According to an embodiment, the second wireless communication method is an ultra-wideband type communication protocol, and the controller is configured to detect the position of the portable device using time-of-flight message exchange between the portable device and at least one second communication device of the plurality of second communication devices.

[0066] According to an embodiment, the controller is configured to provide a device location interface indicating the location of the portable device.

[0067] According to an embodiment, the controller is configured to provide a power status request message to the portable device via the first communication device and display the power status of the portable device in response to receiving a power status response message from the portable device.

[0068] According to the present invention, a method for locating a portable device by a vehicle (which has a first communication device configured to communicate using a first wireless communication method and a plurality of second communication devices configured to communicate using a second wireless communication method) includes: defining a communication schedule that identifies a designated communication session for the portable device to communicate via the second wireless communication method; providing, via the first communication device, data indicating the designated communication session of the communication schedule for the portable device to communicate via the second wireless communication method; and storing the location of the portable device in response to detecting the location of the portable device based on messages provided by the plurality of second communication devices at the designated communication session.

[0069] In one aspect of the present invention: the communication schedule defines the designated communication session for each of the plurality of portable devices detected by and paired with the first communication device, and the plurality of second communication devices are configured to transmit the messages at each of the designated communication sessions.

[0070] In one aspect of the present invention, the method includes detecting the location of the portable device based on a response message from the portable device received by at least one of the plurality of second communication devices and the location of the at least one of the plurality of second communication devices.

[0071] In one aspect of the present invention, the method includes providing a notification including a previously detected location of the portable device in response to the plurality of second communication devices not receiving a response message from the portable device.

[0072] In one aspect of the present invention, the method includes requesting the portable device to reduce the power level of the portable device in a message transmitted by the first communication device based on the power level of a response message from the portable device received by at least one of the plurality of second communication devices in the designated communication session.

[0073] In one aspect of the present invention, the communication schedule is defined based on time division multiplexing technology.

[0074] In one aspect of the present invention, the second wireless communication method is an ultra-wideband type communication protocol, and the position of the portable device is detected by using time-of-flight message exchange between the portable device and at least one of the plurality of second communication devices.

[0075] In one aspect of the present invention, the method includes: providing a power status request message to the portable device via the first communication device and displaying the power status of the portable device in response to receiving a power status response message from the portable device.

[0076] According to the present invention, a vehicle system is provided, which has: a first communication device configured to communicate using a first wireless communication method; a plurality of second communication devices configured to communicate using a second wireless communication method and disposed at two or more known positions along the vehicle; and a controller configured to: define a communication schedule that identifies a plurality of designated communication sessions of a plurality of portable devices, where each designated communication session indicates when a corresponding portable device communicates via the second wireless communication method; provide data indicating the designated communication session to each portable device via the first communication device; transmit messages at each designated communication session via the plurality of second communication devices; and store the positions of the plurality of portable devices in response to detecting the positions of the portable devices based on the messages provided by the plurality of second communication devices at the plurality of designated communication sessions.

[0077] According to an embodiment, the controller is configured to: detect the position of a corresponding portable device in response to receiving a response message from the corresponding portable device by at least one of the plurality of second communication devices, the position being determined using the position of at least one of the plurality of second communication devices and at least one of time-of-flight or angle-of-arrival, and detect the position as the last detected position of the corresponding portable device in response to the plurality of second communication devices not receiving a response message from the corresponding portable device.

[0078] According to an embodiment, the first wireless communication method is a Bluetooth type communication protocol, and the second wireless communication method is an ultra-wideband type communication protocol.

Claims

1. A vehicle system, comprising: A first communication device configured to communicate using a first wireless communication method; A plurality of second communication devices configured to communicate using a second wireless communication method and disposed at two or more known positions along the vehicle; and A controller configured to: Define a communication schedule that identifies designated communication sessions for a portable device to communicate via the second wireless communication method, Provide, via the first communication device, data of the designated communication sessions of the communication schedule for the portable device to communicate via the second wireless communication method, and Store the position of the portable device in response to detecting the position of the portable device based on messages provided by the plurality of second communication devices at the designated communication sessions.

2. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein: The communication schedule defines the designated communication sessions for each of the plurality of portable devices detected by the first communication device, and The plurality of second communication devices are configured to transmit the messages at each of the designated communication sessions.

3. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to detect the position of the portable device based on a response message from the portable device received by at least one of the plurality of second communication devices and the position of the at least one of the plurality of second communication devices.

4. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to provide a notification including a previously detected position of the portable device in response to the plurality of second communication devices not receiving a response message from the portable device.

5. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to request the portable device to reduce the power level of the portable device in a message transmitted by the first communication device based on the power level of a response message from the portable device received by at least one of the plurality of second communication devices in the designated communication session.

6. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the communication schedule is defined based on a time-division multiplexing technique.

7. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the second wireless communication method is an ultra-wideband communication protocol, and the controller is configured to detect the position of the portable device using time-of-flight message exchange between the portable device and at least one of the plurality of second communication devices.

8. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to provide a device position interface indicating the position of the portable device.

9. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to provide a power status request message to the portable device via the first communication device and display the power status of the portable device in response to receiving a power status response message from the portable device.

10. A method for locating a portable device by a vehicle, the vehicle having a first communication device and a plurality of second communication devices, the first communication device being configured to communicate using a first wireless communication method, the plurality of second communication devices being configured to communicate using a second wireless communication method, the method comprising: defining a communication schedule that identifies a designated communication session for the portable device to communicate via the second wireless communication method; providing, via the first communication device, data of the communication schedule indicating the designated communication session for the portable device to communicate via the second wireless communication method to the portable device; and storing the location of the portable device in response to detecting the location of the portable device based on a message provided by the plurality of second communication devices at the designated communication session.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: the communication schedule defines the designated communication session for each of the plurality of portable devices detected by and paired with the first communication device, and the plurality of second communication devices are configured to transmit the message at each of the designated communication sessions.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising detecting the location of the portable device based on a response message from the portable device received by at least one of the plurality of second communication devices and the location of the at least one of the plurality of second communication devices.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising providing a notification including a previously detected location of the portable device in response to the plurality of second communication devices not receiving a response message from the portable device.

14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising requesting the portable device to reduce the power level of the portable device in a message transmitted by the first communication device based on the power level of a response message from the portable device received by at least one of the plurality of second communication devices in the designated communication session.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the communication schedule is defined based on a time-division multiplexing type technique.

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