Reducing power consumption for a Phone as a Key (Paak) vehicle system

Abstract

Vehicle (100), comprising: a BLE main module (102) for communicating with a mobile device (104) acting as a vehicle key; a plurality of BLE antenna modules (BLE antenna modules - BLEAMS); and a processor (110) for: determining, in response to a threshold period, that the mobile device (104) is within a threshold distance from the BLE main module (102) to a location outside the vehicle (100) for a threshold distance, reducing the power consumption of one or more of the plurality of BLEAMs.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA The present disclosure relates generally to phone-as-a-key (PAAK) systems for a vehicle and in particular to reducing power consumption by the vehicle and the mobile device. GENERAL STATE OF THE ART Phone-as-a-Key (PAAK) technology supports access to functions traditionally associated with a key fob via an app running on a smartphone. The smartphone running the PAAK app communicates with vehicles over a wireless network. However, some communication schemes may involve multiple antennas and systems operating at full power to enable communication. This can quickly drain the vehicle battery and / or the smartphone battery, resulting in a poor user experience. For example, patent application DE 20 2016 105 621 U1 describes a vehicle with a keyless entry and ignition system. In this system, a mobile wireless device, such as a smartphone, is equipped with a software app that allows the smartphone to send a control signal to a receiver in the vehicle. This signal draws power from the vehicle's battery to the vehicle's locking system, effectively waking it up. Upon receiving an unlock command from the smartphone, the vehicle's locks can then be quickly and easily opened. To conserve power, the vehicle's GPS system can communicate with the smartphone's GPS system or exchange GPS data via a server to put the locking system into a sleep or inactive mode when the smartphone is outside the vehicle's detection range. SUMMARY The attached claims define this application. The present disclosure summarizes aspects of embodiments and should not be used to limit the claims. Other implementations are considered in accordance with the techniques described in this document, as will be apparent to the person skilled in the art upon review of the following drawings and detailed description, and these implementations are intended to be within the scope of protection of this application. Exemplary embodiments for reducing power consumption in a PAAK system are shown. An exemplary vehicle disclosed includes a BLE main module for communication with a mobile device that functions as a vehicle key. The vehicle also includes a plurality of BLE antenna modules (BLEAMs) and a processor. The processor serves to determine that the mobile device is within a threshold range of the vehicle for a threshold period and to reduce the power consumption of one or more of the plurality of BLEAMs in response. An exemplary disclosed method for reducing power consumption in a vehicle involves determining, by a vehicle processor, that a mobile device functioning as a vehicle key is located within a threshold area of ​​the vehicle for a threshold period. The method further involves reducing the power consumption of at least one BLE antenna module (BLEAM) of the vehicle in response, wherein the vehicle comprises a BLE main module for communication with the mobile device and a plurality of BLEAMs. Another example may include means of determining that a mobile device acting as a vehicle key is within a vehicle's threshold range for a specified period of time. The example may also include means of reducing the power consumption of at least one of the vehicle's BLE antenna modules (BLEAMs) in response, the vehicle comprising a main BLE module for communication with the mobile device and a plurality of BLEAMs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to embodiments shown in the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, and associated elements may be omitted, or in some cases, proportions may be enlarged to emphasize and clearly illustrate the novel features described in this document. Furthermore, system components may be arranged in various ways, as is known in the prior art. In addition, corresponding parts in the different views of the drawings are identified by the same reference numerals. Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary communication diagram according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of electronic components of the vehicle from Figure 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method according to embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EXECUTIONS Although the invention can be implemented in various forms, some exemplary and non-limiting embodiments are shown in the drawings and are subsequently described in this document, whereby it is understood that the present disclosure is to be regarded as an explanation of the invention by means of examples and is therefore not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated. As previously noted, PAAK technology supports access to functions traditionally associated with a key fob via an app running on a smartphone. The smartphone running the PAAK app communicates with vehicles via a wireless network. In a typical setup, the vehicle and the app can communicate via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The vehicle may have a BLE main module configured to send and receive signals through an antenna connected to the smartphone's antenna. The vehicle may also have one or more BLE antenna modules (BLEAMs) located at various points inside or outside the vehicle. This communication is described in more detail below with reference to Fig. 2. The BLEAMs can enable localization, signal strength sensing and monitoring, and / or other functions that can be used by PAAK systems. However, the BLEAMs can require considerable power when switched on, which means the vehicle's battery can be quickly drained. Thus, in some examples, the BLEAMs are switched off when the smartphone is out of range of the vehicle (i.e., when the car is not connected).(a user is away from the vehicle). When the user approaches the vehicle and establishes a connection with the BLE main module, the BLEAMs are powered on. In scenarios where the user is near the vehicle but doesn't intend to access the PAAK functionality, the BLEAMs may be switched on or remain switched on, potentially draining the battery unnecessarily. One such scenario is when a vehicle is parked in a garage after the user returns home from work. The user's mobile device may be inside the house (within range of the vehicle in the garage), allowing the BLEAMs to remain switched on. However, the user may not intend to use the vehicle until the following morning, meaning the BLEAMs will operate at full power for several hours during which they are not needed. In light of this problem, examples in the present disclosure can reduce the power consumption of a vehicle and / or a mobile device in scenarios where a mobile device acting as a key for the vehicle is within range of the vehicle, such that communication between the vehicle and the mobile device would normally result in high power consumption. If the mobile device remains within range of the vehicle for a threshold period, it can be determined that a user of the mobile device does not wish to access the vehicle (regardless of proximity to the vehicle), and one or more BLEAMs can be switched off or placed in a reduced-power mode.Examples revealed herein may then include one or more triggering events to cause the BLEAMs to be powered up or to return to their powered-up state. Fig. 1 illustrates a vehicle 100 according to an exemplary embodiment. The vehicle 100 can be a standard gasoline-powered vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, or any other type of vehicle with a propulsion system. The vehicle 100 can be non-autonomous, semi-autonomous, or autonomous. The vehicle 100 includes parts related to mobility, such as a powertrain with an engine, a transmission, a suspension, a drive shaft, and / or wheels, etc. In the illustrated example, the vehicle 100 can include a BLE main module 102 for communication with a mobile device 104, such as a smartphone or other device on which a PAAK application can be run. The vehicle 100 can also include a plurality of BLEAMs 106AG and an antenna module 108. The vehicle 100 can further include a processor 110. The BLE module 102, which is described in more detail below, can be configured to communicate with the mobile device 104 via the antenna module 108. The BLE module 102 can also be configured to control multiple BLEAMs 106AG. The multiple BLEAMs 106A-G can be used for one or more purposes, such as establishing and maintaining communication with the mobile device 104, determining the location of the mobile device 104, and determining the signal strength of a connection between one or more BLEAMs and the mobile device 104. In some examples, certain functions of the PAAK app may be available based on the location of the mobile device 104 relative to the vehicle 100. For example, the unlocking function may be available when the mobile device 104 approaches the driver's side door of the vehicle 100. The antenna module 108 can include one or more antennas configured to transmit and receive signals using one or more protocols. For example, the BLE main module 102 can use the antenna module 108 to communicate with the mobile device 104 using BLE signals via the BLE protocol. The BLE protocol is described in Volume 6 of the Bluetooth Specification 4.0 (and later revisions), maintained by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group. The antenna module 108 can be located on top of the vehicle 100 to provide a line of sight over a wider area. Furthermore, the top-mounted arrangement of the vehicle 100 can mitigate signal problems that may arise due to interference from metallic parts of the vehicle 100. The antenna module 108 can also include one or more internal antennas or nodes.The internal antennas can be used to determine whether the mobile device 104 is inside the vehicle 100. In some examples, certain functions of the PAAK app may be available when the mobile device 104 is inside the vehicle 100. For example, the PAAK app can be used to start the engine of the vehicle 100 when the mobile device 104 is inside the vehicle 100. In another example, an internal antenna can be used to determine and store a signal strength between the antenna and the mobile device 104, such as the strength when the vehicle is off. This strength can then be referenced later to determine when the mobile device has returned to the vehicle. In some examples, the internal antennas may use a Personal Area Network protocol (e.g., Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, etc.).In some such examples, the internal wireless antennas are BLE antennas. A Processor 110 (described in more detail below) can be configured to perform one or more of the actions, steps, blocks, or procedures described herein. The Processor 110 can be separate from or integrated into one or more systems of the Vehicle 100. Fig. 2 illustrates a communication diagram 200, which demonstrates an exemplary scenario of establishing communication between the BLE main module 102, the BLEAMs 106AG, and the mobile device 104. This exemplary scenario begins with the mobile device 104 entering an area where it can communicate with the BLE main module 102. In step 202, the BLE main module 202 announces its presence to the mobile device 104. The BLE main module 102 can announce itself continuously, attempting to initiate the process of establishing communication with the mobile device 104. This may involve the BLE main module 102 sending a transmission (sometimes referred to as a "query") to determine whether the mobile device 104 is near the vehicle 100. The BLE main module 102 can thus have a duty cycle and can announce itself at a certain rate, which may increase or decrease based on one or more factors. In step 204, the mobile device 104 can identify and respond to the BLE main module 102. The mobile device 104 can receive the announcement from the BLE main module 102 and determine that it is assigned to a specific vehicle. In this way, the mobile device 104 can only respond to announcements from the BLE main module assigned to the vehicle of the mobile device user (i.e., to prevent, for example, multiple connections being established in a parking lot). Once mobile device 104 responds, a connection is established. At this point, the BLE main module 102 continues communicating with mobile device 104 while also sending announcements in search of other mobile devices. The BLE main module 102 can query the mobile device 104 via the established connection to determine whether the app running on the mobile device 104 is authorized to access the vehicle 100. In some examples, the BLE main module 102 and the mobile device 104 can exchange one or more authorization tokens. Furthermore, in some examples, a password and / or biometric input, such as a fingerprint, may be requested from the user of the mobile device 104 as part of generating the authorization token to be sent to the BLE main module 102. In step 206, the BLE main module 102 can then transmit instructions to one or more BLEAMs to turn on or wake from sleep mode (step 208). The instructions can also include an identifier assigned to the mobile device 104 to distinguish it from other mobile devices. In step 210, the mobile device 104 can announce its presence, and one or more of the BLEAMs 106A-G can receive the announcement signal. In step 212, the BLEAMs can then determine one or more properties associated with the mobile device 104, such as received signal strength indication (RSSI) data and / or received transmission strength (RX) data. In step 214, this data is transmitted to the BLE main module for analysis. Meanwhile, the BLEAMs 106A-G can continue to search for and receive signals from the mobile device 104. This allows the BLE main module 102 to determine when changes occur in the RSSI or RX data, which may indicate that the mobile device has a better line of sight to the vehicle and / or is moving relative to the vehicle 100. Fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary diagram 300 showing the electronic components of the vehicle 100. In the illustrated example, the electronic components 300 include the on-board computing platform 302, the antenna module 108, an on-board communication platform 304, sensors 306, an electronic control unit 308, and a vehicle data bus 350. The onboard computing platform 302 can include a microcontroller unit, a controller, or a processor 110 and a memory 112. The processor 110 can be any suitable processing device or set of processing devices, such as, but not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcontroller-based platform, an integrated circuit, one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). The memory 112 can be volatile memory (e.g., RAM, including non-volatile RAM, magnetic RAM, ferroelectric RAM, etc.), non-volatile memory (e.g., disk memory, FLASH memory, EPROMs, EEPROMs, memristor-based non-volatile solid-state memory, etc.), or immutable memory (e.g.,This refers to EPROMs), read-only memory, and / or high-capacity storage devices (e.g., hard disks, solid-state drives, etc.). In some examples, memory 112 includes several types of memory, in particular volatile and non-volatile memory. The memory 112 can be a computer-readable medium on which one or more sets of instructions, such as the software for executing the methods of this disclosure, can be embedded. The instructions can embody one or more of the methods or logic as described herein. For example, during execution, the instructions may be located wholly or at least partially in any one or more of the memory 112, the computer-readable medium, and / or the processor 110. In some examples, memory 112 can contain a reference value associated with a mobile device. For instance, the reference value could be a signal strength at a time when the vehicle is switched off. The signal strength value can be stored by memory 112 and used later for one or more purposes. The terms “non-transitory computer-readable medium” and “computer-readable medium” include one or more media, such as a centralized or distributed database and / or associated caches and servers, on which one or more sets of instructions are stored. Furthermore, the terms “non-transitory computer-readable medium” and “computer-readable medium” include any tangible medium capable of storing, encrypting, or carrying a set of instructions for execution by a processor, or capable of causing a system to perform any one or more of the methods or operations disclosed herein. As used herein, the term “computer-readable medium” is expressly defined to include any type of computer-readable storage device and / or storage disk and to exclude signal propagation. The antenna module 108 includes antennas to support communication with internal and / or external networks. In the illustrated example, the antenna module 108 includes the BLE main antenna 321, a GPS antenna 322, a cellular antenna 323, a wireless local area network antenna (WLAN antenna) 324, a satellite radio antenna 325, and an antenna 326 for dedicated short range communication (DSRC), or one or more of these antennas. Antenna module 108 can be located on the roof of vehicle 100. Antenna module 108 can include an antenna for radio-based controls installed in vehicle 100. The antenna module 108 can include: an antenna for wireless local area network control (e.g., a wireless local area network based on IEEE 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac or others, etc.), an antenna for a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, an antenna for standards-based control (e.g., cellular control) (e.g., for the Global Mobile Communications System (GSM), the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), WiMAX (IEEE 802.16m), and Wireless Gigabit (IEEE 802.11ad), etc.), a satellite radio antenna, and / or an antenna for dedicated short range communication (DSRC) control, etc. The onboard communication platform 304 can include wired or wireless network interfaces to enable communication with external networks. The onboard communication platform 304 can also include hardware (e.g., processors, memory, storage, etc.) and software to control the wired or wireless network interfaces. In the illustrated example, the onboard communication platform 304 includes a Bluetooth module 331, a BLE module 102, a GPS receiver 332, a DSRC module 336, a WLAN module 334, and a cellular modem 333, all electrically coupled to a corresponding antenna of the antenna module 108. The cellular module 333 can include controllers for standards-based networks (e.g., for the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), WiMAX (IEEE 802.16m), and Wireless Gigabit (IEEE 802.11ad), etc.). The WLAN module 334 can include one or more controllers for wireless local area networks, such as a Wi-Fi® controller (including IEEE 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac or others), a Bluetooth® controller (based on the Bluetooth® Core Specification maintained by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group), and / or a ZigBee® controller (IEEE 802.15.4), and / or a Near Field Communication (NFC) controller, etc.Furthermore, the internal and / or external network(s) may be: public networks, such as the Internet; a private network, such as an intranet; or combinations thereof, and may utilize a variety of network protocols now available or subsequently developed, including, but not limited to, TCP / IP-based network protocols. The onboard communications platform 304 may also include a wired or wireless interface to enable direct communication with an electronic device (such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.). The exemplary DSCR module 336 may include a radio (radios) and software to transmit messages and establish direct links between vehicles. DSCR is a wireless communications protocol or system intended primarily for the transportation sector and operating in the 5.9 GHz frequency range. The sensors 306 can be arranged in and around the vehicle 100 in any suitable manner. In the illustrated example, the sensors 206 include the BLEAMs 106A-G. The BLEAMs 106A-G can be used to establish and maintain communication with the mobile device 104, determine signal strength, and determine the location of the mobile device 104 relative to the vehicle 100. The sensors 306 can also include one or more other sensors, such as one or more touch sensors, proximity sensors, or magnetometers. In some examples, the vehicle 100 can include one or more sensors located on or near the doors and configured to determine when a person has touched the door and / or is attempting to open it. The ECUs 308 can monitor and control subsystems of the vehicle 100. The ECUs 308 communicate and exchange information via the vehicle data bus 350. Furthermore, the ECUs 308 can communicate properties (such as ECU 308 status, sensor readings, control state, fault and diagnostic codes, etc.) to other ECUs 308 and / or receive requests from them. Some vehicles 100 may have seventy or more ECUs 308, arranged at various locations around the vehicle 100 and communicatively coupled via the vehicle data bus 350. The ECUs 308 are discrete sets of electronic components that include their own circuitry (such as integrated circuits, microprocessors, RAM, data storage, etc.) and firmware, sensors, actuators, and / or mounting elements. In the illustrated example, the ECUs 308 include the body control unit 340.The exemplary body control unit 340 controls various subsystems of the vehicle 100. For example, the body control unit 340 can control electric windows, central locking, electric sunroof control, an immobilizer and / or electrically adjustable exterior mirrors, etc. The vehicle data bus 350 can include one or more data buses that communicatively couple the on-board computing platform 302, the on-board communication platform 304, the sensors 306, the ECUs 308, and other devices or systems connected to the vehicle data bus 350. In some examples, the vehicle data bus 350 can be implemented in accordance with the Controller Area Network (CAN) bus protocol as defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 11898-1. Alternatively, in some examples, the vehicle data bus 350 can be a Media-Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) bus or a CAN Flexible Data (CAN FD) bus (ISO 11898-7). Fig. 4 illustrates a flowchart 400 of an exemplary method that can be implemented by the devices, systems, and components described herein. The method 400 can provide reduced energy consumption in a vehicle. The flowcharts in Fig. 4 are representative of machine-readable instructions stored in a memory (such as memory 112) that may contain one or more programs which, when executed by a processor (such as processor 110), can cause the vehicle 100 to perform one or more of the functions described herein. While the exemplary program is described with reference to the flowchart illustrated in Fig. 4, many other methods can alternatively be used to perform the functions described herein.For example, the execution sequence of the blocks can be rearranged, and blocks can be modified, removed, and / or combined to perform Method 400. Furthermore, since Method 400 is disclosed in conjunction with the components shown in Figures 1-3, some functions of these components are not described in detail below. In block 410, procedure 400 may involve searching for a mobile device. And in block 420, procedure 400 may involve establishing communication with the mobile device. In some examples, this may involve a vehicle's BLE main module searching for and establishing communication with a mobile device acting as a vehicle key (i.e., PAAK). Blocks 410 and 420 may be performed in a manner similar to or identical with steps 202 and 204 in Fig. 2. In Block 430, Procedure 400 may involve determining the relative location of the mobile device. In some examples, Block 430 may involve determining that the mobile device is within a threshold distance of the BLE module and / or vehicle, or within a threshold range thereof. The threshold may be, for example, ten meters. In some examples, the threshold may be signal-strength dependent, so determining the location of the mobile device may involve determining that the mobile device is close enough to the BLE main module and / or vehicle to exchange information. In some examples, Procedure 400 may further or alternatively involve determining a more specific location with respect to the BLE main module and / or vehicle. For example, the procedure may involve determining which side of the vehicle the mobile device is located on. If one or more of the BLEAMs on a first side of the vehicle have a stronger connection to the mobile device than one or more BLEAMs on a second side of the vehicle, it may be determined that the mobile device is located on the side with the stronger connection. For Block 440, Procedure 400 may include determining whether the mobile device is within a threshold distance of the vehicle. As mentioned previously, this may involve determining that the mobile device is within ten meters or another threshold. Performing this determination may involve one or more BLEAMs and / or a BLE Main Module receiving a signal from the mobile device and determining RSSI data in response. The RSSI data can then be used to determine a distance between the BLEAMs, the BLE Main Module, and the mobile device. If the mobile device is not within the threshold distance of the vehicle, Procedure 400 may start again from the beginning. If the mobile device is within the threshold distance of the vehicle, Block 450 may include determining whether a threshold time has elapsed. In some examples, the threshold time may be ten minutes. Other threshold periods may also be used. In some examples, the threshold time may be chosen to be long enough to prevent unintentional activation of Block 460 (i.e., to prevent an unwanted reduction in BLEAM power). A threshold time of several minutes may be long enough to prevent an unintentional reduction in power while being short enough to prevent unnecessary power consumption by the BLEAMs when they are not needed. If the threshold time has not elapsed, procedure 400 may involve returning to block 440 to wait and / or ensure that the mobile device is still within the threshold area. Procedure 400 may also include determining that the mobile device is not stationary during the threshold period. This may involve, for example, one or more BLEAMs and / or the BLE main module receiving and determining RSSI or RX values ​​for the mobile device over time. If it is determined that the mobile device is located within a threshold area of ​​the vehicle for a threshold period, Block 460 may involve reducing the power consumption of one or more of the plurality of BLEAMs in response. In some examples, reducing the power consumption may involve: (a) shutting down one or more BLEAMs, (b) placing one or more BLEAMs into a sleep mode, (c) reducing a duty cycle of one or more BLEAMs, (d) shutting down a subset of BLEAMs located on one side of the vehicle (for example, the side opposite the side where the mobile device is located), placing that subset into a sleep mode, or reducing a duty cycle of that subset, or (e) any combination of (a)-(d) performed on some or all of the BLEAMs. Method 400 may further involve transmitting an instruction to the mobile device that is configured to cause the mobile device to reduce power consumption. As described above, communication may be established between the BLE main module, the BLEAMs, and the mobile device. As part of this connection, the mobile device may experience increased power consumption due to the use of BLE antennas, programs running on the phone for BLE communication, or for some other reason. Method 400 may involve sending an instruction to the mobile device that can cause the mobile device to turn off, shut down, enter sleep mode, turn off one or more of its antennas, put the antennas into a dormant state, or otherwise reduce the mobile device's power consumption. In some examples, Procedure 400 may further determine that a user has attempted to access the vehicle and increase the power consumption of one or more of the multiple BLEAMs in response. Determining that the user has attempted to access the vehicle may include determining that the door handle has been or will soon be touched, that the mobile device is in close proximity to the vehicle, or any other indication. Furthermore, increasing the power consumption of the BLEAMs may include starting up the BLEAMs, activating them from a sleep state, changing a duty cycle, or otherwise allowing the BLEAMs to consume more power. In some examples, Method 400 can further determine that an increase in signal strength between the BLE main module and the mobile device has exceeded a threshold increase and involve increasing the power consumption of one or more of the plurality of BLEAMs in response. For example, a signal strength between the BLE main module and the mobile device can be monitored. The signal can be amplified due to one or more factors, such as (a) opening a door between the mobile device and the BLE main module to establish a line of sight, (b) opening the garage door to establish a line of sight, and (c) moving the mobile device from back to front in the house, thereby establishing a line of sight. The signal strength threshold increase can be, for example, a 50% increase. Other thresholds are also possible. Procedure 400 can involve determining a reference signal strength between the BLE main module and the mobile device and, at a later time, using the reference signal strength as a trigger to increase the power consumption of one or more of the plurality of BLEAMs. For example, the reference signal strength can be measured at a time when the vehicle is switched off. In this scenario, the mobile device may be in a driver's pocket or otherwise inside the vehicle, and thus the reference signal strength may be relatively high. Then, at a later time, the driver may move from a great distance toward the vehicle, and the signal strength can be monitored. If the monitored signal strength is equal to, equal to, or within the threshold range of the reference signal strength, this may indicate that the user is again close to the vehicle (e.g.,(is outside the door). The BLEAMs can be turned on, booted up, or activated from sleep mode in response. In this application, the use of disjunction is intended to include conjunction. The use of definite or indefinite articles is not intended to indicate cardinality. In particular, a reference to "the" object or "a" object is intended to denote one from a possible multitude of such objects. Furthermore, the conjunction "or" can be used to represent features that are present simultaneously, rather than mutually exclusive alternatives. In other words, the conjunction "or" should be understood as including "and / or." The expressions "includes," "containing," and "include" are inclusive and each have the same scope as "comprises," "comprising," and "encompassing," respectively. The embodiments described above, and in particular any "preferred" embodiments, are possible exemplary implementations and are presented solely for the purpose of a clear understanding of the principles of the invention. Many variations and modifications can be made to the embodiment(s) described above without substantially departing from the spirit and principles of the techniques described herein. It is intended that all modifications herein are included within the scope of protection of this disclosure and are protected by the following claims.

Claims

Vehicle (100), comprising: a BLE main module (102) for communicating with a mobile device (104) acting as a vehicle key; a plurality of BLE antenna modules (BLE antenna modules - BLEAMS); and a processor (110) for: determining, in response to a threshold period, that the mobile device (104) is within a threshold distance from the BLE main module (102) to a location outside the vehicle (100) for a threshold distance, reducing the power consumption of one or more of the plurality of BLEAMs. Vehicle (100) according to claim 1, wherein the processor (110) further serves to: Determine that the mobile device (104) is not stationary during the threshold period. Vehicle (100) according to claim 1, wherein reducing the power consumption of one or more of the plurality of BLEAMs comprises switching off a subset of the BLEAMs. Vehicle (100) according to claim 1, wherein the processor (110) further serves to: determine a side of the vehicle (100) on which the mobile device (104) is located, wherein reducing the power consumption of one or more of the plurality of BLEAMs includes switching off one or more BLEAMs on a side opposite the determined side of the vehicle (100). Vehicle (100) according to claim 1, wherein reducing the power consumption of one or more of the plurality of BLEAMs comprises reducing a duty cycle of one or more BLEAMs. Vehicle (100) according to claim 1, wherein the processor (110) further serves to: determine that a user of the vehicle (100) has attempted to access the vehicle (100); and increase the power consumption of one or more of the plurality of BLEAMs in response thereto. Vehicle (100) according to claim 1, wherein the processor (110) further serves to: determine that an increase in signal strength between the BLE main module (102) and the mobile device (104) has exceeded a threshold increase; and increase the power consumption of one or more of the plurality of BLEAMs in response thereto. Vehicle (100) according to claim 1, wherein the processor (110) further serves to: determine a reference signal strength between the BLE main module (102) and the mobile device (104) at a time when the vehicle (100) was last operated; determine that a current signal strength is equal to the reference signal strength; and increase the power consumption of one or more of the plurality of BLEAMs in response thereto. A method for reducing vehicle power consumption, comprising: establishing communication between a BLE main module (102) of a vehicle (100) and a mobile device (104) acting as a vehicle key; and in response to a determination by a vehicle processor (110) that the mobile device (104) is within a threshold distance from the BLE main module (102) to a location outside the vehicle (100) for a threshold period, reducing the power consumption of at least one BLE antenna module (BLEAM) of the vehicle (100), wherein the vehicle (100) comprises a BLE main module (102) for communication with the mobile device (104) and a plurality of BLEAMs. Method according to claim 9, further comprising: Determining that the mobile device (104) is not stationary during the threshold period. Method of claim 9, wherein reducing the power consumption of the at least one BLE antenna module (BLE antenna module - BLEAM) of the vehicle (100) comprises switching off all BLEAMs. The method of claim 9, further comprising: determining a side of the vehicle (100) on which the mobile device (104) is located, wherein reducing the power consumption of the at least one BLE antenna module (BLE antenna module - BLEAM) of the vehicle (100) comprises switching off at least one BLEAM on a side opposite the determined side of the vehicle (100). Method according to claim 9, wherein reducing the power consumption of the at least one BLE antenna module (BLE antenna module - BLEAM) of the vehicle (100) comprises reducing one duty cycle of one or more BLEAMs. The method of claim 9, further comprising: determining that an increase in signal strength between the BLE main module (102) and the mobile device (104) has exceeded a threshold increase; and increasing the power consumption of at least one BLE antenna module (BLEAM) of the vehicle (100) in response thereto. The method of claim 9, further comprising: determining a reference signal strength between the BLE main module (102) and the mobile device (104) at a time when the vehicle (100) was last operated; determining that a current signal strength is equal to the reference signal strength; and increasing the power consumption of at least one BLE antenna module (BLEAM) of the vehicle (100) in response thereto.

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