Checking the locking of the openings of a motor vehicle
The described method and device enhance vehicle security by alerting owners when their vehicle is not properly locked, utilizing a combination of sensors and communication systems to detect and respond to unlocked and unattended vehicles.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- FR2022010328
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2022-10-10
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-23
- Estimated Expiration
- 2042-10-10
AI Technical Summary
Current motor vehicle access management systems fail to alert owners when vehicle openings are not properly locked, leading to potential theft risks.
A method and device that utilize sensors, cameras, navigation systems, and radiofrequency communication to detect when a vehicle is unlocked, unoccupied, stationary, and without a communication device, triggering an alert message to the owner.
Minimizes the risk of theft by ensuring vehicle owners are alerted when their vehicle is not properly locked, thereby enhancing security and reducing the likelihood of personal belongings being stolen.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: Control of the locking of the openings of a motor vehicle Technical field of the invention
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of motor vehicle access management systems. The invention relates in particular to a method for controlling the locking of a motor vehicle by means of a computer device on board the vehicle. The invention further relates to a computer device implementing such a method as well as to a motor vehicle comprising such a device. The invention applies to motor vehicles such as land motor vehicles, in particular cars. State of the prior art
[0002] It is known that some current motor vehicles are equipped with an access management system that autonomously locks the vehicle's openings. However, when an opening of the vehicle is not closed, or is not properly closed, the access management system cannot lock the vehicle's openings and, consequently, it generally leaves all the vehicle's openings unlocked. However, the owner of a vehicle equipped with such an access management system tends to get used to the autonomous locking of his vehicle so much so that over time he no longer necessarily pays attention to checking that his vehicle has been properly locked. Thus, in the case where an opening of the vehicle has been improperly closed, there is a risk that the owner will not notice it and that his personal belongings inside the vehicle's passenger compartment could be stolen by malicious persons. Summary of the invention
[0003] The invention aims to overcome this problem. The invention aims in particular to provide a method and a device which make it possible to alert the owner of a motor vehicle equipped with an access management system which autonomously manages the locking of the vehicle's openings in the event that his vehicle is not locked because an opening has accidentally been incorrectly closed. By this means, the invention aims to minimize the risk of theft of vehicles and the personal effects which may be found therein.
[0004] In order to achieve these aims, the invention relates, according to a first aspect, to a method for controlling the locking of a motor vehicle by means of a computer device on board the vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: i. determining whether a first condition is met by interacting with first sensors arranged at each of the openings of the vehicle to detect a locked or unlocked state, the first condition being met when it is established that the openings are unlocked; ii. determining whether a second condition is met by interacting with a camera arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, with second sensors arranged at each of the vehicle's seat belts to detect a fastened or unfastened position and / or with third sensors arranged at each of the vehicle's seats to detect the presence of an occupant, the second condition being met when it is established that no occupant is inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle; iii. determine whether a third condition is met by interacting with a vehicle navigation system and / or with an apparatus for measuring the engine speed, vehicle speed and / or acceleration, the third condition being met when it is established that the vehicle is stationary with the engine switched off; iv. determine whether a fourth condition is met by interacting with a vehicle radio frequency signal communication apparatus and / or the navigation system, the fourth condition being met when it is established that a portable communication device is not inside the vehicle passenger compartment; and v. trigger the transmission of an alert message to the communication device by interacting with the radio frequency signal communication apparatus when it is established that the first, second, third and fourth conditions are met.
[0005] According to a variant, the alert message can be transmitted in the form of a DENM type message, an SMS or data formatted so that their reception by the communication device triggers the display of a notification by an application executed on the communication device.
[0006] According to another variant, the communication device may have been previously paired with the radiofrequency signal communication equipment.
[0007] According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a device for controlling the locking of a motor vehicle, the device comprising at least one information processing unit, comprising at least one processor, and a data storage medium configured to implement a method as described above.
[0008] According to a third aspect, the invention relates to a computer program comprising program code instructions for executing the steps of a method as described above when said program is executed by at least one processor.
[0009] According to a fourth aspect, the invention relates to a medium usable in a computer on which a program as described above is recorded.
[0010] According to a fifth aspect, the invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising a device as described above. Brief description of the figures
[0011] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on examining the detailed description below, and the appended drawings, in which:
[0012] [Fig-1] is a diagram of a vehicle according to the invention;
[0013] [Fig.2] is a functional diagram of a device according to the invention; and
[0014] [Fig.3] is a flowchart of the steps of a method according to the invention. Detailed description of the invention
[0015] [Fig.l] illustrates a vehicle 1 according to the invention which carries a device 100 for controlling the locking of a motor vehicle according to the invention described below, which implements the method according to the invention described below. When implementing the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention determines, firstly, whether the openings of the vehicle are unlocked, secondly, whether there are no occupants inside the vehicle, thirdly, whether the vehicle is stopped with the engine off and, fourthly, whether a portable communication device 200 previously paired with the vehicle is not inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle.Finally, if all these conditions are verified, the device 100 according to the invention then proceeds by causing the transmission of an alert message to the portable communication device, in the form of a V2X message, an SMS or formatted data so that their reception by the communication device 200 triggers the display of a notification by an application executed on the communication device 200. The owner of the vehicle is thus advantageously informed in the case where the locking of the openings of the vehicle 1 has not been carried out.
[0016] The device 100 for controlling the locking of a motor vehicle according to the invention which is on board the vehicle 1 according to the invention is illustrated in [Fig. 2]. It is a computer device, which comprises at least one information processing unit 101, comprising one or more processors, a data storage medium 102, on which is recorded in particular a program which comprises program code instructions for executing the steps of the method according to the invention described below, and an input and output interface 103 allowing the reception and transmission of data. According to one embodiment of the invention, the device 100 according to the invention is hosted on one or more computers, electronic control units or other telematic boxes of the vehicle 1. According to the preferred embodiment, that illustrated in [Fig.2], the device 100 according to the invention is hosted on a computer forming an integral part of an access management system of the vehicle 1, which provides an autonomous locking functionality for the vehicle's openings.
[0017] Furthermore, to implement at least one step of the method according to the invention described below, the device 100 according to the invention also comprises hardware and software means for interacting via its input and output interface 103 and by means of a wired communication network of the vehicle (e.g. CAN, Ethernet) - shown in [Fig.l] by the double arrows - with first sensors 10 arranged at each of the openings of the vehicle to detect the locked or unlocked state of each of the openings, with a camera 11 arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, which allows taking pictures of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, with second sensors 12 arranged at each of the seat belts of the vehicle to detect an attached or detached position thereof, with third sensors 13 arranged at each of the seats of the vehicle to detect the presence of an occupant,with a navigation system 14 of the vehicle, with an apparatus 15 for measuring the engine speed, speed and / or acceleration of the vehicle and with an apparatus for communication by radiofrequency signals 16 of the vehicle, which advantageously comprises a Bluetooth module conventionally allowing pairing with a portable communication device 200, for example a smartphone or a connected watch, as well as hardware and software means for being able to transmit data to an intelligent transport system or by means of conventional mobile communication networks and protocols (3 / 4 / 5G; ITS-G5, C / LTE / 5G-V2X). Thanks to these means, the device 100 according to the invention is advantageously able to determine whether the openings of the vehicle 1 are unlocked, if no occupant is inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle 1,if the vehicle 1 is stopped with the engine off and if the communication device 200 is not inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
[0018] According to the invention, all the elements described above contribute to enabling the implementation of a method for controlling the locking of a motor vehicle according to the invention, as described below in connection with Figures 1 and 3.
[0019] According to a first step 301 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention determines whether a first condition is met by interacting with the first sensors 10 arranged at each of the openings of the vehicle to detect a locked or unlocked state of the openings. The device 100 according to the invention determines that the first condition is met when it establishes that the openings of the vehicle are unlocked. Thus, in the case where the openings of the vehicle 1 could not be locked by the access management system of the vehicle 1, in particular when one of the openings has not been closed, or when one of the openings has been inadvertently not closed properly, this first step 301 of the method according to the invention ensures at this stage that the device 100 according to the invention is able to determine this state of affairs. To do this, the first sensors 10 are for example arranged at the door switches or at the locks of the openings and the device 100 according to the invention interacts with them to exploit the signals and / or the data that they generate according to a locked or unlocked state of each of the openings.
[0020] Then, according to a second step 302 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention determines whether a second condition is met by interacting this time with the camera 11 arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, with the second sensors 12 arranged at each of the seat belts of the vehicle to detect an attached or unattached position and / or with the third sensors 13 arranged at each of the seats of the vehicle to detect the presence of an occupant. The device 100 according to the invention determines that the second condition is met when it establishes that no occupant is inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle. In other words, after having determined that the openings of the vehicle are unlocked, the device 100 according to the invention checks at this stage whether no occupant is inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle.In this way, the device 100 according to the invention advantageously prevents the owner of the vehicle from being informed of the unlocked state of the vehicle's openings if an occupant is inside the vehicle, for example in a situation in which a child is waiting on board the vehicle 1 while an opening has been deliberately left open.And to implement this second step 302 of the method, the device 100 according to the invention uses at this stage the signals and / or the data which are generated by the camera 11, which allows the taking of shots of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, by processing for example these shots to determine if an occupant is present in the passenger compartment, by the second sensors 12 arranged at the level of the seat belts, for example switches arranged in the buckles of the belts like those which are used to determine if a seat belt is fastened, and / or with third sensors 13 arranged in the seats of the vehicle, for example pressure sensors which are moreover used in a conventional manner to generate alerts when the driver or a passenger has not fastened his seat belt.
[0021] Then, according to a third step 303 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention determines whether a third condition is fulfilled, by interacting to do this with the vehicle's navigation system 14 and / or with a measuring device 15 for the engine speed, speed and / or acceleration of the vehicle. The device 100 according to the invention determines that the third condition is met when it establishes that the vehicle is stopped with the engine off. In other words, the device 100 according to the invention is concerned at this stage with determining whether the vehicle 1 is stopped. Indeed, it is generally only in this case, when the vehicle is stopped with the engine off, that the access management system will automatically lock the openings of the vehicle 1. Thus, by this third step 303, the device 100 according to the invention checks that the process of automatically locking the openings of the vehicle 1 has probably been implemented by the vehicle's access management system.And to implement this third step 303, the device 100 according to the invention interacts with the navigation system 14, which conventionally makes it possible to know whether the vehicle 1 is moving or stationary, and / or with the measuring equipment 15 of the engine speed, the speed and / or the acceleration of the vehicle.
[0022] Then, according to a fourth step 304 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention determines whether a fourth condition is met, by interacting here with the radiofrequency signal communication equipment of the vehicle 16 and / or the navigation system 14. The device 100 according to the invention determines that the fourth condition is met when it establishes that the portable communication device 200 is not inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle. To implement this fourth step 304, the device 100 according to the invention preferentially interacts with the radiofrequency signal communication equipment 16 to determine whether the Bluetooth module thereof is connected to the communication device 200, the latter having previously been paired with the radiofrequency signal communication equipment 16 of the vehicle.In the case where the communication device 200 is not connected to the Bluetooth module of the radio frequency signal communication equipment 16 of the vehicle, the device 100 according to the invention establishes that the communication device 200 is not inside the vehicle. Alternatively or cumulatively, the device 100 according to the invention uses a geolocation functionality provided by the Bluetooth module of the radio frequency signal communication equipment 16 of the vehicle and it compares the location of the vehicle, which it determines by means of the navigation system 14, and that of the communication device 200. It establishes that the communication device 200 is not inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle when the location of the vehicle and that of the communication device 200 differ.
[0023] Finally, according to a fifth step 305 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention causes a transmission of an alert message to the destination of the communication device 200 by interacting with the radio frequency signal communication equipment 16 of the vehicle when it establishes that the first, second, third and fourth conditions are met. In other words, when the device 100 according to the invention has determined that the openings of the vehicle are unlocked, that no occupant is inside the vehicle, that the vehicle is stopped with the engine off and that the communication device 200 is not inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle, it then proceeds by causing the transmission of an alert message by means of the radio frequency signal communication equipment 16 of the vehicle.Preferably, the alert message is transmitted in the form of a DENM type message, an SMS or formatted data so that their reception by the communication device 200 triggers the display of a notification by an application executed on the communication device. The owner of the vehicle is thus advantageously informed of the fact that the openings of his vehicle are not locked.
[0024] Thus, thanks to the method and the device according to the invention described above, a solution is provided for alerting the owner of a motor vehicle equipped with an access management system which autonomously manages the locking of the vehicle's openings in the event that the vehicle is not locked because an opening is accidentally not properly closed. By this means, the invention minimizes the risk of theft of vehicles and of the personal effects which may be found therein.
Claims
1. Claims Method for controlling the locking of a motor vehicle (1) by means of a computer device (100) on board the vehicle, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: i. determining (301) whether a first condition is met by interacting with first sensors (10) arranged at each of the openings of the vehicle to detect a locked or unlocked state, the first condition being met when it is established that the openings are unlocked; ii. determining (302) whether a second condition is met by interacting with a camera (11) arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, with second sensors (12) arranged at each of the seat belts of the vehicle to detect a fastened or unfastened position and / or with third sensors (13) arranged at each of the seats of the vehicle to detect the presence of an occupant, the second condition being met when it is established that no occupant is inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle; iii. determining (303) whether a third condition is met by interacting with a navigation system (14) of the vehicle and / or with an apparatus for measuring the engine speed, speed and / or acceleration of the vehicle (15), the third condition being met when it is established that the vehicle is stopped with the engine off; iv. determining (304) whether a fourth condition is met by interacting with a radio frequency signal communication apparatus (16) of the vehicle and / or the navigation system (14), the fourth condition being met when it is established that a portable communication apparatus (200) is not located inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle; and v. cause (305) a transmission of an alert message to the communication device (200) by interacting with the radio frequency signal communication equipment (16) when it is established that
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6. the first, second, third and fourth conditions are met, the alert message being transmitted in the form of a DENM type message, an SMS or data formatted so that their reception by the communication device (200) triggers the display of a notification by an application running on the communication device. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the communication device (200) has been previously paired with the radiofrequency signal communication device (16). Device (100) for controlling the locking of a motor vehicle, characterized in that the device comprises at least one information processing unit (101), comprising at least one processor, and a data storage medium (102) configured to implement a method according to any one of the preceding claims. A computer program comprising program code instructions for executing the steps of a method according to any one of claims 1 to 2 when said program is executed by at least one processor. Support usable in a computer, characterized in that a program according to claim 4 is recorded therein. Motor vehicle (1), characterized in that it comprises a device (100) according to claim 3.