Method for actuating an opening of a motor vehicle

Abstract

A method for actuating an opening of a motor vehicle comprises the steps of: acquiring (27) information of a predetermined movement carried out by a mobile telephone previously associated with the motor vehicle, the predetermined movement having been previously associated with a request to modify the state of the opening; modifying (31) the state of the opening in accordance with the association previously defined with the acquired movement. A system for actuating an opening of a motor vehicle, a mobile telephone and a motor vehicle comprising the system are also described. Figure to be published with the abstract: Fig 2

Description

Title of the invention: Method for actuating an opening of a motor vehicle Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for actuating an opening of a motor vehicle, a computer program product, a system for actuating an opening of a motor vehicle, a mobile telephone associated with the system and a motor vehicle comprising such a system. State of the art

[0002] Nowadays, the opening and closing of vehicle doors are increasingly automated and use advanced technologies. Examples of devices for opening and closing the doors of modern vehicles include: • A mechanical key to insert into the door lock and turn to lock or unlock the door manually. • A remote control to lock or unlock the doors remotely. Many car remote controls have dedicated buttons for this function. • A smart electronic key, also called a contactless key, allows you to lock or unlock doors by simply approaching the door handle when the key is nearby. • A mobile application, i.e. an application running on a mobile phone, allows you to control some modern vehicles. The application allows you to lock / unlock the doors, start the engine remotely, etc. • A PIN code or password to be entered on a keypad integrated, for certain vehicles, into the door or dashboard and allowing the driver to unlock the doors. • A card or badge reader can be used to control vehicle access in the context of company vehicle fleets. • Facial or biometric recognition is fitted to certain high-end cars to enable doors to be opened by identifying the driver. • A central locking system allows you to lock or unlock all the doors at the same time using a button or central control in the car. • A manual lock is also provided to lock or unlock each door manually using a locking mechanism located inside the car.

[0003] The choice of the device depends on the vehicle model and year, as well as the specific options offered by the manufacturer. Modern vehicles tend to use more advanced methods, such as smart electronic keys and mobile applications, to enhance convenience and security. Some of these devices can even be combined. Thus, a vehicle may have a smart electronic key associated with a centralized locking system, as well as a manual lock that can be operated from the inside.

[0004] However, there is a trend towards the elimination of physical objects such as keys or cards and replacing them with a mobile phone application. Thus, the "Car Connectivity Consortium" group is developing standardization and certification programs for connections between mobile phones and motor vehicles, particularly for locking the latter. By dematerializing the vehicle access key, this allows new uses, such as vehicle lending without physical contact between the lender and the recipient.

[0005] However, the ergonomics of these solutions are not always satisfactory in that they require opening an application and performing one or more validation maneuvers.

[0006] There is therefore a real need for a method and a system for actuating an opening of a motor vehicle which resolves all or part of the aforementioned drawbacks. Description of the invention

[0007] To resolve one or more of the drawbacks cited above, according to a first embodiment, a method of actuating an opening of a motor vehicle comprises the steps of: • acquisition of information on a predetermined movement carried out by a mobile telephone previously associated with the motor vehicle, the predetermined movement having been previously associated with a request to modify the state of the opening; • modification of the state of the opening in accordance with the association previously defined with the acquired movement.

[0008] Thus, the user can modify the state, such as unlocking for example, of an opening, such as a door, of his vehicle by making a movement with his mobile telephone.

[0009] Particular characteristics or embodiments, usable alone or in combination, are: • the change of state corresponds to a change between the locked state and the unlocked state, or vice versa, of the opening; • a first predetermined movement corresponds to the passage of the state locked to the unlocked state and a second predetermined movement corresponds to the transition from the unlocked state to the locked state; • the same predetermined movement is associated with the transition from the locked state to the unlocked state and with the transition from the unlocked state to the locked state; and / or • the opening is a door pivoting on an axis and the change of state corresponds to a change in the opening angle of the door, the opening angle being proportional to an amplitude of the movement of the mobile phone.

[0010] In a second embodiment, a computer program product comprises program code instructions for implementing the above method.

[0011] In a third embodiment, a system for actuating an opening of a motor vehicle comprises: • a sensor adapted to be previously associated with a mobile phone and to acquire information from a predetermined movement of the mobile phone; connected to • an actuator adapted to modify the state of the opening in accordance with the acquired predetermined movement, the predetermined movement having been previously associated with a request to modify the state of the opening.

[0012] In a fourth embodiment, a mobile phone is adapted to acquire a predetermined movement of the mobile phone and to be associated with the preceding system to transmit information of the movement to the system.

[0013] In a fifth embodiment, a motor vehicle comprises a system according to the third embodiment. Brief description of the figures

[0014] The invention will be better understood on reading the following description, given solely by way of example, and with reference to the appended figures in which: • [Fig.l] represents a top view of a vehicle comprising a system for actuating an opening according to one embodiment; and • [Fig.2] represents a flowchart of a method of actuating a opening of the motor vehicle of [Fig.l] according to one embodiment. Methods of implementation

[0015] The embodiments presented below refer to a motor vehicle, a car. However, those skilled in the art understand that these are also usable with other types of vehicle such as vans, vans, etc.

[0016] The terms “front”, “rear”, “top”, “bottom”, “transverse” are understood as report to the vehicle.

[0017] By opening a motor vehicle, we mean any type of opening such as door, trunk, hood, rear window panel, fuel flap in particular. In the embodiments presented, the opening is a door pivoting on an axis.

[0018] With reference to [Fig.l], a motor vehicle 1 comprises a system 3 for actuating a door 5 of a motor vehicle.

[0019] The system 3 comprises a sensor 7 adapted to be previously associated with a mobile telephone 9 and to acquire information of a predetermined movement of the mobile telephone 9.

[0020] The system 3 also comprises an actuator 11 connected to the sensor 7.

[0021] The actuator 11 is adapted to modify the state of the opening 5 in accordance with the acquired predetermined movement, the predetermined movement having been previously associated with a request to modify the state of the opening 5.

[0022] In this embodiment, the state corresponds to a locked or unlocked state of the door 5. Thus, the change of state corresponds to a transition from the locked state to the unlocked state or vice versa. Thus, the actuator 11 comprises an electrically controlled lock which is operated according to the information received by the sensor 7.

[0023] The mobile telephone 9 comprises one or more motion sensors 13 connected to transmission means 15.

[0024] The motion sensors are, for example, accelerometers and gyroscopes that make it possible to record a movement in the space of the mobile phone 9. For example, they can record a tilt angle, a specific movement such as a shake or a circular movement, or a sequence of specific movements, an orientation relative to the vertical, a speed of movement, etc.

[0025] The transmission means 15 are adapted to communicate with the sensor 7 to transmit to it information on the movement carried out by the mobile telephone 9 and recorded by the movement sensors 13.

[0026] For example, they may use a secure Bluetooth (registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG) LE (version 5.4) link.

[0027] The system 3 can, for example, be integrated into the vehicle control system 1, as an advanced driver assistance system, commonly called AD AS (for “Advanced driver-assistance Systems” according to English terminology) which makes all driving decisions based on the environment and the programmed destination. The motor vehicle is then referred to as an autonomous motor vehicle. But it can also be a centralized vehicle management system including, or not, driving aids.

[0028] The transfer of data between the different elements is preferably carried out by a CAN (for “Controller Area Network”) or LIN (for “Local Interconnect Network”) type data bus.

[0029] The operation of the system 3 in association with the mobile telephone 9 is as follows, [Fig.2].

[0030] In this configuration, it is assumed that the motorist wants to unlock door 5.

[0031] In a first preliminary step 21, for example at the time of receiving the vehicle 1, it has paired the mobile telephone 9 with the vehicle 1 and more particularly the system 3. To do this, it has for example loaded onto the mobile telephone 9 an application from the manufacturer of the vehicle 1 and has authenticated itself on this application. The latter has, for example, by using the manufacturer's servers, made the link between the motorist and the vehicle 1. The pairing can also be carried out using the Bluetooth pairing protocol.

[0032] In a second preliminary step 23 which can be carried out before or after step 21, the motorist defines in the loaded application a movement of the mobile telephone 9 which he associates with an unlocking of the door 5. In a variant, this association can be carried out using the person-machine interface of the vehicle 1.

[0033] The unlocking operation is then carried out as follows: • The driver carries out, step 25, with the mobile telephone 9, the predetermined movement; • The mobile telephone 9 transmits, step 27, to the sensor 7, information associated with the predetermined movement. This can be a code defining the movement or directly an unlocking request code. The choice of code is linked to the location of the association table between the movement and the change of state; • Upon receipt of the code, the sensor 7 transmits, step 29, an unlocking order to the actuator 11; and • Actuator 11 unlocks, step 31, door 5.

[0034] Each change of state is thus associated with a specific movement. In this embodiment, a first movement is associated with locking and a second movement is associated with unlocking.

[0035] [Fig.l] illustrates a system according to certain embodiments. The breakdown presented has an educational purpose to highlight the different functions. However, it is understood that each block can be implemented using different means or their combinations, such as hardware components, software, one or more computers and / or electronic circuits. Each of the components can include at least one computer or a control-command unit. At least one Memory can be included in each component. Memory can include computer program instructions or software code.

[0036] The computers can be implemented by any type of data processing device, such as a central computing unit, a signal processing processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a programmable gate array, etc. The computers can be implemented as a single controller, or a plurality of controllers or computers.

[0037] The different modules are connected to each other by data links adapted to the environment. These can be wired or wireless.

[0038] For software, the implementation may include modules or units distributed in the form of procedures, functions, etc. The memories may be any type of storage circuit. They may be part of the processor circuit, or separate from it and connected via electrical data links. These may be non-volatile type memories, hard disks, random access memories, flash memories, etc.

[0039] The program product may be downloadable from a communications network and / or recorded on a computer-readable medium. It may be directly executable by a processor or be in the form of a high-level language requiring one or more intermediate operations to be executable.

[0040] Thus the program instructions stored in the memory and processed by the computers can be any type of program code, for example, a compiled or interpreted program written in a suitable programming language.

[0041] The computer program instructions stored in the memory are such that, when executed by the computer, the latter performs one or more of the steps of the methods described above.

[0042] The invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and the preceding description. This should be considered as illustrative and given by way of example and not as limiting the invention to this description alone. Numerous alternative embodiments are possible.

[0043] In a first variant, a single movement is associated with locking and unlocking, the actuator then executes the requested action depending on the initial state of the door 5.

[0044] In a second variant, the change of state corresponds to a request to open or close the door 5. For example, a predetermined movement is associated with a request to open the door 5 and is executed after having executed the movement associated with unlocking the door 5.

[0045] A sub-variant then matches an amplitude of movement to a greater or lesser opening of the door. For example, we define a rotation of the 45° mobile phone as a first movement corresponding to a half opening of door 5 and a 90° rotation of the mobile phone to a complete opening of door 5.

[0046] In a third variant, the security of the system and the method by imposing a complex movement or a sequence of movements. This makes it possible to prevent an involuntary movement from generating a request for a change of state. This can also be supplemented by security measures such as facial recognition or the fingerprint of the motorist.

Claims

Claims

1. Method for actuating an opening of a motor vehicle comprising the steps of: • acquisition (27) of information of a predetermined movement carried out by a mobile telephone previously associated with the motor vehicle, the predetermined movement having been previously associated with a request to modify the state of the opening; • modification (31) of the state of the opening in accordance with the association previously defined with the acquired movement.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the change in state corresponds to a change between the locked state and the unlocked state, or vice versa, of the opening.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a first predetermined movement corresponds to the transition from the locked state to the unlocked state and a second predetermined movement corresponds to the transition from the unlocked state to the locked state.

4. Method according to claim 2, in which the same predetermined movement is associated with the transition from the locked state to the unlocked state and with the transition from the unlocked state to the locked state.

5. Method according to claim 1, in which the opening is a door pivoting on an axis and the change of state corresponds to a change in the opening angle of the door, the opening angle being proportional to an amplitude of the movement of the mobile phone.

6. Computer program product characterized in that it comprises program code instructions for implementing the method according to at least one of claims 1 to 5.

7. System (3) for actuating an opening of a motor vehicle (1) comprising: • a sensor (7) adapted to be previously associated with a mobile telephone (9) and to acquire information of a predetermined movement of the mobile telephone; connected to • an actuator (11) adapted to modify the state of the opening in accordance with the acquired predetermined movement, the predetermined movement having been previously associated with a request to change the status of the opening.

8. Mobile telephone (9) adapted to acquire a predetermined movement of the mobile telephone and to be associated with the system of claim 7 to transmit information of said movement to the system.

9. A motor vehicle comprising a system according to claim 7.

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