Vehicle closure locking system

Abstract

A vehicle control system 10 for locking a closure (11) of a vehicle such as a fuel flap cover or particularly a power charge flap of an electric vehicle, the control system configured to receive a loc

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for locking a closure of a vehicle. Aspects of the invention relate to a control system, a closure assembly, a method, a vehicle, and computer readable instructions. BACKGROUND It is known to provide lockable closures on vehicles to prevent manual opening of the closure. An example of a closure on a battery electric vehicle (BEV) or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a power charge flap (PCF) for covering a charge inlet used to charge a traction battery. The traction battery is typically capable of storing sufficient electrical energy for enabling driving of the vehicle under electrical power. The charge inlet of such vehicles comprises components that conduct a significant amount of electrical current for charging the traction battery. The PCF provides some protection for the charge inlet and associated high voltage components from external elements such as moisture. It is desirable to lock vehicle closures such as the PCF to prevent unintentional or accidental opening of the closure, particularly in wet conditions. However, providing lockable vehicle closures can cause inconvenience for the user since they must perform additional actions for locking and unlocking the closure. It is an aim of the present invention to address one or more of the disadvantages associated with the prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims. According to an aspect there is provided a control system for locking a closure of a vehicle, the control system comprising one or more processors collectively configured to: receive a location signal, indicative of a current location of the vehicle, and in dependence on the location signal, output a lock signal to lock the closure. The one or more processors may be collectively configured to, in dependence on the location signal, determine a proximity of the vehicle to a predetermined location; and in dependence on the determined proximity, output the lock signal to lock the closure. Locking the closure in dependence on the current location prevents accidental or unintended opening of the closure when the vehicle is at a location where it is important for the closure to remain closed. An example is when the vehicle is at a car wash where it is desirable to avoid the riskof a closure becoming open and allowing water ingress. The one or more processors may have an electrical input for receiving the location signal, and an electrical output for outputting the lock signal. The control system may comprise at least one memory device electrically coupled to the one or more processors and having instructions stored therein. The one or more processors may be configured to access the at least one memory device and to execute the instructions therein. Optionally, the vehicle is an electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle and the closure is a power charge flap (PCF) of the vehicle. In embodiments where the closure is a PCF of the vehicle that covers a charge inlet of a vehicle, locking the closure reduces the risk that sensitive electrical components of the charge inlet are exposed at locations where there is a higher risk of damage, e.g. due to water ingress at a car wash location. Optionally, the one or more processors are collectively configured to output the lock signal when the location signal indicates that the current location of the vehicle is within a locking region being within a predefined distance to the predetermined location. Optionally the distance is up to 30 meters, 20 meters, 10 meters, or 5 meters. Outputting the lock signal when the vehicle is within the locking region enables an area to be defined within which the lock signal is output. Furthermore, provision of the locking region allows the lock signal to be output whilst taking account of inaccuracies in the location signal that may erroneously indicate the vehicle being slightly outside of the predetermined location. Optionally, the one or more processors are collectively configured to output the lock signal on determining that the vehicle has entered the locking region. Optionally, the one or more processors are collectively further configured to output an unlock signal to unlock the closure on determining that the vehicle has vacated the locking region. Optionally, the control system collectively comprises a memory device configured to store location data corresponding to the predetermined location, and the one or more processors are collectively configured to access the memory device to obtain the predetermined location. The location data may be geographical co-ordinates defining a geographic point or an area. Optionally, the predetermined location is one of a plurality of predetermined locations (301,302, 303), and the one or more processors are collectively configured to receive mapping data, the mapping data comprising named geographic locations, and the one or more processors are collectively configured to assign named geographic locations having a name matching one or more predetermined keywords as the plurality of predetermined locations. The predetermined locations may relate to services or facilities located at various geographic locations and which change overtime. It is beneficial to utilise mapping data such as that provided by web services such as Google ®, Apple ® or Baidu ® (or others depending on national jurisdiction) which is updated from time to time. The predetermined keyword provides for the predetermined locations to include a set of locations corresponding to a type of service or business, e.g. car washes. The one or more processors may be collectively configured to obtain mapping data via a mobile data connection to a server. The mobile data connection may be a 3G, 4G, or 5G connection. Optionally, the one or more processors are collectively configured to receive route planning information from a vehicle navigation system, and to output the lock signal in dependence on the route planning information. The closure can be pre-emptively locked where route planning information indicates that the vehicle will be at a location in the future where there is a higher risk of accidental opening. Optionally, the one or more processors are collectively configured to: receive a motion signal indicative of the vehicle being stationary or below a threshold velocity, in dependence on the received motion signal and the determined proximity of the vehicle to the predetermined location, output the lock signal. Optionally, the threshold velocity is between 1 and 3 miles per hour inclusive and, for example, may be 3 miles per hour, 2 miles per hour, or 1 mile per hour. The closure can be locked additionally based on the vehicle being in a parked or slow-moving condition, given that locking of the closure may only be necessary when the vehicle is in such conditions e.g. during a cleaning procedure in a car wash. This feature provides for reduced “false positive” locking actions as the vehicle travels through or near predetermined locations without any intention to stop. The signal indicative of the vehicle being stationary or slow optionally comprises a gearing condition such as the vehicle being in a neutral gear. The processors are optionally further collectively configured to output a closure unlock signal when the measured velocity of the vehicle increases above the threshold value. The closure being locked based on a low vehicle speed takes account of inaccuracies in determining whether the vehicle is stationary and for situations where it is desired for the closure to be locked whilst the vehicle is moving at low speed such as through an automated car wash tunnel. The closure may be a passenger door, a powered window, a fuel port cover, a powered tailgate. The closure may be a power actuated closure such as a power actuated PCF, and locking the closure may comprise closing and locking the closure. The closure may be one or both of a pair of PCFs of the vehicle. Optionally, the predetermined location corresponds to a car wash location. Optionally, the lock signal causes one or both of i) disabling activation of a rain sensing wiper of the vehicle and ii) retracting at least one retractable door handle of the vehicle. Optionally, the one or more processors are collectively configured to receive the location signal from a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) module. A control system according to any preceding claim wherein the one or more processors are collectively configured to output a display signal to display on a human-machine interface (HMI) of the vehicle a notification when the closure is locked. The one or more processors may be further collectively configured to provide, on the HMI, a user input for manually unlocking the closure when the closure is locked. According to another aspect there is provided a closure assembly comprising a control system as discussed herein, a closure, and a closure locking mechanism, wherein when the closure is in an unlocked state, the closure is configured to be opened by manually pressing an external surface of the closure , and the control system is configured to lock the closure by actuating the locking mechanism causing the closure to enter a locked state in which the closure cannot be opened. Preventing opening of a “press-open” closure ensures that the closure does not open when an external stimulus such as a high pressure waterjet emitted by a pressure washer contacts the external surface of the closure. According to another aspect there is provided a vehicle comprising the control system as discussed herein. According to another aspect there is provided a method for controlling a control system for locking a closure of a vehicle, the method comprising: receiving a location signal, indicative of a current location of the vehicle, in dependence on the location signal, determining a proximity of the vehicle to a predetermined location; and in dependence on the determined proximity, outputting a lock signal to lock the closure. According to another aspect there are provided computer readable instructions which, when executed by a computer, are arranged to cause the computer to perform a method as discussed herein. Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and / or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and / or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and / or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and / or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a control system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figures 3A and 3B show a schematic representation of a locking region determined by the control system; Figure 4 shows a schematic representation of location data within a geographic region processable by the control system; Figure 5 shows a representation of a display of a Human Machine Interface (HMI) of the vehicle; and Figure 6 shows a flow diagram showing a method in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION An example of a vehicle closure is a power charge flap (PCF) for a PHEV or BEV vehicle. Generally, it is not necessary to lock vehicle closures such as the PCF whilst the vehicle is in motion because there is little risk of the closure being opened inappropriately. However, there are situations when it is suitable for vehicle closures such as the PCF to be locked based on the location and possibly the condition (e.g. velocity) of the vehicle. One such location is a car wash where the vehicle is intended to be cleaned with pressurised jets of water and / or automated brushes that apply pressure to external surfaces of the vehicle. There is a risk that any applied pressure causes the closure to be unintentionally opened leading to water ingress into components normally covered by the closure such as a high voltage charging inlet. The invention described herein provides for the closure to be automatically locked when the vehicle is identified as being at a location such as a car wash thereby preventing unintentional opening of the closure and negating any requirement for the user to take positive action to lock the closure. The invention is not limited to locking the PCF, but any other vehicle closure such as a fuel flap cover or door which cover vehicle compartments that should remain dry inside. The term “closure” as used herein may be also taken to refer to doors comprising door handles that when locked are retracted from an open accessible position to a closed inaccessible position so as to have an outer surface that is flush with the external body surface of the vehicle. With reference to Figure 1, there is illustrated a control system 100 for a vehicle. The control system 100 comprises one or more controller 110. The control system 110 is configured to receive a location signal 101 and to determine a proximity of the vehicle to a predetermined location. In dependence on the determined proximity, the control system 110 outputs a lock signal 102 to lock a closure of the vehicle. The control system 110 may be further configured to receive a motion signal 103 indicative of the velocity of the vehicle and to output the lock signal additionally in dependence on the received motion signal 103. The control system 100 as illustrated in Figure 1 comprises one controller 110, although it will be appreciated that this is merely illustrative. The controller 110 comprises processing means 103 and memory means 104. The processing means 103 may be one or more electronic processing device 103 which operably executes computer-readable instructions. The memory means 104 may be one or more memory device 104. The memory means 104 is electrically coupled to the processing means 103. The memory means 104 is configured to store instructions 105, and the processing means 103 is configured to access the memory means 104 and execute the instructions stored thereon. The controller 110 comprises an input means 106 and an output means 107. The input means 106 may comprise an electrical input 106 of the controller 110. The output means 107 may comprise an electrical output 107 of the controller 110. The input 106 is arranged to receive the location signal 101 and optionally the motion signal 103. The output 107 is arranged to output the lock signal 102 for locking the closure. In some embodiments the lock signal causes locking of the closure, and in other embodiments, the lock signal causes generation of an electronic prompt, possible via a human machine interface of the vehicle, for a user to manually lock the closure. Figure 2 illustrates a vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle 10 comprises a control system 100 as illustrated in Figure 1. A closure 11 is shown as integrated in the bodywork of the vehicle, although in alternative embodiments the closure 11 may not be integrated in the bodywork (not shown). The closure 11 may be a “push-to-open” type closure configured to be opened by manually pressing an external surface of the closure (push to open functionality). The closure 11 may be a power charge flap (PCF) that can be moved between a closed position for covering a charge inlet and an open position for exposing the charge inlet sufficiently for connection to an external charging connector. The invention is not limited to the closure being a power charge flap. Alternatively, the closure is a door (powered or unpowered), window, fuel filler flap, or any other vehicle covering that can be opened and closed. As used herein, the term “lock” may refer to the closure being prevented from being manually opened e.g., by actuating a locking bolt or locking mechanism to physically prevent opening of the closure, and / or disabling an external button or switch on the vehicle that causes electrically powered opening of a closure such as a power actuated power charge flap or powered tailgate. The term “lock” may further refer to both closing and locking a power actuated closure. Where the closure 11 is a “push-to-open” type closure, the term “lock” may refer to disabling push to open functionality and the term “unlock” may refer to enabling push to open functionality. The control system 100 comprises one or more processors collectively configured to output a lock signal to lock the closure 11. The control system 10 may be considered to be a battery management control module (BMCM). The closure may be lockable in the closed position by an electrically actuatable locking mechanism (not shown) which is activated when the control system 10 outputs the lock signal. The closure 11 may be a plurality of closures, that is to say that the lock signal 102 may cause simultaneous locking of multiple closures. In an exemplary embodiment, the lock signal causes locking of one closure 11 being a PCF, and additionally another closure (not shown) being a vehicle door that is locked by retraction of door handles. The one or more processors of the control system 100 are collectively configured to receive a location signal, indicative of a current location of the vehicle 10. The location signal may be provided by a telematic control unit module 12 (TCU) which is configured to determine a current location of the vehicle based on connection to a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) such as GPS, Galileo, GLONASS etc. and / or a Wi-Fi positioning system. The one or more processors of the control system 100 may also be collectively configured to receive a motion signal 103 from a speed sensor module 13, which will be discussed in more detail below. The one or more processors of the control system 100 are collectively configured to determine a proximity of the vehicle to a predetermined location. The control system 100 outputs a lock signal to lock the closure 11 in dependence on the determined proximity. In this manner, the closure 11 is automatically locked when the vehicle 10 is within a particular geographic region. With reference to Figs. 3A and 3B, the one or more processors may be collectively configured to output the lock signal when the location signal indicates that the current location of the vehicle 10 is within a locking region 201 being within a predefined distance 203 to the predetermined location 202. The predefined distance 203 may be up to 30 meters, 20 meters, 10 meters, or 5 meters. The predefined distance is selected to ensure that the closure is locked when the vehicle is within a geographic area at least roughly corresponding to a zone in which the vehicle could be subject to external events that risk unintentionally opening the closure such as being jet washed. For example, the predetermined location 202 may correspond to a car wash, yet the precise dimensions of the car wash may be unknown, or it may be unknown where exactly the vehicle will be positioned during jet washing. Furthermore, the location signal may provide an indication of the current location of the vehicle with limited accuracy and setting a predefined distance 203 ensures that any inaccuracies are taken into account to reduce the risk of the closure not being locked in the vicinity of the predetermined location 202. Fig. 3A indicates the vehicle 10 being outside of the locking region 201 and hence the closure has not been locked by the locking signal. It would be appreciated that the closure could have been locked manually or via another vehicle control system. When the vehicle 10 is outside of the locking region 203, the user can easily open the closure such as by pulling or pressing on the closure surface to actuate an opening mechanism of the closure. Where the closure is a PCF, the user can open the closure for accessing a charge inlet that is covered by the closure when the closure is closed. When the vehicle is inside of the locking region 201 as shown in Fig. 3B, the lock signal has been output to lock the closure. Therefore, the closure cannot be opened manually by the user unless the user takes a positive action to manually unlock the closure. Where the predetermined location 202 corresponds to a car wash location it is advantageous that the closure cannot be unintentionally opened e.g., due to the impact of a jet of water from a pressure washer or other car wash apparatus. The predetermined location 202 could correspond to other locations where it is desirable to avoid accidental opening of the closure 11 such as regions where there is an increased risk of tampering of the vehicle 10 by unauthorised persons or off-road where there is a risk of animals or natural features coming into contact with the closure. With continued reference to Figs. 3A and 3B, the one or more processors may be collectively configured to output the lock signal 102 on determining that the vehicle 10 has entered the locking region such as at the time when the vehicle 10 crosses the boundary of the locking region 201. The one or more processors may further be collectively configured to output an unlock signal to unlock the closure 11 on determining that the vehicle 10 has vacated the locking region 201. Therefore, the vehicle closure 11 is ensured to be locked when the vehicle 10 is within the locking region 201 and is unlocked when the vehicle 10 is outside of the locking region 201. The locking and unlocking of the closure 11 signal based on the lock and unlock signal described herein may control a default condition of the closure 11 and the control system may be configured to enable user-input for manually unlocking or manually locking the closure irrespective of the location of the vehicle 10. The lock and unlock signal as described herein maximises the likelihood that the closure is appropriately locked or unlocked depending on the location of the vehicle 10. As will be discussed in more detail below, the lock signal 101 may be output additionally depending on vehicle motion in which case the lock signal 101 is not necessarily output at the time when the vehicle crosses into the locking region 201, but could rather be output at the time during / after the vehicle has crossed into the locking region 201 and when the vehicle satisfies a vehicle motion criteria. The control system may be configured to output the unlock signal when either the vehicle vacates the locking region 201 and / or at a time when the vehicle motion criteria is not fulfilled. With additional reference to Fig. 4, any memory device of the control system may be configured to store location data corresponding to the predetermined location 202 and possibly multiple different predetermined locations 301,302, 303 within a geographic region 300. The one or more processors are further collectively configured to access the memory device to obtain the predetermined location or locations 301,302, 303. The one or more processors may be collectively configured to receive mapping data comprising named geographic locations. Examples include mapping data provided by services such as Google ®, Apple ®. and Baidu ®. The control system may be configured to utilise different sources of mapping data depending on the geographical area or national territory within which the vehicle is located. The mapping data comprises real named geographic locations corresponding to the real-world locations of different facilities, shops service etc. One purpose of such mapping information is to enable users to navigate to geographic locations. The control system may be configured to assign named geographic locations having a name matching one or more predetermined keywords as a plurality of predetermined locations. For example, the control system may recognise predetermined keywords or phrases in the named geographic locations such as “car wash”, “valet”, “jet wash”, “detailing”, and accordingly assign such locations as the predetermined locations. The predetermined keywords or phrases may be stored in memory 104 of the control system 100 and are optionally user configurable. When the current location of the vehicle is determined to be proximate to any of the named geographic locations in the real world, the lock signal 102 is output to lock the closure 11. The predetermined keywords or phrases can be configured so as to relate to particular types of locations, such as car wash locations where the vehicle will likely be subjected to high pressure jets of water. An advantage of utilising such mapping data is to reduce memory storage and processing requirements on-board the vehicle. The mapping data can be obtained via a data connection to a server over the internet such as via a Wi-Fi ®, 3G, 4G, or 5G wireless connection. Such data may be obtained via the telematic control unit 102 as discussed above with respect to Fig. 1. The data defining the predetermined locations for a wide geographic area (or even globally) can therefore be remotely stored and kept up to date offboard the vehicle. With reference back to Figs. 1 and 2, the one or more processors may be collectively configured to receive a motion signal 103 indicative of the velocity of the vehicle 10. The motion signal may be received from a speed sensor module 13 for measuring wheel speed or may be derived from the rate of change of location of the vehicle as determined from the location signal. In some embodiments, the velocity of the vehicle is derived from the rate of change of location of the vehicle 10, in which case the motion signal and the location signal may be considered to be the same signal. The one or more processors may be collectively configured to output the lock signal 102 additionally in dependence on the received motion signal 103 indicating that the vehicle 10 is stationary or below a threshold velocity. The threshold velocity may be 3 miles per hour (or 5 kilometres per hour), 2 miles per hour (or 3 kilometres per hour), or 1 mile per hour (or 1.5 kilometres per hour). Taking account of the velocity of the vehicle reduces false positive locking of the closure when unnecessary, such as when the vehicle 10 travels within the vicinity of a predetermined location without any intention of stopping. Furthermore, the vehicle 10 may only be subject to external events heightening the risk of unintentional opening of the closure 11 when (or close to) stationary. For example, where the predetermined location is a car wash, there is a heightened risk of the closure being unintentionally opened when the vehicle 10 is stationary given that normally the vehicle will be parked before being subjected to any high-pressure jet wash. There may also be a heightened risk of the closure being unintentionally opened when the vehicle 10 is travelling below a threshold velocity, such as when the vehicle is being pulled through an automated car wash tunnel and subjected to automated brushes or jet wash. The control system may be configured to unlock the closure when the vehicle velocity becomes positive or increases above the threshold velocity, even if the vehicle remains within the locking region. The control system may be configured to unlock the closure when the first of the vehicle 10 vacating the locking region or increasing above the threshold velocity threshold / moving off from stationary occurs. The control system 100 may be configured to control additional functions of the vehicle 10 in dependence on the location signal 101, and optionally additionally dependent on the motion signal 103. The control system 100 may control additional functions via output of the lock signal 102 or by outputting additional signals to different systems of the vehicle 10 (not shown). The control system 100 may be configured to disable a rainsensing wiper function on outputting the lock signal. Therefore, the windscreen wiper of the vehicle 10 is prevented from automatically initiating in locations where it is known that the wiper is not required but is at risk of being initiated such as during a car wash. The control system 100 may be configured to retract retractable door handles on outputting the lock signal. Therefore, the door handles are not manually actuatable. For example, where the predetermined location is a car wash, it may be desirable to retract door handles during washing by high pressure waterjets to prevent the risk of the door handle being actuated causing opening of a door or other closure. Furthermore, there is decreased risk of damage to components behind the door handles by any waterjet. With reference to Fig. 5, there is a human-machine interface (HMI) 400 which is optionally part of the vehicle 10. The human-machine interface 400 may be a touch screen accessible to a user of the vehicle. The control system 100 may be configured to output a display signal to display on the HMI a notification 401 on the HMI when the closure 11 has been locked. The notification 401 may overlay any visual features that are currently being displayed by the HMI to ensure that the notification 401 is observed by a user. The notification 401 may comprise a visual object indicating that the closure 11 has been locked. The notification 401 may further provide for a user input such as indicating a region of the touch screen for manually disabling locking of the closure 11. Therefore, the user is made aware that the closure is locked and can quickly and easily override the system by unlocking the closure. The control system may be configured to remove the notification 401 once any conditions are satisfied for unlocking the closure 11. Figure 6 illustrates a method 500 according to an embodiment of the invention. The method 500 is a method for controlling a control system for locking a closure 11 of a vehicle 10, such as the vehicle 100 illustrated in Figure 1. The method 500 may be performed by the control system 100 illustrated in Figure 1. In particular, the memory 104 may comprise computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the processor 103, cause the processor 103 to perform the method 500. At step 501, the control system initiates the method at the beginning of a drive-cycle of the vehicle 100. At step 502, the control system determines whether the closure 11 is locked . If the closure is unlocked, then at step 503 the control system obtains a location of the vehicle. At step 504 the control system determines if the location of the vehicle 10 is within a predefined distance to a predetermined location, being a locking region. The control system 100 may obtain the location of the vehicle 10 from a location sensor on board the vehicle such as a GNSS receiver. If the vehicle 10 is within the locking region, then the control system 100 moves on to the next step 505. If the vehicle 10 is not within the locking region, then the control system 100 returns to step 502. At step 505, the vehicle 10 obtains a motion signal indicative of the vehicle being stationary or below a threshold velocity. The motion signal may be obtained from a velocity sensor of the vehicle and / or be a component of the location signal. At step 506, the control system determines whether the vehicle is stationary or below the threshold velocity. If the vehicle is not stationary or below the threshold velocity, the control system returns to step 502. Alternatively, the control system returns to step 505 (not shown). Steps 503 and 504 could be swapped with steps 505 and 506. The control system may determine if the vehicle 10 is within the locking region and if the vehicle is stationary or below the threshold velocity in any order or in parallel. If the vehicle is stationary or below the threshold velocity, at step 507 the control system 100 outputs a lock signal to lock the closure 11. The control system 100 subsequently moves to steps 508 and 509 for determining when to unlock the closure. At step 508, the control system determines whether the vehicle is outside of the locking region. At step 509, the control system determined whether the vehicle is stationary or below the threshold velocity. During step 510, the control system determines that the vehicle is outside of the locking region and / or the vehicle is stationary or below the threshold velocity and if either / both conditions are not satisfied then the control system unlocks the closure 11 in step 511 and moves to step 502. Steps 508 and 509 may be undertaken in either order in series (not shown) or in parallel to one another (as shown). The method may comprise additional steps 512, 513, and 514 which will be described as follows. After the vehicle closure 11 has been locked during step 507, the control system may output a display signal to an HMI of the vehicle during step 512 indicative of the closure being locked. During step 513, the HMI provides an input available to the user for manually unlocking the closure 11 and awaits response from the user. If the user inputs an instruction to manually unlock the closure via the HMI, then the control system unlocks the closure at step 514 and ends the method. In this way, the user can provide an override signal which overrides the lock signal provided by the control system 100 to lock the closure 11. The method recommences from step 501 at the start of the next drive-cycle of the vehicle. Alternatively, the control system may be configured to receive a user input instructing the method to recommence from step 501. Referring back to Fig. 1 it is to be understood that the or each controller 110 can comprise a control unit or computational device having one or more electronic processors (for example, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.), and may comprise a single control unit or computational device, or alternatively different functions of the or each controller 110 may be embodied in, or hosted in, different control units or computational devices. As used herein, the term “controller,” “control unit,” or “computational device” will be understood to include a single controller, control unit, or computational device, and a plurality of controllers, control units, or computational devices collectively operating to provide the required control functionality. A set of instructions could be provided which, when executed, cause the controller 110 to implement the control techniques described herein (including some or all of the functionality required for the method described herein). The set of instructions could be embedded in said one or more electronic processors of the controller 110; or alternatively, the set of instructions could be provided as software to be executed in the controller 110. A first controller or control unit may be implemented in software run on one or more processors. One or more other controllers or control units may be implemented in software run on one or more processors, optionally the same one or more processors as the first controller or control unit. The, or each, electronic processor 103 may comprise any suitable electronic processor (for example, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, an ASIC, etc.) that is configured to execute electronic instructions. The, or each, electronic memory device 104 may comprise any suitable memory device and may store a variety of data, information, threshold value(s), lookup tables or other data structures, and / or instructions therein or thereon. In an embodiment, the memory device 104 has information and instructions for software, firmware, programs, algorithms, scripts, applications, etc. stored therein or thereon that may govern all or part of the methodology described herein. The processor, or each, electronic processor 103 may access the memory device 104 and execute and / or use that or those instructions and information to carry out or perform some or all of the functionality and methodology describe herein. The at least one memory device 104 may comprise a computer-readable storage medium (for example a non-transitory or non-transient storage medium) that may comprise any mechanism for storing information in a form readable by a machine or electronic processors / computational devices, including, without limitation: a magnetic storage medium (for example floppy diskette); optical storage medium (for example CD-ROM); magneto optical storage medium; read only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); erasable programmable memory (for example EPROM ad EEPROM); flash memory; or electrical or other types of medium for storing such information / instructions. Example controllers 110 have been described comprising at least one electronic processor 103 configured to execute electronic instructions stored within at least one memory device 104, which when executed causes the electronic processors) 103 to carry out the method as hereinbefore described. However, it is contemplated 5 that the present invention is not limited to being implemented by way of programmable processing devices, and that at least some of, and in some embodiments all of, the functionality and or method steps of the present invention may equally be implemented by way of non-programmable hardware, such as by way of nonprogrammable ASIC, Boolean logic circuitry, etc. 10 It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A control system for locking a closure of a vehicle, the control system comprising one or more processors collectively configured to:receive a location signal, indicative of a current location of the vehicle,in dependence on the location signal, determine a proximity of the vehicle to a predetermined location; andin dependence on the determined proximity, output a lock signal to lock the closure.

2. A control system according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle is an electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle and the closure is a power charge flap (PCF) of the vehicle.

3. A control system according to any preceding claim wherein the one or more processors are collectively configured to output the lock signal when the location signal indicates that the current location of the vehicle is within a locking region being within a predefined distance to the predetermined location.

4. A control system according to claim 3 wherein the one or more processors are collectively configured to output the lock signal on determining that the vehicle has entered the locking region.

5. A control system according to claim 3 or claim 4 wherein the one or more processors are collectively further configured to output an unlock signal to unlock the closure on determining that the vehicle has vacated the locking region.

6. A control system according to any preceding claim wherein the control system comprises a memory device configured to store location data corresponding to the predetermined location;and wherein the one or more processors are collectively configured to access the memory device to obtain the predetermined location.

7. A control system according to any preceding claim wherein the predetermined location is one of a plurality of predetermined locations, and wherein one or more processors are collectively configured to receive mapping data, the mapping data comprising named geographic locations, and the one or more processors are collectively configured to assign named geographic locations having a name matching one or more predetermined keywords as the plurality of predetermined locations.

8. A control system according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more processors are collectively configured to:receive a motion signal indicative of the vehicle being stationary or below a threshold velocity, in dependence on the received motion signal and the determined proximity of the vehicle to the predetermined location, output the lock signal.

9. A control system according to any preceding claim wherein the predetermined location corresponds to a car wash location.

10. A control system according to any preceding claim wherein the lock signal causes one or both of i) disabling activation of a rain sensing wiper of the vehicle and ii) retracting at least one retractable door handle of the vehicle.

11. A control system according to any preceding claim wherein the one or more processors are collectively configured to output a display signal to display on a human-machine interface (HMI) of the vehicle a notification when the closure is locked.

12. A closure assembly comprising a control system according to any preceding claim, a closure, and a closure locking mechanism,wherein when the closure is in an unlocked state, the closure is configured to be opened by manually pressing an external surface of the closure, andthe control system is configured to lock the closure by actuating the locking mechanism causing the closure to enter a locked state in which the closure cannot be opened.

13. A vehicle comprising the control system according to any of claims 1 to 11 or a closure assembly according to claim 12.

14. A method for controlling a control system for locking a closure of a vehicle, the method comprising: receiving a location signal, indicative of a current location of the vehicle,in dependence on the location signal, determining a proximity of the vehicle to a predetermined location; andin dependence on the determined proximity, outputting a lock signal to lock the closure.

15. Computer readable instructions which, when executed by a computer, are arranged to cause the computer to perform a method according to claim 14.15

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