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US-12617373-B2 - Initiating UWB communication between vehicle system and portable identifier

US12617373B2US 12617373 B2US12617373 B2US 12617373B2US-12617373-B2

Abstract

A method for using a vehicle system that has stored a portable identifier is proposed. The system and the identifier are configured to communicate using a UWB communication protocol within a first perimeter around the vehicle and to communicate using a BLE communication protocol within a second perimeter that includes the first perimeter. The method comprises, while a user carrying the identifier is approaching the vehicle, detecting that the identifier is located within the second perimeter and performing two distance measurements between the user and the vehicle. The method then comprises determining a speed of the user and predicting a time remaining for the user to reach a predetermined near distance from the vehicle. After the predicted remaining time has elapsed, the method comprises initiating a communication using the UWB communication protocol. The method provides for improved use of the portable identifier.

Inventors

  • Herve Farine

Assignees

  • VALEO COMFORT AND DRIVING ASSISTANCE

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20240814

Claims (9)

  1. 1 . A method for using a vehicle system that has stored a portable identifier, the portable identifier comprising an electrical energy source, the vehicle system and the portable identifier being configured to communicate using an Ultra-WideBand (UWB) communication protocol within a first perimeter around a vehicle and to communicate using a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication protocol within a second perimeter around the vehicle, the second perimeter including the first perimeter, the method comprising, while a user carrying the portable identifier is approaching the vehicle: detecting that the portable identifier is located within the second perimeter; performing, after the detection and before the user reaches the first perimeter, a first and a second distance measurement between the user and the vehicle using the BLE communication protocol, the second measurement being performed after the first measurement; determining a speed of the user on a basis of the first and second distance measurements; predicting a time remaining for the user to reach a predetermined near distance from the vehicle on the basis of the determined speed; and initiating a communication using the UWB communication protocol after the predicted remaining time has elapsed.
  2. 2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the prediction comprises: calculating a remaining distance between the distance measured by the second measurement and the predetermined near distance; and calculating the remaining time corresponding to the time for the user to cover the remaining distance taking into account the determined speed.
  3. 3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises, after the user leaves the vehicle: detecting that the portable identifier is leaving a predetermined security perimeter around the vehicle, the first perimeter including the predetermined security perimeter; suspending the communication using the UWB communication protocol; monitoring RSSI measurements pertaining to successive BLE exchanges performed after the communication using the UWB communication protocol has been stopped; and resuming the communication using the UWB communication protocol when the monitoring indicates that the user is returning to the vehicle.
  4. 4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the monitoring indicates that the user is returning to the vehicle when one or more of the RSSI measurements pertaining to successive BLE exchanges are greater than one or more RSSI measurements pertaining to previous BLE exchanges.
  5. 5 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the monitored successive BLE exchanges comprise all BLE exchanges between the system and the portable identifier.
  6. 6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the portable identifier comprises a microcontroller, a BLE component and a UWB component, the initiation of the communication comprising the microcontroller sending a wake-up signal to the UWB component, the BLE component being integrated in the microcontroller.
  7. 7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical energy source is a cell, a button cell and/or having a diameter of less than 25 millimetres and/or a height of less than 8 millimetres, for example less than 6 millimetres.
  8. 8 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for a portable identifier and/or vehicle system comprising instructions that, when the program is executed by a processor, cause the processor to carry out the method according to claim 1 .
  9. 9 . A portable identifier and/or vehicle system comprising the computer-readable storage medium according to claim 8 , the portable identifier and/or the system being configured to carry out a method for using the vehicle system that has stored the portable identifier, the portable identifier comprising an electrical energy source, the vehicle system and the portable identifier being configured to communicate using an Ultra-WideBand (UWB) communication protocol within a first perimeter around a vehicle and to communicate using a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication protocol within a second perimeter around the vehicle, the second perimeter including the first perimeter, the method comprising, while a user carrying the portable identifier is approaching the vehicle: detecting that the portable identifier is located within the second perimeter; performing, after the detection and before the user reaches the first perimeter, a first and a second distance measurement between the user and the vehicle using the BLE communication protocol, the second measurement being performed after the first measurement; determining a speed of the user on a basis of the first and second distance measurements; predicting a time remaining for the user to reach a predetermined near distance from the vehicle on the basis of the determined speed; and initiating a communication using the UWB communication protocol after the predicted remaining time has elapsed.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a method for using a vehicle system that has stored a portable identifier, a computer program for such a system and/or such a portable identifier, a storage medium for such a program, a portable identifier and a vehicle system. TECHNICAL BACKGROUND Today, there are vehicles equipped with systems that have stored one or more portable identifiers. These portable identifiers may be portable devices such as key fobs or smartphones. Each identifier comprises an electrical energy source (for example a cell) that allows it to be portable. Such systems allow the vehicle to perform functions, for example opening the doors and/or starting the vehicle, on the basis of the location of the one or more portable identifiers. To perform these functions, each portable identifier may be configured to use one or more communication protocols to communicate with the system. For example, the portable identifier and the system may be configured to communicate using a UWB (Ultra-WideBand) communication protocol and a BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication protocol. However, using these one or more communication protocols reduces the life of the portable identifier's electrical energy source. In particular, BLE communication is used to ensure that the portable identifier is well away from the vehicle before a UWB communication is initiated. For this purpose, in existing solutions, BLE exchanges are performed between the system and the portable identifier while the user is approaching the vehicle. However, these BLE exchanges use up the life of the electrical energy source. There is therefore a need to improve the use of such a system that has stored such a portable identifier. SUMMARY For this purpose, a method for using a vehicle system that has stored a portable identifier is proposed. The identifier comprises an electrical energy source. The system and the identifier are configured to communicate using a UWB communication protocol within a first perimeter around the vehicle and to communicate using a BLE communication protocol within a second perimeter around the vehicle. The second perimeter includes the first perimeter. The method comprises, while a user carrying the identifier is approaching the vehicle, the following five steps. The first step is detecting that the identifier is located within the second perimeter. The second step is performed after the detection and before the user reaches the first perimeter. The second step is performing a first and a second distance measurement between the user and the vehicle using the BLE communication protocol. The second measurement is performed after the first measurement. The third step is determining a speed of the user on the basis of the first and second distance measurements. The fourth step is predicting a time remaining for the user to reach a predetermined close distance from the vehicle on the basis of the determined speed. The fifth step is initiating a communication using the UWB communication protocol after the predicted remaining time has elapsed. The prediction can comprise calculating a remaining distance between the distance measured by the second measurement and the predetermined near distance, and calculating the remaining time corresponding to the time for the user to cover the remaining distance taking into account the determined speed. The method can comprise, after the user leaves the vehicle, the following four steps. The first step may be detecting (S60) that the identifier is leaving a predetermined security perimeter around the vehicle, the first perimeter including the predetermined security perimeter. The second step may be suspending (S70) the communication using the UWB communication protocol. The third step may be monitoring (S80) RSSI measurements pertaining to successive BLE exchanges performed after the communication using the UWB communication protocol has been stopped. The fifth step may be resuming (S90) the communication using the UWB communication protocol when the monitoring indicates that the user is returning to the vehicle. The monitoring may indicate that the user is returning to the vehicle when one or more of the RSSI measurements pertaining to successive BLE exchanges are greater than one or more RSSI measurements pertaining to previous BLE exchanges. The monitored successive BLE exchanges can comprise all BLE exchanges between the system and the identifier. The identifier can comprise a microcontroller, a BLE component and a UWB component. The initiation of the communication can comprise the microcontroller sending a wake-up signal to the UWB component. The BLE component may optionally be integrated in the microcontroller. The electrical energy source may be a cell, preferably a button cell and/or having a diameter of less than 25 millimetres and/or a height of less than 8 millimetres, for example less than 6 millimetres. A first computer program for such a portable identifier is also