US 12,339,350 B2
Method for locating a communication device in proximity to a vehicle
Rachid Benbouhout, Toulouse (FR); and Thomas Eichstetter, Toulouse (FR)
Assigned to CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH, Hannover (DE)
Filed by Continental Automotive GmbH, Hannover (DE)
Filed on Dec. 15, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/081,867.
Claims priority of application No. 2114148 (FR), filed on Dec. 21, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0194696 A1, Jun. 22, 2023
Int. Cl. G01S 13/76 (2006.01); G01S 13/00 (2006.01); G01S 13/10 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 13/765 (2013.01) [G01S 13/003 (2013.01); G01S 13/10 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for locating a communication device borne by a user in proximity to a vehicle in order to trigger at least one function of said vehicle, the vehicle comprising at least two transceivers each configured to transmit and receive signals in a first mode, called a “passive” mode, in which the signals received by one of the transceivers are signals transmitted by one of the transceivers that have been reflected by an obstacle, and a second mode, called an “active” mode, in which the transceiver is configured to communicate with the communication device borne by the user, said method comprising:
in a preliminary phase, detection of a predetermined set of secondary obstacles comprising obstacles present in the environment of the vehicle before the arrival of the communication device, said detection comprising determination of predetermined distances between the vehicle and the secondary obstacles in the passive mode; and
in a locating phase:
set up of a communication in the active mode between the vehicle, via at least one of the transceivers, called the “communicating” transceiver, and the communication device;
determination of the distance between said communicating transceiver and the communication device on the basis of the communication signals exchanged during the communication in the active mode;
transmission of detection signals in the passive mode by at least one of the transceivers;
detection of a set of obstacles, called “current” obstacles, on the basis of the transmitted detection signals, said set of current obstacles comprising at least the communication device borne by the user, said detection comprising determination of the distance between the vehicle and each obstacle of said set of current obstacles;
identification of the communication device among the current obstacles by comparing the distance between the communicating transceiver and the communication device determined in the active mode and the distances between the vehicle and each obstacle of the set of current obstacles determined in the passive mode; and
location of the identified communication device among the obstacles of the set of obstacles on the basis of the determined distance and of the positions of the at least one transceiver that transmitted the detection signals in passive mode and of the at least one transceiver that received the detection signals reflected by the communication device in passive mode.