US 12,441,274 B2
Method for activating a vehicle function and associated activation device
Mohamed Cheikh, Toulouse (FR); and Sébastien Chanal, Toulouse (FR)
Assigned to CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGIES GMBH, Hannover (DE)
Filed by Continental Automotive Technologies GmbH, Hannover (DE)
Filed on Aug. 3, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/229,859.
Claims priority of application No. 2208147 (FR), filed on Aug. 5, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0042963 A1, Feb. 8, 2024
Int. Cl. B60R 25/24 (2013.01); G01S 3/04 (2006.01); G01S 11/02 (2010.01); H04B 1/7163 (2011.01)
CPC B60R 25/245 (2013.01) [G01S 3/04 (2013.01); G01S 11/02 (2013.01); H04B 1/71632 (2013.01); H04B 2201/71632 (2013.01); H04B 2201/71634 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for activating a vehicle function, by way of an activation device that is intended to be installed in a vehicle and comprises at least one transceiver capable of using ultra-high frequency to communicate with “hands-free” access equipment carried by a user, said equipment being equipped with a magnetometer and a gyroscope, the activation of the function being triggered by detection of the presence of the user in a predetermined zone around the vehicle and on the basis of a result of authentication of the “hands-free” access equipment by the vehicle, wherein the at least one transceiver is first equipped with a gyroscope and a magnetometer and two receiving antennas that have a coefficient of electromagnetic coupling between them that is below a threshold, and wherein said method comprises the following steps with each footstep of the user and for at least two consecutive footsteps:
a) ultra-high frequency transmission of a signal comprising representative data of the gyroscope and the magnetometer of the “hands-free” access equipment to the vehicle,
b) comparison of received data with representative values of the gyroscope and the magnetometer of the at least one transceiver,
c) determination of a first direction of the user between the two footsteps towards the at least one transceiver on the basis of said comparison,
d) determination of a second direction of the user between the two footsteps, based on an estimation of a first angle of arrival of said signal towards the at least one transceiver through calculation of a phase shift of the received signal between the two antennas, and of a distance between the “hands-free” access equipment and the at least one transceiver,
e) comparison of the first direction and the second direction,
f) activation of the vehicle function on the basis of the result of said comparison.