IP Library Granted Patent US 10,369,966
Granted Patent B1
US 10,369,966 · App. 15/986,940 · Granted Aug 6, 2019

Controlling access to a vehicle using wireless access devices

Inventors: James S. Higgins (San Jose, CA); Infantdani Abel Rayan (Santa Clara, CA); Joshua T. Butler (San Francisco, CA); Rachad Youssef Gamarra (San Francisco, CA); Anthony Tao Liang (Palo Alto, CA); Gautam Muralidhar (San Jose, CA)
Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
B60R25/246B60R25/241B60R25/243H04W12/06H04W12/08
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,369,966
App. No.
15/986,940
Granted
Aug 6, 2019
Kind
B1
Abstract

Embodiments are directed to employing various methods and devices to access a vehicle and controlling a level of access granted based on the device and methods employed. Controlling access to a vehicle can comprise maintaining a plurality of security profiles, each security profile associated with a different access device or type of access device. When the presence of an access device in proximity to the vehicle or a request to access the vehicle is detected, a security profile associated with the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle can be retrieved and used to determine whether to grant access to the vehicle. In response to determining to grant access to the vehicle, access to the vehicle can be provided according to an access level for the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle identified in the retrieved security profile.

Claims (46)

1. A method for controlling access to a vehicle, the method comprising:

maintaining, by a security system controller of the vehicle, a plurality of security profiles, each security profile associated with a different access device or type of access device;

detecting, by the security system controller through a wireless communications interface, presence of an access device in proximity to the vehicle or a request to access the vehicle;

retrieving, by the security system controller from the plurality of security profiles, a security profile associated with the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle;

determining, by the security system controller, whether to grant access to the vehicle based on the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle and the retrieved security profile, wherein determining whether to grant access to the vehicle further comprises:

determining whether to authenticate a user associated with the detected access device or request to access the vehicle based on the retrieved security profile,

in response to determining to authenticate the user, performing an authentication process indicated by the retrieved security profile, and

determining whether to grant access to the vehicle based on a result of performing the authentication process; and

in response to determining to grant access to the vehicle, granting, by the security system controller, access to the vehicle according to an access level for the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle, wherein the access level is identified in the retrieved security profile and is selected from a plurality of different access levels.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the authentication process further comprises receiving input from one or more input devices, the input devices comprising one or more of the access device, one or more integrated sensors of the vehicle, or one or more cloud-based devices.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether to grant access to the vehicle based on the detected access device and the retrieved security profile is based on a Universally Unique IDentifier (UUID), a Media Access Control (MAC) address, or a serial number of the access device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the access device comprises a mobile device, a fob, or an access card.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request to access the vehicle is received from a cloud-based application.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein each access level of the plurality of access levels relates to one or more systems or components of the vehicle.

7. A security system of a vehicle, the security system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled with and readable by the processor and storing therein a set of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to control access to the vehicle by:

maintaining a plurality of security profiles, each security profile associated with a different access device or type of access device;

detecting, through a wireless communications interface, the presence of an access device in proximity to the vehicle or a request to access the vehicle;

retrieving, from the plurality of security profiles, a security profile associated with the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle;

determining whether to grant access to the vehicle based on the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle and the retrieved security profile, wherein determining whether to grant access to the vehicle further comprises:

determining whether to authenticate a user associated with the detected access device or request to access the vehicle based on the retrieved security profile,

in response to determining to authenticate the user, performing an authentication process indicated by the retrieved security profile, and

determining whether to grant access to the vehicle based on a result of performing the authentication process; and

in response to determining to grant access to the vehicle, granting access to the vehicle according to an access level for the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle, wherein the access level is identified in the retrieved security profile and is selected from a plurality of different access levels.

8. The security system of claim 7 , wherein performing the authentication process further comprises receiving input from one or more input devices, the input devices comprising one or more of the access device, one or more integrated sensors of the vehicle, or one or more cloud-based devices.

9. The security system of claim 7 , wherein determining whether to grant access to the vehicle based on the detected access device and the retrieved security profile is based on a Universally Unique IDentifier (UUID), a Media Access Control (MAC) address, or a serial number of the access device.

10. The security system of claim 7 , wherein the access device comprises a mobile device, a fob, or an access card.

11. The security system of claim 7 , wherein the request to access the vehicle is received from a cloud-based application.

12. The security system of claim 7 , wherein each access level of the plurality of access levels relates to one or more systems or components of the vehicle.

13. A vehicle comprising:

a wireless communications interface;

a plurality of sub-systems of the vehicle; and

a security system controlling access to the vehicle by:

maintaining a plurality of security profiles, each security profile associated with a different access device or type of access device;

detecting, through the wireless communications interface, a presence of an access device in proximity to the vehicle or a request to access the vehicle;

retrieving, from the plurality of security profiles, a security profile associated with the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle;

determining whether to grant access to the vehicle based on the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle and the retrieved security profile, wherein determining whether to grant access to the vehicle further comprises:

determining whether to authenticate a user associated with the detected access device or request to access the vehicle based on the retrieved security profile,

in response to determining to authenticate the user, performing an authentication process indicated by the retrieved security profile, and

determining whether to grant access to the vehicle based on a result of performing the authentication process; and

in response to determining to grant access the vehicle, granting access to one or more sub-systems of the plurality of sub-systems of the vehicle according to an access level for the detected access device or the request to access the vehicle, wherein the access level is identified in the retrieved security profile and is selected from a plurality of different access levels.

14. The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein performing the authentication process further comprises receiving input from one or more input devices, the input devices comprising one or more of the access device, one or more integrated sensors of the vehicle, or one or more cloud-based devices.

15. The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein determining whether to grant access to the vehicle based on the detected access device and the retrieved security profile is based on a Universally Unique IDentifier (UUID), a Media Access Control (MAC) address, or a serial number of the access device.

16. The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the access device comprises a mobile device, a fob, or an access card.

17. The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the request to access the vehicle is received from a cloud-based application.

Assignments (5)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 24, 2022
From: NIO USA, INC.
To: NIO TECHNOLOGY (ANHUI) CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 060171/0724 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 2, 2020
From: NEXTEV USA, INC.
To: NIO USA, INC.
Reel/Frame 051460/0404 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 12, 2019
From: LIANG, ANTHONY TAO
To: NIO USA, INC.
Reel/Frame 050360/0757 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 20, 2019
From: BUTLER, JOSHUA
To: NEXTEV USA, INC.
Reel/Frame 049233/0814 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 20, 2019
From: HIGGINS, JAMES S.; ABEL RAYAN, INFANTDANI; YOUSSEF GAMARRA, RACHAD; LIANG, ANTHONY TAO; MURALIDHAR, GAUTAM
To: NIO USA, INC.
Reel/Frame 049234/0948 →
Cited By (4)
US 1,062,498 US 1,093,479 US 1,134,574 US 12,325,381