Orientation independent antennas with direction finding for remote keyless entry
An improved remote keyless entry (RKE) system for a vehicle to provide enhanced capabilities to a user. The improved RKE system may utilize directional antennas in the vehicle and in the FOB. Directional antennas may utilize devices equipped with orientation-independent antennas to determine the location. The system can exist in many different customizable configurations, sometimes utilizing orientation-independent antennas embedded in the vehicle or the FOB. The devices, systems and methods described herein may be used for an RKE in personal or commercial vehicles.
1. A method for remote keyless entry direction finding comprising:
receiving, at an array of orthogonal antenna elements, a radio frequency (RF) signal transmitted by a remote wireless device;
detecting by a processor the received RF signal to determine positional data representative of a relative direction and distance of the remote control wireless device with respect to a vehicle;
forwarding the positional data to an in-vehicle processing unit;
the in-vehicle processing unit further configured for receiving status data representing a current state of one or more systems or components within the vehicle; and
comparing by the in-vehicle processing unit the positional data and the status data to determine a subsequent action to be taken by at least one component or system associated with the vehicle or the remote wireless device;
wherein the array of orthogonal antenna elements further comprises two mirror image antennas.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the subsequent action is one or more of unlocking a door, locking a door, enabling or disabling an ignition system.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the subsequent action is one or more of initiating an alert that an item was left in the vehicle.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing the received RF signal to determine directional data is calculated using one or more of interferometry, RSSI, or TOF.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the array of orthogonal antenna elements is a CALPRO.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the array of orthogonal antenna elements is an ORIAN array.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the subsequent action is one or more of controlling access to the vehicle, or controlling operation of the vehicle.