Localization and passive entry/passive start systems and methods for vehicles

1. A system comprising:

a communication gateway in a vehicle configured to establish a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication connection with a portable device;

a plurality of sensors in communication with the communication gateway, each configured to receive connection information about the BLE communication connection from the communication gateway, to eavesdrop on the BLE communication connection based on the connection information, and to measure signal information about at least one communication signal sent from the portable device to the communication gateway;

a localization module configured to receive the signal information from each of the plurality of sensors and to determine a location of the portable device based on the signal information from the plurality of sensors; and

a passive entry/passive start (PEPS) system configured to receive the location of the portable device from the localization module and to perform a vehicle function including at least one of unlocking a door of the vehicle, unlocking a trunk of the vehicle, and allowing the vehicle to be started based on the location of the portable device;

wherein the signal information includes a phase angle of the at least one communication signal sent from the portable device to the communication gateway.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a security filtering module, wherein the signal information from each of the plurality of sensors is passed through the security filtering module before being received by the localization module.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a security filtering module configured to receive information indicating an arrival time at which a communication packet was received, to compare the arrival time with an expected arrival time, and to determine whether the communication packet was received from an unauthorized device based on the comparison.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a security filtering module configured to inspect and compare data included in a communication packet received by the communication gateway and each sensor of the plurality of sensors, to confirm whether the data included in the communication packet received by the communication gateway matches the data included in the communication packet received by each sensor of the plurality of sensors, and to generate an alert to the portable device when the data included in the communication packet received by the communication gateway does not match the data included in the communication packet received by each sensor of the plurality of sensors.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the alert indicates that the PEPS system is under attack.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the signal information additionally includes a received signal strength of the at least one communication signal sent from the portable device to the communication gateway.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the signal information additionally includes at least one of a timestamp, an angle of arrival, and a time difference of arrival of the at least one communication signal.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the connection information includes at least one of a channel map, a channel hop interval, a slave latency, a next channel, a next channel time, a clock accuracy, filtering data, channel pre-scan parameters, channel post-scan parameters, and connection monitoring parameters associated with the BLE communication connection.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein in response to receiving the connection information from the communication gateway, each of the sensors is further configured to determine a next scheduled communication between the communication gateway and the portable device based on the connection information and to eavesdrop on the next scheduled communication.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the PEPS system is further configured to compare the location of the portable device to a first predetermined area and to a second predetermined area, to allow the vehicle function to be performed when the location of the portable device is within the first predetermined area, to receive user input indicating whether to prevent or allow the vehicle function when the location of the portable device is within the second predetermined area, and to prevent or allow the vehicle function when the location of the portable device is within the second predetermined area based on the user input.

11. A method comprising:

establishing, with a communication gateway in a vehicle, a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication connection with a portable device;

receiving, with a plurality of sensors in communication with the communication gateway, connection information about the BLE communication connection from the communication gateway;

eavesdropping, with the plurality of sensors, on the BLE communication connection based on the connection information;

measuring, with the plurality of sensors, signal information about at least one communication signal sent from the portable device to the communication gateway;

receiving, with a localization module, the signal information from each of the plurality of sensors;

determining, with the localization module, a location of the portable device based on the signal information from the plurality of sensors;

receiving, with a passive entry/passive start (PEPS) system, the location of the portable device from the localization module; and

performing, with the PEPS system, a vehicle function including at least one of unlocking a door of the vehicle, unlocking a trunk of the vehicle, and allowing the vehicle to be started based on the location of the portable device;

wherein the signal information includes a phase angle of the at least one communication signal sent from the portable device to the communication gateway.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising passing the signal information from each of the plurality of sensors through a security filtering module before the signal information is received by the localization module.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

receiving, with a security filtering module, information indicating an arrival time at which a communication packet was received;

comparing, with the security filtering module, the arrival time with an expected arrival time; and

determining, with the security filtering module, whether the communication packet was received from an unauthorized device based on the comparison.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

inspecting and comparing, with a security filtering module, data included in a communication packet received by the communication gateway and each sensor of the plurality of sensors;

confirming, with the security filtering module, whether the data included in the communication packet received by the communication gateway matches the data included in the communication packet received by each sensor of the plurality of sensors; and

generating, with the security filtering module, an alert to the portable device when the data included in the communication packet received by the communication gateway does not match the data included in the communication packet received by each sensor of the plurality of sensors.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the alert indicates that the PEPS system is under attack.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the signal information additionally includes a received signal strength of the at least one communication signal sent from the portable device to the communication gateway.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the signal information additionally includes at least one of a timestamp, an angle of arrival, and a time difference of arrival of the at least one communication signal.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the connection information includes at least one of a channel map, a channel hop interval, a slave latency, a next channel, a next channel time, a clock accuracy, filtering data, channel pre-scan parameters, channel post-scan parameters, and connection monitoring parameters associated with the BLE communication connection.

19. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

in response to receiving the connection information from the communication gateway, determining, with each of the sensors in the plurality of sensors, a next scheduled communication between the communication gateway and the portable device based on the connection information and eavesdropping, with each of the sensors in the plurality of sensors, on the next scheduled communication.

20. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

comparing, with the PEPS system, the location of the portable device to a first predetermined area and to a second predetermined area;

allowing, with the PEPS system, the vehicle function to be performed when the location of the portable device is within the first predetermined area;

receiving, with the PEPS system, user input indicating whether to prevent or allow the vehicle function when the location of the portable device is within the second predetermined area; and

preventing or allowing, with the PEPS system, the vehicle function when the location of the portable device is within the second predetermined area based on the user input.