Methods are provided for remotely starting up one or a plurality of vehicles. These methods involve starting up hardware and/or software modules of the vehicle in a particular order so as to account for dependencies among the various modules. In one form, states of various hardware and/or software modules in the vehicle, and errors observed in starting up various modules and troubleshooting is applied in an automated manner. Moreover, the methods may involve ensure proper startup of modules for performing a localization procedure for the vehicle.

A vehicle control system (VCS) includes external communication interfaces, such as a Bluetooth interface, for communicating with a user communication and control device, such as a smart phone or a tablet. The user is enabled to operate certain features of the vehicle, such as the remote start, power locks/trunk, climate control, and security features, through the smart phone. The VCS may also communicate with a remote server via the user's smartphone, for example, providing telematics data and receiving service reminders for display to the user on the smartphone, the VCS, or a display built into the vehicle. The VCS may be custom installed in the vehicle using the user's or the installer's smartphone, without a physical connection from the VCS to the smartphone.

Disclosed is a method of providing active services based on big data using a remote start device of a vehicle. The method includes the steps of: collecting information related to the vehicle and a driver; deriving a behavior prediction value for predicting driver's behavior based on the collected information; operating an active service determination unit when the derived behavior prediction value meets a preset condition; determining, by the active service determination unit, proposal of an active service to the driver based on the collected vehicle-related information; determining a type of the active service and a time of providing the active service; transmitting proposal of the determined active service to a driver terminal to be displayed; and starting execution of the determined active service according to a change in the state of the driver terminal.

An information processing device, includes: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to: correct a signal strength of electrical power-saving communication based on a distance measurement between a vehicle and a portable information terminal calculated from a result of communication by ultra-wideband communication that temporarily has been put into an on state, initiate distance measurement between the vehicle and the portable information terminal by the ultra-wideband communication in a case in which the corrected signal strength is equal to or higher than an operation allowable threshold value, and enable control of the vehicle so as to perform at least one of locking, unlocking or engine starting of the vehicle in accordance with an operation signal transmitted from the portable information terminal by the electrical power-saving communication.

An access system for a vehicle includes a receiver and an access module. The receiver is configured to receive a signal transmitted from a portable access device to the vehicle. The access module is configured to: generate a differentiated signal based on the received signal; up-sample the differentiated signal to generate a first up-sampled signal; obtain or generate an expected signal; up-sample the expected signal to generate a second up-sampled signal; cross-correlate the first up-sampled signal and the second up-sampled signal to generate a cross-correlation signal; based on the cross-correlation signal, determine a phase difference between the first up-sampled signal and the second up-sampled signal; determine a round trip time of the signal received by the receiver; and permit access to the vehicle based on the round trip time.

In general, aspects of this disclosure are directed towards techniques for using a computing device to perform the functionality of a vehicle key, so that the computing device may be used to automatically unlock the doors of a vehicle and/or to activate a previously-deactivated keyless ignition system. The computing device may be associated with a vehicle, including sending an identifier associated with the computing device to the vehicle via short-range communication. The computing device may also send to the vehicle, via short-range communication, at least one unlock door signal including an access code verifiable by the vehicle, and wherein receipt of the at least one unlock door signal by the vehicle enables the vehicle to unlock one or more of its doors without further user intervention.

The disclosure relates to a system for implementing automated vehicle assistance functions, the system including at least one vehicle having functional units, with which the vehicle assistance functions are executable, and at least one cloud system, which is connectable to the vehicle via a communication link. In order to enable an automated generation and variation of the vehicle-specific automation sequences, which are formed from a sequence of vehicle assistance functions, the cloud system is configured to receive predefined rule specifications assigned to the vehicle assistance functions, check whether the rule specifications meet predefined original equipment manufacturer regulations and/or customer requirements and/or regional legal requirements, or not, store the rule specifications that meet the predefined original equipment manufacturer regulations and/or customer requirements and/or regional legal requirements, assign a certain rule set of stored rule specifications to data specific for the vehicle, and store this certain rule set for the vehicle in a manner that is downloadable via the communication link.

An ordering management system for a property includes: a location module configured to determine locations of mobile devices that are located within boundaries of the property; a selection module configured to, in response to receipt of an order from a first mobile device for delivery of one or more items to a location of the first mobile device within the boundaries of the property: select one vendor at the property to supply the item(s) of the order; determine a group of the mobile devices based on the location of the first mobile device; and select a second mobile device from the group; a device communication module configured to selectively transmit, to the second mobile device, the location of the selected one vendor and the location of the first mobile device; and a vendor communication module configured to selectively transmit the order to the selected one vendor.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for operating an inductor coil may include: charging a capacitor by means of a charging current at a reference voltage; and discharging the charged capacitor in an oscillating manner via the inductor coil. The discharging is ended when a current passing through the inductor coil has passed through an entire oscillation period or a multiple thereof.

An apparatus in a wireless vehicle-access system, that includes a vehicle and a fob, includes: a vehicle-authorization parameter module configured to obtain a value of a vehicle-authorization parameter wherein the vehicle-authorization parameter comprises at least one of movement of the fob, a received directional signal, or a received audible signal; and a vehicle function compatibility module configured to: determine whether the value of the vehicle-authorization parameter is consistent or inconsistent with a desired function of the vehicle; inhibit the desired function of the vehicle in response to the value of the vehicle-authorization parameter being determined to be inconsistent with the desired function of the vehicle; and permit the desired function of the vehicle in response to the value of the vehicle-authorization parameter being determined to be consistent with the desired function of the vehicle.