Two Apple patents applications discovered this week describe a system that automatically finds when and where a user parks their car, and then directs them back to the vehicle without needing a data connection or GPS signal.
Published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office this week, Apple's applications for "Automatic identification of vehicle location" and "Vehicle location in weak location signal scenarios," likely means the company is trying to integrate high-level vehicle-related functionality into iOS, according to a report by AppleInsider.com.
The fillings discuss how Apple's invention is designed to determine when and where a user parks. Handsets will be able to establish a data connection with a compatible vehicle through any means of communication, though Bluetooth and Bluetooth LE are described in detail.
Once outside a vehicle, an iPhone can then track a user's movement through GPS or any of the other methods, according to the report. To find their way back to the parked car, iPhone users can ask Siri for directions with a command like "Find my car."
Whether a car is parked, moving, or undetermined, other measures of deducing a vehicle's operational state includes sensor output from an iPhone's accelerometer or GPS signal processing.
Once a car is determined to be "parked" somewhere, the system plots the position and continues to track where a user is going as they walk away from the vehicle, according to the report. In certain cases, a phone would be in constant communication with a GPS signal, though it is not always possible due to certain obstructions.
Instead, iPhones will rely on onboard sensors to estimate the movement of a user, according to the report. An iPhone can "look forward" or "look backward" by combining sporadic GPS signal locks with accelerometer data from a given point in time to find the location of the car and how far away a user is from the vehicle.
Motion data processing, gyroscope data, pedometer data and time stamps are just a few techniques that can be applied for tracking purposes, according to the report. The accelerometer can be used to determine direction, speed, and motion over time.
Apple adds that the methods for device location determination during periods of weak signal reception can be applied while driving. This can be helpful while driving through canyons or areas with weak cell reception.
Phones will be designed to showcase a map, GUI, or audio directions for quick navigation.
Apple's Car Play service was unveiled in 2013, which is designed to bring iOS capabilities like iMessage, navigation, and Siri to vehicle infotainment systems.
Integrated parked car mapping solution would also be a good fit, but evidence of that has not yet been released by the company.
Apple's navigation and automatic parking applications were first filed for in February 2013, according to AppleInsider.com.
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