# US 12,184,349 B1 · Systems and methods for detecting and connecting to a device in a vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,184,349 B1 - Document ID: US12184349B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 18/369,588 - Filed: 2023-09-18 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2019-03-08 - Assignees: United Services Automobile Association (USAA) - Applicants: United Services Automobile Association (USAA) - Inventors: Emily Margaret Gray; Daniel Christopher Bitsis, Jr.; Robert Wiseman Simpson; Manfred Amann; Donnette Moncrief Brown; Eric David Schroeder; Meredith Beveridge; Michael J. Maciolek; Bobby Lawrence Mohs; Brian F Shipley; Justin Dax Haslam; Qunying Kou; Ashley Raine Philbrick - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12184349B1 ## CPC - H04B 17/318: Received signal strength - H04B 17/27: for locating or positioning the transmitter - H04B 17/373: Predicting channel quality {or other radio frequency [RF]} parameters - H04W 4/02: Services making use of location information - H04W 4/029: Location-based management or tracking services - H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication - H04W 4/48: for in-vehicle communication - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A system may include a processor. The processor may perform operations including receiving multiple light patterns from multiple wireless devices. The operations may also include determining a location for each of the multiple wireless devices based at least in part on the multiple light patterns. Moreover, the operations may include pairing a first wireless device of the multiple wireless devices to the processor based at least in part on the location for each of the multiple wireless devices. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system, comprising: a processor configured to perform operations comprising: receiving a wireless signal from a wireless device; determining a signal strength of the wireless signal based on a first set of properties associated with the wireless signal; determining a signal vector for the wireless signal based on a second set of properties associated with the wireless signal; determining a location for the wireless device based on the signal strength and the signal vector; pairing the wireless device to the processor based on the location; and disconnecting the pairing of the wireless device from the processor based on an interactive application being used by the wireless device while at the location. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to perform the operations comprising pairing the wireless device in response to the location corresponding to a driver's seat of a vehicle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to perform the operations comprising: receiving an indication of a type of application for the interactive application; and disconnecting the wireless device based on the application type. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein the application type comprises receiving one or more inputs while the interactive application is being executed. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless signal comprises a radio signal, a sound signal, or an image data signal. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the signal strength comprises a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the signal vector comprises an angle magnitude of the wireless signal, a phase of the wireless signal, or an angle of the wireless signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to disconnect the wireless device in response to the signal vector indicating that an elevation of the wireless device is below a threshold. ### Claim 9 A method, comprising: receiving, via a processing system, a wireless signal from a wireless device; determining, via the processing system, a signal strength of the wireless signal based on a first set of properties associated with the wireless signal; determining, via the processing system, a signal vector for the wireless signal based on a second set of properties associated with the wireless signal; determining, via the processing system, a location for the wireless device based on the signal strength and the signal vector; pairing, via the processing system, the wireless device from the processor based on the location; and disconnecting, via the processing system, the pairing of the wireless device from the processor based on an interactive application being used by the wireless device while at the location. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, comprising pairing the wireless device in response to the location corresponding to a driver's seat of a vehicle. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, comprising: receiving an indication of an application type being executed by the interactive application; and disconnecting the one of the wireless device based on the application type. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the application type comprises receiving one or more inputs while the interactive application is being executed. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the wireless signal comprises a radio signal, a sound signal, or an image data signal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the signal strength comprises a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the signal vector comprises an angle magnitude of the wireless signal, a phase of the wireless signal, or an angle of the wireless signal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, comprising disconnecting the wireless device in response to the signal vector indicating that an elevation of the wireless device is below a threshold. ### Claim 17 A tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable medium, comprising machine-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: sending a signal to a wireless device requesting the wireless device to send a signal representative of a location of the wireless device within a vehicle; receiving the signal from the wireless device; determining a location for the wireless device based on the signal within the vehicle; pairing the wireless device with the one or more processors based on the location; and disconnecting the wireless device based on an interactive application being used by the wireless device while at the location. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the signal comprises image data, a light pattern signal, or a sound signal. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the image data is captured via a camera device of the vehicle. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the machine-readable instructions cause the one or more processors to perform the operations comprising generating a map of the vehicle that indicates the location based on the signal.