Dynamic status update solicitation

• US 10,103,996 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2016
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Camacho, Esteban, Cermak, Alexander X., Olejniczak, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Cai, Wayne H
• Application Number:
  US15/146,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20170324667A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/209 Remote starting of engine
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724098 Interfacing with an on-board device of a vehicle for hands-free speaking in vehicles H04M1/6075
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0221 power availability or consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0212 managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0277 according to available power supply, e.g. switching off when a low battery condition is detected
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system and method of providing status updates to one or more mobile devices. The method includes receiving a vehicle action request from the mobile device at a central office, determining a status update frequency based upon at least one real-time characteristic, and instructing the mobile device to request status updates on the vehicle action request to the central office at the status update frequency. In an alternative method, a plurality of mobile devices may be instructed to use different status update frequencies. The system includes a server configured to receive a vehicle action request from the mobile device at a central office, determine a status update frequency based upon at least one real-time characteristic, and instruct the mobile device to request status updates on the vehicle action request to the central office at the status update frequency.

Claims

1. A method of providing status updates to a mobile device, comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting at least one real-time characteristic based upon an expected impact of the at least one real-time characteristic on a communication capacity of the central office;

(b) receiving a vehicle action request from the mobile device at a central office;

(c) initiating a communication to a vehicle of an instruction to carry out a vehicle action;

(d) determining a status update frequency based upon the at least one real-time characteristic as an indicator of real-time communication capacity of the central office; and

(e) instructing the mobile device to request status updates on the vehicle action request to the central office at the status update frequency, wherein instructing the mobile device addresses the communication capacity at the central office by preventing the mobile device from requesting the status update more quickly than the instructed status update frequency.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of altering the status update frequency in response to a change in the at least one real-time communication characteristic.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising decreasing the status update frequency when a current ambient temperature is below a predetermined threshold temperature.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising decreasing the status update frequency in response to a decrease in a current communication capacity of the central office.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an application supported by the mobile device, wherein the status updates are communicated to the mobile device via the application.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the vehicle action was successfully carried out by the vehicle;

and

sending a notification to the mobile device indicating the success or failure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle action requests include one of a remote start request, an unlock request, a lock request, and an alarm request.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(f) receiving an additional vehicle action request from at least a second mobile device at the central office;

(g) determining a different status update frequency for the second mobile device based upon a real-time characteristic associated with the second mobile device; and

(h) instructing the second mobile device to request status updates on the additional vehicle action request at the assigned different status update frequency.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising indirectly representing the communication capacity in the determination of the status update frequency using the real-time characteristic.

10. A method of providing status updates to a plurality of mobile devices, comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting at least one real-time characteristic based upon an expected impact of the at least one real-time characteristic on an ability of a respective mobile device to maintain communication with a central office;

(b) receiving vehicle action requests from the plurality of mobile devices at a central office;

(c) determining status update frequencies for each of the plurality of mobile devices based upon at least one real-time characteristic associated with each mobile device as an indicator of real-time ability of the mobile device to maintain communication with a central office, respectively; and

(d) instructing each of the mobile devices to request status updates on the vehicle action request to the central office at their assigned status update frequency, wherein instructing the mobile devices addresses the real-time ability of the mobile devices to maintain communication with the central office by instructing the mobile devices to request the status update more frequently.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the real-time characteristic is a characteristic of the central office or one of the mobile devices.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving the at least one real-time characteristic from at least one of the mobile devices.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one real-time characteristic is a characteristic of the at least one of the mobile devices.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the characteristic of the at least one of the mobile devices is one of a current battery status of the at least one of the mobile devices and a current reception strength of the at least one of the mobile devices.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one real-time characteristic is any one or more of the following characteristics:

a current communication capacity of the central office;

a current ambient temperature;

a current battery status of at least one of the mobile devices; and

a current reception strength of the at least one of the mobile devices.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising decreasing the status update frequency of at least one of the mobile devices in response to a low battery status of the at least one of the mobile devices.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one real-time characteristic is a reception strength of the mobile device, and wherein the step of instructing the mobile devices to request the status update more frequently is in response to a low signal reception strength of the mobile device.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the vehicle action requests each include a control of a vehicle function or a request for information from the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising establishing different status update frequencies for the plurality of mobile devices.

20. A system for providing status updates to a mobile device, comprising:

a server configured to receive a vehicle action request from the mobile device at a central office;

wherein the server is configured to select at least one real-time characteristic based upon an expected impact of the at least one real-time characteristic on a communication capacity of the central office, determine a status update frequency based upon the at least one real-time characteristic as an indicator of real-time communication capacity of the central office, and instruct the mobile device to request status updates on the vehicle action request to the central office at the status update frequency, thereby addressing the communication capacity at the central office by preventing the mobile device from requesting the status update more quickly than the instructed status update frequency.