Integrated vehicle communication system and method

• US 10,464,489 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2016
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Inventors: Boehm, Neil J., Geerlings, Steven L., Wright, Thomas S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Epstein, Brian M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zeroual, Omar
• Application Number:
  US15/299,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20170113619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/04 mounted inside vehicle B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1253 with cameras, video cameras or video screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1284 with communication systems other than radio-receivers, e.g. keyless entry systems, navigation systems; with anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2240/00 Transportation facility access, e.g. fares, tolls or parking
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/06 Arrangements for road pricing or congestion charging of vehicles or vehicle users, e.g. automatic toll systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00928 for garage doors
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

A vehicle rearview mirror system for a vehicle having communication capabilities for communicating with at least one of a building-automation device and an electronic toll collection system. The vehicle rearview mirror system may include a wireless communication system configured to communicate with a building-based communication system or a transceiver system of the electronic toll collection system, or both.

Claims

1. A vehicle communication system for a vehicle, said vehicle communication system comprising:

a power interface configured to receive power from a vehicle power source;

a user interface disposed within a vehicle cabin of the vehicle, said user interface including a display disposed on a console or a mirror of the vehicle, wherein said user interface is operable to receive user input from a user of the vehicle;

wireless communication circuitry configured to communicate information to one or more remote devices, said wireless communication circuitry integrated into the vehicle such that the vehicle is operable to communicate said information to the one or more remote devices, the one or more remote devices including at least one toll collection receiver of an electronic toll collection system;

an electronic-toll controller operably coupled to said power interface and said wireless communication circuitry, said electronic-toll controller communicatively coupled to at least one of said display and said user interface, said electronic-toll controller configured to communicate identification information via said wireless communication circuitry to the at least one toll collection receiver; and

wherein said electronic-toll controller is configured to receive mobile device information, via said wireless communication circuitry, from one or more mobile devices located within the vehicle, wherein said mobile device information relates to a toll-collection account managed by the electronic toll collection system, wherein based on said user input, said electronic-toll controller generates said identification information as a function of said mobile device information from a selected mobile device from among the one or more mobile devices, whereby the vehicle communication system enables user selection of the selected mobile device for authorizing access to a toll area associated with the electronic toll collection system.

2. The vehicle communication system of claim 1, wherein the one or more remote devices includes at least one building-based device, and further comprising a building-oriented controller operably coupled to said power interface and said wireless communication circuitry, said building-oriented controller configured to communicate, via said wireless communication circuitry, with the at least one building-based device to instruct the building-based device to initiate a building-based activity.

3. The vehicle communication system of claim 2, wherein said wireless communication circuitry includes a first antenna and a second antenna, said first antenna being operably coupled to said building-oriented controller, said second antenna being operably coupled to said electronic-toll controller.

4. The vehicle communication system of claim 2, wherein communication with the at least one building-based device includes a building-based command with information relating to request to at least one of open a garage door, open a gate, turn on a light, unlock a door, and adjust a thermostat setting.

5. The vehicle communication system of claim 2, wherein the mobile device is a Bluetooth-enabled cellular phone, wherein said wireless communication circuitry, the building-oriented controller and the electronic-toll controller are disposed on or within a rearview mirror assembly that is positionable within the vehicle.

6. The vehicle communication system of claim 2, wherein said wireless communication circuitry, said building-oriented controller and said electronic-toll controller are disposed on the vehicle;

wherein said display and said user interface are incorporated into a center stack of the vehicle cabin; and

wherein said electronic-toll controller and building-based controller are communicatively coupled to at least one of said display and said user interface.

7. The vehicle communication system of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication circuitry includes one or more communication systems, wherein each of said one or more communication systems includes at least one of a receiver and a transmitter.

8. The vehicle communication system of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication circuitry of the vehicle is configured to form a Bluetooth pairing with the mobile device to establish an association between a toll account associated with the mobile device and said electronic-toll controller.

9. The vehicle communication system of claim 1, wherein the one or more mobile devices includes a plurality of mobile devices.

10. A method of communicating between a vehicle and one or more remote devices, said method comprising:

supplying power from the vehicle to a wireless communication system of the vehicle;

providing a user interface within a vehicle cabin of the vehicle, the user interface configured to receive user input from a user of the vehicle, wherein the user interface includes a display disposed on a console or a mirror of the vehicle, wherein the display is operable to provide feedback to the user;

receiving mobile device information from a plurality of mobile devices located within the vehicle, wherein the mobile device information relates to a toll-collection account managed by an electronic toll collection system;

selecting, based on the user input, one of the plurality of mobile devices for requesting authorized access to a toll area associated with the electronic toll collection system;

generating, in a control system of the vehicle, information relating to identification of the toll-collection account associated with the selected mobile device, wherein the information is generated based on the mobile device information received from the selected mobile device;

receiving, via the wireless communication system, an interrogation signal from the electronic toll collection system; and

based on the interrogation signal, transmitting an electronic-toll information packet from the wireless communication system of the vehicle to the electronic toll collection system, wherein the electronic-toll information packet includes the information relating to identification of the toll-collection account associated with the selected mobile device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, via an input device, a command from a vehicle operator to initiate a requested operation of a building-based device; and

based on the command, transmitting a building-oriented command from the wireless communication system to a building-based receiver, wherein the building-oriented command corresponds to the requested operation of the building-based device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

storing, in the mobile device, authorization information relating to the building-based device, wherein the authorization information includes a stored key; and

generating a token based on the stored key for obtaining authorized access to one or more operations of the building-based device.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving account identification information from a mobile device via the wireless communication system; and

wherein the electronic-toll information packet that is transmitted to the electronic toll collection system includes information based on the account identification information received from the mobile device.