Vehicle rearview mirror assembly incorporating a communication system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A rearview assembly for a vehicle comprising:
- a mirror mounting structure including a mirror housing and adapted to be mounted to the vehicle; and
an antenna for a wireless telephone mounted to said mirror mounting structure.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle communication and control system is provided that may be more readily installed in a vehicle and that utilizes minimal additional wiring. According to some of the disclosed embodiments, the electrical components of the “brick” of a communication and control system are integrated into a rearview mirror assembly. Preferably, the microwave antenna for the GPS and the cellular telephone antenna are also integrated into the rearview mirror assembly. Various functions and features of the system are also disclosed.
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Citations
200 Claims
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1. A rearview assembly for a vehicle comprising:
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a mirror mounting structure including a mirror housing and adapted to be mounted to the vehicle; and
an antenna for a wireless telephone mounted to said mirror mounting structure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42)
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16. A rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle comprising:
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a mirror mounting structure including a mirror housing and adapted to be mounted to the vehicle; and
a speech synthesizer circuit carried by said mirror mounting structure, for generating synthesized voice audio signals.
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25. A rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle comprising:
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a mirror mounting structure including a mirror housing and adapted to be mounted to the vehicle; and
a voice recognition circuit carried by said mirror mounting structure and coupled to a microphone for receiving voice signals from a vehicle occupant, performs voice recognition on the received voice signals, and generates data representing the recognized voice signals.
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34. A rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle having an audio system, said mirror assembly comprising:
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mirror mounting structure including a mirror housing and adapted to be mounted to the vehicle;
an audio source of audio signals carried by said mirror mounting structure; and
a wireless audio/data RF transmitter carried by said mirror mounting structure and coupled to said audio source for transmitting audio signals received from said audio source via a wireless link to a receiver coupled to the audio system for playback on the vehicle'"'"'s audio system.
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39. An electrical circuit for a vehicle comprising:
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at least one microphone transducer for generating an electrical signal representing a received audio signal;
a processing circuit coupled to said microphone transducer for processing the electrical signal;
a voice recognition circuit coupled to said processing circuit for performing voice recognition on the processed electrical signals generated by said processing circuit; and
a wireless telephone transceiver coupled to said processing circuit for transmitting the processed electrical signal through a wireless telephone link, wherein said processing circuit processes the electrical signal received from said microphone transducer differently for output to said voice recognition circuit than for output to said wireless telephone transceiver.
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43. A telephone system for a vehicle comprising:
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a microphone;
a telephone transceiver coupled to said microphone, said telephone transceiver transmits and receives voice signals via a wireless communication link; and
a voice recognition circuit coupled to said microphone and said telephone transceiver, said voice recognition circuit recognizes spoken words received through said microphone and transmits a signal to said telephone transceiver pertaining to the recognized spoken words, and wherein said telephone transceiver transmits information over the wireless communication link in response to the signal received from said voice recognition circuit during a telephone call. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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50. A rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle comprising:
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a mirror mounting structure adapted to be attached to the vehicle;
an electronic circuit mounted to said mirror mounting structure; and
a battery mounted within said mirror mounting structure for supplying power to said electronic circuit. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 60, 61, 62, 63)
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58. An electronic vehicle accessory comprising:
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an electronic circuit configured to receive power from a vehicle battery or ignition;
a back-up battery for providing power to said electronic circuit when power from the vehicle battery or ignition is disrupted; and
a heater circuit for heating said back-up battery.
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59. A rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle comprising:
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a mirror mounting structure adapted to be attached to the vehicle;
a telephone transceiver mounted within said mirror mounting structure; and
an energy storage device mounted within said mirror mounting structure for supplying power to said telephone transceiver.
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64. A vehicle accessory telephone system comprising:
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an accessory housing;
a telephone transceiver mounted in said accessory housing and configured to receive power from a vehicle battery or ignition; and
a back-up energy source mounted in said accessory housing for providing power to said telephone transceiver to enable said telephone transceiver to transmit a distress call when power from the vehicle battery or ignition is disrupted.
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65. A telematics system for installation in a vehicle having an electronic module configured to control a feature of the vehicle that affects the ability of the vehicle to be driven, said telematics system comprising:
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a global position identification component for identifying the location of the vehicle;
a telephone transceiver component coupled to said global position identification component for transmitting the location of the vehicle to a remote system; and
a controller component coupled to said global position identification component and said telephone transceiver component, wherein at least one of said components is configured to periodically communicate with the electronic module and to thereby acknowledge that each of said components is present and functional such that if the electronic module does not receive periodic acknowledgement of the presence and/or functionality of said components, the electronic module affects the ability of the vehicle to be driven. - View Dependent Claims (66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75)
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76. A telematics system for installation in a vehicle having an electronic module configured to control the ignition of the vehicle, said telematics system comprising:
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a global position identification component for identifying the location of the vehicle;
a telephone transceiver component coupled to said global position identification component for transmitting the location of the vehicle to a remote system; and
a controller component coupled to said global position identification component and said telephone transceiver component, wherein at least one of said components is configured to communicate with the electronic module and to thereby acknowledge that each of said components is present and functional such that if the electronic module does not receive acknowledgement of the presence and/or functionality of said components, the electronic module disables the vehicle ignition.
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77. A telephone system for installation in a vehicle having an electronic module for determining whether an ignition key has been inserted into the vehicle ignition and for communicating the presence of the key in the ignition, said telephone system comprising:
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a telephone transceiver for transmitting calls over a wireless communication link; and
a control circuit coupled to said telephone transceiver and in communication with the electronic module, said control circuit disables at least some functions of said telephone transceiver when an ignition key is not detected in the vehicle ignition. - View Dependent Claims (78, 79)
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80. A telephone system for a vehicle comprising:
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a telephone transceiver mounted to the vehicle;
an audio and data transceiver for receiving audio and data signals from a portable telephone associated with the vehicle;
a microwave receiver for receiving satellite signals from which the location of the vehicle may be identified; and
a control circuit coupled to said microwave receiver, said audio and data transceiver, and said telephone transceiver, said control circuit controls operation of said telephone transceiver and selectively enables and disables certain functions of the telephone system in response to information obtained from said microwave receiver. - View Dependent Claims (81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 138, 139, 140, 143, 145, 147, 148, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 168, 169, 170, 172, 173, 174, 176, 178, 179, 181, 183, 184, 187, 189, 190, 191, 193, 194, 195, 196, 198, 200)
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89. A telephone system for a vehicle comprising:
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a telephone transceiver mounted to the vehicle;
a hands-free microphone coupled to said telephone transceiver;
at least one hands-free speaker coupled to said telephone transceiver;
an audio and data transceiver for receiving audio and data signals from a portable telephone associated with the vehicle; and
a control circuit coupled to said audio and data transceiver and said telephone transceiver, said control circuit determines whether a portable telephone having a predetermined identification number is within the range of said audio and data transceiver and exchanges data with the portable telephone through said audio and data transceiver, said control circuit selectively performs functions in response to the data exchanged with the portable telephone.
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116. A vehicle rearview assembly for providing an image of a scene to the rear of the driver of the vehicle, said rearview assembly comprising:
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a mounting structure for mounting to the vehicle;
an audio and data transceiver supported by said mounting structure, capable of receiving both audio and data signals from at least one remote device associated with the vehicle;
a control circuit coupled to said audio and data transceiver, said control circuit processes a data signal received by said audio and data transceiver that are received from a remote device associated with the vehicle, and generates a control signal in response to such a data signal.
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127. A vehicle rearview assembly for providing an image of a scene to the rear of a driver, said rearview assembly comprising:
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a mounting structure for mounting to the vehicle; and
a telephone transceiver supported by the mounting structure, wherein said rearview assembly exhibits an electromagnetic interference level less than about 61 dBμ
V/m for emissions in the frequency range from about 0.4 MHz to about 20 MHz.
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137. A vehicle rearview assembly for providing an image of a scene to the rear of a driver, said rearview assembly comprising:
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a mounting structure for mounting to the vehicle, said mounting structure including a housing having an electrically conductive layer; and
a telephone transceiver mounted within said housing.
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141. A telephone system for use in a vehicle having a stereo audio system with at least two speakers disposed on opposite sides of the vehicle interior, said speakers configured to play back one of two stereo audio signals output from an audio receiver, said telephone system comprising:
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a telephone transceiver mounted in the vehicle and having an audio output through which an audio signal is transmitted for playback on the stereo audio system;
a microphone coupled to said telephone transceiver and mounted in the interior of the vehicle between the at least two speakers; and
a phase inverter coupled to said audio output of said telephone transceiver and to the audio receiver such that said audio receiver provides the speaker disposed on one side of the vehicle with an audio signal whose phase is inverted relative to an audio signal provided to the speaker disposed on the opposite side of the vehicle.
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142. A method of configuring a hands-free telephone system in a vehicle, the method comprising:
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providing first and second speakers for generating audible sounds in response to an electrical signal;
providing a microphone in between the first and second speakers;
coupling the microphone and the first and second speakers to a telephone transceiver;
providing an audio output signal originating from the telephone transceiver to the first speaker; and
inverting the phase of the audio output signal and providing the inverted signal to the second speaker.
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144. A telephone system for use in a vehicle comprising:
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an audio speaker;
a telephone transceiver mounted in the vehicle and having an audio output coupled to said audio speaker for delivering an audio output signal for playback on said speaker;
an acoustic port acoustically coupled to said speaker so as to project sounds generated by said audio speaker that are out of phase with respect to the same sounds generated at said audio speaker; and
a microphone coupled to said telephone transceiver and positioned between said audio speaker and said acoustic port.
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146. A traffic light warning system for a vehicle comprising:
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a display device;
a receiver for receiving a signal from a traffic light proximate the vehicle, the signal indicating the status of the traffic light; and
a control circuit coupled to said receiver and to said display device for displaying the status of a traffic light on the display device.
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149. A heading indication system for a vehicle comprising:
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a microwave receiver configured to receive signals from a global position satellite constellation;
a turn sensor for sensing turning of the vehicle;
a control circuit coupled to said microwave receiver and to said turn sensor for determining vehicle heading from signals received from said microwave receiver and for generating a control signal representative of the vehicle heading, wherein, when said control circuit determines that the vehicle heading has changed based upon the signals received from said microwave receiver and when said turn sensor does not sense that the vehicle has turned, said control circuit does not change the control signal thereby indicating that the vehicle heading has not changed; and
a heading indictor coupled to said control circuit for providing an indication of the vehicle heading in response to the control signal.
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155. A network-aided navigation system for a vehicle comprising:
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a microwave receiver configured to receive signals from a global position satellite constellation; and
a wireless communication transceiver coupled to said microwave receiver for transmitting signals corresponding to the signals received by said microwave receiver to a network processor, and for receiving signals from the network processor from which the location of the vehicle may be derived.
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161. A navigation system for a vehicle comprising:
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a control circuit for supplying travel directions; and
a speech synthesizer coupled to said control circuit for receiving the travel directions and for reproducing the travel directions in an audible speech message.
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167. A navigation system for a vehicle comprising:
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a navigation circuit for providing navigational information to a driver of the vehicle based in part on information stored in a navigation database; and
a wireless communication transceiver coupled to said navigation circuit for receiving navigational data from a remote source and for supplying the received navigational data to said navigation circuit for storage in said navigation database.
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171. A blackbox recorder for a vehicle comprising:
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a camera mounted to the vehicle for imaging a scene proximate or within the vehicle; and
a non-volatile memory device for storing information pertaining to the vehicle including at least one image obtained from said camera.
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175. A blackbox recorder for a vehicle comprising:
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a camera mounted to the vehicle for imaging a scene proximate or within the vehicle;
a memory device for storing information pertaining to the vehicle including at least one image obtained from said camera; and
a back-up battery for providing power to the blackbox recorder in the event of a disruption of power supplied from a primary power source in the vehicle.
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177. A blackbox recorder for a vehicle comprising a memory device for storing information pertaining to the vehicle including at least one of vehicle speed history, vehicle rollover indication, air bag deployment indication, and deceleration data.
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180. A vehicle rearview assembly for providing an image of a scene to the rear of the driver of the vehicle, said rearview assembly comprising:
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a first switched power supply operating at a first frequency; and
a second switched power supply operating at a second frequency, wherein said first frequency is a multiple of said second frequency and said first and second switched power supplies are synchronized.
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182. A rearview assembly for providing an image of a scene to the rear of the driver of a vehicle, said rearview assembly comprising:
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a housing for housing an imaging component that provides the image of a scene to the rear of the driver of the vehicle; and
a mounting bracket for mounting said housing to the vehicle, said mounting bracket having two rotary joints, wherein said housing has a mass in excess of 580 grams.
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185. A rearview assembly for providing an image of a scene to the rear of the driver of a vehicle, said rearview assembly comprising:
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a mounting structure adapted for mounting to the vehicle;
a pushbutton mounted on said mounting structure; and
a control circuit coupled to said pushbutton for performing a selected function in response to actuation of said pushbutton, wherein said control circuit is programmable to allow personalization of the selected function that is performed in response to actuation of said pushbutton.
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186. A rearview assembly for providing an image of a scene to the rear of the driver of a vehicle, said rearview assembly comprising:
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a mounting structure adapted for mounting to the vehicle;
a pushbutton mounted on said mounting structure;
a control circuit coupled to said pushbutton for performing a selected function and generating a display signal representing the function to be performed in response to actuation of said pushbutton; and
a display supported by said mounting structure and coupled to said control circuit for displaying the function to be performed by said control circuit a mounting structure adapted for mounting to the vehicle;
a pushbutton mounted on said mounting structure; and
a control circuit coupled to said pushbutton for performing a selected function in response to actuation of said pushbutton, wherein said control circuit is programmable to allow personalization of the selected function that is performed in response to actuation of said pushbutton.
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188. A rearview assembly for providing an image of a scene to the rear of the driver of a vehicle, said rearview assembly comprising:
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a housing for housing an imaging component that provides the image of a scene to the rear of the driver of the vehicle; and
a mounting bracket for mounting said housing to the vehicle, wherein said housing includes a contoured wall defining an interior cavity, said wall having a thickness that is non-uniform and that is greater at a central region to which said mounting bracket attaches to said housing than at other regions of said housing.
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192. A rearview assembly for providing an image of a scene to the rear of the driver of a vehicle, said rearview assembly comprising:
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a mounting structure for mounting to the vehicle; and
a display circuit supported by said mounting structure for displaying information to occupants of the vehicle, said display circuit configured to display at least ten characters simultaneously and to operate at a voltage of less than 42 volts.
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197. A telephone system for a vehicle comprising:
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a transparent antenna including a transparent substrate having at least one electrically conductive region configured to receive RF signals from a wireless telephone network and to transmit RF signals to the wireless telephone network; and
a telephone transceiver coupled to said transparent antenna and mounted in the vehicle.
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199. A global position system for a vehicle comprising:
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a transparent antenna including a transparent substrate having at least one electrically conductive region configured to receive microwave signals from satellites of a global position system constellation; and
a microwave receiver coupled to said transparent antenna and mounted in the vehicle.
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Specification