Method and system for providing information and for communication in vehicles

• US 20030157975A1
• Filed: 02/19/2003
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deutsche Telekom AG
• Original Assignee: Deutsche Telekom AG
• Inventors: Kadel, Gerhard, Hischke, Sven
• Granted Patent: US 7,558,603 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

An information and communication system arranged in a vehicle permitting vehicle passengers to access locally held information and/or to use external applications and services includes a server. At least one transmitting and receiving unit connected to the server is provided and has access to at least one radio network. A plurality of access points are distributed in the vehicle and connected to the server. The passengers access applications or information or communicate with external partners or services via the system. The data exchange between the devices of the users and the system takes place with high bandwidth via the access points.

Claims

1. A method for providing information and for communication in a vehicle, comprising:

providing an information and communication system in the vehicle, the system being configured to enable a passenger of the vehicle to access at least one of a local service provided by the system and an external service, the system serving as a central platform for the local service and as a switching device to the external service; and

communicating wirelessly with the system by the passenger using an electronic communication device via a system access point in the vehicle.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the system is integrated into the vehicle.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the electronic communication device includes an electronic data device.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the electronic communication device includes at least one of a laptop, a PDA, and a mobile radio device carried by the passenger.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the communicating wirelessly is performed at high bandwidth.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of additional system access points distributed in the vehicle.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the external service includes at least one of information and an application.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the local service includes at least one of information and an application.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the communicating wirelessly is performed using a wireless broadband technology including at least one of a Wireless Local Area Networks, Bluetooth, and HYPERLAN/2.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising updating the local service at an appropriately configured stopping point of the vehicle.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the information and communication system includes a software component and further comprising updating the software component at an appropriately configured stopping point of the vehicle.

12. A system for providing a passenger of a vehicle access to at least one of a local service provided by the system and an external service, comprising:

a server disposed on the vehicle and running a software;

at least one transmitting and receiving unit connected to the server, each of the at least one transmitting and receiving unit capable of accessing at least one external radio network; and

a plurality of system access points distributed in the vehicle and connected to the server, each of the access points having an interface configured for wireless data exchange with an electronic data and communication device of the passenger so as to provide the at least one of the local and the external service under control of the software.

13. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the interface is configured for radio-based data exchange with the electronic data and communication device.

14. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the electronic communication device includes at least one of a laptop, a PDA, and a mobile radio device carried by the passenger.

15. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the external service provides communication with an external communication partner.

16. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the external service includes at least one of information and an application.

17. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the local service includes at least one of information and an application.

18. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the external service includes online access to an internet, and wherein the server, using the software, and the at least one transmitting and receiving unit are configured to together provide the passenger the online access to the internet in a flexible manner over the external radio network.

19. The system as recited in claim 18 wherein the external radio network includes at least one of a mobile network (e.g. GSM), a GPRS network, a UMTS network, a satellite network, a broadcast network, and a dedicated network.

20. The system as recited in claim 19 wherein the dedicated network is a GSM-R network.

21. The system as recited in claim 19 wherein the server, using the software, and the at least one transmitting and receiving unit together are configured to together provide the passenger the online access to the internet over different networks of the external radio networks in an alternating manner.

22. The system as recited in claim 21 wherein the online access is provided over the different networks as a function of requirements of the external service and an availability of the respective radio network.

23. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the transmitting and receiving unit includes an antenna disposed on an exterior of the vehicle.

24. The system as recited in claim 23 wherein the transmitting and receiving unit includes another antenna, the antenna and the another antenna forming an antenna array with integrated signal processing.

25. The system as recited in claim 12 further comprising an external interface configured to update at least one of information of the system and the software.