Common electronics architecture for vehicle mirror display

• US 20050119827A1
• Filed: 08/26/2003
• Published: 06/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Muto, Takayasu, Willer, Michael Ian, Caldwell, Donald Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,299,127 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/35 Constructional details or hardware or software details of the signal processing chain

Abstract

A combined GPS/Bluetooth module for a vehicle may be mounted on, e.g., the rear view mirror housing to receive position information from GPS and other information (such as tire pressure and other vehicle diagnostic information) over a Bluetooth link. In turn, the module can transmit over Bluetooth both the GPS data and the diagnostic information to the vehicle onboard computer or to a PDA, wireless telephone, or other display-bearing device in the vehicle for display thereof.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a GPS antenna;

a GPS receiver coupled to the GPS antenna, the GPS receiver including a GPS receiver synthesizer;

a Bluetooth antenna;

a Bluetooth transceiver coupled to the Bluetooth antenna, the Bluetooth transceiver including a Bluetooth transceiver synthesizer; and

at least one module holding the GPS receiver, Bluetooth transceiver, and the Bluetooth antenna, the module including a reference oscillator providing signals to both the GPS receiver synthesizer and Bluetooth transceiver synthesizer.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a dual SAW filter package in the module, signals from both antennae being filtered through the SAW filter package.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the GPS antenna is mounted on the module.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a vehicle rear view mirror housing supporting the module.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the Bluetooth transceiver receives data from the GPS receiver and transmits the data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the Bluetooth transceiver receives data from at least one vehicle sensor and transmits the data.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the data is transmitted to a portable consumer computing device selected from the group including:

PDAs, wireless telephones, and laptop computers, for display of the data.

8. A module, comprising:

a module housing;

a GPS receiver in the module housing and receiving position information;

a wireless transceiver in the module housing and communicating with the GPS receiver for transmitting information therefrom; and

one and only one reference oscillator in the housing providing mixing signals to the GPS receiver and the wireless transceiver.

9. The module of claim 8, wherein the wireless transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver.

10. The module of claim 9, further comprising a dual SAW filter package in the module, signals from both a GPS antenna and a Bluetooth antenna being filtered through the SAW filter package.

11. The module of claim 10, wherein the antennae are mounted on the module.

12. The module of claim 9, further comprising a vehicle rear view mirror housing supporting the module.

13. The module of claim 9, wherein the Bluetooth transceiver receives data from the GPS receiver and transmits the data.

14. The module of claim 9, wherein the Bluetooth transceiver receives data from at least one vehicle sensor and transmits the data.

15. The module of claim 13, wherein the data is transmitted to a portable consumer computing device selected from the group including:

PDAs, wireless telephones, and laptop computers.

16. A module, comprising:

a module housing;

a GPS receiver in the module housing and receiving position information;

a wireless transceiver in the module housing and communicating with the GPS receiver for transmitting information therefrom; and

a dual SAW filter package in the module, signals from both a GPS antenna and a Bluetooth antenna being filtered through the SAW filter package.

17. The module of claim 16, wherein the wireless transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver, and the module includes one and only one reference oscillator in the housing providing mixing signals to the GPS receiver and the wireless transceiver.

18. The module of claim 16, wherein the antennae are mounted on the module.

19. The module of claim 16, further comprising a vehicle rear view mirror housing supporting the module.

20. The module of claim 16, wherein the Bluetooth transceiver receives data from the GPS receiver and transmits the data.

21. The module of claim 16, wherein the Bluetooth transceiver receives data from at least one vehicle sensor and transmits the data.

22. The module of claim 20, wherein the data is transmitted to a portable consumer computing device selected from the group including:

PDAs, wireless telephones, and laptop computers.

23. A method for data transmission, comprising:

sending GPS data to a Bluetooth transceiver; and

transmitting the data using the Bluetooth transceiver to at least one of;

a vehicle onboard computer, and a portable consumer computing device, at least for display of the data.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising receiving vehicle diagnostic information at the Bluetooth transceiver and transmitting the diagnostic information to at least one of:

the vehicle onboard computer, and the portable consumer computing device.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the portable consumer computing device is selected from the group including:

PDAs, wireless telephones, and laptop computers.

26. A system for data transmission, comprising:

wireless transceiver means; and

means for sending GPS data to the transceiver means for transmission of the data to at least one of;

a vehicle onboard computer, and a portable consumer computing device in a vehicle, at least for display of the data.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the transceiver means is a Bluetooth transceiver receiving vehicle diagnostic information and transmitting the diagnostic information to at least one of:

the vehicle onboard computer, and the portable consumer computing device.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the portable consumer computing device is selected from the group including:

PDAs, wireless telephones, and laptop computers.