Vehicle communication system

• US 20070083297A1
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Published: 04/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Technical Center North America Incorporated (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Heft, Ronald, Tengler, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 7,444,227 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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

Abstract

A vehicle communication system is provided to facilitate meeting our people in nearby or neighboring cars with similar interests, desires or wants. The vehicle communication system has a host vehicle two way communication device, a host vehicle personal data storage component and a host vehicle personal data matching component. The host vehicle two way communication device conducts direct short range communications in a host vehicle broadcast area surrounding a host vehicle. The host vehicle personal data storage component broadcasts at least some of a host vehicle user'"'"'s personal data and receives nearby user'"'"'s desired profile requirement via the host vehicle two way communication device. The host vehicle personal data matching component compares host vehicle user'"'"'s desired profile requirement that is based on the host vehicle user'"'"'s personal data with the nearby user'"'"'s desired profile requirement.

Claims

1. A vehicle communication system comprising:

a host vehicle two way communication device configured to conduct direct short range communications in a host vehicle broadcast area surrounding a host vehicle;

a host vehicle personal data storage component configured to store host vehicle user'"'"'s personal data and store a nearby user'"'"'s desired profile requirement from a nearby user within the host vehicle broadcast area surrounding the host vehicle, the host vehicle personal data storage component being operatively connected to the host vehicle two way communication device, which is configured to broadcast at least some of the host vehicle user'"'"'s personal data and receive the nearby user'"'"'s desired profile requirement; and

a host vehicle personal data matching component configured to compare host vehicle user'"'"'s desired profile requirement that is based on the host vehicle user'"'"'s personal data with the nearby user'"'"'s desired profile requirement.

2. The vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the host vehicle two way communication device is further configured to automatically broadcast the host vehicle user'"'"'s personal data periodically upon activation the vehicle communication system.

3. The vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the host vehicle two way communication device includes a listening mode in which none of the host vehicle user'"'"'s personal data is broadcasted by the host vehicle two way communication device, but the nearby user'"'"'s desired profile requirement is stored by the host vehicle personal data storage component and processed by the host vehicle personal data matching component, when the nearby user'"'"'s desired profile requirement is received by the host vehicle two way communication device.

4. The vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the host vehicle two way communication device includes a wireless communication device.

5. The vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the host vehicle personal data storage component includes a host vehicle user input device to be manually operated to carry on spontaneous conversation with the nearby user via the host vehicle two way communication device.

6. The vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the host vehicle personal data storage component includes a display configured to view the nearby user'"'"'s desired profile requirement.

7. The vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the host vehicle personal data storage component includes a display configured to view the host vehicle user'"'"'s personal data.

8. The vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the host vehicle personal data storage component is a part of an onboard vehicle navigation system.

9. The vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the host vehicle personal data storage component is further configured to categorize the host vehicle user'"'"'s personal data into a basic profile including a selected first portion of the host vehicle user'"'"'s personal data and a full profile including a selected second portion of the host vehicle user'"'"'s personal data.

10. The vehicle communication system according to claim 9, wherein

the host vehicle personal data storage component is further to provide the basic profile to the host vehicle two way communication device prior to the host vehicle personal data matching component determining a match between the host vehicle user'"'"'s desired profile requirement and the nearby user'"'"'s desired profile requirement and to provide the full profile to the host vehicle two way communication device after the host vehicle personal data matching component determines the match between the host vehicle user'"'"'s desired profile requirement and the nearby user'"'"'s desired profile requirement.

11. The vehicle communication system according to claim 10, wherein

the host vehicle two way communication device includes a regular broadcast channel and a service channel with the host vehicle personal data storage component being configured to use the regular broadcast channel to broadcast the basic profile and to use the service channel to unicast the full profile.

12. The vehicle communication system according to claim 10, wherein

the host vehicle personal data storage component includes a host vehicle user input device, and the host vehicle two way communication device is configured to only send the full profile after receiving a send command signal from the host vehicle user via the host vehicle user input device.

13. The vehicle communication system according to claim 12, wherein

the host vehicle personal data storage component includes a host vehicle user input device configured to be manually operated to carry on spontaneous conversation with the nearby user via the host vehicle two way communication device using the service channel.

14. The vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the host vehicle personal data storage component is further configured to send a request for additional data from the nearby user via the host vehicle two way communication device upon the host vehicle personal data matching component determining an initial match between the host vehicle user'"'"'s desired profile requirement and the nearby user'"'"'s desired profile requirement.

15. The vehicle communication system according to claim 14, wherein

the host vehicle personal data storage component is further configured to send the request for additional data from the nearby user automatically upon the host vehicle personal data matching component determining the initial match.

16. The vehicle communication system according to claim 14, wherein

the host vehicle personal data storage component is further configured to send the request for additional data from the nearby user only after the host vehicle personal data matching component determines the initial match and receiving a send command signal from the host vehicle user via a host vehicle user input device.