VEHICLE REARVIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLY INCORPORATING A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
First Claim
1. 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:
- 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.
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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
14 Claims
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1. 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 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. 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 (13, 14)
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Specification