Remote control system

• US 20080165024A1
• Filed: 10/10/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Van de Made, Joost, Pite, Erik, Gretton, Mark
• Application Number:
  US11/907,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20080165024A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.22
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle

Abstract

A system for controlling a controllable device, in particular a navigation device, comprises a controllable device (450) comprising a user input (460), a controller (452) and a wireless communications interface (454). A remote control device (400) comprises a user input (410), a controller (402) and a wireless communications interface (404). The remote control device (400) transmits a pairing request to the controllable device. In response to receiving a confirmation, it pairs with the controllable device. In response to a user activation of the user input, it transmits a command to the paired controllable device. The controllable device (450) receives the pairing request from the remote control device. It enables a user to allow or reject the pairing request by means of a user input (460). In response to the user allowing the pairing request, it transmits the confirmation to the remote control device and pairs with it. In response to receiving a command from the paired remote control device (400), it executes the command.

Claims

1. A system for controlling a controllable device, in particular a navigation device, the system comprising

a controllable device (450) comprising a user input (460), a controller (452) and a wireless communications interface (454);

a remote control device (400) for controlling the controllable device and comprising a user input (410), a controller (402) and a wireless communications interface (404);

the controller (402) of the remote control device (400) being arranged for;

transmitting a pairing request to the controllable device via the wireless communications interface (404) of the remote control device (400);

in response to receiving a confirmation from the controllable device via the wireless communications interface (404) of the remote control device (400), pairing with the controllable device to obtain a paired controllable device; and

in response to a user activation of the user input, transmitting an associated command to the paired controllable device via the wireless communications interface (404) of the remote control device (400); and

the controller (452) of the controllable device (450) being arranged for;

receiving the pairing request from the remote control device via the wireless communications interface (454) of the controllable device (450);

enabling a user to allow or reject the pairing request by means of the user input (460) of the controllable device (450);

in response to the user allowing the pairing request, transmitting the confirmation to the remote control device via the wireless communications interface (454) of the controllable device (450) and pairing with the remote control device to obtain a paired remote control device; and

in response to receiving a command from the paired remote control device (400) via the wireless communications interface (454) of the controllable device (450), executing the command.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the pairing request is performed in response to the user input being activated for a first time.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the enabling the user to allow or reject the pairing request comprises

prompting the user to indicate whether the user allows or rejects the pairing request;

waiting for a user input indicative of whether the user allows or rejects the pairing request.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device is arranged for

discovering one or more controllable devices within an action radius of the remote control device, to obtain a list of one or more discovered controllable devices;

automatically selecting one of the discovered controllable devices based on a predetermined selection criterion;

transmitting the pairing request to the selected controllable device.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the remote control device is arranged for

receiving a signal via the wireless communications interface of the remote control device from individual ones of the one or more discovered controllable devices;

establishing a strength of the signal received from the individual ones of the one or more discovered controllable devices; and

selecting the one of the discovered controllable devices that has a strongest received signal.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the remote control device is arranged for

in response to not receiving the confirmation from the selected controllable device, selecting the one of the discovered controllable devices that has a next strongest received signal.

7. The system according to claim 4, wherein the remote control device is arranged for

storing a communication identifier of the paired controllable device;

maintaining a connection with the paired controllable device via the wireless communications interface of the remote control device, wherein the command is transmitted via the connection;

in response to switching to a power on mode,

if the identifier has been stored, attempting to restore the connection with the paired controllable device using the communication identifier, and

if the connection with the paired controllable device is not restored, performing the steps of discovering, automatically selecting, and transmitting the pairing request;

the paired controllable device being arranged for allowing the paired remote control device to connect.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the remote control device is arranged for giving up the connection when switching to a power off mode, or switching to the power off mode in response to a loss of the connection or in response to receiving a notification from the controllable device that it is shutting down.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the remote control device is arranged for switching from the power off mode to the power on mode in response to activation of the user input.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein the maintaining the connection comprises regularly scheduling time windows for exchanging data packets between the paired controllable device and the paired remote control device;

and wherein the system comprises

first power saving means for reducing a frequency and/or duration of the time windows after the input means has not been activated during a first predetermined time duration and until the input means is activated.

11. The system according to claim 7, further comprising

second power saving means for switching the remote control device to the power off mode, thereby giving up the connection, after the input means has not been activated during a second predetermined time duration.

12. The system according to any of claims 7, wherein the wireless communications interface of the remote control device and the wireless communications interface of the controllable device are Bluetooth communications interfaces, and wherein the remote control device and the controllable device are arranged for exchanging the pairing request, the confirmation message, and the command message via the Bluetooth communications interfaces.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the remote control device acts as a master device and the controllable device acts as a slave device.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the first power saving means is arranged for putting the connection in a sniff mode, a hold mode, or a park mode when reducing the frequency of data packets.

15. A remote control device (400) for use in the system according to claim 1, comprising a user input (410), a controller (402) and a wireless communications interface (404);

the controller (402) of the remote control device (400) being arranged for;

transmitting a pairing request to a controllable device via the wireless communications interface (404) of the remote control device (400);

in response to receiving a confirmation from the controllable device via the wireless communications interface (404) of the remote control device (400), pairing with the controllable device to obtain a paired controllable device; and

in response to a user activation of the user input, transmitting an associated command to the paired controllable device via the wireless communications interface (404) of the remote control device (400).

16. A controllable device (450), in particular a navigation device, for use in the system according to claim 1, comprising a user input (460), a controller (452) and a wireless communications interface (454);

the controller (452) of the controllable device (450) being arranged for;

receiving a pairing request from a remote control device (400) via the wireless communications interface (454) of the controllable device (450);

enabling a user to allow or reject the pairing request by means of the user input (460) of the controllable device (450);

in response to the user allowing the pairing request, transmitting a confirmation to the remote control device via the wireless communications interface (454) of the controllable device (450) and pairing with the remote control device to obtain a paired remote control device; and

in response to receiving a command from the paired remote control device (400) via the wireless communications interface (454) of the controllable device (450), executing the command.

17. A method of controlling a controllable device, in particular a navigation device, the method comprising

wirelessly transmitting a pairing request to the controllable device;

in response to receiving a confirmation from the controllable device, pairing with the controllable device to obtain a paired controllable device; and

in response to a user activation of a user input, wirelessly transmitting an associated command to the paired controllable device.

18. A computer program product comprising instructions for causing a processor to perform the method according to claim 17.

19. A method of controlling a controllable device, in particular a navigation device, the method comprising

wirelessly receiving a pairing request from a remote control device;

enabling a user to allow or reject the pairing request;

in response to the user allowing the pairing request, wirelessly transmitting a confirmation to the remote control device and pairing with the remote control device to obtain a paired remote control device; and

in response to receiving a command from the paired remote control device (400) via the wireless communications interface (454) of the controllable device (450), executing the command.

20. A computer program product comprising instructions for causing a processor to perform the method according to claim 19.