INITIATING WIRELESS COMMUNICATION BETWEEN A VEHICLE AND AN ACCESS POINT

• US 20100178872A1
• Filed: 01/13/2009
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: HUNTZICKER, FRED W., ALRABADY, ANSAF I.
• Granted Patent: US 8,467,725 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.300
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Methods and a vehicle are provided for initiating a short range radio frequency (RF) connection between the vehicle and an access point. The vehicle includes transceiver circuitry comprising receiver circuitry and transmitter circuitry, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver for receiving GPS coordinates, and a controller. The controller is coupled to the GPS receiver for determining a location of the vehicle in response to the GPS coordinates. The controller is also coupled to the transmitter circuitry for providing a probe request thereto for transmission to the access point in order to initiate the short range RF connection in response to the location of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for initiation of a short range radio frequency (RF) connection between a vehicle and an access point, the method comprising the step of transmitting a probe request from the vehicle to initiate the short range RF connection in response to a location of the vehicle.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting the probe request comprises the step of transmitting the probe request including vehicle specific information until reception of a probe response from the home access point.

3. The method in accordance with claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

determining a speed of the vehicle;

detecting the location of the vehicle if the speed of the vehicle is less than a predetermined speed; and

determining whether the location of the vehicle is less than a predetermined distance from a predetermined location,

wherein the step of transmitting the probe request comprises the steps of;

begin transmitting the probe request including the vehicle specific information when the location of the vehicle is less than the predetermined radius from the predetermined location; and

cease transmitting the probe request including the vehicle specific information in response to reception of the probe response from the access point.

4. The method in accordance with claim 2 wherein the step of transmitting the probe request comprises the steps of:

begin transmitting the probe request including the vehicle specific information in response to the location of the vehicle and a speed of the vehicle; and

cease transmitting the probe request including the vehicle specific information in response to reception of the probe response from the access point.

5. The method in accordance with claim 4 further comprising the steps of:

detecting the speed of the vehicle; and

determining whether the speed of the vehicle is less than a predetermined speed,

wherein the step of beginning to transmit the probe request comprises the step of beginning to transmit the probe request including the vehicle specific information when the speed of the vehicle is less than the predetermined speed.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5 further comprising the steps of:

detecting the location of the vehicle if the speed of the vehicle is less than the predetermined speed; and

determining whether the location of the vehicle is less than a predetermined distance from a predetermined location,

wherein the step of beginning to transmit the probe request comprises the step of beginning to transmit the probe request including the vehicle specific information when the speed of the vehicle is less than the predetermined speed and the location of the vehicle is less than the predetermined distance from the predetermined location.

7. The method in accordance with claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

receiving Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates corresponding to the location of the access point; and

storing the GPS coordinates as the predetermined location.

8. The method in accordance with claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

receiving a predetermined location-defining user input;

determining present Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates in response to receiving the predetermined location-defining user input; and

storing the present GPS coordinates as the predetermined location.

9. A method for defining a predetermined location comprising the steps of:

determining Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates in response to a received input; and

thereafter defining the predetermined location in accordance with the GPS coordinates.

10. The method in accordance with claim 9, wherein the step of determining the GPS coordinates comprises secure server steps of:

a secure server receiving access point address information corresponding to a location of an access point;

converting the access point address information into Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates; and

forwarding the GPS coordinates to a vehicle, and

wherein the step of thereafter defining the predetermined location comprises vehicle steps of;

receiving the GPS coordinates;

storing the GPS coordinates; and

thereafter defining the predetermined location in accordance with the GPS coordinates.

11. The method in accordance with claim 9, wherein the step of determining the GPS coordinates comprises the vehicle steps of:

receiving a predetermined location-defining user input; and

determining present Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates in response to receiving the predetermined location-defining user input, and

wherein the step of thereafter defining the predetermined location comprises the vehicle steps of;

storing the present GPS coordinates as stored GPS coordinates; and

thereafter defining the predetermined location in accordance with the stored GPS coordinates.

12. The method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the step of determining the present GPS coordinates comprises a vehicle step of determining a predetermined number of multiple present GPS coordinates in response to receiving the predetermined location-defining user input, and wherein the step of storing the present GPS coordinates as the stored GPS coordinates comprises the vehicle steps of:

averaging the predetermined number of multiple present GPS coordinates to derive average GPS coordinates; and

storing the average GPS coordinates as the stored GPS coordinates.

13. A vehicle comprising:

transceiver circuitry comprising receiver circuitry and transmitter circuitry;

a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver for receiving GPS coordinates; and

a controller coupled to the GPS receiver for determining a location of the vehicle in response to the GPS coordinates and coupled to the transmitter circuitry for providing a probe request thereto for transmission therefrom in order to initiate a short range radio frequency (RF) connection in response to the location of the vehicle.

14. The vehicle in accordance with claim 13 wherein the controller provides the probe request including a vehicle service set identifier (SSID) to the transmitter circuitry until detection of a probe response from an access point.

15. The vehicle in accordance with claim 14 further comprising a speed determining device for generating a speed signal corresponding to a speed of the vehicle, wherein the controller is coupled to the speed determining device and determines whether the location of the vehicle is less than a predetermined distance from a predetermined location if the speed of the vehicle is less than a predetermined speed, the controller providing the probe request to the transmitter circuitry for transmission therefrom in order to initiate the short range RF connection when the location of the vehicle is less than the predetermined distance from the predetermined location.

16. The vehicle in accordance with claim 15 further comprising a storage device for non-volatilely storing information therein, wherein the controller receives Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates corresponding to the location of the access point from the receiver circuitry and is coupled to the storage device for storing the GPS coordinates therein, the controller thereafter retrieving the GPS coordinates as the predetermined location.

17. The vehicle in accordance with claim 15 further comprising:

a storage device for non-volatilely storing information therein; and

a user input device for receiving user inputs and generating input signals in response thereto, the user input device receiving a predetermined location-defining user input and generating a predetermined location-defining input signal in response thereto,

wherein the controller is coupled to the user input device and the GPS receiver for determining present GPS coordinates in response to receiving the predetermined location-defining input signal, the controller coupled to the storage device for storing the present GPS coordinates as location information therein and thereafter retrieving the location information as the predetermined location.

18. The vehicle in accordance with claim 14 further comprising a speed determining device for generating a speed signal corresponding to a speed of the vehicle, wherein the controller is coupled to the speed determining device and provides the probe request to the transmitter circuitry for transmission therefrom in order to initiate the short range RF connection in response to the location of the vehicle and the speed signal, the controller ceasing to provide the probe request to the transmitter circuitry in response to reception of the probe response from the receiver circuitry.

19. The vehicle in accordance with claim 18 wherein the controller determines the speed of the vehicle in response to the speed signal and provides the probe request to the transmitter circuitry for transmission therefrom in order to initiate the short range RF connection in response to the speed of the vehicle being less than a predetermined speed.

20. The vehicle in accordance with claim 18 wherein the speed determining device is a speedometer.