MOBILE DEVICE CONNECTION SYSTEM

• US 20120161927A1
• Filed: 12/28/2010
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Pierfelice, Jeffrey Edward, Schmidt, Eric Randell
• Granted Patent: US 8,933,782 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.83
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/065 Continuous authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

A mobile device connection system may identify a mobile device of a present driver and prioritize a wireless connection between the identified mobile device and a built-in hands-free device located in a motor vehicle. In one embodiment, the mobile device connection system may include a sensor and a controller. The sensor may be configured to sense an identity of a driver when the driver is within a proximity of the motor vehicle and generate a signal based on the sensed identity. The controller may be coupled to the sensor, and it may be configured to identify the mobile device based on the signal from the sensor, search and detect the identified mobile device, and establish a wireless connection between the detected mobile device and the built-in hands-free device.

Claims

1. A mobile device connection system for wirelessly connecting a mobile device to an input-output interface located in a motor vehicle, comprising:

a sensor configured to sense an identity of a driver when the driver is within a proximity of the motor vehicle and generate a signal based on the sensed identity; and

a controller coupled to the sensor, and configured to identify the mobile device based on the signal from the sensor, search and detect the identified mobile device, and establish a wireless connection between the detected mobile device and the input-output interface.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a transceiver coupled to the controller, and configured to actuate the wireless connection between the searched mobile device and the input-output interface.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the proximity ranges from about 1 meter to about 10 meters.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller includes:

a memory configured to store one or more records, each record having an identifier field and a mobile device field, and

a processor coupled to the memory, and configured to receive the signal from the sensor, extract the sensed identity from the signal, match the sensed identity against the identity field of the one or more records, and identify the mobile device based on the mobile device field of the matched record.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an identity device for storing data related to the identity of the driver.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an electronic key configured to transmit a wireless signal to the motor vehicle, the wireless signal detectable by the sensor, and the wireless signal embedding data related to the identity of the driver.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to sense a biometric characteristic of the driver.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the biometric characteristic is selected from a group consisting of a fingerprint, a voice pattern, a retina pattern, and combinations thereof.

9. A mobile communication device connection system, comprising:

a sensor configured to sense data from an identity device and generate a signal based on the sensed data;

a controller responsive to the signal, and configured to determine an association between the sensed data and a mobile communication device; and

a transceiver coupled to the controller, and configured to establish a wireless connection with the mobile communication device based on the association between the mobile communication device and the sensed data.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a communication interface coupled to the controller, and configured to receive input and generate output for the mobile communication device via the established connection.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller includes:

a memory configured to store one or more records, each record having an identifier field and a mobile communication device field, and

a processor coupled to the memory, and configured to receive the signal from the sensor, extract the sensed data from the signal, match the sensed data against the identifier field of one of the records, and associate the sensed data with the mobile communication device based on the mobile communication device field of the matched record.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the sensor is configured to sense a distance between the sensor and the identity device and generate the signal based on sensed distance and the sensed data.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the identity device is one of an active radio frequency device and a passive radio frequency device.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the wireless connection is a blue-tooth connection.

15. A method for connecting one or more mobile devices to a motor vehicle, comprising:

sensing, using a sensor, an identity of a driver; and

establishing a wireless connection between one of the mobile devices and the motor vehicle based on the sensed identity.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein establishing the wireless connection includes:

associating one of the one or more mobile devices with the sensed identity,

searching and detecting the associated mobile device, and

wirelessly connecting the detected mobile device to an input-output interface located in the motor vehicle.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein associating one of the one or more mobile device includes:

matching the sensed identity against one or more records, and

identifying one of the one or more mobile devices based on the matched record.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein searching and detecting the associated mobile device includes ignoring the rest of the one or more mobile devices.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein sensing the identity of the driver includes sensing identity data from one of a passive radio frequency device and an active radio frequency device when the driver is within about 1 m to about 5 m of the motor vehicle.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein sensing the identity of the driver includes sensing, using a biometric sensor, a biometric characteristic of the driver.