VEHICLE HMI REPLACEMENT

• US 20120221188A1
• Filed: 02/24/2011
• Published: 08/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Kelly, James J. III
• Application Number:
  US13/034,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20120221188A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/137 Jog-dials
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/55 Remote control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/566 Mobile devices displaying vehicle information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/589 Wireless data transfers
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/137 Jog-dials
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/50 Control arrangements; Data network features
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/55 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/566 Mobile devices displaying vehicle information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/589 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/85 Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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: H04W 92/04 Interfaces between hierarchically different network devices

Abstract

The described method and system provide for a removable computing device as part of a HMI of a vehicle which may be utilized to provide consumers with a personalized driving experience, comprehensive infotainment services, and a more sophisticated avenue for third parties to interact with the consumer. Specifically, the computing device may be a tablet computer, and may communicate with vehicle components wirelessly or through a wired connection and through a communications gateway or other interface. The tablet computer may be a general purpose computer with specific applications designed for vehicle-related functions stored on it. The tablet may provide the user with a plurality of functional interfaces, such as interfaces relating to conventional instrument gauges, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) controls, a radio, infotainment services, diagnostics monitoring, and vehicle module reflashing.

Claims

1. A system providing a human machine interface (HMI) between a user and a vehicle, the system comprising:

a vehicle, including a plurality of vehicle components and having a vehicle passenger compartment; and

a computing device adapted for communicating with the plurality of vehicle components and capable of being freely removed from within the vehicle passenger compartment without deinstallation, the computing device further comprising;

a screen adapted for displaying information relating to the plurality of vehicle Components to the user;

an input adapted for receiving requests from the user; and

memory for storing vehicle-related applications.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device communicates wirelessly with the vehicle components.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the computing device utilizes at least one of WiFi, Bluetooth, and ZigBee for wireless communication with the vehicle components.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the computing device detects when the vehicle is within a predetermined proximity to the computing device and automatically begins running at least one vehicle-related application.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device communicates with the vehicle components through a communications gateway.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device communicates with the vehicle components through a detachable wired connection.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a tablet computer.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device utilizes a walled garden operating system with respect to the vehicle-related applications.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the screen is adapted to display a plurality of functional interfaces, wherein the functional interfaces relate to the plurality of vehicle components.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a remote entity, adapted to communicate with at least one of the vehicle and the computing device over a network.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the remote entity is further adapted to send at least one of advertising messages and software updates to the computing device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the computing device is further adapted to mine data relating to at least one of the user and the plurality of vehicle components, the remote entity being further adapted to receive the mined data, and the at least one of advertising messages and software updates sent to the computing device being based on the mined data.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further adapted to detect a gear selector status of the vehicle, and wherein the functionality of the computing device available to the user is limited based on the detected gear selector status.

14. A removable computing device temporarily connected to a vehicle, the removable computing device including a display, at least one input interface, and a non-transient computer readable medium having thereon computer executable instructions for providing a human machine interface (HMI) between a user of the vehicle and the vehicle, the computer executable instructions comprising:

instructions for receiving at least one user request through the at least one input interface;

instructions for communicating with vehicle components based on the at least one user request;

instructions for displaying information related to vehicle components to the user through the display based on the at least one user request; and

instructions for providing the user with one of a plurality of functional interfaces related to vehicle operation through the display based on the at least one user request.

15. The removable computing device of claim 14, wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise:

instructions for mining data related to the user and to the vehicle.

16. The removable computing device of, claim 15, wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise:

instructions for sending the mined data to one or more remote entities over a network; and

instructions for receiving at least one of advertising messages and software updates to the computing device.

17. The removable computing device of claim 14, wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise:

instructions for retrieving a gear selector status of the vehicle; and

instructions for limiting the functionality of the computing device available to the user based on the retrieved gear selector status.

18. The removable computing device of claim 14, wherein the removable computing device is a tablet computer.

19. A method for limiting accessible functions of a removable computing device connected to a vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting, at the removable computing device, a gear selector status of the vehicle; and

restricting, at the removable computing device, access to certain functions of the computing device to a user of the computing device based on the detected gear selector status.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the removable computing device is a tablet computer.