SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING VEHICLE THROUGH THE WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS RELAY OF A VEHICLE REMOTE CONTROLLER

• US 20120303182A1
• Filed: 12/29/2010
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: In J.U. Choi
• Original Assignee: In J.U. Choi
• Inventors: Choi, In Ju
• Application Number:
  US13/574,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20120303182A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0064 using a remote, e.g. cordless, transmitter or receiver unit, e.g. remote keypad or mobile phone
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for managing a vehicle through a wireless communications relay of a vehicle remote controller, which save additional communication costs by using an inexpensive and universal communication module such as a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi module instead of an existing mobile communication network, and are greatly economically beneficial and have high market adaptability by applying the existing communication module as-is to an existing mobile communication terminal and to an existing vehicle control means, in the management of the vehicle through a vehicle control terminal such as a mobile communication terminal capable of executing various applications. Especially for this purpose, the system for managing a vehicle through a wireless communications relay of a vehicle remote controller includes: a vehicle control terminal (100) provided with a first Bluetooth module (110) or a first Wi-Fi module therein for transmitting control data for controlling the vehicle as a vehicle control signal; a vehicle remote controller (200) provided with a second Bluetooth module (220) or a second Wi-Fi module therein for receiving the vehicle control signal, and provided with a first RF module (220) therein for transmitting the received vehicle control signal through the first RF module (220); and vehicle control means (300) built into the vehicle and provided with a second RF module (310) therein for receiving the vehicle control signal transmitted by the first RF module (220), so as to control the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle management system using wireless communication relay of a vehicle remote control, comprising:

a vehicle control terminal (100) configured to contain therein at least one of a first Bluetooth module (110) and a first Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi) module and to transmit control data required to control a vehicle as a vehicle control signal;

a vehicle remote control (200) configured to contain therein at least one of a second Bluetooth module (210) and a second Wi-Fi module and to receive the vehicle control signal and further configured to contain therein a first Radio Frequency (RF) module (220) and to transmit the received vehicle control signal via the first RF module (220); and

vehicle control means (300) contained in the vehicle and configured to contain therein a second RF module (310) and to receive the vehicle control signal transmitted by the first RF module (220) and then control the vehicle.

2. The vehicle management system of claim 1, wherein the control data is data required to control a Body Control Unit (BCU) or an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle management system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control terminal (100) is any one of a mobile communication terminal, a computer, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), and an MP3 player.

4. The vehicle management system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control terminal (100) further comprises an interface unit (120) for generating the control data.

5. The vehicle management system of claim 4, wherein the control data is generated by executing a management application of the vehicle via the interface unit (120).

6. The vehicle management system of claim 1, wherein the first RF module (220) and the second RF module (310) use a 300 to 500 MHz frequency band for wireless communication.

7. The vehicle management system of claim 1, wherein:

each of the first Bluetooth module (110), the first Wi-Fi module, the second Bluetooth module (210), the second Wi-Fi module, the first RF module (220), and the second RF module (310) is implemented as a transmission/reception module,

the vehicle control means (300) transmits a control result signal corresponding to control result data resulting from control of the vehicle via the second RF module (310),

the vehicle remote control (200) receives the control result signal via the first RF module (220) and transmits the control result signal via the second Bluetooth module (210) or the second Wi-Fi module, and

the vehicle control terminal (100) receives the control result signal transmitted by the vehicle remote control (200) via the first Bluetooth module (110) or the first Wi-Fi module.

8. The vehicle management system of claim 7, wherein the vehicle remote control (200) further comprises a signal conversion unit (230) for converting the vehicle control signal received by the vehicle remote control (200) into an RF signal based on common layer data of the control data between any one of the second Bluetooth module (210) and the second Wi-Fi module and the first RF module (220).

9. The vehicle management system of claim 8, wherein the signal conversion unit (230) converts the control result signal received by the vehicle remote control (200) into any one of a Bluetooth signal and a Wi-Fi signal, based on the common layer data of the control result data.

10. The vehicle management system of claim 7, wherein the vehicle remote control (200) further comprises temporary storage means (250) for temporarily storing the control result data when a status of signal reception of the vehicle control terminal (100) is determined and the status indicates that signal reception is impossible.

11. The vehicle management system of claim 10, wherein the vehicle remote control (200) further comprises message notification means (260) for indicating the status of signal reception.

12. The vehicle management system of claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle remote control (200) further comprises encoding means (240) for encoding the control data, and

the vehicle control means (300) further comprises decoding means (320) for decoding the control data.

13. A vehicle management method using wireless communication relay of a vehicle remote control, comprising:

a vehicle control terminal (100) transmitting control data required to control a vehicle as a vehicle control signal via a first Bluetooth module (110) or a first Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi) module (S110);

a vehicle remote control (200) receiving the vehicle control signal via a second Bluetooth module (210) or a second Wi-Fi module (S120);

the vehicle remote control (200) transmitting the received vehicle control signal via a first RF module (220) (S130); and

vehicle control means (300) receiving the vehicle control signal transmitted by the first RF module (220) via a second RF module (310) and then controlling the vehicle (S140).

14. The vehicle management method of claim 13, wherein the control data is generated by executing a management application of the vehicle via an interface unit (120).

15. The vehicle management method of claim 13, further comprising, after the vehicle control means (300) controlling the vehicle (S140):

the vehicle control means (300) transmitting a control result signal corresponding to control result data resulting from control of the vehicle via the second RF module (310) (S160);

the vehicle remote control (200) receiving the control result signal via the first RF module (220) (S170);

the vehicle remote control (200) transmitting the control result signal via the second Bluetooth module (210) or the second Wi-Fi module (S180); and

the vehicle control terminal (100) receiving the control result signal transmitted by the vehicle remote control (200) via the first Bluetooth module (110) or the first Wi-Fi module.