DEVICE-INTEROPERABILITY NOTIFICATION METHOD AND SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR ASSESSING AN INTEROPERABILITY OF AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH A VEHICLE

• US 20130059575A1
• Filed: 09/06/2011
• Published: 03/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Oesterling, Christopher L., Pop, David P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,682,307 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

A device-interoperability notification method and system are disclosed herein. The method involves establishing a connection between an electronic device and a telematics unit operatively disposed in a vehicle. Via the telematics unit, data obtained from the device is transmitted to a data aggregator at a call center. From the data, the data aggregator recognizes that an interoperability issue exists between the device and the vehicle within which the device is disposed. Via a communications module at the call center, a message is sent to the telematics unit or the electronic device, and this message includes information pertaining to an interoperability of the electronic device with the vehicle. The system includes elements to perform the steps of the method above. Also disclosed herein is a method for assessing the interoperability between an electronic device and a vehicle.

Claims

1. A device-interoperability notification method, comprising:

establishing a connection between an electronic device and a telematics unit operatively disposed in a vehicle;

via the telematics unit, transmitting data obtained from the electronic device to a data aggregator at a call center;

via the data aggregator, from the data, recognizing that an interoperability issue exists between the electronic device and the vehicle within which the electronic device is disposed; and

sending a message to one of the telematics unit or the electronic device via a communications module at the call center, the message including information pertaining to an interoperability of the electronic device with the vehicle.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the transmitting of the data to the data aggregator at the call center occurs i) upon establishing the connection between the electronic device and the telematics unit, ii) via a vehicle data upload event, or iii) via a subscriber-initiated transmission.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein the transmitting of the data is accomplished via the vehicle data upload event, and wherein the method further comprises:

upon establishing the connection, obtaining the data from the electronic device via the telematics unit;

storing the data in an electronic memory of the telematics unit; and

in response to a trigger, via the telematics unit, initiating the vehicle data upload event.

4. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein the transmitting of the data is accomplished via the subscriber-initiated transmission, and wherein the method further comprises:

upon establishing the connection, obtaining the data from the electronic device via the telematics unit;

storing the data in an electronic memory of the telematics unit; and

actuating a function associated with the telematics unit to initiate the subscriber-initiated transmission.

5. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein when the transmission is accomplished upon establishing the connection between the electronic device and the telematics unit, the data is immediately and automatically transmitted to the data aggregator at the call center.

6. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the data is received at the call center, and wherein the method further comprises:

identifying, via the data aggregator at the call center, that the electronic device is a device type that was previously known to have an interoperability issue with a type of the vehicle within which the electronic device is then-currently disposed; and

upon identifying, determining whether interoperability testing has previously been performed on the electronic device.

7. The method as defined in claim 6 wherein the interoperability testing has not been performed on the electronic device, and wherein the method further comprises:

testing the electronic device at a testing facility to determine the interoperability of the electronic device with the vehicle type, the testing of the electronic device being accomplished according to a test plan performed at the testing facility;

generating test results from the testing; and

from the test results, formulating the message including the information pertaining to the interoperability of the electronic device with the vehicle.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, further comprising reporting the test results on a remotely accessible page.

9. The method as defined in claim 6 wherein the interoperability testing has been previously performed on the electronic device, and wherein the method further comprises:

extracting previously stored test results from a database at the call center, the previously stored test results being generated from other data obtained from a plurality of other electronic devices disposed in a plurality of other subscriber vehicles; and

from the test results, formulating the message including the information pertaining to the interoperability of the electronic device with the vehicle.

10. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the data aggregator at the call center receives the data, and wherein the method further comprises:

identifying, at the call center, that the electronic device is one that was not previously known to have an interoperability issue with a type of the vehicle within which the electronic device is then-currently disposed;

testing the electronic device at a testing facility to determine the interoperability of the electronic device with the vehicle type, the testing of the electronic device being accomplished according to a test plan performed at the testing facility;

generating test results from the testing; and

from the test results, formulating the message including the information pertaining to the interoperability of the electronic device with the vehicle.

11. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the data is received at the call center, and wherein the method further comprises utilizing other data previously obtained from a plurality of other electronic devices in combination with the transmitted data to identify a plurality of types of electronic devices being used by vehicle subscribers.

12. The method as defined in claim 11 wherein the other data previously obtained is stored in a database at the call center.

13. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the data is received at the call center, and wherein the method further comprises:

storing the data in a database at the call center;

receiving at the call center other data obtained from an other electronic device, the other electronic device being of the same type of device as the electronic device from which the stored data was obtained, thereby recognizing that the type of device is utilized by multiple users; and

testing the electronic device at a testing facility to determine the interoperability of the electronic device with the vehicle type, the testing of the electronic device being accomplished according to a test plan performed at the testing facility.

14. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the message is one of a short message service (SMS) message, a multimedia message service message (MMS), a voice message, or an electronic mail message.

15. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the message contains information pertaining to the interoperability of the electronic device and the vehicle, the information including any of a notification of the interoperability issue or advice for how to make the electronic device compatible with the vehicle.

16. A method for assessing an interoperability between an electronic device and a vehicle, comprising:

establishing a connection between an electronic device and a telematics unit operatively disposed in the vehicle;

via a telematics unit, transmitting data obtained from the electronic device to a data aggregator at a call center;

identifying, via the data aggregator, that the electronic device is one that was not previously known to have an interoperability issue with a type of vehicle within which the electronic device is then-currently disposed; and

testing, at a testing facility, an interoperability of the electronic device with the vehicle type.

17. The method as defined in claim 16 wherein the testing is accomplished according to a test plan performed at the testing facility, and wherein the test plan includes any of assessing a calling function of the electronic device inside the vehicle type, assessing a call-receiving function of the electronic device inside the vehicle type, assessing an audio playing function of the electronic device inside the vehicle type, assessing an Internet access function of the electronic device inside the vehicle type, or assessing a vehicle system control function of the electronic device inside the vehicle type.

18. The method as defined in claim 16 wherein upon testing, the method further comprises:

generating test results from the testing;

storing the test results in a database at the call center; and

one of;

via a communications module at the call center, transmitting a message to one of the telematics unit or the electronic device, the message being formulated from the test results and including information pertaining to the interoperability of the electronic device with the vehicle type;

or

via the data aggregator, reporting the test results on a remotely accessible page.

19. A device-interoperability notification system, comprising:

an electronic device disposed in a vehicle;

a telematics unit with which the electronic device is connected, the telematics unit to extract data from the electronic device;

a data aggregator at a call center in selective and operative communication with the telematics unit, the data aggregator to receive the data from the telematics unit;

a processor operatively associated with the data aggregator;

computer readable code for recognizing that an interoperability issue exists with the electronic device, wherein the computer readable code for assessing is executable by the processor and is encoded on a non-transitory, tangible computer readable medium; and

a communications module in selective and operative communication with the data aggregator at the call center, the communications module transmitting a message to one of the telematics unit or the electronic device, the message including information pertaining to an interoperability of the electronic device with the vehicle.

20. The system as defined in claim 19, further comprising:

a database including other data previously obtained by the data aggregator from a plurality of other electronic devices; and

computer readable code for identifying a plurality of types of electronic devices being used by subscriber vehicles upon assessing the data obtained from the telematics unit in combination with the other data, wherein the computer readable code for identifying executable by the processor and is encoded on a non-transitory, tangible computer readable medium.

21. The system as defined in claim 19, further comprising:

a testing facility including means for testing the electronic device to determine an interoperability with a type of the vehicle; and

one of;

a database for storing test results generated from the testing;

or

a remotely accessible page upon which the rest results are reported.