REMOTE MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL OF VEHICULAR FUNCTIONS VIA MULTIPLE NETWORKS

• US 20140005859A1
• Filed: 06/30/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ariel Malamud, Lonny Baskin
• Inventors: BASKIN, LONNY, MALAMUD, ARIEL
• Granted Patent: US 9,031,712 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00507 keyless data carrier having more than one function
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

Certain embodiments herein relate to enabling remote activation of a vehicle'"'"'s functions or features via multiple networks that may connect the vehicle to a user device operated by a user. A user may utilize the user device to send action codes to a vehicle that, when received and processed by the vehicle, may cause the vehicle to perform one or more functions corresponding to the action codes, in some examples, such functionality may be implemented for stolen vehicle tracking and parental controls. Various devices and/or program code in a vehicle may configured to detect and communicate multiple networks, such as Bluetooth®, a wireless fidelity (WiFi) network, a WiFi Direct network, a cellular network (including third generation and fourth generation), a radio network, a satellite, etc. As described herein, program code may run as firmware and processors and memory devices, for example, may operate out of band.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one memory that stores computer-executable instructions;

at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

receive, over a first network of a plurality of networks, a message comprising an action code, wherein the action code corresponds to a function associated with the apparatus;

process the action code, wherein the processing causes performance of the function;

determine a second network of the plurality of networks for sending a second message; and

send the second message over the second network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the at least one processor further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

receive, over a network of the plurality of networks, a configuration;

store at least a portion of the configuration in firmware; and

identify the function based at least in part on the configuration.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second network is different from the first network.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first message is received out of band, and wherein processing the action code comprises waking one or more devices in the apparatus associated with the function.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the at least one processor further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to receive, over a third network of the plurality of networks, a third message, wherein the third network is different from the first network.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor are onboard a system board, the system board associated with at least one of an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system or a telematics system.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of networks comprise at least one of a WiFi network, a WiFi Direct network, a Bluetooth®

network, a cellular network, a satellite network, a radio network, or a wireless network.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message is encoded, the at least one processor further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to authenticate the message, wherein authenticating the messages verifies the content of the message.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message is received from a user account associated with a user device, the at least one processor further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to authenticate the user account, wherein the authentication determines that the user account has permissions to cause the performance.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second message comprises global positioning system (GPS) coordinates identifying a location of the apparatus.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the performance comprises at least one of activating one or more cameras associated with the apparatus, reducing the speed of the apparatus, enabling a transmitter for tracking the apparatus, or adjusting a volume for a stereo in the apparatus.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, at a user device, a request to activate a function associated with a vehicle;

generating, by the user device, an action code associated with the function, wherein the action code is based at least in part on the request;

identifying, by the user device, a network for sending the action code to the vehicle, wherein the vehicle is configured to receive the action code over a plurality of networks; and

sending, from the user device, the action code to the vehicle over the network.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising authenticating, by the user device, a user account associated with the user device, wherein the authentication determines whether the user account may cause performance of the function.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the action code, when processed by the vehicle, causes the vehicle to perform the function.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the function comprises at least one of activating one or more cameras associated with the vehicle, reducing the speed of the vehicle, enabling a transmitter for tracking the vehicle, or adjusting a volume for a stereo in the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the action code is received by the vehicle out of band.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving, at the user device, a message from the vehicle, wherein the message is sent from the vehicle out of band.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of networks comprise at least one of a WiFi network, a WiFi Direct network, a Bluetooth®

network, a cellular network, a satellite network, or a radio network.

19. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, configure the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a vehicle, a configuration over a network of a plurality of networks;

storing, at the vehicle, at least a portion of the configuration in firmware;

receiving, at the vehicle, over the network, a message comprising an action code, wherein the action code corresponds to a function associated with the vehicle;

identifying, by the vehicle, the function based at least in part on the configuration; and

processing, by the vehicle, the action code, wherein the processing causes performance of the function.

20. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 19, the at least one processor further configured to perform the operation of:

determining, by the vehicle, a second network of the plurality of networks for sending a second message to a user device; and

sending, by the vehicle, the second message to the second network for delivery to the user device.

21. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 20, the at least one processor further configured to perform the operation of:

determining that the second message was not delivered to the user device; and

sending the second message to the user device over the network.

22. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 20, wherein the second network is different than the first network.

23. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein at least one of the configuration or the message is received out of band.

24. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein the plurality of networks comprise at least one of a WiFi network, a WiFi Direct network, a Bluetooth®

network, a cellular network, a satellite network, or a radio network.

25. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein processing the action code comprises waking one or more devices in the vehicle associated with the function.

26. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein the function comprises at least one of activating one or more cameras associated with the vehicle, reducing the speed of the vehicle, enabling a transmitter for tracking the vehicle, or adjusting a volume for a stereo in the vehicle.