MODULAR IN-VEHICLE INFOTAINMENT ARCHITECTURE WITH UPGRADEABLE MULTIMEDIA MODULE

• US 20150100633A1
• Filed: 10/07/2013
• Published: 04/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lenny Insurance Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Original Assignee: CloudCar, Inc.
• Inventors: Barrett, Peter T., Scanlan, James, Leak, Bruce, Draganic, Zarko
• Application Number:
  US14/047,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20150100633A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• 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: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing a modular in-vehicle infotainment architecture with an upgradeable multimedia module are disclosed. A particular embodiment includes: receiving data signals at a multimedia module via a vehicle subsystem connection from one or more vehicle subsystems of a vehicle; processing the data signals on the multimedia module, by use of a data processor, to produce modified data signals, at least a portion of the modified data signals including data signals associated with an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system in the vehicle; transferring the modified data signals from the multimedia module to a mobile device via a mobile device interface; and causing the mobile device to render an information display on a user interface on the mobile device, the information display including information indicative of the modified data signals.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving data signals at a multimedia module via a vehicle subsystem connection from one or more vehicle subsystems of a vehicle;

processing the data signals on the multimedia module, by execution of processing instructions in a data processor, to produce modified data signals, at least a portion of the modified data signals including data signals associated with an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system in the vehicle;

transferring the modified data signals from the multimedia module to a mobile device via a mobile device interface; and

causing the mobile device to render an information display on a user interface on the mobile device, the information display including information indicative of the modified data signals.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the vehicle subsystems of the vehicle are from the group:

an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system and an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the vehicle subsystem connection includes a connector from the group:

a DisplayPort connector, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector, and a CarLink Connector.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the vehicle subsystem connection includes a detachable connector.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mobile device interface includes an interface from the group:

USB On-The-Go (USB OTG), WiFi, and Bluetooth (BT).

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mobile device interface includes a wireless interface.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the multimedia module includes an operating system.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 including causing the mobile device to render an information display on a user interface on a network-connected network resource, the information display including information indicative of the modified data signals.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the multimedia module includes a tuner.

10. A multimedia module comprising:

one or more data processors;

a vehicle subsystem connector to connect the multimedia module with one or more vehicle subsystems of a vehicle;

a mobile device interface to connect the multimedia module with one or more mobile devices; and

a module operating system, executable by the one or more data processors, to;

receive data signals at the multimedia module via the vehicle subsystem connector from the one or more vehicle subsystems of the vehicle;

process the data signals on the multimedia module to produce modified data signals, at least a portion of the modified data signals including data signals associated with an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system in the vehicle;

transfer the modified data signals from the multimedia module to a mobile device of the one or more mobile devices via the mobile device interface; and

cause the mobile device to render an information display on a user interface on the mobile device, the information display including information indicative of the modified data signals.

11. The multimedia module as claimed in claim 10 wherein the one or more vehicle subsystems of the vehicle are from the group:

an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system and an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle.

12. The multimedia module as claimed in claim 10 wherein the vehicle subsystem connector includes a connector from the group:

a DisplayPort connector, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector, and a CarLink Connector.

13. The multimedia module as claimed in claim 10 wherein the vehicle subsystem connector includes a detachable connector.

14. The multimedia module as claimed in claim 10 wherein the mobile device interface includes an interface from the group:

USB On-The-Go (USB OTG), WiFi, and Bluetooth (BT).

15. The multimedia module as claimed in claim 10 wherein the mobile device interface includes a wireless interface.

16. The multimedia module as claimed in claim 10 being further configured to cause the mobile device to render an information display on a user interface on a network-connected network resource, the information display including information indicative of the modified data signals.

17. The multimedia module as claimed in claim 10 wherein the multimedia module includes a tuner.

18. A non-transitory machine-useable storage medium embodying instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

receive data signals at a multimedia module via a vehicle subsystem connection from one or more vehicle subsystems of a vehicle;

process the data signals on the multimedia module to produce modified data signals, at least a portion of the modified data signals including data signals associated with an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system in the vehicle;

transfer the modified data signals from the multimedia module to a mobile device via a mobile device interface; and

cause the mobile device to render an information display on a user interface on the mobile device, the information display including information indicative of the modified data signals.

19. The machine-useable storage medium as claimed in claim 18 wherein the vehicle subsystem connection includes a connector from the group:

a DisplayPort connector, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector, and a CarLink Connector.

20. The machine-useable storage medium as claimed in claim 18 wherein the mobile device interface includes an interface from the group:

USB On-The-Go (USB OTG), WiFi, and Bluetooth (BT).