VEHICLE HEAD UNIT PRIORITY

• US 20150215954A1
• Filed: 01/27/2014
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company), GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company), GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Pal, Dipankar, Thanayankizil, Lakshmi, Gerlach, Jonathan L., Alam, Muhammad Fahad
• Granted Patent: US 9,467,179 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/086 Portable receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A system and a method using that system that provides multi-tainment services in a vehicle. The method includes the steps of providing a vehicle telematics unit having wireless hotspot hotspot functionality; connecting the telematics unit via short range wireless communication (SRWC) to a vehicle multi-tainment unit (VMU) and at least one mobile device; identifying the VMU connection at the telematics unit; and providing the VMU with wireless hotspot data priority over the at least one mobile device.

Claims

1. A method of providing multi-tainment services in a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a vehicle telematics unit having wireless hotspot functionality;

(b) connecting the telematics unit via short range wireless communication (SRWC) to a vehicle multi-tainment unit (VMU) and at least one mobile device;

(c) identifying the VMU connection at the telematics unit; and

(d) providing the VMU with wireless hotspot data priority over the at least one mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying of step (c) includes identifying a unique identifier associated with the VMU.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the unique identifier is a media access control (MAC) address.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising (e) configuring the telematics unit to grant wireless hotspot data priority to the VMU based on the unique identifier, wherein step (e) is performed prior to step (b).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the VMU is connected via SRWC before or after the at least one mobile device, wherein the SRWC is Wi-Fi.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises pairing the VMU to the telematics unit using a wired connection.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the telematics unit has a predetermined total wireless hotspot data through-put.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein step (d) further comprises:

(d1) providing to the VMU demanded VMU wireless hotspot data at a first rate;

(d2) receiving from the at least one mobile device a request for demanded mobile device wireless hotspot data; and

(d3) determining an unused portion of the total wireless hotspot data through-put.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

when the unused portion is greater than zero, then either;

(d4) providing to the at least one mobile device the demanded mobile device wireless hotspot data at a second rate;

or

(d5) at least temporarily inhibiting step (d4).

10. The method of claim 9, wherein either the first rate is the same as the second rate, or the second rate is slower than the first rate.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising performing step (d) for a plurality of mobile devices.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein step (d) further comprises:

(d1) providing to the at least one mobile device demanded mobile device wireless hotspot data at a first rate;

(d2) receiving from the VMU a request for demanded VMU wireless hotspot data; and

(d3) determining an unused portion of the total wireless hotspot data through-put.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

when the unused portion is greater than zero, then;

(d4) determining whether the unused portion of the total wireless hotspot data through-put is sufficient to provide the VMU the demanded VMU wireless hotspot data at a second rate, wherein the second rate is either equal to or faster than the first rate;

(d5) when the unused portion is sufficient, providing VMU the demanded VMU wireless hotspot data at the second rate; and

(d6) when the unused portion is not sufficient, then either;

decreasing the first rate of demanded mobile device wireless hotspot data to the at least one mobile device;

or

inhibiting, at least temporarily, the providing of demanded mobile device wireless hotspot data to the at least one mobile device; and

when the unused portion is zero, then either

decreasing the first rate of demanded mobile device wireless hotspot data to the at least one mobile device;

or

inhibiting, at least temporarily, the providing of demanded mobile device wireless hotspot data to the at least one mobile device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein when the telematics unit is providing wireless hotspot data to both the VMU and the at least one mobile device and when the demanded mobile device wireless hotspot data increases affecting the second rate of wireless hotspot data to the VMU, then either:

inhibiting, at least temporarily, the providing of demanded mobile device wireless hotspot data to the at least one mobile device, or

decreasing the first rate.

15. A method of providing wireless hotspot data from a vehicle telematics unit to devices in or near a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a vehicle telematics unit having wireless hotspot functionality and having a predetermined total wireless hotspot data bandwidth;

(b) connecting the telematics unit via short range wireless communication (SRWC) to a vehicle multi-tainment unit (VMU) and a mobile device;

(c) using a unique identifier associated with the VMU, identifying the VMU connection at the telematics unit; and

(d) providing the VMU with wireless hotspot data priority over the mobile device, wherein at any time the VMU and the mobile device request simultaneous delivery of wireless hotspot data, the VMU is provided wireless hotspot data at a preferred data rate.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein when providing the VMU wireless hotspot data at the preferred data rate results in insufficient bandwidth to deliver the wireless hotspot data requested by the mobile device, the delivery of the wireless hotspot data to the mobile device is either inhibited or ignored.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein based on the unique identifier, the VMU communicates with the telematics unit using SRWC over a priority data channel.