DRIVER DEVICE DETECTION

• US 20160004281A1
• Filed: 07/01/2014
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Livio, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Myine Electronics, Inc. (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: FISCHER, Joel J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,703,329 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/55 Remote control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/563 Vehicle displaying mobile device information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/573 Mobile devices controlling vehicle functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/586 Wired data transfers
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/589 Wireless data transfers
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/834 Docking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/50 Instruments characterised by their means of attachment to or integration in the vehicle B60K35/231 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/85 Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/00 Dashboards as road-vehicle superstructure sub-units B62D25/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/00 Details of transmission systems, not covered by a single one of groups H04B3/00 - H04B13/00; Details of transmission systems not characterised by the medium used for transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3877 Arrangements for enabling portable transceivers to be used in a fixed position, e.g. cradles or boosters
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6083 by interfacing with the vehicle audio system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface

Abstract

A device dock of a vehicle may receive a one-time key over a data connection between the device dock and a vehicle computing system (VCS), and send the one-time key over a location-identifying connection to a nomadic device placed within proximity to the dock, to cause the nomadic device to send the one-time key to the VCS to integrate with the VCS as a driver device. The VCS may receive, from a nomadic device in a device dock, via a data connection between the VCS and the nomadic device, a one-time key provided from the VCS to the device dock over a data connection between the VCS and the device dock, and responsive to receipt of the one-time key from the nomadic device, integrate the nomadic device with the VCS as a driver device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a device dock of a vehicle configured to

receive a one-time key over a data connection between the device dock and a vehicle computing system (VCS), and

send the one-time key over a location-identifying connection to a nomadic device placed within proximity to the dock, to cause the nomadic device to send the one-time key to the VCS to integrate with the VCS as a driver device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the location-identifying connection is one of a Bluetooth low energy connection, a near-field communication connection and a wired connection.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the device dock is further configured to determine whether the nomadic device is placed within proximity to the dock based on wireless signal strength over the location-identifying connection.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the device dock is further configured to:

identify, according to the location-identifying connection, that the nomadic device exited the proximity to the dock, and

inform the VCS over the data connection between the device dock and the VCS that the nomadic device is no longer the driver device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the device dock is further configured to identify that the nomadic device exited the proximity to the dock according to at least one of disconnection of the nomadic device from the location-identifying connection and wireless signal strength over the location-identifying connection.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the device dock is further configured to send a message over the data connection to the VCS requesting the one-time key, and wherein the one-time key is received by the device dock responsive to the request.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the device dock is further configured to send the message requesting the one-time key responsive to detection of the nomadic device placed within proximity to the dock.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the device dock is integrated into at least one of a dash of the vehicle, a center console of the vehicle, and a center stack of the vehicle.

9. A system comprising:

a vehicle computing system (VCS) configured to

receive, from a nomadic device in a device dock, via a data connection between the VCS and the nomadic device, a one-time key provided from the VCS to the device dock over a data connection between the VCS and the device dock, and

responsive to receipt of the one-time key from the nomadic device, integrate the nomadic device with the VCS as a driver device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the VCS is further configured to:

receive, over the data connection from the device dock, a request for the one-time key, and

provide the one-time key to the device dock responsive to the request.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the VCS is further configured to:

receive over the data connection from the device dock, an indication that the nomadic device is disconnected from the device dock, and

responsive to receipt of the indication, remove integration of the nomadic device with the VCS as the driver device.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein to integrate the nomadic device with the VCS as the driver device includes at least one of (i) to load driver preferences corresponding to a user profile associated with the nomadic device, and (ii) to request the nomadic device to lock at least one input device of the nomadic device.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the data connection between the VCS and the nomadic device includes one of a Bluetooth connection and a universal serial bus (USB) connection.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the VCS is further configured to generate the one-time key.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the VCS is further configured to compare the one-time key received from the nomadic device with a copy of the one-time key maintained by the VCS to determine whether the VCS has received the one-time key from the nomadic device.

16. A system comprising:

a nomadic device configured to

connect to a vehicle computing system (VCS) via a first data connection,

connect to a device dock via a location-identifying second data connection,

receive a one-time key from the device dock over the location-identifying second data connection, and

send the one-time key to the VCS over the first data connection to integrate with the VCS as a driver device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the location-identifying second connection is one of a Bluetooth low energy connection and a near-field communication connection.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein to integrate with the VCS as the driver device includes at least one of (i) to load driver preferences corresponding to a user profile associated with the nomadic device, and (ii) to request the nomadic device to lock at least one input device of the nomadic device.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the first data connection between the VCS and the nomadic device includes one of a Bluetooth connection and a universal serial bus (USB) connection.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the nomadic device is a mobile phone.