TELEMATICS SYSTEM WITH PIN-CONTROLLED EXTERNAL SIM TO PREVENT VEHICLE PIRACY

• US 20160214572A1
• Filed: 01/23/2015
• Published: 07/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Snider, James R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,173,642 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/241 whereby access privileges are related to the identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/30 Detection related to theft or to other events relevant to anti-theft systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3816 Mechanical arrangements for accommodating identification devices, e.g. cards or chips; with connectors for programming identification devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence

Abstract

The operation of a conventional cellular telecommunications transceiver that forms part of a vehicle'"'"'s telematics system can be selectively changed in order to provide telephone calls by providing the transceiver with a second and different SIM card. Providing a second SIM card, however, will disable telematics service that can include stolen vehicle tracking. A personal identification number or PIN is thus required in order for the information that is stored in an external, user-provided SIM card to be used by a telematics system transceiver rather than the information stored in a built-in SIM card that is provided by a telematics system operator/provider.

Claims

1. A telematics system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

a cellular telecommunications transceiver, which is embedded in the vehicle;

a first subscriber identity module (SIM), operatively coupled to the embedded cellular telecommunications transceiver, the first SIM storing information that identifies the vehicle and that enables the embedded cellular telecommunications transceiver to send and receive vehicle-related information to and from a telematics service provider;

a user-accessible SIM connector coupled to the embedded cellular telecommunications transceiver, the user-accessible SIM connector being configured to receive a second SIM and couple the second SIM to the cellular telecommunications transceiver;

a user interface, which is configured to receive an identifier from a user of the vehicle; and

a controller operatively coupled to the user interface, the embedded cellular telecommunications transceiver and the user-accessible SIM connector, the controller being configured to detect insertion of a second SIM into the user-accessible SIM connector, receive an identifier from the user-interface, and selectively enable and disable the vehicle responsive to validity and invalidity of the identifier received from the user interface.

2. The telematics system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to disable the vehicle after a second SIM is inserted into the user-accessible SIM connector, an invalid identifier is received from the user interface after the second SIM is inserted into the user-accessible SIM connector, and after the second SIM is removed from the user-accessible SIM connector.

3. The telematics system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to receive a predetermined number of invalid identifiers from the user interface and configured to disable the vehicle after the predetermined number of invalid identifies is exceeded.

4. The telematics system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to enable the vehicle without receipt of an identifier after the controller receives at least one valid identifier after a second SIM is installed into the user-accessible SIM connector.

5. The telematics system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured such that insertion of a second SIM in the user-accessible SIM connector enables the embedded cellular telecommunications transceiver to send and receive calls to and from a wireless telecommunications provider and disables communications with the telematics service provider.

6. The telematics system of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a touch-sensitive display screen embedded in an instrument panel of the vehicle.

7. The telematics system of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a voice-recognition system.

8. The telematics system of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a fingerprint scanner.

9. The telematics system of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a voice scanner.

10. The telematics system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to enable placement of a call to at least one predetermined number after receiving a predetermined number of invalid identifiers from the user interface.

11. In a motor vehicle having a cellular telecommunications transceiver configured to send vehicle information to a telematics service provider and a first subscriber identity module (SIM) storing information that identifies the vehicle to a telematics service provider and that enables the cellular telecommunications transceiver to send and receive vehicle-related information to and from said telematics service provider, the vehicle additionally having a user-accessible SIM connector, which is also coupled to the cellular telecommunications transceiver and configured to receive a second SIM, the user-accessible SIM connector electrically coupling the second SIM to the cellular telecommunications transceiver, a method of selectively enabling operation of the vehicle comprising:

receiving a second SIM in the user-accessible SIM connector;

receiving an identifier from a user-interface;

determining whether the identifier received from the user-identifies identifies a second SIM that is associated with an individual who is authorized to operate the vehicle; and

selectively enabling and disabling the vehicle responsive to the determination of whether the second SIM is associated with an individual authorized to operate the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of disabling the motor vehicle after receiving from the user interface, a predetermined number of identifiers that are not associated with an individual who is authorized to operate the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of enabling cellular telecommunications to and from a wireless telecommunications provider and disabling communications with the telematics service provider, while a second SIM is installed into the user-accessible SIM connector.