INTEGRATED VEHICLE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20170113619A1
• Filed: 10/21/2016
• Published: 04/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Inventors: Boehm, Neil J., Geerlings, Steven L., Wright, Thomas S.
• Granted Patent: US 10,464,489 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/04 mounted inside vehicle B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1253 with cameras, video cameras or video screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1284 with communication systems other than radio-receivers, e.g. keyless entry systems, navigation systems; with anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2240/00 Transportation facility access, e.g. fares, tolls or parking
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/06 Arrangements for road pricing or congestion charging of vehicles or vehicle users, e.g. automatic toll systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00928 for garage doors
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

A vehicle rearview mirror system for a vehicle having communication capabilities for communicating with at least one of a building-automation device and an electronic toll collection system. The vehicle rearview mirror system may include a wireless communication system configured to communicate with a building-based communication system or a transceiver system of the electronic toll collection system, or both.

Claims

1. A vehicle rearview mirror system for a vehicle, said vehicle rearview mirror system comprising:

a power interface configured to receive power from a vehicle power source;

an interior rearview mirror assembly having a reflective element and a control unit, said control unit configured to communicate with one or more vehicle-mounted components;

a wireless communication system configured to transmit a toll-based information packet to the electronic toll collection system in response to a command from said control unit, wherein said toll-based information packet provides a basis for authorizing access to a toll area associated with the electronic toll collection system; and

a display controller configured to provide visual feedback to a vehicle operator indicative of a toll-pass account associated with the toll-based information packet.

2. The vehicle rearview mirror system of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication system is configured to communicate with a building-based communication system, wherein said wireless communication system is configured to transmit a building-based information packet to the building-based communication system in response to a command from said control unit, wherein said building-based information packet provides a basis for initiating an operation of a building-based device.

3. The vehicle rearview mirror system of claim 2, wherein said command from said control unit is provided automatically to the wireless communication system to transmit said building-based information packet in response to receipt of user input from a vehicle operator requesting initiation of the operation, and wherein said command from said control unit is provided automatically to the wireless communication system to transmit said toll-based information packet based on receipt of an interrogation signal from the electronic toll collection system.

4. The vehicle rearview mirror system of claim 2, wherein the wireless communication system includes a communication antenna driven by an antenna driver to transmit information, wherein said information transmitted by said communication antenna includes said building-based information packet and said toll-based information packet.

5. The vehicle rearview mirror system of claim 4, wherein the communication antenna and said antenna driver are integrated into said control unit.

6. The vehicle rearview mirror system of claim 2, wherein the wireless communication system includes a plurality of communication antennas, each of said plurality of communication antennas being driven by an antenna driver to communicate information, said information including at least one of said building-based information packet and said toll-based information packet.

7. The vehicle rearview mirror system of claim 2, wherein said control unit includes a HomeLink controller operably coupled to said wireless communication system, said HomeLink controller configured to communicate with the building-based communication system via said wireless communication system.

8. The vehicle rearview mirror system of claim 7, wherein said control unit includes an electronic-toll controller operably coupled to said wireless communication system, said electronic-toll controller configured to communicate with the electronic toll collection system via said wireless communication system.

9. The vehicle rearview mirror system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle communication system includes a mobile device communication transceiver configured to establish a communication link with a mobile device associated with a device user.

10. The vehicle rearview mirror system of claim 9, wherein the control unit generates the toll-based information packet based on information received from the mobile device via said communication link.

11. The vehicle rearview mirror system of claim 10, wherein the control unit is configured to obtain electronic-toll account information from a plurality of mobile devices.

12. The vehicle rear view mirror system of claim 11, wherein the display controller indicates identification information of the mobile device associated with the toll-based information packet communicated to the electronic toll collection system.

13. The vehicle rearview mirror system of claim 10, wherein the information received from the mobile device identifies an account associated with the user of the mobile device and registered with the electronic toll collection system.

14. A vehicle communication system for a vehicle, said vehicle communication system comprising:

a power interface configured to receive power from a vehicle power source;

a wireless communication system configured to communicate information to one or more remote devices, said one or more remote devices including at least one toll collection receiver of an electronic toll collection system;

an electronic-toll controller operably coupled to the power interface and the wireless communication system, the electronic-toll controller configured to communicate identification information via the wireless communication system to the toll collection receiver; and

wherein said electronic-toll controller is configured to receive mobile device information, via the wireless communication system, from one or more mobile devices located within the vehicle, wherein said mobile device information relates to a toll-collection account managed by the electronic toll collection system, wherein based on user input, said electronic-toll controller generates said identification information as a function of said mobile device information from a selected mobile device from among the one or more mobile devices, whereby the vehicle communication system enables user selection of the selected mobile device for authorizing access to a toll area associated with the electronic toll collection system.

15. The vehicle communication system of claim 14, wherein said one or more remote devices includes at least one of a building-based device, and further comprising a building-oriented controller operably coupled to the power interface and the wireless communication system, the building-oriented controller configured to communicate, via the wireless communication system, with the building-based device to instruct the building-based device to initiate a building-based activity.

16. The vehicle communication system of claim 15, wherein said wireless communication system includes a first antenna and a second antenna, said first antenna being operably coupled to said building-oriented controller, said second antenna being operably coupled to said electronic-toll controller.

17. The vehicle communication system of claim 15, wherein said building-based command includes information relating to request to at least one of open a garage door, open a gate, turn on a light, unlock a door, and adjust a thermostat setting.

18. The vehicle communication system of claim 15, wherein the mobile device is a Bluetooth-enabled cellular phone, wherein the wireless vehicle communication system, the building-based controller and the electronic-toll controller are disposed on or within a rearview mirror assembly that is positionable within the vehicle.

19. The vehicle communication system of claim 15, wherein the wireless vehicle communication system, the building-based controller and the electronic-toll controller are disposed on the vehicle;

wherein the vehicle includes a display and a user interface incorporated into the center stack of a vehicle cabin; and

wherein the electronic-toll controller and building-based controller are communicatively coupled to at least one of the display and the user interface.

20. The vehicle communication system of claim 14, wherein the wireless communication system includes one or more communication systems, wherein each of said one or more communication systems includes at least one of a receiver and a transmitter.

21. The vehicle communication system of claim 14, wherein the wireless communication system of the vehicle is configured to form a Bluetooth pairing with the mobile device to establish an association between a toll account associated with the mobile device and the toll-controller.

22. The vehicle communication system of claim 14, wherein the one or more mobile devices includes a plurality of mobile devices.

23. A method of communicating between a vehicle and one or more remote devices, said method comprising:

supplying power from the vehicle to a wireless communication system of the vehicle;

receiving mobile device information from a plurality of mobile devices located within the vehicle, wherein the mobile device information relates to a toll-collection account managed by an electronic toll collection system;

selecting one of the plurality of mobile devices for requesting authorized access to a toll area associated with the electronic toll collection system;

receiving, via the wireless communication system, an interrogation signal from an electronic toll collection system; and

based on the interrogation signal, transmitting an electronic-toll information packet from the wireless communication system to the electronic toll collection system, wherein the electronic-toll information packet includes information relating to identification of the toll-collection account associated with the selected mobile device.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving, via an input device, a command from a vehicle operator to initiate a requested operation of a building-based device; and

based on the command, transmitting a building-oriented command from the wireless communication system to a building-based receiver, wherein the building-oriented command corresponds to the requested operation of the building-based device.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

storing in the mobile device authorization information relating to the building-based device, wherein the authorization information includes a stored key; and

generating a token based on the stored key for obtaining authorized access to one or more operations of the building-based device.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving account identification information from a mobile device via the wireless communication system; and

wherein the electronic-toll information packet that is transmitted to the electronic toll collection system includes information based on the account identification information received from the mobile device.

27. A vehicle rearview mirror system for a vehicle, said vehicle rearview mirror system comprising:

a power interface configured to receive power from a vehicle power source;

an interior rearview mirror assembly having a reflective element and a control unit, said control unit configured to communicate with one or more vehicle-mounted components;

a wireless communication system configured to communicate with a toll transceiver system of an electronic toll collection system, said wireless communication system being operably coupled to said control unit and said power interface, said wireless communication system configured to monitor external communications to the electronic toll collection system;

said wireless communication system configured to transmit a toll-based information packet to the electronic toll collection system in response to a command from said control unit, wherein said toll-based information packet provides a basis for authorizing access to a toll area associated with the electronic toll collection system; and

a controller operably coupled to said wireless communication system, said controller configured to generate a user notification based on the external communications being indicative of a separate device transmitting communication to at least one of building-based communication system and the electronic toll collection system, wherein said user notification indicates that the vehicle rear view mirror system is capable of communicating with the electronic toll collection system.

28. The vehicle rearview mirror system of claim 27, wherein:

said wireless communication system is configured to communicate with a building-based communication system, said wireless communication system configured to monitor external communications to the building-based communication system;

said wireless communication system configured to transmit a building-based information packet to the building-based communication system in response to a command from said control unit, wherein said building-based information packet provides a basis for initiating an operation of a building-based device, and

said controller is configured to generate a user notification based on the external communications being indicative of the separate device transmitting communication to the building-based communication system, wherein said user notification indicates that the vehicle rear view mirror system is capable of communicating with the building-based communication system.