SIMPLIFIED CONNECTION TO AND DISCONNECTION FROM VEHICLE COMPUTING SYSTEMS

• US 20170149946A1
• Filed: 11/23/2015
• Published: 05/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: TOKISH, Stephen Ronald, RANKIN, II, James Stewart, CHEN, Yifan, SURMAN, James J., BUTTOLO, Pietro, SALTER, Stuart C.
• Application Number:
  US14/949,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20170149946A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

A location of a personal device of a user may be determined using signal strength information between a wireless transceiver of the personal device and a plurality of components of the vehicle. The personal device may be automatically paired and connected to a feature of the vehicle computing system when the location is a driver seating zone and the personal device is not connected to the feature. The personal device may be automatically disconnected from the feature when the location is not the driver seating zone and the personal device is connected to the feature. Connectivity information between the personal device and the feature may be purged based on one or more criteria.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a personal device including

a wireless transceiver; and

a processor, programmed to

determine a location of the personal device using signal strength information between the wireless transceiver and a plurality of in-vehicle components of a vehicle,

connect to a hands-free audio system of the vehicle when the location is a driver seating zone and the personal device is not connected to the audio system, and

disconnect from the audio system when the location is not the driver seating zone and the personal device is connected to the audio system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

request connectivity information from the plurality of in-vehicle components, the connectivity information including at least one of a network address of the audio system or a credential for connection to the audio system; and

responsive to receiving the connectivity information from at least one of the plurality of in-vehicle components, programmatically connect to the audio system using the connectivity information.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the personal device further includes a memory configured to store paired device data, and the processor is further programmed to, when a predetermined timeout period has expired since use of an entry of the paired device data corresponding to the audio system, purge the entry from the paired device data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of in-vehicle components of the vehicle include overhead lights located in a passenger cabin of the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the personal device is a mobile phone.

6. A method comprising:

determining a personal device is within a driver seating zone using signal strength information between a personal device transceiver and in-vehicle components of a vehicle;

receiving connectivity information including an address of a computing system from one of the in-vehicle components located in the driver seating zone;

storing the connectivity information to the personal device; and

connecting the personal device to the address of the computing system as a driver device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the computing system is an infotainment system, and the connecting includes connecting to hands-free audio functionality of the infotainment system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the personal device is a mobile phone, and further comprising routing a telephone call through the hands-free audio functionality of the infotainment system.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the connectivity information further includes one or more credentials for connecting to the infotainment system, and further comprising authorizing the personal device with the computing system using the one or more credentials.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the in-vehicle components of the vehicle include overhead lights located in a passenger cabin of the vehicle, each of the overhead lights being located in a different seating zone of the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising automatically deleting the connectivity information from the personal device in response to expiration of a predetermined timeout period after disconnection of the personal device from the computing system.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising deleting the connectivity information from the personal device in response to the personal device being set into a single-use pairing mode, and the personal device being disconnected from the computing system.

13. A system comprising:

components of a vehicle each having a wireless transceiver; and

a computing system of the vehicle including a processor programmed to

determine a location of a personal device using signal strength information between the personal device and the components; and

disconnect the personal device from a driver-specific feature of the computing system when the location is not a driver seating zone and the personal device is connected to the feature.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

determine a second location of a second personal device using strength information between the wireless transceiver and the components of the vehicle; and

connect the second personal device to the feature of the computing system when the second location is the driver seating zone and the second personal device is not connected to the feature.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the feature includes a hands-free audio feature.

16. The system of claim 15, and wherein the hands-free audio feature includes a speaker inside a cabin of the vehicle to provide audio output to the cabin, and a microphone inside the cabin to receive audio input from the cabin.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the computing system further includes a memory configured to store paired device data, and the processor is further programmed to periodically purge the paired device data from the memory when the computing system is configured for use as a ride-share vehicle.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further programmed to determine the location of the personal device responsive to the vehicle being started remotely.