Telematics device for vehicles with an interface for multiple peripheral devices

• US 7,228,211 B1
• Filed: 03/26/2004
• Issued: 06/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: HTI IP LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Washicko, Paul, Banet, Matthew J., Lowrey, Larkin Hill
• Primary Examiner(s): BEAULIEU, YONEL
• Application Number:
  US10/810,373
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701 30- 33, 701/36, 701213-214, 342/357.13, 342/357.06, 342/357.12, 340/988, 340/500, 307/9.1, 307/10.1
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

In one embodiment, the invention provides an in-vehicle telematics system featuring: 1) a controller; 2) a diagnostics system configured to receive diagnostic information from a host vehicle; 3) a position-locating system configured to determine the host vehicle'"'"'s location information; 4) a communication interface configured to send additional information to a peripheral system other than the diagnostic position-locating systems; and, 5) a wireless transmitter configured to transmit information through a wireless network to an Internet-accessible website.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle telematics system comprising:

a controller;

a diagnostics system, communicating with the controller, configured to receive diagnostic information from a host vehicle;

a position-locating system, communicating with the controller, configured to determine location information of the host vehicle;

a communication interface, communicating with the controller, configured to send additional information to an in-vehicle peripheral system other than the diagnostic and position-locating systems, wherein the in-vehicle peripheral system comprises a short-range wireless transmitter, and wherein the communication interface is configured to universally interface with different peripheral systems; and

,

a wireless transmitter, communicating with the controller, configured to transmit information through a wireless network to an Internet-accessible website.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral system is a display.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the display is an LCD.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller controls the display.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to cause a text message to be displayed on the display.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the text message is received from the Internet-accessible website.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the text message is received from a cellular telephone or a personal digital assistant.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the display is configured to mount inside the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral system comprises a voice interface that receives audio information and sends the information to the wireless transmitter.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the peripheral system is a hands-free phone kit.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a Bluetooth™

transmitter configured to send information to and receive information from the hands-free phone kit.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral system comprises a transceiver.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the short-range wireless transmitter is a transmitter operating a Bluetooth™

, 802.11, part-15, or infrared wireless protocol.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral system comprises a button that, when depressed, sends a signal through the interface to the controller.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral system is a secondary wireless modem.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the secondary wireless modem is a satellite modem.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface is a serial interface.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the serial interface is an I²C, RS232, RS485, USB, CAN or SPI interface.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the position-locating system is a GPS.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the position-locating system is a network-assisted GPS.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is a microprocessor or a microcontroller.

22. An in-vehicle telematics system comprising:

a controller configured to receive diagnostic information from a host vehicle and location information from a position-locating system, and additionally configured to receive and send information through a serial interface to an in-vehicle peripheral device other than the diagnostic and position-locating systems, wherein the in-vehicle peripheral device comprises a short-range wireless transmitter, and wherein the serial interface is configured to universally interface with different peripheral systems; and

,

a wireless transmitter configured to receive diagnostic and location information and transmit this information through a wireless network to an Internet-accessible website.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the peripheral device is a display.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the display is an LCD.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the controller is configured to cause a text message to be displayed on the display.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the text message is received from the Internet-accessible website.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the text message is received from a cellular telephone or a personal digital assistant.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the display is configured to mount inside the vehicle.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein the peripheral device comprises a voice interface that receives audio information and sends the information to the wireless transmitter.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the voice interface is a hands-free phone kit.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the system further comprises a Bluetooth™

transmitter configured to send information to and receive information from the hands-free phone kit.

32. The system of claim 22, wherein the peripheral device comprises a transceiver.

33. The system of claim 22, wherein the short-range wireless transmitter is a transmitter operating a Bluetooth™

, 802.11, part-15, or infrared wireless protocol.

34. The system of claim 22, wherein the peripheral device comprises a button that, when depressed, sends a signal through the interface to the controller.

35. The system of claim 22, wherein the peripheral device is a secondary wireless modem.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the secondary wireless modem is a satellite modem.

37. The system of claim 22, wherein the interface is a serial interface.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the serial interface is an I²C, RS232, RS485, USB, CAN or SPI interface.

39. The system of claim 22, wherein the controller is a microprocessor or a microcontroller.

40. An in-vehicle telematics system comprising:

a controller;

a position-locating system, communicating with the controller, configured to determine location information of the host vehicle;

a communication interface, communicating with the controller, configured to send additional information to an external peripheral system, wherein the communication interface is configured to universally interface with different in-vehicle peripheral systems, and wherein the in-vehicle peripheral system comprises a short-range wireless transmitter;

a housing that covers the controller and the position-locating system and includes a port communicating with the external peripheral system; and

,

a wireless transmitter, communicating with the controller, configured to transmit information through a wireless network to an Internet-accessible website.

41. The system of claim 40, further comprising a cable that sends information to and receives information from the external peripheral system.

42. An in-vehicle telematics system comprising:

a controller;

a position-locating system, communicating with the controller, configured to determine location information of the host vehicle;

an in-vehicle short-range wireless transmitter, communicating with the controller, configured to send information to an in-vehicle peripheral device; and

,

a long-range wireless transmitter, communicating with the controller, configured to transmit information through a wireless network to an Internet-accessible website.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the short-range wireless transmitter is a transmitter operating a Bluetooth™

, 802.11, part-15 or infrared wireless protocol.

44. An in-vehicle telematics system comprising:

a controller;

a diagnostics system, communicating with the controller, configured to receive diagnostic information from a host vehicle;

a position-locating system, communicating with the controller, configured to determine location information of the host vehicle;

a display, communicating with the controller through a serial interface, configured to display information sent from an Internet-accessible website, wherein the serial interface is configured to universally interface with different in-vehicle peripheral systems, wherein the in-vehicle peripheral systems comprise a short-range wireless transmitter; and

,

a wireless transmitter, communicating with the controller, configured to transmit information through a wireless network to an Internet-accessible website.

45. An in-vehicle telematics system comprising:

a controller;

a position-locating system, communicating with the controller, configured to determine location information of the host vehicle;

a voice interface, communicating with the controller, configured to receive and send voice information to an in-vehicle peripheral system, wherein the in-vehicle peripheral system comprises a short-range wireless transmitter; and

,

a wireless transmitter, communicating with the controller, configured to transmit location information through a wireless network to an Internet-accessible website, and configured to transmit voice information through the wireless network.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to transmit location information through the wireless network to the Internet-accessible website, and voice information through the wireless network to an external telephone.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein the controller further comprises a speech-recognition module.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the speech-recognition module is configured to analyze speech of a user to determine a telephone number.