Shared oscillator for vehicle mirror display

• US 7,299,127 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2003
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Willer, Michael Ian, Caldwell, Donald Robert, Muto, Takayasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Broadhead; Brian J.
• Application Number:
  US10/648,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20050119827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,547 Days
• Field of Search: 701/213, 701/29, 701/33, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 340/989, 455/141
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/35 Constructional details or hardware or software details of the signal processing chain

Abstract

A combined GPS/Bluetooth module for a vehicle may be mounted on, e.g., the rear view mirror housing to receive position information from GPS and other information (such as tire pressure and other vehicle diagnostic information) over a Bluetooth link. In turn, the module can transmit over Bluetooth both the GPS data and the diagnostic information to the vehicle onboard computer or to a PDA, wireless telephone, or other display-bearing device in the vehicle for display thereof.

Claims

1. A module, comprising:

a module housing;

a GPS receiver in the module housing and receiving position information;

a wireless transceiver in the module housing and communicating with the GPS receiver for transmitting information received from the GPS receiver; and

one and only one reference oscillator in the housing providing mixing signals to the GPS receiver and the wireless transceiver, the GPS receiver and wireless transceiver not sharing any components other than the reference oscillator.

2. The module of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver is a comprises short-range wireless transceiver.

3. The module of claim 1, further comprising a GPS antenna coupled to the GPS receiver;

a second antenna coupled to the wireless transceiver; and

a dual SAW filter package in the module, signals from both the GPS antenna and the second antenna being filtered through the SAW filter package.

4. The module of claim 1, further comprising:

a GPS antenna coupled to the GPS receiver; and

a second antenna coupled to the wireless transceiver;

wherein the antennae are mounted on the module.

5. The module of claim 1, further comprising a vehicle rear view mirror housing supporting the module.

6. The module of claim 1, wherein the transceiver receives information from the GPS receiver and transmits the information to a component in a vehicle.

7. The module of claim 6, wherein data is transmitted from the transceiver to a portable computing device selected from the group consisting of:

a PDA, a wireless telephone, and a laptop computer.

8. The module of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver receives vehicle data from at least one vehicle sensor and transmits the vehicle data.

9. A module, comprising:

a module housing;

a GPS receiver in the module housing and receiving position information;

a wireless transceiver in the module housing and communicating with the GPS receiver for transmitting GPS information received from the GPS receiver;

a dual SAW filter package in the module, signals from both a GPS antenna and a second antenna being filtered through the SAW filter package; and

one and only one reference oscillator in the housing providing mixing signals to the GPS receiver and the wireless transceiver, the receiver and transceiver not sharing a mixer.

10. The module of claim 9, wherein the antennae are mounted on the module.

11. The module of claim 9, further comprising a vehicle rear view mirror housing supporting the module.

12. The module of claim 9, wherein the wireless transceiver receives data from the GPS receiver and transmits the data to a component in a vehicle.

13. The module of claim 12, wherein data is transmitted from the transmitter to a portable computing device selected from the group consisting of:

a PDA, a wireless telephone, and a laptop computer.

14. The module of claim 9, wherein the wireless transceiver receives vehicle data from at least one vehicle sensor and transmits the vehicle data.

15. A system for data transmission, comprising:

wireless transceiver means; and

means for sending GPS data from a GPS receiver to the transceiver means for transmission of the GPS data to at least one of;

a vehicle onboard computer, and a portable computing device in a vehicle, at least for display of the GPS data, wherein the wireless transceiver means and the GPS receiver share a common oscillator and only the common oscillator.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the transceiver means comprises a wireless transceiver receiving vehicle diagnostic information and transmitting the diagnostic information to at least one of:

the vehicle onboard computer, and the portable computing device.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the portable computing device is selected from the group consisting of:

a PDA, a wireless telephone, and a laptop computer.