Vehicle rearview mirror assembly incorporating a communication system
First Claim
1. A telematics system for installation in a vehicle having an electronic module configured to control a feature of the vehicle that affects the ability of the vehicle to be driven, said telematics system comprising:
- a global position identification component for identifying the location of the vehicle;
a telephone transceiver component coupled to said global position identification component for transmitting the location of the vehicle to a remote system; and
a controller component coupled to said global position identification component and said telephone transceiver component,wherein at least one of said components is configured to periodically communicate with the electronic module and to thereby acknowledge that each of said components is present and functional such that if the electronic module does not receive periodic acknowledgement of at least one of the presence of said components and functionality of said components, the electronic module affects the ability of the vehicle to be driven.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle communication and control system is provided that may be more readily installed in a vehicle and that utilizes minimal additional wiring. According to some of the disclosed embodiments, the electrical components of the “brick” of a communication and control system are integrated into a rearview mirror assembly. Preferably, the microwave antenna for the GPS and the cellular telephone antenna are also integrated into the rearview mirror assembly. Various functions and features of the system are also disclosed.
168 Citations
11 Claims
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1. A telematics system for installation in a vehicle having an electronic module configured to control a feature of the vehicle that affects the ability of the vehicle to be driven, said telematics system comprising:
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a global position identification component for identifying the location of the vehicle; a telephone transceiver component coupled to said global position identification component for transmitting the location of the vehicle to a remote system; and a controller component coupled to said global position identification component and said telephone transceiver component, wherein at least one of said components is configured to periodically communicate with the electronic module and to thereby acknowledge that each of said components is present and functional such that if the electronic module does not receive periodic acknowledgement of at least one of the presence of said components and functionality of said components, the electronic module affects the ability of the vehicle to be driven. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification