Display replication and control of a portable device via a wireless interface in an automobile

• US 8,136,138 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2005
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Inventors: Fecher, Dana B., Andrews, Michael J., Wingrove, Theodore C., Jira, Joseph C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): MENGESHA, MULUGETA A
• Application Number:
  US11/304,239
• Publication Number:
  US 20070143798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,280 Days
• Field of Search: 725/75, 725/62, 725/81
• US Class Current: 725/75
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A system for displaying video data in a vehicle. The system intelligently replicates one or more portable device displays on one or more vehicle displays. Each vehicle display may be shared or dedicated to a specific portable device. The image from each portable device is intelligently replicated and provided to the vehicle integrated video system via a wireless communication link for display. The wireless communication link can provide the image to the vehicle integrated video system in real time to support both static images and dynamic images.

Claims

1. A system for displaying video data in a vehicle, the system comprising:

a portable electronic device including a device display, a device controller, and a wireless transmitter, the controller being configured to transmit the replicated video data corresponding to a replica of an image rendered on the device display;

a first vehicle integrated video system including a first vehicle display, a first vehicle controller, and a first wireless receiver, the first vehicle controller receiving the replicated video data over a first wireless communication link between the portable electronic device and the first vehicle integrated video system, the first vehicle controller being in electrical communication with the first wireless receiver, and configured to retrieve the replicated video data from the first wireless receiver to render the replicated video data on the first vehicle display, wherein the first vehicle controller initiates communication with the portable electronic device; and

a second vehicle integrated video system including a second vehicle display, a second vehicle controller, and a second wireless receiver, the second vehicle controller receiving the replicated video data over a second wireless communication link between the portable electronic device and the second vehicle integrated video system, the second vehicle controller being in electrical communication with the second wireless receiver, and configured to retrieve the replicated video data from the second wireless receiver to render the replicated video data on the second vehicle display, wherein the second vehicle controller initiates communication with the portable electronic device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitter and the first wireless receiver communicate through an infrared communication link.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitter and the first wireless receiver communicate through a radio frequency communication link.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first vehicle display is located in a vehicle instrument cluster.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first vehicle display is mounted on the dashboard.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first vehicle display comprises a heads-up display.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first vehicle display comprises an overhead mounted video display.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first vehicle display comprises a seat back mounted video display.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first vehicle display is mounted to a middle console located between a pair of front vehicle seats.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first vehicle display comprises a trunk mounted video display.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first vehicle controller is configured to resize an image generated from the replicated video data for rendering on the first vehicle display.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first vehicle controller is configured to resample an image generated from the replicated video data for rendering on the first vehicle display.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first vehicle controller is configured to color shift an image generated from the replicated video data such that one color is mapped into another color for rendering on the first vehicle display.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first vehicle controller is configured to change the aspect ratio of an image generated from the replicated video data for rendering on the first vehicle display.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the replicated video data is used to construct an image for rendering on the first vehicle display that is identical to the image rendered on the device display.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device comprised of a portable phone.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device comprised of a personal digital assistant.

18. The system according to claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device comprised of a compressed media player.

19. The system according to claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device comprises a portable navigation system.

20. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first vehicle controller is in communication with a plurality of portable electronic devices and configured to replicate an image from each of the portable electronic devices onto the first vehicle display.