Establishment of communications connections between vehicles

• US 8,180,297 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Hesse, Michael, Stählin, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan, Lincoln
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen, Sibin
• Application Number:
  US12/446,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20100015963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/41.3
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method for setting up communication links between a first vehicle and at least one second vehicle using telematics units, wherein the telematics unit is activated by the respective driver, and the driver of the first vehicle uses the telematics unit to input registration identifiers into the telematics unit in the first vehicle, and the telematics unit in the first vehicle sets up a communication link to at least one second telematics unit in a second vehicle, and the registration identifier is checked by the telematics unit in the second vehicle via the communication link, and the registration identifier of the first vehicle is output to the driver of the second vehicle via the telematics unit in the vehicle, with setup of a communication link to the first vehicle being confirmed by an input, requested by the driver of the second vehicle, using the telematics unit in the second vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for setting up communication links between a first vehicle and at least one second vehicle using a first telematics unit and a second telematics unit located in the respective vehicles, the method comprising:

selecting, by a driver of the first vehicle, a registration identifier of the second vehicle displayed on the first telematics unit;

transmitting a request, including a registration identifier of the first vehicle, from the first telematics unit to the second telematics unit in response to the selection;

confirming, by the driver of the second vehicle, the registration identifier of the first vehicle included in the request;

wherein confirming the registration identifier of the first vehicle sets up a communication link between the first telematics unit and the second telematics unit that allows bidirectional messaging between the first telematics unit and the second telematics unit.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the communication link involves the use of short-range communication.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein communication link is set up in unicast mode, multicast mode, broadcast mode, geocast mode, or any combination thereof.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the drivers are identified and authenticated by the respective telematics unit using an interface on which captured data from an automatic environment recognition unit for registration identifiers are provided.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein a man-machine interface is used to display the registration identifier of the first vehicle in a reproduction unit in the second vehicle.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5,

wherein the man-machine interface and the reproduction unit are integrated in an electronic display.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein a registration identifier of a third vehicle is displayed on the first telematics unit if the third vehicle is within communication range of the first vehicle.

8. The method of claim 7,

wherein the third vehicle is determined to be in communication range of the first vehicle if the third vehicle can directly transmit a message to the first vehicle, or the third vehicle can indirectly transmit a message to the first vehicle through an intermediary vehicle.

9. An apparatus for setting up communication links between a first vehicle and a second vehicle which each having interfaces for inputting and outputting data to drivers of the first vehicle and the second vehicle, further comprising:

means for inputting into the first vehicle interface, a registration identifier of the second vehicle,

means for transmitting a request from the first vehicle interface to the second vehicle interface, the request including a registration identifier of the first vehicle,

means for confirming by the second vehicle interface, the registration identifier of the first vehicle included in the request,

means for setting up a communication link between the first vehicle interface and the second vehicle interface if the registration identifier of the first vehicle is confirmed, the set up link allowing bi-directional messaging between the first vehicle interface and the second vehicle interface.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9,

wherein the means for inputting and storing a registration identifier are used to input a registration identifier multimodally.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9,

wherein the apparatus is incorporated as a module in the telematics unit.

12. A method for setting up communication links between a first vehicle and at least one second vehicle using a first telematics unit and a second telematics unit located in the respective vehicles, said method comprising the steps of:

activating the first and second telematics units;

inputting a registration identifier of the second vehicle into the first telematics units of the first vehicle;

transmitting a request including a registration identifier of the first vehicle, from the first telematics unit in the first vehicle to the second telematics unit in the second vehicle;

confirming the registration identifier of the first vehicle received in the request by a driver of the second vehicle via the second telematics unit of the second vehicle; and

setting up a communication link between the first telematics unit in the first vehicle and the second telematics unit in the second vehicle if the registration identifier of the first vehicle is confirmed, the link allowing bi-directional messaging between the first telematics unit and the second telematics unit.