Communication system with personal information management and remote vehicle monitoring and control features

• US 8,577,543 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2010
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Appy Risk Technologies Limited (Trak Global Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Mechatronic Systems Inc. (Trak Global Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Basir, Otman A., Miners, William Ben
• Primary Examiner(s): MARC-COLEMAN, MARTHE Y
• Application Number:
  US12/789,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20100305807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 701/33.2, 701/32.6, 701/32.7, 701/2, 701/31.4, 455/569.1, 455/569.2, 455/563, 455/404.1, 455/404.2
• US Class Current: 701/31.4
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0373 Voice control in general G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0833 using audio means
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00

Abstract

A vehicle communication system includes a control unit in a vehicle, a vehicle data bus operable to transmit vehicle data to the control unit, and a mobile communication device having data network access. The mobile device has a self-contained mode in which the mobile communication device processes and displays the network data received via the data network and in which the control unit transmits the vehicle data to the mobile communication device. The mobile communication device also has an immersive mode in which the control unit processes the network data received via the data network and in which the control unit converts the vehicle data to audible speech and plays the audible speech in the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle communication system comprising:

a control unit in a vehicle;

a vehicle data bus operable to transmit vehicle data to the control unit; and

a mobile communication device having data network access over which the mobile communication device receives network data, the mobile device having a self-contained mode in which the mobile communication device processes and displays the network data received via the data network and in which the control unit transmits the vehicle data to the mobile communication device via the data network when the mobile communication device is away from the vehicle, the mobile communication device also having an immersive mode in which the control unit communicates with the mobile communication device through direct wireless connection when the mobile communication device is in or near the vehicle and in which the control unit processes the network data received via the data network and in which the control unit converts the vehicle data to audible speech and plays the audible speech in the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1 further including a user profile associated with the mobile device, the control unit processing the network data and the vehicle data based upon the user profile, wherein the control unit selects the user profile based upon an identification of the mobile device associated with the profile, and wherein the control unit determines when to present the network data and the vehicle data to the user based upon the user profile.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the control unit subjects a first portion of the vehicle data to exceptions such that the first portion of vehicle data is only communicated to a user as permitted by the user profile, and wherein the control unit exempts a second portion of the vehicle data from the exceptions such that the second portion of vehicle data is communicated to the user regardless of the user profile.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the second portion of vehicle data includes a notification of at least one of a low tire pressure condition, an ABS brake activation, a traction control activation, an airbag deployment, a high speed threshold being exceeded, a low fuel condition, or a vehicle diagnostic alert.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein the network data includes at least one of emails, calendar data, SMS messages, or online content, and wherein a portion of the network data is presented to the user based upon the user profile.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the user profile includes criteria based upon which the control unit automatically replies to a subset of the emails without presenting them to the user.

7. The system of claim 2 wherein a plurality of profiles, including the user profile, are stored on a server accessible via the internet and wherein the user profile can be modified by the user on the server via the internet, the control unit downloading the user profile from the server via the data network access of the mobile device or via a separate data network access connection of the control device.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the control unit is operable to communicate with the mobile communication device through either a direct wireless connection with the mobile communication device or via the server through the data network.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the direct wireless connection between the mobile communication device and the control unit is a Bluetooth connection.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the server is operable to communicate alerts and reports to the mobile communication device, the alerts including one or more vehicle notifications, and the reports including analysis of vehicle trips.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the report includes at least one of vehicle fuel economy data, vehicle emissions data, or vehicle environmental footprint data.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle data includes at least one of vehicle sensor data or vehicle actuation data.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the control unit is operable to transmit a vehicle actuation command along the vehicle data bus in response to both a spoken command received within the vehicle and a command received from the mobile communication device.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the vehicle actuation data is a command to lock a portion of the vehicle or to change a vehicle component from a first state to a second state.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the mobile device switches modes based upon establishment of communication between the mobile device and the control unit.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the mobile device switches modes based upon one of the control unit and the mobile device detecting the presence of the other of the control unit and the mobile device.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the network data includes a plurality of emails and wherein the control unit converts text in the plurality of emails to audible speech and plays the audible speech in the vehicle.

18. The system of claim 1 further including a microphone receiving voice commands from a user, the control unit processing the voice commands and playing the audible speech including the network data or the vehicle data based upon the voice commands.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein the mobile device also has voice network access and wherein voice calls handled by the mobile device in immersive communication mode are played through at least one speaker connected via the control unit.

20. A method for communicating vehicle data and network data to a user including the steps of:

a) determining a presence of a mobile communication device in the vehicle;

b) downloading network data via the mobile communication device onto a control unit in the vehicle;

c) downloading vehicle data to the control unit via at least one vehicle data bus; and

d) based upon said step a) and based on a user profile, converting text of the network data to speech and converting vehicle data to speech audibly playing the speech for the user.

21. The method of claim 20 further including the step of determining whether to perform said step c) based upon a user profile associated with the mobile communication device.

22. The method of claim 21 further including the step of switching the mobile communication device from a self-contained mode to an immersive communication mode based upon said step a).

23. The method of claim 20 further including the step of:

d) transmitting vehicle data to the mobile communication device via a server in communication with the mobile communication device or via a direct wireless connection with the mobile communication device based on the user profile.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the network data includes at least one of emails, calendar data, SMS messages, or online content, and wherein the vehicle data includes vehicle sensor data.

25. The method of claim 20 further including the steps of:

receiving a vehicle actuator command from one of a spoken command from a vehicle occupant or from a command received from the mobile communication device; and

uploading the vehicle actuator command to the vehicle data bus in response to said receiving a vehicle actuator command.

26. The method of claim 20 wherein the vehicle data includes at least one of a vehicle notification, a vehicle trip report, a vehicle location, a calculated environmental impact of a vehicle trip, or a calculated vehicle efficiency for a trip.

27. The method of claim 20 further including the steps of:

detecting a repeated vehicle path for a driver;

comparing the repeated vehicle path to vehicle paths of drivers of other vehicles;

detecting the drivers of two vehicles as potential carpool partners in response to an overlap in the vehicle paths; and

notifying the drivers of each vehicle of the detection of a potential carpool partner.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said detecting the drivers of two vehicles as potential carpool partners in response to an overlap in the vehicle paths includes:

comparing driving behaviors of the drivers of the two vehicles; and

excluding the drivers as potential carpool partners in response to the driving behaviors of the drivers of the two vehicles differing beyond a predefined threshold.