Method of using a smart phone as a telematics device interface

• US 8,731,627 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2011
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Inabathuni, Tarun, Frendberg, Maria A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wendell, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US13/079,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20120252364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/456.1, 455/457, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/66.1, 455/556.1, 455/575.9, 340/988, 340/991, 340/995.1
• US Class Current: 455/575.9
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances

Abstract

A system and method for controlling a vehicle telematics unit via a smart phone using the steps of: storing a software application for remotely controlling the telematics unit at the smart phone; using the stored software application to communicatively connect the smart phone with the telematics unit via a short-range wireless communication link; receiving data from the telematics unit that is used to display a menu of telematics service selections at the smart phone; receiving a telematics service selection from a vehicle occupant at the smart phone that is chosen from one of the displayed telematics service selections; and transmitting a command that controls at least one function of the vehicle based on the received telematics service selection from the smart phone to the telematics unit over the short-range wireless communication link.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a vehicle telematics unit, comprising the steps of:

(a) storing a software application for remotely controlling a vehicle telematics unit at a smart phone;

(b) establishing a short-range wireless communication link between the smart phone and the vehicle telematics unit when the smart phone is at the vehicle;

(c) receiving data via the short-range wireless communication link from the vehicle telematics unit that is used by the software application to display a menu of telematics service selections at the smart phone;

(d) receiving a telematics service selection from a vehicle occupant using the smart phone that is chosen from one of the displayed telematics service selections; and

(e) transmitting a command that controls at least one function of the vehicle based on the received telematics service selection from the smart phone to the vehicle telematics unit over the short-range wireless communication link.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of communicating data between the vehicle telematics unit and the smart phone via the short-range communication link using an RFCOMM protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein global positioning system (GPS) coordinates are received at the vehicle telematics unit from the smart phone via the short-range communication link.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of processing turn-by-turn directions using GPS coordinates generated by the smart phone and data provided by a central facility that is received at the vehicle telematics unit.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sending turn-by-turn directions from a central facility to the vehicle telematics unit and creating a geographic map for display at the smart phone using data included with the turn-by-turn directions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the smart phone uses a visual display that includes a touch-screen graphical user interface that shows the menu of telematics service selections and receives the telematics service selection from the vehicle occupant.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (c)-(e) are carried out using the stored software application.

8. A method of controlling a vehicle telematics unit, comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting the presence of a smart phone that includes software capable of remotely controlling a vehicle telematics unit via a short-range wireless communication link between the vehicle telematics unit and the smart phone;

(b) transmitting vehicle data capable of display on the smart phone over the short-range wireless communication link from the vehicle telematics unit to the smart phone;

(c) receiving a telematics service command that is in response to vehicle data displayed at the smart phone via the short-range wireless communication link from a vehicle occupant using the smart phone; and

(d) controlling one or more vehicle functions using the received telematics service command sent from the smart phone via the short-range wireless communication link.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of using an RFCOMM protocol to communicate data over the short-range wireless communication link.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein global positioning system (GPS) coordinates are received at the vehicle telematics unit from the smart phone via the short-range communication link.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of processing turn-by-turn directions using GPS coordinates generated by the smart phone and data provided by a central facility that is received at the vehicle telematics unit.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of sending turn-by-turn directions from a central facility to the vehicle telematics unit and creating a geographic map for display at the smart phone using data included with the turn-by-turn directions.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the smart phone uses a visual display that includes a touch-screen graphical user interface that presents a menu of telematics service selections and receives the telematics service command from the vehicle occupant.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein steps (b)-(d) are carried out using the stored software application.

15. A method of controlling a vehicle telematics unit, comprising the steps of:

(a) storing software at a smart phone for remotely controlling vehicle functions using a Bluetooth RFCOMM protocol over a short-range wireless communication link between a vehicle telematics unit and the smart phone;

(b) transmitting vehicle data for generating a telematics service menu offering telematics service commands on the display of the smart phone from the vehicle telematics unit to the smart phone via the short-range wireless communication link;

(c) receiving the selection of one of the telematics service commands made by a vehicle occupant at the smart phone;

(d) transmitting the selected telematics service command to the vehicle telematics unit via the short-range wireless communication link; and

(e) controlling one or more vehicle functions based on the transmitted telematics service command using the vehicle telematics unit.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein global positioning system (GPS) coordinates are received at the vehicle telematics unit from the smart phone via the short-range communication link.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of processing turn-by-turn directions using GPS coordinates generated by the smart phone and data provided by a central facility that is received from the vehicle telematics unit.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of sending turn-by-turn directions from a central facility to the vehicle telematics unit and creating a geographic map for display at the smart phone using data included with the turn-by-turn directions.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the smart phone uses a visual display that includes a touch-screen graphical user interface that shows the telematics service commands and receives the selection of a telematics service command from the vehicle occupant.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein steps (b)-(e) are carried out using the stored software application.