Flexible telematics system and method for providing telematics to a vehicle

• US 8,761,758 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2011
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sirius XM Connected Vehicle Services Inc. (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sirius XM Connected Vehicle Services Inc. (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Farrell, Tod, Ellingson, Robert Orson
• Primary Examiner(s): Gonzalez, Amancio
• Application Number:
  US13/033,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20110143668A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 455/426.1, 455/9, 455/414.1, 455/41.2, 701/200, 701/211, 707/104.4, 707/999.107, 340/904
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A retrofitting telematics device for a vehicle that has an integrated communication device with a short range wireless personal area network transceiver (e.g., a Bluetooth transceiver) and a memory holding a list uniquely identifying at least one mobile communication device that is a currently paired mobile communication device, a previously paired mobile communication device, and/or a pre-defined mobile communication device. The retrofitting telematics device includes a user-removable telematics component with a Global Positioning System (GPS) device, a short range wireless personal area network transceiver (e.g., a Bluetooth transceiver) that is operable to communicatively connect to the transceiver of the vehicle, and a data pump communicatively coupled with the GPS device and the transceiver of the user-removable telematics device and programmed to transmit a request for information to the off-site telematics provider utilizing a communications path and request the off-site telematics provider to automatically send the information to the at least one mobile communication device.

Claims

1. A retrofitting telematics device for a vehicle having an integrated communication device including a short range wireless personal area network transceiver and a memory holding a list uniquely identifying at least one mobile communication device selected from a currently paired mobile communication device, a previously paired mobile communication device, and a pre-defined mobile communication device, the retrofitting telematics device comprising:

a user-removable telematics component having;

a Global Positioning System (GPS) device;

a short range wireless personal area network transceiver operable to communicatively connect to the transceiver of the vehicle; and

a data pump communicatively coupled with the GPS device and the transceiver of the user-removable telematics component and programmed to;

transmit a telematics request to an off-site telematics provider utilizing a communications path; and

request the off-site telematics provider to automatically send a telematics response to the at least one mobile communication device.

2. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 1, wherein the data pump comprises a microprocessor communicatively coupled with the GPS device and the transceiver of the telematics component.

3. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 1, wherein the communications path of the data pump is from the data pump to the integrated communication device of the vehicle and from the integrated communication device of the vehicle through the at least one mobile communication device.

4. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 1, wherein the communications path of the data pump is from the data pump, through the transceiver of the telematics component, and through the at least one mobile communication device.

5. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 1, wherein the communications path of the data pump excludes the integrated communication device.

25. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 1, wherein the short range wireless personal area network transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver.

6. A retrofitting telematics device for a vehicle having an integrated communication device including a short range wireless personal area network transceiver and a memory holding a list uniquely identifying at least one mobile communication device selected from a currently paired mobile communication device, a previously paired mobile communication device, and a pre-defined mobile communication device, the retrofitting telematics device comprising:

a user-removable telematics component having;

a Global Positioning System (GPS) device;

a data pump;

a short range wireless personal area network transceiver operable to communicatively connect to the transceiver of the vehicle; and

a microprocessor communicatively coupled with the GPS device, the data pump, and the transceiver of the telematics component and programmed to;

transmit a telematics request to an off-site telematics provider utilizing a communications path; and

request the off-site telematics provider to automatically send a telematics response to the at least one mobile communication device.

7. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 6, wherein the data pump includes the microprocessor, the GPS device, and the transceiver of the telematics component.

8. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 6, wherein the communications path is from the data pump to the integrated communication device of the vehicle and from the integrated communication device of the vehicle through the at least one mobile communication device.

9. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 6, wherein the communications path is from the data pump, through the transceiver of the telematics component, and through the at least one mobile communication device.

10. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 6, wherein the communications path is from the data pump, through the transceiver of the telematics component, through the transceiver of the integrated communication device, and through the at least one mobile communication device.

11. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 6, wherein the transmission of a request for information to the off-site telematics provider utilizing the communications path excludes the integrated communication device.

26. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 6, wherein the short range wireless personal area network transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver.

12. A retrofitting telematics device for a vehicle having an integrated communication device including a short range wireless personal area network transceiver, a communications bus, and a memory holding a list uniquely identifying at least one mobile communication device selected from a currently paired mobile communication device, a previously paired mobile communication device, and a pre-defined mobile communication device, the retrofitting telematics device comprising:

a user-removable telematics component operable to communicatively connect to at least one of the communications bus and the transceiver of the vehicle, the telematics component having;

a Global Positioning System (GPS) device;

a short range wireless personal area network transceiver; and

a data pump communicatively coupled with the GPS device and the transceiver of the telematics component and operable to;

transmit a telematics request to an off-site telematics provider utilizing a communications path; and

request the off-site telematics provider to automatically send a telematics response to the at least one mobile communication device.

13. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 12, wherein the communications path of the data pump is from the data pump to the integrated communication device of the vehicle and from the integrated communication device of the vehicle through the at least one mobile communication device.

14. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 13, wherein the communications path from the data pump to the integrated communication device includes at least a portion of the communications bus.

15. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 12, wherein the communications path of the data pump is from the data pump, through the transceiver of the telematics component, and through the at least one mobile communication device.

16. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 12, wherein the communications path is from the data pump, through the transceiver of the telematics component, through the transceiver of the integrated communication device, and through the at least one mobile communication device.

17. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 12, wherein the communications path of the data pump excludes the integrated communication device.

27. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 12, wherein the short range wireless personal area network transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver.

18. A retrofitting telematics device for a vehicle having an integrated communication device including a short range wireless personal area network transceiver, a communications bus, and a memory holding a list uniquely identifying at least one mobile communication device selected from a currently paired mobile communication device, a previously paired mobile communication device, and a pre-defined mobile communication device, the retrofitting telematics device comprising:

a user-removable telematics component having;

a Global Positioning System (GPS) device;

a data pump operable to communicatively connect to the integrated communication device through the communication bus;

a short range wireless personal area network transceiver communicatively coupled to the data pump and operable to communicatively connect to the transceiver of the integrated communication device; and

a microprocessor communicatively coupled with the GPS device, the data pump, and the transceiver of the telematics component and programmed to;

transmit a telematics request to an off-site telematics provider utilizing a communications path; and

request the off-site telematics provider to automatically send a telematics response to the at least one mobile communication device.

19. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 18, wherein the communications path of the data pump is from the data pump to the integrated communication device of the vehicle and from the integrated communication device of the vehicle through the at least one mobile communication device.

20. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 19, wherein the communications path from the data pump to the integrated communication device includes at least a portion of the communications bus.

21. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 18, wherein the communications path of the data pump is from the data pump, through the transceiver of the telematics component, and through the at least one mobile communication device.

22. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 18, wherein the communications path is from the data pump, through the transceiver of the telematics component, through the transceiver of the integrated communication device, and through the at least one mobile communication device.

23. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 18, wherein the communications path of the data pump excludes the integrated communication device.

24. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 18, wherein the data pump includes the microprocessor, the GPS device, and the transceiver of the telematics component.

28. The retrofitting telematics device according to claim 18, wherein the short range wireless personal area network transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver.