Methods and apparatus for lost connection handling

• US 8,831,817 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2011
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Elliott, Doron M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Application Number:
  US13/041,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20120232742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,282 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/2, 701/29.6, 340/5.72, 340/13.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/41.2, 455/423, 455/41.1
• US Class Current: 701/29.6
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/19 Connection re-establishment

Abstract

A computer-implemented method, executable by a vehicle computing system (VCS), includes determining that a connection between a wireless device and a VCS has been lost. The method further includes determining if a driver is present in the vehicle, upon a lost link detection. The method additionally includes waiting until an enter-event occurs and then attempting to re-establish a connection between the wireless device and the VCS. This last step may be conditional upon a determination that a driver is not present.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, executable by a vehicle computing system (VCS), comprising:

determining that a connection between a cellular phone and a VCS has been lost;

upon a lost link detection, determining, via the VCS, if a driver is present in the vehicle; and

conditional upon a determination that a driver is not present, waiting until an enter-event occurs and then attempting to re-establish a connection between the cellular phone and the VCS.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining if a driver is present in the vehicle includes determining if a vehicle is in drive to determine if a driver is present.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the enter-event includes a driver-door opening event.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

conditional on a loss of connection and a determination that a driver is present in the vehicle when the connection is lost, attempting to re-establish the connection between the VCS and the cellular phone, wherein, if more than a predetermined number of reconnection attempts have failed, the driver is notified of the failure and asked if connection attempts should continue; and

conditional on an occupant indicating that attempts should continue, attempting to reconnect to the cellular phone until a connection is established.

5. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, storing instructions that, when executed by a vehicle computing system (VCS), cause the vehicle computing system to perform the method comprising:

determining that a connection between a cellular phone and a VCS has been lost;

upon a lost link detection, determining if a driver is present in the vehicle; and

conditional upon a determination that a driver is not present, waiting until an enter-event occurs and then attempting to re-establish a connection between the cellular phone and the VCS.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the determining if a driver is present in the vehicle includes determining if a vehicle is in drive to determine if a driver is present.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the enter-event includes a driver-door opening event.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

conditional on a loss of connection and a determination that a driver is present in the vehicle when the connection is lost, attempting to re-establish the connection between the VCS and the wireless device, wherein, if more than a predetermined number of re-connection attempts have failed, the driver is notified of the failure and asked if connection attempts should continue; and

conditional on an occupant indicating that attempts should continue, attempting to reconnect to the cellular phone until a connection is established.