Remote control of vehicular wireless router settings

• US 9,098,957 B1
• Filed: 01/16/2014
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company), GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company), GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Alam, Muhammad Fahad, Gerlach, Jonathan L., Pal, Dipankar
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US14/156,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20150199855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 701/31.5, 455/73, 455/456.1, 455/432.1, 455/421, 370/338, 370/282
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method of controlling a wireless hotspot at a vehicle includes receiving one or more Wi-Fi control variables along with a vehicle identity at a central facility; authenticating the received Wi-Fi control variables at the central facility using the vehicle identity; establishing a cellular connection between the central facility and a vehicle providing the Wi-Fi hotspot identified by the transmitted vehicle identity; and transmitting a command to change the Wi-Fi control variables from the central facility to the vehicle when the Wi-Fi control variables have been authenticated.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a wireless hotspot at a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving one or more Wi-Fi control variables along with a vehicle identification at a central facility;

(b) authenticating the received Wi-Fi control variables at the central facility;

(c) establishing a cellular connection between the central facility and a vehicle providing a Wi-Fi hotspot identified by the transmitted vehicle identification; and

(d) transmitting a command to change the Wi-Fi control variables from the central facility to the vehicle when the Wi-Fi control variables have been authenticated.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sending a message to an authorized user confirming the transmitted command to change the Wi-Fi control variables.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of receiving one or more Wi-Fi diagnostic commands at the central facility and transmitting a command from the central facility to the vehicle that causes the vehicle to monitor one or more diagnostic variables.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of entering the Wi-Fi control variables into a wireless device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting the Wi-Fi control variables and the vehicle identification from a wireless device to the central facility via the Wi-Fi hotspot at the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting the Wi-Fi control variables and the vehicle identification from a wireless device to the central facility via a Wi-Fi hotspot that is separate from the Wi-Fi hotspot at the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of authenticating the user with a password or a private key maintained at a wireless device.

8. A method of controlling a wireless hotspot at a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a Wi-Fi hotspot at the vehicle;

(b) establishing a short-range wireless link between the vehicle and a wireless device using the Wi-Fi hotspot;

(c) receiving at the vehicle one or more Wi-Fi control variables from the wireless device;

(d) transmitting the Wi-Fi control variables and a vehicle identity from the vehicle to a central facility; and

(e) receiving at the vehicle permission from the central facility to control the Wi-Fi hotspot to match the one or more Wi-Fi control variables transmitted to the central facility.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of sending a message to an authorized user confirming the permission to control the Wi-Fi hotspot.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of receiving one or more Wi-Fi diagnostic commands from the wireless device and transmitting the Wi-Fi diagnostic commands to the central facility.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of receiving at the vehicle a command to monitor one or more diagnostic variables.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of entering the Wi-Fi control variables into the wireless device.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of authenticating the Wi-Fi control variables with a password or a private key maintained at the wireless device.

14. A method of controlling a wireless hotspot at a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving one or more Wi-Fi diagnostic commands at a central facility along with a vehicle identification;

(b) authenticating the Wi-Fi diagnostic commands at the central facility;

(c) generating a command at the central facility that initiates Wi-Fi diagnostic activity at the vehicle; and

(d) transmitting the generated command from the central facility to the vehicle identified by the vehicle identification via a wireless carrier system using the vehicle identification.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of sending a message to an authorized user confirming the transmitted command to initiate Wi-Fi diagnostic activity at the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of selecting one or more vehicle diagnostic commands at a wireless device.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of transmitting the Wi-Fi diagnostic commands and the vehicle identification from a wireless device to the central facility via the Wi-Fi hotspot at the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of transmitting the Wi-Fi diagnostic commands and the vehicle identification from a wireless device to the central facility via a Wi-Fi hotspot that is separate from the Wi-Fi hotspot at the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of authenticating the Wi-Fi diagnostic commands with a password or a private key maintained at a wireless device.