System and method of utilizing driving profiles via a mobile device

• US 9,110,774 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Bonn, Mark J., Koller, Gary D., Peden, Mark D., Reeves, Raymond E., Youngs, Simon, Zhang, Lei
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH-STEWART, DEMETRA R
• Application Number:
  US13/844,226
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0064 using a remote, e.g. cordless, transmitter or receiver unit, e.g. remote keypad or mobile phone
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/085 Changing the parameters of the control units, e.g. changing limit values, working points by control input
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries

Abstract

A method of configuring operating parameters with a vehicle is disclosed. The method comprises receiving a signal identifying one or more vehicle operating parameters and associating the signal with a mobile device. The method comprises identifying a profile package based on the identification of the one or more vehicle operating parameters, wherein the profile package comprises at least the one or more vehicle operating parameters. The method comprises receiving a signal associating the mobile device with a head unit and transmitting the profile package to one or more controllers, wherein the profile package configures one or more controllers to one or more vehicle operating parameters, wherein the controllers govern the behavior of one or more vehicle components. The method further comprises activating the specific set of one or more vehicle operating parameters of the profile package in response to detecting that the mobile device is disposed at a predetermined position.

Claims

1. A method of configuring operating parameters with a vehicle, comprising:

receiving a signal, by a server, identifying one or more vehicle operating parameters;

associating the signal identifying one or more vehicle operating parameters with a mobile device;

identifying a profile package based on the identification of the one or more vehicle operating parameters, wherein the profile package comprises at least the one or more vehicle operating parameters;

receiving a signal, by the server, associating the mobile device with a head unit;

transmitting the profile package associated with the mobile device via the head unit to one or more controllers, wherein the profile package configures one or more controllers to a specific set of one or more vehicle operating parameters, and wherein the one or more controllers govern the behavior of one or more vehicle components;

activating the specific set of one or more vehicle operating parameters of the profile package in response to detecting that the mobile device is disposed at a predetermined position; and

deactivating the specific set of one or more vehicle operating parameters of the profile package in response to at least one of;

detecting that the mobile device is no longer located at the predetermined position,

detecting that the mobile device is not located within a predetermined, geographic area, or

receiving a signal from the mobile device deselecting the specific set of one or more vehicle operating parameters of the profile package.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined position is within a predetermined distance from the head unit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined position is one or more specific locations relative to the head unit.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising operating a vehicle associated with the head unit while maintaining the specific set of one or more vehicle operating parameters.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein vehicle operating parameters comprise increasing vehicle performance, increasing fuel economy, tightening steering, loosening steering, tightening suspension, loosening suspension, increasing horse power limits, increasing torque limits, increasing speed limits, increasing acceleration limits, customizing speed rates, customizing acceleration rates, adjusting seat positions, adjusting the steering wheel, adjusting vehicle mirrors, and the like.

6. A method of configuring operating parameters with a vehicle, comprising:

detecting, by a head unit, one or more environmental parameters;

receiving a signal, by a server, from the head unit, identifying the one or more environmental parameters and the time the head unit detected the one or more environmental parameters;

associating, by the server, the one or more environmental parameters with a mobile device by identifying that the mobile device was in a predetermined position at the time the head unit detected the one or more environmental parameters;

identifying a profile package based on the identification of the one or more environmental parameters, wherein the profile package comprises one or more vehicle operating parameters comprising the one or more environmental parameters;

receiving a signal, by the server, associating the mobile device with the head unit;

displaying the identified profile package based on the identification of the one or more environmental parameters;

transmitting the profile package associated with the mobile device via the head unit to one or more controllers based on a selection from displaying of the profile package, wherein the profile package configures one or more controllers to a specific set of one or more vehicle operating parameters, and wherein the one or more controllers govern the behavior of one or more vehicle components; and

activating the specific set of one or more vehicle operating parameters of the profile package in response to detecting that the mobile device is disposed at the predetermined position.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined position is within a predetermined distance from the head unit.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined position is one or more specific locations relative to the head unit.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising deactivating the specific set of one or more vehicle operating parameters of the profile package in response to detecting that the mobile device is no longer located at the predetermined position.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more environment parameters comprise parameters associated with specific internal components of the vehicle, parameters reflecting how the vehicle is operated, settings within the vehicle, setting within the vehicle cabin, and external conditions surrounding the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising associating, by the server, the one or more parameters with a mobile device and a particular geographic location by identifying that the mobile device was in a predetermined position at the time the head unit detected the one or more parameters and by detecting that the head unit was in a particular geographic location at the time the head unit detected the one or more parameters.

12. A method of implementing vehicle operating parameters, comprising:

associating, by a server, a head unit with a mobile device;

identifying one or more vehicle operating parameters in response to associating the head unit with the mobile device, wherein the one or more vehicle operating parameters are identified by a server;

identifying a profile package based on the identification of the one or more vehicle operating parameters, wherein the profile package comprises the one or more vehicle operating parameters;

transmitting the profile package associated with the mobile device via the head unit to one or more controllers, wherein the profile package configures one or more controllers to a specific set of one or more vehicle operating parameters, and wherein the one or more controllers govern the behavior of one or more vehicle components;

activating the specific set of one or more vehicle operating parameters of the profile package in response to detecting that the mobile device is disposed at one or more predetermined position; and

deactivating the specific set of one or more vehicle operating parameters of the profile package in response to detecting that the mobile device is no longer located at the one or more predetermined position.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the head unit is associated with the mobile device via a look-up table.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the head unit is associated with the mobile device by detecting that the mobile device is disposed at the one or more predetermined positions.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising operating a vehicle associated with the head unit while maintaining the specific set of one or more vehicle operating parameters.