On board vehicle networking module

• US 9,116,786 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AutoConnect Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Flextronics America LLC (Flextronics International Limited)
• Inventors: Ricci, Christopher P.
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US13/828,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20130204466A1
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 701/29.1, 701/29.6, 340/438, 340/439
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0781 Error filtering or prioritizing based on a policy defined by the user or on a policy defined by a hardware/software module, e.g. according to a severity level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0784 Routing of error reports, e.g. with a specific transmission path or data flow
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2025 using centralised failover control functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2035 without idle spare hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/14 Handling requests for interconnection or transfer
• 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 2201/805 Real-time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold
• 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: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40215 Controller Area Network CAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure describes a microprocessor executable remote control module operable to receive, via a remote node, a command from a vehicle owner to configure and/or alter and/or determine a state of a selected vehicle component and, when the vehicle owner is authenticated successfully by the remote control module, to configure and/or alter and/or determine a state of the selected vehicle component.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of vehicle components comprising a power source, wheels, a transmission, a transmission gear controller, a power controller, a braking system, a steering wheel, a display panel, an occupant seating system, and a satellite positioning system receiver; and

a microprocessor executable remote control module operable to (a) receive a command from a requestor to configure and/or alter and/or determine a state of a selected vehicle component, (b) when the requestor is authenticated successfully by the remote control module, determine whether the requestor is privileged to issue the command, and (c) when the successfully authenticated requestor is privileged to issue the command, configure and/or alter and/or determine a state of the selected vehicle component, wherein a first requestor, when authenticated successfully, is entitled to a first set of privileges to configure and/or alter and/or determine a state of the selected vehicle component and a second requestor, when authenticated successfully, is entitled to a different second set of privileges to configure and/or alter and/or determine a state of the selected vehicle component.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the selected vehicle component is the display panel and wherein the configuration and/or alteration is one or more of moving a graphical object to another location, removing a graphical object from the display panel, adding a graphical object to the display panel, adding wall paper to the display panel, and altering a setting of the display panel.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the requestor is one or more of an owner of the vehicle, an insurance company insuring the vehicle, a theft prevention service, and a law enforcement agency, wherein the selected vehicle component is a programmable hard button, and wherein the configuration and/or alteration is to assign, to the hard button, a different function.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the command is to download media content from the Internet and save the downloaded content in on board memory of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the command is to change a vehicle performance mode from a first performance configuration to a second performance configuration and/or alter a setting of a vehicle component associated with a power unit and/or drive train of the vehicle.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the command is to determine a state of the selected vehicle component.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein, when a vehicle occupant is identified, the remote control module automatically configures the selected vehicle component as desired by the identified occupant.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the command is one or more of to accelerate, to decelerate, to activate, to deactivate, to provide current vehicle location, to broadcast audible and/or visual message to vehicle operator, to brake, to set a maximum vehicle velocity, to shut down vehicle, and to lock doors.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the command comprises a function-specific code and wherein the remote control module maps the function-specific code in a look up table indexing function-specific codes with corresponding vehicle functions to determine a requested vehicle function to be performed.

10. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the requestor is a law enforcement agency.

11. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the requestor is the vehicle owner.

12. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the requestor is a leasing or rental car company, wherein the vehicle may be driven only within a limited geographical area, and wherein the vehicle is automatically disabled by the remote control module when the vehicle leaves the limited geographical area.

13. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the requestor is a law enforcement agency and wherein the command is to provide a current speed of the vehicle.

14. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the command is to provide one or more of historic vehicle operating information.

15. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the remote control module authenticates the requestor locally by one or more of a biometric feature of the requestor.

16. A method, comprising:

a microprocessor executable remote control module receiving, via a remote node, a command from a law enforcement agency to configure and/or alter and/or determine a state of a selected vehicle component of a vehicle, the selected vehicle component being one or more of a power source, wheels, a transmission, a transmission gear controller, a power controller, a braking system, a steering wheel, a display panel, an occupant seating system, and a satellite positioning system receiver; and

the remote control module, when the law enforcement agency is authenticated successfully, configuring and/or altering and/or determining a state of the selected vehicle component, wherein the command is one or more of accelerate, decelerate, activate, deactivate, provide current vehicle location, broadcast an audible and/or visual message to a vehicle operator, brake, set a maximum vehicle velocity, shut down the vehicle, provide a current speed of the vehicle, and lock doors.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the command comprises a function-specific code and wherein the remote control module maps the function-specific code in a look up table indexing function-specific codes with corresponding vehicle functions to determine a requested vehicle function to be performed.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the command is one or more of to accelerate, to decelerate, to activate, and to deactivate.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the command is to provide a current vehicle location.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the command is to change a vehicle performance mode from a first performance configuration to a second performance configuration and/or alter a setting of a vehicle component associated with a power unit and/or drive train of the vehicle.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the command is to broadcast an audible and/or visual message to vehicle operator.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the command is one or more of to brake, to set a maximum vehicle velocity, to provide a current speed of the vehicle, and to lock doors.

23. A vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of vehicle components comprising a power source, wheels, a transmission, a transmission gear controller, a power controller, a braking system, a steering wheel, a display panel, an occupant seating system, and a satellite positioning system receiver; and

a non-transient, tangible computer readable medium comprising a microprocessor executable remote control module on board the vehicle that (a), when executed, receives, via a remote node of a vehicle owner, the remote node comprising one or more of a home computer, tablet computer, laptop computer, and smart phone, a command from the vehicle owner to perform an operation of a selected vehicle component and (b), when the vehicle owner is authenticated successfully, performs the operation of the selected vehicle component, wherein the operation is one or more of alter one or more of a setting, appearance, sound, wall paper, and displayed icon selection and location of a vehicle display panel, configure a programmable hard button, download media, customize vehicle performance, determine whether a light is on or off, determine whether a window is up or down, determine whether an on board alarm is on or off, determine whether a sunroof is open or closed, and reset the selected vehicle component.

24. The vehicle of claim 23, wherein the selected vehicle component is the display panel and wherein the command is one or more of moving a graphical object to another location, removing a graphical object from the display panel, adding a graphical object to the display panel, adding wall paper to the display panel, and altering a setting of the display panel.

25. The vehicle of claim 23, wherein the selected vehicle component is a programmable hard button and wherein the configuration and/or alteration is to assign, to the hard button, a different function.

26. The vehicle of claim 23, wherein the command is to download media content from the Internet and save the downloaded content in on board memory of the vehicle.

27. The vehicle of claim 23, wherein the command is one or more of to determine whether a light is on or off, to determine whether a window is up or down, to determine whether an on board alarm is on or off, and to determine whether a sunroof is open or closed.

28. The vehicle of claim 23, wherein the command is to reset the selected vehicle component.