Mobile application DRx synchronization with embedded vehicle hardware

• US 9,237,534 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2011
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Frye, Mark S., Cepuran, Lawrence D., Schwinke, Steven P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Waqas, Saad A
• Application Number:
  US13/072,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20120243528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• Field of Search: 370/350
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements

Abstract

The described method and system provide for synchronizing a mobile application on a mobile device with a DRx (discontinuous receive) schedule of a vehicle. When the vehicle ignition is turned off, a telecommunications unit on the vehicle sends a synchronization message to the mobile device, which allows the mobile application to synchronize with the DRx schedule of the vehicle. The DRx schedule includes a standby mode, a cyclic mode, and a powered down mode for the vehicle, and user requests inputted into the mobile application will be processed according to the mobile application'"'"'s determination of vehicle availability during those modes. The mobile application is thus able to inform the user of the vehicle status at any point during the vehicle'"'"'s DRx schedule without requiring any further information from the vehicle after the synchronization message.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing a mobile application on a mobile device with a discontinuous receive (DRx) schedule of a telematics-equipped vehicle, the method comprising:

determining, by a telematics unit of the telematics-equipped vehicle, that a vehicle ignition has been turned off;

determining, by the telematics unit, whether cellular communications services are available for communications with the mobile device;

adjusting, by the telematics unit, based on cellular communications services being unavailable, the DRx schedule of the telematics-equipped vehicle based on an amount of power consumed by the telematics unit when searching for the cellular communications services;

sending, by the telematics unit, in response to determining that the vehicle ignition has been turned off and in response to determining that cellular communications services are available, a synchronization message to the mobile device for coordinating communications between the mobile device and the telematics unit, the synchronization message including information regarding the DRx schedule of the telematics-equipped vehicle, wherein the information regarding the DRx schedule of the telematics-equipped vehicle indicates multiple time periods at which the telematics unit is available during a cyclic mode of a fixed duration of the telematics unit;

while the telematics unit is available in the cyclic mode, receiving, by the telematics unit, after the sending, a request from the mobile device, wherein the time at which the request was sent by the mobile device is based on the information regarding the DRx schedule of the telematics-equipped vehicle; and

carrying out, by the telematics unit, the received request;

wherein the mobile device is a user'"'"'s mobile computing device, and the method further comprises;

determining, by the mobile device, whether the telematics unit is available for carrying out requests and whether the telematics unit is in the cyclic mode based on the information regarding the DRx schedule of the telematics-equipped vehicle; and

notifying, in response to determining that the telematics unit is not available for carrying out requests and the telematics unit is in the cyclic mode, the user of a next time the telematics unit will become available via a mobile application of the mobile device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the synchronization message further includes information regarding a reference time to be used by the mobile device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the information regarding the reference time indicates that Global Positioning System (GPS) time or General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) time is to be used as the reference time.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

notifying, by the telematics unit, in response to cellular communications services being unavailable, the mobile device that cellular communications services are unavailable via a short-range wireless message.

5. A non-transitory, processor-readable medium of a telematics unit of a telematics-equipped vehicle having processor-executable instructions stored thereon for synchronizing a mobile application on a mobile device with a discontinuous receive (DRx) schedule of the telematics-equipped vehicle, the processor-executable instructions, when executed by a processor, facilitating performance of the following steps:

determining, by the telematics unit, that a vehicle ignition has been turned off;

determining, by the telematics unit, whether cellular communications services are available for communications with the mobile device;

adjusting, by the telematics unit, based on cellular communications services being unavailable, the DRx schedule of the telematics-equipped vehicle based on an amount of power consumed by the telematics unit when searching for the cellular communications services;

sending, by the telematics unit, in response to determining that the vehicle ignition has been turned off and in response to determining that cellular communications services are available, a synchronization message to the mobile device for coordinating communications between the mobile device and the telematics unit, the synchronization message including information regarding the DRx schedule of the telematics-equipped vehicle, wherein the information regarding the DRx schedule of the telematics-equipped vehicle indicates multiple time periods at which the telematics unit is available during a cyclic mode of a fixed duration of the telematics unit;

while the telematics unit is available in the cyclic mode, receiving, by the telematics unit, after the sending, a request from the mobile device, wherein the time at which the request was sent by the mobile device is based on the information regarding the DRx schedule of the telematics-equipped vehicle; and

carrying out, by the telematics unit, the received request;

wherein the mobile device is a user'"'"'s mobile computing device configured to;

determine whether the telematics unit is available for carrying out requests and whether the telematics unit is in the cyclic mode based on the information regarding the DRx schedule of the telematics-equipped vehicle; and

in response to determining that the telematics unit is not available for carrying out requests and the telematics unit is in the cyclic mode, notify the user of a next time the telematics unit will become available via a mobile application of the mobile device.

6. The processor-readable medium according to claim 5, wherein the synchronization message further includes information regarding a reference time to be used by the mobile device.

7. The processor-readable medium according to claim 6, wherein the information regarding the reference time indicates that Global Positioning System (GPS) time or General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) time is to be used as the reference time.

8. The processor-readable medium according to claim 5, wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further facilitate performance of the following step:

notifying, by the telematics unit, in response to cellular communications services being unavailable, the mobile device that cellular communications services are unavailable via a short-range wireless message.

9. A system for synchronizing a mobile application on a mobile device with a discontinuous receive (DRx) schedule of a telematics-equipped vehicle, the system comprising:

a telematics unit of the telematics-equipped vehicle, configured to;

determine that a vehicle ignition has been turned off;

determine whether cellular communications services are available for communications with the mobile device;

adjust, based on cellular communications services being unavailable, the DRx schedule of the telematics-equipped vehicle based on an amount of power consumed by the telematics unit when searching for the cellular communications services;

send, in response to determining that the vehicle ignition has been turned off and in response to determining that cellular communications services are available, a synchronization message to the mobile device for coordinating communications between the mobile device and the telematics unit, the synchronization message including information regarding the DRx schedule of the telematics-equipped vehicle, wherein the information regarding the DRx schedule of the telematics-equipped vehicle indicates multiple time periods at which the telematics unit is available during a cyclic mode of a fixed duration of the telematics unit;

receive a request from the mobile device; and

carry out the request; and

the mobile device, configured to;

receive the synchronization message;

determine a time for sending the request to the telematics unit while the telematics unit is available during the cyclic mode of operation based on the information regarding the DRx schedule of the telematics-equipped vehicle; and

send the request to the telematics unit;

wherein the mobile device is a user'"'"'s mobile computing device, and the mobile device is further configured to;

determine whether the telematics unit is available for carrying out requests and whether the telematics unit is in the cyclic mode based on the information regarding the DRx schedule of the telematics-equipped vehicle; and

in response to determining that the telematics unit is not available for carrying out requests and the telematics unit is in the cyclic mode, notify the user of a next time the telematics unit will become available via a mobile application of the mobile device.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the synchronization message further includes information regarding a reference time to be used by the mobile device, and the mobile device and the telematics unit are configured to use the same reference time.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the information regarding the reference time indicates that Global Positioning System (GPS) time or General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) time is to be used as the reference time.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the telematics unit is further configured to notify, in response to cellular communications services being unavailable, the mobile device that cellular communications services are unavailable via a short-range wireless message.