Method and apparatus for communication between a vehicle based computing system and a remote application

• US 9,306,983 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2013
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Boll, David P., Santori, Nello Joseph, Ross, Joseph N., Shaker, Mark, Kaiser, Micah J., Joh, Brian Woogeun, Schunder, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John J
• Application Number:
  US14/042,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20140032769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 455/569.2, 455/515, 455/557, 455/41.1, 455/414, 455/419, 455/420, 455/575.9, 455/434, 726/39, 709/223, 709/225
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• 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 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A vehicle-based computing apparatus includes a computer processor in communication with persistent and non-persistent memory. The apparatus also includes a local wireless transceiver in communication with the computer processor and configured to communicate wirelessly with a wireless device located at the vehicle. The processor is operable to receive, through the wireless transceiver, a connection request sent from a nomadic wireless device, the connection request including at least a name of an application seeking to communicate with the processor. The processor is further operable to receive at least one secondary communication from the nomadic device, once the connection request has been processed. The secondary communication is at least one of a speak alert command, a display text command, a create phrase command, and a prompt and listen command.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a connection request from a mobile application to access a vehicle computing system (VCS), including an application identifier;

create a unique connection identifier for responding to the request; and

respond to the connection request by sending the unique connection identifier.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the application identifier includes an application name.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the application name uniquely identifies the application on a mobile device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the connection identifier is valid only for a duration of an application connection to the VCS.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to respond by sending a connection status.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile application requests access to one or more vehicle inputs or outputs.

7. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a connection request from a mobile application to access a vehicle computing system (VCS), including an application identifier;

creating a unique connection identifier for responding to the request; and

responding to the connection request by sending the unique connection identifier.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the application identifier includes an application name.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the application name uniquely identifies the application on a mobile device.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the connection identifier is valid only for a duration of an application connection to the VCS.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the responding further includes sending a connection status.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the mobile application requests access to one or more vehicle inputs or outputs.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a connection request from a mobile application to access a vehicle computing system (VCS), including an application identifier;

creating a unique connection identifier for responding to the request; and

responding to the connection request by sending the unique connection identifier.

14. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein the application identifier includes an application name.

15. The storage medium of claim 14, wherein the application name uniquely identifies the application on a mobile device.

16. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein the connection identifier is valid only for a duration of an application connection to the VCS.

17. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein responding further includes sending a connection status.

18. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein the mobile application requests access to one or more vehicle inputs or outputs.