Mobile device audio indications

• US 9,439,082 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2014
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Livio, Inc. (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Myine Electronics, Inc. (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Fischer, Joel J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elhag, Magdi
• Application Number:
  US14/290,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20150350416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 455/557, 455/559, 455/567, 455/568.1, 455/569.2, 455/570
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/22 Arrangements for supervision, monitoring or testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/28 Automatic routine testing ; Fault testing; Installation testing; Test methods, test equipment or test arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition

Abstract

A vehicle system may be connected to a mobile device over a data connection and an audio connection, and configured to, responsive to a vehicle volume change, request over the data connection that the mobile device provide an audio indication at device volume over the audio connection, and reproduce the audio indication by the vehicle system, at vehicle volume, to indicate a loudness for audio played back from the mobile device. The mobile device may be connected to the vehicle system over the data connection and the audio connection, and configured to receive the request over the data connection that the mobile device provide the audio indication over the audio connection, and provide the audio indication at device volume to allow the vehicle system to reproduce the audio indication at the overall volume of sound played back from the mobile device through the vehicle system.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a vehicle sound system, connected to a mobile device over a data connection and an audio connection, configured to;

responsive to a change in a volume level of the sound system, request over the data connection that the mobile device provide an audio indication over the audio connection at a current volume level of the mobile device, and

reproduce the audio indication, at the volume level of the sound system, to indicate a loudness for audio played back from the mobile device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle sound system is further configured to reproduce audio content provided from the mobile device at the indicated loudness.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle sound system is further configured to provide the audio indication over the data connection to be played back by the mobile device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio indication is maintained by the mobile device, and the request over the data connection includes an indication for the mobile device to play back the audio indication stored by the mobile device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the change in the volume level of the sound system is responsive to receipt of a command adjusting the volume level of the sound system.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the change in the volume level of the sound system is responsive to receipt of a command changing an audio input of the sound system to play back audio from the mobile device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the data connection includes at least one of a universal serial bus (USB) connection between the mobile device and the vehicle sound system, and a Bluetooth connection between the mobile device and the vehicle sound system.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio connection includes at least one of a wired audio connection between the mobile device and the vehicle sound system, and a wireless audio connection between the mobile device and the vehicle sound system.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio indication includes one of a beep or chime.

10. A system comprising:

a mobile device, connected to a vehicle sound system over a data connection and an audio connection, configured to;

receive a request from the sound system over the data connection to provide an audio indication over the audio connection, and

provide the audio indication over the audio connection, at a volume level of the mobile device, to cause the sound system to reproduce the audio indication at a volume level of the sound system to indicate a loudness for audio played back from the mobile device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the mobile device is further configured to provide audio content over the audio connection at the device volume to be reproduced by the vehicle sound system at the indicated loudness.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the mobile device is further configured to receive the audio indication from the vehicle sound system over the data connection to be played back by the mobile device.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the mobile device is further configured to maintain the audio indication to be played back.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the data connection includes at least one of a universal serial bus (USB) connection between the mobile device and the vehicle sound system, and a Bluetooth connection between the mobile device and the vehicle sound system.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the audio indication includes one of a beep or chime.

16. A method comprising:

responsive to a change in a volume level of a vehicle sound system connected to a mobile device over data and audio connections, requesting, by the sound system over the data connection, the mobile device to provide an audio indication over the audio connection; and

reproducing the audio indication by the sound system at the volume level to indicate a loudness for playing audio from the mobile device through the sound system.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising reproducing audio content provided from the mobile device over the audio connection at the indicated loudness.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing the audio indication over the data connection to be played back by the mobile device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the audio indication is maintained by the mobile device, and the request over the data connection includes an indication for the mobile device to play back the audio indication stored by the mobile device.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the change in the volume level of the sound system is responsive to receipt of a command adjusting the volume level of the sound system.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the change in the volume level of the sound system is responsive to receipt of a command changing an audio input of the sound system to play back audio from the mobile device.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the data connection includes at least one of a universal serial bus (USB) connection between the mobile device and the vehicle sound system, and a Bluetooth connection between the mobile device and the vehicle sound system.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the audio indication includes one of a beep or chime.