Control display of applications from a mobile device communicably connected to an in-vehicle apparatus depending on speed-threshold

• US 9,495,857 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2013
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Nike, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US14/403,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20150254960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: 340/441, 340/426.24, 340/438, 340/444, 340/447, 340/466, 340/471, 340/511, 340/539.19, 340/539.22, 340/539.26, 340/586
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724098 Interfacing with an on-board device of a vehicle for hands-free speaking in vehicles H04M1/6075
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device

Abstract

An in-vehicle apparatus communicably connected to a mobile device and located in a vehicle includes a display screen displaying data related to applications of the mobile device in communication with the mobile device; a memory storing an application record including identification informations of the applications, each application being associated with one or more mobile device models; a communication unit operable to receive model information data from the mobile device; and a control unit. The control unit i) receives a signal indicating a vehicle speed; ii) retrieves, from the memory, the identification informations of the applications included in the application record based on the model information data; and iii) controls the display of the data related to predetermined applications for which identification informations were retrieved from the memory on the display screen when the speed of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined speed threshold.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle apparatus, which is located in a vehicle and is communicably connected to a mobile device, comprising:

a display screen configured to display data related to a plurality of applications of the mobile device in communication with the mobile device;

a memory configured to store an application record in which an identification information of a predetermined application is stored associated with the mobile device, the predetermined application being one of the applications of the mobile device;

a communication unit operable to receive, from the mobile device, a model information data of the mobile device; and

a control unit operable to;

i) receive a signal indicative of a speed of the vehicle;

ii) retrieve, from the memory, the identification information of the predetermined application included in the application record based on the model information data received from the mobile device; and

iii) control a display of the data related to the predetermined application on the display screen when the speed of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined speed threshold, the predetermined application being identified by the identification information retrieved from the memory.

2. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein a different mobile device is communicably connected to the in-vehicle apparatus, and

wherein the predetermined application is associated with the mobile device or is associated with both the mobile device and the different mobile device.

3. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the memory stores the predetermined speed threshold for the mobile device and stores a different speed threshold for the different mobile device.

4. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the memory stores the predetermined speed threshold for the mobile device and the different mobile device.

5. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein a different predetermined application, which is one of the applications of the mobile device, is stored in the application record in addition to the predetermined application.

6. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the predetermined application included in the application record is associated with the predetermined speed threshold, and

wherein the different predetermined application included in the application record is associated with a different predetermined speed threshold.

7. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the memory stores the predetermined speed threshold.

8. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the predetermined speed threshold and the application record are separately stored in different areas of the memory.

9. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit permits the display of the data related to the predetermined application on the display screen when the speed of the vehicle exceeds the predetermined speed threshold.

10. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit prohibits the display of the data related to the predetermined application on the display screen when the speed of the vehicle exceeds the predetermined speed threshold.

11. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit is operable to generate a control signal for the mobile device, and

wherein the control signal includes an instruction for the mobile device to control a transmission of the data related to the predetermined application from the mobile device to the in-vehicle apparatus.

12. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the communication unit is operable to transmit the control signal to the mobile device and receive the data related to the predetermined application from the mobile device.

13. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the data, which is related to the predetermined application and is to be displayed on the display screen, is referred to as display data,

wherein the display data further includes the identification information of the predetermined application, and

wherein the control unit is operable to check the display data received from the mobile device to determine the identification information of the predetermined application.

14. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a speed detection unit operable to detect the speed of the vehicle.

15. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the predetermined speed threshold is associated with the mobile device.

16. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the predetermined application is a terminal mode application.

17. A vehicle comprising the in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 1.

18. A method for an in-vehicle apparatus comprising:

storing a record of a plurality of applications as an application record, each of the applications being associated with one or more mobile devices;

receiving a signal indicative of a speed of a vehicle in which the in-vehicle apparatus is located;

receiving model information data from the mobile device;

retrieving identification information for at least one of the applications included in the application record associated with the mobile device based on the model information data received from the mobile device; and

controlling a display of data on a display screen of the in-vehicle apparatus when the speed of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined speed threshold, the data to be displayed on the display screen of the in-vehicle apparatus being related to the at least one of the applications, which is identified by the identification information.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising

storing the predetermined speed threshold.

20. The method according to claim 19,

wherein the predetermined speed threshold and the application record are stored separately in different areas of a memory of the in-vehicle apparatus.

21. The method according to claim 18,

wherein a display of the at least one of the applications identified by the identification information on the display screen is allowed when the speed of the vehicle exceeds the predetermined speed threshold.

22. The method according to claim 18,

wherein a display of the at least one of the applications identified by the identification information on the display screen is prohibited when the speed of the vehicle exceeds the predetermined speed threshold.

23. The method according to claim 18, further comprising

generating a control signal for the mobile device, the control signal including instructions for the mobile device to control a transmission of the data related to the at least one of the applications from the mobile device to the in-vehicle apparatus.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising

transmitting the control signal to the mobile device and receiving the data related to the at least one of the applications from the mobile device.

25. The method according to claim 18, further comprising

interrogating the data, which is related to the at least one of the applications and is received from the mobile device, to determine the identification information of the at least one of the applications included in the data.

26. The method according to claim 18, further comprising

detecting the speed of the vehicle.

27. The method according to claim 18,

wherein the predetermined speed threshold is associated with the mobile device.

28. The method according to claim 18,

wherein, when a plurality of predetermined speed thresholds are stored, each of the predetermined speed thresholds is set for each of the mobile devices or is set for all of the mobile devices.

29. The method according to claim 18,

wherein the at least one of the applications includes a terminal mode application.

30. The method according to claim 18,

wherein the controlling of the display of the data in relation to different applications identified is based upon respective different predetermined speed thresholds.

31. A computer program product comprising processor implementable instructions for causing a programmable device to carry out the method according to claim 18.