Method, device and system for the realization of an application program for a vehicle

• US 9,530,257 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2015
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Nolting, Michael, Buburuzan, Teodor, Ebert, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): BUTLER, RODNEY ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US14/600,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20150142253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B

Abstract

In order to realize at least one application program for a vehicle, data of the vehicle is transmitted by the vehicle to an administrative unit via a wireless interface. Each application program acquires the data of the vehicle from the administrative unit via an interface of the administrative unit. Each application program thus executes a function in accordance with the data.

Claims

1. A management unit for a vehicle comprising:

a controller;

a wireless interface acquiring data of the vehicle; and

an additional interface, wherein the management unit is configured to access at least one application program via the additional interface,

wherein the management unit is configured to receive as an initial registration of a particular application program;

a first type of the data of the vehicle, which the particular application program requires from the management unit to execute a function, and

a start-up process initiated by the particular application program via which the particular application program is authorized by the vehicle user, wherein after the start-up process the particular application program is registered and given an authorization access via a computer-generated key which allows future access to the management unit, and wherein the authorization access for the particular application program to the data of the vehicle is limited to the first type of the data.

2. A management unit for a vehicle comprising:

a controller;

a wireless interface acquiring data of the vehicle; and

an additional interface,

wherein the management unit is configured to access at least one application program via the additional interface, and

wherein the management unit is configured to receive as a registration of a particular application program of the at least one application program;

a first type of the data of the vehicle, which the particular application program requires from the management unit to execute a function, and

a start-up option for the particular application program via which the particular application program is executable by a vehicle user, wherein the start-up option allows the vehicle user to authorize future access to the first type of data of the vehicle.

3. The management unit according to claim 2, wherein the management unit is configured to execute the method comprising:

transmitting the data of the vehicle via the wireless interface from the vehicle to the management unit;

acquiring, for each of the at least one application program the data of the vehicle from the management unit via an additional interface of the management unit;

executing, via each of the at least one application program, a specific function depending on the data; and

before a first execution of the function, transmitting, via the at least one application program, to the management unit a respective type of data of the vehicle that each of the at least one application program requires from the management unit to execute the specific function and a start-up option for each of the at least one application program via which each of the at least one application program is authorized by a vehicle user.

4. A system having a management unit according to claim 2 and having at least one device comprising the controller and the wireless interface, the wireless interface being configured to send data of the vehicle and to receive additional data, wherein the controller is configured to acquire automatically the data of the vehicle and depending on the additional data received via the wireless interface, to send, via the wireless interface, the additional data.

5. A method for realizing at least one application program for a vehicle, the method comprising:

transmitting data of the vehicle, via a first interface, from the vehicle to a management unit;

acquiring, via of the at least one application program, the data of the vehicle from the management unit via a second interface of the management unit;

executing, via a particular application program of the at least one application program, a function depending on the data acquired, the at least one application program being executed and installed in the vehicle; and

before a first execution of the function, transmitting, via the at least one application program, to the management unit a request for a first type of the data of the vehicle that the particular application program having the function requires from the management unit to execute the function, and a start-up option for the particular application program via which the particular application program is authorized by a vehicle user and the request for the first type of the data is granted,

wherein, after authorization by the vehicle user through a vehicle interface, the particular application program is authorized to receive the first type of the data of the vehicle from the management unit, and

wherein, after authorization, the management unit requests the first type of the data from the vehicle.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein an access authorization is present for access to the data of the vehicle for each vehicle user who uses one of the at least one application program, and wherein, before accessing the data of the vehicle, the particular application program logs into the management unit with the corresponding access authorization.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the access authorization is configurable by the vehicle user, or wherein a collection and sending of the data of the vehicle to the management unit is configurable by the vehicle user.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the particular application program in the execution of the function depending on the vehicle data generates additional data, wherein additional data is sent from the particular application program to the management unit that transmits these additional data to the vehicle.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the additional data include:

a character string;

a destination for a route of the vehicle;

a position with additional information on a location corresponding to the position;

a music recommendation;

a talk burst; and

/or

binary data.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein, the at least one application program transmits information via the management unit, including additional data that the particular application program sends to the vehicle, during the execution of the function, wherein the additional data includes a description of the particular application program for the vehicle user.

11. The method according to claim 5, wherein the data of the vehicle includes:

a position of the vehicle;

a speed of the vehicle;

a starting position of the vehicle;

a destination position of the vehicle;

a parking position of the vehicle;

a time of arrival of the vehicle;

data on a route traveled by the vehicle;

tank fuel level of the vehicle;

an operating state of the hazard light of the vehicle; and

/or

data collected in a system of the vehicle.

12. The method according to claim 5, wherein the function includes:

a search function for finding a current position of the vehicle;

a driver'"'"'s log book function to create a driver'"'"'s log book for the vehicle;

a Twitter function depending on a position of the vehicle to send messages about a trip of the vehicle;

a statistics function to record when, where, and how the vehicle was driven;

a parking place recommendation function to recommend a parking place to the vehicle depending on the current position;

a traffic jam warning function in order to warn about a traffic jam depending on the current position of the vehicle and traffic information;

a parking place search function to determine a parking place depending on the time of arrival at a destination;

a location search function to determine intermediate destinations depending on predetermined search criteria and depending on the current position of the vehicle;

a travel guide function to determine, depending on a position of a location, information on the location;

a tank monitoring function to provide refueling recommendations depending on the tank fuel level of the vehicle; and

/or

a function that analyzes vehicle data and depending thereon compiles information on the driving behavior.

13. The method according to claim 5, wherein, after start-up, the particular application program is registered with the management unit and given an authorization access.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the authorization access is a computer-generated key which allows future access to the management unit.

15. The method according to claim 5, wherein the particular application program is authorized by the vehicle user with a unique identifier or a username and password pair.

16. The method according to claim 5, wherein the start-up option is a process initiated by the particular application program.

17. The method according to claim 5, wherein the start-up option is provided for each of the at least one application program,

wherein, after authorization by the vehicle user through the vehicle interface, each of the at least one application program is authorized to receive only a particular type of the data of the vehicle, needed by a respective function of each of the at least one application program, from the management unit, and

wherein, after authorization, the management unit requests only the particular type of the data from the vehicle needed by each of the at least one application program.

18. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first interface is wireless, and wherein the management unit is a remote management unit.