Remote function control system for a vehicle having a data communications bus and related methods

• US 9,981,616 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2015
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omega Patents, L.L.C.
• Original Assignee: Omega Patents, L.L.C.
• Inventors: Flick, Kenneth E.
• Primary Examiner(s): McPherson, James M
• Application Number:
  US14/748,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20150291109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/55 Remote control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/589 Wireless data transfers
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/85 Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/023 for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/00 Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled logic circuits H03K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A remote function control system is for a vehicle including a data communications bus extending throughout the vehicle and coupled to a plurality of vehicle devices, and a wired vehicle electrical power system. A wireless data bus device may be coupled to the power system including a wired interface coupled to the data bus in the vehicle, and a first wireless device coupled to the wired interface. A remote function device may include a housing removably coupled to the power system, a vehicle position determining device, a second wireless device to wirelessly communicate within the vehicle with the first wireless device, and a third wireless device to wirelessly communicate with a remote control device away from the vehicle. The remote function device may permit communication between the remote control device and a vehicle device(s) coupled to the data bus, and perform a tracking function(s) based upon vehicle position.

Claims

1. A remote function control system for a vehicle including a data communications bus extending throughout the vehicle and coupled to a plurality of vehicle devices, and a wired vehicle electrical power system, the system comprising:

a wireless data bus device coupled to the wired vehicle electrical power system and comprising

a wired interface coupled to the data communications bus in the vehicle, and

a first wireless transceiver coupled to the wired interface; and

a remote function device comprising

a housing removably coupled to the wired vehicle electrical power system,

a vehicle position determining device carried by the housing,

a second wireless transceiver carried by the housing to wirelessly communicate within the vehicle with the first wireless transceiver,

a third wireless transceiver carried by the housing to wirelessly communicate with a remote control device away from the vehicle, and

a controller coupled to the second and third wireless transceivers and the vehicle position determining device, said controller configured to

permit communication between the remote control device and at least one vehicle device coupled to the data communications bus, and

perform at least one tracking function based upon vehicle position to determine at least one of a condition and status of the vehicle, and

cooperate with said third wireless transceiver to wirelessly communicate the at least one of the condition and status of the vehicle to the remote control device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a multi-vehicle compatible controller to be operable with a plurality of different vehicles using respective different bus protocols.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a multi-vehicle compatible controller to be operable with a plurality of different vehicles using respective different vehicle device bus codes.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a multi-vehicle compatible controller to be operable with a plurality of different vehicles using respective different wireless communications protocols of the first wireless transceiver.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a multi-vehicle compatible controller to be operable with a plurality of different vehicles using respective different wireless communications codes of the first wireless transceiver.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is to permit communication for the remote control device to read data from the at least one vehicle device.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is to permit communication for the remote control device to command the at least one vehicle device.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote function device further comprises a downloading interface coupled to the controller to permit downloading a configuration thereof.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote function device further comprises a learning interface coupled to the controller to permit learning a configuration thereof.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the third wireless transceiver comprises a satellite transceiver.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the third wireless transceiver comprises a cellular transceiver.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote control device comprises a cellular telephone.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote control device comprises a remote monitoring station.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a remote start controller to perform at least one remote start function.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a security controller to perform at least one security function.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a remote keyless entry controller to perform at least one remote keyless entry function.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a diagnostic controller to perform at least one diagnostic function.

18. A remote function device to be positioned within a vehicle for wirelessly communicating with a wireless data bus device in the vehicle including a data communications bus extending throughout the vehicle and coupled to a plurality of vehicle devices, and a wired vehicle electrical power system, the wireless data bus device coupled to the wired vehicle electrical power system and comprising a wired interface coupled to the data communications bus in the vehicle, and a first wireless transceiver coupled to the wired interface, the remote function device comprising:

a housing removably coupled to the wired vehicle electrical power system;

a vehicle position determining device carried by the housing;

a second wireless transceiver carried by the housing to wirelessly communicate within the vehicle with the first wireless transceiver;

a third wireless transceiver carried by the housing to wirelessly communicate with a remote control device away from the vehicle; and

a controller coupled to the second and third wireless transceivers to

permit communication between the remote control device and at least one vehicle device coupled to the data communications bus, and

perform at least one tracking function based upon vehicle position to determine at least one of a condition and status of the vehicle, and

cooperate with said third wireless transceiver to wirelessly communicate the at least one of the condition and status of the vehicle to the remote control device.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein the controller comprises a multi-vehicle compatible controller to be operable with a plurality of different vehicles using respective different bus protocols.

20. The device of claim 18 wherein the controller comprises a multi-vehicle compatible controller to be operable with a plurality of different vehicles using respective different vehicle device bus codes.

21. The device of claim 18 wherein the controller comprises a multi-vehicle compatible controller to be operable with a plurality of different vehicles using respective different wireless communications protocols of the first wireless transceiver.

22. The device of claim 18 wherein the controller comprises a multi-vehicle compatible controller to be operable with a plurality of different vehicles using respective different communications codes of the first wireless transceiver.

23. The device of claim 18 wherein the controller is to permit communication for the remote control device to read data from the at least one vehicle device.

24. The device of claim 18 wherein the controller is to permit communication for the remote control device to command the at least one vehicle device.

25. The device of claim 18 further comprising a downloading interface coupled to the controller to permit downloading a configuration thereof.

26. The device of claim 18 further comprising a learning interface coupled to the controller to permit learning a configuration thereof.

27. The device of claim 18 wherein the third wireless transceiver comprises a satellite transceiver.

28. The device of claim 18 wherein the third wireless transceiver comprises a cellular transceiver.

29. The device of claim 18 wherein the controller comprises a remote start controller to perform at least one remote start function.

30. The device of claim 18 wherein the controller comprises a security controller to perform at least one security function.

31. The device of claim 18 wherein the controller comprises a remote keyless entry controller to perform at least one remote keyless entry function.

32. The device of claim 18 wherein the controller comprises a diagnostic controller to perform at least one diagnostic function.

33. A method of remotely controlling a vehicle function with a wireless data bus device coupled to a wired vehicle electrical power system in a vehicle including a data communications bus extending throughout the vehicle and coupled to a plurality of vehicle devices, the wireless data bus device comprising a wired interface coupled to the data communications bus in the vehicle, and a first wireless transceiver coupled to the wired interface, the method comprising:

using a remote function device including a housing removably coupled to the wired vehicle electrical power system, a vehicle position determining device carried by the housing, and second and third wireless transceivers carried by the housing to

wirelessly communicate via the second wireless transceiver within the vehicle with the first wireless transceiver,

wirelessly communicate via the third wireless transceiver with a remote control device away from the vehicle,

permit communication between the remote control device and at least one vehicle device coupled to the data communications bus, and

perform at least one tracking function based upon vehicle position to determine at least one of a condition and status of the vehicle, and

cooperate with the third wireless transceiver to wirelessly communicate the at least one of the condition and status of the vehicle to the remote control device.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the controller comprises a multi-vehicle compatible controller to be operable with a plurality of different vehicles using respective different bus protocols.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein the controller comprises a multi-vehicle compatible controller to be operable with a plurality of different vehicles using respective different vehicle device bus codes.

36. The method of claim 33 wherein the controller comprises a multi-vehicle compatible controller to be operable with a plurality of different vehicles using respective different wireless communications protocols of the first wireless transceiver.

37. The method of claim 33 wherein the controller comprises a multi-vehicle compatible controller to be operable with a plurality of different vehicles using respective different wireless communications codes of the first wireless transceiver.

38. The method of claim 33 wherein the controller permits communication for the remote control device to read data from the at least one vehicle device.

39. The method of claim 33 wherein the controller permits communication for the remote control device to command the at least one vehicle device.

40. The method of claim 33 further comprising downloading a configuration of the controller via a downloading interface coupled to the controller.

41. The method of claim 33 further comprising learning a configuration of the remote function device via a learning interface coupled to the controller.

42. The method of claim 33 wherein the remote control device comprises a cellular telephone.

43. The method of claim 33 wherein the remote control device comprises a remote monitoring station.