Cloud integrated vehicle platform

• US 10,375,174 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2016
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vinli, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Vinli, Inc.
• Inventors: Haidar, Mahmoud, Hall, Daniel Thomas, Kinney, Powell McVay, Turney, Kyle Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): Dalencourt, Yves
• Assistant Examiner(s): Waugh, Thorne E
• Application Number:
  US15/265,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20170078398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3688 Systems comprising multiple parts or multiple output devices (not client-server), e.g. detachable faceplates, key fobs or multiple output screens
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• 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: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers

Abstract

A cloud integrated vehicle infotainment platform, method, and system are described. The system may include a cloud-integrated vehicle infotainment platform in communication with a vehicle information platform. The system may further include a graphical user interface configured to allow access to the cloud-integrated vehicle infotainment platform. The cloud-integrated vehicle infotainment platform may allow access to Internet of Things devices. The cloud-integrated vehicle infotainment platform may allow access to user data on a secure, password authenticated basis. The cloud-integrated vehicle infotainment platform may be integrated with an automotive infotainment head unit and the vehicle information platform. The systems and method may be for integrating a software development platform using legacy communication protocols into the display screens currently installed in vehicles or to be installed in the future. The platform may facilitate interface of applications developed on the platform by third parties with existing displays installed in vehicles or future displays.

Claims

1. A method of controlling vehicle information exchange between one or more computing devices comprising:

collecting and normalizing data from a plurality of data sources through a cloud-based vehicle information platform, the one or more data sources comprising a telematics control unit, a mobile device, a third-party computing device, a dash camera, and other cloud-based services; and

providing an application programming interface corresponding to the vehicle information platform wherein one or more applications use the collected and normalized data and access one or more services on the vehicle information platform, the one or more services including device services, event services, telemetry services, vehicle services, safety services, transaction services, trip services, behavioral services, and diagnostic services,

wherein the collected and normalized data is accessed over the application programming interface without regard for which of the plurality of data sources the data originated,

wherein the vehicle information platform requires an authentication information prior to initially granting secure access to user data, wherein the authentication information is selected from a group consisting of a password, a phrase, a biometric identifier, and multifactor authentication information, and

wherein the one or more services are provided through the vehicle information platform to be accessed and displayed on a computing device disposed within a vehicle via the vehicle infotainment platform and the computing device is responsive to the one or more services provided by the vehicle information platform.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the computing device disposed within the vehicle is an automotive infotainment head unit.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the automotive infotainment head unit comprises a display, one or more processors, and one or more buses, wherein the buses are in electronic communication with the one or more processors processor and in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) memory of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the computing device disposed within the vehicle comprises a mobile electronic device.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the application programming interface (API) is responsive to API requests from an active vehicle information platform application displayed on the automotive infotainment head unit.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the API is responsive to instructions transmitted from one or more third party computing devices to provide one or more types of content to the automotive infotainment head unit.

7. The method of claim 2 further comprising filtering developer provided configuration information for each application such that information displayed to automotive infotainment head unit is constrained to reduce end user distraction.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a rules service as part of the vehicle information platform, wherein one or more rules are subscribed to by the one or more applications, wherein one or more of the rules comprise a device identifier;

one or more boundary constraints for the device, and a state.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising controlling which of the one or more services is displayed and how they are displayed in response to one or more rules, wherein the rules are based on at least one of a vehicle situation, a location, a time, and a user setting.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising, in response to vehicle telemetry data, displaying a first category of information to a user from an application when the vehicle is in motion and displaying a second category of information to the user when the vehicle has stopped.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising accessing one or more of maintenance milestones and predictive diagnostics in response to a triggered vehicle alert, deciphering diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), and presenting related vehicle maintenance information in real-time based on accessed information.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein a data collection software application configured to communicate with the vehicle infotainment platform is installed in or in communication with a vehicle infotainment memory and further comprising outputting, to a user, information generated in response to data collected from the data collection software application.

13. A system comprising:

a plurality of data sources comprising a telematics control unit, a mobile device, a third-party computing device, a dash camera, and other cloud-based services;

a cloud-based vehicle information platform, wherein the vehicle information platform collects and normalizes data from the plurality of data sources, and wherein the vehicle information platform requires an authentication information prior to initially granting secure access to user data, wherein the authentication information is selected from a group consisting of a password, a phrase, a biometric identifier, and multifactor authentication information;

an application programming interface corresponding to the vehicle information platform, wherein one or more applications use the collected and normalized data and access one or more services on the vehicle information platform, the one or more services including device services, event services, telemetry services, vehicle services, safety services, transaction services, trip services, behavioral services, and diagnostic services, wherein the collected and normalized data is accessed over the application programming interface without regard for which of the plurality of data sources the data originated; and

a computing device disposed within a vehicle that is configured for the one or more services provided through the vehicle information platform to be accessed and displayed via a cloud-integrated vehicle infotainment platform, wherein the computing device is responsive to the one or more services provided by the vehicle information platform.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the cloud-based vehicle information platform allows access to Internet of Things devices.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the cloud-based vehicle information platform provides access to one or more of driving patterns, vehicle health, trip specific scenarios, connections, people, and external devices.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the cloud-based vehicle information platform allows access to intelligent home devices including one or more of smart vents, smart thermostats, smart security, smart lighting systems, distributed audio, smart pet devices, and awareness of these devices.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the cloud-based vehicle information platform is configured to control one or more intelligent home devices including at least one of smart vents, smart thermostats, smart security, smart lighting systems, distributed audio, smart pet devices, and awareness of these devices.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the cloud-based vehicle information platform displays one or more vehicle information platform application-based user interfaces via the computing device, which is an automotive infotainment head unit.