Apparatus and method for enhanced data communications and control between a vehicle and a remote data communications terminal

• US 20050190045A1
• Filed: 03/14/2005
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innovative Global Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Vehicle Enhancement Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Weant, Bobby Ray, Lesesky, Alan
• Granted Patent: US 7,102,494 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/431
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 370/913 Wireless or radio

Abstract

An apparatus and methods for enhanced data communications and control between a vehicle and a remote data communications terminal are disclosed. The apparatus preferably includes a first protocol converter adapted to be positioned in communication with at least one electronic subsystem of the vehicle, a first transceiver, a first requestor, and a first buffer. The apparatus also preferably includes a second transceiver, a second protocol converter, a second requestor, and a second buffer. The first protocol converter converts data of a vehicle communication protocol to data of an over-the-air communication protocol. After the first requestor opens a window in an over-the-air communication channel between the vehicle and the remote data communications terminal, the first transceiver in the vehicle wirelessly transmits data over-the-air from the vehicle to the second transceiver in the remote data communications terminal preferably not using the over the air communication protocol. When the vehicle is not transmitting data via the first transceiver, data received from the remote data communication terminal and stored in the first buffer is then transferred to the at least one electronic subsystem of the vehicle. Also, when the remote data communication terminal is not transmitting data via the second transceiver, data received from the vehicle and stored in the second buffer is then transferred to other portions of the remote data communication terminal.

Claims

1. An apparatus for enhanced data communications between a vehicle and a remote data communication terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a first protocol converter associated with a vehicle, adapted to be positioned in communication with at least one electronic subsystem of the vehicle, and positioned to convert data from a vehicle communication protocol to data of an over-the-air communication protocol;

a first requestor associated with the vehicle and positioned to request the opening of an over-the-air communication window in a data communication channel between the vehicle and a remote data communication terminal using the over-the-air communication protocol;

a first transceiver associated with the vehicle and in communication with the first requestor to wirelessly transmit data over-the air to the remote data communication terminal and to wirelessly receive data over-the-air from the remote data communication terminal; and

a first buffer associated with the vehicle, in communication with the first transceiver and the first protocol converter to receive and temporarily store data communication received from the first transceiver, and positioned to transfer the received data to the first protocol converter and to at least one electronic subsystem when the first transceiver is not transmitting data communication therefrom.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a second transceiver associated with the remote data communication terminal to wirelessly receive data over-the-air from the vehicle and wirelessly transmit data over-the-air to the vehicle;

a second protocol converter associated with the remote data communication terminal and in communication with the second transceiver to convert the received data from the over-the-air communication protocol to a remote terminal communication protocol during the open over-the-air window in the over-the-air communication channel;

a second requestor associated with the remote data communication terminal and positioned to request the opening of a window in the data communication channel between the remote data communication terminal and the vehicle using the over-the-air communication protocol; and

a second buffer associated with the remote data communication terminal, in communication with the second transceiver and the second protocol converter to receive and temporarily store data communication received from the second transceiver, and positioned to transfer data to the second protocol converter and the remote data communication terminal when the second transceiver is not transmitting data therefrom.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the first buffer responsively receives an acknowledgment from the first transceiver communicating that the first transceiver has completed the over-the-air communication prior to transferring received data from the first buffer to the at least one electronic subsystem to thereby compensate for time delay associated with the received data, and wherein the second buffer responsively receives an acknowledgement from the second transceiver communicating that the second transceiver has completed the over-the-air communication prior to transferring received data from the second buffer to the remote data communication terminal to thereby compensate for time delay associated with the received data.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 3, further comprising a first signal booster in communication with the first protocol converter and the first transceiver and associated with the vehicle to boost the power of data communication being transmitted with second data communication protocol to the remote data communication terminal, and a second signal booster in communication with the second protocol converter and the second transceiver and associated with the remote data communication terminal to boost the power of data communication being transmitted with the second data communication protocol to the vehicle, wherein the vehicle communication protocol comprises the SAE J1708 standard protocol, and wherein the remote terminal communication protocol comprises the RS-485 standard protocol.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the over-the-air communication protocol comprises at least one of the following:

a radio frequency communication protocol, an optical communication protocol, a microwave communication protocol, a satellite frequency communication protocol, a very high frequency communication protocol, an ultra-high frequency communication protocol, and an infrared communication protocol.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the vehicle data communication protocol comprises at least one of the following:

SAE J1708 and SAE J1939, and wherein the remote terminal communication protocol comprises at least one of the following;

the RS-485 standard, RS-232 standard, RS-422 standard, and RS-423 standard.

7. An apparatus for enhanced data communications between a vehicle and a remote data communication terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a first protocol converter associated with a vehicle, adapted to be positioned in communication with at least one electronic subsystem of the vehicle, and positioned to convert data from a vehicle communication protocol to data of an over-the-air communication protocol;

a requestor associated with the vehicle and positioned to request the opening of an over-the-air communication window in a data communication channel between the vehicle and a remote data communication terminal using the over-the-air communication protocol;

a first transceiver associated with the vehicle and in communication with the requestor to wirelessly transmit data over-the air to the remote data communication terminal and to wirelessly receive data over-the-air from the remote data communication terminal;

a second transceiver associated with the remote data communication terminal to wirelessly receive data over-the-air from the vehicle and wirelessly transmit data over-the-air to the vehicle; and

a second protocol converter associated with the remote data communication terminal and in communication with the second transceiver to convert the received data from the over-the-air communication protocol to a remote terminal communication protocol during the open over-the-air window in the over-the-air communication channel.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the first protocol converter converts the vehicle data communication protocol to an over-the-air data communication not having the over-the-air communication protocol when the over-the-air communication window is open in the over-the-air data communication channel so that the over-the-air communication passes to the second transceiver and the second protocol converter converts the over-the-air communication to the remote terminal data communication protocol, the remote terminal data communication protocol being substantially the same as the vehicle data communication protocol so that the converted over-the-air communication after received by the second transceiver is readily recognized by the remote data communication terminal.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, further comprising a first signal booster in communication with the first protocol converter and the first transceiver and associated with the vehicle to boost the power of data communication being transmitted with second data communication protocol to the remote data communication terminal, and a second signal booster in communication with the second protocol converter and the second transceiver and associated with the remote data communication terminal to boost the power of data communication being transmitted with the second data communication protocol to the vehicle, wherein the vehicle communication protocol comprises the SAE J1708 standard protocol, and wherein the remote terminal communication protocol comprises the RS-485 standard protocol.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the over-the-air communication protocol comprises at least one of the following:

a radio frequency communication protocol, an optical communication protocol, a microwave communication protocol, a satellite frequency communication protocol, a very high frequency communication protocol, an ultra-high frequency communication protocol, and an infrared communication protocol.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the vehicle data communication protocol comprises at least one of the following:

SAE J1708 and SAE J1939, and wherein the remote terminal communication protocol comprises at least one of the following;

the RS-485 standard, RS-232 standard, RS-422 standard, and RS-423 standard.

12. A method for enhanced data communications between a vehicle and a remote data communications terminal, the method comprising:

requesting an opening of a window in an over-the-air communication channel between a vehicle and a remote data communication terminal;

transmitting data substantially devoid of an over-the-air communication protocol from the vehicle to the remote data communication terminal during the open window in the over-the-air communication channel;

storing data received by the remote data communication terminal; and

transferring the stored data to other portions of the remote data communication terminal responsive to an acknowledgement that the remote data communications terminal is not transmitting any data to the vehicle.

13. A method as defined in claim 12, further comprising boosting power for the over-the-air data being transmitted during the open window in the over-the-air communication channel from the vehicle to the remote data communications terminal.

14. A method as defined in claim 13, the method further comprising receiving the stored data by the electronic subsystem of the vehicle and responsively changing the condition of the vehicle thru the electronic subsystem by the received data.