AUTOMOTIVE OBD-II DEVICE GENERATING NAVIGATIONAL INFORMATION

• US 20160084657A1
• Filed: 09/19/2014
• Published: 03/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arriver Software LLC
• Original Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schilling, Robert, Jordon, David F., Rochford, Kevin G., Nist, Scott A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,574,882 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• 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: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles

Abstract

A system includes a processor circuit and a computer readable storage medium. The processor circuit may be configured to plug into an on board diagnostic connector of a vehicle. The computer readable storage medium generally embodies computer executable instructions. The computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor circuit, enable the processor circuit to communicate with one or more busses of the vehicle and to communicate navigational information to an auxiliary device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor circuit configured to be plugged into an on board diagnostic connector of a vehicle;

an auxiliary device capable of operating independently of said vehicle, enabled to generate positional data internally using at least one of satellite signals and coarse WiFi location information, and enabled to establish a link with said processor circuit, wherein, upon establishing said link with said processor circuit, location services provided by an operating system of said auxiliary device respond to applications running on said auxiliary device with highly accurate navigational information provided by said processing circuit instead of the less accurate internally generated positional data; and

a computer readable storage medium embodying computer executable instructions, wherein said computer executable instructions, when executed by said processor circuit, enable said processor circuit to (i) communicate with one or more busses of said vehicle via said on board diagnostic connector, (ii) generate said highly accurate navigational information using motion-related information obtained by said processing circuit from said one or more busses of said vehicle, (iii) convert said highly accurate navigational information to a format usable by said auxiliary device, and (iv) communicate said highly accurate navigational information to said auxiliary device via said link.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said on board diagnostic connector comprises an OBD-II compliant port.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said processor circuit, said computer readable storage medium, and a wireless or wired communication interface are housed in a dongle.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said dongle and said auxiliary device communicate using one or more wireless or wired protocols.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said one or more wireless or wired protocols comprise at least one of IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n “

WiFi”

, IEEE 802.15.1 BLUETOOTH, IEEE 802.15.4 ZIGBEE, universal serial bus, and Ethernet.

6. The system according to claim 3, further comprising a second computer readable storage medium embodying a second set of computer executable instructions, wherein said second set of computer executable instructions, when executed by a computer-based device, enable said computer-based device to communicate as the auxiliary device with said dangle to provide said computer-based device with said navigational information.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein said second set of computer executable instructions is configured to augment a coarse location determining capability of said computer-based device while located remotely from said processor circuit.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein said highly accurate navigational information received from said dangle is used in place of a less accurate internal navigation capability of said computer-based device.

9. The system according to claim 3, wherein said processor circuit and one or more interface circuits are disposed on a printed circuit board in said dangle, said one or more interface circuits implement one or more wireless or wired protocols, and said processor circuit is configured to communicate said highly accurate navigational information to one or more auxiliary devices using the one or more interface circuits.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said dongle further comprises a GPS/GLASS chipset disposed on said printed circuit board and electrically connected with said processor circuit.

11. A method of providing highly accurate navigational information to a computer-based device comprising the steps of:

connecting a dongle to an on board diagnostic port of a vehicle;

enabling an application program stored on said computer-based device;

establishing a communication link between said application program and said dongle connected to said on board diagnostic port of said vehicle;

generating highly accurate navigational information using motion-related information pulled from one or more busses of said vehicle via said on board diagnostic port of said vehicle;

converting said highly accurate navigational information to a format usable by said application program;

communicating said highly accurate navigational information to said computer-based device via said communication link; and

responding to application programs running on said computer-based device with said highly accurate navigational information received via said communication link.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

augmenting a less accurate location determining capability of said computer-based device using the highly accurate navigational information obtained from the dongle.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein said highly accurate navigational information comprises at least one of position information and motion-related information derived from at least one of global positioning system data, global navigation satellite system data, and messages obtained from an electronic data bus of said vehicle.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the position or motion-related information obtained from the dongle further comprises at least one of dead reckoning (DR) position information and three-dimensional (3D) DR position information.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein message data obtained from the electronic data bus of said vehicle comprises one or more of heading, speed, and location.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein said message data obtained from the electronic data bus of said vehicle is generated by one or more sensors of said vehicle.

17. The method according to claim 11, further comprising disabling an on board navigation capability of said computer-based device in favor of the highly accurate navigational information received from said dangle.

18. The method according to claim 11, further comprising communicating dead reckoning (DR) or three-dimensional (3D) DR information to said computer-based device using a wireless or wired protocol.

19. The method according to claim 11, wherein said highly accurate navigational information comprises one or more of position information and motion-related information continuously obtained from an electronic data bus of said vehicle.

20. The method according to claim 11, wherein said highly accurate navigational information comprises one or more of position information and motion-related information obtained from an electronic data bus of said vehicle in response to requests received from said computer-based device.