Vehicle Gateway Module Configured to Provide Wireless Hotspot

• US 20160113043A1
• Filed: 10/15/2014
• Published: 04/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: O'Brien, Thomas M., Bauman, Jason G., Grabowski, Gerard L., Humphrey, Stephen M.
• Application Number:
  US14/514,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20160113043A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A vehicle gateway module is configured to communicate over vehicle networks connected to the gateway module with vehicle devices connected to the vehicle networks. The gateway module has a cellular data link which provides a direct connection from the gateway module to the Internet and a wireless data link which provides a direct connection from the gateway module to an area within the vehicle whereby the cellular data link in conjunction with the wireless data link establish an Internet hotspot for a mobile device within the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for a vehicle comprising:

a gateway module configured to communicate over vehicle networks connected to the gateway module with vehicle devices connected to the vehicle networks, the gateway module having a cellular data link which provides a direct connection from the gateway module to the Internet and a wireless data link which provides a direct connection from the gateway module to an area within the vehicle whereby the cellular data link in conjunction with the wireless data link establish an Internet hotspot for a mobile device within the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

communication between the mobile device and a remote entity connected to the Internet is enabled via the cellular data link and the wireless data link.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein:

communication between a vehicle device connected to a vehicle network connected to the gateway module, the mobile device, and a remote entity connected to the Internet is enabled via the gateway module, the cellular data link, and the wireless data link.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the cellular data link is one of a 3G data link and a 4G data link.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the wireless data link is one of a WiFi™

wireless data link and a Bluetooth™

wireless data link.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein:

the gateway module further includes a second wireless data link which provides a direct connection between the gateway module and a mobile device within the vehicle, the second wireless data link being the other one of a WiFi™

data wireless link and a Bluetooth™

data wireless link.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the vehicle networks are respectively one of a Controller Area Network (CAN), a Local Interconnect Network (LIN), an Ethernet network, a FlexRay™

network, and a Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) network.

8. A method for a vehicle comprising:

providing a gateway module configured to communicate over vehicle networks connected to the gateway module with vehicle devices connected to the vehicle networks; and

establishing an Internet hotspot within the vehicle for use by a mobile device within the vehicle by providing a cellular data link from the gateway module to the Internet and a wireless data link from the gateway module to an area within the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

communicating between the mobile device and a remote entity connected to the Internet via the cellular data link and the wireless data link.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

communicating between a vehicle device connected to a vehicle network connected to the gateway module, the mobile device, and a remote entity connected to the Internet via the gateway module, the cellular data link, and the wireless data link.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

communicating a communication from the mobile device to a remote entity connected to the Internet via the wireless data link and the cellular data link; and

communicating a communication from the remote entity to a vehicle device connected to a vehicle network connected to the gateway module via the cellular data link and the gateway module in response to the communication communicated from the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

remotely accessing, via the cellular data link, by a remote entity connected to the Internet, a vehicle device connected to a vehicle network connected to the gateway module in response to a request communicated from the mobile device to the remote entity via the wireless data link and the cellular data link.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein:

the cellular data link is one of a 3G data link and a 4G data link, and the wireless data link is one of a WiFi™

wireless data link and a Bluetooth™

wireless data link.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

communicating between a vehicle device connected to the gateway module via the wireless data link and a vehicle device connected to the gateway module via one of the vehicle networks.

15. A method for a vehicle comprising:

providing a gateway module configured to communicate over vehicle networks connected to the gateway module with vehicle devices connected to the vehicle networks; and

communicating between a remote entity connected to the Internet and a mobile device within the vehicle via a cellular data link of the gateway module and a wireless data link of the gateway module in which the cellular data link provides a direct connection from the gateway module to the Internet and the wireless link provides a direct connection from the gateway module to an area within the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

communicating between a vehicle device connected to a vehicle network connected to the gateway module, the mobile device, and the remote entity via the gateway module, the cellular data link, and the wireless data link.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

communicating a communication from the remote entity to a vehicle device connected to a vehicle network connected to the gateway module via the cellular data link and the gateway module in response to a communication communicated from the mobile device to the remote entity via the wireless data link and the cellular data link.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

remotely accessing, via the cellular data link, by the remote entity, a vehicle device connected to a vehicle network connected to the gateway module in response to a request communicated from the mobile device to the remote entity via the wireless data link and the cellular data link.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein:

the cellular data link is one of a 3G data link and a 4G data link.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein:

the wireless data link is one of a WiFi™

wireless data link and a Bluetooth™

wireless data link.