Wireless Electrical Interface System

• US 20160288741A1
• Filed: 04/07/2016
• Published: 10/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 1A Smart Start, LLC
• Original Assignee: Jessie James Shafer
• Inventors: Shafer, Jessie James
• Granted Patent: US 9,908,488 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0231 Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P

Abstract

The invention comprises a wireless electrical interface system and method for establishing a non-intrusive interface with the vehicle'"'"'s electrical subsystems required for the operation of an aftermarket electrical device, such as an Ignition Interlock Device (IID) or a GPS tracking device with integrated immobilizer technology. Said non-intrusive interface is established through utilizing engineered connectors for electrical connections to the vehicle'"'"'s electrical system, and by incorporating wireless interface technology to establish a wireless electrical interface between the vehicle'"'"'s electrical subsystems accessible only within the passenger compartment and the vehicle'"'"'s electrical subsystems accessible only within the engine/trunk compartment, eliminating the conventional hardwired electrical interface between aftermarket electrical devices and the vehicle'"'"'s electrical system.

Claims

1. A wireless electrical interface system comprising:

a. An interior interface module (IIM), referred to as master control module herein, for establishing an interface with a vehicle'"'"'s electrical subsystems required for the operation of said aftermarket electrical device, to enable information and commands to be transferred between said vehicle'"'"'s electrical subsystems and said aftermarket electrical device, such as breathe alcohol ignition interlock device (BAIID) or a GPS tracking device with an immobilizer circuit; and

b. An exterior interface module (EIM), referred to as slave control module herein, for establishing an interface with said vehicle'"'"'s electrical subsystems required for the operation of an aftermarket electrical device, to enable information and commands to be wirelessly transferred between said slave control module and said master control module;

Whereby, establishing a wireless interface between the vehicle'"'"'s electrical subsystems and an aftermarket electrical device by using a wirelessly configured master/slave piconet between said master control module electrically connected to the vehicle'"'"'s electrical subsystems which are only accessible within the passenger compartment, and said slave control module electrically connected to the vehicle'"'"'s electrical subsystems which are only accessible within the engine/trunk compartment. By which, the electrical connections from said master control module to said vehicle'"'"'s electrical subsystems are established at the vehicle'"'"'s passenger compartment fuse box and the vehicle'"'"'s OBDII-port, and the electrical connections from said slave control module to said vehicle'"'"'s electrical subsystems are established at the vehicle'"'"'s engine/trunk compartment fuse box.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said master control module comprises a CAN bus circuit disposed between the wireless microcontroller and the CAN bus terminal block.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said master control module comprises a wireless microcontroller for controlling communications with said aftermarket electrical device, the vehicle'"'"'s passenger compartment fuse box, the vehicle'"'"'s CAN bus, and wirelessly communicating with said slave control module.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said master control module comprises an interior vehicle terminal block for permitting coupling to said vehicle'"'"'s passenger compartment fuse box.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said master control module comprises an aftermarket electrical device terminal block for permitting coupling to said aftermarket electrical device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said master control module comprises an aftermarket electrical device circuit disposed between the interior vehicle terminal block and the aftermarket electrical device terminal block.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said master control module comprises a debug header for preprogramming said wireless microcontroller with vehicle specific information to broadcast a recognizable message across the vehicle'"'"'s CAN bus to select the vehicle'"'"'s ECU controlling the required auxiliary electrical system.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said slave control module comprises a wireless microcontroller for controlling communications with said engine/trunk compartment fuse box and wirelessly communicating with said master control module.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said slave control module comprises an exterior vehicle terminal block for permitting coupling to said vehicle'"'"'s engine/trunk compartment fuse box.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said slave control module comprises a vehicle'"'"'s crank enable/disable circuit disposed between said exterior vehicle terminal block and said wireless microcontroller.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said slave control module comprises a vehicle'"'"'s ignition status circuit disposed between said exterior vehicle terminal block and said wireless microcontroller.

1-1. A method to establish an interface between an aftermarket electrical device and a vehicle using the wireless electrical interface system, the method comprising the steps of:

i. providing master control module;

ii. determining said vehicle electrical systems required by said aftermarket electrical device;

iii. establishing electrical connections from said master control module to the vehicle'"'"'s passenger fuse box, which electrically connects the vehicle'"'"'s electrical subsystems required by said aftermarket electrical device to said master control module;

iv. establishing an auxiliary communication link between the vehicle'"'"'s auxiliary electrical systems and said master control module from said vehicle'"'"'s OBD-ll port;

v. connecting said aftermarket electrical device to said master control module;

vi. providing slave control module;

vii. establishing electrical connections from said slave control module to the vehicle'"'"'s engine/trunk compartment fuse box, which electrically connects vehicle'"'"'s electrical subsystems required by said aftermarket electrical device to said slave control module;

viii. establishing a wireless communication link between said master control module located in the passenger compartment of said vehicle and said slave control module located in the engine/trunk compartment of said vehicle; and

Thereby, establishing a wireless interface between the vehicle'"'"'s electrical subsystems accessible only within the passenger compartment and the vehicle'"'"'s electrical subsystems accessible only within the engine/trunk compartment and an electrical interface between the aftermarket electrical device and the vehicle'"'"'s electrical system. Whereby, said master control module, said slave control module, and said aftermarket electrical device are installed by an aftermarket supplier.

4. The system of claim 4, wherein said wirelessly communicating is master/slave piconet transmitting data using Bluetooth or ZigBee communication protocols at 2.4-GHz.