Wireless communications systems and method

• US 7,257,426 B1
• Filed: 05/26/2000
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Witkowski, Todd R., Geerlings, Steven L., Zeinstra, Mark L., Dykema, Kurt A.
• Primary Examiner(s): WEST, LEWIS G
• Application Number:
  US09/979,199
• Time in Patent Office: 2,636 Days
• Field of Search: 455/569.2, 455/569.1, 455/563, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/413, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/566
• US Class Current: 455/569.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10386 the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2609 Arrangements for range control, e.g. by using remote antennas
• 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 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A wireless communications system and method adapted for use in automotive applications for enabling automatic, high-speed, wireless voice and/or data communications link to be established between a wide variety of external devices and various electronic subsystems of a vehicle. The apparatus includes first and second RF transceivers which are operated in accordance with a communications specification to enable a seamless, automatic communications link to be created when the two RF transceivers come within a pre-determined proximity of one another, for example, within up to 100 meters of one another. Information from one device is then automatically transmitted over the wireless communications link to the other device. In various implementations the apparatus is used to obtain information from a home PC, a work PC, a notebook PC and various other electronic devices, as well as information from the Internet, which is displayed and/or played back for the user by various subsystems of the vehicle while traveling in the vehicle. Other applications involving retail and manufacturing applications are disclosed by which the apparatus is used to facilitate and/or expedite manufacturing processes or retail transactions via one or more high-speed, secure, wireless communications links which are created automatically and seamlessly between the RF transceivers of the apparatus of the invention.

Claims

1. A system for enabling use of a hand-held wireless phone in a vehicle, comprising:

a microphone;

a radio frequency transceiver coupled to the vehicle and the microphone configured to communicate wirelessly and directly with the hand-held wireless phone external to the radio frequency transceiver and within the vehicle in accordance with a Bluetooth standard communications protocol; and

an audio system coupled to the vehicle and coupled to the radio frequency transceiver and microphone,

wherein the radio frequency transceiver, microphone and audio system are configured to provide two-way communication of audible signals between a vehicle occupant and the hand-held wireless phone via the radio frequency transceiver,

wherein the system is configured to place a call via the hand-held wireless phone based on numbers spoken into the microphone and transmitted via the radio frequency transceiver to the hand-held wireless phone, and

wherein the system is configured to receive audible signals at the radio frequency transceiver transmitted from the hand-held wireless phone and to provide the received audio signals to the vehicle occupant through the audio system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio system is integrated within the visor or rearview mirror.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the audio system comprises a speaker configured to provide audible signals to the vehicle occupant.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a recording system coupled to the audio system configured to record the audible signals received from the vehicle occupant.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a switch coupled to the recording system, wherein the recording system begins recording the audible signals in response to operator actuation of the switch.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the audio system further comprises a speaker and the recording system further comprises a playback system, wherein the playback system is configured to play back audible signals recorded on the recording system via the speaker.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the system receives power from the vehicle battery.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a display coupled to the radio frequency transceiver configured to display data received from the hand-held wireless phone.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency transceiver is configured to communicate over a limited range having a limit under about 100 meters.

10. A method for enabling “

hands free”

use of a hand-held wireless phone in a vehicle, comprising;

receiving first audible signals from a vehicle occupant at a vehicle-installed radio frequency transceiver, wherein the first audible signals include a number to be called;

sending the first audible signals over a wireless communication link operated in accordance with a Bluetooth communications standard directly from the vehicle-installed radio frequency transceiver to the hand-held wireless phone;

placing a call at the hand-held wireless phone using the number to be called;

receiving second audible signals over the wireless communication link at the vehicle-installed radio frequency transceiver from the hand-held wireless phone; and

sending the second audible signals to a vehicle occupant via a vehicle-installed audio system coupled to the vehicle-installed radio frequency transceiver.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the audio system is integrated within the visor or rearview mirror.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving the first audible signals at a microphone mounted in the vicinity of the vehicle occupant and sending the second audible signals to the vehicle occupant via a speaker mounted in the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising recording in a memory the first or second audible signals.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving a signal from an operator-actuated switch and beginning the recording of the first or second audible signals in response to the received signal.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising playing back the recorded audio signals via a speaker of the vehicle-installed audio system.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving vehicle power from the vehicle battery.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the radio frequency transmitter is configured to communicate over a limited range under about 100 meters.

18. A wireless communication system in a vehicle, comprising:

a microphone coupled to a vehicle interior element in the vicinity of a vehicle occupant configured to receive voice messages from the vehicle occupant;

a Bluetooth-compatible transceiver coupled to the vehicle and to the microphone and configured to convert the voice messages into wireless data according to a Bluetooth communication standard and to transmit the voice messages wirelessly and directly to a hand-held wireless phone external to the Bluetooth-compatible transceiver and within the vehicle; and

a speaker coupled to the Bluetooth-compatible transceiver,

wherein the Bluetooth-compatible transceiver is further configured to receive voice messages from the hand-held wireless phone, to provide the voice messages wirelessly to the vehicle occupant via the speaker, and to place a call via the hand-held wireless phone based on numbers spoken into the microphone.

19. The wireless communication system of claim 18, further comprising a recording/playback system coupled to the microphone, the Bluetooth-compatible transceiver, and the speaker, wherein the recording/playback system is configured to record voice messages received by the microphone.

20. The wireless communication system of claim 18, wherein a wireless communication link is established between the Bluetooth-compatible receiver and the hand-held wireless phone when the hand-held wireless phone comes into proximity with the Bluetooth-compatible receiver.

21. The wireless communication system of claim 18, further comprising a display coupled to the Bluetooth-compatible receiver configured to display data received from the hand-held wireless phone.

22. A wireless communications system in an automobile having an automobile interior, comprising:

a microphone in the automobile interior;

a speaker in the automobile interior;

a first Bluetooth-compatible transceiver in the automobile interior configured to communicate wirelessly and directly with a second Bluetooth-compatible transceiver in a hand-held cellular phone external to the first Bluetooth-compatible transceiver and within the automobile; and

a system coupled to the microphone, speaker, and first Bluetooth-compatible transceiver configured to enable use of the hand-held cellular phone via the microphone and speaker in the automobile interior, to place a call based on numbers spoken into the microphone and transmitted via the first and second Bluetooth-compatible transceivers to the hand-held cellular phone, to receive voice messages from the hand-held cellular phone, to provide the voice messages wirelessly to a vehicle occupant via the speaker.

23. The wireless communications system of claim 22, further comprising a display in the automobile interior, wherein the system is configured to display incoming call information received via the hand-held cellular phone.

24. The wireless communications system of claim 23, wherein the system is configured to display a “

low battery”

warning indicating a low battery power condition for the hand-held cellular phone.

25. The wireless communications system of claim 22, wherein the system is configured to provide a speech recording/playback function.

26. The wireless communications system of claim 22, wherein the system is coupled to the microphone, speaker and first Bluetooth-compatible transceiver via wired connections.