Method and apparatus for communication between a vehicle based computing system and a remote application

• US 8,346,310 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2010
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Boll, David P., Santori, Nello Joseph, Ross, Joseph N., Shaker, Mark, Kaiser, Micah J., Joh, Brian Woogeun, Schunder, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John J
• Application Number:
  US12/701,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20110195659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.03, 455/414.4, 455/414.1, 455/412.1, 455/419, 455/67.11, 455/68, 455/557, 455/566, 455/556.2, 455/569.2, 455/567, 455/569.1, 709/228, 709/330, 709/231, 709/200
• US Class Current: 455/569.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• 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: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A vehicle-based computing apparatus includes a computer processor in communication with persistent and non-persistent memory. The apparatus also includes a local wireless transceiver in communication with the computer processor and configured to communicate wirelessly with a wireless device located at the vehicle. The processor is operable to receive, through the wireless transceiver, a connection request sent from a nomadic wireless device, the connection request including at least a name of an application seeking to communicate with the processor. The processor is further operable to receive at least one secondary communication from the nomadic device, once the connection request has been processed. The secondary communication is at least one of a speak alert command, a display text command, a create phrase command, and a prompt and listen command.

Claims

1. A vehicle-based computing apparatus comprising:

a computer processor in communication with persistent and non-persistent memory; and

a local wireless transceiver in communication with the computer processor and configured to communicate wirelessly with a wireless device located in proximity to vehicle;

wherein the processor is configured to receive, through the wireless transceiver, a connection request, sent from a wireless device and including at least an identifier identifying an application configured to communicate with the processor and to provide services to a vehicle occupant,

wherein the processor is further operable to receive at least one secondary communication from the wireless device pertaining to operation of the application, once the connection request has been processed, and

wherein the processor is configured to respond to a plurality of secondary communications, including at least speak-alert commands requesting use of a vehicle audio system, display text commands requesting use of a vehicle display, prompt-and-listen commands requesting use of a vehicle microphone for input, and create-phrase commands defining input phrases for which the processor is to listen and establish matches thereto during certain implementations of the prompt-and-listen commands.

2. The vehicle-based computing apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the speak alert command further includes a string of text to be spoken through a vehicle audio system, and

wherein, if a speak alert command is received by the processor, the processor is further operable to instruct the vehicle audio system to immediately suppress any presently playing audio and speak the text.

3. The vehicle-based computing apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the display text command further includes a string of text to be displayed on a vehicle display, and

wherein, if a display text command is received by the processor, the processor is further operable to instruct the vehicle display to display the received text.

4. The vehicle-based computing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the vehicle display is a navigation system display.

5. The vehicle-based computing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the vehicle display is a radio head display.

6. The vehicle-based computing apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the create phrase command further includes a plurality of text strings to be listened for by the vehicle-based computing system through a microphone input,

wherein the processor is operable to process microphone input to determine if the input matches a text string;

and

wherein, if the input is determined to be matched to a text string, the processor is operable to return an identifier to the nomadic device, through the transceiver, identifying which text string was matched.

7. The vehicle-based computing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further able to determine a degree-of-confidence with which an input matches a text string.

8. The vehicle-based computing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor does not return an identifier identifying which text string was matched unless the degree-of-confidence is above a predetermined threshold.

9. The vehicle-based computing apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the prompt and listen command further includes a first string of text to be used to prompt a vehicle occupant, and

wherein if a the prompt and listen command is received by the processor, the processor is further operable to instruct at least one of a vehicle display and a vehicle audio system to output the first string of text in displayed and/or spoken format.

10. The vehicle-based computing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further operable to obtain a priority right over at least one of the display and audio system for the purposes of outputting the first string of text.

11. The vehicle-based computing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the prompt and listen command further includes a second string of text to be used to help a vehicle occupant,

wherein the processor is operable to listen, through a microphone, for a help request, and

wherein if the processor receives a help request, the processor is further operable to instruct at least one of a vehicle display and a vehicle audio system to output the second string of text in displayed and/or spoken format.

12. The vehicle-based computing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the prompt and listen command further includes a third string of text to be used to reject user input,

wherein the processor is operable to listen, through a microphone, for user input, and

wherein if the processor receives user input that the processor is unable to properly handle, the processor is further operable to instruct at least one of a vehicle display and a vehicle audio system to output the third string of text in displayed and/or spoken format.

13. A wireless apparatus comprising:

a processor in communication with at least persistent and non-persistent memory; and

a wireless transceiver operable to communicate with a vehicle-based computing system, wherein

the persistent memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, are operable to cause communication between the wireless apparatus and the vehicle-based computing system,

wherein the stored instructions, when executed by the processor, cause an initial connection request to establish a connection between an application stored on the wireless apparatus and the vehicle-based computing system;

wherein the stored instructions, when executed by the processor, cause at least one secondary communication pertaining to the operation of the application to be sent to the vehicle-based computing system, wherein, if a prompt and listen command is sent to the vehicle-based computing system, the stored instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to wait to receive returning input from the vehicle-based computing system in response to the prompt and listen command.

14. The wireless apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one secondary communication includes a speak alert command, a display text command, a create phrase command, or a prompt and listen command to be sent to the vehicle-based computing system.

15. The wireless apparatus of claim 13, wherein the stored instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause an alert text string to be sent to the vehicle-based computing system in conjunction with a speak alert command.

16. The wireless apparatus of claim 13, wherein the stored instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause an display text string to be sent to the vehicle-based computing system in conjunction with a display text command.

17. The wireless apparatus of claim 13, wherein the stored instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause a plurality of input strings to be sent to the vehicle-based computing system in conjunction with a create phrase command.

18. A method comprising:

publishing, via a first application communicating with a vehicle computing system (VCS), a data stream and an associated first identifier;

requesting, via a second application communicating with a VCS, a data stream and an associated second identifier,

determining, via the VCS, if any published first identifier corresponds to any requested second identifier; and

providing to the second application, via the VCS, published data streams with identifiers corresponding to requested identifiers.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first application is integrated as part of the VCS.