Wireless mobile communication system for vehicle and method of use

• US 8,472,875 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2009
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Ji, Sang Woo, Kim, Hyeon Soo, Jeong, Jae Hun
• Primary Examiner(s): Rego, Dominic E
• Application Number:
  US12/510,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20100075608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• Field of Search: 455/66.1, 455/569.2, 455/41.2, 455/456.1, 455/575.9, 455/99, 455/152.1, 455/557, 342/69, 342/357.2, 340/426.2, 340/438, 340/425.5, 340/426.1, 340/426.18, 340/426.19, 340/426.21, 340/991, 340/993, 701/400, 348/148
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

The present invention relates to technology which performs wireless communications of a vehicle by selectively operating a wireless communications module of a vehicle connected to an AP (Access Point) which collects vehicle information according to the state of the vehicle. The present invention includes a vehicle information storage unit that stores vehicle information collected from each electronic control unit of a vehicle; a wireless communications module that performs wireless communications with an AP (Access Point); and a wireless communications controller that controls a connection state of the AP with the wireless communications module by selectively operating the wireless communications module according to the state of the vehicle, and sends the vehicle information to the AP through the wireless communications module.

Claims

1. A wireless telecommunications system for a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle information storage unit that stores vehicle information collected from each electronic control unit of a vehicle;

a wireless communications module that performs a wireless communications with an AP (Access Point);

a wireless communications controller that connects and disconnects with the AP for wireless communication module by selectively operating the wireless communications module according to a given driving speed of the vehicle, and sends the vehicle information to the AP through the wireless communications module; and

a communications record information storage unit in which the wireless communications record of a vehicle is stored,

wherein the wireless communications controller requests information of the wireless communications record when the speed of the vehicle is less than a given speed, and determines whether to block the connection to an other AP or allow the wireless communications module to operate normally, depending on whether a predetermined time has elapsed after a final connection with the AP, using the information of the wireless communications record.

2. The wireless telecommunications system for vehicle of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications controller blocks the connection to the other AP when a given time does not elapse after a final connection with the AP, and normally operates the wireless communications module once a given time elapses after a final connection with the AP.

3. The wireless telecommunications system for vehicle of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications controller requests information from the wireless communications record, and normally operating the wireless communications module once a given time elapses after the final connection with the AP.

4. The wireless telecommunications system for vehicle of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications controller sends the vehicle information to the wireless communications module when a sending of the vehicle information is approved from a driver.

5. The wireless telecommunications system for vehicle of claim 4, wherein the wireless communications controller outputs a message which asks the driver a communications approval through a display.

6. The wireless telecommunications system for vehicle of claim 4, wherein the wireless communications controller outputs a message which asks the driver a communications approval through a speaker.

7. The wireless telecommunications system for vehicle of claim 4, wherein the wireless communications controller receives a communications approval confirmation command from a display.

8. The wireless telecommunications system for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications controller normally operates the wireless communications module although a given time does not pass after the wireless communication module lastly communicates with a AP when malfunction information transmitted from a specific electronic control unit is included in the vehicle information.

9. The wireless telecommunications system for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications controller normally operates the wireless communications module by providing battery power to the wireless communications module, when a power source for a vehicle is turned off before the communications of the wireless communications module with the AP is terminated.

10. A wireless communications method for vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) collecting vehicle information from one or more electronic control units of a vehicle

(b) connecting or disconnecting the wireless communications module with an AP by selectively operating the wireless communications module of the vehicle according to a given driving speed of the vehicle; and

(c) sending the vehicle information to the AP through the wireless communications module,

wherein step (b) comprises operating the wireless communications module when the vehicle speed is less than a given speed so that the wireless communications module communicates with the AP, requesting information from the wireless communications record when the speed of the vehicle is lower than a given speed, and determine whether to block the connection to an other AP or normally operate the wireless communications module, depending on whether a predetermined time has elapsed after a final connection with the AP, using the information from the wireless communications record.

11. The wireless telecommunications method for vehicle of claim 10, wherein step (b) comprises operating the wireless communications module if a given time elapses after a final AP connection of the vehicle so that the wireless communications module communicates with the AP.

12. The wireless telecommunications method for vehicle of claim 10, wherein the step (b) comprises operating the wireless communications module if malfunction information transmitted from a specific electronic control unit is included in the vehicle information so that the wireless communications module communicates with the AP.

13. The wireless telecommunications method for vehicle of claim 10, wherein step (c) further comprises obtaining an approval for sending the vehicle information from a driver of the vehicle.

14. The wireless telecommunications method for vehicle of claim 13, wherein step (c) further comprises outputting a message which inquires the approval for sending the vehicle information of the driver through a display or a speaker.

15. The wireless telecommunications method for vehicle of claim 10, further comprising providing battery power to the wireless communications module, in the case a power source for a vehicle is turned off while the wireless communications module of the vehicle communicates with the AP.

16. The wireless telecommunications method for vehicle of claim 15, further comprising transiting to a state where the wireless communications module cannot communicate with an arbitrary AP when the communications of the wireless communications module of the vehicle with the AP is completed.

17. The wireless telecommunications method for vehicle of claim 10, further comprising transiting to a state where the wireless communications module cannot communicate with an arbitrary AP when the communications of the wireless communications module of the vehicle with the AP is finished.