Extensible infotainment/telematics system having updatable user interface

• US 8,670,798 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2008
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.), Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Bauer, Lee, Geiger, Erich
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Fayyaz
• Application Number:
  US12/027,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20080248742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,225 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/569.1, 455/569.2
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0241 for telephones
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3688 Systems comprising multiple parts or multiple output devices (not client-server), e.g. detachable faceplates, key fobs or multiple output screens
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface

Abstract

An infotainment/telematics system includes a fixed base unit adapted to execute a set of stand-alone infotainment and/or telematics functions and a portable communication device adapted to execute a stand-alone infotainment and/or telematics function. The fixed base unit includes a user interface that is updated when the fixed base unit and the portable communication device are connected for intelligent communication with one another. Additionally, or in the alternative, the portable communication device may include a user interface that is updated when the fixed base unit and portable communication device are connected for intelligent communication with one another.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a fixed base unit adapted to execute a set of stand-alone functions, where the fixed base unit includes a user interface; and

a portable communication device adapted to execute a stand-alone function;

where the user interface of the fixed base unit is reconfigured in response to the user interface being extended by addition of additional user interface elements to the user interface, where the additional user interface elements provide access to a device of the portable communication device, and where the user interface is extended in response to the fixed base unit and the portable communication device being connected for intelligent communication with one another.

2. The system of claim 1, where the user interface of the fixed base unit comprises a display.

3. The system of claim 1, where the fixed base unit is fixed in a vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, where the user interface of the fixed base unit comprises browser interface access to the function of the portable communication device when the fixed base unit and the portable communication device are connected for intelligent communication with one another.

5. The system of claim 1, where the user interface of the fixed base unit is configured to receive data that contains information about the additional user interface elements that provide access to the function of the portable communication device when the fixed base unit and the portable communication device are connected for intelligent communication with one another.

6. The system of claim 1, where the portable communication device comprises global positioning system (GPS) functionality, and where the user interface of the fixed base unit is extended to access the GPS functionality of the portable communication device when the fixed base unit and the portable communication device are connected for intelligent communication with one another.

7. The system of claim 6, where the fixed base unit communicates commands and data received through the user interface of the fixed base unit to the portable communication device for use in control of the GPS functionality of the portable communication device.

8. The system of claim 7, where the portable communication device streams map video to the fixed base unit in response to the commands and data received from the fixed base unit for use in controlling the GPS functionality.

9. The system of claim 7, where the portable communication device streams audio to the fixed base unit in response to the commands and data received from the fixed base unit for use in controlling the GPS functionality.

10. The system of claim 1, where the portable communication device updates firmware of the fixed base unit when the portable communication device and the fixed base unit are connected for intelligent communication with one another.

11. The system of claim 1, where the portable communication device comprises a Wi-Fi transceiver, and where the user interface of the fixed base unit is extended to use the Wi-Fi transceiver as an Internet gateway when the fixed base unit and portable communication device are connected for intelligent communication with one another.

12. A system comprising:

a fixed base unit having a base unit processor and a user interface including a display, where the fixed base unit includes a plurality of base unit devices cooperating with the base unit processor to execute a set of stand-alone infotainment-telematics functions;

a portable communication device having a portable communication device processor and a user interface including a display, where the portable communication device further includes a portable communication device (“

PCD”

) device cooperating with the portable communication device processor to execute a stand-alone infotainment-telematics function; and

where the fixed base unit and the portable communication device are connected for intelligent communication with one another to share shared devices, the shared devices comprising at least one of a base unit device or the PCD device, and where the user interface of at least one of the portable communication device or the fixed base unit is extended to facilitate access to the shared devices by additional user interface elements being added to at least one of the user interface of the portable communication device or the user interface of the fixed base unit in response to the fixed base unit and the portable communication device being connected for intelligent communication with one another.

13. The system of claim 12, where the user interface of the portable communication device is extended to facilitate access to the shared devices, where the shared devices include one of the base unit devices.

14. The system of claim 12, where the user interface of the fixed base unit is extended to facilitate access to the shared devices, where the shared devices include the PCD device.

15. The system of claim 12, where the fixed base unit is fixed in a vehicle.

16. The system of claim 12, where the user interface of the fixed base unit comprises browser interface access to the PCD devices of the portable communication device when the fixed base unit and the portable communication device are connected for intelligent communication with one another.

17. A system comprising:

a fixed base unit having a base unit processor and a user interface including a display, where the fixed base unit includes a plurality of base unit devices cooperating with the base unit processor to execute a set of stand-alone infotainment-telematics functions, where the user interface comprises a browser, and where the fixed base unit includes a plurality of markup language pages facilitating user access to the plurality of base unit devices;

a portable communication device having a portable communication device processor, where the portable communication device includes a portable communication device (“

PCD”

) device cooperating with the portable communication device processor to execute a stand-alone infotainment-telematics function, where the portable communication device includes a markup language page configured for user access to the PCD device; and

where the fixed base unit uses the browser to access the markup language page for the PCD device and the user interface of the fixed base unit is reconfigured in response to the markup language page for the PCD device being added to the user interface to facilitate user access to the PCD device when the portable communication device and fixed base unit are connected for intelligent communication with one another.

18. The system of claim 17, where the portable communication device includes a user interface comprising a browser, and where the portable communication device may access at least one markup language page of the fixed base unit to facilitate access to a corresponding fixed base unit device.

19. The system of claim 17, where the portable communication device and the fixed base unit exchange one or more markup language pages facilitating user access to a shared device.

20. The system of claim 17, where the fixed base unit is fixed in a vehicle.

21. A method of operating an infotainment system comprising:

providing a first set of stand-alone infotainment-telematics functions using a fixed base unit;

providing a second set of stand-alone infotainment-telematics functions using a portable communication device;

sharing a stand-alone infotainment-telematics function of the second set of stand-alone infotainment-telematics functions with the fixed base unit;

extending a user interface of the fixed base unit by adding user interface elements to the user interface to facilitate access of the stand-alone infotainment-telematics function of the second set of stand-alone infotainment-telematics functions by the fixed base unit; and

reconfiguring the user interface in response to extending the user interface.

22. The method of claim 21, where the shared stand-alone infotainment-telematics function of the second set of stand-alone infotainment-telematics functions comprises a decoder function.

23. The method of claim 21, where the shared stand-alone infotainment-telematics function of the second set of stand-alone infotainment-telematics functions comprises global positioning system (GPS) functionality.

24. The method of claim 21, where the shared stand-alone infotainment-telematics function of the second set of stand-alone infotainment-telematics functions comprises Wi-Fi functionality.

25. A method of operating an infotainment system comprising:

providing a first set of stand-alone infotainment-telematics functions using a fixed base unit;

providing a second set of stand-alone infotainment-telematics functions using a portable communication device;

sharing a stand-alone infotainment-telematics function of the first set of standalone infotainment-telematics functions with the portable communication device;

extending a user interface of the portable communication device by adding user interface elements to the user interface to facilitate access of the stand-alone infotainment-telematics functions of the first set of stand-alone infotainment-telematics functions by the portable communication device; and

reconfiguring the user interface of the portable communication device in response to extending the user interface of the portable communication device.

26. A system comprising:

a fixed base unit having a base unit processor and a user interface including a display, where the fixed base unit includes a plurality of base unit devices cooperating with the base unit processor to execute a set of stand-alone infotainment-telematics functions, where the user interface comprises a browser, and where the fixed base unit includes a plurality of markup language pages facilitating user access to the plurality of base unit devices;

a portable communication device having a portable communication device processor and a user interface including a display, where the portable communication device further includes a portable communication device (“

PCD”

) device cooperating with the portable communication device processor to execute a stand-alone infotainment-telematics function, where the user interface comprises a browser, and where the portable communication device includes a markup language page facilitating user access to the PCD device; and

where the fixed base unit and the portable communication device may be connected for intelligent communication with one another to share shared devices comprising at least one of the base unit devices or the PCD device, and where at least one of the user interface of the fixed base unit or the user interface of the portable communication device is extended by additional user interface elements being added using the markup language page corresponding to the shared devices.

27. The system of claim 26, where the fixed base unit is fixed in a vehicle.