Method for presenting information to a host vehicle having a user interface

• US 8,726,188 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2010
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan North America Incorporated (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tan, Adrian
• Primary Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US12/916,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20120110465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 715/700, 715/716, 715/727, 715/733, 715/751, 715/764, 715/765, 715/771, 715/781, 715/810, 715/835, 715/846, 715/864, 701/1, 701/24, 701/29.1, 701/31.4, 701/31.5
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0272 Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction

Abstract

A method for presenting information to a host vehicle having a user interface. The method comprises remotely creating an information set including user accessible information pertaining to troubleshooting onboard components of the host vehicle, wirelessly communicating a portion of the information set to the host vehicle, and operating the user interface to selectively make available the user accessible information in the portion of the information set for access at the host vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for presenting information to a host vehicle having a user interface, the method comprising:

remotely creating an information set including user accessible information pertaining to troubleshooting onboard components of the host vehicle, the user accessible information including characteristic information indicating a respective degree of urgency of each of a plurality of data entries of the user accessible information in the information set;

wirelessly communicating to the host vehicle a portion of the information set including a group of the data entries and a portion of the characteristic information indicating the respective degree of urgency of each of the data entries in the group, with the respective degree of urgency of at least two of the data entries in the group being different from each other; and

operating the user interface to manage the information set in accordance with the respective degree of urgency each of the data entries in the group based on the portion of the characteristic information, and provide a type of notification relating to those of the data entries in the group for which the respective degree of urgency is at least equal to a prescribed degree of urgency to selectively make available those of the data entries for access in response to the notification at the host vehicle while refraining from providing a notification relating to the data entries in the group for which the respective degree of urgency is less than the prescribed degree of urgency.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

remotely updating at least a portion of the user accessible information to create updated user accessible information;

wirelessly communicating the updated user accessible information to the host vehicle; and

updating the information set at the host vehicle based on the updated user accessible information.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein

the remotely updating includes changing the at least a portion of the user accessible information based on information received from users of other vehicles.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

selecting an entry from the user accessible information pertaining to troubleshooting onboard components of the host vehicle as the portion of the information set that is wirelessly communicated to the host vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the wirelessly communicating communicates an entirety of the information set as the portion to the host vehicle.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

remotely creating a second information set including user accessible information pertaining to troubleshooting onboard components of the host vehicle;

wirelessly communicating a portion of the second information set to the host vehicle; and

replacing the portion of the information set at the host vehicle with the portion of the second information set wirelessly communicated to the host vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the operating includes operating the user interface to provide notification of receipt of the portion of the information set at the host vehicle as the type of notification based on the degree of urgency as interpreted by the user interface.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein

the notification includes operating the user interface to at least one of visually display a notification as the type of notification and emit an audible alert as the type of notification.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein

the notification includes operating the user interface to audibly read the portion of the information set received at the host vehicle as the type of notification.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the user accessible information pertaining to troubleshooting includes information pertaining to conditions of the onboard components of the host vehicle and actions associated with the conditions.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

determining whether the vehicle meets a safety condition, and the operating of the user interface includes presenting the notification while the safety condition is met and refraining from presenting the notification while the safety condition is not met.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein

information in those of the data entries for which the respective degree of urgency is at least equal to the prescribed degree of urgency is available for access beginning at a time the notification is provided;

and

information in the data entries in the group for which the respective degree of urgency is less than the prescribed degree of urgency is stored, and made available for access independently of the notification and the time that the notification is provided.

13. A system for presenting information to a host vehicle, the system comprising:

an information system configured to remotely create an information set including user accessible information pertaining to troubleshooting onboard components of the host vehicle, a portion of the user accessible information including characteristic information indicative of a respective degree of urgency of each of a plurality of data entries of the user accessible information in the information set, and the information system being further configured to wirelessly communicate to the host vehicle a group of the data entries and a portion of the characteristic information indicating the respective degree of urgency of each of the data entries in the group, with the respective degree of urgency of at least two of the data entries in the group being different from each other; and

a user interface system disposed at the host vehicle and configured to receive the portion of the information set communicated by the information system manage the portion of the information set in accordance with the respective degree of urgency of each of the data entries in the group based on the portion of the characteristic information, and provide a type of notification relating to those of the data entries in the group for which the respective degree of urgency is at least equal to a prescribed degree of urgency to selectively present those of the data entries for access in response to the notification at the host vehicle while refraining from providing a notification relating to the data entries in the group for which the respective degree of urgency is less than the prescribed degree of urgency.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein

the information system is further configured to remotely update at least a portion of the user accessible information to create updated user accessible information and to wirelessly communicate the updated user accessible information to the host vehicle;

and

the user interface system is further configured to update the information set at the host vehicle based on the updated user accessible information.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein

the remote updating by the information system includes changing the at least a portion of the user accessible information based on information received from users of other vehicles.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein

the user interface system includes at least one of a display, an audio system, and an input device, configured to selectively present a portion of the user accessible information as the type of notification.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein

at least one of the display is configured to visually present the portion of the user accessible information as the type of notification and the audio system is configured to audibly present the portion of the user accessible information as the type of notification.

18. The system according to claim 13, wherein

the user accessible information pertaining to troubleshooting includes information pertaining to conditions of the onboard components of the host vehicle and actions associated with the conditions.

19. The system according to claim 13, wherein

the user interface system is configured to determine whether the vehicle meets a safety condition, and to present the notification while the safety condition is met and refrain from presenting the notification while the safety condition is not met.

20. The system according to claim 13, wherein

information in those of the data entries for which the respective degree of urgency is at least equal to the prescribed degree of urgency is available for access beginning at a time the notification is provided;

and

information in the data entries in the group for which the respective degree of urgency is less than the prescribed degree of urgency is stored, and made available for access independently of the notification and the time that the notification is provided.