Vehicle broadcasting system

• US 9,049,564 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2013
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Muetzel, Ronald, Ibele, Sabine, Roesch, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): AJIBADE AKONAI, OLUMIDE
• Application Number:
  US13/758,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20140220966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/41.2, 455/426.1, 701117-119, 370/338, 340/988, 340/990, 340/991, 340/995.1, 340/995.12, 340/995.19
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• 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 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A vehicle may include a vehicle broadcasting system for providing occupant interaction between one or more vehicle occupants. The on-board device may receive communications from occupants in the vehicle or from a different vehicle within a predetermined communication range. Vehicle occupants may send communications to the on-board device through a communication device, e.g., a cell phone, or through a user interface in the vehicle. The vehicle broadcasting system may implement any number of interaction functionalities, such as supporting a conversation between vehicle occupants, interactive video, game, quiz, karaoke, or other occupant interactions.

Claims

1. A vehicle broadcast system comprising:

a user interface in a first vehicle; and

an on-board device communicatively linked to the user interface, the on-board device configured to;

receive a first communication from a communication device in the first vehicle;

receive a second communication from a source external to the first vehicle;

generate a display output based on the first communication, second communication, or both, for presentation in the first vehicle through the user interface;

detect if a second vehicle is within a predetermined communication range;

after determining that the second vehicle is within the predetermined communication range, provide route information of the first vehicle to the second vehicle and receive route information from the second vehicle; and

after determining from the route information of the second vehicle that the first and second vehicles share a common route, initiate communications between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

2. The vehicle broadcast system of claim 1, where when the on-board device is configured to initiate communications, the communications between the first vehicle and the second vehicle allow occupants of the first and second vehicle to interact as different entities in a game implemented on the on-board device.

3. The vehicle broadcast system of claim 1, where the first communication comprises an image file.

4. The vehicle broadcast system of claim 1, where the first communication comprises media data.

5. The vehicle broadcast system of claim 1, where the first communication comprises a video file.

6. The vehicle broadcast system of claim 1, where the on-board device is further configured to:

obtain vehicle position data with respect to the first vehicle; and

generate the display output based on the vehicle position data.

7. The vehicle broadcast system of claim 1, where the on-board device is configured to receive the second communication after passing a predetermined geographical boundary, and where the second communication contains position-specific data related to the predetermined geographical boundary.

8. The vehicle broadcast system of claim 1, where the display output comprises a conversation between occupants of the first vehicle and occupants of the second vehicle.

9. The vehicle broadcast system of claim 2, where the display output is information used in the game.

10. The vehicle broadcast system of claim 9, where the game is a quizzing game based on information obtained from the second communication.