Vehicle connectivity systems, methods and applications

• US 9,132,715 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2011
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Kalhous, Amanda J., Chappell, Michael J., Chau, Jarvis, Delorme, Gilles M., Weigert, Norman J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pollack, Melvin H
• Application Number:
  US13/034,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20110225260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,663 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00657 Remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00807 the input being a specific way of measuring or calculating an air or coolant temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0807 Remote means
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0806 Air condition state
• 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: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A vehicle communication method comprises receiving a first wireless communication that is transmitted from a first remote device and managing a transmission of the first wireless communication over a vehicle network using a configurable message list. The receiving a first wireless communication is performed by a connectivity device coupled to a communication port of the vehicle network. The managing a transmission of the first wireless communication is performed by a message manager module of the connectivity device.

Claims

1. A vehicle communication method, comprising:

receiving, by a connectivity device coupled to a communication port of the vehicle network, a first wireless communication that is transmitted from a first remote device, the communication port being disposed outside the connectivity device;

assembling, by a message manager module of the connectivity device, a configurable message based on the first communication and a configurable message list; and

transmitting, by the message manager module, the configurable message over a vehicle network to a sub-system of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless communication is data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless communication is a request for data.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising monitoring the vehicle network for data when the first wireless communication includes the request for the data.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising transmitting the data to the remote device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a second wireless communication and selectively storing data of the second wireless communication.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the selectively storing the data comprises determining whether sufficient memory is available to store the device application.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the selectively storing the data further comprises when sufficient memory is not available selectively removing other device applications based on a memory management method.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the configurable message is configured to start or stop the sub-system based on a type or length of a vehicle start identified by the first wireless communication.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the sub-system is an air conditioning system.

9. A vehicle communication system, comprising:

a portable connectivity device coupled to a communication port of the vehicle network, the communication port being disposed outside the connectivity device, the portable connectivity device including a message manager module that is configured to receives a first wireless communication that is transmitted from a first remote device, assemble a configurable message based on the first communication and a configurable message list, and transmit the configurable message over a vehicle network to a sub-system of the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the configurable message list is dynamically configurable in accordance with a first device application received by the connectivity device from the first remote device.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the message manager module is further configured to receive a second wireless communication that is transmitted from a second remote device and to manage a transmission of the second wireless communication over a vehicle network using the configurable message list.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the configurable message list is dynamically configurable in accordance with a second device application received by the connectivity device from the second remote device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the message manager module transmits the data to the remote device.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the message manager module receives a second wireless communication and selectively storing data of the second wireless communication.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the message manager module selectively stores the data by determining whether sufficient memory is available to store the device application.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the message manager module further selectively stores the data by selectively removing other device applications based on a memory management method when sufficient memory is not available.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the configurable message is configured to start or stop the sub-system based on a type or length of a vehicle start identified by the first wireless communication.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the sub-system is an air conditioning system.