Wirelessly communicating with vehicle converters

• US 9,351,096 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: V Track Id, Inc.
• Original Assignee: V Track Id, Inc.
• Inventors: Lees, Robert, Roesner, Bruce B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAIGE, TYLER D
• Application Number:
  US13/931,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20150006067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 701/118, 340438-462, 340/483, 455/422.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

In some implementations, a method for wirelessly communicating includes receiving, from a transceiver, a message associated with a value for a dynamic attribute of the vehicle. The message associated with the value for the dynamic attribute is wirelessly transmitted by a converter to a wireless device. The converter is connected to the transceiver and an on-board vehicle processor.

Claims

1. A system for wirelessly communicating with a processor of a vehicle, comprising:

a converter connected to an on-board vehicle processor and a transceiver, configured to convert between serial data and parallel data, and including a wireless port configured to communicate with mobile devices in the vehicle, wherein the on-board vehicle processor is connected to a status module in a vehicle and configured to receive, from the status module, a value for a dynamic attribute of the vehicle;

an antenna;

the transceiver connected to the antenna and the converter and configured to wirelessly communicate with radio frequency (RF) readers; and

an RFID module connected to the antenna in parallel with the transceiver and configured to wirelessly communicate with the RFID readers.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless port comprises a Bluetooth®

port or Wi-Fi®

port.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver comprises:

a demodulator configured to demodulate the received signal; and

an amplifier connected to the demodulator and configured to amplify the wirelessly communications.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the status module includes a sensor configured to detect the value for the dynamic attribute.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of an odometer, a Global Positioning System (GPS), or a speedometer.

6. The system of claim 1, the converter further configured to convert between serial data and parallel data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver includes a plurality of antennas each of the antennas configured to communicate using a different frequency.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising an RFID module connected to the antenna in parallel with the transceiver and configured to wirelessly communicate with RF readers.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the messages comprise a notification of one or more conditions for a user of the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the notification indicates that the value for the dynamic attribute violates one or more criteria.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the notification comprises at least one of an audio notification or a visual notification.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the notification comprises a warning of traffic congestion or accident, and the converter further configured to wirelessly transmit the warning of the traffic congestion or the accident to an external user device.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the notification comprises information identifying a current speed limit, the converter further configured to:

determine a current speed of the vehicle violates the current speed limit; and

wireless transmit a warning to an external user device that the current speed violates the current speed limit.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the notification comprises information identifying a current speed limit, the converter further configured to:

determine a current speed of the vehicle violates the current speed limit; and

store in a log information identifying at least one of a time, a location, a driver, the current speed, or the current speed limit.

15. A method for wirelessly communicating with a processor of a vehicle, comprising:

receiving, from an on-board vehicle processor connected to a status module and a transceiver, a value of a dynamic attribute of the vehicle and information associated with the value for the dynamic attribute from an external wireless device;

storing the value and the information;

receiving, from an RF reader, a request associated with the value for the dynamic attribute of the vehicle;

converting from parallel data to serial data prior to wirelessly transmitting the value for the dynamic attribute;

wirelessly transmitting, to the RF reader, by the transceiver in the vehicle, a response identifying the value for the dynamic attribute and the associated information; and

wirelessly communicating, by an RFID module in the vehicle, with the RFID reader.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the message is transmitted through a Bluetooth®

port or Wi-Fi®

port.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

wirelessly receiving an RF signal from an RF reader;

demodulating the received signal to a baseband signal; and

amplifying the baseband signal.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the value comprises a signal from a sensor included in the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of an odometer, a Global Positioning System (GPS), or a speedometer.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the message comprises a notification of one or more conditions for a user of the vehicle.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the notification indicates that the value for the dynamic attribute violates one or more criteria, the method further comprising automatically notifying the user in response to at least the violation.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the notification comprises at least one of an audio notification or a visual notification.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the notification comprises a warning of traffic congestion or accident, and the method further comprising wireless transmitting the warning of the traffic congestion or the accident to an external user device.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the notification comprises information identifying a current speed limit, the method further comprising:

determining a current speed of the vehicle violates the current speed limit; and

wireless transmitting a warning to an external user device that the current speed violates the current speed limit.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the notification comprises information identifying a current speed limit, the method further comprising:

determining a current speed of the vehicle violates the current speed limit; and

storing in a log information identifying at least one of a time, a location, a driver, the current speed, or the current speed limit.

26. A method, comprising:

wirelessly receiving one or more driving rules associated with a current location;

transmitting a request for one or more values of dynamic attributes and associated information to a vehicle;

receiving a response identifying the one or more values and the associated information;

determining the one or more values and the associated information violate the one or more driving rules; and

in response to the determining, transmitting a notification of the violation.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the notification is transmitted to the vehicle or a third party.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the notification is transmitted to the vehicle for presentation through an external user device and comprises a warning of traffic congestion or accident.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the notification is transmitted to the vehicle for presentation through an external user device and comprises information identifying a current speed limit.