System and method of arbitrating audio source streamed by mobile applications

• US 9,531,855 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2015
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Xia, Yiping, VanDagens, Douglas, Pleet, Edward Andrew, Marchwicki, Julius, Elliott, Doron M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John J
• Application Number:
  US14/842,943
• Publication Number:
  US 20150373175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• Field of Search: 455/515, 455/434, 455/557, 455/569.2, 455/452.1, 455/517, 455/3.06, 455/67.11, 455/42.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3005 in amplifiers suitable for low-frequencies, e.g. audio amplifiers H03G3/32, H03G3/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3089 Control of digital or coded signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/01 Input selection or mixing for amplifiers or loudspeakers for hearing aids H04R25/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication

Abstract

A system for attenuating vehicle audio for mobile application audible statements, the system comprising a vehicle computing system having one or more processors for playing audio in the vehicle from a plurality of different audio sources. The system also includes a wireless transceiver for communicating signals from a mobile computing device for processing by the vehicle computing system. The vehicle computing system is configured to receive a wireless signal from the mobile computing device representative of an audible statement to be played in the vehicle. If the vehicle computing system is playing audio in the vehicle at the time the wireless signal is received from the mobile computing device, determine an amount to attenuate the audio based on the source of the audio. Attenuate the audio and play the audible statement based on the determination.

Claims

1. A nomadic device for attenuating vehicle audio comprising:

a wireless transceiver for communicating signals to the vehicle computing system for processing;

a processor in communication with the wireless transceiver, the processor configured to;

send a request of the nomadic device to play audio at a vehicle computer system;

send a wireless signal to the vehicle computer system representative of an audible statement to be played at the vehicle computer system, wherein the audible statement is utilized by the vehicle computing system to determine an amount to attenuate vehicle audio based on one or more audio sources of the vehicle computer system and a time the wireless signal is received at the vehicle computer system; and

output the audible statement to the vehicle computer system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the amount to attenuate the audio is zero.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the nomadic device is further configured to send a caller identification string to the vehicle computer system identifying a mobile application corresponding to the audible statement.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the caller identification string includes a calling line identification presentation.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the caller identification string contains an alpha-numeric number that is incapable of making an operable phone-call to a phone line.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless signal sent to the vehicle computer system includes an AT command defining a list current call command.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to convert the wireless signal into metadata for transmission using an audio video remote control profile (AVRCP).

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the metadata includes at least one or more of a track, title, or album cover.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the metadata includes a header indicating a mobile application requesting to utilize the vehicle computer system is certified.

10. A method for attenuating streaming audio in a vehicle, the method comprising:

sending a wireless signal including a caller line identification to the vehicle using a nomadic device, wherein the wireless signal is representative of an audible statement to be played in the vehicle;

streaming audio from a nomadic device to a vehicle computer system in a vehicle, wherein both the audio streamed from the nomadic device and the audible statement are used to determine an amount to attenuate the streaming audio; and

outputting navigation information to the vehicle computer system using a Hayes command.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the navigation information is at least one of turn by turn information, weather information, or traffic information.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein sending the wireless signal to the vehicle computer system utilizes an enhanced synchronous connection-oriented link.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein sending the wireless signal to the vehicle computer system utilizes a synchronous connection-oriented link.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the caller identification is configured to identify a mobile application operating on the nomadic device.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the caller identification includes a calling line identification presentation.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the caller line identification includes a header utilized to distinguish the caller line identification from a phone call.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further includes eliminating the attenuation of the streaming audio after playing the audible statement.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further includes sending a request to the vehicle computer system to terminate a connection between the nomadic device and vehicle computer system upon completion of streaming audio.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further includes sending a request to the vehicle computer system to open an audio channel.

20. A nomadic device comprising:

a wireless transceiver communicating with a vehicle; and

a processor configured to;

play wireless audio at the vehicle using the wireless transceiver;

send an audible statement to be output by the vehicle, wherein the audible statement is utilized by the vehicle to determine an attenuation of audio played at the vehicle; and

outputting navigation information to the vehicle utilizing a Hayes command set.