Abstract:
A system is described to provide access to an automotive vehicle&#39;s input and output devices and making those available for an external system or device, while preserving original functionality of the input and output devices in the vehicle. The system includes a set of circuits coupled to the vehicle&#39;s input and output devices and a controller subsystem coupled to the these set of circuits. The system also includes an interface circuit coupled to the controller subsystem as well as to the external system or device being added by the user.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Provisional application No. 61/291,809, filed on Dec. 31, 2009. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    This invention generally relates to automotive electrical and electronic systems and in particular to interfacing after market systems, applications or devices to in-vehicle input and output devices. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    With the explosive growth of electronic technologies, automotive industry has gone through a revolution where these new electronics based technologies have taken over almost every aspect of in-vehicle systems. Modern age automotive vehicles have many controls and information displays available to the user which provide an unprecedented degree of comfort, control, awareness and safety to the driver as well as passengers in the vehicle. Few examples of these systems are in-vehicle entertainment, climate control, vehicle engine and other systems&#39; status, navigation units, telecommunication facilities etc. Many more are constantly being added as electronic technology continues making inroads into every aspect of automotive industry. All these features which come as part of the vehicle from the manufacturer are generally called OE features. Because of these features, there are plenty of input and output devices available to the driver and passengers. 
         [0006]    On the other hand, there is an ever increasing need of adding a range of third party after market devices and features to automotive vehicles to enhance the utility and/or enjoyment of an automotive vehicle. Apart from personal or family uses, there is a broad range of industrial and commercial applications where there is a need to supplement a vehicle with consumer specific devices or equipment which are readily available and provide extra features needed by a wide range of customers. Examples of such systems are Hands-free phones, Auxiliary power systems, security apparatus, personalized entertainment gadgets etc. 
         [0007]    In such a scenario, a basic need arises to provide the intended user with means to easily interact with the new device or feature being added to the vehicle. With the prior art, most common form of these interfaces consist of mechanically mounted switches, displays, speakers, indicators or any other type of input/output devices to the dashboard, rear view mirror, glove boxes, cigarette lighter or any other places where these input or output devices can be made accessible to the user. In addition to that, with the prior art, new wiring may have to be added to connect these inputs or outputs to the new after-market device being installed. Any of these methods to install extra input and/or output devices not only degrades aesthetics of vehicle interiors but may also cause to compromise mechanical integrity and longevity of dash board or firewalls so precisely manufactured into modern vehicles. It may also expose some chemicals which have been properly sealed or coated during the manufacturing process. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    This invention provides an elegant solution by allowing the required application to directly access inputs and outputs already available in an automotive vehicle, without disturbing or removing any of the existing systems or devices in the said vehicle, thereby eliminating a need to add and mount expensive and difficult to install switches, control panels, displays or other types of input and output devices. 
         [0009]    According to one aspect of the invention, a system is provided to gain access to an automotive vehicle&#39;s input and output devices and making those available for an external system or device, while preserving original functionality of the input and output devices in the vehicle. The system includes a set of circuits coupled to the vehicle&#39;s input and output devices and a controller subsystem coupled to the said set of circuits. The system also includes an interface circuit coupled to the controller subsystem as well as to the external system or device being added by the user. 
         [0010]    In one embodiment of the invention, the controller decodes user action on an input device available in the vehicle by interpreting analog signal coming out of the vehicle&#39;s steering wheel controls and selectively forwards that information to either the external system or user device or forwards it to the vehicles subsystem that was the original recipient of that action. The said controller makes available unique user actions on the said input device that allow user to easily direct commands to external system or user device or towards original recipient of the said user action. 
         [0011]    In another embodiment of the current invention, the controller interprets user actions on the vehicle Radio buttons, knobs or other user inputs and selectively forwards that action to either external system or user device or forwards it to the vehicle subsystem that was the original recipient of that action. The said controller adds extra action modes on Radio controls to allow user to selectively direct his or her actions to either external system or user device or perform normal Radio operation. 
         [0012]    In one aspect of one embodiment of the invention, the controller monitors the status of the external system or user device and determines occurrence of active mode or state of the external system or user device and upon said occurrence, directs a set of user inputs available in the vehicle towards external system or user device for the entire duration or part thereof of such active mode or state. 
         [0013]    In another aspect of one embodiment of the invention, the controller monitors the status of the external system or user device and determines occurrence of a particular active mode or state of the external system or user device and upon said occurrence, directs an adjustable type of user inputs available in the vehicle towards external system or user device for the entire duration or part thereof of such active mode or state, to adjust a set of internal parameters of external system or user device in a smoothly variable fashion. 
         [0014]    In yet another aspect of one embodiment of the current invention, the controller monitors the status of the external system or user device and determines occurrence of active mode or state of the external system or user device and upon said occurrence, directs a set of user output devices available in the vehicle towards external system or user device for the entire duration or part thereof of such active mode or state. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    The accompanying drawings which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, explain the object, advantages and principles of the invention. These drawing are merely few examples of many applications possible under this invention and in no way restrict application of this invention to many other scenarios. 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a vehicle&#39;s steering wheel controls usage application according to one embodiment of the invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a vehicle&#39;s Radio controls and display usage application according to another embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    In the following description, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known circuits, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order to avoid obscuring the present invention. 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  depicts a steering wheel controls application according to one embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, main block  202  consists of various distinct blocks interconnected as shown. SIGNAL FROM STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS  201  is received by STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS DECODER  203  which converts the user action applied to the steering wheel control, into a voltage value. In this embodiment, each user action is originally defined as a specific value of resistance value across steering wheel control terminals. Once this resistance value is decoded into a voltage value, it is converted to a digital value by an Analog to Digital Converter which is an integral part of the block identified as CONTROLLER  206 . In one aspect of one embodiment of the current invention, this digital value is processed in conjunction with time duration of the input action on the steering wheel control to lookup into a decoder map inside the CONTROLLER  206  to determine subsequent destination and value of the resulting action. If the destination is USER DEVICE OR APPLICATION  211  then the said action is transferred to INTERFACE  208  via  207 . INTERFACE  208  converts the said action into a signal appropriate for the USER DEVICE OR APPLICATION and drives that signal out via  209 . Else if the destination is STEERING WHEEL CONTROL SIGNAL TO RADIO, NAV UNIT OR OTHER DEVICE  205  then the said action is transferred to STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS ENCODER  204  so that it is converted back into a specific resistance value with appropriate time duration and driven onto the desired destination via  205 . 
         [0020]    Another aspect of this embodiment is inclusion of status signal  210  coming from USER DEVICE OR APPLICATION  211  and properly decoded by the INTERFACE  208  and sent via  207  to the CONTROLLER  206 . This input is continuously monitored by the CONTROLLER  206  to determine if USER DEVICE OR APPLICATION  211  has entered an active mode where user actively needs to interact with it to perform the desired functions associated with the USER DEVICE OR APPLICATION  211 . Under this condition, CONTROLLER  206  automatically directs a set of steering wheel input actions for the whole duration of its active mode or part thereof to USER DEVICE OR APPLICATION  211 . In another aspect of this embodiment, specific action(s) are also generated and sent to STEERING WHEEL CONTROL SIGNAL TO RADIO, NAV UNIT OR OTHER DEVICE  205  to show user device status and further facilitate proper operation of the USER DEVICE OR APPLICATION  211 , as may be required. 
         [0021]    Overall result of this embodiment is a seamless integration of USER DEVICE OR APPLICATION  211  into automotive vehicle from user perspective and a very close fit into vehicle&#39;s electrical and aesthetic environment. 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  shows another embodiment of the invention where a USER. DEVICE OR APPLICATION  311  is provided access to vehicle input and outputs including usage of Radio buttons, knobs, display etc. Additionally this embodiment also allows access to vehicle input and output resources other than Radio, such as Ignition Key and many other status values plus a possible access to on-dash status display of Radio related information, which can blend information about USER DEVICE OR APPLICATION  311  by virtue of this embodiment. 
         [0023]    In this embodiment, shown in  FIG. 2 , DATA BUS TO/FROM RADIO enters main block  302  as a signal  301  and connects to DATA BUS INTERFACE  304 . DATA BUS INTERFACE  304  properly encodes and decodes digital data exchange with the Radio and extracts and generates these data frames and passes them across to CONTROLLER  306  for further processing in each direction. The composition of DATA BUS INTERFACES  304  as well as  303  are specific to the vehicle&#39;s data bus specifications and ensures reliable communication according to those specifications. DATA BUS INTERFACE  303  provides proper data exchange with DATA BUS TO/FROM VEHICLE SYSTEM &amp; OTHER DEVICES via bus signal  305  and establishes a data link between CONTROLLER  306  and vehicle&#39;s bus. In this embodiment, CONTROLLER  306  is also coupled to the USER DEVICE OR APPLICATION  311  through USER OR APPLICATION INTERFACE  308  and via output signals  309  and input signals  310 . In one aspect of this embodiment, CONTROLLER  306  maintains a transparent data connection between Radio and Vehicle System &amp; Other Devices, during idle or inactive state of USER DEVICE OR APPLICATION  311 . This transparent connection ensures proper operation of Radio and it associated functions. In one aspect of this embodiment, during this state, CONTROLLER  306  is monitoring all user actions on the Radio controls and applies these actions in conjunction with the timing of those actions, into a lookup map to determine if user has entered a USER DEVICE OR APPLICATION  311  related command. When such a command is determined to have been entered by the user, CONTROLLER  306  sends that command to the USER DEVICE OR APPLICATION  311  via interface  308  and generates proper signal on output  309 . If required, that command is also blocked from being sent to vehicle system. 
         [0024]    Another aspect of this embodiment is inclusion of status signal  310  coming from USER DEVICE OR APPLICATION  311  and properly decoded by the INTERFACE  308  and sent via  307  to the CONTROLLER  306 . This input is continuously monitored by the CONTROLLER  306  to determine if USER DEVICE OR APPLICATION  311  has entered an active mode where user actively needs to interact with it to perform the desired functions associated with the USER. DEVICE OR APPLICATION  311 . Under this condition, CONTROLLER  306  automatically directs a set of user input actions on the Radio controls for the whole duration of its active mode or part thereof to USER DEVICE OR APPLICATION  311 . In another aspect of this embodiment, specific data frames are also generated and sent to VEHICLE SYSTEM &amp; OTHER DEVICES  305  to show user device status and further facilitate proper operation of the USER DEVICE OR APPLICATION  311 , as may be required. 
         [0025]    Overall result of this embodiment also is a seamless integration of USER DEVICE OR. APPLICATION  311  into automotive vehicle from user perspective and a very close fit into vehicle&#39;s electrical and aesthetic environment. 
         [0026]    While the foregoing embodiments of the invention have been described and shown, it is understood that variations and modifications, such as those suggested and others within the spirit and scope of the invention, may occur to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. The scope of the present invention accordingly is to be defined as set forth in the appended claims.