Patent ID: 7885603

Claim:
A vehicle control system communication method, comprising: receiving, at an in-vehicle unit (IVU), a command message from a hand-held unit (HHU), wherein the command message includes first to third command frames; and sending, from the IVU, a response message to the HHU, wherein the response message includes first and second response frames, wherein the first response frame is sent in a time period between the reception of the first and second command frames and the second response frame is sent in a time period between the reception of the second and third command frames, and wherein the first to third command frames each instruct a vehicle to perform a first function, and the first response frame includes a status of the vehicle related to the first function and an identification (id) of the IVU which is validated by the HHU prior to accepting data from the second response frame, and the second response frame includes current vehicle gauge data.