Johnson Controls Technology Company

Ford Motor Company Limited

Gentex Corporation

Visteon Global Technolgoies, Inc.

Elmos North America Inc.

Jeffrey Neil Golden

Richard J Chutorash

Steven L Geerlings

Mark Lewis Zeinstra

James E Trainor

David Anthony Symanow

Michael J Sims

Rodger William Eich

Philip J VanderWall

Elisabet A Anderson

Douglas Brian Gillespie

Jon M Skekloff

Paul Michael Progar

David Bryan Gulau

Eric Sean Deuel

Gerd Reime

Douglas C Campbell

Brian L Douthitt

Nicholas Lawrence Difiore

Ted W Ringold

Steven Gene Schultz

Darby Edward Hadley

Danny N Korovesis

Paul E Duffy

Michael W Flood

Colin David Wright

Akram Mufid Mufid

Peter W Mokris

Franz-Simon Haider

Jüergen Larm

Louis J Bresinski, Jr

Thomas W Sojda

A vehicle system includes a vehicle communication module in the vehicle, a remote start system in the vehicle, and a vehicle processor. The vehicle processor is configured to determine if the vehicle is in a garage, and further configured to receive an indication of a remote start request from the remote start system, receive a garage door status from a garage door opener using the vehicle communication module, and determine, based on the received garage door status, if a garage door is closed. In response to determining that the garage door is closed, the vehicle systems transmits a remote command to the garage door opener formatted to cause the garage door opener to open the garage door.

Communication system and method

A method for providing an audible prompt to a user within a vehicle. The method includes retrieving one or more data files from a memory device. The data files define certain characteristics of an audio prompt. The method also includes creating the audio prompt from the data files and outputting the audio prompt as an audio signal.

System and method for customized prompting

A touchless method for registering commands from a display (e.g. reconfigurable display) may include any of various components. The method may use a light sensor in front of or behind the display to detect light reflected by a user's finger approaching a control option displayed on the display. Light used to display images may be provided at a frequency and/or time that can be identified by a processor connected to the light sensor, or can possess some other unique property (e.g. color) which may be distinguished by the processor.

Display and user interface

A communication system and method in which the communication system comprises a first communication module () and a second communication module (). The first communication module () is located inside a vehicle (), and the second communication module () is located in a garage door opener () and/or a home (). A first information () relating to status information of the vehicle () is transmitted wirelessly between the first and second communication modules (). Additionally or alternatively, a second information is transmitted between the first and second communication modules (). The second information relates to status information of the garage door opener () and/or the home ().

A system for mounting in a vehicle and for reproducing an image at least partially generated by a remote source and shown on a display of the remote source is provided. The system includes a display interface for providing a signal to the display. The system further includes a communications device for mounting in the vehicle and for communicating with the remote source, the communications device configured to receive the image from the remote source. The system yet further includes a processing system operatively coupled to the communications device and the display interface, the processing system configured to provide a representation of the image to the display interface. The system yet further includes a memory device communicably coupled to the processing system and including computer code for controlling the communications device so that the representation of the image provided to the display interface is updated to reflect new images generated and shown on the remote source.

Remote display reproduction system and method

A control system for mounting in a vehicle and for providing information to a portable electronic device for processing by the portable electronic device is shown and described. The control system includes a first interface for communicating with the portable electronic device and a memory device. The control system also includes a processing circuit communicably coupled to the first interface and the memory device, the processing circuit configured to extract information from the memory device and to provide the information to the first interface so that the first interface communicates the information to the portable electronic device. The processing circuit is further configured to determine the capabilities of the portable electronic device based on data received from the portable electronic device via the first interface and to determine whether or not to communicate the information to the portable electronic device based on the determined capabilities.

Vehicle user interface systems and methods

A method is provided for creating a phonebook for a hands-free telephone system in a vehicle using phonebook entries retrieved from a remote phonebook of a mobile phone over a wireless communication link between a control module of the hands-free telephone system and the mobile phone. The method includes receiving a remote phonebook from the mobile phone, the remote phonebook including a plurality of entries, each entry including text data and numeric data, identifying the text data in each entry, generating an acoustic baseform for each entry based on the text data for each entry, storing the acoustic baseform for each entry in a baseform list, and storing the plurality of entries in a mobile phonebook associated with the baseform list.

Hands-free system and method for retrieving and processing phonebook information from a wireless phone in a vehicle

A low impedance stereo audio bus interface between multiple audio transmitters and a receiver. The bus has a core transmitter circuit associated with each output of the multiple audio transmitters and each core transmitter circuit generates a pair of balanced differentiated outputs. The pair of balanced differentiated outputs of the core transmitter circuits are connected in parallel to a core receiver circuit, which recombine the pair of balanced differentiated signals to reproduce the original stereo signals at the input to the receiver. The bus may contain optional circuits to perform functions not performed elsewhere in the transmitter or receiver.

Low impedance stereo audio bus

The software and hardware resources of an electronic system are organized in an architecture which creates a single data table in program memory for the assignment of user controls to system functions. User controls can be reassigned through appropriate modifications to this table. Thus, minor changes to the user controls can be implemented without modifying the software or hardware of the system, thereby avoiding significant development cost. Furthermore, standard products can be developed which can be customized to the needs of particular applications of the products or variations for local markets.

User control interface architecture for automotive electronic systems

Method of producing customizable automotive electronic systems

A mobile communication apparatus such as a cellular telephone for automotive use is provided with selectable modes for accessing stored telephone numbers either by speed-dial codes (i.e., memory storage location) or alphabetic names associated with each telephone number. A user interface is employed having an alpha mode for displaying and entering alphabetic names corresponding to telephone numbers. The alpha mode includes a jump function and a scrolling function for browsing stored alphabetic names. A normal mode is provided for storing telephone numbers at desired storage locations. A speed-dial mode is also provided for instant dialing of the most frequently called numbers.

Multiple mode cellular telephone control device

An output transducer and amplifier are shared between an audio system and a cellular Phone in an automotive vehicle. An interface arbitrates between the program audio signals and the phone audio signals to select or deselect each of the audio signals depending on the status of each audio source. When only one source is in use then normally the audio signals from that source are selected. If both sources are turned on but a phone call is not in progress, then audio signals from both sources are simultaneously presented to the output transducers after summing. When a call is in progress, only the phone audio signals are selected.

Integrated cellular telephone and vehicular audio system

Growing community of inventors

Beverly Hills, MI, United States of America

Jeffrey Neil Golden