Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

General Motors LLC

Ryan Olejniczak

Esteban Camacho

Alexander X Cermak

Dexter C Lowe

Ali H Fawaz

Jeffrey J Haase

Curtis L Hay

Praneeth Nelapati

Jeffrey J Olsen

Matthew R Waldner

Tyson Becker

Gregory A Ross

Maria I Portal

One general aspect includes a method to initiate remote control of a vehicle, the method including: receiving, via a processor, an indication that a manual drive sequence should be initiated by a remotely located data center; and based on the indication, via the processor, initiating the manual drive sequence such that the data center can remotely control the vehicle.

System and method to initiate remote control of an autonomous vehicle

Vehicle navigation systems and methods may generally provide navigation instructions in a vehicle. A navigation guidance session to a destination may be initiated at a telematics unit installed to the vehicle. Upon determination that the vehicle has been parked, example methods and systems may facilitate continuing the navigation guidance session when a park time duration is less than a pedestrian travel time associated with pedestrian travel from the vehicle parking location to the destination. Alternatively, terminating the navigation guidance session may be facilitated when the park time duration is at least equal to the pedestrian travel time.

Dynamic determination of route conclusion before reaching destination

One general aspect includes a system to tint at least a portion of a vehicle window, the system including: a memory configured to include one or more executable instructions and a processor configured to execute the executable instructions, where the executable instructions enable the processor to: monitor ambient light in a surrounding vehicle environment; and based on the ambient light, dim at least a portion of an OLED window located at a vehicle.

System and method to dim at least a portion of a vehicle window

A system to alter a phone number assigned to a telematics unit in which a server of a data center retrieves a phone call log that includes the call transmissions of a telematics unit made over a time period. Moreover, upon retrieval, the server will extract certain criteria from the phone call log, compile the extracted criteria, and then determine whether or not to alter the phone number based on the compiled criteria. When it is determined to do so, the server may alter the phone number by changing the phone number's area code or exchanging the phone number assigned to the telematics unit with another phone number.

System and method to alter a telematics unit phone number

A system and method of method of operating a vehicle using wireless communications, the method including: receiving a remote vehicle ignition start request via a wireless signal, wherein the remote vehicle ignition start request is a request to start an ignition of the vehicle; when the remote vehicle ignition start request is received, obtaining vehicle state information including a vehicle operating state and/or a vehicle environmental state; in response to receiving the remote vehicle ignition start request, selecting one or more remote start operating parameters based at least partly on the obtained vehicle state information; and after determining the one or more operating parameters, carrying out the remote command request according to the one or more selected remote start operating parameters.

Vehicle remote start functionality

A vehicle backend system and a method of using the backend system to determine availability of a cellular connection between the backend system and a vehicle prior to the backend system attempting to establish the cellular connection. The method includes: determining at the backend system that a vehicle service is to be provided to the vehicle; based on the determination, transmitting from the backend system to a wireless service provider (WSP) or a WSP server a query associated with the connection status of the vehicle; in response to transmitting the query, receiving at the backend system a response to the query, wherein the response indicates that the vehicle is either in a connected state or an un-connected state; and when the vehicle is in the connected state: attempting to establish the cellular connection between the backend system and the vehicle; and when the cellular connection is established, providing the vehicle service.

Determining availability of a cellular connection between a vehicle and a vehicle backend system

A method and system of controlling vehicle functionality based on a geopolitical region of the vehicle, the method including the steps of: monitoring a geographical location of the vehicle; resolving the geographical location of the vehicle to a geopolitical region in which the vehicle is located; obtaining permitted vehicle function information for the geopolitical region in which the vehicle is located; and disabling or enabling one or more vehicle functions based on the obtained permitted vehicle function information.

Controlling vehicle functionality based on geopolitical region

A system and method for communicating with a plurality of vehicles. The method includes receiving route information from a plurality of telematics units installed into each of the vehicles. The information may be collected as the vehicles are traveling along a vehicle route. The method further includes determining an eligibility of the vehicle route for use with a semi-autonomous driving system of the vehicles from at least the received route information. The method may also include communicating the eligibility of the vehicle route to the vehicles. The system includes a plurality of telematics units configured to collect route information as the vehicles are traveling along a vehicle route. The system further includes a database in communication with the plurality of telematics units. The database includes an eligibility of the vehicle route for use with a super cruise system of the vehicles.

Dynamic updating of route eligibility for semi-autonomous driving

A method and system for detecting vehicle events and classifying them based on contextual vehicle information. The method includes detecting a vehicle event using vehicle movement data, and then obtaining and analyzing contextual vehicle information associated with the vehicle event. The contextual vehicle information may be indicative of an external condition that led to the vehicle event, such as an object in the vehicle's path, that helps classify the vehicle event for purposes of insurance risk assessment. Another disclosed method involves comparing the vehicle movement data with the vehicle performance requirements for each of the plurality of insurance carrier plans, and notifying a vehicle operator when the vehicle data satisfies the vehicle performance requirements for any one of the insurance carrier plans. Example systems may include a telematics unit installed to a vehicle that is configured to collect vehicle movement data and contextual vehicle information.

Vehicle event detection and classification using contextual vehicle information

A system and method of providing status updates to one or more mobile devices. The method includes receiving a vehicle action request from the mobile device at a central office, determining a status update frequency based upon at least one real-time characteristic, and instructing the mobile device to request status updates on the vehicle action request to the central office at the status update frequency. In an alternative method, a plurality of mobile devices may be instructed to use different status update frequencies. The system includes a server configured to receive a vehicle action request from the mobile device at a central office, determine a status update frequency based upon at least one real-time characteristic, and instruct the mobile device to request status updates on the vehicle action request to the central office at the status update frequency.

Dynamic status update solicitation

A system and method are provided for facilitating remote communications with a vehicle using a wireless device. The method includes automatically receiving data from at least one vehicle control module, receiving a request from the wireless device to perform a task relating to the vehicle, determining a status of a vehicle function based on the data received from the at least one vehicle control module, determining whether the task is redundant based on the status of the vehicle function, and when the requested task is redundant, transmitting to the wireless device a response to the task request based on the data received from at least one vehicle control module; otherwise, transmitting a message to the vehicle to execute the task.

System and method to dynamically determine status of vehicle to be used by mobile application

A method of verifying the status of a unique mobile device identifier associated with an established user account. The method including: receiving one or more data transmissions comprising at least one unique mobile device identifier; storing the at least one mobile device identifier as a current mobile device identifier in one or more databases; determining if validating data corresponding to the vehicle user account has been modified before storing the current mobile device identifier and after storing a previously-provided mobile device identifier; determining if the time difference between storing the current mobile device identifier and storing the previous mobile device identifier is greater than or equal to a predetermined time duration; determining if one or more vehicle registration records indicate a records modification before storing the current mobile device identifier and after storing the previously-provided mobile device identifier; in certain instances, modifying the status of the current mobile device identifier.

Method of verifying the status of a unique mobile device identifier

A method is provided for determining a vehicle lifetime fuel economy using a remote server. The method includes retrieving from at least one vehicle control module vehicle data including an amount of total fuel used by the vehicle, determining whether the total fuel used by the vehicle is greater than or equal to a stored fuel used value, calculating an adjusted total fuel used if the total fuel used is not greater than or equal to the stored fuel used value, and calculating the lifetime fuel economy based on the adjusted total fuel used.

Algorithm to remediate lost lifetime fuel economy cached data upon hardware swap

In a messaging system, computer readable instructions are executable by a processor of a communications server to: detect a vehicle remote start attempt that is initiated by a mobile communications device, transmit a remote start request to the vehicle, and receive a notification corresponding to success and/or failure of the attempt. If the attempt fails, the computer readable instructions are executable by the processor to: receive a cause of the failure encoded in a dynamic error message, decode the dynamic error message, and construct a custom failure message that is indicative of the cause of the failure. If the attempt succeeds, the computer readable instructions are executable by the processor to generate a success message based upon the notification corresponding to the success of the attempt. The computer readable instructions are also executable by the processor to transmit the success or custom failure message to the mobile communications device.

Growing community of inventors

Clinton Township, MI, United States of America

Ryan Olejniczak