Communication method and communication device for a vehicle

Abstract

Communication method for a vehicle, comprising: - Determining a group of mobile terminals (12, 13) which can be coupled to a communication device (1) of the vehicle via a wireless communication connection (14, 15), - displaying the group of mobile terminals (12, 13) on an operating unit (3) of the communication device (1), wherein the operating unit (3) provides further selection options for operating a mobile terminal (12, 13) coupled to the communication device (1), - detecting a user selection by which a user selects a first mobile terminal from the group of mobile terminals (12, 13), - if a wireless communication connection (14, 15) exists between a second mobile terminal of the group of mobile terminals (12, 13) and the communication device (1), automatically disconnecting the existing wireless communication connection (14, 15) between the second mobile terminal (12, 13) and the communication device (1), and - automatically establishing a wireless communication connection (14, 15) between the selected first mobile terminal (12, 13) and the communication device (1).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication method and a communication device for a vehicle, in particular to a communication method and a communication device for using a mobile terminal, such as a mobile radio telephone, in a vehicle.

[0002] To improve driving comfort, road safety, and comply with legal regulations, so-called hands-free systems are used in vehicles such as passenger cars and trucks to enable communication via a mobile phone. A connection between the vehicle's hands-free system and the vehicle user's mobile phone can be established using a wireless communication link, such as a Bluetooth connection. The advantage of this wireless connection between the hands-free system and the mobile phone is that the mobile phone does not have to be inserted into a special holder in the vehicle; the user simply needs to bring it into the vehicle interior.To establish a wireless communication connection between the mobile phone and the hands-free system, the mobile phone must be registered with the hands-free system using a corresponding control. With standard Bluetooth hands-free systems, one or two mobile phones can usually be actively connected to the hands-free system. If the vehicle is used by multiple users with several different mobile phones, a complex registration and deregistration of the mobile phones is required. The same applies if a user carries multiple mobile phones, e.g., private and business ones.

[0003] If you do not pair your phone before starting your journey, an incoming call to your mobile phone cannot be automatically answered via the vehicle's hands-free system. When you receive an incoming call, you must first de-register any mobile phones that may still be paired with the hands-free system and then pair your own phone before you can answer the call using the hands-free system. This process generally takes so long that the incoming call is ended before the pairing between the mobile phone and the hands-free system can be established. The user is therefore tempted to answer the incoming call directly via their mobile phone, which endangers road safety and may violate legal regulations.

[0004] Methods for coupling mobile terminals, such as mobile telephones, to a vehicle device, such as a hands-free system, via a wireless radio connection, such as a Bluetooth connection, are known, for example, from DE 10 2005 030 458 A1, DE 10 2005 048 427 B3 and DE 10 2006 010 513 A1. As previously described, however, only one to a maximum of two mobile telephones can be actively coupled to the hands-free system via the wireless Bluetooth connection at the same time. DE 100 45 303 A1 therefore proposes setting up call forwarding in the mobile telephones, which redirects calls to a separate mobile phone connection of the vehicle's hands-free system. In this way, calls from multiple mobile telephones can be answered using the vehicle's hands-free system. The disadvantage, however, is that the hands-free system requires its own separate mobile phone connection, which can result in additional costs.

[0005] US 2003 / 0032460 A1 generally refers to mobile phones. More specifically, it refers to devices that enable hands-free operation of a wireless telephone.

[0006] EP 1 489 783 A1 generally relates to user interfaces for controlling the connection between a plurality of communicatively connectable devices.

[0007] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide an improved communication method and an improved communication device for a vehicle, which enable a simple use of several mobile telephones in conjunction with a hands-free device of the vehicle.

[0008] This object is achieved by a communication method according to claim 1, a communication method according to claim 4, a communication device according to claim 8 and a communication device according to claim 9. The dependent claims define preferred and advantageous embodiments of the invention.

[0009] According to the present invention, a communication method for a vehicle is provided. In the communication method, a group of mobile terminals, such as mobile radio telephones, is determined which can be coupled to a communication device of the vehicle, for example a hands-free system of the vehicle, via a wireless communication connection. The group of mobile terminals is displayed on an operating unit of the communication device, and a user selection by which a user selects a first mobile terminal from a group of mobile terminals is detected. If a wireless communication connection exists between a second mobile terminal from the group of mobile terminals and the communication device, the existing wireless communication connection between this second mobile terminal and the communication device is severed.Finally, according to the communication method, a wireless communication connection is automatically established between the selected first mobile terminal and the communication device.

[0010] The communication device may comprise a separate control element, with which a user, by actuating this separate control element, causes the group of mobile terminals to be displayed on the control unit of the communication device. The separate control element may, for example, be a special switch on the communication device or, for example, on a steering wheel of the vehicle.

[0011] By displaying the group of connectable mobile devices to a vehicle user upon request, for example, and automatically pairing the selected mobile device with the communication device upon selection of one of the mobile devices, and automatically disconnecting an existing connection to another mobile device if necessary, a quick and uncomplicated switching between different mobile devices, such as a private and a work mobile phone, is enabled without the communication device having to provide multiple wireless communication connections, such as Bluetooth connections. This enables a cost-effective implementation of a corresponding communication device.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the communication method, if a wireless communication connection exists between the second mobile terminal and the communication device, the second mobile terminal is provided with a marker when the group of mobile terminals is displayed. This provides the user with an immediate overview of the connectable mobile terminals and an overview of which of the mobile terminals is currently connected to the communication device when the group of mobile terminals is displayed.

[0013] According to a further communication method of the present invention, a group of mobile terminals that can be coupled to a communication device of the vehicle via a wireless communication link is determined, and the terminals thus determined are assigned to a plurality of operating elements of the communication device such that each mobile terminal in the group of mobile terminals is assigned to one of the plurality of operating elements. The plurality of operating elements can, for example, comprise buttons or switches on the communication device or a steering wheel of the vehicle. According to the communication method, a user actuation of one of the plurality of operating elements is detected, whereby the user selects a first mobile terminal from the group of mobile terminals. A wireless communication link is then automatically established between the selected mobile terminal and the communication device.If a wireless communication connection already exists between a second mobile terminal of the group of mobile terminals and the communication device, this existing wireless communication connection between the second mobile terminal and the communication device is automatically disconnected beforehand.

[0014] The mobile terminal can, as described above, be, for example, a mobile phone, and the communication device can, for example, be a hands-free device of the vehicle.

[0015] By automatically establishing a wireless communication connection between a selected mobile terminal and the communication device by actuating one of the multiple control elements, and additionally automatically terminating a previously existing wireless communication connection between another mobile terminal and the communication device, if necessary, this enables rapid switching between the mobile terminals. For example, when using multiple mobile telephones, it is possible to quickly pair the mobile telephone with the incoming call with the vehicle's hands-free system by actuating a corresponding one of the multiple control elements in order to answer the call via the vehicle's hands-free system.Since only a few wireless communication connections, preferably even only one, exist at a time, a cost-effective design of the vehicle's hands-free system is possible. For example, according to one embodiment, a radio connection according to a Bluetooth standard can be used as the wireless communication connection.

[0016] According to a further embodiment, the process of automatically establishing a connection and automatically disconnecting a connection is displayed on the control unit of the communication device. If a wireless communication connection between the second mobile terminal and the communication device is automatically disconnected, this is communicated to the user via a corresponding display on the control unit. Likewise, the user is informed on a display of the control unit when a wireless communication connection is automatically established between the selected first mobile terminal and the communication device. This provides the user with reliable information about the current connection status of the vehicle's communication device.

[0017] According to the present invention, a communication device for a vehicle is further provided. The communication device comprises a transmitting / receiving device for operating a wireless communication connection, an operating unit with a display unit and an operating element, and a processing unit. The processing unit is configured to determine a group of mobile terminals that can be coupled to the communication device via the wireless communication connection and to display the determined group of mobile terminals on the display unit. The processing unit is further configured to detect a user selection, whereby the user selects a first mobile terminal from the group of mobile terminals, based on an actuation of the operating element, and then to establish a wireless communication connection between the selected mobile terminal and the transmitting / receiving device.If a wireless communication connection exists between a second mobile terminal of the group of mobile terminals and the transmitting / receiving device at the time of the user selection, the processing unit is further configured to disconnect the existing wireless communication connection between the second mobile terminal and the transmitting / receiving device. The communication device thus enables a user to quickly and easily switch a wireless communication connection between different mobile terminals of the group of mobile terminals. Furthermore, the communication device can be manufactured cost-effectively because it only needs to provide one wireless communication connection at a time.

[0018] According to the present invention, a further communication device for a vehicle is provided. The communication device comprises a transmitting / receiving device for operating a wireless communication connection, an operating unit with a display unit and a plurality of operating elements, and a processing unit. The processing unit determines a group of mobile terminals that can be coupled to the communication device via the wireless communication connection. The determined mobile terminals of the group of mobile terminals are assigned to the plurality of operating elements by assigning each mobile terminal of the group of mobile terminals to one of the plurality of operating elements. The operating elements can, for example, be buttons near the display unit of the operating unit.The assignment of the mobile terminals to the buttons can be shown, for example, on the display unit, or the buttons can have corresponding labeling. By actuating one of the multiple operating elements, the user selects a first mobile terminal from the group of mobile terminals. The user actuation is detected by the processing unit by monitoring the operating elements, and based on a detected actuation, the processing unit disconnects a wireless communication connection between a second mobile terminal in the group of mobile terminals and the transmitting / receiving device, if such a wireless communication connection exists, and establishes a new wireless communication connection between the selected first mobile terminal and the transmitting / receiving device.With the aid of the communication device thus designed, a user is able to couple mobile terminals, such as mobile phones, with the vehicle's communication device, e.g., a hands-free system of the vehicle, using very simple operation. Since the communication device automatically disconnects unused wireless communication connections, it is sufficient for the communication device to be capable of providing a small number of communication connections, in particular even just one communication connection. This allows the communication device to be manufactured cost-effectively.

[0019] The present invention is explained below with reference to the drawings using preferred embodiments. Fig. 1 schematically shows a communication device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 schematically shows outputs on a display unit of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 schematically shows outputs on a display unit of a communication device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] The present invention will be described below using exemplary embodiments of a hands-free device of a vehicle in conjunction with a mobile radio telephone. However, the present invention is not limited to hands-free devices and mobile radio telephones, but can be applied to any communication device of vehicles that is capable of establishing a wireless communication connection with a mobile terminal. For example, instead of the hands-free device, the communication device can comprise a vehicle entertainment system, and instead of a mobile radio telephone, the mobile terminals can comprise any mobile terminals, such as MP3 players, DVD players, or notebooks, which can be coupled to the communication device via a wireless communication connection, for example, for data communication.

[0021] Fig. 1 shows a hands-free device 1 for a vehicle, which comprises a transmitting / receiving device 2, an operating unit 3, and a processing unit 4. The operating unit 3 comprises a display unit 5, for example, a liquid crystal screen with a touch-sensitive surface, and a plurality of operating elements 6-9, for example, buttons, which are arranged adjacent to the display unit 5. The transmitting / receiving device 2 is designed to operate a wireless communication connection, in particular to operate a short-range radio communication connection, such as a Bluetooth connection, a WLAN connection, or the like.The processing unit 4 is, for example, a microprocessor controller which is coupled to the transmitting / receiving device 2 and the operating unit 3 in order to transmit and receive data via the wireless communication connection of the transmitting / receiving device 2 and to output data on the display unit 5 of the operating unit 3, as well as to receive user inputs from the operating unit 3 via the operating elements 6-9 of the operating unit 3. The hands-free device 1 can also have additional operating elements which are arranged at other locations in the vehicle, such as a control element (not shown) on a center console of the vehicle or a control element 10 which is arranged on a steering wheel 11 of the vehicle. The processing unit 4, in conjunction with the transmitting / receiving device 2, is capable of establishing one or more wireless communication connections 14, 15 to mobile terminals 12, 13, such as, for example,Mobile phones, to establish and disconnect connections, and to transmit data over them. Data transmission can be carried out, for example, according to standardized protocols such as the HFP protocol (Hands Free Profile, a protocol for cordless telephony in cars) or the SAP protocol (SIM Access Profile, a protocol for accessing a mobile phone's SIM card).

[0022] The transceiver device 2 of the hands-free device 1 can only operate a limited number of wireless communication connections, for example a maximum of one or two, simultaneously. If a user wishes to use a mobile telephone that is not currently paired with the hands-free device 1 in conjunction with the hands-free device 1, an existing wireless communication connection must first be disconnected in order to establish a new wireless communication connection to the desired mobile telephone. If a call is received at the desired mobile telephone that is not currently paired with the hands-free device, it is necessary to disconnect an existing wireless communication connection to another mobile telephone as quickly as possible and to establish a wireless communication connection to the desired mobile telephone that is currently receiving a call before the incoming call is ended.To support this rapid change, two exemplary procedures related to the are described below. Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 are described.

[0023] First, the processing unit 4 determines a group of mobile telephones 12, 13 that can be coupled to the hands-free system 1 via a wireless communication connection 14, 15. The group of connectable mobile telephones can be determined, for example, by a user configuration via the control unit 3 or by the hands-free system 1 automatically adding all Bluetooth-enabled mobile telephones in the vehicle to the group.

[0024] For the further description below, it is initially assumed that the mobile telephone 12 (A) is coupled to the hands-free device 1 via a Bluetooth connection 14. Based on this state, the user wishes to accept an incoming telephone call on the mobile telephone 13 (B) via the hands-free device 1. To do so, the user selects, as shown in Fig. 2a, from a main menu of the hands-free device 1, which is shown on the display unit 5, the item "Telephone selection" is selected using, for example, a touch-sensitive surface of the display unit 5. Other selection options in the main menu of the hands-free device 1 are, for example, "Dial number", "Dial name" and "Voice control". By selecting "Telephone selection", a telephone selection menu is shown on the display unit 5. In the "Telephone selection menu", as shown in Fig. 2b, the telephones AD of the previously determined group of mobile telephones are each displayed on a control panel for the user to select. The mobile telephone A, to which an active wireless communication connection currently exists, is accordingly marked with the suffix "(active)". In the telephone selection menu, the user can select the mobile telephone to which a wireless communication connection should be established. In the Fig. In the example shown in Figure 2b, the user selects “Phone B”. The following message appears, as shown in Fig. 2c, an information display "Phone change" is shown on the display unit 5, which informs the user that a wireless communication connection to the telephone A is being disconnected and a wireless communication connection to the telephone B is being established. In this way, a simple change of the communication connection between the hands-free device 1 and several mobile telephones 12, 13 is possible. In order to provide an even faster change, the hands-free device 1 comprises, for example, the separate operating element 10, which, as in connection with Fig. 1, for example, can be attached to the steering wheel 11 of the vehicle. By operating the control element 11, the telephone selection menu is immediately displayed on the display unit 5 of the hands-free device 1, as shown in Fig. 2b. By selecting the desired phone in the phone selection menu, an existing wireless communication connection is terminated and a wireless communication connection to the desired phone is established.

[0025] In connection with Fig. 1 and Fig. 3, a further embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The operating unit 3 of the hands-free device 1 comprises a plurality of operating elements 6-9, which are arranged, for example, below the display unit 5. The operating elements 6-9 can be, for example, push buttons. After the processing unit 4 has determined the group of mobile telephones that can be coupled to the hands-free device 1, as described above, the processing unit 4 assigns one of the boxes 6-9 to each connectable mobile telephone. The assignment can, for example, be carried out automatically by the processing unit 4 or can be configured by a user via the operating unit 3.

[0026] If the user wants to establish a wireless communication connection to one of the mobile phones in the specific group, he simply presses one of the keys 6-9. Fig. In the example shown in Figure 3a, the user presses, for example, button 8 to pair telephone C with hands-free device 1. Upon pressing button 8, as indicated by arrow 16, information regarding the telephone change is output on display unit 5 of control unit 3, indicating that an existing connection to a mobile telephone A is being disconnected and the desired wireless communication connection to telephone C is being established ( Fig. 3b). In addition, a telephone change can also be carried out via a menu shown on the display unit 5. As in Fig. 3a, for example, a main menu of the hands-free device 1 displays a selection of connectable telephones, as well as the option to branch to "further menu items." For each dialable telephone, for example, a touch-sensitive control panel is shown on the display unit 5. The mobile telephone that is currently connected to the hands-free device 1 via a wireless communication connection is marked "(active)." By pressing one of the control surfaces, for example the "Telephone C" control surface, an existing communication connection is terminated and a communication connection to the desired telephone is established (arrow 17). This process is carried out as shown in Fig. 3b, shown in a telephone change display on the display unit 5.

[0027] The present invention has been described in detail above in connection with exemplary embodiments. However, further embodiments and modifications are conceivable without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, two mobile phones can be assigned to a control element, such as a button 10 on the steering wheel 11 of the vehicle, which can be used to switch back and forth between the two mobile phones. List of reference symbols 1 communication device, hands-free device 2 Transmitting / receiving device 3 Control unit 4 Processing unit 5 Display unit 6-10 Control element 11 Steering wheel 12 mobile device, mobile phone A 13 mobile device, mobile phone B 14 wireless communication connection, Bluetooth connection 15 wireless communication connection, Bluetooth connection 16, 17 Arrow

Claims

[1] Communication method for a vehicle, comprising: - Determining a group of mobile terminals (12, 13) which can be coupled to a communication device (1) of the vehicle via a wireless communication connection (14, 15), - displaying the group of mobile terminals (12, 13) on an operating unit (3) of the communication device (1), wherein the operating unit (3) provides further selection options for operating a mobile terminal (12, 13) coupled to the communication device (1), - detecting a user selection by which a user selects a first mobile terminal from the group of mobile terminals (12, 13), - if a wireless communication connection (14, 15) exists between a second mobile terminal of the group of mobile terminals (12, 13) and the communication device (1), automatically disconnecting the existing wireless communication connection (14, 15) between the second mobile terminal (12, 13) and the communication device (1), and - automatically establishing a wireless communication connection (14, 15) between the selected first mobile terminal (12, 13) and the communication device (1). [2] Communication method according to claim 1, characterized by that the communication device (1) comprises a separate operating element (6-10), and that due to an actuation of the separate operating element (6-10) by a user, the group of mobile terminals (12, 13) is displayed on the operating unit (3) of the communication device (1). [3] Communication method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized bythat, if a wireless communication connection (14, 15) exists between the second mobile terminal and the communication device (1), the second mobile terminal is provided with a marking when the group of mobile terminals (12, 13) is displayed. [4] Communication method for a vehicle comprising: - Determining a group of mobile terminals (12, 13) which can be coupled to a communication device (1) of the vehicle via a wireless communication connection (14, 15), wherein the communication device (1) comprises an operating unit (3) which provides further selection options for operating a mobile terminal (12, 13) coupled to the communication device (1), - Assigning the mobile terminals of the group of mobile terminals (12, 13) to a plurality of operating elements (6-9) of the communication device (1), wherein each mobile terminal of the group of mobile terminals (12, 13) is assigned to one of the plurality of operating elements (6-9), - detecting a user actuation of one of the plurality of operating elements (6-9), by which a user selects a first mobile terminal from the group of mobile terminals (12, 13), - if a wireless communication connection (14, 15) exists between a second mobile terminal of the group of mobile terminals (12, 13) and the communication device (1), automatically disconnecting the existing wireless communication connection (14, 15) between the second mobile terminal and the communication device (1), and - automatically establishing a wireless communication connection (14, 15) between the selected first mobile terminal and the communication device (1). [5] Communication method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that at least one mobile terminal of the group of mobile terminals (12, 13) comprises a mobile radio telephone, and that the communication device (1) comprises a hands-free device of the vehicle. [6] Communication method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the wireless communication connection (14, 15) comprises a radio connection according to a Bluetooth standard. [7] Communication method according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising displaying on the operating unit (3) of the communication device (1), that the second mobile terminal is automatically disconnected from the communication device (1), and / or that the first mobile terminal is automatically coupled to the communication device (1). [8] Communication device for a vehicle, comprising: - a transmitting / receiving device (2) for operating a wireless communication link (14, 15), - an operating unit (3) with a display unit (5) and an operating element (6-10), and - a processing unit (4) which is designed - to determine a group of mobile terminals (12, 13) which can be coupled (14, 15) to the communication device (1) via the wireless communication link, - to provide selection options for operating a mobile terminal (12, 13) coupled to the communication device (1), - to display the group of mobile terminals (12, 13) on the display unit (5), - to detect a user selection based on an actuation of the control element (6-10), whereby the user selects a first mobile terminal from the group of mobile terminals (12, 13), - if a wireless communication connection (14, 15) exists between a second mobile terminal of the group of mobile terminals (12, 13) and the transmitting / receiving device (2), to disconnect the existing wireless communication connection (14, 15) between the second mobile terminal and the transmitting / receiving device (2), and - to establish a wireless communication connection (14, 15) between the selected first mobile terminal and the transmitting / receiving device (2). [9] Communication device for a vehicle, comprising: - a transmitting / receiving device (2) for operating a wireless communication link (14, 15), - an operating unit (3) with a display unit (5) and several operating elements (6-9), and - a processing unit (4) which is designed - to determine a group of mobile terminals (12, 13) which can be coupled to the communication device (1) via the wireless communication link (14, 15), - to provide selection options for operating a mobile terminal (12, 13) coupled to the communication device (1), - to assign the mobile terminals of the group of mobile terminals (12, 13) to the plurality of control elements (6-9), wherein each mobile terminal of the group of mobile terminals (12, 13) is assigned to one of the plurality of control elements (6-9), - detecting a user actuation of one of the plurality of operating elements (6-9), whereby the user selects a first mobile terminal from the group of mobile terminals (12, 13), - if a wireless communication connection (14, 15) exists between a second mobile terminal of the group of mobile terminals (12, 13) and the transmitting / receiving device (2), to disconnect the existing wireless communication connection (14, 15) between the second mobile terminal and the transmitting / receiving device (2), and - to establish a wireless communication connection (14, 15) between the selected first mobile terminal and the transmitting / receiving device (2). [10] Communication device according to claim 8 or 9, characterized by that the communication device (1) is designed to carry out the communication method according to one of claims 1-7.

Images