Portable Device Location Relay via Vehicle Head Unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable devices within a vehicle often face challenges in determining their location without direct communication with a vehicle head unit, leading to battery drain and poor signal quality when relying on their own GPS, especially in areas with no satellite or cellular coverage.
Innovation Solution
A method where a contained portable device communicates with an attached portable device connected to the vehicle's head unit via short-range communication links to receive location data, allowing it to estimate its own location without activating its GPS, thereby conserving battery life and improving signal quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a contained portable device uses its own GPS to determine location, then it can obtain location information independently, but it consumes more battery power and receives lower quality location information in areas without satellite or cellular coverage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an attached portable device as an intermediary between the contained portable device and the vehicle head unit. The attached device receives high-quality location data from the head unit via Bluetooth and relays it to the contained device via Wi-Fi Direct, enabling the contained device to obtain reliable location information without activating its own GPS receiver.
2Ease of operation
If a contained portable device communicates directly with the vehicle head unit, then it can receive location data directly, but it requires direct communication authorization which may not be available
Solution Approach 1:
The attached portable device serves as a communication intermediary that bridges the contained device and the head unit. Since the attached device already has authorized Bluetooth communication with the head unit, it can relay location data to the contained device through Wi-Fi Direct, bypassing the authorization barrier while maintaining data reliability.
3Measurement precision
If a contained portable device activates GPS continuously to maintain location accuracy, then it achieves better location determination, but it drains battery life faster
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the GPS reception function from the contained portable device and relocates it to the vehicle head unit, which already has continuous access to satellite signals. The head unit processes GPS data and transmits the results to the contained device, eliminating the need for the contained device to maintain its own GPS receiver operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle head unit serves multiple functions: it acts as the primary GPS receiver for the vehicle, processes location data for the attached portable device, and simultaneously provides location information to the contained portable device through the attached device's relay, maximizing resource utilization.
Data Source
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AI summary
To determine the location of a portable device operating within a vehicle that is not in direct communication with the vehicle head unit, the portable device may detect an attached portable device which is directly connected to the head unit. Moreover, the portable device may send a request to the attached portable device for the current location of the vehicle. The attached portable device may then transmit the current location of the vehicle to the portable device, and the portable device may estimate its own location based on the current location of the vehicle.