Vehicle Control via Text Messaging Proxy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle remote control systems are limited by the number of buttons on key fobs and require a smartphone with a data plan for advanced functionality, excluding users without such devices from fully utilizing vehicle control options.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses text messaging as a proxy for data transfer between a phone and a vehicle computing system, allowing users with basic text-capable phones to control vehicle features through a remote server, which communicates with the vehicle, even in areas without conventional data plans.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If text messaging is used as a proxy for data transfer, then accessibility for users with basic phones is improved, but data transfer efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A remote server acts as an intermediary between the user's basic phone and the vehicle computing system. The server receives text messages from users, translates them into appropriate commands, and communicates with the vehicle. This mediator enables users with limited phone capabilities to access vehicle control functions without requiring direct high-speed data transfer between the phone and vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional direct data transfer mechanism (requiring smartphones and data plans) with a text messaging-based communication system. Text messaging, a simpler and more universally available technology, substitutes for complex data protocols, enabling broader user access while maintaining functional equivalence through server-mediated translation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If smartphone with data plan is required for vehicle control, then control functionality is improved, but device complexity requirement worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The remote server provides a universal interface that works with multiple types of devices, from basic text-capable phones to smartphones. The server handles the complexity of vehicle communication protocols and translates various input formats into standardized commands, allowing the same vehicle control system to serve users with different levels of device capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The remote server serves as a mediator that decouples the vehicle control system from specific device requirements. By placing the intelligence in the server rather than in the user's phone, the system achieves adaptability across diverse devices without requiring users to possess sophisticated smartphones or data plans.
3Adaptability or versatility
If key fob with multiple buttons is used, then control options are improved, but device size worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional physical interface (buttons on a key fob) to a text-based interface that leverages the virtual space of messaging. Instead of adding more physical buttons, the system uses text commands that can convey complex instructions through alphanumeric characters, effectively utilizing a different dimension (text space) to expand control options without increasing physical size.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a processor configured to receive a text message from a remote device including an instruction for a vehicle system. The processor is also configured to determine a specific vehicle associated with the remote device. Further, the processor is configured to send the instruction as a text message to a phone provided to the specific vehicle associated with the remote device. The processor is additionally configured to receive confirmation from the vehicle that the instruction was processed and send a confirmation text to the remote device.