Patent Application
20150149597
This application is based on and claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0144092, filed on Nov. 25, 2013 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an audio, video and navigation (AVN) for a vehicle and a mobile device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Today, a vehicle serves as a transportation means and also operates as a multimedia device playing music or an image outing device based on various passenger requests. In addition, as mobile devices such as a smart phone, a tablet personal computer (PC), and the like are being distributed widely, an interest for a technology that allows a user mobile device to be connected with the vehicle has increased.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an AVN for a vehicle and a mobile device in which a user may more easily and safely use contents of a server regardless of an operating system of the AVN for a vehicle or the mobile device.
In one aspect of the present invention an audio, video and navigation (AVN) for a vehicle installed within the vehicle may include: a network searching unit configured to search for a network around the AVN (within a predetermined range of the AVN); a communication unit configured to request transmission of content pages to a server via the network and receive the content pages in response to the request; a controller configured to provide a browser that displays the content pages; and a display unit configured to display the content pages, wherein contents transmitted from the server may be used through the content pages, and the AVN for a vehicle may be configured to provide information for authentication to the server to receive the content pages from the server.
The communication unit may be configured to transmit the request together with any one of an application used in the vehicle AVN, the vehicle, or information of the vehicle AVN at the time of the request of transmission of the content pages to the server. The communication unit may further be configured to communicate with the server via a hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) protocol and transmit a controlling signal generated via a user interface (UI) provided from the content pages based on user manipulation to the server. In addition, the communication unit may be configured to receive the content pages or content changed based on a request signal from the server. The vehicle AVN may further include a vehicle controller configured to operate the vehicle, wherein the communication unit may receive a manipulating signal that operates the vehicle from the server, and the vehicle controller may operate the vehicle based on the received manipulating signal.
In another aspect of the present invention, a mobile device may include: a server configured to provide content pages created by hypertext markup language (HTML5) characteristics; a memory configured to store content usable through the content pages; a communication unit configured to transmit and receive data to and from an external device; and an authentication unit configured to determine whether the request is generated through a permitted application or device when receiving a request of the content pages from the external device. When the authentication unit determines that the request is generated by the permitted application or device, the communication unit may be configured to transmit the content pages to the external device, and transmit the content stored in the memory to the external device based on a controlling signal from a user on the content pages. The communication unit may be configured to provide the Internet network accessible to the server from the external device. The server may be configured to transmit different content pages to the external device based on an authentication result by the authentication unit.
In another aspect of the present invention, an audio, video and navigation (AVN) for a vehicle installed within the vehicle may include: a server configured to provide content pages created by HTML5 characteristics; a memory configured to store content usable through the content pages; a display controller configured to provide a browser that displays the content pages; and a display unit configured to display the content pages, wherein content transmitted from the server may be used through the content pages.
The vehicle AVN may further include: a communication unit configured to provide the Internet network accessible to the server from an external device and transmit and receive various controlling signals and data via the Internet network; and an authentication unit configured to determine whether the request is generated through a permitted application or device in response to receiving a request of the content pages from the external device, wherein when the authentication unit determines that the request is generated by the permitted application or device, the communication unit may be configured to transmit the content pages to the external device, and transmit the content stored in the memory to the external device based on a controlling signal from a user on the content pages.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
It is understood that the term “vehicle” or “vehicular” or other similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in general such as passenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles (SUV), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, combustion, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g. fuels derived from resources other than petroleum).
Although exemplary embodiment is described as using a plurality of units to perform the exemplary process, it is understood that the exemplary processes may also be performed by one or plurality of modules. Additionally, it is understood that the term controller/control unit refers to a hardware device that includes a memory and a processor. The memory is configured to store the modules and the processor is specifically configured to execute said modules to perform one or more processes which are described further below.
Furthermore, control logic of the present invention may be embodied as non-transitory computer readable media on a computer readable medium containing executable program instructions executed by a processor, controller/control unit or the like. Examples of the computer readable mediums include, but are not limited to, ROM, RAM, compact disc (CD)-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, flash drives, smart cards and optical data storage devices. The computer readable recording medium can also be distributed in network coupled computer systems so that the computer readable media is stored and executed in a distributed fashion, e.g., by a telematics server or a Controller Area Network (CAN).
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Since the present invention may be variously modified and have several exemplary embodiments, specific exemplary embodiments will be shown in the accompanying drawings and be described in detail in a detailed description. However, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific exemplary embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions included in the spirit and the scope of the present invention. When it is determined that the detailed description of the known art related to the present invention may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In particular, the AVN 1 may be executed by a processor and mounted on a dashboard or the like of the vehicle to provide various information to a passenger. The AVN 1 may provide content or information to the passenger and may be connected to other apparatuses to provide content or information to the passenger. For example, the AVN 1 may be configured to display a navigation screen, images, moving images, a screen capable of manipulating the vehicle, or the like on a display. In addition, the AVN 1 may be connected to a speaker disposed within the vehicle to play music. Further the AVN 1 may be connected to a driving system or a controlling system of the vehicle to operate the vehicle.
The mobile device 2 may be connected to the AVN 1 via a communication network, that is, a wireless or wired network to share content or data with the AVN 1, play content through the AVN 1, or operate the vehicle through the AVN 1. A server that provides the content page on a web may be included in at least one of the AVN 1 and the mobile device 2 to transmit and receive content, various data, controlling signals, manipulating signals, and the like to and from each other through content pages.
Hereinafter, various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described.
The mobile device 2a that includes the server 21 may be configured to provide content pages to a plurality of mobile devices 2b or the AVN 1a and provide various content, data or manipulating signals through the content pages. The mobile device 2a may include a terminal controller 20, a server 21, a memory 22, a terminal communication unit 23, an authentication unit 24, a terminal display controller 25, a terminal display unit 26, and a terminal user I/F 27.
The terminal controller 20 may be configured to operate the mobile device 2a by operating the respective portions in the mobile device 2a. The server 21, which may be a web server, may be configured to provide the content pages to an external device accessed via a communication network. The server 21 may be configured to create the content pages using HTML5 characteristics. In addition, the server 21 may be configured to provide different content pages based on an authentication result for the accessed external device. In other words, the server 21 may not collectively provide the same content pages to the accessed external device, but may be configured to provide a different content page based on a security level of the accessed external device.
For example, when the mobile device 2b which is not present in a pre-stored list accesses the server 21, then the server 21 may be configured to determine that the accessed external device has a lowest security level. Therefore, the server 21 may be configured to provide the content pages capable of being shared in the device having all security levels, for example, a page related to a music play. Additionally, when the AVN 1a, which may be a subject of content sharing, accesses the server 21, the server 21 may be configured to determine that the accessed AVN 1a has a highest security level. Therefore, the server 21 may be configured to provide various types of content pages to the AVN 1a. For example, the server 21 may be configured to provide the content pages related to the music play or a play of other multimedia, as well as content pages that operate the vehicle, for example, elements of a wiper, a conditioning device, and the like or driving system parts of a steering apparatus, a driving apparatus, and the like.
The provided content pages may include a user interface (UI) configured to receive a user input and when the server 21 receives the generated control signal via the UI included in the content page provided to the external device, the server 21 may be configured to sense an occurrence of event to perform an operation that corresponds to the event. The corresponding operation may be a change in the content page, a change in the contents, or a generation of the manipulating signal for controlling the vehicle. The memory 22 may be configured to store various content that the external device receiving the content page provided by the server 21 may use through the content page. Various content stored in the memory 22 may include music, moving images, pictures, and the like.
The terminal communication unit 23 may be configured to transmit the content pages from the server 21 and the content from the memory 22 to the external device accessed externally via the communication network. In addition, the terminal communication unit 23 may be configured to receive a transmitting request of the content pages or the content from the external device to transmit the content pages or the content to the server 21, the terminal controller 20, or the like. Meanwhile, the terminal communication unit 23 may be configured to provide an Internet network that enables an access to the server 21, that is, the communication network around (e.g., within the range of) the mobile device 2a. The terminal communication unit 23 may be configured to provide the communication network, such that the AVN 1a and the mobile device 2b, which are various external devices located around the mobile device 2a, may access the server 21 to request the transmission of the contents pages.
The authentication unit 24 may be configured to determine whether the external device accessed via the terminal communication unit 23 is a permitted device. In other words, when the AVN 1a and the mobile device 2b, which are the external device, request the transmission of the content pages and the content and the terminal communication unit 23 receives the request, the authentication unit 24 may be configured to determine whether the request is generated through a permitted application, a permitted device, or a device mounted in a permitted vehicle.
Moreover, the server 21 may be configured to prevent an external abnormal access (e.g., unauthorized access) using a proxy in playing the content through the content pages. In addition, the server 21 may be configured to perform communication via a HTTPS protocol to encrypt a data packet transmitted and received at the time of the communication and further strengthen security. Further, by performing the above-mentioned authentication operation, only the permitted mobile devices 2a and 2b may be allowed to access the device API around the AVN 1a to prevent an improper access to the operation of the vehicle, to improve security of the vehicle and safety of the passenger.
When the authentication unit 24 determines that the request from the external device is the request generated by the permitted application, or the like, the terminal communication unit 23 may be configured to transmit the content pages, the content, and the like to the external device. In addition, when the authentication unit 24 determines that the controlling signal from the external device is the signal generated by the permitted application, or the like, the terminal communication unit 23 may be configured to transmit the content pages from the server 21 or the content stored in the memory 22 to the external device based on the controlling signal from the user. Further, the content pages or the content already transmitted or currently transmitting may be changed to other content pages or content.
The terminal display controller 25 may be configured to operate the terminal display unit 26 of the mobile device 2a to display the content pages of the server 21 and the content stored in the memory 22. The terminal display unit 26 may be configured to display the content pages and the content provided through the terminal display controller 25. In particular, the terminal display unit 26 may be configured to display a browser provided via the terminal controller 20, or the like and may be configured to display the content pages and the content via the displayed browser. The terminal user I/F 27 may be configured to generate the controlling signal based on the user input. For example, the terminal user I/F 27 may be a touch screen, a physical button, and the like of a smart phone, a tablet PC, or the like.
Next, the vehicle AVN 1a will be described. The AVN 1a may be mounted within the vehicle to provide various information to the passenger and may operate as a relay to remotely operate the vehicle. The AVN 1a may include an AVN controller 10, a network searching unit 11, an AVN communication unit 12, an AVN display controller 13, an AVN display unit 14, and the AVN user I/F 15. The AVN controller 10 may be configured to operate the AVN 1a by operating the respective portions in the AVN 1a. In addition, when the signal transmitted from the server 21 is the manipulating signal for operating the vehicle, the AVN controller 10 may be configured to operate various parts of the vehicle connected to the AVN 1a to operate as the vehicle controller to operate the vehicle.
The network searching unit 11 may be configured to search for a network around (e.g., in the vicinity of or within a range of) the AVN 1a, that is, the communication network. In other words, when the AVN 1a is started and the browser is executed and displayed via the ANV display unit 14 described blow, the network searching unit 11 may be configured to search for a surrounding network to access to the server 21 that provides the content pages and the content to be displayed via the browser. Once the network searching unit 11 searches for the network, the AVN communication unit 12 may be configured to access the searched network to request the transmission of the content pages to the server 21. In addition, the AVN communication unit 12 may be configured to receive the content pages transmitted based on the transmitted request.
In particular, the AVN controller 10 may be configured to transmit information for authentication together with the request via the AVN communication unit 12 to receive the content pages from the server 21. Information for authentication may be information that indicates that the request is generated by an authenticated application, an authenticated AVN 1a, or the AVN 1a mounted within an authenticated vehicle. Further, the AVN controller 10 may be configured to perform communication via a HTTPS protocol to encrypt data packet transmitted and received at the time of the communication and further strengthen security. In addition, by performing the above-mentioned authentication operation, only the permitted mobile devices 2a and 2b may be allowed to access the device API around the AVN 1a to prevent an improper access to the operation of the vehicle, to improve security of the vehicle and safety of the passenger.
The AVN display controller 13 may be configured to operate the AVN display unit 14 of the AVN 1a to display the content pages of the server 21 and the content stored in the memory 22 received from the AVN communication unit 12. The AVN display unit 14 may be configured to display the content pages and the content provided via the AVN display controller 13. In particular, the AVN display unit 14 may be configured to display a browser provided via the AVN controller 10, or the like and may be configured to display the content pages and the content via the displayed browser. The AVN user I/F 15 may be configured to generate the controlling signal based on the user input. For example, the AVN user I/F 15 may be a touch screen, a physical button, and the like of a smart phone, a tablet PC, or the like.
Next, a difference between the mobile device 2b and the mobile device 2a will be described. The mobile device 2b has almost the same configuration as the mobile device 2a, but is different from the mobile device 2a in that the mobile device 2b does not include the server 21 that may be configured to provide the content pages, the memory 22 configured to store the content, and the authentication unit 24. It may not be necessary to remove the above-mentioned configurations from the mobile device 2b and the mobile device 2b may include all the above-mentioned configurations, which do not merely correspond to essential components.
The terminal controller 20 of the mobile device 2b may be configured to transmit information that indicates whether a request which is transmitted to perform an authentication operation with the mobile device 2a is a request generated through the permitted application or the permitted mobile device 2b, together with the request, similar to the AVN controller 10 of the vehicle AVN 1a. Since the mobile device 2a may be configured to display the content pages, the content, or the like by receiving them from the server 21 disposed within the mobile device 2a, the authentication operation may be omitted.
Hereinafter, operations of the vehicle AVN 1a and the mobile devices 2a and 2b will be described in detail.
First, describing an operation of the mobile device 2a side with reference to
The terminal controller 20 and the like of the mobile device 2a may be configured to determine whether there is an external device intended to access via the communication network (S12). When the accessed external device is not present, the operation may return to S11, and when the accessed external device is present, an authentication operation determining whether the external device is a permitted device may be performed (S13). For example, it may be determined whether the signal, or the like requesting the transmission of the content pages is generated through the permitted application, the permitted device, or the device mounted in the permitted vehicle.
As an authentication result, in response to determining that the external device is not the permitted device, the access to the server 21 may not be permitted (‘No’ of S14), and in response to determining that the external device is the permitted device, the access to the server 21 may be permitted and the content pages may be provided to the external device based on the authentication result (S15). In other words, different content pages may be provided based on the authentication result. For example, the provided content pages may be classified based on the security level and the content pages may be provided differently based on the security level of the external device determined by the authentication result.
The server 21 may be configured to determine whether the controlling signal is transmitted by any manipulation in the external device and an event is generated after the server 21 performs the authentication and access to the external device (S16). In addition, when the server 21 senses the event, the server 21 may be configured to perform an operation based on the sensed event and transmit the generated result and the like to the external device (S17). For example, when the server 21 receives the controlling signal that changes the content pages from the external device, the server 21 may be configured to transmit the content pages based on the received controlling signal to the external device. When the server 21 receives the controlling signal that operates the vehicle, the server 21 may be configured to transmit the manipulating signal to operate the vehicle to the vehicle AVN.
Further, an operation of the AVN 1a for the vehicle will be described. When the vehicle is turned on or started, or by the passenger manipulation of the vehicle, the browser that may be configured to display the content pages on the AVN display unit 14 of the AVN 1a may be executed (S20). After the execution of the browser, the AVN communication unit 12, operated by a processor, may be configured to search for the networks present around the AVN communication unit 12 (S21). When the AVN communication unit 12 senses the network, that is, the communication network (Yes of S22), the AVN communication unit 12 may be configured to access the server 21 via the HTTPS protocol (S23). In addition, the AVN communication unit 12 may be configured to perform an authentication operation transmitting necessary information enabling the server 21 to perform the authentication operation together with the request of the contents pages (S24). Information for authentication may be information indicating that the request is generated by an authenticated application, an authenticated AVN 1a, or the AVN 1a mounted within an authenticated vehicle.
When the authentication fails (‘No’ of S25), the operation may return to S21 to repeat the operation. On the other hand, when the authentication is successful (‘Yes’ of S25), the content pages may be received from the server 21 and the received content pages may be displayed via the browser (S26). Thereafter, the passenger of the vehicle may perform the manipulation for operating various multimedia devices installed within the vehicle, various functions of navigation and the like mounted in the AVN 1a, and the operation of the vehicle via the displayed content pages. When the manipulation of the passenger is performed (S27), the AVN 1a may be configured to transmit the controlling signal generated based on the user manipulation to the server 21 via the AVN communication unit 12 (S28).
After transmitting the controlling signal, when the content is received (‘Yes’ of S29), the received content may be used in the content pages (S30). For example, when the received contents is the moving image, the moving image may be output via the AVN display unit 24. In particular, the output of the moving image may be performed in a streaming scheme. Additionally, when the received content is music, the music may be played through a speaker connected to the AVN 1a.
Moreover, after transmitting the controlling signal, when the manipulating signal that operates the vehicle is received (‘Yes’ of S31), the AVN 1a may be configured to operate the vehicle having the AVN 1a mounted therein (S32). For example, the AVN 1a may be configured to start the vehicle or operate the wiper. Alternatively, the AVN 1a may be configured to operate heating wires of a windshield or a handle. The controllable operations of the vehicle are exemplary, are not limited to the above-mentioned operations, and may include all operations related to the operation of the vehicle. When no data or signal is received, the reception of data or signal may be continuously waited (e.g., held until a signal or data is received) (‘No’ of S29 and ‘No’ of S31). Although the types of data received after transmitting the controlling signal mention only the contents and the manipulating signal, the type of data are not limited thereto.
When the content pages need to be changed by the passenger manipulation, new content pages may be provided from the server 21 and may be newly displayed on the browser. Furthermore, although the operation of the mobile device 2b is not described in the description with respect to
As described above, in connecting the AVN 1a to the mobile device 2a that includes the server 21, the content pages created by HTML5 characteristics may be used, thereby making it possible to use the content pages in all platforms having the browser mounted therein. In addition, since the content may be shared via the content pages created by HTML5 characteristics, the AVN 1a may use the exemplary embodiments of the present invention when having only the browser function since a separate program need not be installed and may provide the service in multiple media formats provided from a client by using the content pages created by HTML5 characteristics.
Further, security may be strengthened by communication via the HTTPS protocol, prevention of the abnormal (e.g., unauthorized) access using the proxy, and the authentication of the application or the device requesting the content pages, and it may also be possible to remotely operate the vehicle in portions in which it were difficult to actually use due to a security problem. In other words, by using the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, peripheral devices associated with the multimedia within the vehicle as well as the manipulation system or the control system may be remotely controlled.
Meanwhile, although the present exemplary embodiment describes the configuration in which one AVN 1a and the plurality of mobile devices 2b may access one server 21 (or one mobile device 2a), an access form of the devices is not limited thereto. A plurality of AVNs 1a may access one server 21. The plurality of AVNs 1a may not simultaneously access the server 21 and when the AVN 1a accesses the server 21, the server 21 may be configured to determine a model or a manufacturer of the vehicle having the AVN 1a mounted therein to provide the content pages that correspond to the model or the manufacturer. For example, the server 21 may be configured to determine whether the manufacturer of the vehicle having the AVN 1a mounted therein is Kia Motors Corporation or Hyundai Motor Company to provide the content pages that correspond to the manufacturer of each vehicle.
Furthermore, since the plurality of accessible servers 21 are present, the AVN 1a may be configured to select whether to access any server 21. The operation of the AVN 1a will be described with reference to
When the plurality of communication networks are present around the AVN 1a, the AVN 1a may be configured to select any one server 21 among the plurality of communication networks (S42). In other words, the AVN 1a may be configured to select the server 21 to receive the content pages. The selection may be performed by the passenger manipulation. In particular, information for the selectable server 21 may be listed to be displayed on the AVN display unit 14 of the AVN 1a. For example, information may be the model of the mobile device 2a having the server 21 mounted therein, a user name, identification ID, and the like. In addition, to display information, when the mobile device 2a or the server 21 provides the communication network via the terminal communication unit 23, identifying information may also be provided. Since S23 through S32 are the same as those of
As described above, since the AVN 1a may be configured to selectively access the plurality of servers 21, a range of the content capable of being used may be further increased in addition to the effect obtained from the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. For example, when a plurality of passengers are present in the vehicle, the mobile device 2a of the other passenger may also access the AVN 1a, thereby making it possible to utilize various content.
In the present exemplary embodiment, the AVN 1b may further include a server 16, a memory 17, and an authentication unit 18 in addition to the AVN controller 10, the AVN communication unit 12, the AVN display controller 13, the AVN display unit 14, and the AVN user I/F 15. Functions and operations of the server 16, the memory 17, and the authentication unit 18 are substantially similar to those of the server 21, the memory 22, and the authentication unit 24 included in the mobile device 2a. Since the server 16 may be mounted within an AVN 10b to be mounted within the vehicle, security with respect to the vehicle control may be further improved.
Moreover, although the above exemplary embodiments describes the configuration in which the servers 21 and 16 are included in only one of the mobile device 2a and the AVN 1b, the present invention is not limited thereto and the servers 21 and 16 may be simultaneously included in both the mobile device 2a and the AVN 1b for the vehicle in the system. In addition, the method according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention as described above may be created with a computer program. Codes and code segments configuring the computer program may be easily deduced by computer programmers in the art. In addition, the created computer program may be stored in computer readable recording media (information storage media) and is read and executed by computers, thereby making it possible to implement the methods according to the present invention. In addition, the recording media include all types of recording media capable of being read by the computer.
According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the AVN and the mobile device in which the user may more easily and safely use the contents of the server regardless of the operating system of the AVN or the mobile device may be provided.
The present invention described above may be variously substituted, altered, and modified by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2013-0144092 | Nov 2013 | KR | national |
