Providing navigation instructions in an automotive environment includes generating, at the portable device, a test audio signal. The test audio signal is provided to the head unit of the vehicle via a short-range communication link. The portable device then detects whether the test audio signal has been converted to sound by one or more speakers in the head unit of the vehicle. In response to detecting the audio signal at the portable device, a vocalized navigation instruction is directed to the head unit for announcement via the one or more speakers of the head unit. Otherwise, in response to not detecting the test audio signal at the portable device, the vocalized navigation instruction is provided via a speaker of the portable device.

The invention relates to a method for operating a communication system, comprising the steps: Providing a chip card, in particular a SIM card, in a communication device of a motor vehicle, said chip card including a user identification for dialing into at least one mobile communication network; storing a device identification of a mobile phone in the communication device of the motor vehicle; establishing a mobile communication link between the mobile phone and the communication device of the motor vehicle using the user identification stored on the chip card if a predetermined activation action has been detected on the mobile phone and it has been determined that the device identification of the mobile phone is stored in the communication device of the motor vehicle. The invention furthermore relates to a communication system.

Described herein is a system for testing wireless interaction of a system for reproduction of audio signals, in particular a user-interface device of a motor vehicle configured for reproducing audio signals, with a mobile phone, said reproduction system and said mobile phone being configured for communicating over a wireless communication channel for short-range communications. According to the invention, the above system comprises a module for simulation of a mobile phone, comprising processing means configured for simulating operation of a mobile phone, said module for simulation of a mobile phone being associated in a signal-exchange relationship to a short-range wireless transceiver module configured for communicating via said wireless communication channel with the system for reproduction of audio signals.

A system for reducing traffic accidents caused by distraction from a mobile telecom device. The system detects when the device is near a driver's seat of a moving vehicle. When the network receives a call from a caller directed to a called person associated with the mobile telecom device, the system plays a message to the caller stating that the called person is driving and asking whether the call is important enough to put through. If the caller provides an affirmative response, the system puts the call through to the telecom device, and if the caller provides a negative response or no response, the system does not put the call through.

The system for disabling a mobile phone in a vehicle is adapted for use with an automobile. The system for disabling a mobile phone in a vehicle is further adapted for use with a cellular phone. The system for disabling a mobile phone in a vehicle is a Bluetooth beacon that transmits a Bluetooth signal when engine of the automobile is running. A background application loaded on the cellular phone continuously monitors for a signal from the beacon and, when it senses the signal from the beacon the application shuts down the all wireless communication, with the exception of Bluetooth communication, and visual displays from the cellular phone until: 1) the beacon stops transmitting; or, 2) the cellular phone connects to a Bluetooth based hands free device. The system for disabling a mobile phone comprises a beacon and an application.

Systems and methods are provided for establishing a hands-free communication session between a user and an electronic device. A triggering event for establishing a communication session with the user of a navigation application is detected. The triggering event may include identification, by the electronic device, of information from the data source that is desirable to communicate to the user at the present time. A level of importance of the information is determined, and a notification in accordance with the determined level of importance is generated, the notification having a first property in a first instance and a second property in a second instance. When, after generating the notification, permission from the user to establish the communication session is received, a communication session between the electronic device and the user including voice output by the electronic device and voice input by the user may be established.

A vehicular driver monitoring system includes an interior rearview mirror assembly disposed in a vehicle and including a mirror reflective element. A camera is disposed at the interior rearview mirror assembly and views a driver sitting at a driver seat of the equipped vehicle. The camera is operable to capture image data. A control includes a vision system-on-a-chip image processor that processes image data captured by the camera. The control, via processing at the vision system-on-a-chip image processor of image data captured by the camera, determines driver movement. The vehicular driver monitoring system generates an output responsive at least in part to the determined driver movement.

Implementations are directed to determining an audio delay, of a computing device, by causing an audio data stream to be transmitted to the computing device via a wireless communication channel. The computing device causes audio output generated using the audio data stream to be rendered via speaker(s). The rendered audio output is captured via microphone(s), and the audio delay determined by comparing the captured audio output with the audio data stream. A delay audio segment can be appended to an additional audio data stream transmitted to the computing device, where the length of the delay audio segment is determined using the audio delay. A noise reduction technique can additionally or alternatively be adapted based on the audio delay. Implementations are additionally or alternatively directed to determining if an audio data stream transmitted to a computing device for rendering through speaker(s) driven by the computing device—is actually being rendered.

An in-vehicle mobile station is presented. When a user purchases vehicle including in-vehicle mobile station, s/he operates his/her communication device and in-vehicle mobile station to write a profile in a SIM of in-vehicle mobile station and to activate the SIM. Specifically, the user initially operates communication device to register a profile to be written in the SIM of in-vehicle mobile station, in contract information management device. Subsequently, the user operates in-vehicle mobile station to write the profile registered in contract information management device, in in-vehicle mobile station, and to activate the mobile station.

A recording system for a motor vehicle includes a communication interface receiving an audio feed from a telephone. A voice recognition module is communicatively coupled to the communication interface and responds to a command from a human user by converting at least a portion of the audio feed from the telephone into text data, and storing the text data in a memory device.