IP Library Granted Patent US 12,627,389
Granted Patent B2
US 12,627,389 · App. 18/214,672 · Granted May 12, 2026

Projection mode for vehicle receiver sources

Inventors: Shree Jaisimha (Senoia, GA); Arun Krishnan Padmakumar (Peachtree City, GA); Nicholas Cook (Sheboygan, WI)
H04H60/85H04B1/082H04H20/72H04H60/44H04H60/48
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,627,389
App. No.
18/214,672
Granted
May 12, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Examples of the present disclosure relate to a device, method, and system for integrating a projection mode of a user mobile device with a terrestrial tuner. In an example, the system may be a vehicle including a head unit and a vehicle projection stack to operate in the head unit. The system may also include a terrestrial tuner communicatively coupled to the vehicle projection stack to receive a terrestrial signal from a terrestrial source. The system may also include an audio driver to provide an audio signal to a vehicle interior where the audio signal is from at least one of the terrestrial signal and an internet signal received at the vehicle projection stack from a user mobile device located inside the vehicle interior.

Claims (25)

1 . A system in a vehicle for integrating a projection mode of a user mobile device with a terrestrial tuner, the system comprising:

a head unit;

a vehicle projection stack to operate in the head unit;

a terrestrial tuner communicatively coupled to the vehicle projection stack to receive a terrestrial audio signal from a terrestrial source; and

an audio driver to provide an audio signal to a vehicle interior where the audio signal is from at least one of the terrestrial signal and an internet signal received at the vehicle projection stack from a user mobile device located inside the vehicle interior; and

wherein the head unit, in response to a signal received from a content application on the user mobile device, instructs the terrestrial tuner to reestablish the terrestrial signal in response to a linked service to the internet signal failing to reach an audio quality threshold at the audio driver.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the terrestrial signal is a signal from frequency modulation (FM) radio, amplitude modulation (AM) radio, simulcast radio, satellite radio, digital radio mondiale (DRM), or digital audio broadcasting (DAB) radio.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle projection stack provides radio station identification information to the user mobile device.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the vehicle projection stack instructs the head unit to display supplemental information provided by the user mobile device, the supplemental information corresponding to the radio station identification information provided to the user mobile device.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein a content application of the user mobile device compares a royalty cost of media being provided by the terrestrial signal and the internet signal, the vehicle projection stack to instruct the audio driver to provide a signal determined by the content application to have the lower royalty cost.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle projection stack provides metadata related to the terrestrial signal to a content application operating on the user mobile device.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the internet signal is provided by a uniform resources locator (URL) sent according to hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS).

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle projection stack requests a linked service to the internet signal in response to a detection that the terrestrial signal drops below a field strength threshold.

9 . A method for integrating a projection mode of a user mobile device with a terrestrial tuner, the method comprising: receiving a terrestrial signal from a terrestrial source at a terrestrial tuner communicatively coupled to a vehicle projection stack, the vehicle projection stack operating in a head unit of a vehicle; and instructing, with the vehicle projection stack, an audio driver to provide an audio signal to a vehicle interior where the audio signal is from at least one of the terrestrial signal and an internet signal received at the vehicle projection stack from a user mobile device located inside the vehicle interior; and

wherein the head unit, in response to a signal received from a content application on the user mobile device, instructs the terrestrial tuner to reestablish the terrestrial signal in response to a linked service to the internet signal failing to reach an audio quality threshold at the audio driver.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the terrestrial audio signal is a signal from frequency modulation (FM) radio, amplitude modulation (AM) radio, simulcast radio, satellite radio, digital radio mondiale (DRM), or digital audio broadcasting (DAB) radio.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the vehicle projection stack provides radio station identification information to the user mobile device.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the vehicle projection stack instructs the head unit to display supplemental information provided by the user mobile device, the supplemental information corresponding to the radio station identification information provided to the user mobile device.

13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein an audio quality of the terrestrial signal and the internet signal is compared on at least one of the head unit and the user mobile device, wherein the head unit instructs the audio driver to provide the audio signal determined to have higher audio quality.

14 . The method of claim 9 , wherein a content application of the user mobile device compares a royalty cost of media being provide by the terrestrial signal and the internet signal, the vehicle projection stack to instruct the audio driver to provide the audio signal determined by the content application to have lower royalty cost.

15 . A system for a vehicle with wireless communication components for integrating terrestrial tuner information, the vehicle comprising: a head unit; a processor to operate in the head unit; a vehicle projection stack to operate on the processor; a wireless communication component in the head unit to enable wireless communication to a user mobile device located inside a vehicle interior; a terrestrial tuner communicatively coupled to the vehicle projection stack to receive a terrestrial signal from a terrestrial source; and an audio driver to provide an audio signal to the vehicle interior where the audio signal is from at least one of the terrestrial signal and an internet signal received at the vehicle projection stack through the wireless communication component connecting the head unit to the user mobile device located inside the vehicle interior; and

wherein the head unit, in response to a signal received from a content application on the user mobile device, instructs the terrestrial tuner to reestablish the terrestrial signal in response to a linked service to the internet signal failing to reach an audio quality threshold at the audio driver.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the terrestrial signal is a signal from frequency modulation (FM) radio, amplitude modulation (AM) radio, simulcast radio, satellite radio, digital radio mondiale (DRM), or digital audio broadcasting (DAB) radio.

17 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the vehicle projection stack provides radio station identification information to the user mobile device.

18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the vehicle projection stack instructs the head unit to display supplemental information provided by the user mobile device, the supplemental information corresponding to the radio station identification information provided to the user mobile device.

Assignments (3)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE SUPPORTIVE DOCUMENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 72222 FRAME 267. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Sep 23, 2025
From: PANASONIC CORPORATION OF NORTH AMERICA
To: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS AMERICA, LLC.
Reel/Frame 072930/0871 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 31, 2025
From: PANASONIC CORPORATION OF NORTH AMERICA
To: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS AMERICA, LLC
Reel/Frame 072222/0267 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 27, 2023
From: JAISIMHA, SHREE; KRISHNAN PADMAKUMAR, ARUN; COOK, NICHOLAS
To: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS COMPANY OF AMERICA, DIVISION OF PANASONIC CORPORATION OF NORTH AMERICA
Reel/Frame 064084/0297 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 17519619 · Nov 5, 2021
Provisional Application 63111680 · Nov 10, 2020
Related Publication 20230353267A1 · Nov 2, 2023
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