Method and apparatus for vehicular travel assistance

• US 10,006,778 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2016
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Perkins, William Paul, Miller, Kenneth James, Kelley, David B., Kapadia, Jimmy
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US15/349,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20180136003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3685 the POI's being parking facilities

Abstract

A system includes a processor programmed to send first and second recommended routes to a wireless device in response receiving a present vehicle location stored when the vehicle was parked and also a received destination and departure time. The first recommended route is based on travel-time factors corresponding to the destination and departure time and specified routing and timing preferences. The second recommended route is based on a calculated alternative departure time using the specified preferences.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor programmed to;

send first and second recommended routes to a wireless device in response receiving a present vehicle location stored when a vehicle was parked, and a received destination and departure time, the first recommended route based on travel-time factors corresponding to the destination and departure time and specified routing and timing preferences, and the second recommended route based on a calculated alternative departure time using the specified preferences.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the travel-time factors include weather.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to access a weather report to obtain weather predictions for the received departure time and the alternative departure time.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the travel-time factors include traffic.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to access a traffic database including historic traffic conditions to predict traffic conditions at the received departure time and the calculated alternative departure time.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is located in a vehicle and is configured to send the first and second recommended routes even if the vehicle is not otherwise powered up.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is located remotely from the vehicle and wherein the processor receives the destination and departure time from the vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a preferred route and/or the departure time from the wireless device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to send an arrival time or travel time to the wireless device for the preferred route using the received departure time and the travel-time factors.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to repeatedly calculate the travel time based on the received departure time and most recently received travel-time factors at predefined intervals after sending the first and second recommended routes.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein, the processor is configured to:

in response to the travel time increasing by more than a threshold, calculate a new alternative departure time and a third recommended route based on the specified preferences; and

send the new alternative departure time and the third route to the wireless device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the specified preferences designate a shortest distance.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the specified preferences designate a shortest travel time.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the specified preferences designate a least fuel-consuming route.

15. A computer-implemented method comprising:

responsive to definition of a destination and a preferred departure time, and at predefined time intervals between a present time and the preferred departure time, calculating a projected travel time for a driver-selected route to the destination; and

responsive to the calculated projected travel time increasing by more than a predetermined threshold over an initial projected travel time, recommending an alternative departure time, calculated to result in a shorter travel time to the destination.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the projected travel time and shorter travel time are calculated based on travel-time factors.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the travel-time factors include a projected effect of present traffic conditions on travel time at the preferred departure time and the alternative departure time.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the travel-time factors include projected traffic conditions at the preferred departure time and the alternative departure time, based on historic traffic conditions.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the travel-time affecting environmental factors include an effect of projected weather conditions on travel time at the preferred departure time and the alternative departure time.

20. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

wirelessly receive, from a vehicle, a plurality of recommended departure times and corresponding projected travel times to a destination confirmed by a user;

display the recommended departure times and corresponding projected travel times in a user-selectable manner;

receive selection of a recommended departure time as a preferred departure time; and

transmit the selected recommended departure time to the vehicle.