Motor vehicle navigation system that receives route information from a central unit

• US 20020091486A1
• Filed: 09/12/2001
• Published: 07/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ruf, Michael, Hubschneider, Hans
• Granted Patent: US 6,853,915 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• 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: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data

Abstract

A vehicle route between an instantaneous location and a destination is calculated, such that data about the instantaneous location and the destination are determined in the vehicle as data (A) about the current route, traffic information data are delivered from a central traffic information data memory to a traffic network, the delivered traffic information data are used to calculate the route in the traffic network between the instantaneous location and the destination location, the data of the calculated route and the data about the current route are made available to the driver, characterized in that the data about the current route are transmitted from the vehicle to the central traffic information data memory, and, as the response to the transmission of data (A), traffic information data are delivered about the current route.

Claims

1. A method for calculating a route for a vehicle between an instantaneous location and a destination location, such that

data about the instantaneous location and the destination location are determined in the vehicle as data (A) about the current route,

traffic information data are delivered from a central traffic information data memory (11) to a traffic network,

the delivered traffic information data are used to calculate the route in the traffic network between the instantaneous location and the destination location,

the data of the calculated route and the data about the current route are made available to the driver,

characterized in that the data about the current route are transmitted from the vehicle (3) to the central traffic information data memory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, as the response to the transmission of data, traffic information data (A) about the current route are delivered from the central traffic information data memory to the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, data about previous driving routes are transmitted to the central traffic information data memory.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein supplementary information data are transmitted to the central traffic information data memory.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein data about the current route and the data about the calculated route are compared and, if these data differ, this is indicated to the driver.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein transmission of the data to the traffic information data memory is initiated manually.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein transmission of the data to the traffic information data memory is initiated automatically.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein a transmission manager initiates and allows a limited number of further inquiries automatically, following an inquiry to the traffic information memory.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein data are transmitted cyclically to the traffic information data memory.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein data are transmitted to the traffic information data memory at fixed prescribed location points.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the data (A) about the current route and the data about the calculated route are compared and that if the current route differs from the calculated route, the data (A) are transmitted to the traffic information data memory.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the route is calculated in the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the route is calculated at the site of the central traffic information data memory.

14. The method claim 12, wherein the data are transmitted by the WAP, HTTP, TCP/IP protocol or a similar protocol.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the GSM, GPRS, UMTS, or a similar transmission method is used.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein that higher-grade telematic services are included.

17. A system for implementing the method of claim 1, with a central unit, comprising a central traffic information data memory, a control unit, and a communication device to receive and transmit data from and to a vehicle unit, comprising a communication device for receiving and transmitting data from and to the central unit, a unit to detect traffic conditions, a navigation unit, and a transmission manager to control the reception and transmission of the data (A, B, C, D, E, F, G).

18. A navigation unit in a vehicle with control elements to enter navigation data into a navigation computer, characterized in that, when at least one of the control elements is activated, it initiates the transmission of data about the current route of the vehicle to the central traffic information data memory, as mentioned in one of the above claims.