Vehicle information system

• US 20030055542A1
• Filed: 09/19/2002
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Automotive Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Brown, Steven, Knockeart, Ronald P., Jozefowicz, Paul A., Asher, Harry, Rode, Melvin A., Drury, Bob
• Granted Patent: US 6,639,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• 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 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA

Abstract

A vehicle information system which includes an in-vehicle system 105 and a centralized server system 120. The in-vehicle system communicates with the server system using a wireless communication link 110, such as over a cellular telephone system. A position system, such as a set of GPS satellites 140, provides positioning signals that are used by the in-vehicle systems, and optionally by the centralized server system to increase the accuracy of position estimates. In one version of the system, an operator specifies a destination to an in-vehicle system which validates the destination. The in-vehicle system transmits specification of the destination to a server system 125 at the centralized server. The server system computes a route to the destination and transmits the computed route to the in-vehicle system. The in-vehicle system guides the operator along the route. If the in-vehicle system detects that the vehicle has deviated from the planned route, it replans a new route to the destination using an in-vehicle map database.

Claims

1. A method for vehicle navigation comprising:

maintaining a storage for user-specific information for each of a plurality of users at a server computer system;

accepting information from one or more users and storing said information in the storage; and

providing navigation information from the server computer system to the users at locations remote from the server computer system using the information that was accepted from said users.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein accepting the information includes accepting user preference information.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein providing navigation information to a user includes determining said navigation information according to the user preference information.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein determining the navigation information includes determining a route through a road network.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the user preference information includes information related to roads in the road network.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the information related to roads in the road network includes information related to roads that the user prefers to avoid.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the user preference information includes information characterizing a tradeoff between time savings and particular roads in the road network.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein providing navigation information to the user includes communicating said information to an in-vehicle system.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein communicating the information to the in-vehicle system includes passing the user-specific information to the in-vehicle system.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein accepting the information includes accepting information from a user related to one or more destinations.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein providing the navigation information to the user includes communicating information between the server computer system and an in-vehicle system.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein providing the navigation information further includes passing the information related to the one or more destinations to the in-vehicle system.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the information related to the destinations includes specifications of locations of said destinations.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the information related to the destinations includes routes through a road network to said destinations

15. The method of claim 11 wherein providing the navigation information includes accepting a selection from the user through the in-vehicle system of a particular one of the destinations.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein providing the navigation information includes planning a route at the server computer system to the selected destination.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein providing the navigation information further includes communicating the planned route to the in-vehicle system.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein communicating the planned route to the in-vehicle system includes passing data characterizing the planned route from the server computer system to the in-vehicle system.

19. The method of claim 10 wherein the information related to one or more destinations includes a specification of a route to one of the destinations.

20. The method of claim 10 wherein the information related to the one or more destinations includes a desired arrival time at one of the destinations.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein providing navigation information includes notifying the user of a departure time based on the desired arrival time.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein providing navigation information further includes computing the departure time using an estimated travel time to the destination.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein providing navigation information includes notifying the user at a time based on the desired arrival time.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein providing navigation information includes notifying the user according to an estimated travel time to the destination.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein notifying the user includes notifying the user prior to a required departure time to reach the destination by the desired arrival time.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein notifying the user includes notifying the user over a communication system.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein notifying the user over a communication system includes notifying the user over a paging system.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein notifying the user over a communication system includes notifying the user over a telephone communication system.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein accepting the information includes accepting said information over a communication network.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein accepting the information over a communication network includes accepting said information over a data communication network.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein accepting the information over a data communication network includes accepting the information over the Internet.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein accepting the information includes providing a graphical interface to a user.

33. The method of claim 29 wherein accepting the information over a communication network includes accepting said information over a telephone communication network.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein accepting the information includes using a speech recognition device to interpret signals received over the telephone communication system.

35. Software stored on computer readable media comprising instructions for causing a computer system to:

maintain a storage for user-specific information for each of a plurality of users at a server computer system;

accept information from one or more users and store said information in the storage; and

provide navigation information from the server computer system to the users at locations remote from the server computer system using the information that was accepted from said users.

36. A vehicle navigation system comprising:

means for maintaining a storage for user-specific information for each of a plurality of users at a server computer system;

means for accepting information from one or more users and for storing said information in the storage; and

means for providing navigation information from the server computer system to the users at locations remote from the server computer system using the information that was accepted from said users.