Navigation system with voice controlled presentation of secondary information

• US 20060041379A1
• Filed: 08/04/2005
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Christian Brulle-Drews
• Original Assignee: Christian Brulle-Drews
• Inventors: Brulle-Drews, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 7,472,020 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00

Abstract

A navigation system for a vehicle is disclosed, where the navigation system operates in a route planning mode and a route guidance mode. The navigation system employs an interface device that provides route guidance information to a user during the route guidance mode. The route guidance information provided through the interface device may be audible and/or visual, as through a voice and/or visual indicia on a display screen. The navigation system also comprises a voice control system that responds to vocal commands issued by the user. In response to user vocal commands, the navigation system uses the interface device to provide the user with secondary information relating to a planned route. This secondary information may include, for example, locations and items that are ancillary to principal route guidance functions, such as special locations, map topography, environmental information, and the like.

Claims

1. A navigation system for a vehicle comprising:

an interface device for providing route planning and route guidance information to a user; and

a voice control system that responds to vocal commands issued by the user to provide the user with secondary information through the interface device.

2. The navigation system of claim 1 where the interface device comprises a display screen.

3. The navigation system of claim 2 where the interface device further comprises a map that is displayed on the display screen.

4. The navigation system of claim 3 where the secondary information is provided to the user as one or more icon on the map.

5. The navigation system of claim 1 where the secondary information comprises special location classes.

6. The navigation system of claim 5 where the special location classes comprise classes selected from the group consisting of police stations, hospitals, fire stations, gas stations, service stations, parking garages, hotels, train stations, airports, ports, schools, and cultural institutions.

7. The navigation system of claim 5 where the voice control system is responsive to one or more vocal commands to select a special location from one or more special locations provided to the user.

8. The navigation system of claim 5 where special locations of at least one special location class are indexed when provided to the user on the interface device.

9. The navigation system of claim 1 where the interface device comprises a display screen on which a map is displayed, where the secondary information comprises one or more special location classes, and where the provision of special locations of a special location class comprises display of symbolic representations corresponding to the special locations on the map.

10. The navigation system of claim 9 where special locations of at least one special location class are indexed when provided to the user on the interface device.

11. The navigation system of claim 10 where the voice control system is responsive to one or more vocal commands to select a special location from one or more special locations provided to the user using the index for the special location.

12. The navigation system of claim 11 where the navigation system modifies route guidance information provided to the user in response to selection of the special location.

13. The navigation system of claim 12 where the navigation system uses the special location as an endpoint destination.

14. The navigation system of claim 12 where the navigation system uses the special location as a transit destination.

15. The navigation system of claim 1 where the voice control system operates in a voice reception mode and a voice rejection mode.

16. The navigation system of claim 15 and further comprising a manual switch to control whether the voice control system is in the voice reception mode or the voice rejection mode.

17. The navigation system of claim 15 where the voice control system is responsive to one or more vocal commands to switch between the voice reception mode and the voice rejection mode.

18. The navigation system of claim 17 where the voice rejection mode is a standby mode of operation.

19. The navigation system of claim 7 where the voice control system automatically enters a voice rejection mode after user selection of the special location.

20. The navigation system of claim 1 and further comprising a storage unit for storing at least one user vocal profile.

21. A navigation system for a vehicle, where the navigation system operates in a route planning mode and a route guidance mode, the navigation system comprising:

a map display providing route guidance information to a user during the route guidance mode; and

a voice control system that responds to vocal commands issued by the user during the route guidance mode to display symbols on the map display, where the symbols correspond to secondary information audibly selected using the vocal commands.

22. The navigation system of claim 21 where the secondary information comprises special location classes.

23. The navigation system of claim 22 where the special location classes comprise classes selected from the group consisting of police stations, hospitals, fire stations, gas stations, service stations, parking garages, hotels, train stations, airports, ports, schools, and cultural institutions.

24. The navigation system of claim 22 where the voice control system is responsive to one or more vocal commands to select a special location from one or more special locations provided on the map display.

25. The navigation system of claim 22 where special locations of the special location classes are indexed on the map display.

26. The navigation system of claim 25 where the voice control system is responsive to one or more vocal commands that include the index to select a special location.

27. The navigation system of claim 24 where the navigation system modifies route guidance information provided on the map display in response to selection of the special location.

28. The navigation system of claim 27 where the navigation system uses the special location as an endpoint destination.

29. The navigation system of claim 27 where the navigation system uses the special location as a transit destination.

30. The navigation system of claim 21 where the voice control system operates in a voice reception mode and a voice rejection mode.

31. The navigation system of claim 30 and further comprising a manual switch to control whether the voice control system is in the voice reception mode or the voice rejection mode.

32. The navigation system of claim 30 where the voice control system is responsive to one or more vocal commands to switch between the voice reception mode and the voice rejection mode.

33. A navigation system for a vehicle, where the navigation system operates in a route planning mode and a route guidance mode, the navigation system comprising:

a map display providing route guidance information to a user during the route guidance mode;

a voice control system that responds to vocal commands issued by the user during the route guidance mode to display indexed symbols on the map display, where the indexed symbols correspond to one or more special locations in one or more special location classes, where the special location classes are audibly selected using the vocal commands, and where the voice control system is responsive to one or more further vocal commands that include the index to select a special location for further processing by the navigation system.

34. The navigation system of claim 33 where the further processing comprises modifying navigation route guidance information provided on the map display in response to selection of the special location.

35. The navigation system of claim 34 where the navigation system uses the special location as an endpoint destination.

36. The navigation system of claim 34 where the navigation system uses the special location as a transit destination.

37. The navigation system of claim 33 where the further processing comprises providing general information relating to the special location to the user.

38. The navigation system of claim 37 where the general information is provided audibly to the user.

39. The navigation system of claim 37 where the general information comprises information selected from the group consisting of hours of operation, telephone number, and pricing.

40. The navigation system of claim 33 where the special location classes comprise classes selected from the group consisting of police stations, hospitals, fire stations, gas stations, service stations, parking garages, hotels, train stations, airports, ports, schools, and cultural institutions.