Method for determining vehicle location

• US 20060080036A1
• Filed: 10/07/2004
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Stefan, Jeffrey M.
• Application Number:
  US10/960,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20060080036A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/300
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2081 combined with personal settings of other vehicle devices, e.g. mirrors, seats, steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates

Abstract

A method for determining a vehicle location includes receiving location inputs from at least one location indicator. The method includes determining a quality indicator for each location input and determining the vehicle location based on the quality indicator determination.

Claims

1. A method for determining a vehicle location, the method comprising:

receiving location inputs from at least one location indicators;

determining a quality indicator for each of the location indicators; and

selecting at least one location indicators responsive to said quality indicators; and

determining the vehicle location based on the selected location indicators.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing a location alert corresponding to a failed quality indicator.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising determining the vehicle location based on the stored location alert.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the location inputs are received in a telematics unit.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the vehicle location comprises filtering the sensor data.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein filtering the sensor data comprises filtering the sensor data using a Kalman filter.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the location indicator is at least one of vehicle speed, electronic compass headings, and differential wheel speed.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing a location alert corresponding to the failed quality indicator; and

sending the stored location alert to a call center using a wireless network.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a location alert from a call center via a wireless network; and

wherein selecting at least one location input is based on the received location alert.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a quality indicator comprises receiving a dilution of precision signal;

and

comparing the dilution of precision signal to a threshold value.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the location sensors comprises querying a vehicle bus.

24. The method of claim 2 wherein the location alert includes information selected from the group consisting of time of day, vehicle location vehicle speed, vehicle acceleration, and differential wheel speed.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the vehicle location based on the quality indicators comprises switching a GPS unit sensor out of the determination of vehicle location.

7. A computer readable medium storing a computer program for assisting in locating a vehicle, the medium including computer readable code comprising:

computer readable code for receiving location inputs from at least one location indicators;

computer readable code for determining a quality indicator for each location indicator;

computer readable code for selecting at least one location indicators responsive to said quality indicators; and

computer readable code for determining the vehicle location based on the selected location indicators.

8. The medium of claim 7 further comprising computer readable code for storing a location alert corresponding to a failed quality indicator.

9. The medium of claim 7 further computer readable code for determining the vehicle location based on the stored location alert.

10. The medium of claim 7 wherein the location inputs are received in a telematics unit.

11. The medium of claim 7 wherein computer readable code for determining the vehicle location comprises computer readable code for filtering the sensor data.

12. The medium of claim 11 wherein the computer readable code for filtering the sensor data comprises a Kalman filter.

13. A system for assisting in locating a vehicle, the system comprising:

means for receiving location inputs from at least one location indicators;

means for determining a quality indicator for each location indicator;

means for selecting at least one location indicators responsive to said quality indicators; and

means for determining the vehicle location based on the selected location indicators at last one

14. (canceled)

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18. (canceled)