VOICE FALLBACK STRATEGY FOR VEHICLE ORIGINATED CELLULAR COMMUNICATION TO A CALL CENTER

• US 20100167702A1
• Filed: 12/29/2008
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Madhavan, Sethu K., Yi, Ki Hak
• Granted Patent: US 8,295,816 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2227 Quality of service monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/18 Management of setup rejection or failure

Abstract

A system and method for making vehicle originated calls to a telematics service provider or other call center. The method includes identifying a call type associated with a desired wireless communication of speech or data to the call center, and then carrying out one of a number of different call connection processes depending on the call type. For voice channel cellular connections, an in-band modem cellular connection is preferably established in most instances using a connection retry strategy that includes primary, secondary, and possibly tertiary connection attempts. The system and method can be carried out in connection with various cellular system technologies, but is especially suited for use with GSM systems.

Claims

1. A connection method for use by a vehicle telematics unit to establish a wireless telephone connection between the telematics unit and a call center, comprising the steps of:

(a) attempting origination of a voice channel cellular connection between the telematics unit and call center using one or more connection methods;

(b) establishing a modem data connection between the telematics unit and call center if the origination is successful; and

(c) if the origination is unsuccessful, then attempting origination of a voice channel cellular connection for communication of speech between the telematics unit and call center using a base station to which the telematics unit has previously successfully attached.

2. A connection method as defined in claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises attempting origination of the voice channel cellular call using a plurality of different connection strategies attempted serially until either the origination is successful or all of the connection strategies have been attempted without the origination being successful.

3. A connection method as defined in claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises connecting the originated voice channel cellular connection to an advisor at the call center.

4. A connection method as defined in claim 1, wherein, if the attempted origination in step (c) is unsuccessful, then the method further comprises the step of carrying out a connection strategy involving attempted origination of a voice channel cellular call over any of a number of available base stations using a manual network selection mode.

5. A connection method as defined in claim 4, wherein the step of carrying out a connection strategy further comprises carrying out the connection strategy only after determining that a retry of the connection is desired.

6. A connection method for use by a vehicle telematics unit to establish a wireless telephone connection between the telematics unit and a call center, comprising the steps of:

receiving an input at a telematics unit in a vehicle, the input being associated with a desired wireless communication of speech or data from the vehicle to a call center;

if the desired wireless communication is of data, then carrying out a call connection strategy involving a plurality of different connection methods, each of which includes the steps of attempting origination of a voice channel cellular connection via an attached base station and, once an originated voice channel cellular connection is made, establishing a modem data connection between the telematics unit and call center over the originated connection; and

if the desired wireless communication is of speech, then attempting origination of a voice channel cellular connection for communication of speech between the telematics unit and call center without using the primary, secondary, or tertiary connection attempts.

7. A connection method as defined in claim 6, wherein the receiving step further comprises receiving an input at the telematics unit requesting a collision or emergency call.

8. A connection method as defined in claim 7, wherein if the attempted origination is unsuccessful, then the method further comprises the step of carrying out a connection strategy involving attempted origination of a voice channel cellular call over any of a number of available base stations using a manual network selection mode.