Mobile Device Communicating With Motor Vehicle System

• US 20150046022A1
• Filed: 08/09/2013
• Published: 02/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Bai, Sue, Miucic, Radovan
• Granted Patent: US 9,508,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/31.5
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means

Abstract

A vehicle system is in communication with a mobile device. The vehicle system receives information from the mobile device and determines the quality of the information. If the quality of the information is acceptable, the vehicle system may use the information from the mobile device. In addition, the quality of the information may be used to determine if the information should be sent to other vehicles.

Claims

1. A vehicle system for a motor vehicle comprising:

an electronic control unit configured for installation and use as part of a motor vehicle;

an onboard navigation system;

an interface configured for enabling communication between the navigation system and a mobile device; and

a computer-readable medium in communication with the electronic control unit having stored thereon computer-readable instructions for instructing the electronic control unit to perform actions comprising;

receiving information from the mobile device;

evaluating the quality of the information; and

integrating the mobile device with the navigation system for receiving further information from the mobile device.

2. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions for instructing the electronic control unit to perform actions further comprise:

transmitting information from the mobile device to another vehicle via vehicle-to-vehicle communications.

3. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions for instructing the electronic control unit to perform actions further comprise:

considering the information to be acceptable if the information meets a quality threshold.

4. The vehicle system according to claim 3, wherein the quality threshold includes the information from the mobile device substantially matching current map information associated with the onboard navigation system.

5. The vehicle system according to claim 4, wherein the quality threshold includes a match between data point locations of the information from the mobile device and data point locations of the map data within a predetermined distance.

6. The vehicle system according to claim 4, wherein the map information includes data for mapped objects and sensor feedback information for mapped objects sensed by the navigation system.

7. The vehicle system according to claim 6, wherein the quality threshold includes data point locations of the information from the mobile device matching data point locations of the map data and sensed object information.

8. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein evaluating the quality of the information from the mobile device includes performing error analysis calculations for the information from the mobile device.

9. The vehicle system according to claim 8, wherein performing location information error analysis calculations includes performing error computations selected from the group consisting of:

user equivalent range error calculations (UERE), position dilution of precision calculations (PDOP), geometric dilution of precision computations (GDOP), interference calculations, and receiver autonomous integrity monitoring calculations (RAIM).

10. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the further information received from the mobile device is used to augment navigation information from the onboard navigation system.

11. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein integrating the mobile device with the navigation system for receiving further information from the mobile device includes setting the further information as a primary source of information over information from the onboard navigation system.

12. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions for instructing the electronic control unit to perform actions further comprise:

computing a mobile device validity and quality rating for the information from the mobile device;

computing an onboard validity and quality rating for information from the onboard navigation system;

comparing the validity and quality rating of the information from the mobile device with the validity and quality rating of the information from the onboard navigation system; and

setting the mobile device as the primary source for information over the onboard navigation system when the validity and quality rating of the information from the mobile device is higher than the validity and quality rating of the information from the onboard navigation system.

13. A method for providing navigation information for a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

automatically sensing the presence of a mobile device proximate a motor vehicle;

establishing communications between an onboard navigation system of the motor vehicle and the mobile device;

receiving information from the mobile device;

evaluating the quality of the information from the mobile device;

using the information from the mobile device to augment the operation of the onboard navigation system if the quality of the information from the mobile device is determined to be acceptable; and

preventing the onboard navigation system from using the information from the mobile device if the quality of the information from the mobile device is determined to be unacceptable.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

considering the information from the mobile device to be acceptable if it meets a quality threshold.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the validity threshold is determined by comparing the information from the mobile device with map information associated with the onboard navigation system.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the information from the mobile device is used as a primary source of information over the onboard navigation system when the quality of information from the mobile device is greater than a quality of information determined for the onboard navigation system.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the information from the mobile device is map information.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein the information from the mobile device is image information.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein the motor vehicle is capable of communicating the information from the mobile device to another vehicle.

20. A method for providing navigation information for a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

establishing communications between an onboard navigation system of the motor vehicle and the mobile device;

receiving initial information from the mobile device;

evaluating the quality of the initial information from the mobile device;

sending additional information from the mobile device to another vehicle if the quality of the initial information is acceptable; and

preventing any information from the mobile device from being sent to the other vehicle if the quality of the initial information is unacceptable.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the initial information is navigation information.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein the initial information is image information.

23. The method according to claim 20, wherein the initial information is weather information.

24. The method according to claim 20, wherein the initial information is traffic information.

25. The method according to claim 20, wherein sending the additional information to the other vehicle occurs over a vehicle-to-vehicle communication network.

26. The method according to claim 20, wherein additional information is sent by way of the mobile device.