Method for operating a navigation system for motor vehicles

• US 6,178,378 B1
• Filed: 04/30/1999
• Issued: 01/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Leibold, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US09/302,502
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/202, 701/204, 701/208, 701/209, 701/210, 731/78.R, 340/988, 340/990, 340/994, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/202
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3423 Multimodal routing, i.e. combining two or more modes of transportation, where the modes can be any of, e.g. driving, walking, cycling, public transport
• 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

Abstract

A method of operating a navigation system for motor vehicles in which a location and a destination are entered through an input device and transmitted by mobile radio to a central navigation computer, and a travel route is transmitted to the mobile radio with inclusion of route network data and traffic-related additional information by the navigation computer, comprising the steps of: receiving the location, the destination and a desired arrival time at the input device; transmitting the location, the destination and the desired arrival time to the navigation computer; computing a trip starting time based on route network data and transportation traffic data; and outputting a trip start or wake-up call to one of (a) a mobile radio and (b) a telephone number for the purpose of communicating trip starting time for travel from the location to the destination.

Claims

1. A method of operating a navigation system for motor vehicles in which a location and a destination are entered through an input device and transmitted by mobile radio to a central navigation computer, and a travel route is transmitted to the mobile radio with inclusion of route network data and traffic-related additional information by the navigation computer, comprising the steps of:

receiving the location, the destination and a desired arrival time at the input device;

transmitting the location, the destination and the desired arrival time to the navigation computer;

computing a trip starting time based on route network data and transportation traffic data; and

outputting a trip start or wake-up call to at least one of (a) the mobile radio, (b) a telephone number, and (c) an additional radio unit for the purpose of communicating trip starting time for travel from the location to the destination.

2. A method of operating a navigation system for motor vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the trip start or wake-up call is made a predetermined time before the trip starting time.

3. A method of operating a navigation system for motor vehicles according to claim 1, wherein connections to public transportation means are also entered at the input device, and wherein current problems in the operation of said public transportation means are included in the determination of the time of the trip start or wake-up call.

4. A method of operating a navigation system for motor vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the central navigation computer when calculating the trip starting time makes use of current and predicted traffic information and weather expected during the trip.

5. A method of operating a navigation system for motor vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the input device is one of (a) the mobile radio or telephone and through it the input information for the navigation computer is transmitted verbally, and (b) a terminal from which the input information is transmitted directly as data to the navigation computer.