Vehicle information system

• US 6,621,452 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2002
• Issued: 09/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens VDO Automotive Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Brown, Steven, Knockeart, Ronald P., Jozefowicz, Paul A., Asher, Harry, Rode, Melvin A., Drury, Bob
• Primary Examiner(s): Blum, Theodore M.
• Application Number:
  US10/246,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20030018428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 362 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 342/357.07, 342/357.13, 701/214
• US Class Current: 342/357.31
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA

Abstract

A vehicle information system which includes an in-vehicle system 105 and a centralized server system 120. The in-vehicle system communicates with the server system using a wireless communication link 110, such as over a cellular telephone system. A position system, such as a set of GPS satellites 140, provides positioning signals that are used by the in-vehicle systems, and optionally by the centralized server system to increase the accuracy of position estimates. In one version of the system, an operator specifies a destination to an in-vehicle system which validates the destination. The in-vehicle system transmits specification of the destination to a server system 125 at the centralized server. The server system computes a route to the destination and transmits the computed route to the in-vehicle system. The in-vehicle system guides the operator along the route. If the in-vehicle system detects that the vehicle has deviated from the planned route, it replans a new route to the destination using an in-vehicle map database.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving information at a mobile system comprising:

providing a mobile database in the mobile system for storing information related to validity of location specifications;

accepting a location specification from a user of the mobile system;

determining if the accepted location specification is valid, including validating the location specification by accessing data from the mobile database; and

if the accepted location specification is valid,

transmitting the validated location specification in an information request sent from the mobile system to a server system, and

receiving at the mobile system from the server system information related to the location specification sent to the server system.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising establishing a wireless communication session between the mobile system and the server system for transmitting and receiving data between said systems.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein establishing the communication session occurs after validating the location specification and before transmitting the validated specification to the server system.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising terminating the communication session after receiving the information related to the location specification.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

determining if the location specification is valid includes determining a specification of a destination location; and

receiving the information related to the location specification includes receiving data characterizing a route through a road network to the destination location.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising, at the server system, computing the route through the road network.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein computing the route includes accessing data in a server database related to available routes through the road network.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein mobile system does not include data sufficient to compute the route through the road network.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein validating the location specification using data from the mobile database includes determining whether the server system includes data sufficient to compute the route to the specified location.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising receiving data from the server system to update the mobile database to maintain consistent with data in the mobile database and at the server system for computing routes.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

providing the mobile database includes providing data related to validity of address numbers for each of a plurality of streets;

accepting the location specification includes accepting a specification of a street and accepting an address number; and

validating the location specification includes determining whether the accepted address number is valid using the accessed data related to the validity of address numbers for the specified street.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein:

providing data related to validity of address numbers includes providing data specifying a valid range of numbers; and

determining whether the accepted address number is valid includes determining whether said address number is the valid range of numbers.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein:

providing the mobile database includes providing data related to validity of address numbers includes providing data characterizing a plurality of valid streets;

accepting the location specification includes accepting a specification of a street; and

validating the location specification includes determining whether the accepted specification of the street corresponds to one of the plurality of valid streets.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein:

providing the mobile database includes providing data characterizing pairs of intersecting street;

accepting the location specification includes accepting specifications of each of a pair of streets; and

validating the location specification includes determining whether the accepted specifications of the pair of streets corresponds to one of the pairs of intersecting streets.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein one or both of the specifications of the pairs of streets ambiguously identify multiple streets, and wherein validating the location specification includes determining whether any of the pairs taken from the multiple streets corresponds to one of the pairs of intersecting streets.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein at least one of the specifications that ambiguously identifies multiple streets specifies a street name and the multiple streets include streets in different localities with the same street name.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein accepting the location specification includes presenting to the user identifications of multiple of the pairs of intersecting streets that correspond to the accepted specifications of pairs of streets, and accepting a selection from the user of one of the presented pairs of intersecting streets.

18. Software stored on a computer readable medium comprising instructions for causing a computer to perform functions comprising:

accessing a mobile database in a mobile system related to validity of location specifications;

accepting a location specification from a user of the mobile system;

determining if the accepted location specification is valid, including validating the location specification using data from the mobile database; and

if the accepted location specification is valid,

transmitting the validated location specification in an information request sent from the mobile system to a server system, and

receiving at the mobile system from the server system information related to the location specification sent to the server system.

19. A method for retrieving information at a mobile system comprising:

providing a mobile database in the mobile system related to validity of location specifications, including providing data characterizing a plurality of categories of destinations;

accepting from a user of the mobile system a selected category from the plurality of categories;

transmitting the selected category from the mobile system to a server system;

receiving at the mobile system from the server data characterizing a plurality of locations associated with the destinations from the selected category;

accepting from the user a specification of one of the plurality of locations;

transmitting an identification of the accepted location specification from the mobile system to the server system, and

receiving at the mobile system from the server system information related to the location specification sent to the server system.

20. Software stored on a computer readable medium comprising instructions for causing a computer to perform functions comprising:

accessing a mobile database in a mobile system for storing information related to validity of location specifications, including providing data characterizing a plurality of categories of destinations;

accepting from a user of the mobile system a selected category from the plurality of categories;

transmitting the selected category from the mobile system to a server system;

receiving at the mobile system from the server data characterizing a plurality of locations associated with the destinations from the selected category;

accepting from the user a specification of one of the plurality of locations;

transmitting an identification of the accepted location specification from the mobile system to the server system, and

receiving at the mobile system from the server system information related to the location specification sent to the server system.

21. A system for retrieving information at a mobile system comprising:

a mobile database in the mobile system for storing information related to validity of location specifications, including providing data characterizing a plurality of categories of destinations;

means for accepting from a user of the mobile system a selected category from the plurality of categories;

means for transmitting the selected category from the mobile system to a server system;

means for receiving at the mobile system from the server data characterizing a plurality of locations associated with the destinations from the selected category;

means for accepting from the user a specification of one of the plurality of locations;

means for transmitting an identification of the accepted location specification from the mobile system to the server system, and

means for receiving at the mobile system from the server system information related to the location specification sent to the server system.