Portable driver information device

• US 6,622,083 B1
• Filed: 06/01/2000
• Issued: 09/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens VDO Automotive Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Drury, Robert L., Knockeart, Ronald P., Asher, Harry, Rode, Melvin A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gibson, Eric M
• Application Number:
  US09/585,384
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 701/202, 701/35, 709/203, 705/6
• US Class Current: 701/202
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3688 Systems comprising multiple parts or multiple output devices (not client-server), e.g. detachable faceplates, key fobs or multiple output screens
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096888 where input information is obtained using learning systems, e.g. history databases
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station

Abstract

A system and method for making use of a removable device, such as a PDA, cellphone or similar device, in conjunction with a driver information system. The removable device is brought to a vehicle and data in the removable device is transferred to the vehicle. This data can be data that is normally stored in the removable device, such as contact data, or it can be data that the operator has selected and loaded into the removable device for transport to the vehicle, for instance to update the vehicle information system. Data can also be transferred from the vehicle to external systems by transporting it in the removable device.

Claims

1. A vehicle driver information system comprising:

an on-board computer; and

a communication interface for removably coupling a portable device to the on-board computer;

wherein the on-board compute is programmed to selectively access records of a database stored in the portable device that is coupled to the on-board computer through the communication interface, to display information on said portable device, and to accept us inputs from said portable device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication interface includes a wireless communication interface for communicating between the portable device and the on-board computer over a wireless communication channel.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the on-board computer is further programmed to access navigation-related information on the portable device in response to user inputs for selecting a travel destination.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication interface includes a mechanical docking station for accepting the portable device.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the communication interface further includes configurable circuitry for adapting to communication with the portable device.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the mechanical docking station includes an adjustable portion for adapting to the portable device.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the on-board computer is programmed to access the information in the portable device without intervention of a user.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the on-board computer is programmed to access the information in the portable device by communicating with computer program executing on the portable device.

9. A method for vehicle navigation comprising:

coupling a portable device to an on-board computer, wherein prior to coupling to the on-board computer said portable device includes a database comprising a plurality of records each associated with a corresponding location;

determining a desired destination, including executing an application on the portable device to selectively access a particular one of the records of the database, and transferring information from said record to the on-board computer;

determining a route to the corresponding location with which the particular one of the records is associated; and

guiding the vehicle to the desired destination according to the determined route.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein selectively accessing a particular one of the records of the database includes requesting said particular record by the on-board computer and transferring the information from said record in response.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the database include a contact database.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein transferring the information from the record includes transferring an address.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein transferring the information from the record includes transferring a telephone number.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein determining the route to the corresponding location includes transmitting the information from the record from the on-board computer to a server system, and receiving the route to the desired destination from the server computer.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein transmitting the information and receiving the route include communicating over a wireless communication network.

16. A method for collecting travel information comprising:

coupling a portable device to an on-board computer in a vehicle;

transferring travel-related information from the on-board computer to the portable device, and storing said information in a storage in the portable device;

removing the portable device from the vehicle and coupling the portable device to a server,

transferring the travel-related information from the storage in the portable device to the server;

repeating the previous step multiple times;

combining the information transferred to the server on different of the repetitions; and

transferring information from the server to the portable device, said information based on the combining of the travel-related information previously transferred from the portable device to the server.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein repeating the steps includes repeating the steps for a particular operator of a vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the travel-related information includes traveled routes and combining the information includes determining travel information related to the traveled routes.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein determining travel information related to the traveled routes includes determining points of interest on said routes.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein repeating the steps includes repeating the steps for a plurality of vehicles.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein combining the information includes determining statistical data.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising planning a route using the statistical data.

23. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining traveled routes based on the travel-related information transferred to the server on different repetitions, wherein the information sent from the server to the portable device comprises information related to the traveled routes.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the information transferred from the server to the portable device comprises detailed information related to the traveled routes that were not previously available to the on-board computer.

25. The method of claim 16, further comprising transferring from the portable device to the on-board computer the information previously transferred from the server to the portable device.

26. A vehicle driver information system comprising:

an on-board computer; and

a communication interface for removably coupling a portable device to the on-board computer, the communication interface includes a mechanical docking station for accepting the portable device and configurable circuitry for adapting to communication with the portable device;

wherein the on-board computer is programmed to selectively access records of a database stored in the portable device that is coupled to the on-board computer through the communication interface.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the mechanical docking station includes an adjustable portion for adapting to the portable device.

28. A method comprising:

transferring vehicle-collected travel-related information from an on-board computer in a vehicle to a portable device and transferring the vehicle-collected travel-related information from the portable device to a server;

repeating the previous step at least twice;

processing the vehicle-collected travel-related information transferred to the server on different repetitions; and

transferring server-generated travel-related information from the server to the portable device based on the processing of the vehicle-collected travel-related information previously transferred to the server on different repetitions.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein processing the vehicle-collected travel-related information comprises determining a route more frequently traveled by the vehicle.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the server-generated travel-related information comprises information related to the route more frequently traveled by the vehicle that is more detailed than information previously accessible to the on-board computer.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the server-generated travel-related information comprises detailed roadway information near the frequently traveled route.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising transferring the server-generated travel-related information from the portable device to the on-board computer.