Systems and methods for output of information messages in a vehicle

• US 7,728,737 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2007
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Bachmaier, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood; Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US11/710,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20070200732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• Field of Search: 3409951-996, 4554561-4563, 701209-211, 701/213, 701/214
• US Class Current: 340/995.24
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality

Abstract

A method and system is provided for the output of an information message in a vehicle, whereby an information message is stored, the current location of the vehicle is determined, a driver of the vehicle triggers an assignment of a stored information message to a location, and the information message assigned to a location is automatically emitted when the vehicle is situated at this location.

Claims

1. A method for outputting an information message in a vehicle, the method comprising the acts of:

storing the information message for subsequent output;

determining a current location of the vehicle;

triggering, by a driver of the vehicle during a drive of the vehicle;

determining a location for the vehicle of the vehicle;

selecting a vehicle related criterion for the vehicle for automatically emitting the stored message, wherein the vehicle related criterion for the vehicle is one of a specified seat occupation of the vehicle and a fuel tank level of the vehicle being below a predefined level;

an assignment of the stored information message to the location and an assignment of the selected vehicle related criterion to the stored information message; and

automatically emitting the stored information message assigned to the location when the vehicle is situated at the location during a subsequent drive of the vehicle only when the selected vehicle related criterion is met.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the act of one of generating, entering and selecting the information message to be stored by a driver of the vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of triggering, by the driver of the vehicle, the assignment of the stored information message to the location is performed by the driver during a drive of the vehicle via actuation of an actuating element in the vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of triggering an assignment of the stored information message to a location is carried out by assigning the stored information message to the location, wherein the location is in a predefined local or time-related relationship with respect to a currently determined location of the vehicle at the triggering of the assignment, the assignment being triggered by the driver during the drive via actuation of an actuating element in the vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of triggering the assignment of the stored information message to a location is performed by assigning the information message to the location of the vehicle, which location is entered via an input device.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the act of triggering the assignment of the stored information message to a location is performed by assigning the information message to the location of the vehicle, which location is entered via an input device.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein storing the information message for subsequent output is performed by receiving a voice recording of content for the information message from the driver of the vehicle.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the receiving a voice recording includes starting a receiving device to receive the voice recording in response to an actuation of an actuating element in the vehicle, and

wherein triggering, by a driver of the vehicle of an assignment of the stored information message to the location is performed by triggering the assignment of the stored information message to the location in response to the same actuation of the actuating element.

7. A method for outputting an information message in a vehicle, the method comprising the acts of:

storing the information message for subsequent output;

determining a current location of the vehicle;

determining a driving direction of the vehicle;

triggering, by a driver of the vehicle during a drive of the vehicle the acts of;

determining a location for the vehicle of the vehicle; and

an assignment of the stored information message to the location and an assignment of the driving direction of the vehicle to the stored information message; and

automatically emitting the stored information message assigned to the location and the driving direction of the vehicle when the vehicle is situated at the location during a subsequent drive of the vehicle only when the vehicle is moving in the driving direction assigned to the stored information message.

8. A vehicle system, comprising:

a location determination device for determining a current location of a vehicle;

a storage device for storing an information message;

an input device for triggering, during a first drive of the vehicle a determination of a location for the vehicle, a determination of the driving direction of the vehicle, and an assignment of a stored information message to the driving direction of the vehicle during the first drive and to the determined location;

an output device for outputting an information message; and

a control device operatively configured to automatically emit the stored information message assigned to the location when the vehicle is situated at the location during subsequent drive of the vehicle only when the vehicle is moving in the same direction as the driving direction to which the information message is assigned.

9. The vehicle system according to claim 8, wherein the control device is operatively configured to assign the stored information message, based on an input from the input device, to a location which is in a predefined local or time-related relationship with respect to a currently determined location of the vehicle output from the location determination device.