System and method for reducing the amount of repetitive data sent by a server to a client for vehicle navigation

• US 7,925,432 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2010
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WI-GUI, LLC
• Inventors: Odinak, Gilad, Phillips, Marc, Chaubey, Nishith K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US12/705,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20100223005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 424 Days
• Field of Search: 710200-202, 710/208, 710/211, 340/988, 340/995.1, 340/990, 701200-202, 701/208, 701/211, 701213-215
• US Class Current: 701/202
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

A system and method for reducing the amount of repetitive data sent by a server to a client for vehicle navigation. The system includes a computer-based vehicle unit located in a vehicle, a gateway configured to wirelessly send and receive trip information to and from the vehicle unit, and a computer-based server in communication with the gateway over a network. The vehicle unit wirelessly receives signals from a computer-based server that includes the desired navigation information in packet form. The vehicle unit includes a user interface component that presents the received navigation information and records user requests. The server processes the requests, generates a trip plan according to the navigation information and sends the generated trip plan back to the vehicle unit via a gateway when a request has been completed.

Claims

1. A vehicle navigation method comprising:

initiating a trip request utilizing a computer-based global positioning system (GPS) locatable in a vehicle, the trip request having vehicle coordinates determined by the computer-based GPS;

receiving the trip request by a gateway in signal communication with the computer-based GPS;

wirelessly conveying the trip request from the gateway to a server remotely located from the vehicle;

processing the trip request by the server to generate a trip plan;

wirelessly conveying the trip plan to the gateway; and

receiving the trip plan from the gateway for presentation by the computer-based GPS.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the trip request includes trip voice instructions conveyed by a microphone in signal communication with the computer-based GPS unit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the trip request by the server to generate the trip plan comprises determining a destination of the trip plan by interpreting trip voice instructions with voice recognition processing.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the trip plan includes navigation prompts at least one of a visual prompt presentable on an interface of the computer-based GPS and voice prompts conveyable by a speaker in signal communication with the computer-based GPS.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if the vehicle is adhering to the trip plan, wherein determining adherence comprises:

determining a distance between the vehicle coordinates and a trip plan location; and

if the vehicle coordinates are not within a threshold value from the trip plan, sending present vehicle coordinates to the server, generating a new trip plan and trip plan table based on the sent present vehicle coordinates, and sending the new trip plan table to the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein processing the trip request by the server to generate the trip plan includes:

before a voice prompt is stored at the vehicle, requesting the non-stored voice prompt from the server and transmitting the non-stored voice prompt from the server to the vehicle; and

presenting the transmitted voice prompt.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising saving the sent voice prompt according to a corresponding identifier.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising purging—

the sent voice prompts according to a scheduled purge request.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising purging—

the sent voice prompts according to a user purge request.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising purging the sent voice prompts according to a server generated purge request.

11. A vehicle navigation system comprising:

a computer-based global positioning system (GPS) locatable in a vehicle, the computer-based GPS having a user interface configured to receive a trip request communicated from a user, the trip request includes vehicle coordinates determined by the computer-based GPS;

a gateway in signal communication with the computer-based GPS; and

a server remotely located from the vehicle, the server configured to wirelessly receive the trip request from the gateway, process the trip request to generate a trip plan, and wirelessly convey the trip plan to the gateway for communication to the computer-based GPS.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the trip plan includes a table of locations with associated navigation prompts.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the computer-based GPS is configured to compares present vehicle coordinates to the trip plan table; and

if, according to the comparison, the vehicle coordinates are within a threshold value from a location in the table, the GPS presents the navigation prompt associated with the location in the table that is within the threshold value of the vehicle'"'"'s location.

14. A vehicle navigation apparatus comprising:

a computer-based computer-based global positioning system (GPS) locatable in a vehicle, the computer-based GPS having a user interface configured to receive a trip request communicated from a user, the trip request having vehicle coordinates determined by the computer-based GPS;

means for entering trip voice instructions;

means for determining vehicle coordinates;

means for sending vehicle coordinates and the entered voice instructions to a server over a network for the generation of a trip plan;

means for receiving and conveying the trip plan to the user.