Method and system for receiving and sending navigational data via a wireless messaging service on a navigation system

• US 8,134,481 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2010
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ohki, Eric Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US12/891,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20110021211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 532 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/990, 340/995.1, 340/995.17, 340/426.19, 455/569.2, 455/569.1, 701/211, 701/213
• US Class Current: 340/995.19
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096894 where input is assisted by the navigation device, i.e. the user does not type the complete name of the destination, e.g. using zip codes, telephone numbers, progressively selecting from initial letters
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

A system and method are provided for receiving navigational data via a wireless messaging service on a navigation system. The system and method provide a way to send requests for destination information via the wireless messaging service and capture navigational data from the responsive message received, such as addresses, telephone numbers, or email addresses, and then utilize that data for navigational routing, generation of telephone calls, emailing and the like, from the vehicle'"'"'s navigation system. The system and method further sends location-related reply messages and preset reply messages to an originator of a received message. A wireless device can be paired with the navigation system over a Bluetooth® communication link, wherein the navigation system periodically polls the wireless device for newly received messages. In one embodiment, the NAVI displays icons on a map that correspond to the extracted addresses from the messages received in relation to the vehicle'"'"'s current location.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, by a navigation device, a facility for permitting a user to select one of a plurality of preset reply text messages to send in response to receiving a text message, at least some of the plurality of preset reply text messages including information related to a current location of a vehicle;

preparing a location-related text message when the user selects one of the at least some of the plurality of preset reply messages including the information related to the current location of the vehicle;

transmitting, by the navigation device to an originator of the received text message, the prepared location-related text message;

receiving a selection of a non-location-related reply text message from the plurality of preset reply text messages in response to presenting a second received text message to a user; and

transmitting the selected non-location-related reply text message to an originator of the second received text message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the navigation device, a name of a street on which the vehicle is currently located and a current heading; and

including, by the navigation device, the name of the street and the current heading in the prepared location-related text message.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining, by the navigation device, a name of a cross street within a predefined distance of the vehicle; and

including, by the navigation device, the name of the cross street in the prepared location-related text message.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining, by the navigation device, whether the determined name of the cross street is a valid street name; and

including, by the navigation device, the name of the cross street in the prepared location-related text message only when the name of the cross street is determined to be the valid street name.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the determining a name of a street on which the vehicle is currently located and the current heading is based on a current latitude of the vehicle, a current longitude of the vehicle and a current compass heading of a direction of travel of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining a name of a street on which the vehicle is currently located and a current heading further comprises:

determining, by the navigation device, a name of a city in which the vehicle is currently located.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining, by the navigation device, whether the determined name of the street is a valid street name; and

including, by the navigation device, the name of the street in the prepared location-related text message only when the name of the street is determined to be the valid street name.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining a name of a street on which the vehicle is currently located and a current heading further comprises:

determining, by the navigation device, whether the street on which the vehicle is currently located is a freeway;

determining, by the navigation device, whether a cross street within a predefined distance ahead of the vehicle is a ramp when the street on which the vehicle is currently located is determined to be the freeway;

determining, by the navigation device, that that the name of the cross street is a street name linked to the ramp when the cross street within the predefined distance ahead of the vehicle is determined to be the ramp; and

including, by the navigation device, the name of the cross street in the prepared location-related text message.

9. An apparatus for use in a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a transceiver;

a display unit coupled to the transceiver;

a processor operatively coupled to the transceiver and the display unit; and

a memory operatively coupled to the processor, the memory comprising executable code for the processor to perform a method comprising;

receiving a selection of a location-related reply text message from a plurality of reply text messages in response to presenting a received text message to a user;

determining a current location of the vehicle;

preparing the location-related reply text message based on the determined current location of the vehicle;

transmitting the prepared location-related text message to an originator of the received text message;

receiving a selection of a non-location-related reply text message from the plurality of reply text messages in response to presenting a second received text message to the user; and

transmitting the selected non-location-related reply text message to an originator of the second received text message.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

the determining a current location of the vehicle determines a current latitude and a current longitude with respect to the current location of the vehicle, and

the preparing the location-related reply text message is based on the determined current latitude and the determined current longitude.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the preparing the location-related reply text message further comprises:

determining a heading of the vehicle based on tracking a movement of the vehicle; and

including the determined heading in the location-related reply text message.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

the method further comprises;

determining whether a route to a destination is set, and

determining a time and a distance to the destination based on the determined current location of the vehicle when the route to the destination is set; and

the preparing the location-related reply text message further comprises

including the determined time and the determined distance in the location-related reply text message when the route to the destination is set.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

determining whether the selected location-related reply text message is a time/distance to destination type message;

performing, when the selected location-related reply message is the time/distance to destination type message;

determining a time and a distance to a set destination based on the determined current location of the vehicle; and

including the determined time and the determined distance to the set destination in the location-related reply text message.

14. An apparatus for use in a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a transceiver;

a display unit coupled to the transceiver;

a processor operatively coupled to the transceiver and the display unit; and

a memory operatively coupled to the processor, the memory comprising executable code for the processor to perform a method comprising;

receiving a selection of a location-related reply text message from a plurality of reply text messages in response to presenting a received text message to a user;

determining a current location of the vehicle;

preparing the location-related reply text message based on the determined current location of the vehicle; and

transmitting the prepared location-related text message to an originator of the received text message, wherein

the preparing the location-related reply text message further comprises;

determining a name of a city in which the vehicle is located based on the determined current location;

determining a name of a street on which the vehicle is located based on the determined current location;

determining whether the name of the street is a valid street name;

including the name of the street and the name of the city in the location-related reply text message when the name of the street is determined to be the valid street name; and

including the name of the city in the location-related reply text message and excluding the name of the street from the location-related reply text message when the name of the street is determined not to be a valid street name.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein when a street is located at the determined current location and the street is determined to have a name in a database then the street has the valid street name.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the preparing the location-related reply text message further comprises:

determining a name of a cross street within a predetermined distance ahead of the vehicle; and

including the name of the cross street in the location-related reply text message.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the preparing the location-related reply text message further comprises:

determining whether the street on which the vehicle is located is a freeway;

determining whether the cross street is a ramp; and

determining that the name of the cross street is a name associated with the ramp only when the street on which the vehicle is located is determined to be the freeway and the cross street is determined to be the ramp.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the preparing the location-related reply text message further comprises:

determining whether the cross street has the valid street name; and

including the name of the cross street in the location-related reply text message only when the cross street is determined to have the valid street name.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the determining a name of a cross street within a predetermined distance ahead of the vehicle further comprises:

determining a highest class of road, within the predetermined distance ahead of the vehicle, which crosses the street on which the vehicle is located.

20. A navigation apparatus for use in a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a transceiver;

a display unit coupled to the transceiver;

a processor operatively coupled to the transceiver and the display unit; and

a memory operatively coupled to the processor, the memory comprising executable code for the processor to perform a method comprising;

receiving a selection of a non-location-related reply text message from a plurality of reply text messages in response to presenting a received text message to a user, at least one of the plurality of reply text messages is a location-related text message; and

transmitting the selected non-location-related text message to an originator of the received text message.