Method and system for providing wireless connection conditions along a navigation route

• US 8,437,958 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2005
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Krause, Kevin R., Italia, William E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US11/273,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20070112504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,731 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/210, 455/456
• US Class Current: 701/533
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for providing wireless connection conditions to a mobile vehicle, including receiving navigation route information at a call center; determining wireless connection conditions associated with the received route; and transmitting a message including wireless connection conditions associated with the navigation route to the mobile vehicle. Another example provides a computer usable medium and program code, including program code for receiving navigation route information at a call center; program code for determining wireless connection conditions associated with the received route; and program code for transmitting a message including wireless connection conditions. Another example provides a system including means for receiving navigation route information at a call center, means for determining wireless connection conditions associated with the received navigation route, and means for transmitting a message including wireless connection conditions.

Claims

1. A method of providing a navigation route to a mobile vehicle, the method comprising:

determining, at a call center, a navigation route based on information included in a navigation route request;

determining, at the call center, at least one of i) an off-route condition, or ii) a wireless connection condition associated with the navigation route;

transmitting the navigation route from the call center to a telematics unit in the mobile vehicle; and

transmitting a data packet from the call center to the telematics unit, the data packet including at least one of i) the off-route condition, or ii) the wireless connection condition associated with the navigation route.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless connection condition is stored in a geographic information system (GIS) database.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the wireless connection condition stored in the GIS database is selected from the group consisting of:

1×

RTT/packet data coverage, Evolutionary Data Only, High Speed Data Packet Access, 802.11, broadband wireless, instant messaging, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, and General Packet Radio Service.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the wireless connection condition is determined by comparing a navigation route GIS database layer containing the navigation route information with a wireless connection condition GIS database layer containing the wireless connection condition.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the data packet further includes a digital map based on the off-route condition.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining of the wireless connection condition associated with the navigation route is responsive to a comparison trigger, the comparison trigger being selected from the group consisting of:

a route receipt event, a mileage traveled event, a mileage until zone event, a time elapsed event, a time until zone event, an off-peak time event, an advisor intervention event, or a change of conditions event.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting of the wireless connection condition associated with the navigation route is responsive to a transmission trigger, the transmission trigger being selected from the group consisting of:

a completion of comparison event, a mileage traveled event, a mileage until zone event, a time elapsed event, a time until zone event, an off-peak time event, an advisor intervention event, or a change of conditions event.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the data packet further comprises an alert, the alert being selected from the group consisting of:

a text message, an automated voice message, an audible alert, a text-based alert, a graphical display, or an alert directly from an advisor in the call center.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the data packet further comprises an alert trigger, and wherein the alert is responsive to the alert trigger, and wherein the alert trigger is selected from the group consisting of:

a data receipt event, a mileage traveled event, a mileage until zone event, a time elapsed event, a time until zone event, an advisor intervention event, or a change of conditions event.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein after the navigation route is determined, the method further comprises:

receiving information related to the wireless connection condition;

comparing the information related to the wireless connection condition with the navigation route; and

transmitting, from the call center to the mobile vehicle, the navigation route and results from the comparison.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the results from the comparison include at least one of:

additional navigational route data, additional map data, a notification regarding an active wireless connection issue, or combinations thereof.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

segmenting the navigation route into at least one zone; and

comparing the at least one zone with the information related to the wireless connection condition.

10. A computer usable medium comprising computer readable program code for providing a navigation route to a mobile vehicle, the medium comprising:

computer readable program code for determining, at a call center, a navigation route based on information included in a navigation route request;

computer readable program code for determining, at the call center, at least one of i) an off-route condition, or ii) a wireless connection condition associated with the navigation route;

computer readable program code for transmitting the navigation route from the call center to a telematics unit in the mobile vehicle; and

computer readable code for transmitting a data packet, from the call center to the telematics unit, the data packet including the at least one of i) the off-route condition, or ii) the wireless connection condition associated with the navigation route.

11. The medium of claim 10 further comprising a computer readable program code for storing and retrieving the wireless connection condition in a geographic information system (GIS) database.

12. The medium of claim 11 wherein the wireless connection condition stored in the GIS database is selected from a group of:

1×

RTT/packet data coverage, Evolutionary Data Only, High Speed Data Packet Access, 802.11, broadband wireless, instant messaging, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, and General Packet Radio Service.

13. The medium of claim 11 wherein the wireless connection condition is determined by a computer readable program code for comparing a navigation route GIS database layer containing the navigation route information with a wireless connection condition GIS database layer containing the wireless connection condition.

14. The medium of claim 10 wherein the data packet further includes a digital map based on the off-route condition.

15. The medium of claim 10 wherein the computer readable code for the determining of the wireless connection condition associated with the navigation route is responsive to a comparison trigger, the comparison trigger being selected from the group consisting of:

a route receipt event, a mileage traveled event, a mileage until zone event, a time elapsed event, a time until zone event, an off-peak time event, an advisor intervention event, or a change of conditions event.

16. The medium of claim 10 wherein the computer readable code for the transmitting of the wireless connection condition associated with the navigation route is responsive to a transmission trigger, the transmission trigger being selected from the group consisting of:

a completion of comparison event, a mileage traveled event, a mileage until zone event, a time elapsed event, a time until zone event, an off-peak time event, an advisor intervention event, or a change of conditions event.

17. The medium of claim 10 wherein the data packet further comprises an alert, the alert being selected from the group consisting of:

a text message, an automated voice message, an audible alert, a text-based alert, a graphical display, or an alert directly from an advisor in the call center.

18. The medium of claim 17 wherein the data packet further comprises an alert trigger, and wherein the alert is responsive to the alert trigger, the alert trigger being selected from the group consisting of:

a data receipt event, a mileage traveled event, a mileage until zone event, a time elapsed event, a time until zone event, an advisor intervention event, or a change of conditions event.

19. A system for providing a navigation route to a mobile vehicle, the system comprising:

means for determining, at a call center, a navigation route based on information included in a navigation route request,

means for determining, at the call center, at least one of i) an off-route condition, or ii) a wireless connection condition associated with the navigation route;

means for transmitting the navigation route from the call center to a telematics unit in the mobile vehicle; and

means for transmitting a data packet, from the call center to the telematics unit, the data packet including the at least one of i) the off-route condition, or ii) the wireless connection condition associated with the navigation route.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the data packet further includes a digital map based on the off-route condition.