Potable geo-coded audio

• US 9,116,008 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2008
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Patenaude, Russell A., Meissner, Christine E.
• Primary Examiner(s): TISSOT, ADAM D
• Application Number:
  US12/165,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20090326806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,612 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/572.1, 340/988, 340/357.23, 340/457, 701/468, 701/469
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• 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 of providing route guidance to a vehicle user via a telematics unit comprises reading geo-coded route data from a removable medium at the telematics unit, the geo-coded data comprising a list of location and events associated with respective actions. The system senses the vehicle location and event status during the course of a trip. If the vehicle location matches a vehicle location listed in the geo-coded route data, the system executes an action associated in the list with that location and if a sensed event status indicates the occurrence of an event listed in the geo-coded route data, the system executes an action associated in the list with that event.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a telematics unit of a telematics-equipped vehicle, configured to carry out a method comprising;

receiving event-related data comprising a plurality of event types and a plurality of actions corresponding to the plurality of event types;

wherein the plurality of event types include detection of a;

vehicle-related warning condition, a vehicle collision, and arrival at a waypoint on a route;

wherein the plurality of actions include;

transmitting a warning-related notification over a wireless network corresponding to detection of the vehicle-related warning condition to one or more individuals external to the vehicle, transmitting a collision-related notification over a wireless network corresponding to detection of the vehicle collision to one or more individuals external to the vehicle, and transmitting a location-related notification external to the detection of arrival at the waypoint on the route to one or more individuals external to the vehicle;

detecting the vehicle-related warning condition;

generating, in response to detecting the vehicle-related warning condition, the warning-related notification; and

transmitting the warning-related notification over the wireless network to one or more individuals external to the vehicle;

detecting the vehicle collision;

generating, in response to detecting the vehicle collision, the collision-related notification; and

transmitting the collision-related notification over the wireless network to one or more individuals external to the vehicle;

detecting the arrival of the vehicle at the waypoint on the route;

generating, in response to detecting the arrival, the location-related notification; and

transmitting the location-related notification to one or more individuals external to the vehicle;

wherein the actions of the event-related data are configurable by a telematics subscriber, including specification of the one or more individuals external to the vehicle to which the warning-notification are transmitted, the one or more individuals external to the vehicle to which the collision-related notification are transmitted, and the one or more individual external to the vehicle to which the location-related notification are transmitted;

a computer linked to a data source for retrieving the event-related data from the data source; and

the removable memory medium for use in conjunction with the computer and the telematics unit, whereby the event-related data is transferred from the computer to the telematics unit via the removable memory medium.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the removable memory medium is a flash drive.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the data source is a network server communicably linked to the computer.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the telematics unit is further configured for:

detecting departure from the route by the vehicle;

generating, in response to detecting the departure, a departure-related notification; and

transmitting the departure-related notification to one or more individuals external to the vehicle, wherein the one or more individuals external to the vehicle to which the departure-related notification are transmitted are also configurable by the telematics subscriber.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more individuals external to the vehicle to which the collision-related notification are transmitted includes an insurer.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of actions further includes playback of a multimedia file by the telematics unit corresponding to the detection of arrival at the waypoint on the route, and the telematics unit is further configured for:

playing back the multimedia file in response to detecting the arrival of the vehicle at the waypoint on the route.

7. A method for a telematics unit of a telematics-equipped vehicle to perform event-triggered actions, the method comprising:

receiving, by a telematics unit of the vehicle, event-related data comprising a plurality of event types and a plurality of actions corresponding to the plurality of event types;

wherein the plurality of event types include detection of;

a vehicle-related warning condition, a vehicle collision, and arrival at a waypoint on a route;

wherein the plurality of actions;

include transmitting a warning-related notification over a wireless network corresponding to detection of the vehicle-related warning condition to one or more individuals external to the vehicle, transmitting a collision-related notification over a wireless network corresponding to detection of the vehicle collision to one or more individuals external to the vehicle, and transmitting a location-related notification external to the detection of arrival at the waypoint on the route to one or more individuals external to the vehicle;

detecting, by the telematics unit, the vehicle-related warning condition;

generating, in response to detecting the vehicle-related warning condition, the warning-related notification; and

transmitting the warning-related notification over the wireless network to one or more individuals external to the vehicle;

detecting, by the telematics unit, the vehicle collision;

generating, in response to detecting the vehicle collision, the collision-related notification; and

transmitting the collision-related notification over the wireless network to one or more individuals external to the vehicle; and

detecting, by the telematics unit, the arrival of the vehicle at the waypoint on the route;

generating, in response to detecting the arrival, the location-related notification; and

transmitting the location-related notification to one or more individuals external to the vehicle;

wherein the actions of the event-related data are configurable by a telematics subscriber, including specification of the one or more individuals external to the vehicle to which the warning-notification are transmitted, the one or more individuals external to the vehicle to which the collision-related notification are transmitted, and the one or more individual external to the vehicle to which the location-related notification are transmitted.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

detecting, by the telematics unit, departure from the route by the vehicle;

generating, in response to detecting the departure, a departure-related notification; and

transmitting the departure-related notification to one or more individuals external to the vehicle, wherein the one or more individuals external to the vehicle to which the departure-related notification are transmitted are also configurable by the telematics subscriber.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the one or more individuals external to the vehicle to which the collision-related notification are transmitted includes an insurer.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of actions further includes playback of a multimedia file by the telematics unit corresponding to the detection of arrival at the waypoint on the route, and wherein the method further comprises:

playing back the multimedia file in response to detecting the arrival of the vehicle at the waypoint on the route.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon for a telematics unit of a telematics-equipped vehicle to perform event-triggered actions, the processor-executable instructions comprising instructions for:

receiving event-related data comprising a plurality of event types and a plurality of actions corresponding to the plurality of event types;

wherein the plurality of event types include detection of;

a vehicle-related warning condition, a vehicle collision, and arrival at a waypoint on a route;

wherein the plurality of actions include;

transmitting a warning-related notification over a wireless network corresponding to detection of the vehicle-related warning condition to one or more individuals external to the vehicle, transmitting a collision-related notification over a wireless network corresponding to detection of the vehicle collision to one or more individuals external to the vehicle, and transmitting a location-related notification external to the detection of arrival at the waypoint on the route to one or more individuals external to the vehicle;

detecting the vehicle-related warning condition;

generating, in response to detecting the vehicle-related warning condition, the warning-related notification; and

transmitting the warning-related notification over the wireless network to one or more individuals external to the vehicle;

detecting the vehicle collision;

generating, in response to detecting the vehicle collision, the collision-related notification; and

transmitting the collision-related notification over the wireless network to one or more individuals external to the vehicle; and

detecting the arrival of the vehicle at the waypoint on the route;

generating, in response to detecting the arrival, the location-related notification; and

transmitting the location-related notification to one or more individuals external to the vehicle;

wherein the event types and the actions of the event-related data are configurable by a telematics subscriber, including specification of the one or more individuals external to the vehicle to which the warning-notification are transmitted, the one or more individuals external to the vehicle to which the collision-related notification are transmitted, and the one or more individual external to the vehicle to which the location-related notification are transmitted.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the processor-executable instructions further comprise instructions for:

detecting departure from the route by the vehicle;

generating, in response to detecting the departure, a departure-related notification; and

transmitting the departure-related notification to one or more individuals external to the vehicle, wherein the one or more individuals external to the vehicle to which the departure-related notification are transmitted are also configurable by the telematics subscriber.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the one or more individuals external to the vehicle to which the collision-related notification are transmitted includes an insurer.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of actions further includes playback of a multimedia file by the telematics unit corresponding to the detection of arrival at the waypoint on the route, and wherein the processor-executable instructions further comprise instructions for:

playing back the multimedia file in response to detecting the arrival of the vehicle at the waypoint on the route.