Method and apparatus for enhanced navigation in a dispatch communication system

• US 9,344,869 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2013
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Abbate, Alain A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza, Faruk
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAQUE, ABUSAYEED M
• Application Number:
  US13/765,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20140226532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• Field of Search: 370/259
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/561 by multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A method and apparatus provide enhanced navigational alerts for a vehicular two-way radio operating in a dispatch communication system. The integration and prioritization of navigational alerts with dispatch voice communication ensures that navigational alerts do not compromise mission critical voice communications. Navigational alerts in the form of navigational voice instructions and navigational tones are selectively prioritized based on predetermined parameters associated with the dispatch call.

Claims

1. A method for selectively rendering vehicular navigational instructions in a vehicle in which a vehicular two-way radio is already engaged in a dispatch voice call, the method comprising:

transmitting or receiving audio, via a transmitter and/or receiver at the vehicular two-way radio, in a dispatch voice call and, while transmitting or receiving the audio in the dispatch voice call;

monitoring, by the vehicular two-way radio, the dispatch voice call and identifying one or more vehicular navigation instruction rendering parameters associated with the dispatch voice call;

determining, as a function of the identified one or more parameters, a level of importance of the dispatch voice call;

identifying a first vehicular navigation maneuver in a set of vehicular navigation maneuvers for providing driving directions to a driver in the vehicle; and

determining that the level of importance of the dispatch voice call meets a predetermined level of importance, and responsively rendering, over a speaker in one of the vehicular two-way radio and the vehicle, a navigational tone associated with the first vehicular navigation maneuver and not rendering a voice navigational instruction associated with the first vehicular navigation maneuver;

determining, by the vehicular two-way radio, that the dispatch voice call has ended;

identifying a second vehicular navigation maneuver in the set of vehicular navigation maneuvers for providing driving directions to the driver in the vehicle; and

subsequently rendering, by the vehicular two-way radio and as a function of the determining that the dispatch voice call has ended, a second voice navigational instruction associated with the second vehicular navigation maneuver over the speaker in one of the vehicular two-way radio and the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters comprise at least one of:

a criticality level of the dispatch voice call;

a calling ID of participants in the dispatch voice call;

a calling code of the dispatch voice call;

an emergency status of the dispatch voice call;

a scan priority of the dispatch voice call; and

whether the dispatch voice call has exceeded a predetermined time duration.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more parameters include the calling ID of the participants in the dispatch voice call, the method further comprising determining the calling ID of participants in the dispatch voice call by:

monitoring the dispatch voice call to determine a calling ID of a dispatcher of the dispatch voice call when the dispatch voice call takes place between the vehicular two-way radio and the dispatcher; and

listening to the dispatch voice call between other two-way radios and determining calling IDs for the other two-way radios.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more parameters comprise at least one of:

a calling code of the dispatch voice call;

a scan priority of the dispatch voice call; and

whether the dispatch voice call has exceeded a predetermined time duration.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters include a criticality level of the dispatch voice call, the method further comprising determining that the criticality level of the dispatch voice call is greater than a predetermined level of importance.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

during the dispatch voice call, automatically and continuously selecting between the voice navigational instruction and the navigational tone for a subsequent vehicular maneuver as a function of the one or more parameters.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

rendering both the voice navigational instruction and the navigational tone associated with a particular vehicular maneuver in between audio transmissions of the dispatch voice call.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

postponing rendering any navigational tones while the dispatch voice call is in progress until a time threshold has been reached at which one or more corresponding navigation maneuvers are required to be executed.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of vehicular navigation maneuvers include turn instructions instructing the driver to turn the vehicle and non-turn instructions instructing the driver to continue straight.

10. A vehicular two-way radio for selectively rendering vehicular navigational instructions in a vehicle while already engaged in a dispatch voice call, the radio comprising a controller configured to:

transmit or receive audio in, a dispatch voice call and while transmitting or receiving the audio, via a transmitter and/or receiver, in the dispatch voice call;

monitor the dispatch voice call and identify one or more vehicular navigation instruction rendering parameters associated with the dispatch voice call;

determine, as a function of the identified one or more parameters, a level of importance of the dispatch voice call;

identify a first vehicular navigation maneuver in a set of vehicular navigation maneuvers for providing driving directions to a driver in the vehicle; and

determine that the level of importance of the dispatch voice call meets a predetermined level of importance, and responsively render, over a speaker in one of the vehicular two-way radio and the vehicle, a navigational tone associated with the first vehicular navigation maneuver and not render a voice navigational instruction associated with the first vehicular navigation maneuver;

determine that the dispatch voice call has ended;

identify a second vehicular navigation maneuver in the set of vehicular navigation maneuvers for providing driving directions to the driver in the vehicle; and

subsequently render, as a function of the determination that the dispatch voice call has ended, a second voice navigational instruction associated with the second vehicular navigation maneuver over the speaker in one of the vehicular two-way radio and the vehicle.

11. The vehicular two-way radio of claim 10, wherein the parameters associated with dispatch voice calls comprise one or more of:

a criticality level of the dispatch voice call;

a calling ID of participants in the dispatch voice call;

a calling code of the dispatch voice call;

an emergency status of the dispatch voice call; and

a scan priority of the dispatch voice call.

12. The vehicular two-way radio of claim 11, wherein the one or more parameters comprise at least one of:

a calling code of the dispatch voice call;

a scan priority of the dispatch voice call; and

whether the dispatch voice call has exceeded a predetermined time duration.

13. The vehicular two-way radio of claim 10, wherein the one or more parameters include a criticality level of the dispatch voice call, the controller further configured to determine that the criticality level of the dispatch voice call is greater than a predetermined level of importance.

14. The vehicular two-way radio of claim 10, the controller further configured to, during the dispatch voice call, automatically and continuously select between the voice navigational instruction and the navigational tone for a subsequent vehicular maneuver as a function of the one or more parameters.

15. The vehicular two-way radio of claim 10, the controller further configured to render both the voice navigational instruction and the navigational tone associated with a particular vehicular maneuver in between audio transmissions of the dispatch voice call.

16. The vehicular two-way radio of claim 10, the controller further configured to postpone rendering any navigational tones while the dispatch voice call is in progress until a time threshold has been reached at which one or more corresponding navigation maneuvers are required to be executed.

17. The vehicular two-way radio of claim 10, wherein the set of vehicular navigation maneuvers include turn instructions instructing the driver to turn the vehicle and non-turn instructions instructing the driver to continue straight.