Method, system and vehicle for conducting group travel

• US 9,829,326 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2012
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Phler, Maximilian, Fischer, Hubert, Schermann, Michael, Schlachtbauer, Tobias, Truschin, Sergej, Wolf, Thomas, Krcmar, Helmut
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Assistant Examiner(s): Foster, Gerrad A
• Application Number:
  US14/394,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20150120181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,866 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 9/00 Traffic control systems for craft where the kind of craft is irrelevant or unspecified
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services

Abstract

A method for conducting group travel, wherein a subsequent group travel participant follows a group travel participant travelling ahead or the subsequent group travel participant drives to a current destination of group travel participant travelling ahead, includes the steps of: assigning a group travel identifier for a journey of the group travel participant travelling ahead; passing on the group travel identifier from the group travel participant travelling ahead to the subsequent group travel participant; transmitting navigation information of the group travel participant travelling ahead to a distribution unit in a context with the group travel identifier; transmitting the navigation information from the distribution unit to the subsequent group travel participant; and using the navigation information transmitted from the distribution unit by the subsequent group travel participant.

Claims

1. A method for conducting group travel, wherein a subsequent group travel participant follows a route identified in a navigation information transmitted by a group travel participant travelling ahead, or the subsequent group travel participant drives to a current destination identified in the navigation information transmitted by the group travel participant travelling ahead, the method comprising:

assigning a group travel identifier for a journey of the group travel participant travelling ahead;

checking a password strength of the group travel identifier by an App and releasing or withholding the group travel identifier based on the password strength;

transmitting the group travel identifier for the journey of the group travel participant travelling ahead to the subsequent group travel participant, said group travel participant travelling ahead, transmitting the group travel identifier to the subsequent group travel participant on a transmission path that is different from a transmission path via which the navigation information is transmitted, wherein the navigation information is transmitted by a telephone call;

transmitting the navigation information provided by the group travel participant travelling ahead to a distribution unit in a context with the group travel identifier, without the distribution unit receiving information identifying the group travel participant travelling ahead except for the transmitted context of the group travel identifier and the navigation information provided to the distribution unit by the group travel participant travelling ahead;

transmitting the navigation information from the distribution unit to the subsequent group travel participant; and

said subsequent group travel participant using the navigation information transmitted from the distribution unit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigation information is transmitted from the distribution unit to the subsequent group travel participant only after the group travel identifier has been transmitted by the subsequent group travel participant to the distribution unit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigation information comprises at least one feature selected from a start location, a current location, a current destination and a current route of the group travel participant travelling ahead.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the group travel participant travelling ahead selects the group travel identifier for the journey from a basic set of possible group travel identifiers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of a registry for group travel identifiers and an allocation rule ensures at least with a high probability that a once specified group travel identifier is not assigned to another journey of another group travel participant until at least a predetermined protected period has expired.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the registry is configured to assign a group travel identifier for the journey of the group travel participant travelling ahead in response to a query from the group travel participant travelling ahead and to transmit the assigned group travel identifier to the group travel participant travelling ahead.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the navigation information and the group travel identifier is not transmitted from or to the group travel participant travelling ahead or from or to the subsequent group travel participant together with at least one of a part of a vehicle license plate and a location information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of protecting the identity of a participant traveling ahead using one or more methods in a group comprising:

delaying transmission of navigation information provided by the participant traveling ahead, omitting information about the present location of the participant traveling ahead, or falsifying information about the present location of the participant traveling ahead.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the context of the navigation information transmitted by the participant who is traveling ahead to the distribution unit for a journey having a given group travel identifier includes an identifier of a communications channel that was previously used by the participant who is traveling ahead to transmit the given group travel identifier.

10. A system for conducting group travel, wherein a subsequent group travel participant follows a route identified in a navigation information transmitted by a group travel participant travelling ahead or the subsequent group travel participant drives to a current destination of the group travel participant travelling ahead, the system comprising:

a distribution unit, and

a registry,

wherein the system is configured to;

check a password strength of a group travel identifier by an App and release or withhold the group travel identifier based on the password strength and assign the group travel identifier for a journey of the group travel participant travelling ahead using the registry;

transmit the group travel identifier for the journey of the group travel participant travelling ahead to the subsequent group travel participant, said group travel participant travelling ahead, transmitting the group travel identifier to the subsequent group travel participant on a transmission path that is different from a transmission path via which the navigation information is transmitted, wherein the navigation information is transmitted by a telephone call;

transmit the navigation information provided by the group travel participant travelling ahead to the distribution unit in a context with the group travel identifier, without the distribution unit receiving information identifying the group travel participant travelling ahead except for the transmitted context of the group travel identifier; and

transmit the navigation information from the distribution unit to the subsequent group travel participant.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the system includes one or more means for protecting the identity of a participant traveling ahead in the group of means made up of:

a) delaying transmission of navigation information provided by the participant traveling ahead, b) omitting information about the present location of the participant traveling ahead, or c) falsifying information about the present location of the participant traveling ahead.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the context of the navigation information transmitted by the participant who is traveling ahead to the distribution unit for a journey having a given group travel identifier includes an identifier of a communications channel that was previously used by the participant who is traveling ahead to transmit the given group travel identifier.

13. A vehicle with a system for conducting group travel, wherein a subsequent group travel participant follows a route identified in a navigation information transmitted by a group travel participant travelling ahead or the subsequent group travel participant drives to a current destination of the group travel participant travelling ahead, the system comprising:

a distribution unit, and

a registry,

wherein the system is configured to;

check a password strength of a group travel identifier by an App and release or withhold the group travel identifier based on the password strength and assign the group travel identifier for a journey of the group travel participant travelling ahead using the registry;

transmit the group travel identifier for the journey of the group travel participant travelling ahead to the subsequent group travel participant, said group travel participant travelling ahead, transmitting the group travel identifier to the subsequent group travel participant on a transmission path that is different from a transmission path via which the navigation information is transmitted, wherein the navigation information is transmitted by a telephone call;

transmit the navigation information provided by the group travel participant travelling ahead to the distribution unit in a context with the group travel identifier, without the distribution unit receiving information identifying the group travel participant travelling ahead except for the transmitted context of the group travel identifier; and

transmit the navigation information from the distribution unit to the subsequent group travel participant.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the vehicle includes one or more means for protecting the identity of a participant traveling ahead in the group made up of:

a) delaying transmission of navigation information provided by the participant traveling ahead, b) omitting information about the present location of the participant traveling ahead, or c) falsifying information about the present location of the participant traveling ahead.

15. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the context of the navigation information transmitted by the participant who is traveling ahead to the distribution unit for a journey having a given group travel identifier includes an identifier of a communications channel that was previously used by the participant who is traveling ahead to transmit the given group travel identifier.