Altitude integrated navigation with DSRC network

• US 10,295,361 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2016
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lei, Oliver, Murray, Allen R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US14/997,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20170205248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,222 Days
• Field of Search: 701425
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3694 Output thereof on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096822 where the segments of the route are transmitted to the vehicle at different locations and times

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to navigation systems and methods incorporating altitude data from a Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) network.

Claims

1. A vehicle navigation system comprising:

a DSRC transceiver;

a processor configured to;

send to a DSRC network a first DSRC message comprising a real-time vehicle location; and

receive from the DSRC network a second DSRC message comprising navigation routes and altitudes for discrete locations along the navigation routes; and

an interface to;

display the navigation routes and the altitudes;

toggle between the navigation routes;

receive a navigation route selection; and

show the real-time location and a corresponding altitude utilizing dynamic communication with the network.

2. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a navigation request message via the interface.

3. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1, wherein the interface is configured to display the navigation routes side by side.

4. The vehicle navigation system of claim 3, wherein aspects of each of the navigation routes that are displayed are color coded based on the altitude data.

5. The vehicle navigation system of claim 4, wherein the navigation routes that are color coded route options are further scale coded on a scale of 1 to 10 based on the altitudes.

6. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1, wherein altitude data of the altitudes is located on a central database within the DSRC network.

7. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1, wherein the altitudes include an altitude of a road for each respective one of the navigation routes.

8. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1, further comprising a global positioning system (GPS) receiver in communication with the processor, wherein the processor receives the real-time location from the GPS receiver.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising at least one of a mobile phone and a tablet to display the navigation routes and the altitudes for the discrete locations along the navigation routes.

10. A method for a vehicle, comprising:

transmitting, via a transceiver, a current location to a DSRC network;

receiving, via the transceiver, navigation routes with corresponding altitude data at discrete locations along the navigation routes from the DSRC network;

toggling, via a processor, between displaying the navigation routes with the corresponding altitude data;

receiving a selection of one of the navigation routes; and

dynamically displaying a real-time location and altitude along the selected navigation route.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the corresponding altitude data is obtained from infrastructure located in close proximity to each respective navigation route option.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the altitude data is color coded.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the altitude data is scale coded on a scale from 1 to 10.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the navigation route options and the corresponding altitude data are displayed via one or more of a display interface, a mobile phone, or a tablet computer.

15. A vehicle navigation system comprising:

a display interface configured to;

receive an input requesting a navigation route option;

transmit the input to a DSRC transceiver for transmission to a DSRC network;

receive a plurality of navigation route options with corresponding altitude data from infrastructure located in close proximity to the navigation route options;

display the plurality of navigation routes and corresponding altitude data, the altitude data being at discrete locations along the navigation routes;

toggle between the multiple navigation route options;

receive a selection of one of the navigation route options to identify a selected navigation route option; and

dynamically show a real-time location and a real-time altitude of a vehicle that is enabled by dynamic communication between the display interface and the DSRC network.

16. The vehicle navigation system of claim 15, wherein the altitude data comprises an aggregate change of altitude along the plurality of navigation route options.

17. The vehicle navigation system of claim 15, wherein the altitude data is color coded based on altitude data from DSRC network infrastructure.

18. The vehicle navigation system of claim 15, wherein the altitude data is scale coded on a scale of 1 to 10.

19. The vehicle navigation system of claim 15, wherein the input includes a real-time vehicle location and further comprising a global positioning system (GPS) receiver in communication with the display interface to determine the real-time vehicle location.

20. The vehicle navigation system of claim 15, further comprising at least one of a mobile phone or a tablet to display the plurality of navigation routes and corresponding altitude data.