System and method for interfacing mobile units using a cellphone

• US 20030065441A1
• Filed: 09/28/2001
• Published: 04/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch Corporation (Robert Bosch GmbH), Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Funk, Karsten
• Granted Patent: US 6,650,997 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

A system for converting a voice input requested location to a destination location useable by a navigation device in a vehicle. The system includes a mobile communicator, preferably a mobile phone, in communication with a base station and a voice portal server. The voice portal server identifies through a voice recognition algorithm a destination location corresponding to a requested location verbally input by the vehicle occupant. The voice portal server may access the internet for additional information. The voice portal server may prompt the occupant to respond to interrogatories to narrow the possible matches for the requested location to one destination location. The destination location is transmitted from the voice portal server via the base station and via the mobile communicator to a decoder in an encoded format, preferably in DTMF (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency) format. The decoder decoding the destination location and transmitting the destination location to a navigation device. The navigation device plotting a selected route from the current location to the destination location. A method of using the system is provided. An in-vehicle apparatus using the system is also provided.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

a mobile communicator situated in a vehicle;

a decoder situated in the vehicle, the decoder able to communicate electronically with the mobile communicator;

a vehicle navigation device situated in the vehicle, the navigation device able to communicate electronically with the decoder;

a base station, the base station able to communicate wirelessly with the mobile communicator; and

a voice portal server, the voice portal server able to communicate electronically with the base station.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the voice portal server is external to the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the voice portal server is able to provide a destination location to the navigation device, the destination location corresponding to a requested location, the requested location is able to be communicated by an occupant of the vehicle to the voice portal server via the mobile communicator.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein:

the navigation device is able to provide to the voice portal server a current location; and

the voice portal server is able to use the current location to reduce a number of possible matches for the requested location.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the navigation device is able to provide at least one navigational direction to an occupant of the vehicle, the at least one navigational direction able to direct the occupant from a current location to a destination location along a selected route.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the navigation device is able to provide the at least one navigational direction through a visual display unit.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein:

the navigation device is able to provide the at least one navigational direction through at least one of a vehicle sound system and a dedicated speaker;

the at least one navigational direction is able to be delivered to the occupant at a time before the occupant needs to act on the at least one navigational direction; and

a timing of a delivery of the at least one navigational direction is able to be determined by the navigation device based on at least one of an instantaneous position measurement, an instantaneous heading measurement, an instantaneous velocity measurement, the destination location, and the selected route.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a speaker, the speaker able to communicate electronically with the mobile communicator, the speaker able to create sound pressure waves that correspond to prompts from the voice portal server to an occupant of the vehicle; and

a microphone, the microphone able to communicate electronically with the mobile communicator, the microphone able to sense sound pressure waves that correspond to responses from the occupant to the voice portal server.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a hands-free kit, the hands-free kit electronically connectable to the mobile communicator, wherein when the mobile communicator is connected to the hands-free kit, the hands-free kit connects the mobile communicator to at least one of the speaker and the microphone.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the speaker is part of a vehicle sound system.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the navigation device uses at least one of GPS, DGPS, AGPS, triangulation, hyperbolic intersection of time-delay solutions, and cell identification to position the user.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile communicator is a mobile telephone.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the voice portal server is able to communicate to the navigation device via the base station and the mobile telephone over a voice channel.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the decoder is a DTMF decoder.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein:

an occupant of the vehicle is able to communicate a requested location via the mobile telephone and the base station to the voice portal server; and

the voice portal server is able to recognize the requested location and create a set of at least one possible destination location.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the at least one possible destination location is at least two possible destination locations;

the voice portal server is able to prompt the occupant with at least one interrogatory; and

the at least one interrogatory is able to be designed to reduce the set of at least two possible destination locations to a single destination location.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the voice portal server is able to communicate the destination location in a DTMF encoded format to the decoder via the base station and mobile telephone.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the decoder is able to decode the destination location and communicate the destination location to the navigation device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the navigation device is able to use at least one of the current location, the destination location, and a stored set of possible routes to calculate a selected route and then is able to communicate the selected route to the occupant by at least one of a visual display unit and at least one audible direction.

20. A method of providing navigation information to an occupant of a vehicle, the method comprising:

providing a mobile communicator;

providing a decoder, the decoder communicating electronically with the mobile communicator;

providing a navigation device, the navigation device communicating electronically with the decoder;

providing a base station, the base station communicating wirelessly with the mobile communicator;

providing a voice portal server, the voice portal server communicating electronically with the base station;

communicating by the occupant via the mobile communicator to the base station to the voice portal server a requested location;

communicating by the voice portal server via the base station to the mobile communicator to the decoder a coded destination location, the coded destination location corresponding to an encoded version of a destination location;

decoding by the decoder the coded destination location to determine the destination location; and

communicating by the decoder to the navigation device the destination location.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the communicating by the occupant further comprises:

soliciting by the occupant to the voice portal server for a set of directions to the requested location; and

responding by the occupant to at least one interrogatory from the voice portal server, the at least one interrogatory being for reducing a set of at least two destination locations to the destination location, the destination location corresponding to the requested location.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

communicating by the navigation device to the decoder a current location of a vehicle;

encoding the current location by the decoder to create an encoded current location; and

communicating by the decoder to the voice portal server via the mobile communicator and the base station the encoded current location.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the communicating by the voice portal server further comprises:

receiving by the voice portal server a current location of the vehicle from at least one of the navigation device via the decoder and a cell phone-based locating system;

wherein the voice portal server is able to reduce a set of at least two possible destination locations based on proximity of the vehicle to the at least two possible destination locations by eliminating any possible destination location where the distance between any of the at least two possible destination locations and the current location is greater than a predetermined maximum distance.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising directing the occupant by the navigation device by providing at least one navigational direction to the occupant, the at least one navigational direction able to direct the occupant from a current location to the destination location along a selected route.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising providing the at least one navigational direction through a visual display unit.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

providing the at least one navigational direction through at least one of a vehicle sound system and a dedicated speaker;

wherein the at least one navigational direction is able to be delivered to the occupant at a time before the occupant needs to act on the at least one navigational direction; and

a timing of a delivery of the at least one navigational direction is able to be determined by the navigation device based on an instantaneous position measurement, an instantaneous heading measurement, an instantaneous velocity measurement, the destination location, and the selected route.

27. A vehicle navigation apparatus comprising:

a mobile communicator situated in a vehicle;

a decoder situated in a vehicle, the decoder electrically coupled to communication with the mobile communicator; and

a vehicle navigation device situated in the vehicle, the navigation device electrically coupled to the decoder.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the mobile communicator is able to communicate with a base station, the base station able to communicate with a voice portal server, the voice portal server external to the vehicle.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein:

a voice portal server is able to provide a destination location to the navigation device, the destination location corresponding to a requested location;

the requested location is able to be communicated by an occupant of the vehicle to the voice portal server via the mobile communicator.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein:

the navigation device is able to provide to the voice portal server a current location; and

the voice portal server is able to use the current location to reduce a number of possible matches for the requested location.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein:

the navigation device is able to provide at least one navigational direction to an occupant of the vehicle; and

the at least one navigational direction is able to direct the occupant from a current location to a requested location along a selected route.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the navigation device is able to provide the at least one navigational direction through a visual display unit.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein:

the navigation device is able to provide the at least one navigational direction through at least one of a vehicle sound system and a dedicated speaker;

the at least one navigational direction is able to be delivered to the occupant at a time before the occupant needs to act on the at least one navigational direction;

a timing of a delivery of the at least one navigational direction is able to be determined by the navigation device based on at least one of an instantaneous position measurement, an instantaneous heading measurement, an instantaneous velocity measurement, the destination location, and the selected route.

34. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising:

a speaker, the speaker electrically coupled to the mobile communicator, the speaker creating sound pressure waves that correspond to prompts from the voice portal server to an occupant of the vehicle; and

a microphone, the microphone electrically coupled to the mobile communicator, the microphone sensing sound pressure waves that correspond with responses from the occupant to the voice portal server.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising:

a hands-free kit, the hands-free kit electronically connectable to the mobile communicator, wherein when the mobile communicator is connected to the hands-free kit, the hands-free kit connects the mobile communicator to at least one of the speaker and the microphone.

36. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the speaker is part of a vehicle sound system.

37. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the navigation device is able to use at least one of GPS, DGPS, AGPS, triangulation, hyperbolic intersection of time-delay solutions, and cell identification to position the user.

38. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the mobile communicator is a mobile telephone.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein a voice portal server is able to communicate to the navigation device via a base station and the mobile telephone over a voice channel.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the decoder is a DTMF decoder.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein:

an occupant of the vehicle is able to communicate a requested location via the mobile telephone and the base station to the voice portal server; and

the voice portal server is able to recognize the requested location and create a set of at least one possible destination location.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein:

the at least one possible destination location is at least two possible destination locations;

the voice portal server is able to prompt the occupant with at least one interrogatory; and

the at least one interrogatory is able to be designed to reduce the set of at least two possible destination locations to a single destination location.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the voice portal server is able to communicate the destination location in a DTMF encoded format to the decoder via the base station and mobile telephone.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the decoder is able to decode the destination location and communicates the destination location to the navigation device.

45. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the navigation device is able to use at least one of the current location, the destination location, and a stored set of possible routes to calculate a selected route and then is able to communicate the selected route to the occupant by at least one of a visual display unit and at least one audible direction.