Navigation and device for motor vehicle

• US 20040148091A1
• Filed: 03/22/2004
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bouygues Telecom (Bouygues SA)
• Original Assignee: Bouygues Telecom (Bouygues SA)
• Inventors: Verhaeghe, Nicolas, Masclet, Sophie
• Granted Patent: US 6,973,387 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA

Abstract

An assistance device for a motor vehicle, the device comprising firstly a terminal (1) on board a vehicle with manual control means placed inside the vehicle and connected to said terminal, and secondly a remote processing center (8) suitable for communicating with the on-board terminal via a radiotelephone network (6), said center being suitable for handling exchanges with said on-board terminal by means of a given protocol and including, in particular for this purpose, means (7) for recognizing requests formulated verbally by the user (5) and/or requests corresponding to the user actuating manual control means, and also means for sending information to the on-board mobile terminal, the device being characterized in that the manual control means comprise a control element (2) which makes only a single type of actuation available to the user, the exchange protocol handled by the processing center (8) enabling the user to dialog with said processing center only by actuating the control element (2) and/or by formulating requests verbally.

Claims

1. An assistance device for a motor vehicle, the device comprising firstly a terminal (1) on board a vehicle and manual control means placed inside the vehicle and connected to said terminal, and secondly a remote processing center (8) suitable for communicating with the on-board terminal via a radiotelephone network (6), said center being suitable for handling exchanges with said on-board terminal by means of a given protocol and including, in particular for this purpose, means (7) for recognizing requests formulated verbally by the user (5) and/or requests corresponding to the user actuating manual control means, and also means for sending information to the on-board mobile terminal, the device being characterized in that the manual control means comprise a control element (2) which makes only a single type of actuation available to the user, the exchange protocol handled by the processing center (8) enabling the user to dialog with said processing center only by actuating the control element (2) and/or by formulating requests verbally.

2. An assistance device for a motor vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that actuating the control element (2) causes the mobile terminal (1) to be put into communication with the remote center (8), user requests being requests formulated verbally by the user.

3. An assistance device for a motor vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that information is delivered to the user (5) in the form of a voice message.

4. An assistance device for a motor vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that information is downloaded and stored in memory means on board the vehicle.

5. An assistance device for a motor vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that it includes manual control means suitable for being actuated by the user to cause information stored in the memory means to be delivered in the form of a verbal message.

6. An assistance device for a motor vehicle according to claim 5, characterized in that the manual control means are constituted by the control element (2).

7. An assistance device for motor vehicles according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the actuator element is located on the steering wheel or in the immediate vicinity thereof.

8. A method of assisting a motor vehicle, in particular of providing navigation assistance, in which a remote processing center (8) communicates with a terminal (1) on board a vehicle via a radiotelephone network (6), manual control means placed in the vehicle being connected to the on-board terminal (1), the center (8) communicating with said on-board terminal by means of a given protocol and implementing recognition of requests formulated verbally by the user (5) and/or requests corresponding to the user actuating manual control means, and also transmitting information to the on-board terminal (1),

the method being characterized in that the manual control means comprise a control element (2) which provides the user (5) with a single type of actuation, and in that the user dialogs with the processing center (8) only by actuating the control element (2) and/or by formulating verbal requests.

9. A method of providing a motor vehicle with navigation assistance according to claim 8, characterized in that actuating the control element (2) causes the on-board terminal (1) and the remote center (8) to be put into communication, communication with the center then taking place by formulating verbal requests.

10. A method of providing a motor vehicle with navigation assistance according to claim 8, characterized in that instructions are delivered to the user in the form of voice messages.

11. A method of providing a motor vehicle with navigation assistance according to claims 8 to 10, characterized by the following steps:

the remote center (8) guides the user (5) through various service options by sending at least one voice message relating to the menu of services available;

the user (5) utters the service of interest;

the remote center (8) interprets the words uttered by the user and returns information to the user.