System and method for distributed navigation service

• US 6,421,607 B1
• Filed: 09/22/2000
• Issued: 07/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: McNulty, Mark, Kohley, Jeffrey, Gonsalves, Stanislaus, Bullock, James Blake, Gee, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US09/667,354
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 701/209, 701/211, 701/25, 701/117, 701/118, 701/119, 701/201, 340/905, 340/988-995
• US Class Current: 701/209
• 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

Abstract

A distributed navigation system and method for providing driving instructions to a user. The system includes a service center having a navigation server and associated workstations. The service center stores driving instructions in a continuously updated map database. In response to a user request the instructions are transmitted by way of a wireless network to a client device residing in the user vehicle. The instructions are assembled into sequential stepwise driving directions and stored in a storage device in the client device. Commands from the user trigger playback of the driving instructions in a stepwise fashion.

Claims

1. A method of operating a navigation system for a vehicle comprising:

determining an initial position of the vehicle;

initiating a wireless request for service, the request including transmission of the initial position of the vehicle;

establishing a voice connection, the voice connection providing transmission of a desired position of the vehicle;

wirelessly receiving, by the vehicle, a calculated route from the initial position to the desired position, wherein the calculated route is in a media format capable of being provided in a stepwise sequential fashion in response to commands; and

storing the received calculated route.

2. The method of operating the navigation system of claim 1 wherein at least one of playing and displaying the calculated route in the stepwise sequential fashion takes place in response to the commands.

3. The method of operating the navigation system of claim 2 wherein the commands are verbal commands from an occupant of the vehicle.

4. The method of operating the navigation system of claim 2 wherein the commands are generated by actuating buttons.

5. The method of operating the navigation system of claim 2 wherein the commands are generated by a positioning device.

6. The method of operating the navigation system of claim 1 wherein the request includes the identification of the vehicle.

7. The method of operating the navigation system of claim 6 wherein the request including the identification of the vehicle is used to validate that the vehicle is a current subscriber for the navigation system.

8. The method of operating the navigation system of claim 1 wherein the media format includes audio information.

9. The method of operating the navigation system of claim 1 wherein the media format includes textual information.

10. The method of operating the navigation system of claim 1 wherein the media format includes geographic properties.

11. The method of operating the navigation system of claim 1 wherein a service record is created when the transmittal of the route is complete.

12. A navigation system for a vehicle for providing navigational instructions to a user comprising:

positioning determining means for determining an initial position of the vehicle;

initiating means for wirelessly initiating a request for service, the request including transmission of the initial position of the vehicle;

establishing a voice connection, the voice connection providing transmission of a desired position of the vehicle;

receiving means for wirelessly receiving, by the vehicle, a calculated route from the initial position to the desired position, wherein the calculated route is in a media format capable of being provided in a stepwise sequential fashion in response to commands; and

storage means for storing the received calculated route.

13. The navigation system of claim 12, further comprising:

formating means for formatting the calculated route into a format adapted to be provided in a stepwise sequential fashion;

route calculation means for calculating a route from the initial position to the desired position to produce the calculated route;

transmitting means for wirelessly transmitting the calculated route to the vehicle;

command and control means for decoding the calculated route into at least one of voice, textual, and graphic data; and

output means responsive to the command and control means for outputting the decoded data.

14. The navigation system of claim 13 wherein data stored in the storage means is adapted to be output in a stepwise manner in response to commands from the command and control means.

15. The navigation system of claim 13 wherein the route calculation means and the formatting means are included in a service center, the service center further comprising a navigation server and associated workstations, the navigations server including a computer storage device having map information and a database for storing user information, the workstations being connected to the navigation server to provide access to the map information and user information, and the service center including communication means for communicating data voice information to and from the vehicle.

17. The navigation system of claim 12 further comprising a display means for displaying the output from the output means in a stepwise sequential fashion.

18. The navigation system of claim 12 further comprising a playback means for playing back at least a portion of calculated route in response to commands.

16. Computer usable media storing a program in a navigation system for a vehicle comprising:

computer readable program code that receives navigating instructions in at least one of an audio, a textual and a graphic media, formats the instructions into discreet steps; and

computer readable program code that receives and stores the formatted instructions and outputs the instructions to an associated output device in a stepwise fashion in response to commands.