Vehicle navigation systems and methods for presenting information originating from a mobile device

• US 8,868,337 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2012
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Pierfelice, Jeffrey E.
• Primary Examiner(s): FREJD, RUSSELL WARREN
• Application Number:
  US13/541,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20140012497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 701/425, 701/426, 701/450, 701/451, 701/454, 701/461, 340/995.14, 340/995.16, 340/995.24
• US Class Current: 701/454
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3611 using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs character input methods in general G06F3/0233
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3614 through interaction with a road map, e.g. selecting a POI icon on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

Vehicle navigation systems and methods for presenting information originating from a mobile device on a vehicle navigation system display of a vehicle are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of presenting information originating from a mobile device on a vehicle navigation system display of a vehicle includes receiving, by a vehicle navigation system, application data from an application operating on the mobile device, wherein the application data from the application represents an entity in proximity to the vehicle. The method further includes displaying an icon representing the application data from the application on a map presented on the vehicle navigation system display. The icon is positioned on the map according to a geographic location of the entity.

Claims

1. A method of presenting information originating from a mobile device on a vehicle navigation system display of a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, by a vehicle navigation system, application data from a plurality of compatible applications operating on the mobile device, wherein;

the plurality of compatible applications are a filtered subset of all applications operating on the mobile device, the filtered subset based on an ability to communicate with the vehicle navigation system; and

the application data from the plurality of compatible applications represents one or more entities in proximity to the vehicle;

displaying, on the vehicle navigation system display, a list of the plurality of compatible applications operating on the mobile device;

receiving an application selection input, wherein the application selection input indicates a selection of one or more selected compatible applications of the plurality of compatible applications; and

displaying one or more icons representing the application data from the one or more selected compatible applications on a map presented on the vehicle navigation system display, wherein one or more icons are positioned on the map according to a geographic location of the one or more entities.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application data received by the vehicle navigation system is formatted by the vehicle navigation system for display of the one or more icons on the map.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying information associated with the application data in response to receiving a user input selecting a selected icon of the one or more icons, wherein the information is representative of an entity associated with the selected icon.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the information comprises a company name.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the application data received by the vehicle navigation system is such that the information is formatted for display on the vehicle navigation system display upon receipt by the vehicle navigation system.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying detailed information associated with the application data in response to receiving a second user input associated with the information, wherein the detailed information is representative of the entity associated with the selected icon.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the detailed information comprises a telephone number and a physical address.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the application data at least partially originates from a third party server associated with the application operating on the mobile device.

9. A vehicle navigation system comprising:

one or more processors;

a vehicle navigation system display communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;

a user input device communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;

a satellite module communicatively coupled to the one or more processors and configured to provide geographic location data to the one or more processors;

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the vehicle navigation system to;

receive the geographic location data from the satellite module, wherein the geographic location data is indicative of a geographic location of a vehicle associated with the vehicle navigation system;

generate and display a map corresponding to a proximity of the geographic location of the vehicle;

receive application data from a plurality of compatible applications operating on a mobile device, wherein;

the plurality of compatible applications are a filtered subset of all applications operating on the mobile device, the filtered subset based on an ability to communicate with the vehicle navigation system; and

the application data from the plurality of compatible applications represents one or more entities in proximity to the vehicle;

display, on the vehicle navigation system display, a list of the plurality of compatible applications operating on the mobile device;

receive an application selection input, wherein the application selection input indicates a selection of one or more selected compatible applications of the plurality of compatible applications provided in the list; and

display one or more icons representing the application data from the one or more selected compatible applications on the map according to a geographic location of the one or more entities.

10. The vehicle navigation system of claim 9, wherein the application data is formatted by the vehicle navigation system for display of the one or more icons on the map.

11. The vehicle navigation system of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the vehicle navigation system to display information associated with the application data in response to receiving a user input selecting a selected icon of the one or more icons, wherein the information is representative of an entity associated with the selected icon.

12. The vehicle navigation system of claim 11, wherein the application data received by the vehicle navigation system is such that the information is formatted for display on the vehicle navigation system display upon receipt by the vehicle navigation system.

13. The vehicle navigation system of claim 11, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the vehicle navigation system to display detailed information associated with the application data in response to receiving a second user input associated with the information via the user input device, wherein the detailed information is representative of the entity associated with the selected icon.

14. The vehicle navigation system of claim 13, wherein the detailed information comprises a telephone number and a physical address.

15. The vehicle navigation system of claim 9, wherein the application data at least partially originates from a third party server associated with the application operating on the mobile device.

16. A method of presenting information originating from a mobile device on a vehicle navigation system display of a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, by a vehicle navigation system, a file containing a list of compatible applications operating on the mobile device, wherein the compatible applications are a filtered subset of all applications operating on the mobile device, the filtered subset based on an ability to communicate with the vehicle navigation system;

displaying, on the vehicle navigation system display, a list of compatible applications operating on the mobile device;

receiving a selection of one or more compatible applications provided in the list of compatible applications;

receiving, by a vehicle navigation system, application data from each selected compatible application operating on the mobile device, wherein the application data from each selected compatible application represents an entity in proximity to the vehicle, and the application data from each selected compatible application at least partially originates from a third party server associated with the selected compatible application operating on the mobile device; and

displaying an icon representing the application data for each selected compatible application on a map presented on the vehicle navigation system display, wherein each icon is positioned on the map according to a geographic location of the entity associated with the icon.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying information associated with the application data in response to receiving a user input selecting the icon, wherein the information is representative of the entity.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying detailed information associated with the application data in response to receiving a second user input associated with the information, wherein the detailed information is representative of the entity.