Patent ID: 7412313
Filing Date: 2008-08-12
Classification: G01C,G08G

Abstract:
1. A method to provide navigational maintenance assistance for a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: triggering a maintenance warning using a sensor on the vehicle; in response to the maintenance warning, estimating a range a vehicle can travel before a required maintenance will disable the vehicle; establishing a location and direction of travel of the vehicle; defining a search zone for searching for service stations, the search zone defined by at least (i) an axis along the direction of travel of the vehicle, (ii) the range from the estimating step, and (iii) an expandable angular range to either side of the axis, wherein the angular range is initially such that the search zone is limited to an area substantially ahead of the location of the vehicle in the direction of travel of the vehicle; searching a database including service-station locations for any service stations located within the search zone; if one or more service stations are found in the searching step, presenting the one or more service stations to a driver of the vehicle; and if no service station is found in the searching step, expanding the angular range of the search zone and returning to the searching step, wherein, if no service station is found in the searching step after expanding the angular range such that the search zone covers a substantially circular area around the location of the vehicle, further carrying out the steps of: expanding a radius of the substantially circular area corresponding to the search zone and returning to the searching step, wherein the steps of expanding the radius and searching are carried out until at least one service station is found in the searching step.