Abstract:
A method for communicating navigational information to a telematics unit. The method comprises receiving route requirements; calculating a plurality of portions of a route, each portion calculated according to different sets of criteria, the criteria determined from the route requirements; and sending the plurality of portions to the telematics unit. The portions of the route can be provided to the telematics unit sequentially, with non-final portions including a trigger for indicating to the telematics unit when to request the next portion. The portions can also be provided to the telematics unit as a complete route comprising concatenated route portions.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates generally to the field of telematics, and more specifically, to the field of navigation services. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Many modern vehicles incorporate telematics devices for providing a variety of fee-based subscription services in a mobile environment, including navigational assistance. An in-vehicle telematics device typically includes a plurality of communication interfaces, including cellular and/or satellite transceivers. As part of providing navigational assistance, for example when requesting and receiving road network data, a telematics device may establish a radio communication link with a call center via a wireless (e.g., cellular) network. 
     Typically, with a telematics system, a driver wanting navigational assistance establishes communication with an operator and tells the operator where he or she wants to go and provides any criteria about how he or she would like to get there. For example, the driver can tell the operator that he or she wishes to drive to a particular city, but by taking a scenic route instead of the most direct route or the fastest route. With this information, the operator instructs a telematics unit of the driver&#39;s vehicle to contact a navigation server, which will provide a route to the telematics unit according to the criteria. The telematics unit then gives turn-by-turn instructions to the driver on how to reach the destination according to the requested criteria. 
     Sometimes drivers wish to reach their destination with particular criteria such that the criteria for distinct portions of a route are not uniform. For example, a driver wanting a scenic route may not want simply the scenic route from one location to another, but may want to drive a further distance to a different scenic route to get the final destination. For instance, a scenic route from one destination to another may be through the mountains, but a driver may wish not to drive through the mountains, but to drive along the coast. Therefore the driver may want the quickest route to the coast, and then proceed along the coast as far as possible in order to reach his or her destination. As another example, in case of an emergency situation, a driver may want the quickest route to a particular evacuation route instead of a route specified as an evacuation route from the driver&#39;s current location. 
     Generally, navigation systems provide routes where each complete route is based on criteria applying to the complete route, but do not provide routes where different portions of a route may have differing criteria. Therefore, if a driver, for example, wants different portions of a complete route to have different criteria, he or she must establish communication with the operator in order to request a new portion of the route after each portion is completed. For example, if a driver wants to get to the coast as quickly as possible and then drive along the coast to his or her destination, he or she must request a route to the coast from the operator who will provide the quickest route to the coast. Upon reaching the coast, the driver must contact the operator again to request a scenic route from the driver&#39;s current location to his or her destination. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention provides a method for communicating navigational information to a telematics unit. In an example, the method comprises receiving route requirements; calculating an initial portion of the route according to a first set of criteria, the first set of criteria determined from the route requirements; sending the initial portion and a trigger condition to the telematics unit; receiving information from the telematics unit upon fulfillment of the trigger condition; and calculating at least one additional portion of the route according to a second set of criteria, the second set of criteria different from the first set of criteria. 
     In accordance with another example, the method comprises receiving route requirements; calculating a plurality of portions of a route, each portion calculated according to different sets of criteria, the criteria determined from the route requirements; and sending the plurality of portions to the telematics unit. 
     In accordance with yet another example, a system for providing navigational information to a driver is included. The system includes a telematics unit, a navigation server, and a mechanism for providing communication between the telematics unit and the navigation server. The telematics unit provides route requirements from the driver. The navigation server receives the route requirements and calculates a plurality of route portions from the route requirements. At least two of the route portions are based on differing sets of criteria from the route requirements. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram illustrating a system for delivery of N-vehicle telematic services as contemplated by an example of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of a spatial relationship between location points comprising at least one of the roads of a road network in accordance with an example; 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart of a method for providing multiple portions of a route with differing criteria in accordance with an example; 
         FIG. 4  is a flow chart of a method for calculating the route of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a flow chart of a method for providing multiple portions of a route having differing criteria in accordance with another example; and 
         FIG. 6  is a map showing various routes between two destinations, the routes having differing criteria. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In the following description, various examples of the present invention will be described. For purposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the examples. However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the example being described. 
     Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout the several views,  FIG. 1  shows an example of a communication system  100  that may be used with the present method and generally includes a vehicle  102 , a wireless carrier system  104 , a land network  106  and a call center  108 . It should be appreciated that the overall architecture, setup and operation, as well as the individual components of a system such as that shown here are generally known in the art. Thus, the following paragraphs simply provide a brief overview of one such exemplary information system  100 ; however, other systems not shown here could employ the present method as well. 
     The vehicle  102  is preferably a mobile vehicle such as a motorcycle, car, truck, recreational vehicle (RV), boat, plane, etc., and is equipped with suitable hardware and software that enables it to communicate over the system  100 . Some of the vehicle hardware  110  is shown generally in  FIG. 1 , including a telematics unit  114 , a microphone  116 , a speaker  118  and buttons and/or controls  120  connected to the telematics unit  114 . Operatively coupled to the telematics unit  114  is a network connection or vehicle bus  122 . Examples of suitable network connections include a controller area network (CAN), a media oriented system transfer (MOST), a local interconnection network (LIN), an Ethernet, and other appropriate connections such as those that conform with known ISO, SAE, and IEEE standards and specifications, to name a few. 
     The telematics unit  114  is an onboard device that provides a variety of services through its communication with the call center  108 , and generally includes an electronic processing device  128 , one or more types of electronic memory  130  having stored thereon software  131 , a cellular chipset/component  124 , a wireless modem  126 , a dual antenna  160  and a navigation unit containing a GPS chipset/component  132 . In one example, the wireless modem  126  is comprised of a computer program and/or set of software routines executing within processing device  128 . 
     The telematics unit  114  provides too many services to list them all, but several examples include: turn-by-turn directions and other navigation-related services provided in conjunction with the GPS based chipset/component  132 ; airbag deployment notification and other emergency or roadside assistance-related services provided in connection with various crash and or collision sensor interface modules  156  and sensors  158  located throughout the vehicle. Infotainment-related services where music, Web pages, movies, television programs, video games and/or other content is downloaded by an infotainment center  136  operatively connected to the telematics unit  114  via vehicle bus  122  and audio bus  112 . In one example, downloaded content is stored for current or later playback. 
     Again, the above-listed services are by no means an exhaustive list of all the capabilities of telematics unit  114 , as should be appreciated by those skilled in the art, but are simply an illustration of some of the services that the telematics unit is capable of offering. It is anticipated that telematics unit  114  may not include all of the components listed above and may include a number of known components in addition to those listed above. 
     Vehicle communications preferably use radio transmissions to establish a voice channel with wireless a carrier system  104  so that both voice and data transmissions can be sent and received over the voice channel. Vehicle communications are enabled via the cellular chipset/component  124  for voice communications and a wireless modem  126  for data transmission. In order to enable successful data transmission over the voice channel, a wireless modem  126  applies some type of encoding or modulation to convert the digital data so that it can communicate through a vocoder or speech codec incorporated in the cellular chipset/component  124 . Any suitable encoding or modulation technique that provides an acceptable data rate and bit error can be used with the present method. A dual mode antenna  160  services the GPS chipset/component and the cellular chipset/component. 
     A microphone  116  provides the driver or other vehicle occupant with a means for inputting verbal or other auditory commands, and can be equipped with an embedded voice processing unit utilizing a human/machine interface (HMI) technology known in the art. Conversely, a speaker  118  provides verbal output to the vehicle occupants and can be either a stand-alone speaker specifically dedicated for use with the telematics unit  114  or can be part of a vehicle audio component  154 . In either event, the microphone  116  and speaker  118  enable the vehicle hardware  110  and a call center  108  to communicate with the occupants through audible speech. The vehicle hardware also includes one or more buttons or controls  120  for enabling a vehicle occupant to activate or engage one or more of the vehicle hardware components  110 . For example, one of the buttons  120  can be an electronic pushbutton used to initiate voice communication with call center  108  (whether it be a live advisor or an automated call response system, collectively referred herein as an operator  148 ). In another example, one of the buttons  120  can be used to initiate emergency services. 
     The audio component  154  is operatively connected to the vehicle bus  122  and the audio bus  112 . The audio component  154  receives analog information, rendering it as sound, via the audio bus  112 . Digital information is received via the vehicle bus  122 . The audio component  154  provides AM and FM radio, CD, DVD, and multimedia functionality independent of the infotainment center  136 . The audio component  154  may contain a speaker system, or may utilize a speaker  118  via arbitration on vehicle bus  122  and/or audio bus  112 . 
     The vehicle crash and/or collision detection sensor interface  156  are operatively connected to the vehicle bus  122 . The crash sensors  158  provide information to the telematics unit via the crash and/or collision detection sensor interface  156  regarding the severity of a vehicle collision, such as the angle of impact and the amount of force sustained. 
     Vehicle sensors  160 , connected to various sensor interface modules  134  are operatively connected to the vehicle bus  122 . Examples of vehicle sensors include, but are not limited to gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, emission detection and/or control sensors, and the like. Example sensor interface modules  134  include powertrain control, climate control, and body control, to name but a few. 
     The wireless carrier system  104  is preferably a cellular telephone system or any other suitable wireless system that transmits signals between the vehicle hardware  110  and the land network  106 . According to an example, the wireless carrier system  104  includes one or more cell towers  138 , base stations and/or mobile switching centers (MSCs)  140 , as well as any other networking components required to connect the wireless system  104  with a land network  106 . As appreciated by those skilled in the art, various cell tower/based station/MSC arrangements are possible and could be used with wireless system  104 . For example, a base station and a cell tower could be co-located at the same site or they could be remotely located, and a single base station could be coupled to various cell towers or various base stations could be coupled with a single MSC, to name but a few of the possible arrangements. Preferably, a speech codec or vocoder is incorporated in one or more of the base stations, but depending on the particular architecture of the wireless network, it could be incorporated within a Mobile Switching Center or some other network components as well. 
     The land network  106  can be a conventional land-based telecommunications network that is connected to one or more landline telephones and connects a wireless carrier network  104  to call center  108 . For example, the land network  106  can include a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and/or an Internet protocol (IP) network, as is appreciated by those skilled in the art. Of course, one or more segments of the land network  106  can be implemented in the form of a standard wired network, a fiber of other optical network, a cable network, other wireless networks such as wireless local networks (WLANs) or networks providing broadband wireless access (BWA), or any combination thereof. 
     The call center  108  is designed to provide the vehicle hardware  110  with a number of different system back-end functions and, according to the example shown here, generally includes one or more switches  142 , servers  144 , databases  146 , live advisors  148 , as well as a variety of other telecommunication and computer equipment  150  that is known to those skilled in the art. In an example, the call center  108  is configured to provide the vehicle hardware  110  with a navigation server  145 , the navigation server configured to receive route criteria and to provide a route to the vehicle hardware  110 , as is known in the art. These various call center components are preferably coupled to one another via a network connection or bus  152 , such as the one previously described in connection with the vehicle hardware  110 . Switch  142 , which can be a private branch exchange (PBX) switch, routes incoming signals so that voice transmissions are usually sent to either the live advisor  148  or an automated response system, and data transmissions are passed on to a modem or other piece of equipment  150  for demodulation and further signal processing. The modem  150  preferably includes an encoder, as previously explained, and can be connected to various devices such as a server  144  and database  146 . For example, a database  146  could be designed to store subscriber profile records, subscriber behavioral patterns, or any other pertinent subscriber information. Although the illustrated example has been described as it would be used in conjunction with a manned call center  108 , it will be appreciated that the call center  108  can be any central or remote facility, manned or unmanned, mobile or fixed, to or from which it is desirable to exchange voice and data. 
     With reference to  FIG. 2 , the telematics unit  114  communicates with the call center  108  to receive the road network data and provide positioning, route guidance, and other navigational functionality by comparing the vehicle&#39;s current position  200  to the surrounding map data  202  and, optionally, the route guidance instructions received from the call center  108 . Preferably, the telematics unit  114  incrementally receives map data  202  from the call center  108  as the vehicle  102  changes its position  200 . The positional data comprising the map data  202  corresponds to a predetermined part of the overall road network data set. The memory  130  of the telematics unit  114  includes navigation software in the form of computer-readable instructions  131  for processing the road network as a plurality of points  204 - 236 , wherein each point is a location defined by a latitude and longitude. Thus, a length of road A is represented by a series of points  204 - 218 , while an intersecting length of road B is represented by points  220 ,  222 ,  214 ,  224 - 228 , where the common point  214  defines an intersection of roads A and B. Similarly, a length of road C is represented by points  230 ,  232 ,  228 ,  234 ,  236  with point  228  common to both roads B and C and defining their intersection. It should be noted that a given point may define intersections of varying complexity by commonly representing two or more roads. 
     To maximize the availability of internal memory storage  130  and to comply with the bandwidth limitations of the wireless carrier system  104 , the telematics unit  114  incrementally requests road network data from the call center  108 . The newly received road network data is used to provide routing and other navigational functionality corresponding to the changes in the vehicle location  200 . In one example, the telematics unit  114  requests additional road network data when the current vehicle location  200  no longer corresponds to a location point stored within its memory. Alternatively or in addition, the telematics unit  114  requests additional road network data when route guidance data lies outside of the network data stored within its memory. In another example, the telematics unit  114  is capable of requesting additional road network data based on evaluating the availability of locally stored road network data within a predetermined radius from the current location  200 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a method for providing multiple routes in accordance with an example. It will be appreciated that each program, module, and functional computational unit described herein, and each step executed by the telematics unit  114 , navigation server  150 , or other component described herein, is implemented in an example by a computer or computing device (generically “computer”) reading computer-executable instructions from a computer-readable medium and executing said instructions or causing them to be executed. The computer-readable medium is a physical fixed medium such as a magnetic or optically readable (and potentially writable) disc, circuit, array, or other physically tangible element. In an alternative example, “transient computer-readable media” may be used additionally or alternatively. Such media include radio and optical transmissions (generically “electromagnetic transmissions”), audio transmissions, whether human-perceivable or not, and so on. It will be appreciated that “computer-readable media” are distinct from “transient computer-readable media.” 
     At a communication establishing step  300 , the driver establishes communication with the operator  148 . Various telematics units can have varying mechanisms for establishing such communication with the operator  148 . In an example, establishing communication with an operator  148  includes pressing the button  120  which can be a blue button of the telematics unit  114  found on well-known OnStar® telematics units. When communication with the operator  148  is established, the driver requests a route from the operator  148  at a route requesting step  302 . For example, in an example, the driver orally requests a route to a particular city, taking a scenic route or taking a particular scenic route. A route can also be requested using other mechanisms, such as by inputting route criteria via a user interface of the telematics unit  114 . Preferably, the operator  148  then instructs the telematics unit  114  to communicate with the navigation server  145  at an operator instruction step  304 . However, other protocols, such as instructing the navigation server  145  to communicate with the telematics unit  114 , can also be used. 
     In an example, when the operator  148  sends instructions to the telematics unit  114  to communicate with the navigation server  145 , the operator  148  sends a signal to the telematics unit  114 , instructing the telematics unit  114  to communicate with the navigation server  145  in a manner that is transparent to the driver, such as by sending a signal to the telematics unit  114  that is processed by the telematics unit  114  without requiring any driver intervention. Upon receiving instructions from the operator  148  to communicate with the navigation server  145 , the telematics unit  114  requests a route from the navigation server  145  at a telematic route requesting step  306 . In an example, the telematics unit  114  sends the driver&#39;s current location, requested destination, and criteria for how to reach the destination to the navigation server  145 . Upon receiving the route request from the telematics unit  114 , the navigation server  145  then calculates a route and sends the route to the telematics unit  114  at a route calculation step  308 . Once the navigation server  145  communicates the route and sends the route to the telematics unit  114 , the telematics unit  114  provides the driver with turn-by-turn directions according to the route at a directing step  310 . In an example, providing turn-by-turn direction involves providing the driver an audible instruction, such as an instruction to turn a particular direction to a particular street, each time the telematics unit  114  determines that the driver is approaching a location requiring driver intervention, such as when the driver must turn from one street to another in order to follow the route provided. Visual or other instructions can be provided instead of or in addition to audible instructions. 
     If the driver, either intentionally or inadvertently, takes a turn diverging from the provided route, the telematics unit  114 , in an example, informs the driver that he or she has diverged from the route and requests instructions whether the driver wishes to receive instructions to return to the route. If the driver provides an affirmative answer, the telematics unit  114  instructs the navigation server  145  to calculate a new route. The new route can be a direct or other route to the original requested route, a complete route recalculated from the driver&#39;s current location and according to the driver&#39;s requested criteria, or another route. In general, any method for interacting with the driver when the driver has diverged from his or her requested route can be used. For example, the telematics unit  114  can calculate a new route using data stored in the telematics unit  114 , or the telematics unit  114  can send to the driver&#39;s location the destination and criteria to the navigation server  145 , so that the navigation server  145  calculates a new route from the driver&#39;s location and provides that new route to the telematics unit  114 . 
       FIG. 4  shows the route calculation step  308  in greater detail. In an example, the navigation server  145  calculates the first portion of the requested route according to first criteria at an initial route calculation step  400 . For example, the navigation server  145  can calculate the quickest distance to a particular scenic route requested by the driver or the quickest distance to an evacuation route from a city in which the driver is located or to which the driver is proximate. If the driver has requested multiple criteria for the initial portion of the route, the navigation server  145  can combine the criteria to satisfy the driver&#39;s request. For instance, if the driver requested that the initial portion of the route be quick but scenic, the navigation server can provide a route that is quick but scenic, such as the quickest of several possible scenic routes available for the initial portion of the route. At a route completion checking step  402 , the navigation server  145  determines whether any portion of the route remains to be calculated. If the route is not complete, such as when the driver&#39;s requested route includes two portions and only one portion has been calculated, the navigation server  145  calculates the next portion of the route according to the driver&#39;s criteria for that portion at a route portion calculation step  404 . Once the next portion of the route is calculated, the navigation server  145  returns to the route completion checking step  402 . If the navigation server  145  determines that no portions remain to be calculated, the navigation server  145  concatenates route portions to construct a route. This route is then sent to the telematics unit  114 , so that the telematics unit  114  can provide the driver with turn-by-turn instructions. 
       FIG. 5  shows a flow chart for a method for providing a route with multiple portions having differing criteria in accordance with another example. In an example, the method proceeds from the communication establishing step  300  to the operator instruction step  304  as discussed above, although it may begin differently than the method described in  FIG. 4 . Once the operator instructs the telematics unit  114  to communicate with the navigation server  145 , the telematics unit  114  requests a route from the navigation server  145  at a route requesting step  500 . In an example, requesting the route from the navigation server  145  includes the telematics unit  114  sending the navigation server  145  the driver&#39;s current location, requested destination, and criteria for how the driver wishes to reach his or her destination. With the information received from the telematics unit  114 , the navigation server  145  calculates a portion of the route according to criteria and a trigger, and sends that portion of the route and the trigger to the telematics unit  114 . As an example, if the driver&#39;s criteria includes that he or she wants the quickest route to a scenic route along the coast so that he or she can take a scenic route along the coast to his or her destination, the navigation server  145  can determine the distance to the coast according to the quickest route to the coast and send that quickest route to the coast and the distance to the telematics unit  114 . 
     Once the telematics unit receives the route portion and trigger from the navigation server  145 , the telematics unit  114  provides the driver with turn-by-turn instructions for that route portion, at a directing step  504 , until the trigger condition is met at a trigger condition step  506 . For instance, in the example described above, the telematics unit  114  provides the driver with turn-by-turn instructions until the driver has proceeded on the route portion for the number of miles required to reach the scenic route requested, where the number of miles is the trigger. Other triggers can also be used in addition to or instead of a distance. For instance, a trigger may be a location near an end point of a current route portion and the trigger condition can be met when a global positioning system, such as the GPS chipset/component  132 , of the telematics unit  114  determines that the driver is near the end of a current route portion. 
     Upon detecting that the trigger condition has been met, the telematics unit  114  determines whether any portions remain of the route in order to complete the route at a route completion checking step  508 . If portions remain, the telematics unit  114  returns to the route requesting step  500  and requests the route from the navigation server  145 . In an example, the telematics unit  114  stores criteria for each route portion and sends that criteria each time the telematics unit  114  communicates with the navigation server  145  for a new route portion. However, the criteria can also be stored in the navigation server  145  or another location. If no route portions remain at the route completion checking step  508 , the driver has reached his or her destination. 
       FIG. 6  shows a map having various routes between Eugene  600  and Portland  602  in order to illustrate various examples. For example, a direct route that is the quickest route, labeled as route  604 , between Eugene  600  and Portland  602  proceeds along an interstate highway in approximately a straight line between the two cities. A scenic route between Eugene  600  and Portland  602  would proceed along the scenic route  606  from Eugene  600  to Portland  602  travelling along a more scenic but less direct route through towns such as Corvallis, McMinnville, and Beaverton along a scenic route  606 . However, if a driver wishes to proceed along the coast on his or her way to Portland  602  from Eugene  600 , a typical navigation server or other routing system may not have a coastal route stored as a scenic route between Eugene  600  and Portland. According to an example, for example, a driver in Eugene would establish communication with the operator  148  and tell the operator  148  that he or she would like to drive from Eugene  600  to Portland  602  but by way of the coast. The operator  148  then would instruct the driver&#39;s telematics unit  114  to communicate with the navigation server  145  to provide a route according to the driver&#39;s criteria. 
     In an example, the navigation server  145  calculates the quickest route to the coast, and then calculates a scenic route along the coast to Portland from that point. In the example demonstrated in  FIG. 6 , a first portion  608  to the coast proceeds westbound on a route  608  directly to the coast, and a second portion  610  proceeds along the coast towards Portland  602 . The first portion  608  and second portion  610  are concatenated to form a complete route which is sent to the telematics unit  114  so that the telematics unit  114  can provide the driver with turn-by-turn instructions according to the route. 
     In another example, the navigation server  145  calculates the quickest route to the coast and sends that route as a first portion  608  to the telematics unit  114 . The navigation server  145  also concurrently sends the distance from the Eugene  600  to the coastal route  610  as a trigger to the telematics unit  114 , so that the telematics unit  114  is triggered to establish communication with the navigation server  145  to request and receive the next portion of the route, the scenic portion  610 . 
     All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein. 
     The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention. 
     Preferred examples of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred examples may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.