Prioritization of navigation settings between an on-board navigation system of a motor vehicle and an off-board navigation system operating on a mobile communication device

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for managing the operation of an on-board navigation system (2) of a motor vehicle in relation to an off-board navigation system (7) operating on a mobile communication device (6). The invention also relates to a computing device (100) implementing such a method, as well as to a motor vehicle (1) comprising such a device. Figure for the abstract: 1

Description

Title of the invention: Prioritization of navigation settings between an on-board navigation system of a motor vehicle and an off-board navigation system operating on a mobile communication device Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of motor vehicle navigation systems. The invention relates in particular to a method for managing the operation of an on-board navigation system of a motor vehicle in relation to an off-board navigation system operating on a mobile communication device, said method being implemented by a computer device on board said vehicle. The invention also relates to a device implementing such a method, as well as a motor vehicle comprising such a device. The invention applies to motor vehicles such as land motor vehicles, in particular cars. State of the prior art

[0002] Most modern motor vehicles are equipped with a navigation system that interacts with a satellite positioning system to, among other things, determine routes for journeys based on navigation settings specified by a user (e.g. shortest route, avoidance of toll roads, avoidance of ferry transport, etc.). Until now, users must therefore be on board the vehicles to specify a journey using an input interface of such an on-board navigation system. In addition, some of these navigation systems allow the specification of navigation settings in connection with the definition of user profiles. Thus, a user no longer has to enter certain navigation settings for each new journey.

[0003] On the other hand, recent mobile communication devices are generally also equipped with a navigation system. Like those of vehicles, they operate by interacting with a satellite positioning system so as to be able to calculate routes for journeys according to specified navigation settings.

[0004] However, there is currently no known on-board navigation system for a motor vehicle that has the ability to synchronize with an off-board navigation system, particularly in terms of navigation settings. As a result, a vehicle user can perfectly well establish a route based on particular navigation settings on his mobile communication device and then see their vehicle's onboard navigation system offer a significantly different route for the same journey, which takes no account of the specific navigation settings specified in the offboard navigation system. The user may therefore end up taking a route that is not suitable for them. From this point of view, car navigation systems lack ergonomics. Summary of the invention

[0005] The invention aims to solve this problem. In particular, it aims to provide a solution for being able to synchronize a route for a journey and an associated particular navigation setting that are established in an onboard navigation system operating on a mobile communication device with an onboard navigation system of a motor vehicle, so that the onboard navigation system of the vehicle makes use of the particular navigation setting at least temporarily. By this means, the invention aims to improve the ergonomics of motor vehicle navigation systems.

[0006] In order to achieve these objectives, the invention relates, according to a first aspect, to a method for managing the operation of an on-board navigation system of a motor vehicle in relation to an off-board navigation system operating on a mobile communication device, said method being implemented by a computing device on board said vehicle and comprising the steps of: i. obtaining data characterizing a route for a journey to a destination and a particular associated navigation setting which have been generated in response to an input made by means of an input interface of said off-board navigation system; ii. cause, when the execution of said route is activated by means of an input interface of said on-board navigation system, the use by said on-board navigation system of said particular navigation setting instead of a personalized navigation setting defined by a user profile that said on-board navigation system is using at the current time; and iii. cause, when it is established that a condition is met, the use by said on-board navigation system of said personalized navigation setting.

[0007] According to a variant, step ii) may comprise a step consisting of causing a calculation by said on-board navigation system of a new route for said journey if said entry was made more than one hour before the start of said vehicle.

[0008] According to another variant, said condition can be fulfilled as soon as it is established that said vehicle reaches said destination.

[0009] According to yet another variant, said condition can be fulfilled as soon as it is established that said vehicle does not reach said destination at the end of a time interval of a predefined duration which begins when the completion of said route is activated.

[0010] According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a device for managing the operation of an on-board navigation system of a motor vehicle in relation to an off-board navigation system operating on a mobile communication device, the device comprising an information processing unit, with one or more processors, and a data storage medium, which are configured to implement a method as described above.

[0011] According to a third aspect, the invention relates to a computer program comprising program code instructions for executing the steps of a method as described above when said program is executed by at least one processor.

[0012] According to a fourth aspect, the invention relates to a computer-readable medium on which a program as described above is recorded.

[0013] According to a fifth aspect, the invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising an on-board navigation system and which incorporates a device as described above. Brief description of the drawings

[0014] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on examining the detailed description below, and the appended drawings, in which:

[0015] [Fig-1] is a schematic illustration of the invention;

[0016] [Fig.2] is a functional diagram of a device according to the invention; and

[0017] [Fig.3] is a flowchart of the steps of a method according to the invention. Detailed description of the invention

[0018] [Fig.l] shows a schematic illustration of the invention in which we see in particular a vehicle 1 according to the invention. This conventionally comprises an on-board navigation system 2, which interacts with a satellite positioning system (e.g. GPS) in order to be able to determine routes for journeys and which comprises an input interface, using for example a touch screen 3, which allows a user to specify navigation settings, preferably in connection with a user profile 4 which is recorded on a data storage medium. The vehicle 1 according to the invention further comprises communication equipment 5 in order to be able to communicate (i.e. transmit and receive data), by means of conventional wired or wireless communication technologies (e.g. Wifi, Bluetooth, NFC, USB, etc.), with a mobile communication device 6 which operates an onboard navigation system 7, for example by means of hardware components of the mobile communication device 6 (e.g. GPS antenna) and software elements encapsulated in an application executed by the operating system of the mobile communication device 6. Conventionally, the onboard navigation system 7 also provides an input interface, which uses for example a touch screen of the communication device, so that a user can specify a route as well as one or more navigation settings. Preferably, an input of a route calculation request for a route constrains the specification of one or more particular navigation settings.

[0019] Advantageously, the vehicle 1 according to the invention also carries a device 100 for managing the operation of an on-board navigation system of a motor vehicle in relation to an off-board navigation system operating on a mobile communication device within the meaning of the present invention, as described below, which implements a method for managing the operation of an on-board navigation system of a motor vehicle in relation to an off-board navigation system operating on a mobile communication device within the meaning of the present invention, as briefly summarized below and described in detail below.

[0020] When implementing the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention advantageously obtains data characterizing a route for a journey and an associated particular navigation setting that have been generated in the onboard navigation system 7. In other words, the device 100 according to the invention initiates the implementation of the method according to the invention by retrieving a route and a related particular navigation setting that have previously been established by a user of the mobile communication device 6. Then, the device 100 according to the invention substitutes the particular navigation setting for a personalized navigation setting defined in the user profile 4 that the onboard navigation system 2 uses by default. In other words, priority is temporarily given to one or more particular navigation settings that have been established in the onboard navigation system 7.Finally, the device 100 according to the invention restores the use by the on-board navigation system 2 of the personalized navigation setting, that defined in the user profile 4, when the vehicle reaches the destination of the journey or if it does not reach it at the end of a time interval of predefined duration. As will be seen, it is in this way that the invention significantly improves the ergonomics of the navigation systems of motor vehicles, and therefore of the motor vehicles which incorporate such systems.

[0021] In [Fig.2] is illustrated in more detail the device 100 for managing the operation of an on-board navigation system of a motor vehicle in relation to a on-board navigation system operating on a mobile communication device according to the invention. It is essentially a computer device, which comprises at least one information processing unit 101, comprising one or more processors, a data storage medium 102, on which is recorded in particular a program which comprises program code instructions for executing the steps of the method according to the invention described below, and an input and output interface 103 allowing the reception and transmission of data.

[0022] Preferably, the device 100 according to the invention is integrated into an independent computer and it interacts via its input and output interface 103 and by means of a wired communication network of the vehicle (e.g. CAN, Ethernet, MOST) - shown in [Fig.l] by the two-way arrows - with the on-board navigation system 2 and with the communication equipment 5. Alternatively, the device 100 according to the invention is partially or fully part of a computer of the on-board navigation system 2.By means of these means, the device 100 according to the invention is advantageously capable, in particular, of obtaining data characterizing a route for a journey to a destination and a particular associated navigation setting which have been generated in response to an input made by means of an input interface of the onboard navigation system 7, and it can also cause the onboard navigation system to use a particular navigation setting.

[0023] According to the invention, all the elements described above contribute to enabling the implementation of a method for managing the operation of an on-board navigation system of a motor vehicle in relation to an off-board navigation system operating on a mobile communication device, as described below in connection with [Fig.3].

[0024] [Fig. 3] illustrates by means of a flowchart the steps of the method according to the invention. According to a first step 201 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention obtains data characterizing a route for a journey to a destination and an associated particular navigation setting which have been generated in response to an input made by means of an input interface of the onboard navigation system 7. In other words, the device 100 according to the invention firstly becomes aware of a route and an associated navigation setting which have been specified by a user in the onboard navigation system 7.For example, we can imagine a scenario in which a user who has planned to make a journey informs himself in advance on his mobile communication device 6 about the possible routes based on particular navigation settings, to finally establish a route to a destination and at least one associated particular setting.

[0025] Preferably, these data which are obtained by the device 100 according to the invention during this first step are transmitted by the mobile communication device 6 to the on-board navigation system 2 as soon as the mobile communication device 6 connects with the communication equipment 5 of the vehicle, for example by means of Bluetooth technology. Alternatively, the device 100 according to the invention monitors the connection of the mobile communication device 6 with the communication equipment 5 of the vehicle 1 to transmit to it a request to obtain the aforementioned data, and the mobile communication device 6 transmits the data in response. According to yet another possibility, it is the on-board navigation system 2 which interrogates the off-board navigation system 7 as soon as the mobile communication device 6 connects with the communication equipment 5 of the vehicle 1, and it is by interacting with the on-board navigation system 2 that the device 100 according to the invention obtains the aforementioned data.In any case, the device 100 according to the invention therefore advantageously obtains a route and an associated navigation setting which have previously been established in the onboard navigation system 7. It thus advantageously offers at this stage of the implementation of the method the capacity to be able to synchronize the onboard navigation system 2 of the vehicle 1 and the onboard navigation system 7 which operates on the mobile communication device 6.

[0026] According to a second step 202 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention causes, when the execution of the route specified in the off-board navigation system 7 is activated by means of the input interface of the on-board navigation system 2, the use by the on-board navigation system 2 of the particular navigation setting, that obtained in the previous step, instead of a personalized navigation setting defined by the user profile 4 that the on-board navigation system 2 uses at the current time. In other words, the device 100 according to the invention causes a substitution of the navigation settings such that priority is given at this stage to the particular navigation setting established in the off-board navigation system 7 to the detriment of the personalized navigation setting defined in the user profile 4 that the on-board navigation system 2 uses by default.And this is effective as soon as the execution of the previously established route is started in the on-board navigation system 2. This means in concrete terms that the on-board navigation system 2 then behaves in the same way as the off-board navigation system 7 depending on the particular navigation setting that the user established at the time of calculating the route.

[0027] According to an advantageous alternative, the device 100 according to the invention commands a calculation by the on-board navigation system 2 of a new route for the journey if the entry was made by means of the entry interface of the off-board navigation system 7 more than one hour before the start of the vehicle 1. This step proves by particularly useful when it comes to being able to update a route based on, for example, new traffic conditions or unexpected events impacting the road infrastructure. However, during this route recalculation, the on-board navigation system 2 is therefore at this stage forced to use the particular navigation setting established in the off-board navigation system 7 instead of the personalized navigation setting defined in the user profile 4 that it normally uses. As a result, it provides a recalculated route that is consistent with the setting choice that the user established when he previously operated the off-board navigation system 7 to calculate a route for the journey.

[0028] Finally, according to a third step 203 of the method according to the invention, the device 100 according to the invention causes, when it establishes that a condition is fulfilled, the use by said on-board navigation system 2 of said personalized navigation setting. In other words, the device 100 according to the invention restores the default operation of the on-board navigation system 2 in certain situations. More precisely, it restores the nominal operation of the on-board navigation system 2 as soon as it establishes that the vehicle 1 reaches the destination of the journey or as soon as it establishes that the vehicle does not reach the destination of the journey at the end of a time interval of a predefined duration which begins when the realization of said route is activated (eg 24h).In the first case, this means that the priority of the particular navigation setting, the one established in the onboard navigation system 7, over the personalized navigation setting, the one defined in the user profile 4, only lasts for the duration of the journey. Thus, at the end of the journey, the user of the vehicle 1 does not have to make any changes so that the onboard navigation system 2 returns to its nominal behavior. In the second case, the onboard navigation system 2 is restored to its nominal operation if the journey is ultimately not completed.

[0029] Therefore, by means of the method and device according to the invention described above, a solution is provided for being able to synchronize a route for a journey and an associated particular navigation setting which are established in an onboard navigation system operating on a mobile communication device with an onboard navigation system of a motor vehicle, and this, so that the onboard navigation system of the vehicle makes use of the particular navigation setting at least temporarily. In this way, the invention considerably improves the ergonomics of navigation systems of motor vehicles.

Claims

Claims

1. A method for managing the operation of an on-board navigation system (2) of a motor vehicle (1) in relation to an off-board navigation system (7) operating on a mobile communication device (6), said method being implemented by a computer device (100) on board said vehicle (1), characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: i. obtaining data characterizing a route for a journey to a destination and a particular associated navigation setting which have been generated in response to an input made by means of an input interface of said off-board navigation system (7); ii.causing, when the execution of said route is activated by means of an input interface of said on-board navigation system (2), the use by said on-board navigation system of said particular navigation setting instead of a personalized navigation setting defined by a user profile (4) that said on-board navigation system is using at the current time; and iii. causing, when it is established that a condition is met, the use by said on-board navigation system (2) of said personalized navigation setting.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that step ii) comprises a step of causing said on-board navigation system (2) to calculate a new route for said journey if said input was made more than one hour before starting said vehicle.

3. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said condition is fulfilled as soon as it is established that said vehicle reaches said destination.

4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said condition is fulfilled as soon as it is established that said vehicle does not reach said destination at the end of a time interval of a predefined duration which begins when the completion of said route is activated.

5. Device (100) for managing the operation of an on-board navigation system (2) of a motor vehicle in relation to an off-board navigation system (7) operating on a mobile communication device (6), characterized in that said device comprises an information processing unit (101), with one or more processors, and a data storage medium (102), which are configured to implement a method according to any one of the preceding claims.

6. A computer program comprising program code instructions for executing the steps of a method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 when said program is executed by at least one processor.

7. Computer-readable medium, characterized in that a program according to claim 6 is recorded therein.

8. Motor vehicle (1) comprising an on-board navigation system (2), characterized in that said vehicle carries a device (100) according to claim 5.

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