Vehicle route planning system

Patent 5172321 Issued on December 15, 1992. Estimated Expiration Date:

December 10, 2010. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

3845289

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Inventors

Assignee

Motorola, Inc.

Application

No. 625188 filed on 12/10/1990

US Classes:

455/456.5, At system equipment (i.e., base station)340/995.12Transmission of map data to vehicle

Examiners

Primary: Black, Thomas G.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Melamed; Phillip H.

International Class

G06F 015/50

Abstract

A vehicle route planning system (10) has an in-vehicle route planning computer (12) which receives trip data, including at least one destination. Trip data is provided to the computer either by a wireless communication link between a remotely located radio transmitter (44) and an antenna (20) on the vehicle (11) or by a remotely located media writer device (46) writing the trip information on a removable storage media device (30) which is then provided to an in-vehicle media reader device (31). In this manner a vehicle operator may enter trip data into a remotely located apparatus (at 40) which translates this trip data into electrical signals that are then subsequently coupled to the in-vehicle route planning computer (12) which then uses this data for calculating at least one desired route for the vehicle to the specified destination via fixed road paths. Preferably the route planning system (10) is part of a vehicle navigation system (10). Preferably the system (10) utilizes radio receiver apparatus (20, 21) for transmitting the trip data to the in-vehicle route planning computer (12) wherein some of this radio receiver apparatus (20, 21) is also utilized to couple dynamic route traffic information, other than information specified by the vehicle operator, to the in-vehicle route planning computer (12).

Other References

Transportation for the Future, "Automobile Navigation Technology: Where is it Going?" by Robert L. French, May 24-25, 1988
CRN0007 U.S. Patent Application and Drawings Ser. No. 07/581,495 filed Sep. 7, 1990
"Fighter Pilots Take Laptops on Board", Design News p. 34, Aug. 20, 199