Patent Application
20050221821
The present application is related to the following co-pending, commonly assigned patent applications, which were filed concurrently herewith and incorporated by reference in their entirety:
Ser. No. ______, entitled “Method for Enabling Communications Dependent on User Location, User-Specified Location, or Orientation,” attorney docket TC00168, filed concurrently herewith.
Ser. No. ______, entitled “Methods for Sending Messages Based on the Location of Mobile Users in a Communication Network,” attorney docket TC00169, filed concurrently herewith.
Ser. No. ______, entitled “Methods for Displaying a Route Traveled by Mobile Users in a Communication Network,” attorney docket TC00170, filed concurrently herewith.
Ser. No. ______, entitled “Conversion of Calls from an Ad Hoc Communication Network,” attorney docket TC00172, filed concurrently herewith.
Ser. No. ______, entitled “Method for Entering a Personalized Communication Profile Into a Communication User Interface,” attorney docket TC00173, filed concurrently herewith.
Ser. No. ______, entitled “Methods and Systems for Controlling Communications in an Ad Hoc Communication Network,” attorney docket TC00174, filed concurrently herewith.
Ser. No. ______, entitled “Methods for Controlling Processing of Inputs to a Vehicle Wireless Communication Interface,” attorney docket TC00175, filed concurrently herewith.
Ser. No. ______, entitled “Methods for Controlling Processing of Outputs to a Vehicle Wireless Communication Interface,” attorney docket TC00176, filed concurrently herewith.
Ser. No. ______, entitled “Programmable Foot Switch Useable in a Communications User Interface in a Vehicle,” attorney docket TC00177, filed concurrently herewith.
This invention relates to a system and method for organizing communications in an ad hoc communication network, and more specifically in a vehicle.
Communication systems, and especially wireless communication systems, are becoming more sophisticated, offering consumers improved functionality to communicate with one another. Such increased functionality has been particularly useful in the automotive arena, and vehicles are now being equipped with communication systems with improved audio (voice) wireless communication capabilities. For example, On Starm is a well-known communication system currently employed in vehicles, and allows vehicle occupants to establish a telephone call with others (such as a service center) by activating a switch.
It is anticipated that most vehicles in the future will have some type of wireless communication device. As the number of vehicles with wireless communication devices increases, consumers will demand additional services and features. For instance, it is anticipated that consumers will desire to hold group conversation between vehicles. In such an environment, many group conversations might be held, with a wide variance in interests, each on its own channel. Thus, a user could find himself overwhelmed at the conversation options and channels open to him. For example, if all such group conversation options are listed on a display in a user interface, such a listing may become so long as to become useless. Moreover, many of the group conversations may not be of interest to particular user, who would therefore merely find the presentation of such conversation channels annoying and distracting in a search to find conversations of interest.
In short, a need exists for the management and organization of vehicle wireless-based communications systems to enhance its functionality, and to better utilize the resources that the system is capable of providing. This disclosure presents several different means to so improve these communications.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a system and procedure for organizing communications in an ad hoc communication network, and more specifically in a vehicle.
a is a diagram illustrating a plurality of communication channels at a server accessible by users of the system;
b is a diagram illustrating a plurality of users which can potentially receive the channels of
a is one embodiment of a display in a user's interface for setting up a user profile for receiving some subset of the channels handled by the system;
b is one embodiment of a display showing the presentation of channels to the user after processing of the channels by his user profile;
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
What is described is a system and procedure for organizing communications in an ad hoc communication network. The system and methods have particular utility to communication user interfaces in vehicles but may be used with other wireless user interfaces as well. In one embodiment, a user uses his user interface to define a user profile indicative of the types of communication channels he wishes to receive. This user profile is transmitted to a communications server and is used to filter all potential channels so that the user only has access to those channels potentially of interest. User preferences specified in the user profile may be, for example, topical, commercial, weather, traffic, or emergency in nature, and can be stored for future reference. The user may also prioritize preferred or received channels so that they are given precedence at his user interface. In this regard, activation of priority channels may present the user a notification informing the user of the priority channel and allowing him to join, or the priority channel may be automatically activated at the user interface without further user involvement. In an additional embodiment, the user profile may constitute or be supplemented by data indicative of the user interface in question. For example, a VIN number associated with a vehicular user interface can be used to filter for channels having pertinence to the vehicle in question.
Now, turning to the drawings, an example use of the present invention in an automotive setting will be explained.
Further details of a typical wireless communications device 22 as employed in a vehicle 26 are shown in
The head unit 50 also comprises a navigation unit 62, which typically includes a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system for allowing the vehicle's location to be pinpointed, which is useful, for example, in associating the vehicle's location with mapping information the system provides. As is known, such a navigation unit communicates with GPS satellites (such as satellites 32) via a receiver. Also present is a positioning unit 66, which determines the direction in which the vehicle is pointing (north, north-east, etc.), and which is also useful for mapping a vehicle's progress along a route.
Ultimately, user and system inputs are processed by a controller 56 which executes processes in the head unit 50 accordingly, and provides outputs 54 to the occupants in the vehicle, such as through a speaker 78 or a display 79 coupled to the head unit 50. The speakers 78 employed can be the audio (radio) speakers normally present in the vehicle, of which there are typically four or more, although only one is shown for convenience. Moreover, in an alternative embodiment, the output 54 may include a text to speech converter to provide the option to hear an audible output of any text that is contained in a group communication channel that the user may be monitoring. This audio feature may be particular advantageous in the mobile environment where the user is operating a vehicle. Additionally, a memory 64 is coupled to the controller 56 to assist it in performing regulation of the inputs and outputs to the system. The controller 56 also communicates via a vehicle bus interface 58 to a vehicle bus 60, which carries communication information and other vehicle operational data throughout the vehicle.
The Telematics control unit 40 is similarly coupled to the vehicle bus 60, via a vehicle bus interface 48, and hence the head unit 50. The Telematics control unit 40 is essentially responsible for sending and receiving voice or data communications to and from the vehicle, i.e., wirelessly to and from the rest of the communications system 10. As such, it comprises a Telematics controller 46 to organize such communications, and a network access device (NAD) 42 which include a wireless transceiver. Although shown as separate components, one skilled in the art will recognize that aspects of the head unit 50 and the Telematics control unit 40, and components thereof, can be combined or swapped.
The wireless communications device 22 can provide a great deal of communicative flexibility within vehicle 26. For example, an occupant in a first vehicle 26a can call a second vehicle 26b to speak to its occupants either by pressing a switch on the keypad 72 of the head unit 50 or by simply speaking if the head unit is equipped with a voice recognition module 70. In one embodiment, the pressing of a switch or speaking into a voice recognition module initiates a cellular telephone call with a second vehicle 26b. In this case, users in either the first vehicle 26a or the second vehicle 26b can speak with each other without pressing any further switches. Moreover, the system may be configured to include a voice activated circuit such as a voice activated switch (VAS) or voice operated transmit (VOX). This would also provide for hands-free operation of the system by a user when communicating with other users.
In an alternative embodiment, the switch may be configured to establish a push-to-talk communication channel over a cellular network. Here, the controller 56 is configured to only allow audio by occupants in the first vehicle 26a through microphone 68 to be transmitted through the Telematics control unit 40 when a user in the first vehicle 26a is pressing down on the push-to-talk switch. The controller 56 is further configured to only allow audio received from the second vehicle 26b (or server 24) to be heard over speakers 78 when the operator of the first vehicle 26a is not pressing down on the switch. Alternatively, to avoid the need of holding down a switch to speak, the system may be configured to allow a user to push a button a first time to transmit audio and push the button a second time to receive audio.
In any event, a user in the second vehicle 26b can, in like fashion, communicate back to the first vehicle 26a, with the speaker's voice being heard on speaker(s) 78 in the first vehicle. Or, an occupant in the first vehicle 26a can call the server 24 to receive services. Additionally, such a system 10 can have utility outside of the context of vehicle-based applications, and specifically can have utility with respect to other portable devices (cell phones, personal data assistants (PDAs), etc.).
System 10 can be used by a vehicle user to engage in group conversations, in what we will call an “ad hoc” communication network. In such an application, a plurality of users in communication with the system can join into a public conversation. Typically, in such a system, some subset of users is predefined by a system's user to form a communication group, such as a family group, a professional work group, etc. Once predefined, any of those predefined users can speak with other predefined users, for example, by pressing a push-to-talk button on their user interfaces, which again may constitute cell phones, PDAs, a dedicated vehicular user interface, etc. All other users in the predefined group will hear the voice of the speaking user, and in turn all users may likewise speak with the rest of the users in the group by pressing the buttons on their user interfaces.
In one embodiment, a user uses a communication user profile to tailor the communication channels he will receive at his user interface. The user profile can specify and scan for channels of interest to the user, including, for example: topical channels (e.g., Chicago Bears football, gardening, home repair); weather channels; emergency channels; commercial channels; and channels based on a particular location. In effect, the user profile is used as a filter to provide to particular user only those channels that are of interest to him. As will be disclosed further herein, such filtering may occur either from the user side, in which the user filters available channels on the system, or on the system side, in which the system scans for particular users of relevance to a given channel and only allowing participation of those users.
a and 3b provide an exemplary public communication system for the purpose of illustrating many of the useful aspects of the disclosed system and method. As shown in
The other channels (user defined ad hoc channels) are envisioned as being communication channels set up by the users of the system for the benefit of other system users. Some of these user channels are topical (sports, gardening), some are specific to a particular area (the “Astroworld Amusement Park” in Houston), and some are particular to a specific area and/or direction (traffic northbound on Interstate 90 in Chicago), and others are emergency channels (Houston traffic, Chicago weather). The user channels allow users to communicate regarding the subject of the channel. For example, a Chicago weather channel may allow users to freely discuss weather conditions in Chicago that may present emergencies (e.g., snow storms or floods). Note also that there can also be a separate service channel for Chicago weather as well. Some of the channels may be grouped by the server 24 into logical sub groups. For example, “Sports” contains channels for both Chicago Bears football and Chicago Cubs baseball, while Emergencies are broken down into national emergencies (an emergency service channel) and Houston traffic and Chicago weather (emergency user channels).
Another example of a user initiated ad hoc communication channel would be a local traffic channel for a particular interstate or highway that a user may initiate to discuss a specific traffic accident. For instance, in one embodiment, the system (through server 24) would allow a first user that witnesses an accident to define an ad hoc group communication channel on a user interface. The first user could identify a user preference or category such as accidents and further identify a specific interstate or highway. Without regard to the location of either the first user or other users, the system would then allow a second user to use their user interface to join the group channel upon selection of the group channel from other groups that the second user is monitoring. The system would further permit the second user (and any other users who have joined the group channel) to talk with the first user by pushing a push-to-talk button coupled to their user interface, such as a push-to-talk button.
A further example of a user initiated ad hoc communication channel in a portable device environment would be for a field trip for a school. For instance, in one embodiment, the system (through server 24) would allow a first user (i.e. field trip organizer) to define an ad hoc group communication channel on a user interface on the portable device. The first user could identify a user preference or category such as a school field trip and further identify a specific park or museum. Without regard to the location of either the first user or other users, the system would then allow a second user to use their user interface to join the group channel upon selection of the group channel from other groups that the second user is monitoring. The system would further permit the second user (and any other users who have joined the group channel) to talk with the first user by pushing a button coupled to their user interface, such as a push-to-talk button.
b shows various users each able to potentially communicate with the system and along the channels disclosed in
The various ways in which the users 26 can participate in or receive communications on these channels is illustrated below through the use of a user profile. First discussed is management of channel receipt by the end user, specifically user 26b in Chicago. That user may wish to hear only a certain subset of all of the communication channels 100 available on the system. For example, her involvement in communication groups outside of Chicago might not be of much interest. She may also wish to participate in (or merely receive) communications involving the weather and sports (of any kind). As shown in
Of course, it may not be necessary to type (i.e., using button 113) textual information concerning the user's interests in defining the user profile. For example, the user could instead be presented with a list of available options (e.g., with states/cities listed in alphabetical order) from which the user can pick certain preferences.
Ultimately, once the user profile is defined in this or other manners, the information may be wirelessly sent to the server 24. The information is preferably sent as a header in a data stream, which may be accompanied by other useful data. Some user profile information may merely constitute toggling of a bit in the data header, particularly those requiring only yes/no answers such as receive weather, emergency, traffic, and commercial channels. Other more detailed information such as topic or location can be sent as text and handled on the server 24 end as appropriate. For example, if textual information is sent (such as a location), this text stream may be used at the server to query for appropriate channels (pertinent to that location) through the use of an appropriate search engine.
Either way, because the header information indicative of the user's communication preferences are provided in predictable formats, the server 24 can interpret these preferences to provided that user appropriate channels in accordance with those preferences. Thus, in accordance with the particular selections made in
Once the server 24 picks or filters appropriate channels in accordance with user 26b's preferences, the server 24 may then present those channels to user 26b. Accordingly, from the exemplary channels shown in
Interpretation of the user preferences specified in
Also shown in
In another embodiment, the disclosed system may also be used by the system users to set up their own communication channels. For example, suppose user 26b searches the system for channels discussing Notre Dame Football. Finding none, that user could use the system to set up such a group conversation with an appropriate channel. To be a useful channel in the system, user 26b preferably specifies many of the same parameters that a user would use to set up his user profile to scan and filter for channels of interest (see
In another embodiment, shown in
Once priorities are entered, the user can be notified when a higher priority channel is active. In this regard, it should be noted that a given specified channel may not necessarily be active, i.e., broadcasting information from services or other user at a given point in time. The server 24 can track when communications are occurring along a channel and inform affected users (i.e., those who have specified to receive a particular channel from their user profile) accordingly. This is shown in
Certain priorities may be automatically dictated by the system. For example, emergency notification messages can always be broadcast from the server 24 to all users in the manner shown in
In a further embodiment, the user interface 51 may include an input for allowing a user to specify key words or terms for the server 24 to seek or monitor in other communication channels. For example, a user may specify that the server 24 monitor available channels for the word(s) “accident” and/or “Highway 190.” If the server 24 determines that those word(s) are being used on a specific channel, the server 24 may send a notification message notifying the user that a specified word(s) was being used on a communication channel. The user interface 51 would then allow the user to join in the identified communication channel. Alternatively, the server 24 could automatically add the user to the identified communication channel, or merely reduce the volume of an existing channel compared to the identified communication channel containing a discussion that uses the specified word(s).
While one's user profile can be set by the user on the basis of topical or other communication preferences, other aspects of one's profile can be based on information from the user vehicle and/or his user interface and which is specific to the vehicle and/or the user interface. Such information can be used by the server 24 to assist in providing relevant communication channels to the user, perhaps in conjunction with preferences specified by the user in his profile. For example, along with or in lieu of sending the user profile to the server 24, and as shown in
The VIN provides just one example of data associated with a user interface that can be used by the system to tailor communications. In other examples, other data uniquely associated with particular interfaces, or types of interfaces, may be used to tailor communications to similar effect.
Although user preferences, and channel selection, have been disclosed herein as being controlled from the user's side, such functionality can also be performed on the server 24 side. For example, once the preferential attribute of a particular channel have been specified (e.g., as shown in
Although the disclosed techniques are believed particularly useful to the processing and organization of voice data along communication channels, the disclosed techniques also have applicability to other forms of communication, such as text, data, and/or video communication.
Moreover, while largely described with respect to improving communications within vehicles, one skilled in the art will understand that many of the concepts disclosed herein could have applicability to other portable communicative user interfaces not contained within vehicles, such as cell phones, personal data assistants (PDAs), portable computers, etc., what can be referred to collectively as portable communication devices.
Although several discrete embodiments are disclosed, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments can be combined with one another, and that the use of one is not necessarily exclusive of the use of other embodiments. Moreover, the above description of the present invention is intended to be exemplary only and is not intended to limit the scope of any patent issuing from this application. The present invention is intended to be limited only by the scope and spirit of the following claims.
