Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Andrew W Gellatly

Matthew M Highstrom

Cody R Hansen

Axel Nix

John P Weiss

Bhavna Mathur

Timothy Grost

Dorel M Sala

David P Pop

Asaf Degani

Mark O Neal

Robert D Sims, Iii

Scott A Rush

James M Kortge

Robert M Riley, Jr

Brian V Sychta

James R Grace

Michael S Schwartz

Deborah Lucia Klose

James A Stefanovski

An embodiment an infotainment system for an automobile includes a navigation system, an entertainment system, an audio output device and a control system coupled to the navigation system, the entertainment system and the audio output device. The control system controls access by the navigation system and the entertainment system to the audio output device and includes a conversation recognizer that determines if a conversation is being conducted. The control system of this embodiment varies operation of the audio output device in the event a conversation is being conducted.

Infotainment system control

Methods and systems are provided for a vehicle. A determination is made as to whether the vehicle requires a service. A determination is also made as to whether the vehicle is proximate a location at which the service can be performed. A notification is provided that the vehicle requires the service and is proximate the location.

Vehicle navigation system and method

A method and system of managing a vehicle fleet is provided. The method includes providing an electronic device, a computing device, and a vehicle that is associated with the vehicle fleet. The electronic device is located within a proximate distance from the vehicle and the computing device is located remotely from the vehicle. The electronic device is associated with a driver identifier. The method includes sending a data signal from the electronic device to the computing device indicating the driver identifier. The method further includes matching the driver identifier with a specific driver profile that is saved on a database of the computing device. The specific driver profile includes information associating the vehicle with the driver identifier. The method includes sending information regarding the specific driver profile from the database to a vehicle control module, where the vehicle control module associated with the vehicle.

Remotely located database for managing a vehicle fleet

A method for analyzing and specifying a Human-Machine Interface (HMI) may include providing an HMI designing system, constructing an HMI design that includes objects created from the HMI designing system and associating the objects using events and transitions. Objects may include states and screens of a graphical user interface. The method may receive input from a user and describe a human-machine interface using syntax that is based on the user input. The syntax may include graphical representations of states and transitions between the states. The HMI designing system may include a memory to store representations of the human-machine interface, a processor to receive input from a user and determine graphical representations of states and transitions between states, and a display to display the HMI.

Method and system for designing, analysing and specifying a human-machine interface

A navigation system and related operating methods are provided for instructing an operator of a vehicle. The navigation system obtains a destination location and generates a proposed route to the destination location. The proposed route is defined by one or more driver decision points and associated driving maneuvers. Before the vehicle reaches an approaching driver decision point, the navigation system pre-calculates alternate routes between the approaching driver decision point and the destination location, and saves the alternate routes for subsequent activation. Pre-calculated alternate routes can also be used to determine and indicate the relative importance of an approaching driving maneuver. The driver can consider the importance of driving maneuvers when deciding whether or not to follow the recommended route.

Multiple route pre-calculation and presentation for a vehicle navigation system

An automobile communication system includes an outgoing communication controller that receives a communication from a first input source in a first operating mode and a second input source in a second operating mode. The system also includes an input selector that selects the first input source in the first mode and the second input source in the second mode and a mode selector operable by an automobile passenger that determines the operating mode. The system also includes an incoming communication controller that receives an incoming communication from a cellular phone and an output selector that provides an output of the incoming communication controller to a first output device in the first operating mode and to the second output device in the second mode.

Handoff from public to private mode for communications

A vehicle system for providing a reminder that at least one mobile electronic device is being left in an interior cabin of a vehicle after a vehicle access event is provided. The vehicle system includes at least one indicator, a vehicle access system, and a control module. The indicator provides notification that the at least one mobile electronic device is being left in the interior cabin of the vehicle after the vehicle access event. The vehicle access system determines a vehicle access event. The control module is in communication with the at least one indicator and the vehicle access system. The control module includes a control logic for establishing a connection between the at least one mobile electronic device and the control module.

System for providing a mobile electronic device reminder

A navigation system is provided for instructing an operator of a vehicle. The navigation system includes a navigation processor configured to obtain a destination location, and to generate a proposed route to the destination location. The navigation system also includes a presentation element coupled to the navigation processor, the presentation element configured to provide navigation instructions to the operator. A selection module is coupled to or incorporated into the navigation processor, and the selection module is configured to select a cartographic resolution from a plurality of different cartographic resolutions, resulting in a selected cartographic resolution. The presentation element provides navigation instructions for at least a portion of the proposed route, using the selected cartographic resolution.

Presentation of navigation instructions using variable levels of detail

In an exemplary embodiment a system provides vehicle information to an operator of a vehicle having a plurality of components. The system comprises an onboard database configured to store vehicle-specific data and behavior-specific data and an operator interface. The system includes an onboard processor coupled to the onboard database, the plurality of components, and the operator interface. The onboard processor is configured to provide requested vehicle-specific data to the operator in response to an operator request via the operator interface. The onboard processor is also configured to receive operator-behavioral data from the plurality of components, recognize patterns of operation from the operator-behavioral data, and provide the behavior-specific data to the operator in response to the recognized patterns in the operator-behavioral data.

Methods and systems for providing vehicle information

Methods and apparatus are provided for generating turn instructions on a turn-by-turn navigation system. The turn instructions can include a turn icon as well as visual and audio prompts. A countdown bar is typically embedded within the turn icon to provide upcoming turn information in intuitive graphic form, in order to reduce driver distraction. The turn-by-turn navigation system can generally be produced more economically than a typical premium system having a full complement of costly features, such as a color map display. Moreover, the turn-by-turn navigation system can be configured with only those features deemed most useful to a broad-based market segment, in order to further reduce manufacturing costs.

Turn-by-turn navigation system with enhanced turn icon

Apparatus is provided for an electronic vehicle storage system. The apparatus includes a vehicle electrical infrastructure, a vehicle communications network coupled to the vehicle electrical infrastructure, a controller coupled to the vehicle electrical infrastructure via the vehicle communications network, and a data storage device coupled to the controller and configured to store multimedia files. The controller is configured to communicate with the vehicle electrical infrastructure. The data storage device includes an embedded database containing a list of multimedia file content. The controller is further configured to access the embedded database and associate a recognized multimedia file with a multimedia file content from the list of multimedia file content.

Embedded hard drive infotainment system

Methods and apparatus are provided for generating route instructions on a turn-by-turn navigation system in a vehicle. Turn instructions can include a turn icon as well as visual and audio prompts. The turn-by-turn navigation system typically includes a dual-use disk changer configured for both audio and Map/POI disk access. Separate Map and POI database disks are typically installed in dedicated slots of the disk changer and are designed to minimize switching time, while audio disks can be installed in the remaining slots. Moreover, audio playback buffering can be employed to enable audio-to-navigation-to-audio disk switching without interrupting audio playback. The turn-by-turn navigation system can generally be produced more economically than a typical premium system with a full complement of costly features, such as a color map display, since the turn-by-turn navigation system can be configured with only those features deemed most useful to a broad-based market segment.

Growing community of inventors

Macomb, MI, United States of America

Andrew W Gellatly