Navigation method with dynamic destination selection and navigation device

• US 20030158658A1
• Filed: 03/17/2003
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Hoever, Georg, Rothfelder, Martin, Maeckel, Oliver
• Application Number:
  US10/221,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20030158658A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3605 Destination input or retrieval

Abstract

A navigation method involves a processor selecting at least one destination from a stipulated destination category containing a plurality of destinations (P₁; P₂; P₃; P₄) and calculating a route to the destination. In the event of a change in the location (V₁; V₂), the processor checks whether a new destination (P₁; P₂; P₃; P₄) from the stipulated destination category is closer to the changed location. If the new destination is closer to the changed location, a route is calculated from the changed location to the new destination and is output to a user. In this way, dynamic, automatically changeable destination selection is performed which takes into account the actual course of a journey route.

Claims

1. A navigation method with dynamic destination selection, having the following steps:

a processor (11) selects at least one destination (P₁;

P₂;

P₃;

P₄) from a stipulated destination category containing a plurality of destinations (P₁;

P₂;

P₃;

P₄)

a route (R₁) is calculated from a starting point (S) to the destination (P₁;

P₂;

P₃;

P₄) chosen by the processor.

2. The navigation method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that

a user'"'"'s respective locations (V₁;

V₂) are monitored,

in the event of a change in the location (V₁;

V₂), the processor (11) checks whether a new destination (P₁;

P₂;

P₃;

P₄) from the stipulated destination category is closer to the changed location (V₂),

if the new destination is closer to the changed location (V₂), a new route (R₂) is calculated from the changed location (V₂) to the new destination and is output to a user.

3. The navigation method as claimed in the preceding claim, characterized in that the check to determine whether a new destination (P₁;

P₂;

P₃;

P₄) is closer to the changed location (V₂) is carried out if the changed location (V₂) is not on the calculated route (R₁).

4. The navigation method as claimed in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the processor (11) selects a new destination (P₁;

P₂;

P₃;

P₄) from the stipulated destination category if the user has not followed a plurality of successive guidance instructions to a selected destination (P₁;

P₂;

P₃;

P₄).

5. The navigation method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a destination category contains special destinations which are exclusively of tourist interest, and in that, when this destination category is chosen, the processor selects a succession of the special destinations which are of tourist interest and calculates a route (R₁;

R₂) taking into account the selected special destinations.

6. The navigation method as claimed in the preceding claim, characterized in that only special destinations situated within an area chosen by the user are taken into account.

7. The navigation method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one destination category contains a plurality of destinations (P₁;

P₂;

P₃;

P₄) which have been selected and stored by the user.

8. The navigation method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the following criteria is taken into account for selecting the destination (P₁;

P₂;

P₃;

P₄)

opening times of the destination,

departure times of a public transport means,

the level of the charges to be paid for heading for a destination.

9. The navigation method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the destination (P₁;

P₂;

P₃;

P₄) selected by the processor (11) is output to the user, and in that in response to a user input the processor replaces the selected destination (P₁;

P₂;

P₃;

P₄) with a new destination (P₁;

P₂;

P₃;

P₄) from the same destination category.

10. The navigation method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the destination (P₁;

P₂;

P₃;

P₄) selected by the processor (11) is an intermediate destination on a route to a finishing point (E).

11. A navigation appliance having a processor, a user interface, a memory storing a multiplicity of predefined destinations associated with a respective destination category, characterized in that the processor (11) selects at least one of the predefined destinations (P₁;

P₂;

P₃;

P₄) from a selected destination category and calculates a route (R₁;

R₂) to this destination (P₁;

P₂;

P₃;

P₄).