Navigation system with acoustic route information

• US 20060031009A1
• Filed: 02/24/2003
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Brulle-Drews, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 7,463,975 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions

Abstract

A navigation system (100) capable of providing acoustic route information summarizing a route to a predetermined destination. The navigation system (100) includes a route calculation module (110) that is capable of calculating a route to a trip destination. A route overview module (104) may also be included for creating a route overview list that is based on the route. An acoustic message module (108) may be used to generate at least one acoustic route overview message as a function of the route overview list associated with the route.

Claims

1. A navigation system, comprising:

a route calculation module for calculating a route to a predetermined destination;

a route overview module for creating a route overview list as a function of the route; and

an acoustic message module for generating at least one acoustic route overview message based on the route overview list associated with the route.

2. The navigation system of claim 1 where the acoustic route overview message is output on at least one loudspeaker.

3. The navigation system of claim 1 where the acoustic route overview message is output in response to a request for a route overview entered by a user.

4. The navigation system of claim 1 where the route overview list includes at least one item selected from a group of items including a street name on the route, a name of a place on the route, a via on the route, a city on the route, an alternative street name on the route, a business location on the route, and a landmark on the route.

5. The navigation system of claim 1 where the acoustic route overview message is limited to a predetermined amount of time.

9. The navigation system of claim 1 where the acoustic route overview message includes an anticipated time of arrival.

10. The navigation system of claim 1 where the acoustic message module retrieves at least one audio file from an acoustic message database to generate the acoustic route overview message.

6. The navigation system of claim S where the route overview list is shortened based on at least one predetermined weighting factor to fit within the predetermined amount of time.

7. The navigation system of claim 6 where the predetermined weighting factor is a function of a popularity ranking associated with each item contained in the route overview list.

8. The navigation system of claim 6 where the predetermined weighting factor is based on a length of a road segment to be traveled on the route.

11. A method of generating acoustic route information in a navigation system, comprising the steps of:

calculating a route to a predetermined destination;

creating a route overview list based on the route to the predetermined destination; and

generating an acoustic route overview message as a function of the route overview list.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of audibly reproducing the acoustic route overview message on at least one loudspeaker.

13. The method of claim 11 where the acoustic route overview message is audibly reproduced in response to a request from a user.

14. The method of claim 11 where the route overview list is determined by a route overview module.

15. The method of claim 11 where the route overview list includes at least one item selected from a group of items including a street name on the route, a name of a place on the route, a via on the route, a city on the route, an alternative street name on the route, a business location on the route, and a landmark on the route.

16. The method of claim 11 where the acoustic route overview message is limited to a predetermined amount of time.

17. The method of claim 16 where the route overview list is shortened based on at least one predetermined weighting factor to fit within the predetermined amount of time.

18. The method of claim 17 where the predetermined weighting factor is a function of a popularity ranking associated with each item contained in the route overview list.

19. The method of claim 17 where the predetermined weighting factor is based on a length of a road segment to be traveled on the route.

20. The method of claim 11 where the acoustic route overview message includes an anticipated time of arrival.

21. The method of claim 11 where the acoustic route overview message is generated by an acoustic message module.

22. The method of claim 21 where the acoustic message module retrieves at least one audio file from an acoustic message database to generate the acoustic route overview message.

23. A navigation system, comprising:

route calculation means for calculating a route to a predetermined destination;

route overview means for creating a route overview list as a function of the route; and

audio signal generation means for generating an acoustic route overview message based on the route overview list.

24. The navigation system of claim 23 where the route overview means comprises a route overview module.

25. The navigation system of claim 23 where the acoustic route overview message is audibly reproduced on at least one loudspeaker.

26. The navigation system of claim 23 where the acoustic route overview message is audibly reproduced in response to a request from a user.

27. The navigation system of claim 23 where the route overview list includes at least one item selected from a group of items including a street name on the route, a name of a place on the route, a via on the route, a city on the route, an alternative street name on the route, a business location on the route, and a landmark on the route.

28. The navigation system of claim 23 where the acoustic route overview message is limited to a predetermined amount of time.

29. The navigation system of claim 28 where the route overview list is shortened based on at least one predetermined weighting factor to fit within the predetermined amount of time.

30. The navigation system of claim 29 where the predetermined weighting factor is a function of a popularity rankig associated with each item contained in the route overview list.

31. The navigation system of claim 29 where the predetermined weighting factor is based on a length of a road segment to be traveled on the route.

32. The navigation system of claim 23 where the acoustic route overview message includes an anticipated time of arrival.

33. The navigation system of claim 23 where the acoustic route overview message is generated by an acoustic message module.

34. The navigation system of claim 33 where the acoustic message module retrieves at least one audio file from an acoustic message database to generate the acoustic route overview message.

35. A navigation system, comprising:

a navigation control unit connected with a navigation server;

a route calculation module located on the navigation server for calculating a route to a predetermined destination;

a route overview module located on the navigation server for creating a route overview list based on the route; and

an acoustic message module located on the navigation server for generating an acoustic route overview message as a function of the route overview list.

36. The navigation system of claim 35 where the navigation control unit is connected with the navigation server by a wireless access device.

37. The navigation system of claim 36 where the navigation server transmits the acoustic route overview message to the navigation control unit using the wireless access device.

38. The navigation system of claim 35 where the route overview list includes at least one item selected from a group of items including a street name on the route, a name of a place on the route, a via on the route, a city on the route, an alternative street name on the route, a business location on the route, and a landmark on the route.

39. The navigation system of claim 35 where the acoustic route overview message is limited to a predetermined amount of time.

40. The navigation system of claim 35 where the acoustic route overview message includes an anticipated time of arrival.

41. The navigation system of claim 35 where the acoustic message module retrieves at least one audio file from an acoustic message database to generate the acoustic route overview message.

42. A method of generating acoustic route information, comprising the steps of:

calculating a route to a predetermined destination with a navigation server;

creating a route overview list based on the calculated route to the predetermined destination with the navigation server;

generating an acoustic route overview message as a function of the route overview list; and

transmitting the acoustic route overview message to a navigation control unit.

43. The method of claim 42 where the acoustic route overview message is transmitted to the navigation control unit using a wireless access device.

44. The method of claim 42 further comprising the step of audibly reproducing the acoustic route overview message on at least one loudspeaker.

45. The method of claim 42 where the route overview list includes at least one item selected from a group of items including a street name on the route, a name of a place on the route, a via on the route, a city on the route, an alternative street name on the route, a business location on the route, and a landmark on the route.

46. The method of claim 42 where the acoustic route overview message is limited to a predetermined amount of time.

47. The method of claim 42 where the acoustic route overview message includes an anticipated time of arrival.

48. The method of claim 42 where the acoustic route overview message is generated by an acoustic message module.

49. The method of claim 48 where the acoustic message module retrieves at least one audio file from an acoustic message database to generate the acoustic route overview message.