Adaptable navigation system

• US 20060229806A1
• Filed: 04/12/2005
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Slingshot IOT LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Forlenza, Randolph Michael, Kaemmerer, John Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,349,800 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles

Abstract

The invention is a new and useful improvement to navigation system software that, when combined with conventional navigation system hardware, provides an operator with a means for modifying a course generated by a navigation system, and for saving the modified course for future trips. More specifically, the invention comprises an improvement to navigation system software that provides several manual means for modifying a computer-planned course according to real-time operator preferences; and an improvement to navigation system software that provides an automatic means for adapting navigation system planning to conform to a course that an operator has used repetitively.

Claims

1. A vehicle navigation system comprising:

a map database having navigable features of a geographic area stored therein;

a central processing unit electrically coupled to the locator device;

an origin input device electrically coupled to the central processing unit operable to acquire a course origin;

a destination input device electrically coupled to the central processing unit operable to acquire a course destination;

a course planning computer program operable to instruct the central processing unit to plan a course between the course origin and the course destination, the course consisting of primary navigable features selected from the navigable features stored in the map database; and

a course modification computer program operable to instruct the central processing unit to acquire alternate course data, and to replace the primary navigable features of the course with the alternate course data.

2. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1 further comprising:

an output device electrically coupled to the central processing unit;

a navigation display computer program operable to instruct the central processing unit to display the vehicle'"'"'s position on the output device, and to display one or more of the navigable features on the output device; and

wherein the course modification computer program instructs the central processing unit to acquire the alternate course data from an operator'"'"'s selection of alternate navigable features displayed on the output device.

3. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1 further comprising:

an output device electrically coupled to the central processing unit;

a display means for displaying the vehicle'"'"'s position and one or more navigable features on the output device; and

a selection means for acquiring an operator'"'"'s selection of alternate navigable features from the navigable features displayed on the output device;

wherein the course modification computer program instructs the central processing unit to acquire the alternate course data from an operator'"'"'s selection of alternate navigable features displayed on the output device.

4. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1 further comprising:

a travel history database; and

a locator device for locating the vehicle'"'"'s current position in the geographic area;

wherein the course modification program is operable further to instruct the central processing unit to acquire the vehicle'"'"'s position periodically from the locator device, and to store the acquired position in the travel history database; and

wherein the course modification program instructs the central processing unit to acquire the alternate course data from the travel history database if the course origin and course destination are coincident with any acquired positions stored in the travel history database.

5. The vehicle navigation system of claim 3 wherein the locator device is a Global Positioning System device.

6. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1 further comprising:

a travel history database; and

a locator means for locating the vehicle'"'"'s current position in the geographic area;

a position acquisition means for acquiring the vehicle'"'"'s position periodically from the locator means; and

a storage means for storing the acquired position in the travel history database;

wherein the course modification program instructs the central processing unit to acquire the alternate course data from the travel history database if the course origin and course destination are coincident with any acquired positions stored in the travel history database.

7. In a vehicle navigation system having an input device and a display device, the input device having a command activator and a graphical selection pointer, the display device having a map drawn thereon, the map comprising the vehicle'"'"'s current position and a planned course of navigable features between an origin and a destination in a geographic area, a method of modifying the planned course, the method comprising:

identifying navigable feature segments in the geographic area, wherein each navigable feature segment has a terminus coincident with an intersection between two navigable features;

receiving a start signal from the input device indicating that the command activator has been activated;

drawing the navigable feature segments on the map;

receiving selection signals from the input device indicating that the graphical selection pointer has selected one or more navigable feature segments;

drawing the planned course and the selected navigable feature segments as blinking elements on the map if the selected navigable feature segments do not comprise an alternate course between the vehicle'"'"'s current position and the destination or between the vehicle'"'"'s current position and any position along the planned course;

replacing the navigable features of the planned course with the selected navigable feature segments if the selected navigable feature segments comprise an alternate course between the vehicle'"'"'s current position and the destination; and

identifying unnecessary navigable features of the planned course and replacing the unnecessary navigable features of the planned course with the selected navigable feature segments if the selected navigable feature segments comprise an alternate course between the vehicle'"'"'s current position and any position along the planned course.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the input device further has a second command activator, and the method further comprises:

receiving a save signal from the input device indicating that the second command activator has been activated;

responsive to receiving the save signal, storing the alternate course in a travel history database so that the vehicle navigation system includes the alternate course when planning a course between the origin and the destination.

9. In a vehicle navigation system having an input device and a display device, the input device having a first command activator, a second command activator, and a graphical selection pointer, the display device having a map drawn thereon, the map comprising the vehicle'"'"'s current position and a planned course of navigable features between an origin and a destination in a geographic area, a method of modifying the planned course, the method comprising:

receiving a start signal from the input device indicating that the first command activator has been activated and the vehicle is about to deviate from the planned course;

responsive to receiving the start signal, acquiring the vehicle'"'"'s position and storing the vehicle'"'"'s position as a deviation point in a travel history database;

acquiring the vehicle'"'"'s subsequent positions at regular intervals and storing the subsequent positions in the travel history database until receiving a stop signal from the input device indicating that the second command activator has been activated;

responsive to receiving the stop signal, acquiring the vehicle'"'"'s position and storing the vehicle'"'"'s position as the destination in the travel history database;

whereby the vehicle navigation system includes the positions stored in the travel history database when planning a course between the deviation point and the destination.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the input device further comprises a third command activator, and the method further comprises:

receiving a path signal from the input device indicating that the third command activator has been activated;

responsive to receiving the path signal, acquiring the vehicle'"'"'s position and storing the vehicle'"'"'s position as a path point in the travel history database.