Interactive Mapping Enhancement to a Vehicle Navigation System

• US 20070282521A1
• Filed: 06/02/2006
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Broughton, Larry J.
• Application Number:
  US11/421,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20070282521A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3688 Systems comprising multiple parts or multiple output devices (not client-server), e.g. detachable faceplates, key fobs or multiple output screens

Abstract

An onboard vehicle navigation system as described herein is enhanced with data obtained from an interactive computer-based mapping application, which may be readily available from one or more websites. The mapping application generates mapping data that indicates a desired destination and/or a proposed route to that destination. The mapping data is stored in a portable data storage device, such as a USB flash memory device, which can be connected to a data port on the vehicle. The mapping data can be downloaded to the onboard vehicle navigation system from the portable data storage device and used in lieu of programming inputs that would otherwise have been entered by the operator of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A navigation system for instructing an operator of a vehicle, the system comprising:

an interactive computer-based mapping application configured to generate mapping data corresponding to a user-entered destination, the mapping data being formatted for native compatibility with the mapping application;

an onboard data converter configured to convert the mapping data into navigation data corresponding to the destination; and

an onboard vehicle navigation system configured to process the navigation data using native navigation system processing logic, and configured to generate a proposed route in response to the navigation data;

wherein the mapping data is not fully compatible with the onboard vehicle navigation system and wherein the navigation data is formatted for native compatibility with the onboard vehicle navigation system.

4. A navigation system according to claim 1, the onboard vehicle navigation system comprising the data converter.

5. A navigation system according to claim 4, further comprising a portable data storage device configured to store the mapping data, wherein the onboard vehicle navigation system is configured to receive the portable data storage device to facilitate transfer of the mapping data from the portable data storage device to the onboard vehicle navigation system.

6. A navigation system according to claim 1, the mapping data including location information for the destination.

7. A navigation system according to claim 1, the mapping data including route information for the destination.

2. (canceled)

3. (canceled)

8. A navigation system for instructing an operator of a vehicle, the system comprising:

a portable data storage device configured to store mapping data generated by an interactive computer-based mapping application, the mapping data corresponding to a destination for the operator, and the mapping data being formatted for native compatibility with the mapping application; and

an onboard vehicle navigation system configured to receive the portable data storage device to facilitate transfer of the mapping data from the portable data storage device to the onboard vehicle navigation system, the onboard vehicle navigation system being configured to reformat the mapping data into navigation data formatted for native compatibility with the onboard vehicle navigagtion system , and to generate a proposed route in response to the navigation data, wherein the mapping data is not fully compatible with the onboard vehicle navigation system.

9. A navigation system according to claim 8, the onboard vehicle navigation system being configured to provide navigation instructions corresponding to the proposed route.

10. A navigation system according to claim 8, the onboard vehicle navigation system comprising a data converter configured to convert the mapping data downloaded from the portable data storage device into the navigation data corresponding to the destination, wherein the onboard vehicle navigation system is configured to process the navigation data using native navigation system processing logic to generate the proposed route.

11. A navigation system according to claim 8, wherein the portable data storage device includes the interactive computer-based mapping application.

13. A navigation system according to claim 8, the portable data storage device comprising a flash memory device.

14. A navigation system according to claim 8, the portable data storage device comprising an optical memory disk.

15. A navigation system according to claim 8, the portable data storage device comprising a connector, wherein the onboard vehicle navigation system comprises a data port configured to receive the connector to facilitate downloading of data from the portable data storage device to the onboard vehicle navigation system.

12. (canceled)

16. A navigation method for instructing an operator of a vehicle, the method comprising:

generating mapping data with an interactive computer-based mapping application, the mapping data corresponding to a user-entered destination for the operator, and the mapping data being formatted for native compatibility with the mapping application;

storing the mapping data on a portable data storage device to obtain a loaded storage device;

establishing data connectivity between the loaded storage device and an onboard vehicle navigation system;

downloading the mapping data from the loaded storage device to the onboard vehicle navigation system; and

converting the mapping data into navigation data formatted for native compatibility with the onboard vehicle navigation system, wherein the mapping data is not fUlly compatible with the onboard vehicle navigation system.

19. A method according to claim 16, further comprising processing the navigation data to generate a proposed route to the destination.

20. A method according to claim 16, wherein establishing data connectivity between the loaded storage device and the onboard vehicle navigation system comprises coupling a connector of the loaded storage device to a data port of the onboard vehicle navigation system, the data port being configured to mate with the connector.

17. (canceled)

18. (canceled)