Storage and visualization of points of interest in a navigation system

• US 20080027632A1
• Filed: 03/21/2007
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2006
• 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: Mauderer, Hans
• Granted Patent: US 8,688,367 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/102 using electrical means

Abstract

A navigation system accepts driver input that extends the navigation capabilities of the navigation system, while permitting the driver to navigate using a digital map that indicates vehicle position. The driver input may identify a new point of interest, an icon for the new point of interest, and location information for the new point of interest. The navigation system supplements a pre-configured navigation database with the driver input. During a subsequent trip, when the vehicle approaches the new point of interest, the navigation system alerts the driver of the new point of interest.

Claims

1. A method for navigation, comprising the steps:

displaying a digital map on a display device;

displaying an indication of a location of a user on the digital map;

saving a representation of a point of interest during a first excursion; and

providing an indication to the user during a second excursion of the point of interest saved during the first excursion.

2. The method according to claim 1, where the representation of the point of interest corresponds to a present location of the user.

3. The method according to claim 1, where the representation of the point of interest corresponds to an arbitrary location in the digital map selected by the user.

4. The method according to claim 1, where the representation of the point of interest is selected by the user and saved by the user during navigation.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising saving a representation of a class of points of interest.

6. The method according to claim 1, where the indication of the point of interest is provided to the user if the user is within a predetermined distance of the point of interest.

7. The method according to claim 1, where the representation of the point of interest is associated with a location and is saved in a database.

8. The method according to claim 7, where the database further includes a navigation database and a symbol database.

9. The method according to claim 1, where the point of interest is indicated by an icon on the digital map, the icon being based on a digital photograph, a bitmap and/or a vector graphic.

10. The method according to claim 1, where the indication provided to the user is provided in a form selected from the group consisting of audio tones, verbal message, and visual indicia.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having processor executable instructions to provide navigation to a user by performing the acts of:

displaying a digital map on a display device;

displaying an indication of a location of the user on the digital map;

saving a representation of a point of interest during a first excursion; and

providing an indication to the user during a second excursion of the point of interest.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 further comprising processor executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the act of saving the representation of the point of interest associated with a present location of the user.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 further comprising processor executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the act of saving the representation of the point of interest associated with an arbitrary location in the digital map, the arbitrary location selected by the user during navigation.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 further comprising processor executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the act of saving the representation of the point of interest selected by the user during navigation.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 further comprising processor executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the act of saving a representation of a class of points of interest selected by the user during navigation.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising processor executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the act of providing the indication of the point of interest if the user is within a predetermined distance of the point of interest.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising processor executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the act of saving the representation of the point of interest in a database along with an associated location.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising processor executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the act of indicating the point of interest with an icon on the digital map, the icon based on a digital photograph, a bitmap and/or a vector graphic.

19. (canceled)

20. A computer-readable storage medium having processor executable instructions to provide navigation to a user by performing the acts of:

displaying a digital map on a display device;

displaying an indication of a location of the user on the digital map;

saving, in a database during a first excursion, a representation of a point of interest corresponding to a present location of the user, the representation of the point of interest selected by the user during the first excursion;

accepting a class identification for a class to which the point of interest belongs;

determining whether the class is established in the database;

when the class is not established, creating the class in the database;

storing the new point of interest in the database; and

providing an indication of the point of interest to the user on the display device during a second excursion if the user is within a predetermined distance of the point of interest.

21. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

25. (canceled)

26. A navigation system comprising:

a location subsystem configured to determine an actual position of the navigation system;

a database;

a processing subsystem coupled to the location subsystem and the database, and configured to receive information from an input subsystem;

the processing subsystem configured to store in the database a point of interest and an actual position associated with the point of interest, where the point of interest is selected by the user and stored during navigation of a first portion of a trip; and

an output interface operable to deliver a digital map and a representation of the point of interest on the digital map during a second portion of a trip if the user is within a predetermined distance of the point of interest.

27. The navigation system according to claim 26, where the input subsystem includes components selected from the group consisting of a haptic device, keyboard, touch screen, switch, button, and voice command system.

28. The navigation system according claim 26, further including a symbol database configured to store a symbol representing the point of interest and/or a class of points of interest, the symbol selected by the user and stored in the symbol database during navigation.

29. The navigation system according to claim 26, where the representation of the point of interest in the digital map is based on a digital photograph, a bitmap and/or a vector graphic.

30. The navigation system according to claim 26, where the representation of the point of interest corresponds to a present location of the user.

31. The navigation system according to claim 26, where the representation of the point of interest corresponds to an arbitrary location in the digital map selected by the user during navigation.

32. (canceled)

33. (canceled)