NAVIGATION-AIDS METHOD AND ELECTRONIC NAVIGATION DEVICE USING THE SAME

• US 20080234925A1
• Filed: 03/19/2008
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: MiTAC International Corporation (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: MiTAC International Corporation (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Lo, Chung-Hao
• Application Number:
  US12/051,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20080234925A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/002 for traffic control, mobile tracking, guidance, surveillance or anti-collision
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

A navigation-aids method is useful for guiding a group of associated vehicles including a first vehicle and a second vehicle. The first vehicle is equipped with a first electronic navigation device and the second vehicle is equipped with a second electronic navigation device. An informing message is generated by the first electronic navigation device in response to the occurrence of a traffic event. The informing message containing position and traffic-event information is transmitted from the first electronic navigation device to the second electronic navigation device. A navigation-aids operation is executed by the second electronic navigation device depending on the informing message, thereby properly guiding the second vehicle.

Claims

1. A navigation-aids method for guiding a group of associated vehicles including a first vehicle and a second vehicle, the first vehicle being equipped with a first electronic navigation device, the second vehicle being equipped with a second electronic navigation device, and the method comprising steps of:

generating an informing message by the first electronic navigation device in response to the occurrence of a traffic event, and transmitting the informing message containing position and traffic-event information from the first electronic navigation device to the second electronic navigation device; and

executing a navigation-aids operation by the second electronic navigation device depending on the informing message.

2. The navigation-aids method according to claim 1 further comprising a step of generating an indicating message by the second electronic navigation device in response to the informing message.

3. The navigation-aids method according to claim 2 wherein the navigation-aids operation includes outputting the indicating message as a warning message.

4. The navigation-aids method according to claim 3 wherein the indicating message is a voice message, a literal message, a light message or a combination thereof.

5. The navigation-aids method according to claim 1 wherein the navigation-aids operation includes programming a new route.

6. The navigation-aids method according to claim 1 wherein the traffic-event information included in the informing message is manually inputted into the first electronic navigation device when the traffic event occurs.

7. The navigation-aids method according to claim 1 wherein the traffic-event information included in the informing message is automatically generated by the first electronic navigation device when the traffic event occurs.

8. The navigation-aids method according to claim 7 wherein the traffic-event information is automatically generated when the first electronic navigation device detects a velocity change of the first vehicle larger than a preset threshold.

9. The navigation-aids method according to claim 1 wherein the position information included in the informing message is transmitted to a global positioning system.

10. An interactive guiding system for use with a group of associated vehicles including a first vehicle and a second vehicle, comprising:

a first electronic navigation device disposed in the first vehicle for cooperating with a global positioning system to position and guide the first vehicle, generating an informing message in response to the occurrence of a traffic event, and transmitting the informing message to the second electronic navigation device; and

a second electronic navigation device disposed in the second vehicle for cooperating with the global positioning system to position and guide the second vehicle, the second electronic navigation device, and executing a navigation-aids operation depending on the informing message.

11. The interactive guiding system according to claim 10 wherein the navigation-aids operation includes outputting a warning message or programming a new route.

12. The interactive guiding system according to claim 10 wherein the informing message contains traffic-event information manually inputted into the first electronic navigation device when the traffic event occurs.

13. The interactive guiding system according to claim 10 wherein the informing message contains traffic-event information automatically generated by the first electronic navigation device when the traffic event occurs.

14. An electronic navigation device, comprising:

a traffic message generator for processing position information and traffic-event information into an informing message to be outputted in response to the occurrence of a traffic event, and executing a navigation-aids operation in response to an external informing message; and

a wireless transceiver coupled to the traffic message generator for wirelessly transmitting the informing message out or wireless receiving the external informing message.

15. The electronic navigation device according to claim 14 further comprising an output unit for outputting an indicating message generated by the navigation-aids operation.

16. The electronic navigation device according to claim 15 wherein the output unit includes a speaker, a display, an LED indicator or a combination thereof to output the indicating message as a voice message, a literal message, a light message or a combination thereof.

17. The electronic navigation device according to claim 14 wherein the navigation-aids operation includes programming a new route.

18. The electronic navigation device according to claim 14 further comprising an input unit for manually inputting the traffic-event information into the traffic message generator to be processed.

19. The electronic navigation device according to claim 18 wherein the input unit includes a touch panel, a microphone, an array of selective buttons or a combination thereof to receive the traffic-event information from a user.

20. The electronic navigation device according to claim 14 wherein the traffic message generator further detects a velocity change of a vehicle that the electronic navigation device is disposed in, and generates the informing message when the velocity change exceeds a preset threshold.