Navigation method and system for selecting and visiting scenic places on selected scenic byway

• US 20090018766A1
• Filed: 07/12/2007
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Peachavanish, Peachawat, Linn, Raymond, Silva, Andrew De, Onishi, Hirofumi, Chen, Kenny, Iao, Mike, Zhuang, Jianning
• Granted Patent: US 9,074,907 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/202
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3611 using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs character input methods in general G06F3/0233
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

A navigation method and apparatus is designed to efficiently retrieve the information on the scenic byways and to visit such scenic byways through calculated routes. The navigation method and system performs a scenic byway mode in which operations and screen displays are specially designed for efficiently retrieving and selecting a desired scenic byway and scenic places to visit. The navigation method and system allows the user to efficiently search the information and select the scenic byway and scenic places to visit. The navigation method and system stores the information on the scenic byways in the map database and facilitates retrieval thereof in response to the request by the user. Alternatively, the information on the scenic byways and scenic places can be retrieved from the remote data server through wireless communication.

Claims

1. A navigation method for selecting and visiting scenic places on a selected scenic byway, comprising the following steps of:

preparing data concerning scenic byways throughout a country in a map database of a navigation system or a map database of a remote data server;

displaying a menu screen which includes a scenic byway menu;

selecting the scenic byway menu thereby setting an operation of the navigation system to a scenic byway mode;

checking the map database to retrieve the data concerning scenic byways within a predetermined distance range from a current position or other specified position;

displaying a scenic byway list which lists scenic byways within the predetermined distance range;

selecting a scenic byway from the scenic byway list;

displaying a scenic place list which lists scenic places on the selected scenic byway;

selecting one or more scenic places from the scenic place list; and

calculating a route to the selected scenic places and guiding a user to the selected scenic places through the calculated route.

2. A navigation method for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 1, further comprising a step of retrieving information on a scenic byway selected from the scenic byway list and reproducing the retrieved information.

3. A navigation method for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 2, wherein said step of reproducing the retrieved information includes a step of displaying the retrieved information on a screen of the navigation system as well as reproducing the retrieved information by speech sounds.

4. A navigation method for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of displaying the scenic byway list includes a step of providing an information key to each entry in the scenic byway list to obtain information regarding the scenic byway.

5. A navigation method for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of displaying the scenic place list includes a step of providing a map image key to each entry in the scenic place list, and a step of displaying a map image of the scenic place when the map image key is activated.

6. A navigation method for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of displaying the scenic place list includes a step of providing a check box to each entry in the scenic place list to select one or more scenic places.

7. A navigation method for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 6, further comprising a step of disabling further selection of the scenic place when a number of scenic places already selected has reached to a predetermined maximum number.

8. A navigation method for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of displaying the scenic byway list includes a step of listing the retrieved scenic byways in either an order of distance or an order of alphabet.

9. A navigation method for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 3, said step of displaying the retrieved information on the screen of the navigation system includes a step of displaying a key on the screen so that the user is able to request further information on the selected scenic byway.

10. A navigation method for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 3, said step of displaying the retrieved information on the screen of the navigation system includes a step of displaying a key on the screen so that the user is able to request for reproducing the retrieved information by speech sounds.

11. A navigation method for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 5, wherein said step of displaying the map image of the scenic place includes a step of allowing the user to use a scroll key and a cursor on the map image thereby scrolling the map image and changing the size of the map image.

12. A navigation method for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 11, wherein said step of allowing the user to use the scroll key on the map image includes a step of displaying a key on the screen so that the user is able to request further search for scenic byways within a predetermined distance range from a location specified by the cursor on the map image.

13. A navigation method for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 1, after the step of calculating the route to the selected scenic places, further comprising a step of displaying a scenic place list which lists the selected scenic places where each entry in the scenic place list is provided with a reference number or a last destination mark for indicating an order of visiting there.

14. A navigation method for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 13, further comprising a step of displaying a map image of the selected scenic byway on a screen of the navigation system where each of the selected scenic places on the map image is accompanied by the reference number or the last destination mark that corresponds to that in the scenic place list.

15. A navigation method for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 1, said step of calculating the route to the selected scenic places includes a step of using a combination of a conventional routing method for determining a quickest route to the scenic place and a scenic byway routing method for determine a route to stay on the scenic byway as long as possible or reasonably long enough.

16. A navigation method for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 15, wherein said conventional routing method is mainly used for determining a route between a starting point which is not on the selected scenic byway and any of the selected scenic place, and wherein said scenic byway routing method is mainly used for determining a route between one selected scenic place and another selected scenic place.

17. A navigation method for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 1, after tuning on the navigation system, further comprising a step of checking whether there exists the unfinished selected scenic place at which the user has not yet arrived, and a step of directly starting the scenic byway mode when there exists the unfinished selected scenic place.

18. A navigation system for selecting and visiting scenic places on a selected scenic byway, comprising:

means for preparing data concerning scenic byways throughout a country in a map database of the navigation system or a map database of a remote data server;

means for displaying a menu screen which includes a scenic byway menu;

means for selecting the scenic byway menu thereby setting an operation of the navigation system to a scenic byway mode;

means for checking the map database to retrieve the data concerning scenic byways within a predetermined distance range from a current position or other specified position;

means for displaying a scenic byway list which lists scenic byways within the predetermined distance range;

means for selecting a scenic byway from the scenic byway list;

means for displaying a scenic place list which lists scenic places on the selected scenic byway;

means for selecting one or more scenic places from the scenic place list; and

means for calculating a route to the selected scenic places and guiding a user to the selected scenic places through the calculated route.

19. A navigation system for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 18, further comprising means for retrieving information on a scenic byway selected from the scenic byway list and reproducing the retrieved information.

20. A navigation system for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 19, wherein said means for reproducing the retrieved information includes means for displaying the retrieved information on a screen of the navigation system as well as reproducing the retrieved information by speech sounds.

21. A navigation system for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 18, wherein said means for displaying the scenic byway list includes means for providing an information key to each entry in the scenic byway list to obtain information regarding the scenic byway.

22. A navigation system for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 18, wherein said means for displaying the scenic place list includes means for providing a map image key to each entry in the scenic place list, and means for displaying a map image of the scenic place when the map image key is activated.

23. A navigation system for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 18, wherein said means for displaying the scenic place list includes means for providing a check box to each entry in the scenic place list to select one or more scenic places.

24. A navigation system for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 23, further comprising means for disabling further selection of the scenic place when a number of scenic places already selected has reached to a predetermined maximum number.

25. A navigation system for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 18, wherein said means for displaying the scenic byway list includes means for listing the retrieved scenic byways in either an order of distance or an order of alphabet.

26. A navigation system for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 20, said means for displaying the retrieved information on the screen of the navigation system includes means for displaying a key on the screen so that the user is able to request further information on the selected scenic byway.

27. A navigation system for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 20, said means for displaying the retrieved information on the screen of the navigation system includes means for displaying a key on the screen so that the user is able to request for reproducing the retrieved information by speech sounds.

28. A navigation system for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 22, wherein said means for displaying the map image of the scenic place includes means for allowing the user to use a scroll key and a cursor on the map image thereby scrolling the map image and changing the size of the map image.

29. A navigation system for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 28, wherein said means for allowing the user to use the scroll key on the map image includes means for displaying a key on the screen so that the user is able to request further search for scenic byways within a predetermined distance range from a location specified by the cursor on the map image.

30. A navigation system for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 18, after calculating the route to the selected scenic places, further comprising means for displaying a scenic place list which lists the selected scenic places where each entry in the scenic place list is provided with a reference number or a last destination mark for indicating an order of visiting there.

31. A navigation system for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 30, further comprising means for displaying a map image of the selected scenic byway on a screen of the navigation system where each of the selected scenic places on the map image is accompanied by the reference number or the last destination mark that corresponds to that in the scenic place list.

32. A navigation system for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 18, said means for calculating the route to the selected scenic places includes means for using a combination of a conventional routing method for determining a quickest route to the scenic place and a scenic byway routing method for determine a route to stay on the scenic byway as long as possible or reasonably long enough.

33. A navigation system for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 32, wherein said conventional routing method is mainly used for determining a route between a starting point which is not on the selected scenic byway and any of the selected scenic place, and wherein said scenic byway routing method is mainly used for determining a route between one selected scenic place and another selected scenic place.

34. A navigation system for selecting and visiting scenic places as defined in claim 18, after tuning on the navigation system, further comprising means for checking whether there exists the unfinished selected scenic place at which the user has not yet arrived, and a step of directly starting the scenic byway mode when there exists the unfinished selected scenic place.