Method For Operating A Navigation System

• US 20090037094A1
• Filed: 07/24/2008
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Navigon AG (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Navigon AG (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: Schmidt, Thorsten W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,180,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for operating a navigation system includes the following steps:

• a) computing a route from a starting point to a destination, wherein the route consists of a sequence of road segments and junctions between the road segments that is selected from a database, in which a geographic area is described in the form of road segments and junctions, with a route computation method,
• b) computing at least one maneuvering instruction that contains instructions for the user in order to follow the route from the current position, and
• c) computing and displaying a schematic maneuvering image on a display device, wherein the schematic maneuvering image graphically illustrates the maneuvering instructions in schematic form, wherein adjacent junctions that do not lie along the route and/or adjacent road segments that do not lie along the route and do not converge with a junction along the route are also analyzed during the computation of the schematic maneuvering image, wherein at least part of the adjacent road segments and/or adjacent junctions is illustrated in the schematic maneuvering image in addition to the maneuvering instruction that represents the route.

Claims

1. A method for operating a navigation system with the following steps:

a) computing a route from a starting point to a destination, wherein the route consists of a sequence of road segments and junctions between the road segments that is selected from a database, in which a geographic area is described in the form of road segments and junctions, with a route computation method,

b) computing at least one maneuvering instruction that contains instructions for the user in order to follow the route from the current position, and

c) computing and displaying a schematic maneuvering image on a display device, wherein the schematic maneuvering image graphically illustrates the maneuvering instruction in schematic form, wherein adjacent junctions that do not lie along the route and/or adjacent road segments that do not lie along the route and do not converge with a junction along the route are also analyzed during the computation of the schematic maneuvering image, wherein at least part of the adjacent road segments and/or adjacent junctions is illustrated in the schematic maneuvering image in addition to the maneuvering instruction that represents the route.

2. The method according to claim 1, in which junctions of the traffic circle and/or road segments of the traffic circle that do not lie along the route and/or road segments that do not form part of the traffic circle and converge with at least one junction of the traffic circle, particularly entrances and exits of the traffic circle that do not lie along the route are also analyzed during the computation of the schematic maneuvering image for graphically illustrating a maneuver in a traffic circle in schematic form, wherein at least part of these junctions and/or road segments is also illustrated in the schematic maneuvering image.

3. The method according to claim 2, in which all road segments and/or all junctions that form part of the traffic circle and/or all road segments of the traffic circle that converge with a junction of the traffic circle, particularly entrances and exits of the traffic circle, are analyzed during the computation of the schematic maneuvering image of the traffic circle and are displayed in the schematic maneuvering image.

4. The method according to claim 2, in which the position of the center of the traffic circle is derived from the data of the road segments and/or junctions that form part of the traffic circle and is taken into account in the computation and display of the schematic maneuvering image.

5. The method according to claim 4, in which the X-coordinate of the center of the traffic circle is computed by adding all X-coordinates of the junctions and/or the road segments that form part of the traffic circle and dividing the sum by the number of junctions and/or road segments, and in that the Y-coordinate of the center of the traffic circle is computed by adding all Y-coordinates of the junctions and/or the road segments that form part of the traffic circle and dividing the sum by the number of junctions and/or road segments.

6. The method according to claim 2, in which all roads that enter a traffic circle and/or exit a traffic circle, said roads forming intersecting roads, are analyzed during the computation of the schematic maneuvering image and are schematically illustrated in the schematic maneuvering image.

7. The method according to claim 2, in which the intersecting roads are symbolically illustrated in the schematic maneuvering image in the form of radiating sections, wherein the radiating sections end on a circle symbol that symbolizes the traffic circle and the extension of the radiating sections extends through the center of the circle symbol in a radiating fashion.

8. The method according to claim 2, in which two radiating sections which symbolize two intersecting roads that enter a traffic circle and/or exit the traffic circle separately of one another in the schematic maneuvering image are illustrated in the schematic maneuvering image in a radiating fashion with an intermediate angle, wherein the intermediate angle corresponds to the angle included by two straight lines, wherein the first straight line is defined by the computed center of the traffic circle and by a first interpolation point that lies on the first intersecting road, and wherein the second straight line is defined by the computed center of the traffic circle and by a second interpolation point that lies on the second intersecting road.

9. The method according to claim 8, in which an interpolation point for computing an intermediate angle is arranged on an intersecting road in such a way that the interpolation point and the junction, at which the intersecting road converges with the traffic circle, are spaced apart by a distance that is predefined, in particular, with respect to its amount.

10. The method according to claim 2, in which it is determined during the analysis of the intersecting roads if the respective road consists

a) of a two-way road with an entrance and an exit or

b) of a one-way road with an entrance or an exit, particularly a road that is identified as “

multidigitized”

in the database that describes the geographic area.

11. The method according to claim 10, in which a two-way road is symbolically illustrated in the schematic maneuvering image in the form of a radiating section that ends on the circle symbol symbolizing the traffic circle.

12. The method according to claim 10, in which a one-way road with its entrance or exit is symbolically illustrated in the schematic maneuvering image in the form of a radiating section that ends on the circle symbol symbolizing the traffic circle, wherein the permitted driving direction is also symbolically indicated, particularly in the form of a driving direction symbol.

13. The method according to claim 10, in which it is also determined during the analysis of the intersecting roads if the traffic circle features several one-way roads, particularly several “

multidigitized”

roads, wherein two one-way roads that extend, in particular, in opposite directions are jointly illustrated in the schematic maneuvering image in a paired fashion, namely in the form of a common radiating section analogous to a two-way road, if the two one-way roads extend closely adjacent to one another.

14. The method according to claim 13, in which two one-way roads are identified as extending closely adjacent to one another if the intermediate angle between the two one-way roads is smaller than a predefined limiting angle.

15. The method according to claim 13, in which the intermediate angle between a first radiating section that symbolizes an intersecting road and a second radiating section that jointly symbolizes two one-way roads analogous to a two-way road, which needs to be illustrated in the schematic maneuvering image, corresponds to an average value of an intermediate angle and an intermediate angle, wherein the intermediate angle is derived from the angle between the intersecting road and the first one-way road, and wherein the intermediate angle is derived from the angle between the intersecting road and the second one-way road.