Method and apparatus for determining and displaying meaningful cross street for navigation system

• US 20090216434A1
• Filed: 02/26/2008
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jayakumar, Jay, Yokota, Tatsuo, Panganiban, Alex
• Granted Patent: US 8,346,465 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a navigation system determines whether an upcoming cross street is meaningful for a user to be displayed. The includes the steps of searching upcoming cross streets that intersect with a current street on which a user'"'"'s vehicle is running for a predetermined distance range ahead of a current vehicle position, retrieving data concerning the upcoming cross streets from the map data, determining whether a cross street is meaningful for the user to be displayed on a screen of the navigation system by applying predetermined rules to the data concerning the cross street, and displaying information on the cross street that has been determined to be meaningful for the user on the screen.

Claims

1. A display method for a navigation system, comprising the following steps of:

searching upcoming cross streets that intersect with a current street on which a user'"'"'s vehicle is running for a predetermined distance range ahead of a current vehicle position;

retrieving data concerning the upcoming cross streets from the map data;

determining whether a cross street is meaningful for the user to be displayed on a screen of the navigation system by applying predetermined rules to the data concerning the cross street; and

displaying information on the cross street that has been determined to be meaningful for the user on the screen.

2. A display method for a navigation system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a step of checking a type of street of the current street, and if the current street is a double-digitized road, a step of applying predetermined rules associated with the double-digitized road to determine whether a particular cross street is meaningful to the user.

3. A display method for a navigation system as defined in claim 2, wherein said predetermined rules associated with the double-digitized road include a rule in that if the particular cross street is not accessible to the user because of the current vehicle position and driving direction, the particular cross street is not meaningful to the user.

4. A display method for a navigation system as defined in claim 2, wherein said predetermined rules associated with the double-digitized road include a rule in that if the particular cross street merely connects two one-way street lines of opposite directions that form the double-digitized road, the particular cross street is not meaningful to the user.

5. A display method for a navigation system as defined in claim 1, when it is determined that a particular cross street is meaningful for the user to be displayed on the screen, the method further comprising a step of applying predetermined rules for determining an appropriate name of the cross street to be displayed on the screen in a case where two or more streets are associated with the cross street.

6. A display method for a navigation system as defined in claim 5, wherein said predetermined rules for determining an appropriate name of the cross street include a rule in that if one street is unnamed while other street is named, the name of the other street is displayed.

7. A display method for a navigation system as defined in claim 6, wherein said predetermined rules for determining an appropriate name of the cross street further include a rule in that if one street is higher in functional class than that of other, a name of the street with higher functional class is displayed.

8. A display method for a navigation system as defined in claim 7, wherein said predetermined rules for determining an appropriate name of the cross street further include a rule in that if one street name is more commonly used than other street name, the street name of more commonly used is displayed.

9. A display method for a navigation system as defined in claim 8, wherein said predetermined rules for determining an appropriate name of the cross street further include a rule in that if one street is accessible while other street is not accessible because of the current vehicle position and driving direction, the name of the street that is accessible is displayed.

10. A display method for a navigation system as defined in claim 9, wherein said predetermined rules for determining an appropriate name of the cross street further include a rule in that if one street is closer to the current vehicle position than other street, the name of the street that is closer to the vehicle is displayed, and a further rule in that if one street is on a side same as that the vehicle is running on the current street while other street is on a side opposite to that the vehicle is running on the current street, the name of the street that is on the same side is displayed.

11. A display apparatus for a navigation system, comprising:

means for searching upcoming cross streets that intersect with a current street on which a user'"'"'s vehicle is running for a predetermined distance range ahead of a current vehicle position;

means for retrieving data concerning the upcoming cross streets from the map data;

means for determining whether a cross street is meaningful for the user to be displayed on a screen of the navigation system by applying predetermined rules to the data concerning the cross street; and

means for displaying information on the cross street that has been determined to be meaningful for the user on the screen.

12. A display apparatus for a navigation system as defined in claim 11, further comprising means for checking a type of street of the current street, and if the current street is a double-digitized road, means for applying predetermined rules associated with the double-digitized road to determine whether a particular cross street is meaningful to the user.

13. A display apparatus for a navigation system as defined in claim 12, wherein said predetermined rules associated with the double-digitized road include a rule in that if the particular cross street is not accessible to the user because of the current vehicle position and driving direction, the particular cross street is not meaningful to the user.

14. A display apparatus for a navigation system as defined in claim 12, wherein said predetermined rules associated with the double-digitized road include a rule in that if the particular cross street merely connects two one-way street lines of opposite directions that form the double-digitized road, the particular cross street is not meaningful to the user.

15. A display apparatus for a navigation system as defined in claim 11, when it is determined that a particular cross street is meaningful for the user to be displayed on the screen, the apparatus further comprising means for applying predetermined rules for determining an appropriate name of the cross street to be displayed on the screen in a case where two or more streets are associated with the cross street.

16. A display apparatus for a navigation system as defined in claim 15, wherein said predetermined rules for determining an appropriate name of the cross street include a rule in that if one street is unnamed while other street is named, the name of the other street is displayed.

17. A display apparatus for a navigation system as defined in claim 16, wherein said predetermined rules for determining an appropriate name of the cross street further include a rule in that if one street is higher in functional class than that of other, a name of the street with higher functional class is displayed.

18. A display apparatus for a navigation system as defined in claim 17, wherein said predetermined rules for determining an appropriate name of the cross street further include a rule in that if one street name is more commonly used than other street name, the street name of more commonly used is displayed.

19. A display apparatus for a navigation system as defined in claim 18, wherein said predetermined rules for determining an appropriate name of the cross street further include a rule in that if one street is accessible while other street is not accessible because of the current vehicle position and driving direction, the name of the street that is accessible is displayed.

20. A display apparatus for a navigation system as defined in claim 19, wherein said predetermined rules for determining an appropriate name of the cross street further include a rule in that if one street is closer to the current vehicle position than other street, the name of the street that is closer to the vehicle is displayed, and a further rule in that if one street is on a side same as that the vehicle is running on the current street while other street is on a side opposite to that the vehicle is running on the current street, the name of the street that is on the same side is displayed.