METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ROAD GUIDANCE USING MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20100174483A1
• Filed: 01/05/2010
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Wang, Jee Yeun, Jung, Min Hwa, Yoon, Yee Eun, KIM, Hee Woon, Kim, Yu Ran
• Granted Patent: US 8,718,924 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3614 through interaction with a road map, e.g. selecting a POI icon on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/003 Maps
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

The present invention relates to apparatus and method for road guidance using a mobile terminal. The method for road guidance using a mobile terminal includes receiving a map image created by a users input, setting at least one user-designated location to the map image according to the users input, setting location information of the user-designated location to the user-designated location, comparing the location information of the user-designated location with current location information of the mobile terminal; and notifying of arrival at the user-designated location. A user may arrive at a desired destination according to the present invention without using map data provided by a map data service provider.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

displaying a map image created by a user input;

setting at least one user-designated location to the map image according to the user'"'"'s input;

setting location information of the user-designated location to the user-designated location;

determining whether a current location information and the location information of the user-designated location is identical; and

notifying of arrival at the user-designated location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a current location information and the location information of the user-designated location is identical comprises:

receiving the current location information of a mobile terminal;

comparing the current location information of the mobile terminal with the location information of the user-designated location; and

determining whether the current location information is within a predetermined range of the location information of the user-designated location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-designated location comprises a destination location and an intermediate location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting location information of the user-designated location to the user-designated location comprises:

displaying a location information search window for the user-designated location;

extracting, in response to detection of an input search word to the location information search window, location information corresponding to the search word; and

setting the extracted location information to the location information of the user-designated location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein setting location information of the user-designated location to the user-designated location comprises:

receiving current location information of the mobile terminal; and

setting the received current location information of the mobile terminal to the user-designated location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein setting location information of the user-designated location to the user-designated location further comprises:

calculating a distance between the respective of the user-designated locations based on the location information set to each of the user-designated locations;

displaying, in response to detection of the distance between the respective user-designated locations that is greater than a predetermined reference distance, at least one intermediate location on the map image; and

setting location information to the intermediate location.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein notifying of arrival at the user-designated location comprises:

displaying, in response to detection of the current location of the mobile terminal that is within a predetermined range of the intermediate location, an arrival notice image on the intermediate location of the map image, and receiving current location information of the mobile terminal; and

displaying, in response to detection of the current location of the mobile terminal that is within a predetermined range of the destination, the arrival notice image on the destination of the map image.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein notifying of arrival at the user-designated location comprises outputting notice of arrival comprising a sound and vibration.

9. The method of claim 1, setting location information of the user-designated location to the user-designated location comprises:

displaying a location information search window for the user-designated location;

searching for, in response to detection of an input search word that is mapped to the location information search window, location information corresponding to the search word;

receiving, in response to detection of location information corresponding to the search word that is not found, current location information of the mobile terminal; and

setting the received current location information of the mobile terminal to the user-designated location.

10. A terminal, comprising:

a Global Positioning System (GPS) module to receive a Global Positioning System (GPS) signal to set current location data;

a touch sensor unit to detect a user input;

a display unit to display a map image and a user-designated location data created according to the user input;

a controller to set a location data to the user-designated location data, and to create the map image; and

a storage unit to store the map image.

11. The terminal of claim 10,

wherein the controller is configured to control the Global Positioning System (GPS) module to receive the current location data of the terminal, to compare the received current location data of the terminal with the set location data of the user-designated location, to control the display unit to display an arrival notice image on the user-designated location of the map image in response to detection of the current location of the terminal that is within a predetermined range of the user-designated location.

12. The terminal of claim 10, wherein the storage unit stores a location data list comprising location information.

13. The terminal of claim 10, wherein the controller sets the location data to the user-designated location using the current location data of the terminal received from the Global Positioning System (GPS) module.

14. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller sets the location data to the user-designated location using the location data list stored in the storage unit.

15. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller calculates the distance of respective user-designated locations based on the location data set to the respective user-designated locations, and controls the display unit, in response to detection of the calculated distance that is greater than a predetermined reference distance, to display at least one intermediate location on the map image, and to set location data to the displayed intermediate location.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor configured to detect a map image triggering event based on a user input, wherein the processor further configured to generate location data of a user-designated location and the location data is set to the map image in response to detection of the map image triggering event created by the user input; and

a mapping table, coupled to the processor, configured to determine whether a current location data and the location data of the user-designated location is identical, wherein an arrival notice is provided.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the current location data is based on data transmitted from the Global Positioning System (GPS).

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the user-designated location comprises a destination location and an intermediate location.