METHOD FOR THE OPERATION OF A NAVIGATION DEVICE

• US 20100185386A1
• Filed: 06/03/2008
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Navigon AG (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Navigon AG (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: Hess, Philipp
• Granted Patent: US 8,359,160 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for operating a navigation device comprising an input device into which operating commands and/or location data, especially start data and/or destination data, can be entered, a road network database, a route calculation unit for calculating and storing a planned route taking into account the location data and the road network database, a signal receiving unit for receiving position signals, particularly GPS signals, a position determining unit for determining the current position of a vehicle, and a display device. Said method comprises the following steps: a) the current vehicle position is determined taking into account the received position signals; b) a route preview is calculated which represents at least one section of the planned route as a film sequence, starting from the current vehicle position; c) the route preview is displayed.

Claims

1-31. -31. (canceled)

32. Method for operating a navigation device comprising:

an input device into which operating commands and/or location data can be entered,

a road network database,

a route calculation unit for calculating and storing a planned route taking into account the location data and the road network database,

a signal receiving unit for receiving position signals, particularly GPS signals,

a position determining unit for determining the current position of a vehicle, and

a display device,

wherein said method comprises the steps of;

a) determining the current vehicle position taking into account the received position signals;

b) calculating a route preview which represents at least one section of the planned route as a film sequence, starting from the current vehicle position;

c) displaying the route preview.

33. Method according to claim 32 wherein the location data is start data and/or destination data.

34. Method according to claim 32 wherein the position signals are GPS signals.

35. Method according to claim 32, wherein the calculation of the route preview is triggered during an ongoing route guidance operation of the navigation device by activation of an input element, and the calculated film sequence is displayed or cross-faded within the image representing the ongoing route guidance action.

36. Method according to claim 32, wherein, when the route preview is displayed, no acoustic maneuvering instructions are output.

37. Method according to claim 32, wherein, in the route preview, road names of roads that have to be passed when traveling along the planned route are displayed in a visually highlighted fashion.

38. Method according to claim 32, wherein, in the route preview, driving maneuvers that have to be executed when traveling along the planned route are displayed in a visually highlighted fashion.

39. Method according to claim 32, wherein, in the route preview, the road segments to be traveled and the driving maneuvers to be executed are represented in real-time.

40. Method according to claim 32, wherein, in the route preview, at least some of the road segments to be traveled and/or of the driving maneuvers to be executed are represented in a decelerated and/or accelerated fashion relative to the real-time representation and/or with omissions.

41. Method according to claim 32, wherein, in the route preview, only one route section of the planned route is represented, whereby the start of the route preview is defined on the basis of the current vehicle position, and whereby the end of the route preview is defined on the basis of an intermediate point of the planned route, which lies ahead of the destination of the planned route.

42. Method according to claim 41, wherein the intermediate point of the route preview is defined by a predetermined maximum duration of the film sequence.

43. Method according to claim 42, wherein the maximum duration of the film sequence is about 10 to 30 seconds.

44. Method according to claim 42, wherein the maximum duration of the route preview can be set by the user.

45. Method according to claim 41, wherein the intermediate point of the route preview is defined by a predetermined number of driving maneuvers included in the route preview.

46. Method according to claim 41, wherein the intermediate point of the route preview is defined by the distance of the planned route between the current vehicle position and the intermediate point.

47. Method according to claim 46, wherein the distance for defining an intermediate point is dependent on the type of the planned route, particularly on whether the route is a primarily in-town route or a primarily out-of-town route.

48. Method according to claim 41, wherein the intermediate point of the route preview is defined by the duration of the planned time of travel between the current vehicle position and the intermediate point.

49. Method according to claim 41, wherein the intermediate point of the route preview is defined by a combination of multiple parameters.

50. Method according to claim 32, wherein, in the route preview, additional route data are displayed, in particular road names and/or distances to the road segments represented in the route preview and/or driving maneuvers and/or the time of travel and/or the time of arrival and/or the distance traveled since the starting point and/or since the last maneuvering action.

51. Method according to claim 32, wherein, by means of a traffic obstruction information receiver, in particular a TMC receiver, up-to-date traffic obstruction information is received, whereby the road segments affected according to the up-to-date traffic obstruction information are represented in the route preview, in particular in a color-highlighted fashion.

52. Method according to claim 32, wherein alternative routes that can be traveled alternatively to the planned route are represented in the route preview in a highlighted fashion.

53. Method according to claim 32, wherein, in the route preview, a road segment can be defined as being closed by activation of an input element, and on the basis thereof an alternative route devoid of closed road segments is calculated.

54. Method according to claim 32, wherein the film sequence of the route preview can be stopped and/or fast-forwarded and/or rewound and/or changed over to the subsequent driving maneuver or changed back to the previous driving maneuver by activation of an input element.

55. Method according to claim 32, wherein the traveling state of the vehicle is monitored when the route preview is displayed, whereby the route preview is displayed when the vehicle is stationary, and whereby the route preview is interrupted when the vehicle has started to move.

56. Method according to claim 55, wherein, when the route preview is interrupted, the route guidance action of an ongoing route guidance operation of the navigation device is displayed.

57. Method according to claim 55, wherein an interrupted route preview is resumed when the vehicle is stationary again.

58. Method according to claim 55, wherein, prior to resumption of the interrupted route preview, it is verified whether the route segments and driving maneuvers represented in the route preview have already been traveled and executed, respectively whereby the road segments and driving maneuvers already traveled and executed, respectively, are not displayed in the route preview anymore.

59. Method according to claim 55, wherein, prior to resumption of the interrupted route preview, it is verified whether the vehicle is still traveling along the planned route displayed in the route preview, whereby when the vehicles has exited from the planned route, the interrupted route preview is discarded.

60. Method according to claim 32, wherein the route preview is displayed when the vehicle is traveling, whereby the route preview is automatically interrupted when a maneuvering instruction for an ongoing route guidance operation is due to be output.

61. Method according to claim 60, wherein the interrupted route preview is automatically resumed when the output of the maneuvering instruction has been terminated.

62. Method according to claim 60, wherein the route preview is not interrupted when a maneuvering instruction for an ongoing route guidance operation is output only acoustically.

63. Method according to claim 55, wherein, when the route preview is interrupted, the respectively up-to-date image content is frozen and/or content that does not form part of the route preview is displayed as an overlay and/or a changeover to the standard representation of the ongoing route guidance operation is performed.

64. Method according to claim 55, wherein, when the route preview is interrupted, a display element assigned to the interruption is displayed.

65. Method according to claim 63, wherein the frozen image content and/or the display element assigned to the interruption of the route preview is/are automatically deactivated when the route preview is discarded.