OFF ROAD NAVIGATION SYSTEM

• US 20100332116A1
• Filed: 06/25/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Denso International America Incorporated (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Denso International America Incorporated (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Sakashita, Naohiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,682,575 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence

Abstract

A method of operating a navigation system in a vehicle may entail invoking an off-road mode of the navigation system; displaying a first off-road terrain on a navigation system display; displaying a first present location of the vehicle on the display, inputting a first user-input off-road destination into the navigation system; inputting a first user-input off-road waypoint into the navigation system; displaying straight line trajectories between the start point, the first user-input off-road waypoint and the destination on a display of the navigation system and displaying a first real-time path of on-screen breadcrumbs as the vehicle travels off-road in current or real-time; shifting on the display, each user-entered off-road waypoint to a closest on-screen breadcrumb of the first real-time path; shifting on the display, the user-entered destination to the closest on-screen breadcrumb; and storing the first real-time path in a memory of a navigation control unit.

Claims

1. A method of operating a navigation system in a vehicle comprising:

invoking an off-road mode of the navigation system;

displaying a first off-road terrain on a display of the navigation system in a first instance;

displaying a first present location of the vehicle on the display;

inputting a first user-input off-road destination into the navigation system;

inputting a first user-input off-road waypoint into the navigation system;

displaying straight line trajectories between the start point, the first user-input off-road waypoint and the destination on a display of the navigation system; and

displaying a first real-time path of on-screen breadcrumbs as the vehicle travels off-road.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

shifting on the display, each user-entered off-road waypoint to a closest on-screen breadcrumb of the first real-time path.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

shifting on the display, the user-entered destination to the closest on-screen breadcrumb.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

storing the first real-time path in a memory.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

displaying the first off-road terrain on the display of the navigation system in a second instance;

displaying a second present location of the vehicle on the display;

inputting the first user-input off-road destination into the navigation system in a second instance;

inputting a second user-input off-road waypoint into the navigation system;

displaying straight line trajectories between the a second present location of the vehicle, the second user-input off-road waypoint and the first destination on the display of the navigation system;

displaying a second real-time path of on-screen breadcrumbs as the vehicle travels off-road;

shifting on the display, the second user-input off-road waypoint to the closest on-screen breadcrumb of the second real-time path;

shifting on the display, the first user-input off-road destination in a second instance, to the closest on-screen breadcrumb of the second real-time path of on-screen breadcrumbs;

the first user-input off-road destination into the navigation system in a second instance; and

storing the second real-time path in a memory.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

selecting a maximum quantity of real-time paths to store in memory.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

deleting the oldest real-time path of on-screen breadcrumbs from memory.

8. A method of operating a navigation system in a vehicle comprising:

invoking an off-road mode of the navigation system;

displaying a first off-road terrain on a display of the navigation system in a first instance;

displaying a first present location of the vehicle on the display;

inputting a first user-input off-road destination into the navigation system;

inputting a first user-input off-road waypoint into the navigation system;

displaying straight line trajectories between the start point, the first user-input off-road waypoint and the destination on a display of the navigation system;

displaying a first real-time path of on-screen breadcrumbs as the vehicle travels off-road proximate the straight line trajectories;

calculating a first distance between the current vehicle position and the waypoint;

comparing the first distance between the current vehicle position and the waypoint to a first predetermined distance;

shifting, on the display, the first user-input off-road waypoint to an on-screen breadcrumb of the first real-time path when the on-screen breadcrumb of the first real-time path is within a predetermined distance of the first user-input off-road waypoint; and

displaying a new waypoint on the screen on the first real-time path when a vehicle engine is shut off.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

shifting on the display, the first user-input off-road destination to the closest on-screen breadcrumb of the first real-time path of on-screen breadcrumbs.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

storing the first real-time path in a memory of the navigation system.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying the first off-road terrain on the display of the navigation system in a second instance;

displaying a second present location of the vehicle on the display;

inputting the first user-input off-road destination into the navigation system in a second instance;

inputting a second user-input off-road waypoint into the navigation system;

displaying straight line trajectories between the a second present location of the vehicle, the second user-input off-road waypoint and the first destination on the display of the navigation system;

displaying a second real-time path of on-screen breadcrumbs as the vehicle travels off-road;

shifting on the display, the second user-input off-road waypoint to the closest on-screen breadcrumb of the second real-time path;

shifting on the display, the first user-input off-road destination in a second instance, to the closest on-screen breadcrumb of the second real-time path of on-screen breadcrumbs;

the first user-input off-road destination into the navigation system in a second instance; and

storing the second real-time path in a memory.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

selecting a maximum quantity of real-time paths to store in memory.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

deleting the oldest real-time path of on-screen breadcrumbs from memory.

14. A method of operating a navigation system in a vehicle comprising:

invoking an off-road mode of the navigation system;

displaying a first off-road terrain on a display of the navigation system in a first instance;

displaying a first present location of the vehicle on the display;

inputting a first user-input off-road destination into the navigation system;

displaying a first real-time path of on-screen breadcrumbs as the vehicle travels off-road toward the first user-input off-road destination;

comparing the first real-time path of on-screen breadcrumbs to a first stored off-road path of breadcrumbs having a same first user-input off-road destination; and

comparing the first real-time path of on-screen breadcrumbs to a second stored off-road path of breadcrumbs having the same first user-input off-road destination.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein comparing the first real-time path of on-screen breadcrumbs to a first stored off-road path of breadcrumbs having the same first user-input off-road destination further comprises:

calculating a first distance between a first breadcrumb of the first real-time path of on-screen breadcrumbs and a first breadcrumb of the first stored off-road path of breadcrumbs;

calculating a second distance between a first breadcrumb of the first real-time path of on-screen breadcrumbs and a first breadcrumb of the second stored off-road path of breadcrumbs;

determining whether the first distance or the second distance is a lower distance; and

displaying an entire stored off-road path to which the lower distance pertains.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

calculating a third distance between a second breadcrumb of the first real-time path of on-screen breadcrumbs and a second breadcrumb of the first stored off-road path of breadcrumbs;

calculating a fourth distance between a second breadcrumb of the first real-time path of on-screen breadcrumbs and a second breadcrumb of the second stored off-road path of breadcrumbs;

adding together the first distance and the third distance to arrive at a first stored off-road path summation;

adding together the second distance and the fourth distance to arrive at a second stored off-road path summation;

determining whether the first stored off-road path summation;

or the second stored off-road path summation is a lower summation; and

displaying an entire stored off-road path to which the lower summation pertains.