Method for the Operation of a Navigation System

• US 20110015855A1
• Filed: 10/09/2008
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Navigon AG (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Navigon AG (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: Schmidt, Thorsten W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,457,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for operating a navigation system comprising the following method steps: a) calculating a route from a point of departure to a destination, said route being composed of a succession of route segments and junctions between the route segments and being selected by means of a route calculation process from a database in which a geographical region is described by route segments and junctions; b) calculating at least one maneuvering instruction which contains instructions for the user to follow the route starting from the current position; c) optically and/or acoustically outputting the maneuvering instruction in an output device, wherein prior to and/or during the calculation and/or prior to and/or during the output of the maneuvering instruction, a configuration file is read and interpreted by an interpretation module, and wherein configuring preset data for calculating and/or outputting the maneuvering instruction are stored in the configuration file.

Claims

1. Method for operating a navigation system comprising the following method steps of:

a) calculating a route from a point of departure to a destination, said route being composed of a succession of route segments and junctions between the route segments and being selected by means of a route calculation process from a database in which a geographical region is described by route segments and junctions;

b) calculating at least one maneuvering instruction which contains instructions for the user to follow the route starting from the current position;

c) optically and/or acoustically outputting the maneuvering instruction in an output device;

characterized in that

prior to and/or during the calculation and/or prior to and/or during the output of the maneuvering instruction, a configuration file is read and interpreted by an interpretation module, wherein configuring preset data for calculating and/or for outputting the maneuvering instruction are stored in the configuration file.

2. Method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the interpretation module reads the preset data from the configuration file, the preset data are subsequently stored in a memory in an access-optimized format, wherein the interpretation module accesses and interprets the preset data stored in the memory during calculation and/or output of the maneuvering instruction.

3. Method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the interpretation module reads and directly interprets the preset data during calculation and/or output of the maneuvering instruction.

4. Method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the configuring preset data for the calculation and/or output of the maneuvering instruction are stored in the configuration file in the form of an alphanumeric text.

5. Method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

at least two different configuration files are stored, which are selected automatically or in a user-defined fashion and which are read by the interpretation module.

6. Method according to claim 5,

characterized in that

different configuration files are read by the interpretation module as a function of the set user group or as a function of the set user profile.

7. Method according to claim 5,

characterized in that

different configuration files are read by the interpretation module as a function of the area of use.

8. Method according to claim 5,

characterized in that

different configuration files are read by the interpretation module as a function of the time of use.

9. Method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the configuration file is read during the run-time of the navigational process, wherein the preset data generated therefrom by the interpretation module by interpretation replace the previously used preset data.

10. Method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the preset data are distributed over several configuration partial files, wherein all configuration partial files are successively read and interpreted.

11. Method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the decision logic for determining the maneuver instruction sequence, which is retrieved and output from a database, is defined by the preset data.

12. Method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the decision logic for determining the temporal flow chart (01) of a maneuvering instruction sequence is controlled by the preset data.

13. Method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the configuration file contains at least one flow chart (02, 03, 04) stored in tabular form.

14. Method according to claim 13,

characterized in that

during generation of a maneuvering instruction by evaluating the tabular flow chart (02), a coarse classification of an intersection or a road section on the route is performed.

15. Method according to claim 13,

characterized in that

the flow chart (02) stored in tabular form comprises several lines and several columns, wherein each line is representative of one decision node of the flow chart.

16. Method according to claim 15,

characterized in that

each line contains a condition cell which features a logic condition.

17. Method according to claim 15,

characterized in that

each line features at least one reference cell, wherein the reference cell contains the cross-references to other decision nodes, and wherein during processing of the tabular flow chart (02), commencing at a start line, the respective logic condition of the condition cell is responded to and the cross-reference from the same line allocated to the response is executed.

18. Method according to claim 13,

characterized in that

the configuration file contains at least one decision chart (03) stored in tabular form, wherein during generation of a maneuvering instruction, the selection of the maneuvering instruction sequence, which is retrieved and output from a database, is performed by evaluation of the decision chart (03).

19. Method according to claim 13,

characterized in that

the configuration file contains at least one distance chart (04) stored in tabular form, wherein during generation of a maneuvering instruction, the timing of the output of a maneuvering instruction sequence is controlled by evaluation of the distance chart (04).