NAVIGATION METHOD OF MOBILE TERMINAL AND APPARATUS THEREOF

• US 20110093194A1
• Filed: 06/21/2010
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KIM, Kyoung-Hwa, PAIK, Woo-Hyun, LEE, Han-Sung
• Granted Patent: US 8,583,364 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/32 Structuring or formatting of map data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3815 Road data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3837 Data obtained from a single source

Abstract

A navigation method and apparatus of a mobile terminal capture an image of a road on which a driver is driving a vehicle if the road is a new road which has not been updated on map data, automatically generates guidance information of the captured road, and provide a user preference route in searching a route from a current location to a destination to thereby enhance user satisfaction. The navigation apparatus of a mobile terminal includes a storage unit configured to store map data, a display unit configured to display a route from a current location to a destination on the map data, and a controller configured to store locus information of a vehicle in real time when the vehicle gets off of the route and gives a weight value to a link corresponding to the locus information.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus for use with a transportation device, the apparatus comprising:

a storage unit configured to store map data;

a display unit configured to display the map data and a route from a current location to a destination on the map data; and

a controller configured to determine whether or not the transportation device is on a new road based on an indication that the transportation device is off the route, to obtain new road information and road guidance information for the new road based on the determination result, and to store the new road information and the road guidance information for the new road as part of the map data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller stores locus information of the transportation device corresponding to a weight value-given link as a preferred route in the storage unit.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein when the transportation device gets off of the route, the controller checks the number of times that the transportation gets off of the route, and when the number of times that the transportation device gets off of the route is larger than a pre-set number, the controller gives the weight value to the link corresponding to the locus information, wherein the weight value is a value for setting the locus information as a preferred route.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein when the number of times that the transportation device gets off of the route is smaller than the pre-set number, the controller deletes the stored locus information.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein when the vehicle gets off of the route, the controller displays a window inquiring whether to travel along the preferred route on the display unit.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein when the transportation device gets off of the route, the controller displays a window showing the route and the preferred route on the map data.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein when a pre-set time lapses, the controller deletes the window showing the route and the preferred route.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein when the transportation device gets off of the route, the controller checks whether or not a current time is a road congested time slot of the preferred route, and when the current time is not the road congested time slot of the preferred route, the controller displays the window showing the route and the preferred route on the map data.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a camera for capturing an image of the locus of the transportation device when the transportation device gets off of the route, wherein the controller stores the captured image in the storage unit and generates road guidance information corresponding to the locus of the vehicle based on the image which has been captured by the camera.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a camera for capturing an image of the locus of the transportation device when the transportation device gets off of the route, wherein the controller stores the captured image in the storage unit and generates the road guidance information corresponding to the locus of the transportation device based on a voice signal of the user.

11. A navigation method of a transportation device, the method comprising:

storing map data in a storage unit;

displaying a route from a current location to a destination on the map data;

when a vehicle gets off of the route, storing locus information of the vehicle in real time; and

giving a weight value to a link corresponding to the locus information.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

storing the locus information corresponding to the weight value-given link as a preferred route in the storage unit.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the giving of the weight value to the link corresponding to the locus information comprises:

checking the number of times that the vehicle gets off of the route when the vehicle gets off of the route; and

giving the weight value to the link corresponding to the locus information when the number of times that the vehicle gets off of the route is larger than a pre-set number,

wherein the weight value is a value for setting the locus information as a preferred route.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

deleting the stored locus information when the number of times that the vehicle gets off of the route is smaller than the pre-set number.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

displaying a window inquiring whether to travel along the preferred route on a display unit when the vehicle gets off of the route.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

displaying a window showing the route and the preferred route on the map data when the vehicle gets off of the route.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

deleting the window showing the route and the preferred route when a pre-set time lapses.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the displaying of the window showing the route and the preferred route comprises:

determining whether or not current time is a road congested time slot when the vehicle gets off of the route; and

if the current time is not a road congested time slot, displaying the window showing the route and the preferred route on the map data.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

capturing an image of the locus of the vehicle when the vehicle gets off of the route;

storing the captured image in the storage unit; and

generating road guidance information corresponding to the locus of the vehicle based on the image which has been captured by a camera.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

capturing an image of the locus of the vehicle when the vehicle gets off of the route;

storing the captured image in the storage unit; and

generating road guidance information corresponding to the locus of the vehicle based on a voice signal of a user.