Navigation Device and Method

• US 20120265438A1
• Filed: 07/10/2009
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom Navigation B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Yakali, Hakan
• Granted Patent: US 8,843,310 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/454
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3476 using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs

Abstract

This invention relates to a navigation device (200) comprising: a processor (210) for generating, from map data, a digital map for display to a user; a store (230) for said map data and data defining the location of points of interest on said digital map; and a display (240) for displaying said digital map to said user; characterised in that the navigation device (200) further comprises: a short-range radio transceiver (265) for receiving signals from and transmitting signals to computer systems that are each associated with a respective point of interest; and a wireless network control module (490) that is configured to energise said short-range radio transceiver (265) for the exchange of signals if a determined current location of said navigation device (200) is within wireless communications range of a point of interest. A method is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A navigation device comprising:

a processor for generating, from map data, a digital map for display to a user;

a store for said map data and data defining the location of points of interest on said digital map; and

a display for displaying said digital map to said user;

characterized in that the navigation device further comprises;

a short-range radio transceiver for receiving signals from and transmitting signals to computer systems that are each associated with a respective point of interest; and

a wireless network control module that is configured to energize said short-range radio transceiver for the exchange of signals if a determined current location of said navigation device is within wireless communications range of a point of interest, wherein

the wireless network control module is further configured to connect to a computer system only if the navigation device has been stationary for at least a predetermined period of time.

2. A navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the short-range wireless transceiver is configured to energize said short-range radio transceiver for the exchange of signals if a determined current location of said navigation device is within wireless communications range of a point of interest that has a said computer system associated with it.

3. A navigation device according to claim 2, wherein the processor is operable to compute a route from the current location of the navigation device to a closest point of interest that is associated with said received status signal.

4. A navigation device according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to generate navigation instructions for relaying to said user to guide said user along said route to said closest point of interest.

5. A navigation device according to claim 3, wherein said wireless network control module is configured to identify points of interest on said route and to energize said short-range radio transceiver when for the exchange of signals if a determined current location of said navigation device is within wireless communications range of a point of interest on said route that has a said computer system associated with it.

6. A navigation device according to claim 1 wherein said wireless network control module is configured only to energize said short-range radio transceiver once said navigation device has been stationary for at least a predetermined period of time.

7. A navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said navigation device is permanently mounted in said vehicle.

8. A navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said navigation device comprises a PND that is removable from said vehicle.

9. A navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said exchange of signals comprises a download of information from said computer system to said navigation device.

10. A navigation device according to claim 9, wherein said download of information comprises information to update previously stored information in said navigation device.

11. A navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said short-range radio transceiver is configured to be capable of wireless LAN communications with said computer system.

12. A navigation device according to claim 11, wherein said short-range radio transceiver is configured to be capable of WiFi or WIMAX compatible communications.

13. A method for downloading content to a navigation device, the method comprising:

determining the location of the navigation device;

determining the location of a point of interest that is associated with a computer system that is capable of communicating wirelessly with a navigation device; and

energizing a short-range radio transceiver of said navigation device for the exchange of signals with said computer system when a current location of said navigation device is within wireless communications range of said point of interest, wherein

the short-range radio transceiver is further configured to connect to a computer system only if the navigation device has been stationary for at least a predetermined period of time.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein said navigation device is configured to energize said short-range radio transceiver when said navigation device has been stationary for at least a predetermined period of time.

15. A computer software element embodied on a computer readable media comprising one or more software modules operable, when executed in an execution environment, to cause a processor of a navigation device to:

determine a current location of the navigation device;

determine a location of a point of interest that is associated with a computer system that is capable of communicating wirelessly with a navigation device; and

energize a short-range radio transceiver of said navigation device for the exchange of signals with said computer system when said current location of said navigation device is within wireless communications range of said point of, wherein

the short-range radio transceiver is further configured to connect to a computer system only if the navigation device has been stationary for at least a predetermined period of time.