NAVIGATION OR MAPPING APPARATUS & METHOD

• US 20130131986A1
• Filed: 09/24/2010
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom Navigation B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom Navigation B.V (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Van Seggelen, Rob, Boschker, Breght Roderick
• Granted Patent: US 9,157,758 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/533
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

The invention relates to a navigation device (200) comprising a display (240) for displaying a digital map to a user, a processor (210) configured to access digital map data and cause a digital map to be displayed to a user using the display, and a user interface operable by a user to enable the user to interact with the apparatus. The user interface is arranged to allow a user to provide, on the displayed digital map displayed to the user, an indication of a selected region present in the digital map which the user wishes to include or exclude from a route calculation process. The processor (210) is arranged to determine digital map data relating to the selected region indicated by the user, and to calculate a route including or excluding the region.

Claims

1. A navigation or mapping apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a display for displaying a digital map to a user;

a processor configured to access digital map data and cause a digital map to be displayed to a user using the display; and

a user interface operable by a user to enable the user to interact with the apparatus;

wherein the user interface is arranged to allow a user to select a region present in the digital map by providing one or more indications on the displayed digital map in use, and wherein in use, when a selection of a region present in the digital map is received from a user, the processor is arranged to determine digital map data relating to the selected region, and to carry out one or more mapping or navigation operations using the determined digital map data; and

wherein the selected region includes a region of the map to be included or avoided in a route to be calculated, and the processor is arranged to calculate a route which includes or excludes at least a part of the selected region using the determined digital map data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor is arranged to cause the calculated route to be displayed on the digital map.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor is arranged to cause a proposed route to be displayed on the digital map, wherein the selected region includes a region of the digital map to be included or avoided in a modification of the proposed route, and wherein the route calculated by the processor using the determined digital map data is a modification of the proposed route.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein when the selected region does not include a portion of the proposed route, the processor is arranged calculate a modified route going via at least a part of the selected region, and when the selected region includes a portion of the proposed route, the processor is arranged to calculate a modified route avoiding at least a part of the selected region.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is arranged to access and cause real time information relating to traffic to be displayed on the digital map, wherein the selected region includes a region of traffic to be avoided in the calculated route.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor is arranged to cause the selected region to be highlighted on the map as it is selected by a user.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface is a touch sensitive display to enable the user to select the region by touching a part of the display.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the selected region is a continuous region.

15. A portable navigation device (PND) comprising the apparatus in accordance with claim 1.

16. An integrated navigation system comprising the apparatus of claim 1.

9. A method of operating a navigation or mapping apparatus, the method comprising controlling the navigation or mapping apparatus to perform a method including the steps of:

accessing digital map data and using the accessed digital map data to display a digital map on a display of the apparatus;

receiving from a user via a user interface of the apparatus a selection of a region present in the displayed digital map, wherein the region is selected by the user providing one or more indications on the displayed digital map;

determining digital map data relating to the selected region; and

carrying out one or more mapping or navigation operations using the determined digital map data,

wherein the selected region includes a region of the map to be included or avoided in a route to be calculated, and wherein the method performed further comprises calculating a route which includes or excludes at least a part of the selected region using the determined digital map data.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the method performed further comprises the step of displaying the calculated route on the digital map.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the method performed comprises displaying a proposed route on the digital map, wherein the selected region includes a region of the digital map to be included or avoided in a modification of the proposed route, and wherein the route calculated using the determined digital map data is a modification of the proposed route.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein when the selected region does not include a portion of the proposed route, the method performed comprises calculating a modified route going via at least a part of the selected region, and when the selected region includes a portion of the proposed route, the method performed comprises calculating a modified route avoiding at least a part of the selected region.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the method performed further comprises accessing and causing real time information relating to traffic to be displayed on the digital map, wherein the selected region indicated by the user includes a region of traffic to be avoided in the calculated route.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the selected region is a continuous region.

17. A non-transitory computer program product comprising computer readable instructions executable to perform a method according to claim 9.