Navigation data storage on compact disk

• US 5,101,357 A
• Filed: 01/23/1990
• Issued: 03/31/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Tempelhof, Alfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Auchterlonie, Thomas S.
• Application Number:
  US07/468,703
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 364/449, 364/443, 364/444, 364/424.01, 364/424.05, 340/990, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/002 Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22

Abstract

A vehicular navigation and data retrieval system features, on-board, a navigation system (1) and a compact disk (CD) player (2) coupled to said navigation system and adapted to hold, and selectively retrieve data from, at least one audio CD (3) and at least one navigation data CD. A method of retrieving, from disk, navigation data for use by said navigation system (1), features the steps of determining whether said navigation system has an intermediate need for navigation data from said data CD (4), discriminating when said CD player (2) is playing an audio selection from said audio CD (3) and when said player is in a pause adjacent to an audio selection, and directing said CD player (2) to cease playing said audio CD (3) and start retrieving navigation data from said data CD only when said player is in a pause, unless said navigation system has said immediate need and, in the event of such need, interrupting said audio selection to permit navigation data retrieval. This method minimizes disturbing interruptions of the playing of music or other audio selections.

Claims

1. In a vehicular navigation and data retrieval system including on-board

a navigation system (1) and

a compact disk (CD) player (2) coupled to said navigation system and adapted to hold, and selectively retrieve data from, at least one audio CD (3) and at least one navigation data CD,

a method of retrieving, from disk, navigation data for use by said navigation system (1),

comprising the steps of:

determining whether said navigation system has an immediate need for navigation data from said data CD (4), that is, whether vehicle position has reached an edge of a map section previously stored in said navigation system;

discriminating, from data stored on said audio CD, when said CD player (2) is playing an audio selection from said audio CD (3) and when said player is in a pause adjacent to an audio selection; and

directing said CD player (2) to cease playing said audio CD (3) and start retrieving navigation data from said data CD only when said player is in a pause, unless said navigation system has said immediate need and, in the event of such need, interrupting said audio selection to permit navigation data retrieval.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein

said discriminating step is accomplished by evaluating whether digital data retrieved from a subheader track on said disk by said player (2) indicates a pause has been reached.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein

said discriminating step is accomplished by evaluating whether an audio-frequency output signal from said player (2) has remained below a predetermined amplitude threshold for a predetermined minimum period of time.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein

said discriminating step comprises

reading from said audio CD (3) total track playing time data (10),

measuring elapsed track playing time, and

comparing said elapsed time and said total track playing time until these times are equal and thereby determining when a track has been totally played and a pause has been reached.

5. Method according to claim 1, further comprising

resuming playing of any interrupted audio selection, upon completion of navigation data retrieval, from the point where playing was interrupted.

6. Method according to claim 1, further comprising

completing data retrieval from said data CD (4) and resuming playing of any audio CD (3) which was being played prior to to said data retrieval.

7. In a vehicular navigation and data retrieval system including on-board

a navigation system (1) and

a compact disk (CD) player (2) coupled to said navigation system and adapted to hold, and selectively retrieved data from, at least one audio CD (3) and at least one navigation data CD,

a method of retrieving, from disk, navigation data for use by said navigation system (1),

comprising the steps of:

determining whether said navigation system has an immediate need for navigation data from said data CD (4), that is, whether vehicle position has reached an edge of a map section previously stored in said navigation system;

discriminating, from data stored on said audio CD, when said CD player (2) is playing an audio selection from said audio CD (3) and when said player is in a pause adjacent to an audio selection; and

directing said CD player (2) to cease playing said audio CD (3) and start retrieving navigation data from said data CD only when said player is in a pause, unless said navigation system has said immediate need and, in the event of such need, interrupting said audio selection to permit navigation data retrieval; and

further comprising the step of

preventively reading navigation data, representing a next adjacent section of a map, in the direction of a destination, during audio playback pauses, from said data CD (4) into a memory (6) of said navigation system, before said system has said immediate need.

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein

said step of preventively reading comprises reading into a Random Access Memory (RAM).

9. Vehicular on-board navigation and data retrieval system including

a navigation system (1) and

a compact disk (CD) player (2) coupled to said navigation system and adapted to hold, and selectively retrieve data from, at least one audio CD (3) and at least one navigation data CD,

means for communicating requests from said navigation system (1), for navigation data stored on said data CD (4), to said CD player (2),

means for discriminating, from subheader track data stored on said audio CD, when said CD player (2) is playing an audio selection from said audio CD (3) and when said player is in a pause adjacent to an audio selection;

and

means for directing said CD player (2) to cease playing said audio CD (3) and start retrieving navigation data from said data CD when said player is in a pause.

10. System according to claim 9, further comprising

a Random Access Memory (RAM) (6) in said navigation system (1) and

means for preventively reading navigation data, during audio playback pauses, from said data CD (4) into said RAM (6) of said navigation system (1) before said navigation system has an immediate need for said navigation data, that is, before the vehicle position reaches an edge of a map segment previously stored in the navigation system.