Electronic navigation system and method

• US 5,808,566 A
• Filed: 06/23/1995
• Issued: 09/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation), SEI Information Technology Co.
• Original Assignee: Navigation Technologies Corp. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Behr, David A., Ramakrishnan, Ramesh
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US08/494,198
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/990, 340/995, 340/991, 364/444, 364/449, 701/200, 701/208, 701/209, 701/211
• US Class Current: 340/995.12
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• 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 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3896 Transmission of map data from central databases
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096816 where the complete route is transmitted to the vehicle at once
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096822 where the segments of the route are transmitted to the vehicle at different locations and times
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096894 where input is assisted by the navigation device, i.e. the user does not type the complete name of the destination, e.g. using zip codes, telephone numbers, progressively selecting from initial letters

Abstract

The invention provides a method and system for providing route guidance and other information from a base unit to a remote unit in response to a request from the remote unit. A query is formatted at the remote unit, the query including the request, and is transmitted from the remote unit to the base unit. Requested route guidance information is calculated at the base unit in response to the query, using a large up-to-date database located at the base unit. A response to the query is formatted at the base unit, the response including route guidance information. The response is then transmitted from the base unit to the remote unit for display. The transmission is made in a compact form through the use of maneuver arms and combined maneuver arms and through the use of tokenized forms. A maneuver arm represents a road at an intersection, for depiction on a display, by one or two endpoint coordinates. The tokenized forms are expanded at the remote unit into textual driving instructions for each of one or more languages. In addition, the amount of information available at a remote unit can be increased by providing the remote unit with information from the base unit which is not adequately covered by any databases on-board the remote unit.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting route directions in a compact form, comprising the steps of:

(a) generating a first set of maneuver arms for providing a graphical representation of a calculated route to be taken by a vehicle through an intersection and geometric representations of a plurality of segments of roads to be traveled about an intersection along the route, wherein the intersection is an origin, and said representations of each of said plurality of segments of roads starts at the origin and radiates outward to an endpoint Xi, Yi to approximate the angles at which the roads approach the intersection, to depict a first intersection on a display, each maneuver arm of the first set of maneuver arms being represented by at least one endpoint;

(b) generating a second set of maneuver arms to depict a second intersection on a display, each maneuver arm of the second set of maneuver arms being represented by at least one endpoint;

(c) comparing the proximity of the first intersection and the second intersection and, if the first intersection and the second intersection are within a predetermined range of each other, combining the first set of maneuver arms with the second set of maneuver arms to produce a combined set of endpoints to depict the first set of maneuver arms and the second set of maneuver arms on a common display; and

(d) transmitting the combined set of endpoints to a remote unit in electromagnetic form.

2. A method of efficiently transmitting routing directions and driving actions, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) generating a routing direction and a driving action for a user;

(b) expressing the routing direction and the driving action in at least one of a plurality of tokenized forms, each of said plurality of tokenized forms representing a pre-defined routing direction and driving action in compact form;

(c) electromagnetically transmitting said at least one of said plurality of tokenized forms to a remote unit;

(d) receiving said at least one of said plurality of tokenized forms at said remote unit; and

(e) at said remote unit, expanding said at least one of said plurality of tokenized forms received in step (d) into a textual driving instruction indicating what direction a vehicle should proceed at an intersection and what additional driving action should be taken, for display to a user at said remote unit.

3. A method as set forth in claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

(f) receiving instructions from said user specifying that textual driving instructions be displayed in one or more languages; and

(g) at said remote unit, expanding said at least one of said plurality of tokenized forms, received in step (d), into a textual driving instruction for each of said one or more languages specified in step (f).

4. A method as set forth in claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

(f) in step (c), transmitting a road name to said remote unit along with said one of said plurality of tokenized forms; and

(g) in step (e), inserting the road name transmitted in step (f) into expanded text corresponding to said at least one of said plurality of tokenized forms received in step (d).

5. A system for generating and transmitting route directions in a compact form, comprising:

(a) a base unit which

(i) generates a first set of maneuver arms for providing a gaphical representation of a calculated route to be taken by a vehicle through an intersection and geometric representations of a plurality of segments of roads to be traveled about an intersection along the route, wherein the intersection is an origin and said representations of each of said plurality of segments of roads starts at the origin and radiates outward to an endpoint Xi, Yi to approximate the angles at which the roads approach the intersections, to depict a first intersection on a display, each maneuver arm of the first set of maneuver arms being represented by at least one endpoint,

(ii) generates a second set of maneuver arms to depict a second intersection on a display, each maneuver arm of the second set of maneuver arms being represented by at least one endpoint, and

(iii) compares the proximity of the first intersection and the second intersection and, if the first intersection and the second intersection are within a predetermined range of each other, combines the first set of maneuver arms with the second set of maneuver arms to produce a combined set of endpoints to depict the first set of maneuver arms and the second set of maneuver arms on a common display; and

(b) a communications link to transmit the combined set of endpoints to a remote unit in electromagnetic form.

6. A system for generating and transmitting routing directions comprising:

(a) a base unit which

(i) generates a routing direction and driving action for a user and

(ii) expresses the routing direction and driving action in at least one of a plurality of tokenized forms, each of said plurality of tokenized forms representing a pre-defined routing direction and driving action in compact form;

(b) a communications link to electromagnetically transmit said at least one of said plurality of tokenized forms; and

(c) a remote unit which

(i) receives said at least one of said plurality of tokenized forms from the communications link, and

(ii) expands said at least one of said plurality of tokenized forms into a textual driving instruction indicating what direction a vehicle should proceed at an intersection and what additional driving action should be taken, for communication to a user at said remote unit.

7. A system as set forth in claim 6, wherein:

the remote unit receives instructions from the user specifying that textual driving instructions be displayed in one or more languages; and

the remote unit expands said at least one of said plurality of tokenized forms into a textual driving instruction for each of said one or more languages specified by the user.

8. A system as set forth in claim 6, wherein:

the communications link transmits a road name to said remote unit along with said one of said plurality of tokenized forms; and

the remote unit inserts the road name transmitted by the communications link into expanded text corresponding to said at least one of said plurality of tokenized forms.

9. A system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the remote unit includes a display for said communication to said user at said remote unit.

10. A system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the remote unit includes an annunciator for said communication to said user at said remote unit.

11. A method of efficiently transmitting routing directions and driving actions, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) generating a routing direction and driving action for a user;

(b) expressing the routing direction and driving action in at least one of a plurality of tokenized forms, each of said plurality of tokenized forms representing a pre-defined routing direction and driving action in compact form;

(c) electromagnetically transmitting said at least one of said plurality of tokenized forms to a remote unit;

(d) receiving said at least one of said plurality of tokenized forms at said remote unit; and

(e) at said remote unit, expanding said at least one of said plurality of tokenized forms received in step (d) into a textual driving instruction indicating what direction a vehicle should proceed at an intersection and what additional driving action should be taken, for annunciation to a user at said remote unit.