Navigation system with feature for reporting errors

• US 6,253,151 B1
• Filed: 06/23/2000
• Issued: 06/26/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navigation Technologies Corp. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohler, Jean, Kaplan, Lawrence M., Casino, Roy, Barton, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US09/602,127
• Time in Patent Office: 368 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/210, 701/211, 701/33, 701/35, 340/990, 340/438, 707/10, 709/301, 709/302
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3856 Data obtained from user input

Abstract

A feature whereby an end user of a navigation system that uses geographic data can easily report perceived errors or inaccuracies in the geographic data or other problems such as poor quality route calculation or guidance. The end user uses a user interface of the navigation system to indicate the perceived error, inaccuracy, or other problem. The navigation system includes a report program that operates in response to the end user'"'"'s indication. The report program collects information indicating the error, inaccuracy, or other problem and sends a report including the collected information to a geographic database developer. The geographic database developer can use the information in the report to update a geographic database.

Claims

1. A navigation system that uses geographic data to provide navigation-related functions to an end user, the navigation system comprising:

a user interface into which the end user can input requests for navigation-related functions and from which the end user is provided responses to the requests;

a geographic database;

navigation programming that processes the requests input by the end user into the user interface and uses the geographic database to determine said responses; and

error report programming responsive to an indication by the end user into said user interface about an error, said error report programming including a routine that collects data indicating the error and sends a report including said data indicating the error.

2. The navigation system of claim 1 wherein the report also includes input from the end user about the error.

3. The navigation system of claim 1 wherein the report also includes an identification of the geographic database.

4. The navigation system of claim 1 wherein said error report programming comprises:

a monitoring component that monitors the responses and stores data indicating the responses in a log.

5. The navigation system of claim 4 wherein said error report programming comprises:

a reporting component that sends data from said log upon said indication by the end user.

6. The navigation system of claim 1 wherein said error report programming comprises:

a reporting component that prompts the end user for input about the error, obtains a reply from the end user in response thereto, and includes the reply in the report.

7. The navigation system of claim 1 wherein said user interface further comprises:

a dedicated error reporting button that the end user uses to make said indication.

8. A method of obtaining reports from end users about perceived errors in geographic data used in navigation systems installed in vehicles, the method comprising:

providing error reporting programs included with said navigation systems; and

receiving reports about perceived errors from said reporting programs.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said reports are received via wireless communications from said vehicles.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said reports are in XML format.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said reports are received by a database developer.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

analyzing said reports statistically to identify significant errors.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

using said reports about perceived errors to update a master copy of a geographic database.

14. A method of operation for a vehicle navigation system, the method comprising:

running a monitoring component program that monitors navigation-related information provided to a user of the vehicle navigation system and stores data in a log indicating the navigation-related information provided to the user; and

upon receiving an indication from the user about an error, sending a report about said error, wherein the report includes data from said log.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

requesting input from the end user about the error; and

including said input in said report.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

providing the end user with information from the log about the navigation-related information that had been provided to the user;

obtaining input from the end user about the error; and

including said input in said report.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

prior to the step of sending a report, storing data about the error in a data storage medium in the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

including data indicating a database version in said report.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

providing the user with recently provided navigation-related information;

allowing the user to indicate which item of recently provided navigation-related information contains the error; and

including data in the report that identifies the item of navigation-related information indicated by the user as containing the error.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

providing multiple windows on a display screen of the vehicle navigation system, wherein one of said multiple windows includes navigation-related information that guides the user for following a route to a destination and wherein another of said multiple windows includes information requesting the user to indicate the error.