Navigation method for computing a travel route considering parking place location and occupancy

• US 6,411,895 B1
• Filed: 07/13/2000
• Issued: 06/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tomtom Global Content B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Hoffmann, Ralf, Schmidt, Heinrich, Lau, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US09/615,533
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/201, 701/204, 701/207-209, 340/932.2, 340/933, 340/905, 340/988, 340/990, 340/994, 340/995, 340/539
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3605 Destination input or retrieval
• 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 21/3685 the POI's being parking facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

A navigation method is set forth for calculating a travel route of a vehicle from a starting or an actual vehicle location to an operator-defined destination and for guiding a vehicle operator during operation of the vehicle over and along the calculated travel route, in which at least one possible parking location at the operator-defined destination is designated and the at least one possible parking location is included in the calculating of the travel route as a location to which the vehicle is guided when the operator conducts the vehicle over the travel route. After input of the operator-defined destination into a navigation unit of the vehicle by the operator, the location to which the vehicle is guided over the travel route is determined by the navigation system advantageously automatically taking account of the available parking locations at the input destination. Either the vehicle operator can select between a number of possible parking locations proposed by the navigation system or the navigation system can automatically select the best parking location using a predetermined selection criterion. Thus the operator does not need to know the exact address of the parking locations near the destination, so that the operator is relieved of input of the address of the parking location to which the vehicle is to be guided by street name or other information in order to determine the calculated travel route.

Claims

1. A navigation method for calculating a travel route of a vehicle from a starting or an actual vehicle location to an operator-defined destination and for guiding a vehicle operator during operation of the vehicle over and along the travel route, said method comprising designating at least one possible parking location at the operator-defined destination;

calculating the travel route from the starting or the actual vehicle location to the operated-defined destination including said at least one possible parking location in the calculating of the travel route as a location to which the vehicle is guided when the operator conducts the vehicle over said travel route; and

guiding the vehicle to the location determined by the calculation of the travel route with the inclusion of said at least one possible parking location.

2. A navigation method as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising including said at least one possible parking location in the calculation of the travel route as a location to which the vehicle is guided when the operator conducts the vehicle over said travel route, before guiding the vehicle to the location.

3. A navigation method as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising including said at least one possible parking location in the calculation of the travel route as a location to which the vehicle is guided when the operator conducts the vehicle over said travel route, during guiding the vehicle to the location.

4. A navigation method for calculating a travel route of a vehicle from a starting or an actual vehicle location to an operator-defined destination and for guiding a vehicle operator during operation of the vehicle over and along the travel route, said method comprising the steps of:

a) designating a plurality of possible parking locations at the operator-defined destination;

b) calculating the travel route from the starting or the actual vehicle location to the operated-defined destination;

c) selecting one of said possible parking locations by means of an optimization criterion as a location to which the vehicle is guided and when the operator conducts the vehicle over said travel route; and

d) and guiding the vehicle to the location determined by the calculation of the travel route with the inclusion of said at least one possible parking location.

5. The navigation method as defined in claim 4, wherein the optimization criterion is selected from the group consisting of shortest distance to the said location to which said vehicle is guided at the operator-defined destination according to map data;

shortest time to the said location to which said vehicle is guided at the operator-defined destination according to map data;

shortest distance of said location to which said vehicle is guided to an interesting point at the operator-defined destination;

least possible parking fee at said parking location at said location to which said vehicle is guided;

presence of indoor or covered parking places in parking buildings or underground garages at said location to which said vehicle is guided and minimum number of occupied parking places at said location to which said vehicle is guided.

6. The navigation method as defined in claim 4, wherein said plurality of said possible parking locations are first selected from among a number of parking possibilities.

7. The navigation method as defined in claim 5, further comprising transmitting a total number of parking places at all or at least one of said possible parking locations over a communication interface to the vehicle and taking account of said total number of the parking places at all or at least one of said possible parking locations in the calculating of the travel route.

8. The navigation method as defined in claim 7, further comprising transmitting a reservation request for one of the parking places at said location to which said vehicle is guided a parking operator at said location by means of the communication interface.

9. The navigation method as defined in claim 8, further comprising transmitting a vehicle identifier with the reservation request to the parking operator.

10. The navigation method as defined in claim 9, wherein said vehicle identifier is a license plate number on a license plate of the vehicle.

11. The navigation method as defined in claim 9, further comprising transmitting over said communication interface an estimated time at which said vehicle arrives at said location to which said vehicle is guided.