Indicating directions to destination and intermediate locations in vehicle navigation systems

• US 6,456,931 B1
• Filed: 03/07/2001
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom Navigation B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: Visteon Technologies LLC (Visteon Corporation)
• Inventors: Zuber, Gary, Polidi, Ari I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US09/801,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20020128772A1
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 701/201, 342/357, 342/357.13, 342/419, 340/995, 340/988, 340/990
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents

Abstract

The present invention provides a computer implemented method and apparatus for providing a directional arrow to intermediate locations to aid a user of a vehicle navigation system. According to one aspect of the present invention, a vehicle navigation system is provided and includes a processor configured to determiner the vehicle location from location data generated by a plurality of sensors. Where the location data does not correspond to map data in a map database, a directional indicator is generated on the display to indicate a first location corresponding to the map data. In one embodiment, the first location corresponds to a road segment in the map database nearest the vehicle location. In another embodiment, the processor is configured to identify an intermediate location on the route and generate a directional indicator on the display which indicates the direction to the intermediate location. In yet another embodiment, the processor is configured to automatically select an appropriate intermediate location in accordance with the measured angle between the vehicle heading and the intermediate location.

Claims

1. A vehicle navigation system comprising:

a plurality of sensors for generating location data relating to a vehicle location;

a memory for storing map data in a map database;

a display; and

a processor operable to;

determine the vehicle location using the location data, and

where the location data do not correspond to the map data, generate a directional indicator on the display which indicates a first location corresponding to the map data instead of a specified destination.

2. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1 wherein the processor is operable to determine the first location by searching the map database in a region around the vehicle location.

3. The vehicle navigation system of claim 2 wherein the first location corresponds to a road segment in the map database nearest the vehicle location.

4. The vehicle navigation system of claim 3 wherein the road segment in the map database is one of a plurality of road segments in the map database, each road segment having a rank associated therewith, and wherein the processor is further operable to determine the nearest road segment having ranks greater than or equal to a predetermined rank.

5. The vehicle navigation system of claim 3 wherein the road segment in the map database is a freeway on-ramp.

6. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1 wherein the processor is operable to identify the first location by searching the map database using an omnidirectional search.

7. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1 wherein the processor is operable to identify the first location by searching the map database in a direction biased toward the destination.

8. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1 wherein the first location comprises one of a major highway intersection, point of interest, landmark, an intersection of a highway and a lower ranked road, and a transition between a lower ranked highway and a higher ranked highway.

9. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1, wherein the first location is specified by the user.

10. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1, wherein the processor is operable to determine the vehicle location and generate the directional indicator immediately following powering up of the system.

11. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1, wherein the processor is operable to determine the vehicle location and generate the directional indicator when the vehicle location diverges from the map data.

12. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to calculate a route from the first location to the specified destination.

13. A vehicle navigation system associated with a vehicle comprising:

a plurality of sensors for generating location data relating to a vehicle location;

a memory for storing map data in a map database;

a display; and

a processor operable to;

generate a route between a first vehicle location and a destination,

identify at least one intermediate location corresponding to the map database between the first vehicle location and the destination on the route, and

where the vehicle has not yet reached the at least one intermediate location, generate a directional indicator on the display which indicates a direction corresponding to an upcoming one of the at least one intermediate location.

14. The vehicle navigation system of claim 13 wherein the at least one intermediate location comprises a plurality of intermediate locations and wherein the processor is operable to successively generate the directional indicator for each of the plurality of intermediate locations.

15. The vehicle navigation system of claim 13 wherein the at least one intermediate locations is one of a major highway intersection, point of interest, landmark, an intersection of a highway and a lower ranked road, and a transition between a lower ranked highway and a higher ranked highway.

16. The vehicle navigation system of claim 14 wherein each of the plurality of intermediate locations has a rank associated therewith and wherein the processor is operable to identify intermediate locations having ranks greater than or equal to a predetermined rank.

17. The vehicle navigation system of claim 14 wherein the processor is further operable to generate the directional indicator corresponding to the destination when all of the plurality of intermediate locations have been passed by the vehicle.

18. The vehicle navigation system of claim 14 wherein the processor is further operable to:

determine whether a current vehicle location is on the route, and

where the current vehicle location is not on the route, determine whether the upcoming intermediate location is an appropriate target for the directional indicator.

19. The vehicle navigation system of claim 18 wherein the processor is operable to determine whether the upcoming intermediate location is the appropriate target by determining if there is sufficient connectivity between the current vehicle location and the intermediate location.

20. The vehicle navigation system of claim 18 wherein the determination as to whether the intermediate location is the appropriate target is performed by determining if the intermediate location lies on the route beyond a distance specified by the user.

21. The vehicle navigation system of claim 18 wherein the determination as to whether the intermediate location is the appropriate target is performed by determining if the intermediate location lies between traffic congestion and the destination as determined by traffic data communicated to the processor.

22. The vehicle navigation system of claim 18, where the upcoming intermediate location is not the appropriate target, the processor is operable to determine whether a next one of the plurality of intermediate locations is the appropriate target and repeat until the appropriate target is identified.

23. The vehicle navigation system of claim 18, where the upcoming intermediate location is not the appropriate target, the processor is operable to determine which of a remaining subset of the intermediate locations is a best target for the directional indication.

24. The vehicle navigation system of claim 14 wherein the processor is further operable to monitor an angle between a current vehicle heading and the directional indicator.

25. The vehicle navigation system of claim 24 wherein the processor is further operable to identify at least one additional intermediate location on the route before the upcoming intermediate location, when the angle exceeds a predetermined threshold, and generate the directional indicator corresponding to the additional intermediate location.

26. the vehicle navigation system of claim 24 wherein the processor is further operable to determine whether a current vehicle location is on the route.

27. The vehicle navigation system of claim 26 wherein the processor is further operable to identify at least one additional intermediate location on the route before the upcoming intermediate location when the angle exceeds a predetermined threshold and where a current vehicle location is on the route.

28. The vehicle navigation system of claim 27 wherein the processor is further operable to generate a directional indicator on the display which indicates the direction to the upcoming one of the at least one intermediate location, when the angle exceeds the predetermined threshold and where the current vehicle location is off the route.

29. The vehicle navigation system of claim 28 wherein the processor is further operable to determine whether the upcoming intermediate location is the appropriate target for the directional indicator.

30. The vehicle navigation system of claim 29 wherein the processor is further operable to determine whether the upcoming intermediate location is the appropriate target by determining if there is sufficient connectivity between the current vehicle location and the intermediate location.

31. The vehicle navigation system of claim 29 wherein the processor is further operable to determine whether the upcoming intermediate location is the appropriate target by determining if the intermediate location lies on the route beyond a distance specified by the user.

32. The vehicle navigation system of claim 29, wherein the processor is further operable to determine whether the upcoming intermediate location is the appropriate target by determining if the intermediate location lies between traffic congestion and the destination as determined by traffic data communicated to the processor.

33. The vehicle navigation system of claim 29, where the upcoming intermediate location is not the appropriate target, the processor is operable to determine whether a next one of the plurality of intermediate locations is the appropriate target and repeat until the appropriate target is identified.

34. The vehicle navigation system of claim 18, where the upcoming intermediate location is not the appropriate target, the processor is operable to determine which of a remaining subset of the intermediate locations is a best target for the directional indication.

35. A vehicle navigation system associated with a vehicle comprising:

a plurality of sensors for generating location data relating to a vehicle location;

a memory for storing map data in a map database;

a display; and

a processor operable to;

generate a route,

monitor an angle between a current vehicle heading and a directional indicator to a first location associated with the route,

when the angle exceeds a predetermined threshold, identify an intermediate location on the route, and

display a directional indicator corresponding to the intermediate location.

36. The vehicle navigation system of claim 35 wherein the processor is further operable to determine whether a current vehicle location is on the route and where the current vehicle location is off the route to determine whether an upcoming intermediate location is an appropriate target for the directional indicator.

37. The vehicle navigation system of claim 36 wherein the processor is further operable to determine whether the upcoming intermediate location is the appropriate target by determining if there is sufficient connectivity between the current vehicle location and the intermediate location.

38. The vehicle navigation system of claim 36 wherein the processor is further operable to determine whether the upcoming intermediate location is the appropriate target by determining if the intermediate location lies on the route beyond a distance specified by the user.

39. The vehicle navigation system of claim 36 wherein the processor is further operable to determine whether the upcoming intermediate location is the appropriate target by determining if the intermediate location lies between traffic congestion and the destination as determined by traffic data communicated to the processor.

40. A computer implemented method for navigating using a vehicle navigation system, the method comprising:

generating in a vehicle navigation system data relating to a vehicle location;

determining the vehicle location using location data obtained from a plurality of sensors;

accessing map data stored in a map database; and

generating a directional indicator on a display which indicates a first location instead of the specified destination corresponding to the map data where the vehicle location does not correspond to the map data.

43. A computer readable medium comprising computer program instructions for causing a computer to perform the method of claim 40.

41. A computer implemented method for navigating using a vehicle navigation system, the method comprising:

generating in a vehicle navigation system data relating to a vehicle location;

determining the vehicle location using the location data;

accessing map data stored in a map database;

generating in a processor a route between a first vehicle location and a destination;

identifying in the processor at least one intermediate location on the route; and

where the vehicle has not yet reached the at least one intermediate location, generating a directional indicator on the display which indicates the direction corresponding to an upcoming one of the at least one intermediate location.

44. A computer readable medium comprising computer program instructions for causing a computer to perform the method of claim 41.

42. A computer implemented method for navigating using a vehicle navigation system, the method comprising:

generating in a vehicle navigation system data relating to a vehicle location;

determining the vehicle location using the location data;

accessing map data stored in a map database;

generating in a processor a route between a first vehicle location and a destination;

monitoring an angle between a current vehicle heading and a directional indicator which indicates the direction to a first location associated with the route, and

when the angle exceeds a predetermined threshold, identifying an intermediate location, and

displaying a directional indicator corresponding to the intermediate location.

45. A computer readable medium comprising computer program instructions for causing a computer to perform the method of claim 42.