Navigation method and navigation system for means of locomotion

• US 6,456,933 B1
• Filed: 09/27/2001
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Hessing, Bernd
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US09/868,830
• Time in Patent Office: 362 Days
• Field of Search: 701/209, 701/210, 701/207, 701/208, 701/213, 701/202, 340/990, 340/995, 340/988
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn

Abstract

A method for navigating from a starting point, especially from an instantaneous location, to a destination, a routing algorithm of a navigational system for a means of locomotion, particularly a motor vehicle, ship, or airplane, calculating a route from the instantaneous location to the destination via nodal points stored in a digital map. In the case in which at least one of the nodal points of the route to be calculated is not contained in an internal digital map stored internally in the navigational system, the part of the route which exclusively includes nodal points of the internal digital map is calculated by an internal routing algorithm on the basis of the internal digital map as an internally calculated route portion, and the part of the route which does not include nodal points stored in the internal digital map is calculated by an external routing algorithm as an externally calculated route portion on the basis of a digital map stored externally with respect to the navigational system, transitional nodal points from the externally calculated route to the internally calculated route and/or vice versa being determined.

Claims

1. A method for navigating an apparatus of locomotion in accordance with a route including nodal points from one of a starting point and an instantaneous location to a destination in a case in which at least one of the nodal points of the route to be calculated is not contained in an internal digital map stored internally in a navigational system, the method comprising the steps of:

calculating that part of the route including exclusively nodal points of the internal digital map in accordance with an internal routing algorithm on the basis of the internal digital map to produce an internally calculated route portion;

calculating that part of the route not including those of the nodal points stored in the internal digital map in accordance with an external routing algorithm to produce an externally calculated route portion on the basis of an external digital map stored externally with respect to the navigational system;

determining transitional nodal points from the externally calculated route portion to the internally calculated route portion; and

performing one of the steps of;

causing an internal route guidance algorithm of the navigational system to execute a route guidance on the basis of the internally calculated route portion, and

causing an external route guidance algorithm to execute the route guidance on the basis of the externally calculated route portion.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the internal routing algorithm first generates the internally calculated route portion,

the internal routing algorithm transmits data concerning still missing portions of the route to the external routing algorithm, and

the external routing algorithm calculates only the still missing portions of the route and transmits the calculated still missing portions of the route to the navigational system.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein:

the still missing portions include still missing nodal points and interchange nodal points.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the internally calculated route portion is stored in the navigational system in an internal route memory, and

the externally calculated route portion i s stored in an external route memory.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

on reaching an interchange nodal point, switching from the internal route guidance algorithm to the external route guidance algorithm when the apparatus of locomotion leaves a range of the internal digital map; and

on reaching the interchange nodal point, switching from the external route guidance algorithm to the internal route guidance algorithm when the apparatus of locomotion reaches the range of the internal digital map.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising one of the steps of:

during the route guidance, identifying in the internal route memory and the external route memory as one of taken care of and passed those of the nodal points corresponding to those portions of the route that are one of already reached and already passed, the identifying step being performed independently of which one of the internal route guidance algorithm and the external route algorithm is currently active; and

during the route guidance, canceling in the internal route memory and the external route memory those of the nodal points corresponding to those portions of the route that are one of already reached and already passed, the canceling step being performed independently of which one of the internal route guidance algorithm and the external route algorithm is currently active.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the nodal points include internal nodal points and external nodal points,

the internal nodal points stored in the internal digital map and the external nodal points that are outside of a range of the internal digital map are stored in a destination input memory of the navigational system, and

at least one interchange nodal point is stored in the internal digital map for predetermined external nodal points.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

in a separate communication between the navigational system and an off-board navigational system that executes the external routing algorithm and stores the external digital map, determining interchange nodal points in accordance with a data protocol in view of geographical descriptions of those of the nodal points lying outside the internal digital map.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

after an input of a destination location lying outside a range of the internal digital map, causing the navigational system to transmit the input destination location and a version number of the internal digital map to an off-board navigational system;

causing the off-board navigational system to execute the external routing algorithm and to store the external digital map;

causing the off-board navigational system to determine an interchange nodal point from the input destination location and the version number of the internal digital map;

causing the external routing algorithm to calculate the externally calculated route portion from the interchange nodal point to the input destination location; and

transmitting the externally calculated route portion to the navigational system.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

causing the navigational system to transmit a list of possible interchange nodal points to an off-board navigational system;

causing the off-board navigational system to execute the external routing algorithm and store the external digital map;

causing the off-board navigational system to select at least one suitable interchange nodal point according to the externally calculated route portion; and

causing the off-board navigational system to transmit the at least one suitable interchange nodal point to the navigational system along with the externally calculated route portion.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

a calculation of the externally calculated route portion occurs when the apparatus of locomotion leaves an area of the internal digital map.

2. A method for navigating an apparatus of locomotion in accordance with a route including nodal points from one of a starting point and an instantaneous location to a destination in a case in which at least one of the nodal points of the route to be calculated is not contained in an internal digital map stored internally in a navigational system, the method comprising the steps of:

first calculating the route completely in accordance with an external routing algorithm;

transmitting the completely calculated route to the navigational system;

subsequently calculating that portion of the route that includes exclusively those of the nodal points in the internal digital map in accordance with an internal routing algorithm; and

replacing that portion of the completely calculated route corresponding to those of the nodal points exclusively in the internal digital map with that portion of the route calculated in accordance with the internal routing algorithm.

13. A navigational system for an apparatus of locomotion, comprising:

an internal route memory;

an internal route guidance device connected to the internal route memory;

an internal digital map;

a data communications device for communicating with an external off-board navigational system;

an external route memory connected to the data communications device;

an external route guidance device connected to the external route memory; and

a switching device for alternatively activating one of the external route guidance device and the internal route guidance device during a route guidance, depending on whether the apparatus of locomotion is one of within and outside a range of the internal digital map.

14. The navigational system according to claim 13, wherein:

the apparatus of locomotion includes one of a motor vehicle, a ship, and an airplane.

15. The navigation system according to claim 13, wherein:

the internal route memory and the external route memory are arranged in a single memory.