Navigation device for a vehicle

• US 6,507,291 B1
• Filed: 07/26/1999
• Issued: 01/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Schreiner, Joerg
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US09/171,188
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: 340/995, 340/990, 340/988, 701/200, 701/209, 701/201
• US Class Current: 340/995.1
• 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

Abstract

Navigation system for a vehicle having locations (a, o) of different selectable groups stored in memories and having a device for measuring the distance between the selected destination (z) and the locations (a, o) for a selected group, with the ability to call up the locations (a, o) belonging to the selected group as a function of the measured distance from the location (z) and to reproduce them on a reproduction device. A useful selection of the reproduced destinations is obtained by a device for controlling the reproduction of locations (a) whose distance is less than a specific location limit (r).

Claims

1. A navigation system for a vehicle, comprising:

a memory for storing locations of at least one selected group of locations;

a first arrangement for determining distances between, on the one hand, a destination selected by an occupant of the vehicle and, on the other hand, the locations of the at least one selected group;

a reproduction device; and

a second arrangement for retrieving from memory at least one particular location of the locations of the at least one selected group stored in memory and for controlling the reproduction device to reproduce the at least one particular location if and only if a determined distance between the selected destination and the at least one particular location is less than a threshold distance value, the threshold distance value varying as a function of the at least one selected group.

2. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction device reproduces all of the locations of the at least one selected group for which determined distances between, on the one hand, the selected destination and, on the other hand, the locations of the at least one selected group are less than the threshold distance value.

3. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction device reproduces all of the locations of the at least one selected group within a circle whose center is the selected destination and whose radius is the threshold distance value, and reproduces none of the locations outside of the circle.

4. The navigation system according to claim 3, wherein the reproduction device is a visual display unit.

5. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction device is a visual display unit.

6. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one group of locations is selected by an occupant of the vehicle.

7. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one group of locations is selected by an occupant of the vehicle from a plurality of selectable groups of locations stored in the memory.

8. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the first arrangement determines the distances along a straight line.

9. The navigation system according to claim 8, wherein the first arrangement determines the distances using coordinates of the selected destination and the locations.