System, functional data, and methods to bias map matching

• US 6,546,335 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2001
• Issued: 04/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin Limited
• Original Assignee: Garmin Limited
• Inventors: Tompkins, Mark D., Krull, Jay Dee
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hernandez, Olga
• Application Number:
  US10/027,271
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• Field of Search: 701/209, 701/211, 701/200, 340/991, 340/993, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching

Abstract

Devices, systems, functional data and methods are provided for biasing an active location to an acceptable location within a planned route of a map. The navigational device with map biasing capabilities includes a processor communicating with a memory. In biasing a map, an active position and a planned position are received, and an active score and a planned score are associated with each position, respectively. The active position is checked to ensure it falls within a second range, and if it does the active score is made to fall within a first range associated with the planned score, such that the active position is biased to appear as if it were the planned position.

Claims

1. A navigation system, comprising:

a mass storage device adapted to store navigation data;

a server adapted to communicate with the mass storage; and

a navigation device adapted to communicate with and retrieve navigation data from the server via a communication channel, wherein the navigation device includes a processor in communication with a memory, wherein the processor and memory cooperate to generate a current score associated with a current position and a current bearing of a device, the current score is used to determine whether the device is located on a planed route for the device and is biased to map the current position to a position on the planned route for the device and whether the current score is within a tolerance level, wherein one or more locations receive one or more location scores based on the planned route, and wherein the current score is regularly compared to the location scores to determine if the current score is within the tolerance level.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising an interface device operable to audibly communicate the route path.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the scores comprise a positional weight and a bearing weight.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the memory in communication with the processor of the device detects a location off of the route path if a delta associated with at least one of a current position and a current bearing of the device falls outside a predefined threshold range associated with the route path.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the current bearing includes at least one of an angle associated with the device, a velocity associated with the device, a direction of travel associated with the device, and an altitude associated with the device.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the current score continuously updates as the device moves.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a portable electronic device.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the memory is remote from the processor.

2. A navigational device, comprising:

a processor;

a memory in communication with the processor;

a display in communication with the processor;

wherein the device uses the memory in cooperation with the processor to dynamically generate one or more scores associated with one or more roads included in a route path for the device, wherein a current score associated with a current position of the device is biased by a factor in favor of the current position being on the route path; and

wherein at least a portion of the route path is dynamically communicated to the display.

10. Functional data to bias a location to a map, comprising:

active location data operable to be plotted within the map;

a planned path comprising planned location data operable to be plotted within the map;

an active score associated with the active location data and a planned score associated with the planned path; and

bias instruction data to bias the active score in favor of the planned score as long as the active location data do not deviate from the planned path by a preset range.

11. The functional data of claim 10, wherein the active location data include an active position and an active bearing.

12. The functional data of claim 11, further comprising re-route instruction data operable to generate an alternative path to the planned path when the active location data deviates from the planned path by the preset range.

13. The functional data of claim 10, wherein at least a portion of the functional data is processed on a navigational device.

14. The functional data of claim 10, further comprising communication instruction data operable to communicate a biased active location data plotted within the map.

15. The functional data of claim 14, wherein the communication instruction data is further operable to communicate at least one of an audio device and a visual device.

16. The functional data of claim 10, wherein the active location data are updated and the bias instruction data executed dynamically and repetitively until a termination is detected.

17. A method to bias an active position to a planned position, comprising:

dynamically receiving the active position and the planned position;

biasing an active score associated with the active position by forcing the active score to be at least as favorable as a planned score associated with the planned position ensuring that the difference between the active score and the planned score fall within a first range; and

aborting the biasing if the active position falls outside a second range.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising dynamically generating an alternative position if the biasing was aborted.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the biasing is predetermined based on inaccurate map data associated with the planned position.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the biasing is based on one or more errors associated with calculating the active position.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising plotting the active position as if it were the planned position in a map if the biasing was not aborted.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein a plurality of additional planned positions comprise a route within the map.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the active position, the route and the map are dynamically provided to a communication device.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the method is used in connection with an electronic navigational aid device.