Navigation system, method and device for labeling thoroughfares

• US 6,647,337 B1
• Filed: 12/20/2001
• Issued: 11/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin Limited
• Original Assignee: Garmin Limited
• Inventors: Childs, Michael, Runquist, Shane R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hernandez, Olga
• Application Number:
  US10/027,673
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/208, 701/211, 701/24, 731/78.R
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names

Abstract

A name of a thoroughfare is identified from at least one name for the thoroughfare in reference to a set of criteria. In one example, the set of criteria includes whether or not the thoroughfare is an interstate, whether or not a name is shielded, has a suffix, and/or has an identified prefix. Interstate thoroughfares are often identified by a shielded name of the interstate thoroughfare, and non-interstate thoroughfares are often identified by a non-shielded name of the non-interstate thoroughfare. The identified name includes a name which is most recognized or well-known for navigating.

Claims

1. An electronic navigational aid device to identify a name of a thoroughfare comprising:

a memory having one or more names of a thoroughfare; and

a processor to communicate with the memory, the processor is to identify a well-known name of the thoroughfare from among the one or more names based on a set of criteria, the set of criteria includes the one or more names of the thoroughfare and a shield type associated with each of the one or more names of the thoroughfare.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the shield type is selected from a group of types consisting of a shielded type and a non-shielded type.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the memory includes a plurality of thoroughfares, and the memory includes at least one name for each of a plurality of thoroughfares.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is to identify a first name of the one or more names when none of the names in the one or more names satisfies the set of criteria.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is to identify an alternative name to a shielded name when the thoroughfare is an interstate having a suffix.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the set of criteria includes an interstate name having no suffix.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the set of criteria includes a non-interstate name or a name having no suffix, and the name having a non-shielded type and having an identified prefix.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further adapted to communicate the identified name to an output device.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the output device includes a display.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the output device includes a voice synthesis unit.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the electronic navigational aid device includes a portable electronic navigational aid device.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the portable electronic navigational aid device includes a personal digital assistant.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the portable electronic navigational aid device includes a wireless communications device.

14. An electronic navigational aid device to communicate navigation information comprising:

a processor;

an output device to communicate with the processor; and

a memory to communicate with the processor and the output device, the memory having cartographic data for a plurality of thoroughfares, and a plurality of thoroughfare label data stored therein, the plurality of thoroughfare label data including data indicative of a well-known name for a thoroughfare associated with the cartographic data;

wherein the processor is to identify a well-known name of the thoroughfare in reference to one or more names of a thoroughfare and a shield type of each of the one or more names of the thoroughfare.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the output device includes a combination of a display and a voice synthesis unit.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the shield type of each of the one or more names of the thoroughfare includes data indicative of interstates, U.S. highways, state highways, county roads, and city streets.

17. A method of identifying a name of a thoroughfare, comprising:

obtaining one or more names of the thoroughfare, the one or more names of the thoroughfare including a shield type; and

selecting a better-known name as a label name for the thoroughfare in reference to the shield type of each of the one or more names of the thoroughfare, including selecting a shield name as the label name if the shield type indicates that the thoroughfare is an interstate and the shield name has no suffix.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the selecting includes:

selecting a non-shield name as the label name if the shield type indicates that the thoroughfare is an interstate, and the name of the thoroughfare has a suffix; and

selecting a non-shield name as the label name if the shield type indicates that the thoroughfare is not an interstate; and

selecting an alternative name as the label name if the shield type indicates that the thoroughfare begins with an identified string.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the obtaining includes:

obtaining a next name from the one or more names of the thoroughfare and the method is iteratively performed until a label name is selected in reference to the shield type and the number of alternative names.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the method is being performed for the first iteration and the next name from the one or more names of the thoroughfare includes a first name.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the method includes communicating the selected label name to an output device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the output device is a display in combination with a voice synthesis unit and the communicating includes communicating the selected label name to the display and the voice synthesis unit.

23. A navigation system for selecting a well-known name of a thoroughfare, comprising:

a server having a processor and a memory, the memory having navigation data, the navigation data including data indicative of a name of the thoroughfare and a shield type of the name of the thoroughfare;

wherein the server includes executable instructions stored thereon, the processor operable on the executable instructions to;

identify a well-known name of the thoroughfare in reference to the name of the thoroughfare and the shield type of the name of the thoroughfare.

24. The navigation system of claim 23, wherein the system includes:

a navigation device adapted to communicate with, and retrieve, navigation data from the server via a communication channel, wherein the navigation device includes a display adapted to display the well-known name.

25. The navigation system of claim 23, wherein the system includes:

a navigation device adapted to communicate with, and retrieve, navigation data from the server via a communication channel, wherein the navigation device includes a display in combination with a voice synthesis unit adapted to communicate the well-known name to the display and the voice synthesis unit.

26. The navigation system of claim 25, wherein the communication channel includes a wireless channel.

27. The navigation system of claim 25, wherein the system includes a mass data storage adapted to store navigation data.

28. The navigation system of claim 25, wherein the server includes a processor adapted to respond to a request from the navigation device by performing calculations on the navigation data and transmitting results to the navigation device.

29. The navigation system of claim 28, wherein the navigation device is adapted to communicate with and retrieve navigation data from the server using cellular communication technology.

30. The navigation system of claim 23, wherein the set of executable instructions further include instructions for:

identifying a first name in a plurality of names associated with the thoroughfare as the well-known name, if the shield type of the name indicates that the thoroughfare is not an interstate or the name of the thoroughfare has a suffix, and the name is shielded and the plurality of names associated with the thoroughfare is exhausted, or the name is not shielded and the name begins with an identified string and the plurality of names associated with the thoroughfare is exhausted.

31. The navigation system of claim 23, wherein the set of executable instructions further include instructions for:

identifying a name in a plurality of names associated with the thoroughfare as the well-known name, if the name of the thoroughfare has no suffix and the shield type of the thoroughfare reflects that the thoroughfare is an interstate.

32. The navigation system of claim 23, wherein the set of executable instructions further include instructions for:

obtaining iteratively a next name from a plurality of thoroughfare names until the plurality of thoroughfare names is exhausted.

33. A method of identifying a name of a thoroughfare, comprising:

obtaining one or more names of the thoroughfare, the one or more names of the thoroughfare including a shield type, including obtaining a next name from the one or more names of the thoroughfare, wherein the method is iteratively performed until a label name is selected in reference to the shield type and the number of alternative names; and

selecting a better-known name as a label name for the thoroughfare in reference to the shield type of each of the one or more names of the thoroughfare.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the method is being performed for the first iteration and the next name from the one or more names of the thoroughfare includes a first name.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the method includes communicating the selected label name to an output device.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the output device is a display in combination with a voice synthesis unit and the communicating includes communicating the selected label name to the display and the voice synthesis unit.