Navigation method for a means of transport

• US 6,708,113 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2002
• Issued: 03/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Von Gerlach, Bjoern, Wietzke, Joachim, Rychlak, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US10/048,739
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 701/35, 340/995, 340/995.21, 340/995.23
• US Class Current: 701/210
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles

Abstract

The present invention relates to a navigation method for a means of transportation, in particular for a vehicle, motor vehicle, ship or aircraft, for navigating from a starting point to a destination, in which a route from the starting point to the destination is specified and the means of transportation or its user is guided along this route. Upon departing from the specified route before reaching the destination, the course traveled at least until re-entering the specified route or reaching the destination is recorded, stored in memory, and upon a later request for a route with the same starting point and destination, the course stored in memory is proposed as the route or the applicable route segment that replaces an originally proposed route segment.

Claims

1. A navigation method for a means of transportation, in particular for a vehicle, motor vehicle, ship or aircraft, for navigating from a starting point to a destination, in which a route from the starting point to the destination is specified and the means of transportation or its user is guided along this route,

characterized in that

upon departing from the specified route before reaching the destination, the course traveled at least until re-entering the specified route or reaching the destination is recorded, stored in memory, and upon a later request for a route with the same starting point and destination, the course stored in memory is proposed as the route or the applicable route segment that replaces an originally proposed route segment.

2. The method of claim 1,

characterized in that

upon departing from the specified route before reaching the destination, a user is asked to input a confirmation as to whether the course then traveled is a course to be stored in memory and proposed again later, or not.

3. The method of claim 1,

characterized in that

upon departing from the specified route before reaching the destination, a user is asked to input a confirmation whether the course subsequently traveled is to be recorded, or not.

4. The method of claim 1,

characterized in that

upon re-entering the specified route or reaching the destination, a user is asked to input a confirmation whether the recorded course is to be stored in memory as a preferred course, or not.

5. The method of claim 1,

characterized in that

while driving or on driving again over a course stored in memory, the average speeds attained in each case are detected and stored in memory.

6. The method of claim 5, characterized in that

the average speeds stored in memory are averaged over a predetermined or user-specified period of time and compared with average speeds stored in memory in a digital map base for alternative routes or partial routes, and an alternative route or partial route is proposed if the memorized and averaged average speeds are less, by a predetermined or user-specifiable amount than the average speeds stored in memory in the digital map base for an alternative route or partial route.

7. A navigation method for a means of transportation, in particular for a vehicle, motor vehicle, ship or aircraft, for navigating from a starting point to a destination, in which a route from the starting point to the destination is specified and the means of transportation or its user is guided along this route,

characterized in that

average speeds attained during the guidance along the route or along individual course segments are detected, stored in memory, and compared with average speeds stored in a digital map base for alternative routes or course segments, and upon a later request for a route with the same starting point and destination, an alternative route or course segment is proposed if a detected average speed for a route or course segment is less by a predetermined value than an average speed stored in the digital map base for the corresponding alternative route or course segment.

8. The method of claim 7,

characterized in that

the average speeds detected are averaged over a predetermined number of traversals of a route before a comparison with average speeds stored in the digital map base is made.