Method for operating a navigational system

• US 6,711,497 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2002
• Issued: 03/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Tiemann, Dirk, Binnewies, Olaf, Nordsiek, Walter, Rentel, Bettina, Winter, Stephan, Fabian, Thomas, Hessing, Bernd, Jung, Thomas, Otte, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US10/169,447
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/201, 701/208, 701/209, 707/100
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3885 Transmission of map data to client devices; Reception of map data by client devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

A method for operating a navigational system having a digital map base which is a reproduction of real geographical regions and contains data on geographical elements, as well as a device which retrieves and processes data, such as an operating device having a display unit. In this context, a data directory of the data present in the digital map base is transmitted to the device which retrieves and processes data, and the device which retrieves and processes data selects data, to be requisitioned from the digital map base using this data directory.

Claims

1. A method for operating a navigational system, the navigational system including a digital map base, the digital map base including a reproduction of real geographical regions and data on geographical elements, the navigational system further including a first device for retrieving and processing data, the method comprising:

transmitting a data directory of the data included in the digital map base to the first device; and

at the first device, selecting data to be requisitioned from the digital map base using the data directory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is an operating unit that includes a display device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

organizing the data in the digital map base in a form of geographically defined page frames; and

transmitting a data directory having information regarding contents of individual page frame levels to the first device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting data regarding at least one of road classifications, sizes of localities, rail lines, buildings, and bridges included in the digital with aid of the data directory.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting data regarding coding instructions included in the digital map base using the data directory.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the coding instructions include at least one of GATS geocodes and TMC location codes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital map base includes a plurality of levels, each level having detailed data contents of a particular geographical region, the method further including transmitting the data contents of each of the levels using the data directory.

8. A navigational system for a vehicle, comprising:

a first device configured to provide access to data from a digital map base and a data directory of the data contained in the digital map base; and

a second device coupled to the first device configured to retrieve and process the data and the data directory provided via the first device, the second device further configured to select data to be acquired from the digital map base via the first device using the data directory.

9. The navigational system of claim 8, wherein the vehicle is a motor vehicle.

10. The navigational system of claim 8, wherein the first device is a navigation module, and the second device is an operating device.

11. The navigational system of claim 8, wherein the first device is a data server of a telematic service provider, and the second device is the vehicle.

12. The navigational system of claim 8, wherein the digital map base includes a plurality of levels, each level having detailed data contents of a particular geographical region, the information contents of each of the levels being included in the data directory.

13. The navigational system of claim 10, wherein the operating device includes a display device.

14. The navigational system of claim 8, further comprising:

an interface arranged between the first device and the second device.

15. The navigational system of claim 11, further comprising:

an interface arranged between the data server of the telematic service provider and the vehicle.