Navigation method and a navigation system for determining a route for a means of transport moving from starting point to a destination

• US 6,714,862 B1
• Filed: 09/04/2001
• Issued: 03/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Hoffmann, Ralf, Schmidt, Heinrich, Lau, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US09/914,877
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 701/209, 701/200, 701/201, 701/202, 701/208, 701/210, 701/211, 701/117, 701/207, 701/118, 701/25, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995.19, 340/995.22, 340/995.18, 731/78.R
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09685 where the complete route is computed only once and not updated
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice

Abstract

A navigational method and a navigational system for determining a route from a starting location to a destination location for a means of locomotion, especially for a motor vehicle, an airplane, or a ship, the route being calculated on the basis of a digital database, which contains predetermined path segments W_i having correspondingly assigned nodal points N_i, which connect the specific path segments W_i to each other, the specific weightings G_i being assigned to the path segments W_i and/or to the nodal points N_i. In this context, the weightings G_i that are used for the route calculation are varied as a function of the time of day.

Claims

1. A navigational system for determining a route from a starting location to a destination location for a locomotion device, comprising:

an arrangement for providing a digital map base for calculating the route, the digital map base including predetermined path segments W_i having correspondingly assigned nodal points N_i that connect the predetermined path segments W_i to each other; and

an arrangement for assigning specific weightings G_i to at least one of the predetermined path segments W_i and the nodal points N_i, wherein;

the specific weightings G_i vary as a function of a time of day, and

the specific weightings G_i correspond to a product of G_i=L_i*K_i, L_i being a path segment length, and K_i being a path segment class K_i that is inversely proportional to an average speed that is possible on one of the predetermined path segments W_i.

2. The navigational system according to claim 1, wherein:

the locomotion device includes one of a motor vehicle, an airplane, and a ship.

3. The navigational system according to claim 1, wherein:

for each path segment W_i two weightings G_i for two times of day are used.

4. The navigational system according to claim 1, further comprising

an arrangement for providing a predetermined function of a time t, the predetermined function varying the specific weightings G_i as a function of time to yield G_i(t).

5. The navigational system according to claim 4, further comprising:

an arrangement for providing another predetermined function of the time t, the other predetermined function varying the path segment class K_i as a function of time to yield K_i(t).

6. The navigational system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an arrangement for, for varying the specific weightings G_i, providing the path segment class K_i that is assigned to the corresponding predetermined path segment W_i and that is a function of the time of day.

7. The navigational system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an arrangement for providing two path segment classes K_i for two times of day for each predetermined path segment W_i.