Navigation system with user interface

• US 6,873,907 B1
• Filed: 05/05/1999
• Issued: 03/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Didi (HK) Science and Technology Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Magellan DIS, Inc.
• Inventors: Maxwell, Kenneth Glenn, Mouser, Michael, Millington, Jeffrey Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US10/088,017
• Time in Patent Office: 2,155 Days
• Field of Search: 701/19, 701/20, 701/204, 701/205, 701/207, 701/208, 701/211, 701/213, 701/117, 701/119, 701/120, 701/121, 701/1, 340/788, 340/990, 340/995.1, 340/989, 340/993, 340/995.19, 340/995.12, 340/991, 342/450, 342/451, 342/457
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3611 using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs character input methods in general G06F3/0233

Abstract

A navigation system that includes a graphic user interface displaying a plurality of icons. An icon selectively activated by a user input device is enlarged, animated, and includes a text flag indicating what the icon represents. Some of the icons are associated with a plurality of potential destinations for the navigation system. The icons are animated by displaying a plurality of frames sequentially. The first frame is a base frame full bit map which includes information for displaying all of the pixels of the icon. The second frame is displayed by changing only the pixels which are different between the first frame and the second frame based upon a transition file which only includes information for the pixels to be changed. A second transition file indicates the pixels to be changed between the second frame and the third frame, and so on. For icons with many potential frames, more than one base frame may be provided, so that any state can be reached more quickly.

Claims

1. A vehicle navigation system comprising:

a database of locations;

a display displaying a plurality of icons, each associated with at least one of said locations in said database; and

a user input device selectively activating one of said plurality of icons, said display animating said activated icon in response to selection of the activated icon by the user input device.

2. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1 further including

a system for determining the position of the vehicle relative to said database;

said user input device selecting a desired destination relative to said database;

a system for determining a route from said database between a position of the vehicle to said desired destination.

3. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1 wherein each said icon is associated with a group of locations in said database, said user input device selecting a desired destination from among said locations associated with said group associated with said activated icon.

4. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1 further including:

a base frame comprising information for displaying a first icon of said plurality of icons;

at least one transition file comprising information for changing the display of said first icon, said display first displaying said first icon based upon said base frame and subsequently changing said display of said first icon based upon said at least one transition file to provide animation of the first icon.

5. The vehicle navigation system of claim 4 wherein said first icon at includes a plurality of pixels, said base frame including information for displaying all of said plurality of pixels, said transition file comprising information for displaying only a subset of said plurality of pixels less than all of said plurality of pixels.

6. The vehicle navigation system of claim 5 further including a plurality of base frames, each including different information for displaying all of said pixels for said icon.

7. The vehicle navigation system of claim 5 further including a plurality of said transition files, each including information for modifying said display from one state to another incremental state.

8. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1 wherein the display enlarges the activated icon in response to the activation of the activated icon by the user input device.

9. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1 further including a text flag displayed on the display next to the animated icon in response to the activation of the activated icon by the user input device, the text flag indicating the locations in the database with which said animated icon is associated.

10. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1 wherein said activated icon is animated by said display displaying a plurality of frames of said activated icon.

11. A method for operating a graphical user interface in a vehicle navigation system including the steps of:

a) displaying a plurality of icons on a display;

b) animating at least one of the plurality of icons on the display;

c) selecting at least one of the animated icons.

12. The method of claim 11 further including the steps of:

d) displaying said icon based upon a base frame comprising information for displaying said plurality of pixels;

e) changing said display of said icon based upon a transition file comprising information for displaying a subset of said plurality of pixels, less than all of said plurality of pixels.

13. The method of claim 12 further including the steps of:

f) in said step b), displaying a first frame comprising said base frame;

g) after said step f), displaying a second frame comprising said base frame as modified according to said transition file.

14. The method of claim 13 further including the steps of:

associating each of said plurality of icons with at least one destination; and

selecting a destination associated with said at least one of the animated icons selected in said step c).

15. The method of claim 11 further including the steps of:

determining a current position;

selecting said at least one of said plurality of icons animated in said step b);

selecting a desired destination associated with said at least one of said plurality of icons; and

determining a route from said current position to said desired destination.

16. The method of claim 11 further including the steps of:

d) displaying an associated screen in response to said step c);

e) displaying a smaller version of the at least one icon on the associated screen.