Method for operating a navigation system for a vehicle and corresponding navigation system

• US 7,039,520 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2002
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Draeger, Gerd, Skwarek, Volker, Brenner, Claus
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US10/363,123
• Publication Number:
  US 20040039525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 701/211, 701/200, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/201, 340/995.1, 340/995.11, 340/995.12, 340/995.13, 340/995.19, 340/995.2
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for operating a navigation system and a navigation system for a vehicle, in which data regarding geographic positions of the vehicle are ascertained by a positioning system and transmitted to an electronic data processing device having access to a database and a digital road map, on the basis of this data the location of the vehicle on the digital road map is determined and destination guidance instructions are output visually and/or acoustically to the driver of the vehicle, wherein additional information can be stored in the navigation system and can be retrieved as necessary by the driver and/or other passengers in the vehicle and output via the navigation system, this additional information being loaded into the navigation system in the form of program “navlets” which are usable by the driver and/or other passengers in the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for operating a navigation system for a vehicle, comprising:

determining, using a positioning system, geographic position data of the vehicle;

transmitting the geographic position data to an electronic data processing device having access to a database and a digital road map;

determining a location of the vehicle on the digital road map in accordance with the geographic position data;

outputting a destination guidance instruction to a driver of the vehicle at least one of visually and acoustically; and

loading into the navigation system additional information relevant for a navigation as a program including a navlet, the navlet being usable by at least one of the driver and another person in the vehicle, wherein;

at least one specific function is executed by the navlet, the at least one specific function is at least one of a function directed toward the user requirement and a function corresponding to a default setting, and

the navlet includes a geometric notification function that is called up when a predefined geometric criterion is met.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the navlet accesses functions of a navigation section of the navigation system using an interface of the navigation system.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the navlet uses at least one of the following functions of a navigation section of the navigation system:

a) querying and setting a destination and an intermediate destination using one of a destination address and destination coordinates;

b) querying a present position as one of text and present position coordinates;

c) querying a current route list;

d) querying an estimated driving time to a next destination;

e) setting a parameter of the navigation section, the parameter including one of times for periodic calls and criteria for geometric notification; and

f) querying a type of the navigation section, a revision status of a firmware, a type of a database, and a revision status of the database.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the navlet includes an initialization function that is called up when the navlet is first installed on the navigation system.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the navlet includes a delete function that is called up when the navlet is removed.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the navlet includes a start function that is called up when one of the vehicle is started and the navigation is started.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the navlet includes a periodic call function that is called up at regular time intervals to update internal data.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the navlet includes a text notification function that is called up when one of a match and a partial match exists between a given text and one of an instantaneous destination address, an intermediate destination address, an address of an instantaneous position, and an entry in a route list, the text notification function being definable according to at least one of user-specified criteria and predetermined criteria.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the navlet includes at least one further notification function, including an arrival of one of a Traffic Message Channel and a GSM message.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined geometric criterion includes one of a distance to a point and a location within a specific region.

11. A navigation system for a vehicle, comprising:

a positioning system;

a database including a digital road map;

an electronic data processing device having access to the database;

an input unit;

an output unit outputting at least one of a visual destination guidance instruction and an audio destination guidance instruction;

a navigation section including a navigation device that is functionally self-sufficient;

a device section for executing a user program; and

at least one interface connecting the device section and the navigation section wherein;

the user program includes a navlet, and

the navlet includes a text notification function that is called up when one of a match and a partial match exists between a given text and one of an instantaneous destination address, an intermediate destination address, an address of an instantaneous position, and an entry in a route list, the text notification function being definable according to at least one of user-specified criteria and predetermined criteria.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the navigation section includes the positioning system, the database, a route list, a route calculation module, a destination guidance unit, the input unit, the output unit.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the device section includes a user memory and a virtual machine.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the navlet is stored in the user memory.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the device section is connected to the navigation section using two of the at least one interface.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the user memory is connected to the navigation device of the navigation section by a first interface and the virtual machine is connected to the input unit and the output unit by a second interface.

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein the navlet is loaded into the user memory by using at least one of a RAM, a flash ROM, a mini hard drive, a CD-ROM, and a DVD.

18. The system according to claim 13, wherein the navlet is loaded into the user memory by one of a wire-conducted transfer and a wireless transfer from at least one of a PC, a laptop, and a PDA.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the wireless transfer is one of an infrared transfer and a radio transfer.

20. The system according to claim 13, wherein the navlet is loaded into the user memory from a server by one of a broadcast transfer and an individual communication transfer.

21. The system according to claim 11, wherein at least one additional interface is included for data transfer in the navigation system, the additional interface being used by the navlet.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the additional interface is one of an infrared interface and a radio interface.

23. The system according to claim 11, wherein the navlet is written in a platform-independent programming language.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein the platform-independent programming language is the Java programming language.

25. The system according to claim 11, wherein the navlet includes internal data and at least one function, the function being at least one of a function directed toward a user'"'"'s particular requirements and a standard function.

26. The system according to claim 25, wherein the standard function is at least one of:

an initialization function;

a delete function;

a start function;

a periodic call function;

a text notification function;

a geometric notification function; and

a further notification function.