GPS navigation device

• US 7,054,725 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2005
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin Limited
• Original Assignee: Garmin Limited
• Inventors: Burch, Matthew C., Krull, Jay Dee, Pemble, Cliff, Brown, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US11/035,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20050222766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/211, 701/213, 701/224, 701/23, 701/28, 701/1, 701/4, 340/988, 340/995.1, 342/38, 342/46, 342/357.12
• US Class Current: 244/75.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration

Abstract

A navigation device for navigating a vehicle to a point comprises a GPS receiver for receiving GPS signals, a processor connected with the receiver for processing the GPS signals, navigation data created by the processor, and a display page. The navigation data includes ground speed, altitude, vertical speed and rate of turn information, and the display page presents this information in individual graphic, circular displays representative of an aircraft instrument panel.

Claims

1. A navigation device for navigating a vehicle to a point, the device comprising:

a GPS receiver for receiving GPS signals;

a processor connected with the receiver for processing the GPS signals;

navigation data created by the processor, the data including ground speed, altitude, vertical speed and rate of turn information; and

a display page for displaying the navigation data, the display page presenting the ground speed, altitude, vertical speed and rate of turn information.

2. The navigation device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the navigation device is portable.

3. The navigation device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the display page further presents individual digital displays of the ground speed and altitude information.

4. The navigation device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the navigation data includes distance information corresponding to the distance between the device and the point, and the display page further presents the distance information.

5. The navigation device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the navigation data further includes track information corresponding to movement of the device along a track, and the rate of turn information is based on a vector of acceleration of the device perpendicular to the track.

6. The navigation device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the navigation data includes track and course information and the display page presents the track information in a graphic, circular track display including a compass rose depiction, and presents the course information in an integrated course line and course deviation indicator.

7. The navigation device as set forth in claim 6, the device and the point defining a route, the track display including a pointer positioned on the compass rose depiction representing the route.

8. The navigation device as set forth in claim 6, wherein navigation data includes vertical navigation information and the display page presents the vertical navigation information on the track display.

9. The navigation device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the navigation data includes track and course information and the display page presents the track information in a graphic, arc-shaped track display including a portion of a compass rose, and presents the course information in an integrated course line and course deviation indicator.

10. A navigation device for navigating a vehicle to a point along a course, the device comprising:

a GPS receiver for receiving GPS signals;

a processor connected with the receiver for processing the GPS signals;

navigation data created by the processor, the data including rate of turn, ground speed, altitude and vertical speed information; and

a display page for displaying the navigation data, the display page presenting the rate of turn, ground speed, altitude and vertical speed, the rate of turn information being based on a vector of acceleration of the device perpendicular to the course of the device.

11. The navigation device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the device is portable.

12. The navigation device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the navigation data further includes vertical navigation information representative of a vertical speed required to arrive at the point at a predetermined altitude, and the display page presents the vertical navigation information on the vertical speed display.

13. The navigation device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the navigation data includes track and course information and the display page presents the track information in a graphic, circular track display including a compass rose depiction, and presents the course information in an integrated course line and course deviation indicator.

14. A navigation device for navigating a vehicle to a point, the device comprising:

a GPS receiver for receiving GPS signals;

a processor connected with the receiver for processing the GPS signals;

navigation data created by the processor using the GPS signals, the data including vertical speed information; and

a display page for displaying the navigation data, the display page presenting the vertical speed information.

15. The navigation device as set forth in claim 14, wherein the navigation data includes vertical navigation information representative of a vertical speed required to arrive at the point at a predetermined height above the point, and the display page presents the vertical navigation information on the vertical speed display.

16. The navigation device as set forth in claim 14, wherein the navigation data includes vertical navigation information representative of a vertical speed required to arrive at the point at a predetermined altitude, and the display page presents the vertical navigation information on the vertical speed display.

17. The navigation device as set forth in claim 14, wherein navigation device is portable.

18. The navigation device as set forth in claim 14, wherein the navigation data further includes ground speed and altitude information.

19. The navigation device as set forth in claim 18, wherein the ground speed and altitude information are presented on the display page.

20. The navigation device as set forth in claim 18, wherein the ground speed and altitude information are presented on the display page in individual graphic ground speed and altitude displays.