Navigation system with voice output control

• US 7,177,762 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2004
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Bruelle-Drews, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli; Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US10/976,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20050149252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/211
• 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: G08G 1/0968 Systems involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a navigation system for vehicle having a position detector for detecting the position of the vehicle, memory for storing a route description to a predetermined destination, voice output device for outputting driving indications by voice output and/or for informing the user of the navigation system of any other operation of the navigation system by voice output, a controller for controlling the voice output device, and further including a selection device for presetting a condition under which the controller enables or disables the voice output of the voice output device.

Claims

1. A navigation system for a vehicle having a user, comprising:

a position detector;

a memory for storing a route description to a predetermined destination;

a speaker for outputting driving indications by voice output and/or for informing the user of the navigation system of any other operation of the navigation system

by voice output;

a controller for controlling the speaker; and

a user selection device for selecting a preset condition under which the controller enables or disables the voice output of the speaker.

2. The navigation system of claim 1, where the preset condition is a geographical position of the vehicle detected by the position detector.

3. The navigation system of claim 1, where the controller changes the voice output depending on whether the position of the vehicle matches a predetermined area.

4. The navigation system of claim 3, where the controller changes the voice output depending on whether a geographical position detected by the position detector is within an area with a preselected kind of landscape.

5. The navigation system of claim 3, where the controller changes the voice output for a predetermined section of the route to the predetermined destination.

6. The navigation system of claim 3, where the controller changes the voice output in response to a preselected kind of road.

7. The navigation system of claim 6, where the kind of road is a highway or a freeway.

8. The navigation system of claim 1, where the controller changes the voice output independently of the content of the voice output.

9. The navigation system of claim 8, where the controller changes the voice output independently of the voice output of the information that a new route to the predetermined destination has been calculated.

10. The navigation system of claim 8, where the controller changes the voice output unless the voice output contains the information that a change of direction is approaching and the announcement of this change of direction itself at the position of said change of direction is suppressed.

11. The navigation system of claim 1, where the controller enables the voice output in response to the traffic situation around the vehicle.

12. The navigation system of claim 1, where the controller changes the voice output depending on the weather condition around the vehicle.

13. The navigation system of claim 1, where the controller changes the voice output depending on the vehicle speed.

14. The navigation system of claim 1, where the controller changes the voice output in response to the driver of the vehicle.

15. The navigation system of claim 1, where the controller changes the voice output in response to the actual time.

16. A method for controlling a voice output of a navigation system in a vehicle having a user, comprising the following steps:

guiding the user of the navigation system to a predetermined destination by voice output and/or informing the user of the navigation system of any other operation of the navigation system by voice output;

enabling or disabling the voice output by a controller; and

receiving a user selected preset condition under which the controller disables or enables the voice output.

17. The method of claim 16, including:

informing the user of the navigation system of other operations of the navigation system by the voice output.

18. The method according to claim 16, including:

detecting the geographical position of the navigation system; and

calculating a route to a predetermined destination, wherein the preset condition is the geographical position.

19. The method of claim 16, further including:

detecting the geographical position of the navigation system;

comparing the detected position to street map data;

detecting what kind of road the user of the navigation system is using; and

enabling or disabling the voice output in dependence of the used road.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the voice output is changed depending on if the user of the navigation system is traveling on a highway or a freeway.

21. The method of claim 16, further including;

analyzing the content of the-voice output; and

changing the voice output based on the analyzed content.

22. The method of claim 16, further including:

detecting the geographical position of the navigation system;

determining a geographical area;

comparing the detected position of the navigation device to the determined geographical area; and

selecting the voice output if the detected position of the navigation system lies in the determined geographical area.

23. The method of claim 22, where the voice output is changed for a predetermined section of a route to the predetermined destination.

24. The method of claim 22, where the user of the navigation system chooses the geographical area based on map data.