Portable navigational device with a remote control, an internal memory, and an internal heating element

• US 7,215,279 B1
• Filed: 06/02/2004
• Issued: 05/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin Limited
• Original Assignee: Garmin Limited
• Inventors: Poindexter, Brian N., Forshee, Seth A., Brunk, Scott J.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US10/859,005
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.06, 342/357.12, 342/357.13, 342/419, 701/207, 701/213, 701/215
• US Class Current: 342/357.75
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/35 Constructional details or hardware or software details of the signal processing chain

Abstract

A navigation system (10) comprising a portable navigational device (12) and a remote control for remotely controlling the navigational device (12) is provided in a first preferred embodiment. The navigational device (12) is sized and configured to mount on a dashboard or in an overhead console of a vehicle. A second preferred embodiment provides a navigational device (212) substantially similar to the navigational device (12) of the first preferred embodiment and further including an internal hard drive (84) and a heating element (86) associated with the hard drive (84) and operable to warm the hard drive (84) for facilitating operating performance of the hard drive (84) in cold temperatures. A third preferred embodiment provides a navigation system (310) including a navigational device (312) substantially similar to the navigational device (212) of the second preferred embodiment and a remote control (314) substantially similar to the remote control (14) of the first preferred embodiment.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

a navigational device including—

a global positioning system (“

GPS”

) receiver for receiving satellite signals from a plurality of satellites,

an antenna coupled with the GPS receiver for facilitating receipt of the satellite signals by the GPS receiver,

a processor coupled with the GPS receiver for calculating a location of the GPS unit as a function of the satellite signals,

a memory coupled with processor and operable to store cartographic data, and

a portable housing for storing the GPS receiver, antenna, processor, and memory; and

a remote control for remotely controlling the navigational device.

2. The navigation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the navigational device is sized and configured to mount on a dashboard of a vehicle.

3. The navigation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the navigational device is sized and configured to mount within an overhead console of a vehicle.

4. The navigation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the navigational device is a handheld device.

5. The navigation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the navigational device further includes an infrared receiver, and the remote control includes an infrared transmitter operable to wirelessly transmit control signals to the navigational device.

6. The navigation system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the remote control further includes an input comprising a plurality of control buttons for operating the navigational device.

7. The navigation system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the control buttons are operable to control features selected from the group consisting of:

zoom in/out, route navigation, and paging among pages.

8. A navigational device comprising:

a global positioning system (“

GPS”

) receiver for receiving satellite signals from a plurality of satellites;

an antenna coupled with the GPS receiver for facilitating receipt of the satellite signals by the GPS receiver;

a processor coupled with the GPS receiver for calculating a location of the GPS unit as a function of the satellite signals;

a hard drive coupled with processor and operable to store cartographic data;

a heating element operable to warm the hard drive for facilitating operating performance of the hard drive; and

a housing for storing the GPS receiver, antenna, processor, hard drive, and heating element.

9. The navigational device as claimed in claim 8, further including a temperature sensor operable to sense a temperature associated with the hard drive.

10. The navigational device as claimed in claim 9, further including a heater timer for controlling a time of operation of the heating element.

11. The navigational device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the hard drive is warmed according to a process comprising the steps of:

sensing the temperature associated with the hard drive using the temperature sensor;

if the temperature is below a minimum timer temperature limit, allowing the heating element to warm the hard drive until the temperature sensed is above the minimum timer temperature limit;

when the temperature is above the minimum timer temperature limit but below a maximum timer temperature limit, allowing the heating element to warm the hard drive for a computed time as determined by the heater timer; and

when the computed time has elapsed, allowing the hard drive to be accessed.

12. The navigational device as claimed in claim 11, further including a data connector for connecting the navigational device to a source of cartographic data, such that the cartographic data may be stored on the hard drive via the data connector.

13. The navigational device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the data connector allows for wireless transferral of cartographic data from the data source to the navigational device.

14. The navigational device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the housing is a portable, handheld housing.

15. A navigation system comprising:

a navigational device including—

a global positioning system (“

GPS”

) receiver for receiving satellite signals from a plurality of satellites,

an antenna coupled with the GPS receiver for facilitating receipt of the satellite signals by the GPS receiver,

a processor coupled with the GPS receiver for calculating a location of the GPS unit as a function of the satellite signals,

a hard drive coupled with processor and operable to store cartographic data,

a temperature sensor operable to determine a temperature associated with the hard drive,

a heating element operable to warm the hard drive for facilitating operating performance of the hard drive in cold temperatures, and

a portable housing for storing the GPS receiver, antenna, processor, hard drive, temperature sensor, and heating element; and

a remote control for remotely controlling the navigational device.

16. The navigation system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the navigational device is sized and configured to mount on a dashboard of a vehicle.

17. The navigation system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the navigational device is sized and configured to mount within an overhead console of a vehicle.

18. The navigation system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the navigational device is a handheld device.

19. The navigation system as claimed in claim 15, the navigational device further including an infrared receiver, and the remote control including an infrared transmitter operable to wirelessly transmit control signals to the navigational device.

20. The navigation system as claimed in claim 15, the remote control further including an input comprising a plurality of control buttons for operating the navigational device.

21. The navigation system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the control buttons are operable to control features selected from the group consisting of:

zoom in/out, route navigation, and paging among pages.

22. A method of improving operational performance in cold temperatures of a memory comprising a rotating medium and a motor for rotating the medium, the method using a heater timer operable to control operation time of the motor and a temperature sensor operable to determine a temperature associated with the memory, wherein the rotating medium may be rotated without accessing information stored on the medium, the method comprising the steps of:

sensing a temperature associated with the memory;

if the temperature is below a minimum timer temperature limit, instructing the motor of the memory not to operate;

if the temperature is above the minimum timer temperature limit but below a maximum timer temperature limit, instructing the motor to operate and spin the rotating medium continuously for a computed time as determined by the heater timer; and

when the computed time has elapsed, allowing the memory to be accessed.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the memory is stored in an electronic device.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the memory is a hard drive comprising at least one platter operable to have information stored thereon.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the minimum timer temperature limit is a minimum temperature at which the heater timer will be required to monitor a time of operation of the motor.

26. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the maximum timer temperature limit is a maximum temperature at which the motor will no longer be required to warm the memory.

27. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the computed time for warming the memory is determined by the equation:

HTMR=K_TMR·

(NDIT−

HD_LTL)+HTMR_MIN.

28. A method of improving operational performance in cold temperatures of a memory, the method using a heating element associated with the memory, a heater timer operable to control operation time of the heating element, and a temperature sensor operable to determine a temperature associated with the memory, the method comprising the steps of:

sensing the temperature associated with the memory;

if the temperature is below a minimum timer temperature limit, allowing the heating element to warm the memory until the temperature sensed is above the minimum timer temperature limit;

when the temperature is above the minimum timer temperature limit but below a maximum timer temperature limit, allowing the heating element to warm the memory for a computed time as determined by the heater timer; and

when the computed time has elapsed, allowing the memory to be accessed.

29. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the minimum timer temperature limit is a minimum temperature at which the heater timer will be required to monitor a time of operation of the heating element.

30. The method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the maximum timer temperature limit is a maximum temperature at which the heating element will no longer be required to warm the hard drive.

31. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the computed time for warming the hard drive is determined by the equation:

HTMR=K_TMR·

(NDIT−

HD_LTL)+HTMR_MIN.

32. The method as claimed in claim 31, wherein the heating element comprises a plurality of resistors arranged on a printed circuit board.

33. The method as claimed in claim 32, wherein the memory is a hard drive comprising at least one platter operable to have information stored thereon.