Navigation method and system for visiting multiple destinations by minimum number of stops

• US 7,239,960 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2004
• Issued: 07/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yokota, Tatsuo, Sagami, Joanna
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin; Gary
• Application Number:
  US10/782,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20050187707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/202, 701209-211, 340/995.1, 340/995.19, 340/995.21, 340/995.23
• US Class Current: 701/202
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3476 using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs

Abstract

A navigation method and apparatus finds a location and a route to a plurality of destinations with the minimum number of stops or the shortest overall distance. The navigation method includes the steps of: specifying a plurality of destinations in a navigation system; searching a one-stop location where two or more specified destinations exist or searching a location of each destination; displaying results of search for prompting a user to decide whether recommended locations of the destinations in the search result is acceptable; repeating the above steps of searching locations and displaying the search results until the user accepts recommended locations of the destinations; and guiding the user to the destinations accepted by the user.

Claims

1. A navigation method for guiding a user to a plurality of destinations, comprising the following steps of:

specifying a plurality of destinations in a navigation system;

searching a one-stop location where two or more specified destinations exist or searching a location of each destination when said one-stop location is not found;

displaying results of search for prompting a user to decide whether recommended locations of the destinations in the search results are acceptable;

repeating the above steps of searching locations and displaying the search results until the user accepts recommended locations of the destinations; and

guiding the user to the locations of the destinations accepted by the user.

2. A navigation method as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of searching the one-stop location includes a step of searching a location where all of the specified destinations exist so that the user can visit all of the destinations without driving a vehicle to other location.

3. A navigation method as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of searching the one-stop location includes a step of searching two or more one-stop locations where each one-stop location has two or more specified destinations so that the user can visit the specified destinations within the one-stop location without driving a vehicle to other location.

4. A navigation method as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of specifying the plurality of destinations includes a step of assigning an order of arriving the specified destinations before finding locations of the destinations and optimum routes to the destinations, and said step of searching the one-stop location includes a step of ignoring the assigned order of arrival for the two or more destinations that exist within the one-stop location.

5. A navigation method as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of specifying the plurality of destinations includes a step of selecting types of points of interest with use of a point of interest database stored in a map data storage of the navigation system.

6. A navigation method as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of specifying the plurality of destinations includes a step of inputting a place name or an address of a destination, and a step of selecting types of destinations for the remaining destinations with use of a point of interest database stored in a map data storage of the navigation system.

7. A navigation method as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of specifying the plurality of destinations includes a step of assigning an order of arriving the specified destinations before finding locations of the destinations and optimum routes to the destinations, and said step of assigning the order of arriving the specified destinations includes a step of selecting numeric indicators for defining the order of arrival.

8. A navigation method as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of specifying the plurality of destinations includes a step of assigning an order of arriving the specified destinations before finding locations of the destinations and optimum routes to the destinations, and said step of assigning the order of arriving the specified destinations includes a step of selecting non-numeric indicators for defining the order of arrival.

9. A navigation method as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of guiding the user to the locations of the destinations includes a step of selecting a route of shortest overall length for guiding the user to the plurality of destinations when no one-stop location is found.

10. A navigation method as defined in claim 1, wherein said steps of searching the location and displaying the search results includes a step of communicating with a remote navigation server so that the remote navigation server searches the locations of the destinations and the navigation system receives the results of search through a wireless receiver to display the results.

11. A navigation system for guiding a user to a plurality of destinations, comprising:

means for specifying a plurality of destinations in a navigation system;

means for searching a one-stop location where two or more specified destinations exist or searching a location of each destination when said one-stop location is not found;

means for displaying results of search for prompting a user to decide whether recommended locations of the destinations in the search results are acceptable;

means for repeating the above processes of searching locations and displaying the search results until the user accepts recommended locations of the destinations; and

means for guiding the user to the locations of the destinations accepted by the user.

12. A navigation system as defined in claim 11, wherein said means for searching the one-stop location includes means for searching a location where all of the specified destinations exist so that the user can visit all of the destinations without driving a vehicle to other location.

13. A navigation system as defined in claim 11, wherein said means for searching the one-stop location includes means for searching two or more one-stop locations where each one-stop location has two or more specified destinations so that the user can visit the specified destinations within the one-stop location without driving a vehicle to other location.

14. A navigation system as defined in claim 11, wherein said means for specifying the plurality of destinations includes means for assigning an order of arriving the specified destinations before finding locations of the destinations and optimum routes to the destinations, and said means for searching the one-stop location includes means for ignoring the assigned order of arrival for the two or more destinations that exist within the one-stop location.

15. A navigation system as defined in claim 11, wherein said means for specifying the plurality of destinations includes means for selecting types of points of interest with use of a point of interest database stored in a map data storage of the navigation system.

16. A navigation system as defined in claim 11, wherein said means for specifying the plurality of destinations includes means for inputting a place name or an address of a destination, and means for selecting types of destinations for the remaining destinations with use of a point of interest database stored in a map data storage of the navigation system.

17. A navigation system as defined in claim 11, wherein said means for specifying the plurality of destinations includes means for assigning an order of arriving the specified destinations before finding locations of the destinations and optimum routes to the destinations, and said means for assigning the order of arriving the specified destinations includes means for selecting numeric indicators for defining the order of arrival.

18. A navigation system as defined in claim 11, wherein said means for specifying the plurality of destinations includes means for assigning an order of arriving the specified destinations before finding locations of the destinations and optimum routes to the destinations, and said means for assigning the order of arriving the specified destinations includes means for selecting non-numeric indicators for defining the order of arrival.

19. A navigation system as defined in claim 11, wherein said means for guiding the user to the locations of the destinations includes means for selecting a route of shortest overall length for guiding the user to the plurality of destinations when no one-stop location is found.

20. A navigation system as defined in claim 11, wherein said means for searching the location and displaying the search results includes means for communicating with a remote navigation server so that the remote navigation server searches the locations of the destinations and the navigation system receives the results of search through a wireless receiver to display the results.