Method and mobile station for route guidance

• US 7,260,473 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2001
• Issued: 08/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: novero GmbH (Laird Limited)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Schneider, Lutz, Abe, Lutz
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Thu V.
• Application Number:
  US10/311,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20030158650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,255 Days
• Field of Search: 701200-202, 701206-211, 701/213, 701/224, 342/357.06, 342/357.08, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 342/357.13, 342/457, 340988-991, 340/993, 340/995, 340/996
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator

Abstract

A method of and mobile station for route guidance for a user including a processor and a directional indicator which provides a reference direction, with the mobile station connecting to an on-line service with an electronic database containing geographic information and mobile position. Local position and destination is transmitted to the on-line service to request route guidance data.

The on-line service processes the data as a function of branching of a total route to the user'"'"'s destination as route sections and transmits a specification of direction and destination name for each route section destination to the mobile station.

The processor processes the specification of direction and reference direction to define a target direction of a current route section destination and displays the target direction and route guidance data of the current route section destination and guidance data of at least one upcoming stage of the route.

Claims

1. A method of route guidance for a user using a mobile station including a processor and a directional indicator which provides a reference direction of the mobile station, the mobile station connecting the user to an on-line service which has access to an electronic database containing geographic information, the method comprising:

transmitting information of a user'"'"'s local position and the user'"'"'s destination from the user'"'"'s mobile station to the on-line service to request route guidance data for route guidance of the user;

processing at the on-line service the route guidance data as a function of branching of a total route to the user'"'"'s destination as a series of route sections with route section destinations;

transmitting for each route section a specification of a direction and a destination name for the route section destination from the on-line service to the mobile station to identify each route section;

the processor processing the specification of direction and the reference direction to define a target direction of a current route section destination; and

displaying, by the mobile station, from a starting position for a current route section the target direction of the current route section destination, route guidance data of the current route section destination, and guidance data of only one upcoming route section of the route out of a route list, wherein the route guidance data additionally includes information about a direction relating to a sequence of house numbers; and

updating the display upon reaching the current route section destination in that the current route section destination forms the starting position for a next route section.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the directional indicator is a compass which is associated with the mobile station;

directional data is provided in accordance with an orientation of the mobile station relative to points of the compass;

the directional data are compared by a processor with the route guidance data which specify a direction of the current route section; and

at least one component of the route guidance data signals any deviation of a current orientation of the mobile station from the target direction.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein:

the route data additionally contains information about distance of the at least one of the route sections and distance of the entire route.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein:

the mobile station outputs the route guidance data in a sequence of the route sections of the route with corresponding specifications of direction and destination names and the user confirms reaching of a current destination of a route section with an input to the mobile station in order to update output of route guidance data.

5. A method according to claim 2, wherein:

the on-line service transmits the route guidance data in a sequence of the route sections so that the user can move towards a first route destination during transmission of the route guidance data.

6. A method according to claim 2, wherein:

the on-line service stores the route guidance data and the user upon reaching a current route destination requests transmission of the route guidance data for at least one following route section from the on-line service by means of an input into the mobile station.

7. A method according to claim 2, wherein:

the on-line service conducts a dialogue with the user via a cellular communications network, a network access point and the mobile station, with support of the database, to determine positional data and destination data for a current location of the user and for a desired destination of the user.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein:

the on-line service has information about a location of the network access point in the communications network and uses the information in the dialogue for a determination of position of the user.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein:

an automatic speech recognition system controls the dialogue for determination of the positional data and the destination data.

10. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the directional indicator is a compass which is associated with the mobile station;

directional data is provided in accordance with an orientation of the mobile station relative to points of the compass;

the processor determines a deviation in orientation of the mobile station from a current specification of direction; and

the target direction relative to the orientation of the mobile station together with the destination name of the current route section destination is outputted by the mobile station.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein:

the on-line service stores the route guidance data and the user upon reaching a current route destination requests transmission of the route guidance data for at least one following route section from the on-line service by means of an input into the mobile station.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein:

the route guidance data contains information about distance of the at least one of the route sections and distance of the entire route.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein:

the mobile station outputs the route guidance data in a sequence of the route sections with corresponding specifications of direction and destination names and the user confirms reaching of a current destination of a route section with an input to the mobile station in order to update output of the route guidance data.

14. A method according to claim 10, wherein:

the on-line service transmits the route guidance data in a sequence of the route sections so that the user can move towards a first route destination during transmission of the route guidance data.

15. A method according to claim 10, wherein:

the on-line service conducts a dialogue with the user via a cellular communications network, a network access point and the mobile station, with support of the database, to determine positional data and destination data for a current location of the user and for a desired destination of the user.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein:

the on-line service has information about a location of the network access point in the communications network and uses the information in the dialogue for a determination of the current location of the user.

17. A method according to claim 15, wherein:

an automatic speech recognition system controls the dialogue for determination of the positional data and the destination data.

18. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

the route guidance data contains information about distance of the at least one of the route sections of the route and distance of the entire route.

19. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

the mobile station outputs the route guidance data in a sequence of route sections of the route with corresponding specifications of direction and destination names and the user confirms reaching of a current destination of a route section with an input to the mobile station in order to update output of the route guidance data.

20. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

the on-line service transmits the route guidance data in a sequence of the sections of the route so that the user can move towards a first route destination during transmission of the route guidance data.

21. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

the on line service conducts a dialogue with the user via a cellular communications network, a network access point and the mobile station, with support of the database, to determine positional data and destination data for a current location of the user and for a desired destination of the user.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein:

the on-line service has information about a location of the network access point in the communications network and uses the information in the dialogue for a determination of the current location of the user.

23. A method according to claim 21, wherein:

an automatic speech recognition system controls the dialogue for the determination of the positional data and the destination data.

24. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

the route guidance data is transmitted on a data carrier channel which is provided for transmission of data for value-added services.

25. A method according to claim 1, wherein guidance data for a plurality of at least one upcoming route section of the route is displayed.

26. A mobile station for guiding a user to a destination using an on-line service which, via a wireless connection to a communications network, transmits route data for a travel route of the user including a specification of route data as a function of branching of a total route to a user'"'"'s destination as a series of route sections with route section destinations with the route sections including a specification of direction, comprising:

a processor, means for storage of the route data, application software which is executed by the processor to output the route data and a direction indicator which provides a reference direction of the mobile station; and

wherein

the processor processes the specification of direction and the reference direction to define a target direction to a current route section destination,

wherein the mobile station comprises means for displaying from a starting position for a current route section the target direction of the current route section destination, route guidance data of the current route section destination, and guidance data of only one upcoming route section of the route out of a route list, wherein the route guidance data additionally includes information about a direction relating to a sequence of house numbers;

wherein the mobile station further comprises means for updating the display upon reaching the current route section destination in that the current route section destination forms the starting position for a next route section.

27. A mobile station according to claim 26, wherein:

the direction indicator is a compass and generates directional data for the processor in accordance with an orientation of the mobile station relative to the points of the compass and the processor compares the directional data with a specification of a direction contained in the route data for a current route destination and signals any departure of a present orientation of the mobile station from the target direction via at least one output.

28. A mobile station according to claim 26, wherein:

the direction indicator generates directional data for the processor in accordance with an orientation of the mobile station and the processor output a current specification of direction contained in the route data taking into account a present orientation of the mobile station as the target direction relative to a current route destination together with a current destination name.

29. A mobile station according to claim 26, wherein:

the user updates output of the route data on reaching a route destination with a program.

30. A mobile station according to claim 26 wherein:

on reaching a route destination, the user connects to the communications network for the on-line service in order to call up data for other route destinations.

31. A mobile station according to claim 26, wherein:

the mobile station is a mobile telephone.

32. A mobile station according to claim 26, wherein guidance data for a plurality of at least one upcoming route section of the route is displayed.