Apparatus and method for guiding location of the other party in navigation system

• US 7,292,935 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2004
• Issued: 11/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoon, Chang Kyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEISKOPF, MARIE
• Application Number:
  US10/775,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20040158401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/207, 701/209, 701/213, 701/214, 701/300, 340/988, 340/991, 340/992, 340/993, 342/357.01, 342/357.07, 342/357.09
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

There is provided an apparatus and method capable of providing location information of the other party'"'"'s moving object in a form of map information. The method for guiding the location of the other party'"'"'s moving object in the navigation system includes the steps of: selecting an identification information of the other party'"'"'s navigation system in a user'"'"'s navigation system, and transmitting a location information request message on the other party'"'"'s moving object; receiving the location information request message of the other party'"'"'s moving object at a traffic information center, tracking a location information of the other party'"'"'s moving object, and transmitting the tracked location information message of the other party'"'"'s moving object; and receiving the location information message of the other party'"'"'s moving object at the user'"'"'s navigation system, matching the location of the other party'"'"'s moving object with a map information, and display the matched information.

Claims

1. An apparatus for guiding a location of the other party in a navigation system, comprising:

a GPS receiver for receiving location data from at least one GPS satellite;

storage means for storing map data;

display means for displaying the stored map data and location information of the other party on a screen;

voice processing means for processing a voice signal and outputting the processed voice signal;

input means for inputting a variety of key signals and requesting a location information of the other party'"'"'s moving object;

wireless communication means for transmitting a location information request message requesting the location information of the other party'"'"'s moving object to a traffic information center and receiving the requested location information; and

control means for generating the location information request message pertaining to the other party'"'"'s moving object to be transmitted to the wireless communication means, controlling the display means to display the received location information of the other party'"'"'s moving object, receiving, from the traffic information center, the shortest distance between a location of the apparatus and a location of the other party'"'"'s moving object determined according to at least traffic information of the other party'"'"'s moving object, displaying the received shortest distance using the display means, receiving a selection of the other party'"'"'s moving object'"'"'s location information displayed on the display means, and connecting to a selected system according to the selection.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means processes the location information of the other party'"'"'s moving object, received from the wireless communication means, to simultaneously output the location of the other party'"'"'s moving object to the display means and the voice processing means.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is provided in a moving object.

3. A method for guiding a location of the other party'"'"'s moving object in a navigation system, comprising:

(a) selecting an identification information of the other party'"'"'s navigation system in a user'"'"'s navigation system, and transmitting the identification information and a location information request message pertaining to the other party'"'"'s moving object to a traffic information center;

(b) receiving the location information request message including a tracking location information, and a traffic information of the other party'"'"'s moving object at the traffic information center;

(c) identifying the shortest distance between the user'"'"'s location and the other party'"'"'s location according to the tracking location information and the traffic information;

(d) matching the location of the other party'"'"'s moving object with a map information, and displaying the matched information;

(e) displaying, on a screen of the user'"'"'s navigation system, the identified shortest distance and location information of the other party'"'"'s moving object;

(f) receiving a selection of the location information of the other party'"'"'s moving object displayed on the screen; and

(g) connecting to a selected system according to the selection.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein after the step (d), the location information of the other party'"'"'s moving object is periodically updated and reflected on the currently displayed map information.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step (c) includes:

requesting a traveling route which sets the location of the other party'"'"'s moving object, displayed on the map information, as a target route.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the location information request message includes a telephone number of the navigation system installed in the other party'"'"'s moving object, a subscriber information and a transmission location.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein the location information reception message includes a location information of the navigation system installed in the other party'"'"'s moving object, a recipient information and a map information.

8. The method according to claim 3, wherein the location information request messages and a message responding thereto are short message service (SMS).

9. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step (b) includes the steps of:

receiving the location information request message pertaining to the other party'"'"'s moving object through a mobile communication network;

extracting a telephone number of the navigation system contained in the received location information request message and checking whether or not the telephone number is registered as a location information sharing;

if the telephone number is registered as the location information sharing, tracking the location information of the other party'"'"'s navigation system through the mobile communication network and storing the tracked location information of the other party'"'"'s navigation system; and

transmitting the stored location information of the other party'"'"'s navigation system through the mobile communication network to the navigation system that requested the location information.

17. The method according to claim 3, wherein in the identifying step (c), the identified shortest distance is a shortest distance between the user'"'"'s moving object'"'"'s location and the other party'"'"'s moving object'"'"'s location, which has been identified according to the tracking location information and the traffic information.

10. A method for guiding a location of the other party'"'"'s moving object in a navigation system, comprising:

(a) selecting respective identification information of the other party'"'"'s navigation systems in a user'"'"'s navigation system, and transmitting the respective identification information and location information request messages pertaining to the other party'"'"'s moving objects to a traffic information center;

(b) receiving the location information request messages and traffic information of the other party'"'"'s moving objects at the traffic information center;

(c) identifying the shortest distance between the user'"'"'s location and each of the other party'"'"'s moving object'"'"'s locations according to the traffic information;

(d) displaying, at the user'"'"'s navigation system, location information of the other party'"'"'s moving objects according to the location information request messages, and displaying the corresponding identified shortest distance at the user'"'"'s navigation system;

(e) selecting one of the location information of the other party'"'"'s moving objects displayed on a screen of the user'"'"'s navigation system; and

(f) connecting to a selected system.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the location information request message includes telephone numbers of the navigation systems, information on user who requests the location information, and a current transmission location.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the location information reception message includes location information of the navigation systems, recipient information and map information corresponding to the location information.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein when at least one of the location information messages is received at the traffic information center, a magnification of a current map information is adjusted in order to display all locations of the other party'"'"'s moving objects contained in the at least one location information message, matching all location information of the other party'"'"'s moving objects and displaying the matched information.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the location information of the other party'"'"'s moving objects is periodically updated and the magnification of the map information is re-adjusted centering on the updated location information of the other party'"'"'s moving objects.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein in the identifying step (c), the identified shortest distance is a shortest distance between the user'"'"'s moving object'"'"'s location and each of the other party'"'"'s moving object'"'"'s locations, which has been identified according to the traffic information.

15. A method for providing location information of a party'"'"'s moving object, comprising:

transmitting, from a user'"'"'s navigation system, an identification information of another party'"'"'s moving object, and a location request requesting location information of the another'"'"'s party'"'"'s moving object;

receiving, by the user'"'"'s navigation system, the requested location information of the another party'"'"'s moving object as well as the shortest distance between a location of the user'"'"'s navigation system and a location of the another party'"'"'s moving object that is determined according to traffic information of the another party'"'"'s moving object;

selecting the location information of the another party'"'"'s moving object displayed on a screen of the user'"'"'s navigation system; and

connecting to a selected system.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein the user'"'"'s navigation system is provided in a moving object.

20. A method for guiding a location of the other party'"'"'s moving object in a system, comprising:

(a) selecting an identification information of the other party'"'"'s system in a user'"'"'s system, and transmitting the identification information and a location information request message pertaining to the other party'"'"'s moving object to a traffic information center;

(b) receiving the location information request message including at least one of a tracking location information and a traffic information of the other party'"'"'s moving object at the traffic information center;

(c) receiving the information message of the other party'"'"'s moving object at the user'"'"'s system;

(d) matching the location of the other party'"'"'s moving object with a map information, and displaying the matched information on a screen of the user'"'"'s system;

(e) selecting the other party'"'"'s moving object'"'"'s location information or the other party'"'"'s moving object displayed on the screen; and

(f) connecting to a selected system.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the connecting to the selected system is performed as using the other party'"'"'s moving object'"'"'s identification information.

22. An apparatus for guiding a location of the other party'"'"'s moving object in a system, comprising:

means for selecting an identification information of the other party'"'"'s system in a user'"'"'s system, and transmitting the identification information and a location information request message pertaining to the other party'"'"'s moving object to a traffic information center, wherein the location information request message including at least one of a tracking location information and a traffic information of the other party'"'"'s moving object is received at the traffic information center;

means for receiving the information message of the other party'"'"'s moving object at the user'"'"'s system;

means for matching the location of the other party'"'"'s moving object with a map information, and displaying the matched information on a screen of the user'"'"'s system;

means for selecting the other party'"'"'s moving object'"'"'s location information or the other party'"'"'s moving object displayed on the screen; and

means for connecting to a selected system.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the connecting to the selected system is performed using the other party'"'"'s moving object'"'"'s identification information.