Apparatus and method for controlling traffic information display in navigation system

• US 7,421,339 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2004
• Issued: 09/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jeon, Jung Koo
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu; Yonel
• Application Number:
  US10/859,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20040249566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340990-991, 340/995, 340/995.1, 34099511-99513, 340/995.27, 340/988, 700201-202, 700206-215, 701117-210, 701211-215, 701/25, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 342/357.06, 342/357.12
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3694 Output thereof on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09685 where the complete route is computed only once and not updated
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096866 where the complete route is shown to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

A navigation system displays different colors on sections of a travel route according to traffic density. A method for controlling a traffic information display in the navigation system includes the steps of: if a traveling route is received from a user of a moving object, displaying and guiding a corresponding travel route; determining whether or not traffic density information is requested during travel of the moving object; if the traffic density information is requested, receiving the traffic density information of the travel route from a traffic information center and searching for a predetermined color stored in a storage unit based on the received traffic density information; and displaying the predetermined color on the corresponding section of the travel route.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a traffic information display in a navigation system, the apparatus comprising:

a GPS receiver configured to receive location data from a plurality of GPS satellites;

a storage unit configured to store map data and information on colors, the colors representing degrees of congestion of vehicles and being different from each other based on the degrees of congestion of vehicles;

a display unit configured to display the colors based on the degrees of congestion on a travel route of a moving object;

a voice processing unit configured to process and output a voice signal based on the degrees of congestion on the travel route of the moving object;

an input unit configured to receive a variety of signals and setting levels based on the degree of congestion of vehicles;

a wireless communication unit configured to receive a traffic information message from a traffic information center, the traffic information message including traffic information about sections of the travel route; and

a control unit configured to control each aforesaid units and to perform a control operation of displaying different colors and outputting the voice signal related to corresponding sections of the travel route to indicate the traffic information about the sections of the travel route.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs a control operation of displaying the different colors that are set based on the degrees of congestion of the traffic information on the sections of the travel route, the traffic information being stored in the storage unit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs a control operation of displaying the different colors that are set based on velocity data of the traffic information stored in the storage unit.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs a control operation of displaying the different colors based on traffic conditions of the traffic information stored in the storage unit, the traffic conditions including normal velocity, slow velocity, delayed velocity, and congested conditions.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the display unit to overlap the information on the colors with the map information, the information on colors being displayed on the corresponding sections of the travel route.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs a control operation of displaying the different colors on corresponding sections of the travel route using at least one parameter of congestion degree based on sections of the travel route, velocity data based on sections of the travel route and traffic conditions based on sections of the travel route from a traffic information service.

7. A system for controlling a traffic information display in a navigation system for a moving object, the system comprising:

a traffic information center configured to establish a database by collecting traffic information based on travel conditions of moving objects and providing a traffic information service using the established traffic information;

a navigation system installed in the moving object, configured to display a current location and travel route using location data received from a plurality of GPS satellites and map data stored in a storage medium, configured to display colors based on respective sections of the travel route using the traffic information service received from the traffic information center, the colors representing degrees of congestion, and configured to output a voice signal based on the respective sections of the travel route using the traffic information service received from the traffic information center; and

a mobile communication network configured to enable communication of the navigation system with the traffic information center.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the navigation system displays different colors on corresponding sections of the travel route using at least one parameter of degree of congestion based on sections of a travel route, velocity data based on sections of a travel route and traffic conditions based on sections of a travel route, which are received from the traffic information service.

9. A method for controlling a traffic information display in a navigation system, the method comprising:

if a travel route is received from a user of a moving object, displaying and guiding a corresponding travel route;

determining whether or not traffic density information is requested during travel of the moving object;

if the traffic density information is requested, receiving the traffic density information of the travel route from a traffic information center and determining a predetermined color, the color representing a degree of traffic density based on the received traffic density information and being stored in a storage unit;

displaying the predetermined color on the corresponding section of the traveling route; and

outputting a voice signal based on the respective sections of the travel route using the traffic information service received from the traffic information center.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein at least two colors representing degrees of traffic density based on the received traffic density information are displayed according to the traffic density information on sections of the travel route.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein different colors are displayed according to levels of degrees of congestion based on the sections of the travel route among the traffic density information.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein different colors are displayed according to velocity levels based on sections of the travel route among the traffic density information.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein different colors are displayed according to traffic conditions based on the sections of the travel route among the traffic density information, the traffic conditions including normal velocity, slow velocity, delayed velocity, and congested conditions.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein color information displayed on the travel route includes at least two color lightness or brightness information data and at least two color saturations.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein colors are displayed based on sections of an intended travel route along a travel of the moving object in real time.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein color information displayed on the travel route is set arbitrarily according to levels of the traffic density by a user.

17. The method according to claim 9, wherein the displaying step and the outputting step are simultaneously performed.

18. A system for controlling a traffic information display in a navigation system, the system comprising:

means for displaying and guiding a corresponding travel route if a travel route is received from a user of a moving object;

means for determining whether or not traffic density information is requested during travel of the moving object;

means for receiving the traffic density information of the travel route from a traffic information center and determining a predetermined color, the color representing a degree of traffic density based on the received traffic density information and being stored in a storage means if the traffic density information is requested;

means for displaying the predetermined color on the corresponding section of the traveling route; and

means for outputting a voice signal based on the respective sections of the travel route using the traffic information service received from the traffic information center.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein at least two colors are displayed according to the traffic density information on sections of the travel route.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein different colors are displayed according to levels of degrees of congestion based on the sections of the travel route among the traffic density information.

21. An apparatus for controlling a traffic information display in a navigation system, the apparatus comprising:

a GPS receiver configured to receive location data from a plurality of GPS satellites;

a storage unit configured to store map data;

a wireless communication unit configured to receive traffic information from a traffic information center, the traffic information including degrees of congestion on sections of a travel route of a moving object;

a voice processing unit configured to process and to output a voice signal; and

a control unit configured to control the voice processing unit to output the voice signal indicating the degrees of congestion on the sections of the travel route of the moving object based on the traffic information.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the storage unit stores information on colors, the colors being different from each other based on degrees of congestion of vehicles, the apparatus further comprising a display unit for displaying the travel route of the moving object, the control unit controlling the display unit to display different colors indicating the degrees of congestion on the sections of the travel route of the moving object based on the traffic information.

23. An apparatus for controlling a traffic information display in a navigation system, the apparatus comprising:

a GPS receiver configured to receive location data from a plurality of GPS satellites;

a storage unit configured to store map data;

a wireless communication unit configured to receive traffic information from a traffic information center, the traffic information including degrees of congestion on sections of a travel route of a moving object;

a display unit configured to display the travel route of the moving object; and

a control unit configured to control the display unit to display different widths of the sections of the travel route of the moving object indicating different degrees of congestion on the sections of the travel route of the moving object.