Navigation system and the operating method thereof

• US 7,440,850 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2004
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Hee Jeong
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US10/777,700
• Publication Number:
  US 20040162672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• Field of Search: 701/209, 701/211, 701/207, 340/995.19
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention relates in general to a navigation system, more particularly, to a navigation system and an operating method thereof, in which the navigation system shows the configuration of a complicated intersection a driver is about to enter, and displays where to turn and a progression rate of the car on the path the driver is headed to. The navigation system includes a map data memory for storing map data; an input unit including a route guiding module, in which a user inputs information and/or designates a travelling path, and the input unit provides information on a route from an entrance road of a car to an exit road from an intersection; a GPS receiver including a positioning module for detecting a present position of the car on the basis of position information provided from at least one GPS satellite; a Gyro sensor for detecting a rotation angle of the car; a controller, which uses the map data from the map data memory, route information from the input unit, information from the GPS receiver about the present position of the car, and route information from the Gyro sensor, to generate the configuration of an intersection the user is supposed to enter and an arrow indicating a driving route to the user, and to display a progression rate of the car along the route; and a display driving unit for displaying the configuration of the intersection and the arrow for route guidance, on the basis of output data from the controller, and for performing a graphic operation on the configuration, thereby a gradual progression rate of the car is indicated in the directional arrow.

Claims

1. A vehicle navigation system, comprising:

a memory unit for storing map data;

an input unit for obtaining information related to an intersection that the vehicle approaches;

a GPS unit for detecting a present position of the vehicle based on information from at least one GPS satellite;

a sensor unit for detecting a direction in which the vehicle is traveling;

a controller for using map data from the memory unit, information related to the intersection from the input unit, information related to the present position of the vehicle from the GPS unit and direction information from the sensor unit in order to generate a map of the intersection, an indication of the vehicle'"'"'s progression along a road approaching the intersection and at least one road departing the intersection and an arrow indicating a suggested route for approaching and departing the intersection; and

a display unit for displaying the map of the intersection, the indication of the vehicle'"'"'s progression and the arrow,

wherein the controller calculates a relative angle between the road approaching the intersection and the one road departing the intersection and generates the indication of the vehicle'"'"'s progression by one of gradually filling the arrow with color and gradually removing color from the arrow.

2. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the map data comprises a plurality of nodes, links and configuration points for generating the map of the intersection.

3. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the controller further controls the display unit such the road approaching the intersection is aligned vertically with true North.

4. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the controller further generates a head of the arrow such that the arrow indicates from which direction the vehicle approaches the intersection and in which direction the vehicle is traveling.

5. The navigation system according to claim 2, wherein the map data comprises at least one of latitude and longitude coordinates of the intersection.

6. The navigation system according to claim 2, wherein the controller further indicates the suggested route by links connecting the plurality of nodes.

7. A vehicle navigation system, comprising:

a memory unit for storing map data;

an input unit for obtaining information related to an intersection that the vehicle approaches;

a GPS unit for detecting a present position of the vehicle based on information from at least one GPS satellite;

a sensor unit for detecting a direction in which the vehicle is traveling;

a controller for using map data from the memory unit, information related to the intersection from the input unit, information related to the present position of the vehicle from the GPS unit and direction information from the sensor unit in order to generate a map of the intersection and an arrow, the map indicating a road approaching the intersection and at least one road departing the intersection and the arrow indicating the vehicle'"'"'s progression along a suggested route for approaching and departing the intersection; and

a display unit for displaying the map of the intersection and the arrow,

wherein the controller calculates a relative angle between the road approaching the intersection and the at least one road departing the intersection and generates the indication of the vehicle'"'"'s progression by one of gradually filling the arrow with color and gradually removing color from the arrow.

8. The navigation system according to claim 7, wherein the map data comprises a plurality of nodes, links and configuration points for generating the map of the intersection.

9. The navigation system according to claim 8, wherein the map data comprises at least one of latitude and longitude coordinates of the intersection.

10. The navigation system according to claim 8, wherein the controller further indicates the suggested route by links connecting the plurality of nodes.

11. The navigation system according to claim 7, wherein the controller further controls the display unit such the road approaching the intersection is aligned vertically with true North.

12. The navigation system according to claim 7, wherein the controller further generates a head of the arrow such that the arrow indicates from which direction the vehicle approaches the intersection and in which direction the vehicle is traveling.

13. A vehicle navigation system, comprising:

a GPS unit for detecting a present position of a vehicle based on information from at least one GPS satellite;

a controller for generating a map of an intersection that a vehicle approaches and a first indication of a suggested route for approaching and departing the intersection; and

a display unit for displaying the first indication on the map of the intersection and a present position of the vehicle on the first indication,

wherein the controller calculates a relative angle between a road approaching the intersection and at least one road departing the intersection and generates a second indication of the vehicle'"'"'s progression by one of gradually filling the first indication with color and gradually removing color from the first indication.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the first indication comprises an arrow.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the allow indicates the vehicle'"'"'s progression along the suggested route.