Transmission of special routes to a navigation device

• US 7,873,471 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2003
• Issued: 01/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Gieseke, Arnold
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US10/531,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20060015249A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,743 Days
• Field of Search: 340/995.21, 340/995.1, 340/995.19, 340/995.12, 701209-210
• US Class Current: 701/210
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• 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

Abstract

A vehicle navigation system includes an adaptive routing module (210) that allows a user to provide inputs that influence routes that are calculated to predetermined destinations. A route calculation module (204) executed by a navigation server (102) is operable to calculate a first route from the trip origin to the trip destination. An adaptive route calculation (204) executed by the navigation server (102) is operable to allow the user to enter a user modification of the first route. After the user modification is entered by the user, a second route to the trip destination is calculated as a function of the user modification. The second route is then transmitted to a vehicle navigation system (104).

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

an input device connected with a navigation server, where the input device is configured to allow a user to enter a trip destination;

a route calculation module executable on the navigation server to calculate a first route to the destination;

a display for displaying the first route on a road network map that includes a plurality map elements, where a map element is a node or a segment, where the node is representative of a road intersection or an end of a road and the segment is representative of a portion of a road segment between two nodes, and where the first route is transmitted to the display so as to be displayed to the user; and

an adaptive route calculation module executable on the navigation server to receive a user modification of the first route from the input device, where the user modification includes a first user selection to open a first node or segment and a second user selection to close a second node or segment in the road network map, where a second route from a current location to the trip destination is calculated with the adaptive route calculation module as a function of the user modification to include the opened first node or segment in the second route and to exclude the closed second node or segment from the second route;

and where the second route is transmitted to a vehicle navigation system.

2. The navigation system of claim 1 where the second route is stored in the vehicle navigation system.

3. The navigation system of claim 1 where the adaptive route calculation module is configured to calculate the second route through a common node shared by two segments selected for closure.

4. The navigation system of claim 1 where the user modification comprises at least one vehicle characteristic, and where the navigation system is configured to calculate the second route based on the at least one vehicle characteristic.

5. The navigation system of claim 4 where the vehicle characteristic may be selected from a group of vehicle characteristics including a vehicle type, a cargo type, a vehicle size, a cargo size, a vehicle height, a cargo height, and a vehicle weight.

6. The navigation system of claim 1 where the second route is transmitted to the vehicle navigation system from the navigation server using a wireless communication system.

7. The navigation system of claim 1 where the second route is stored in the vehicle navigation system as a preferred route.

8. A navigation system comprising:

a navigation server connected with an input device;

a user interface module executable by the navigation server to allow a user to enter a destination with the input device;

a route calculation module executable by the navigation server to calculate a first route to the destination that is generated on a road network map that includes a plurality of map elements;

an adaptive route calculation module executable by the navigation server to allow the user to enter a user modification of the first route with the input device, where the user modification includes a user selection of at least one map element in the road network map, where a second route to the destination is calculated with the adaptive route calculation module as a function of the user modification; and

a wireless communication system connected with the navigation server and a vehicle navigation system, where the second route is transmitted to the vehicle navigation system using the wireless communication system, and where the second route is stored in the vehicle navigation system as a preferred route.

9. A navigation system comprising:

a navigation server comprising a processor and a memory, where the memory includes a plurality of stored instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to;

calculate a first route to a trip destination, where the first route is generated on a road network map that includes a plurality of map elements;

receive a user modification of the first route where the user modification includes a user selection of at least one map element;

calculate a second route to the trip destination as a function of the user modification; and

transmit the second route to a vehicle navigation system.

10. The navigation system of claim 9 where the user-selected map element is not included in the second route.

11. The navigation system of claim 9 where the plurality of stored instructions are executable by the processor to further cause the processor to:

receive the user modification of the first route where the user modification further includes a vehicle characteristic; and

calculate the second route to the trip destination as a function of the vehicle characteristic.

12. The navigation system of claim 11 where the plurality of stored instructions are executable by the processor to further cause the processor to:

receive the user modification of the first route where the user modification further includes the vehicle characteristic selected from a group of vehicle characteristics including a vehicle type, a cargo type, a vehicle size, a cargo size, a vehicle height, a cargo height, and a vehicle weight.

13. The navigation system of claim 9 where the selected map element is included in the second route.

14. A navigation system comprising:

a navigation server connected with an input device;

a user interface module executable by the navigation server to allow a user to enter a destination with the input device;

a route calculation module executable by the navigation server to calculate a first route to the destination that is generated on a road network map that includes a plurality of map elements;

an adaptive route calculation module executable by the navigation server to allow the user to enter a user modification of the first route with the input device, where the user modification includes a user selection of at least one map element in the road network map, where a second route to the destination is calculated with the adaptive route calculation module as a function of the user modification; and

a wireless communication system connected with the navigation server and a vehicle navigation system, where at least a portion of the second route is transmitted to the vehicle navigation system using the wireless communication system, where the at least a portion of the second route is stored in the vehicle navigation system.

15. The navigation system of claim 14 where the at least a portion of the second route includes the entire second route.

16. The navigation system of claim 14 where the at least a portion of the second route comprises the difference between the first route and the second route.

17. The navigation system of claim 14 further comprising a second adaptive route calculation module executable by the vehicle navigation system to allow a user to modify the second route.

18. The navigation system of claim 14 where the adaptive route calculation module is further executable by the navigation server to allow the user to enter a second user modification of the first route with the input device, where the second user modification is based on a vehicle characteristic.

19. The navigation system of claim 18 where the vehicle characteristic may be selected from a group of vehicle characteristics including a vehicle type, a cargo type, a vehicle size, a cargo size, a vehicle height, a cargo height, and a vehicle weight.

20. A navigation system comprising:

an input device connected with a navigation server the input device operable to allow a user to enter a trip destination;

a route calculation module operable to calculate a first route to the trip destination;

a display for displaying the first route on a road network map that includes a plurality of map elements; and

an adaptive route calculation module operable to receive a user modification of the first route from the input device, where the user modification includes a user selection of at least one map element in the road network map, where a second route is calculated by the adaptive route calculation module as a function of the user modification;

where the adaptive route calculation module is operable to determine differences between the first route and the second route, and where differences between the first route and the second route are transmitted to a vehicle navigation system.

21. The navigation system of claim 20 where the vehicle navigation system includes a second adaptive route calculation module operable to modify the second route from a current location to the trip destination.