Navigation system and controlling method for the motor vehicle

• US 7,890,250 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2003
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T Map Mobility Company Limited (SK Telecom Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Jun Woo, Na, Dong Won, Um, Bong Su
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kiswanto; Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US10/500,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20050080553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,674 Days
• Field of Search: 701/202, 701/26, 714/750, 700/13
• US Class Current: 701/201
• 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: G08G 1/0968 Systems involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle

Abstract

A navigation system (20) includes a transceiver unit (210), a display unit (250), an input unit (260) and an ECU (230). The transceiver unit (210) transmits a signal for demanding a detection of a navigation path to a path detecting server (10) and then receives path data which represent the navigation path from the path detecting server (10). The display unit (250) outputs the navigation path or a revised navigation path. The ECU (230) conveys data on a departure point and a destination from the input unit (260) to the transceiver unit (210) and transfers the path data from the transceiver unit (210) to the display unit (250). Further, the ECU (270) precalculates deviation-expected paths in the course of driving along the navigation path and selects the revised navigation path among the precalculated deviation-expected paths in case a present position of a mobile object deviates from the navigation path to thereby provide the revised navigation path to the display unit (250).

Claims

1. A navigation system for use in a mobile object, comprising:

a transceiver unit for transmitting a signal for demanding a detection of a navigation path, which is a short-cut path or an optimum path from a departure point to a destination, to a path detecting server via a wireless network and then receiving path data which represents the navigation path from the path detecting server via the wireless network;

a display unit for outputting the navigation path or a revised navigation path;

an input unit for inputting data on the departure point and the destination; and

an electronic control unit (ECU) for transferring the data on the departure point and the destination from the input unit to the transceiver unit, transferring the path data from the transceiver unit to the display unit, precalculating deviation-expected path data which represent one or more deviation-expected paths in the course of driving along the navigation path, storing the one or more deviation-expected paths in a memory of the navigation system installed in the mobile object before the mobile object deviates from the navigation path, and selecting revised path data which represent the revised navigation path, among the one or more precalculated deviation-expected paths stored in the memory to thereby provide the revised navigation path to the display unit after a present position of the mobile object deviates from the navigation path,

wherein the one or more deviation-expected paths are precalculated based on nodes and links connecting the nodes between the departure point and the destination.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a navigation sensor unit for detecting the present position of the mobile object.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the display unit includes an audio processing unit for outputting the path data or the revised path data in the form of an audio signal and/or an image processing unit for outputting the path data or the revised path data in the form of an image signal.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the ECU selects the revised path data among the one or more deviation-expected paths by inspecting which of the one or more deviation-expected paths includes the present position.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory is provided for storing the path data and the deviation-expected path data which are transmitted from the ECU and transmitting the stored path data and the stored deviation-expected path data in case the ECU requires for the stored path data and the stored deviation-expected path data to display the stored path data and the stored deviation-expected path data through the display unit.

6. A method of navigating a mobile object traveling from a departure point to a destination by use of a navigation system installed in the mobile object, comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting a signal for demanding a detection of a navigation path, which is a short-cut path or an optimum path from the departure point to the destination, to a path detecting server via a wireless network;

(b) receiving path data which represent the navigation path from the path detecting server via the wireless network;

(c) displaying the navigation path in response to the received path data;

(d) the navigation system precalculating deviation-expected path data which represent one or more deviation-expected paths, and storing the one or more deviation-expected paths in a memory of the navigation system installed in the mobile object before the mobile object deviates from the navigation path;

(e) selecting revised path data, which represent a revised navigation path, among the one or more precalculated deviation-expected paths stored in the memory to thereby provide the revised navigation path to a display unit after a present position of the mobile object deviates from the navigation path; and

(f) displaying the revised navigation path in response to the revised path data,

wherein the one or more deviation-expected paths are precalculated based on nodes and links connecting the nodes between the departure point and the destination at the step (d).

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising a step of detecting the present position of the mobile object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the navigation path and the revised navigation path are outputted either in the form of an audio signal or in the form of an image signal at steps (c) and (f).

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the revised path data are selected among the deviation-expected path data by inspecting which of the deviation-expected paths includes the present position at step (e).

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of storing the path data in the memory after the path data is received and retrieving the stored path data or the stored one or more deviation-expected paths from the memory while displaying the navigation path or the revised navigation path.