Navigation system

• US 8,135,538 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2007
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom Navigation B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Geelen, Pieter, Ribbink, Alexander, Goddijn, Harold
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jen, Ian
• Application Number:
  US11/907,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20080189033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,616 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/207, 701/123, 701/209
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• 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 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle

Abstract

A portable navigation device is set out for calculating fuel related parameters and returning related data to the user of the device. The related data may include fuel cost of a particular calculated route. Additional data may include particular displays of information including a theoretical calculated volumetric amount of fuel used by a vehicle in traveling along a calculated route before, during or after completion of travel. Other displayed data includes a theoretical calculated financial cost of fuel used by the vehicle in traveling along the calculated route before, during or after completion of travel. Still further displayed data may include an optimal calculated route chosen from many possible calculated routes, the optimization occurring on account of the relative fuel cost of each of the calculated routes.

Claims

1. A personal navigation device comprising:

a processor to perform, by software installed on the personal navigation device, route calculation and subsequent navigation functions;

a graphical display;

a memory;

map data stored in said memory;

a user-input device; and

a signal receiver to receive one or more wireless signals so that the processor can determine a present location of the personal navigation device in conjunction with a user input desired destination information,

wherein said memory includes one or more fuel-related parameters, said route calculation function utilizes said one or more fuel related parameters to return fuel information representative of a fuel cost of a particular calculated route, repeating said route calculation function during navigation along the calculated route to return an updated fuel information representative of an updated fuel cost for a remaining portion of the calculated route, and subsequent to the selection of the calculated route, the graphical display displays map information and the fuel information together, and the map information and the updated fuel information together during the navigation along the calculated route.

2. The personal navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said one or more fuel-related parameters are input via the user-input device by a user of the personal navigation device.

3. The personal navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said one or more fuel-related parameters is one of actual fuel volume, actual fuel cost, average vehicle urban fuel consumption, and average vehicle extra-urban fuel consumption.

4. The personal navigation device according to claim 2, wherein said one or more fuel-related parameters in said memory of said personal navigation device are derived from the one or more fuel-related parameters input by the user.

5. The personal navigation device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a processor to update said one or more fuel-related parameters stored in memory by performing one or more averaging functions on said fuel related parameters with each additional entry said one or more fuel-related parameters input by the user.

6. The personal navigation device according to claim 2, wherein said personal navigation device prompts said user for fuel-related data entry at a time when said personal navigation device has been stationery for a time period at a location, the location being identified in said map data as substantially coinciding with a fuel station point of interest identified within on map data.

7. The personal navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the personal navigation device further comprises:

a receiver to receive wirelessly transmitted data including information regarding current fuel prices in one or more countries and of one or more fuel providers.