Method for operating a navigation system

• US 8,180,568 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2008
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Navigon AG (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Garmin Limited
• Inventors: Schmidt, Thorsten W.
• Primary Examiner(s): ALLEN, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US12/178,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20090037094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• Field of Search: 701200-226
• US Class Current: 701/437
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for operating a navigation system includes the following steps:

• a) computing a route from a starting point to a destination, wherein the route consists of a sequence of road segments and junctions between the road segments that is selected from a database, in which a geographic area is described in the form of road segments and junctions, with a route computation method,
• b) computing at least one maneuvering instruction that contains instructions for the user in order to follow the route from the current position, and
• c) computing and displaying a schematic maneuvering image on a display device, wherein the schematic maneuvering image graphically illustrates the maneuvering instructions in schematic form, wherein adjacent junctions that do not lie along the route and/or adjacent road segments that do not lie along the route and do not converge with a junction along the route are also analyzed during the computation of the schematic maneuvering image, wherein at least part of the adjacent road segments and/or adjacent junctions is illustrated in the schematic maneuvering image in addition to the maneuvering instruction that represents the route.

Claims

1. A method for operating a navigation system with the following steps:

a) computing, using a processor associated with the navigation system, a route from a starting point to a destination, wherein the route consists of a sequence of road segments and junctions between the road segments that is selected from a database of a geographic area including road segments and junctions, with a route computation method,

b) computing, on the processor, at least one maneuvering instruction that contains instructions for the user in order to follow the route from the current position, and

c) computing and displaying, on the processor, a schematic maneuvering image on a display device, wherein the schematic maneuvering image graphically illustrates the maneuvering instruction in schematic form;

wherein adjacent junctions that do not lie along the route and adjacent road segments that do not lie along the route and do not converge with a junction along the route are also analyzed during the computation of the schematic maneuvering image, wherein at least part of the adjacent road segments and adjacent junctions is illustrated in the schematic maneuvering image in addition to the maneuvering instruction that represents the route,

wherein junctions of the traffic circle and road segments of the traffic circle that do not lie along the route and road segments that do not form part of the traffic circle and converge with at least one junction of the traffic circle, including entrances and exits of the traffic circle that do not lie along the route, are also analyzed during the computation of the schematic maneuvering image for graphically illustrating a maneuver in a traffic circle in schematic form, wherein at least part of these junctions and road segments is also illustrated in the schematic maneuvering image,

wherein it is determined during the analysis of the junctions and road segments if a respective road segment consists;

a) of a two-way road with an entrance and an exit, or,

b) of a one-way road with an entrance or an exit;

wherein it is also determined during the analysis of the intersecting roads if the traffic circle features a plurality of one-way roads, wherein two one-way roads that extend in opposite directions closely adjacent to one another are jointly illustrated in the schematic maneuvering image in a paired fashion as a common radiating section analogous to a two-way road;

wherein an intermediate angle between a first radiating section that symbolizes an intersecting road and a second radiating section that jointly symbolizes two one-way roads analogous to a two-way road, corresponds to an average value of a first intermediate angle and a second intermediate angle, wherein the first intermediate angle is derived from the angle between the intersecting road and the first one-way road, and wherein the second intermediate angle is derived from the angle between the intersecting road and the second one-way road.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the road segments and junctions are illustrated in the schematic maneuvering image as radiating sections.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the schematic maneuvering image illustrates the second radiating section based on the intermediate angle.

4. The method according to claim 1, in which the position of the center of the traffic circle is derived from the data of the road segments and junctions that form part of the traffic circle and is taken into account in the computation and display of the schematic maneuvering image.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the X-coordinate of the center of the traffic circle is computed by adding all X-coordinates of the junctions and the road segments that form part of the traffic circle and dividing the sum by the number of junctions and road segments, and in that the Y-coordinate of the center of the traffic circle is computed by adding all Y-coordinates of the junctions and the road segments that form part of the traffic circle and dividing the sum by the number of junctions and road segments.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the two one-way roads are identified as closely adjacent to one another if the intermediate angle between the two one-way roads is smaller than a predefined limiting angle.