Route planning apparatus and method for navigation system

• US 8,560,227 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2009
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Feng, Kyte
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Amee A
• Application Number:
  US12/386,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20100268449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/206, 701/426, 701/467
• US Class Current: 701/426
• 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: G01C 21/3476 using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence

Abstract

A route planning system and method for a navigation system which allows the driver to intelligently plan the route when adding waypoints. The route planning navigation system includes a route planning processor which allows the driver to add and prioritize multiple POIs as waypoints. When one or more new waypoints are added, the driver is allowed to prioritize the waypoints if adding new waypoints does not significantly increase the cost of the route, and an optimized route is generated accordingly. In another aspect, if adding new waypoint significantly increases the cost of the route, a notifying message will be generated by the route planning processor so that the driver is able to make a decision whether to proceed to the new waypoint.

Claims

1. A navigation system for route planning and route guidance, comprising:

a display unit;

an information receiver configured to receive information about current location of a vehicle;

at least one database to store and provide maps, road networks, geographical features, and point-of-interest (POI) information; and

a route planning processor for calculating and determining a route between a destination and a current vehicle position,

wherein when a point is set up on a map unit via an input device after the route is generated by the route planning processor, the point is recognized as a waypoint on the route, and an optimized new route including the waypoint is generated by the route planning processor;

wherein the route planning processor comprises a computation unit, which is configured to generate routing information by calculating and comparing a distance of an existing route with a distance of the new route; and

wherein the notifying message is provided to the driver to decide whether to proceed to the new waypoint or POI when the route planning processor determines that adding the new waypoint or POI increases the distance of the route by a predetermined threshold value, according to routing information provided by the computation unit.

2. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein a notifying message is provided to a driver to prioritize the waypoints or POIs when the route planning processor determines that adding the new waypoint or POI does not increase the distance of the route by a predetermined threshold value, according to the routing information provided by the computation unit.

3. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein the optimized new route is generated by said route planning processor based on the driver'"'"'s preference in prioritizing the waypoints or POIs.

4. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein the computation unit calculates and compares the distance of every possible route and provides the routing information to the route planning processor to generate the optimized new route when the driver decides to proceed to the new waypoint or POI.

5. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein the predetermined threshold value of the distance increase is set by the navigation system or the driver.

6. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the route planning processor generates the route by incorporating the routing information, map and road network information retrieved from the database, and information of current vehicle position received by the information receiver from a global positioning system (GPS).