Navigation method of mobile terminal and apparatus thereof

• US 8,583,364 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2010
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Paik, Woo-Hyun, Kim, Kyoung-Hwa, Lee, Han-Sung
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): TESTARDI, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US12/819,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• Field of Search: 701/425, 701/450, 701/451, 701/461, 701/523
• US Class Current: 701/425
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/32 Structuring or formatting of map data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3815 Road data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3837 Data obtained from a single source

Abstract

A navigation method and apparatus of a mobile terminal capture an image of a road on which a driver is driving a vehicle if the road is a new road which has not been updated on map data, automatically generates guidance information of the captured road, and provide a user preference route in searching a route from a current location to a destination to thereby enhance user satisfaction. The navigation apparatus of a mobile terminal includes a storage unit configured to store map data, a display unit configured to display a route from a current location to a destination on the map data, and a controller configured to store locus information of a vehicle in real time when the vehicle gets off of the route and gives a weight value to a link corresponding to the locus information.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus for use with a transportation device, the apparatus comprising:

a storage unit configured to store map data;

a display unit configured to display the map data and a route from a current location to a destination on the map data;

an image capturing unit for capturing an image of a road; and

a controller configured to receive the captured image and determine therefrom whether or not the transportation device is on an unmapped road based on an indication that the transportation device is on a road not reflected in the map data, to obtain unmapped road information and road guidance information for the unmapped road based on the determination result, and to store the unmapped road information and the road guidance information for the unmapped road as part of the map data, to check the number of times that the transportation device gets off of the route, to store locus information when the transportation device gets off the route, and when the number of times that the transportation device gets off of the route is larger than a pre-set number, the controller gives a weight value to the link or links corresponding to the locus information, wherein the weight value is a value for setting the locus information as a preferred route.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to store the locus information of the transportation device with the corresponding weight value-given link or links as the preferred route in the storage unit.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to display a window inquiring whether to travel along the preferred route on the display unit when a vehicle gets off of the route.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to display a window showing the route and the preferred route on the map data when the transportation device gets off of the route.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to delete the window showing the route and the preferred route when a pre-set time lapses.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to check whether or not a current time is a road congested time slot of the preferred route when the transportation device gets off of the route, and when the current time is not the road congested time slot of the preferred route, the controller is configured to display the window showing the route and the preferred route on the map data.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to delete the stored locus information when the number of times that the transportation device gets off of the route is smaller than the pre-set number.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a camera for capturing an image of a locus of the transportation device when the transportation device gets off of the route,

wherein the controller is configured to store the captured image in the storage unit and to generate road guidance information corresponding to the locus of the transportation device based on the image which has been captured by the camera.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a camera for capturing an image of a locus of the transportation device when the transportation device gets off of the route,

wherein the controller is configured to store the captured image in the storage unit and to generate the road guidance information corresponding to the locus of the transportation device based on a voice signal of the user.