Method and apparatus for trajectory display

• US 8,630,802 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2009
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tomtom Global Content B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Green, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): EL CHANTI, HUSSEIN A
• Application Number:
  US12/736,708
• Publication Number:
  US 20110082637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• Field of Search: 701/400, 701408-412
• US Class Current: 701/431
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3476 using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3614 through interaction with a road map, e.g. selecting a POI icon on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3685 the POI's being parking facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/091 Traffic information broadcasting broadcasting communication H04H
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096888 where input information is obtained using learning systems, e.g. history databases
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/141 with means giving the indication of available parking spaces

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus including a display device for displaying graphical information; a processor arranged to control the display device to display the graphical information; a store for color mapping information, the information being representative of a relationship between orientation-related information of a trajectory and color; and a trajectory-color module for determining orientation-related information of a trajectory and a color according to the determined information and the color mapping information. In at least one embodiment, the processor is responsive to the trajectory-color module to control the display device to display a graphical element at least partly in the determined color.

Claims

1. An apparatus for displaying route data received from one or more navigation devices, comprising:

a display device to display graphical information including one or more trajectories, each trajectory indicating a route travelled by said one or more navigation devices;

a processor arranged to control the display device to display the graphical information;

a store for colour mapping information, said colour mapping information being representative of a relationship between orientation-related information of a trajectory and colour, the orientation information comprising an angle and/or gradient; and

a trajectory-colour module to determine orientation-related information of a trajectory and related colour according to the colour mapping information, said processor being responsive to the trajectory-colour module to control the display device to display a graphical element at least partly in the determined colour, wherein the determined colour provides an indication of a direction of movement or heading of a navigation device on the relevant part of said trajectory.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each trajectory comprises one or more vectors, and wherein the trajectory-colour module is arranged to determine the orientation-related information as an angle between each vector related to the trajectory and a reference vector.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gradient is a vector related to the trajectory.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the colour mapping information comprises a plurality of colours selected to represent a plurality of reference information values, wherein interposing information values are assigned a colour determined as a mixture of the adjoining colours.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the colour mapping information is held in the store as one of a look-up table or one or more equations.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the trajectory-colour module is arranged to determine the orientation-related information of the trajectory based upon a tangent to a point on the trajectory or between at least first and second points on the trajectory.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the points are indicative of geographical locations of an entity.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the graphical element is one of the vector linking the first and second reference points, or a local colour of a trajectory.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a portable navigation device comprising a receiver to receive data from a server, wherein the trajectory-colour module is arranged to determine the orientation-related information of the trajectory from the received data.

10. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the trajectory-colour module displays each vector of the trajectory in a corresponding determined colour.

11. A graphical display method for displaying, on a display device, route data received from one or more navigation devices, comprising:

determining orientation-related information of a trajectory, wherein the trajectory indicates a route travelled by said one or more navigation devices, the orientation-related information comprising an angle and/or gradient;

determining a colour corresponding to the orientation-related information; and

displaying a graphical element on the display device at least partly in the determined colour, wherein the determined colour provides an indication of a direction of movement or heading of a navigation device on the relevant part of said trajectory.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each trajectory comprises one or more vectors and wherein the orientation-related information is a direction of the trajectory determined as an angle between each vector related to the trajectory and a reference vector.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the gradient is a vector related to the trajectory.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the colour comprises looking-up the colour corresponding to the information in a look-up table stored in a memory, or calculating one or more colour values corresponding to the information.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving information from one or more devices indicative of a location of each device in a coordinate system, wherein the trajectory is determined between successive locations of a device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each trajectory is formed by one or more graphical elements in the determined colour.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein each vector of the trajectory is displayed in a corresponding determined colour.