Storage and visualization of points of interest in a navigation system

• US 8,688,367 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2007
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Mauderer, Hans Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US11/726,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20080027632A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,568 Days
• Field of Search: 701 23- 25, 701200-201, 701206-216, 701300-302, 701/400, 701408-410, 701424-426, 701/438, 701/450, 342/350, 342/352, 342355-356, 342450-451, 342457-458, 342463-465, 340988-994
• US Class Current: 701/409
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/102 using electrical means

Abstract

A navigation system accepts driver input that extends the navigation capabilities of the navigation system, while permitting the driver to navigate using a digital map that indicates vehicle position. The driver input may identify a new point of interest, an icon for the new point of interest, and location information for the new point of interest. The navigation system supplements a pre-configured navigation database with the driver input. During a subsequent trip, when the vehicle approaches the new point of interest, the navigation system alerts the driver of the new point of interest.

Claims

1. A method for navigation, comprising at least one processor for performing the steps of:

displaying a digital map on a display device;

displaying an indication of a location of a user on the digital map;

saving a representation of a point of interest during a first excursion in response to user selection of the point of interest from a class of points of interest displayed on the display device such that the point of interest is associated with the class, the representation adapted for display on the digital map;

determining whether the class is saved;

saving the class automatically as a new class of points of interest in response to a determination that the class is not saved such that the new class of points of interest is selectable for association with a subsequent point of interest; and

providing to the user on the digital map and during a second excursion the representation of the point of interest saved during the first excursion.

2. The method according to claim 1, where the representation of the point of interest corresponds to a present location of the user.

3. The method according to claim 1, where the representation of the point of interest corresponds to an arbitrary location in the digital map selected by the user.

4. The method according to claim 1, where the representation of the point of interest is selected by the user and saved by the user during navigation.

5. The method according to claim 1, where the representation of the point of interest is provided to the user if the user is within a predetermined distance of the point of interest.

6. The method according to claim 1, where the representation of the point of interest is associated with a location and is saved in a database.

7. The method according to claim 6, where the database further includes a navigation database and a symbol database.

8. The method according to claim 1 , where the representation of the point of interest is an icon displayed on the digital map, the icon being based on a digital photograph, a bitmap and/or a vector graphic.

9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising providing an indication to the user where the indication is provided in a form selected from the group consisting of audio tones, verbal messages, and visual indicia.

10. The method of claim l where the class is automatically saved as the new class of points of interest while in route during the first excursion.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having processor executable instructions to provide navigation to a user by performing the acts of:

displaying a digital map on a display device;

displaying an indication of a location of the user on the digital map;

saving a representation of a point of interest during a first excursion in response to user selection of the point of interest from a class of points of interest displayed on the display device such that the point of interest is associated with the class, the representation adapted for display on the digital map;

determining whether the class is saved;

saving the class automatically as a new class of points of interest in response to a determination that the class is not saved such that the new class of points of interest is selectable for association with a subsequent point of interest; and

providing to the user on the digital map and during a second excursion the representation of the point of interest saved during the first excursion.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 further comprising processor executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the act of saving the representation of the point of interest associated with a present location of the user.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 further comprising processor executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the act of saving the representation of the point of interest associated with an arbitrary location in the digital map, the arbitrary location selected by the user during navigation.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 further comprising processor executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the act of saving the representation of the point of interest selected by the user during navigation.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising processor executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the act of providing the representation of the point of interest if the user is within a predetermined distance of the point of interest.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising processor executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the act of saving the representation of the point of interest in a database along with an associated location.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising processor executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the act of displaying on the digital map the representation of the point of interest as an icon, the icon based on a digital photograph, a bitmap and/or a vector graphic.

18. A computer-readable storage medium having processor executable instructions to provide navigation to a user by performing the acts of:

displaying a digital map on a display device;

displaying an indication of a location of the user on the digital map;

saving, in a database during a first excursion, a representation of a point of interest corresponding to a present location of the user, the representation of the point of interest selected by the user from a listing of points of interest displayed on the display device during the first excursion, the representation of the point of interest adapted for display on the digital map;

associating a class with the point of interest;

determining whether the class is saved in the database;

saving the class in the database automatically as a new class of points of interest in response to a determination that the class is not saved in the database such that the new class of points of interest is selectable for association with a subsequent point of interest; and

providing to the user on the digital map and during a second excursion the representation of the point of interest saved during the first excursion if the user is within a predetermined distance of the point of interest.

19. A navigation system comprising:

a location subsystem configured to determine an actual position of the navigation system;

a database;

a processing subsystem coupled to the location subsystem and the database, and configured to receive information from an input subsystem;

the processing subsystem configured to store in the database a point of interest and an actual position associated with the point of interest, where the point of interest is selected by the user from a class of points of interest displayed on a display device such that the point of interest is associated with the class and where the point of interest is stored during navigation of a first portion of a trip;

the processing subsystem further configured to determine whether the class associated with the point of interest is saved in the database and, in response to a determination that the class is not saved in the database, to automatically save the class in the database as a new class of points of interest such that the new class of points of interest is selectable for association with a subsequent point of interest; and

an output interface operable to deliver a digital map and a representation of the point of interest on the digital map during a second portion of a trip if the user is within a predetermined distance of the point of interest.

20. The navigation system according to claim 19, where the input subsystem includes components selected from the group consisting of a haptic device, keyboard, touch screen, switch, button, and voice command system.

21. The navigation system according claim 19, further including a symbol database configured to store a symbol representing the point of interest and/or a class of points of interest, the symbol selected by the user and stored in the symbol database during navigation.

22. The navigation system according to claim 19, where the representation of the point of interest in the digital map is based on a digital photograph, a bitmap and/or a vector graphic.

23. The navigation system according to claim 19, where the representation of the point of interest corresponds to a present location of the user.

24. The navigation system according to claim 19, where the representation of the point of interest corresponds to an arbitrary location in the digital map selected by the user during navigation.