Mobile vehicle navigation method and apparatus thereof

• US 8,751,155 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2009
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Jin-Sang
• Primary Examiner(s): SUAREZ, ERNESTO A
• Application Number:
  US12/434,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20100082232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,866 Days
• Field of Search: 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 701/212, 701/410, 701/411, 701/412, 701/425, 701/428, 701/429, 340/995.1, 340/995.14, 340/995.15, 340/995.16, 340/995.22, 340/995.23
• US Class Current: 701/425
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635

Abstract

A method of controlling a vehicle navigation apparatus included in a vehicle, and which includes displaying road guidance information on a touch screen display of the vehicle navigation apparatus and including a set travel route from a current position of a vehicle to a destination, determining, via a controller, whether a particular road displayed on the road guidance information has been drawn on, said particular road corresponding to a road that is different than a road included in the set travel route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination, and setting, via the controller, a road matched to the particular road that has been drawn on as a detour.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a vehicle navigation apparatus included in a vehicle, the method comprising:

displaying, via a controller, a map on a touch screen display of the vehicle navigation apparatus;

displaying, via the controller, road guidance information on the map and including a set travel route from a current position of a vehicle to a destination;

receiving, via the controller, a user input corresponding to a request for magnifying or reducing the map for setting a detour road;

magnifying or reducing, via the controller, the map based on the user input;

receiving, via the controller, an input corresponding to a request for beginning a detour operation;

fixing, via the controller, the magnified or reduced map displayed on the touch screen display upon receiving the input corresponding to the received request for beginning the detour operation;

determining via the controller, whether a line has been drawn on the fixed map, said line being different than a road included in the set travel route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination;

determining, via the controller, a current speed of the vehicle;

finding, via the controller, a plurality of roads that match the drawn line;

automatically setting, via the controller, a road closest to a pre-set travel road as the detour road among the plurality of found roads;

determining, via the controller, a vehicle speed limit for setting the detour road;

comparing, via the controller, the vehicle speed limit with the determined current speed of the vehicle; and

distinctively displaying, via the controller, the set road as the detour road only when the comparing step determines the current speed of the vehicle is less than the vehicle speed limit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting the road as the detour further comprises:

searching a memory including the displayed road guidance information for the plurality of roads that match with the drawn line.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the searching step further comprises:

displaying the found plurality of roads that match the drawn line;

receiving a selection signal corresponding to a selection of one of the displayed plurality of found roads; and

setting the selected one of the plurality of found roads as the detour.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the distinctively displaying step distinctively displays the set road with at least one of a predetermined color, a solid line, a dotted line and a blinking or flashing line.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step determines a particular road has been drawn on when the line is drawn along the particular road, a loop or partial loop is drawn around at least a portion of the particular road, the particular road is touched twice in a double touch manner, or a beginning and ending portion of the particular road is touched simultaneously or in a successive manner.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the input corresponding to the request for beginning the detour operation comprises one of a selection of a soft touch key displayed with the road guidance information, a selection of a physical key, a voice command and a proximity touching operation.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a GPS (Global Positioning System) signal, and generating first location data of the vehicle based on the received GPS signal;

generating second location data based on a travel direction and speed of the vehicle;

generating a vehicle estimated location based on the first and second location data;

matching the vehicle estimated location with a map matching link;

generating the road guidance information based on results of the matching step;

displaying the road guidance information.

8. A vehicle navigation apparatus, comprising:

a touch screen display unit configured to display a map and road guidance information including a set travel route from a current position of a vehicle to a destination; and

a controller configured to;

receive a user input corresponding to a request for magnifying or reducing the map for setting a detour road;

magnify or reduce the map based on the user input;

receive an input corresponding to a request for beginning a detour operation;

fix the magnified or reduced map displayed on the touch screen display upon receiving the input corresponding to the received request for beginning the detour operation;

determine whether a line has been drawn on the fixed map, said line being different than a road included in the set travel route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination;

determine a current speed of the vehicle;

find a plurality of roads that match the drawn line;

automatically set a road closest to a pre-set travel road as the detour road among the plurality of found roads;

determine a vehicle speed limit for setting the detour road;

compare the vehicle speed limit with the determined current speed of the vehicle; and

control the display unit to distinctively display the set road as the detour road only when the determined current speed of the vehicle is less than the vehicle speed limit.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to search a memory including the displayed road guidance information for the plurality of roads that match the drawn line.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display unit to display the found plurality of roads that match the drawn line, to receiving a selection signal corresponding to a selection of one of the displayed plurality of found roads, and to set the selected one of the plurality of found roads as the detour.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display unit to distinctively display the set road with at least one of a predetermined color, a solid line, a dotted line and a blinking or flashing line.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a particular road has been drawn on when the line is drawn along the particular road, a loop or partial loop is drawn around at least a portion of the particular road, the particular road is touched twice in a double touch manner, or a beginning and ending portion of the particular road is touched simultaneously or in a successive manner.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the input corresponding to the request for beginning the detour operation comprises one of a selection of a soft touch key displayed with the road guidance information, a selection of a physical key, a voice command or a proximity touch.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a Global Position System (GPS) module configured to receive a GPS signal, and to generate first location data of the vehicle based on the received GPS signal,

wherein the controller is further configured to generate second location data based on a travel direction and speed of the vehicle, to generate a vehicle estimated location based on the first and second location data, to match the vehicle estimated location with a map matching link, to generate the road guidance information based on results of the matching step, and to control the display unit to display the road guidance information.