Navigation device communications with points of interest and update method

• US 8,843,310 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2009
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom Navigation B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Yakali, Hakan
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ramesh, Krishnan
• Application Number:
  US13/383,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20120265438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• US Class Current: 701/454
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3476 using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs

Abstract

This invention relates to a navigation device (200) comprising: a processor (210) for generating, from map data, a digital map for display to a user; a store (230) for said map data and data defining the location of points of interest on said digital map; and a display (240) for displaying said digital map to said user; characterised in that the navigation device (200) further comprises: a short-range radio transceiver (265) for receiving signals from and transmitting signals to computer systems that are each associated with a respective point of interest; and a wireless network control module (490) that is configured to energise said short-range radio transceiver (265) for the exchange of signals if a determined current location of said navigation device (200) is within wireless communications range of a point of interest. A method is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A navigation device comprising:

a processor for generating, from map data, a digital map for the display to a user;

a store for said map data and data defining the location of points of interest on said digital map;

a display for displaying said digital map to said user;

a short-range radio transceiver for receiving signals from and transmitting signals to computer systems that are each associated with a respective point of interest; and

a wireless network control module that is configured to energize said short-range radio transceiver for the exchange of signals having determined a current location of said navigation device is within wireless communications range of a point of interest, wherein the wireless network control module is configured to;

interrogate a database for points of interest and energizing said short-range radio transceiver having determined the current location of said navigation device is within wireless communications range of the point of interest,

wherein said interrogated database results in no information for the point of interest, energizing said short-range radio transceiver as said short-range radio transceiver is within wireless communications range of a point of interest of a predetermined type, and

connect to a computer system only having determined the navigation device has been stationary for at least a predetermined period of time.

2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless network control module is configured to energize said short-range radio transceiver for the exchange of signals having determined the current location of said navigation device is within wireless communications range of the point of interest that has said computer system associated with it.

3. The navigation device according to claim 2, wherein the processor is operable to compute a route from the current location of the navigation device to a closest point of interest that is associated with a received status signal.

4. The navigation device according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to generate navigation instructions for relaying to said user to guide said user along said route to said closest point of interest.

5. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said navigation device is permanently mounted in a vehicle.

6. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said navigation device comprises a Portable Navigation Device (PND) this is removable from a vehicle.

7. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said exchange of signals comprises a download of information from said computer system to said navigation device.

8. The navigation device according to claim 7, wherein said download of information comprises information to update previously stored information in said navigation device.

9. The navigation device according to claim 7, wherein the information comprises current traffic congestion information.

10. The navigation device according to claim 7, wherein the information comprises merchandising or advertising information.

11. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said short-range radio transceiver is configured to be capable of wireless LAN communications with said computer system.

12. The navigation device according to claim 11, wherein said short-range radio transceiver is configured to be capable of WiFi or WIMAX compatible communications.

13. A method for downloading content to a navigation device, the method comprising:

determining, by a processor, the location of the navigation device;

determining the location of a point of interest that is associated with a computer system that is capable of communicating wirelessly with a navigation device; and

energizing, by a wireless network control module, a short-range radio transceiver of said navigation device for the exchange of signals with said computer system having determined a current location of said navigation device is within wireless communications range of said point of interest, wherein

the wireless network control module is further configured to;

interrogate a database for points of interest and energizing said short-range radio transceiver having determined the current location of said navigation device is within wireless communications range of the point of interest,

wherein said interrogated database results in no information for the point of interest, energizing said short-range radio transceiver as said short-range radio transceiver is within wireless communications range of a point of interest of a predetermined type, and

connect to the computer system only having determined the navigation device has been stationary for at least a predetermined period of time.

14. A non-transitory computer software element embodied on a computer readable media comprising one or more software modules operable, upon being executed in an execution environment, to cause a processor of a navigation device to:

determine a current location of the navigation device;

determine a location of a point of interest that is associated with a computer system that is capable of communicating wirelessly with the navigation device; and

energize, by a wireless network control module, a short-range radio transceiver of said navigation device for the exchange of signals with said computer system having determined said current location of said navigation device is within wireless communications range of said point of interest, wherein

the wireless network control module is further configured to;

interrogate a database for points of interest and energizing said short-range radio transceiver having determined the current location of said navigation device is within wireless communications range of the point of interest,

wherein said interrogated database results in no information for the point of interest, energizing said short-range radio transceiver as said short-range radio transceiver is within wireless communications range of a point of interest of a predetermined type, and

connect to the computer system only having determined the navigation device has been stationary for at least a predetermined period of time.