Navigation system, particularly for a motor vehicle

• US 8,954,273 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Neugebauer, Moritz, Seitz, Gordon, Schulz, Stefan, Gaus, Imke, Meyer, Oliver
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kan, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US13/531,716
• Publication Number:
  US 20120303275A1
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 701/426, 701/431, 701/532, 701/533, 701/538, 701/3, 701/452, 704/270, 704/251, 455/456.1, 340/995.14, 715/841, 715/781, 715/848
• US Class Current: 701/533
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3611 using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs character input methods in general G06F3/0233
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3614 through interaction with a road map, e.g. selecting a POI icon on a road map

Abstract

A navigation system, in particular for a motor vehicle, for determining a route to a destination, wherein the navigation system includes an input device for alphanumeric input of the destination and a display for displaying changing information and includes a processing unit for displaying potential destinations in a representation of a map by means of the display during input of the destination.

Claims

1. A navigation system for a motor vehicle for determining a route to a destination, the navigation system comprising:

an input device configured for an alphanumeric input of a destination name;

a display configured to display changing information; and

a processing unit configured to determine, as possible destinations, destinations with letters that match the alphanumeric input of less than the complete destination name, and to display a selection of said possible destinations as destination points in a map via the display during the input of the destination, and configured to determine, based on an input of an additional letter of the destination name, changed possible destinations and to display a selection of the changed possible destination points in the map via the display,

wherein a most likely destination is shown highlighted in the map.

2. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the navigation system further comprises a control element configured to select a destination in the map display.

12. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the selection of changed possible destinations displayed is updated as each additional letter is input.

3. A method for operating a navigation system for determining a route to a destination, the method comprising:

providing a navigation system comprising an input device configured for an alphanumeric input of a destination name, a display configured to display changing information, and a processing unit configured to display possible destinations in a map display;

displaying as destination points in a map in the map display, during the input of the destination name, a selection of possible destinations, wherein the possible destinations have letters that match the alphanumeric input of less than the complete destination name; and

based, at least in part, on input of an additional letter of the destination name, displaying, as changed destination points in a map on the display, a selection of the changed possible destinations,

wherein a most likely destination is shown highlighted in the map.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the selection comprises no more than 10 destinations.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the selection comprises most likely destinations.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein a narrower selection of the selection of possible destinations is displayed highlighted in the map display.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the narrower selection comprises most likely destinations.

8. The method according to claim 3, wherein a destination of the selection of the destinations shown in the map display is selected acoustically.

9. The method according to claim 3, wherein during and/or after the inputting of the destination, via the display, possible destinations are displayed in the map display and a shown destination is selected acoustically.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein a request for a repeated selection is output when the acoustic input could not be assigned to a destination.

13. The method according to claim 3, wherein the most likely destination is determined based on a nearness of a starting point, a location of the navigation system, or a size of the destination.

14. The method according to claim 3, wherein the mostly likely destination is highlighted by color, increased size, or animation.

11. A navigation system, comprising:

an input device configured for an alphanumeric input of a destination name;

a display configured to display changing information; and

a processing unit configured to display a selection of possible destinations as destination points in a map via the display during the alphanumeric input of the destination name, the selection of possible destinations being based on the input of the destination name and comprising possible destinations with letters that match the alphanumeric input of less than the complete destination name, and configured to change the selection of possible destinations and the corresponding display of the changed selection of destination points in a map via the display, based on input of an additional letter of the destination name,

wherein the processing unit is configured to determine which of the possible destinations is most likely the destination name based on a starting point, a location of the navigation system, or a size of the possible destinations and the processing unit is configured to highlight a most likely destination in the map display.