Method and apparatus for displaying guidance for navigation system

• US 9,026,353 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2010
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tashiro, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): YU, ARIEL J
• Application Number:
  US12/713,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20110213548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,894 Days
• US Class Current: 701/400
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3658 Lane guidance

Abstract

This invention relates to a display method and apparatus in a navigation system. More specifically, this invention relates to a navigation-based method and apparatus to provide guidance information to a driver without repeatedly performing route recalculation when the driver makes slight deviation from the road he or she is travelling on. In one embodiment of the present invention, guidance information is displayed on a user interface without generating a route. For example, when a vehicle is travelling either on a freeway or a surface road, a distance indicator provides distance information to nearby freeway junctions or streets. In another embodiment, when the vehicle is deviated from a calculated route, a route deviation detecting unit may detect whether the vehicle is deviating from the calculated route to a predetermined extent. If not, the original calculated route will not be recalculated.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

means for detecting a vehicle'"'"'s current position, including lane basis information;

means for storing maps and road networks, including lane data;

means for providing guidance information on lane basis to the vehicle driver, communicatively coupled with the means for storing maps and road networks and the means for detecting the vehicle'"'"'s current position;

means for generating a route, communicatively coupled with the means for providing guidance information through a bus; and

means for displaying the current position of the vehicle and the guidance information,

wherein the means for providing guidance information is configured to match the vehicle'"'"'s current position with the maps and road networks on lane basis;

wherein the guidance information without a route is displayed when the vehicle is travelling on a road with multiple lanes, the guidance information including the road networks associated with another lane different from the lane which the vehicle is travelling on,

wherein the guidance information without route is displayed with additional information as guide option icons,

wherein the additional information comprises distance and complexity flags, and wherein the factor to determine the complexity includes;

freeway junction counts to destination, local street turn counts to destination, local street left turn versus right turn counts, and street and freeway junction counts.

2. The navigation system of claim 1,

wherein the means for providing guidance information is configured to send an instruction not to recalculate the route to the means for generating a route, upon receipt of lane change information from the means for detecting a vehicle'"'"'s current position, when the means for detecting route deviation indicates that the vehicle does not deviate from the route to a predetermined extent and is still travelling on the same route.

3. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein the means for providing guidance information includes a lane number determining unit to determine number of lanes according to the lane data stored in a database.

4. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein the guidance information includes a distance indicator which provides distance information from the vehicle'"'"'s current position to nearby freeway junctions of nearby streets.

5. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein the means for providing guidance information further includes a link determining unit to traverse all accessible road links from the vehicle'"'"'s current position.

6. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein the means for detecting a vehicle'"'"'s current position further comprises means for detecting route deviation of the vehicle to detect whether the vehicle deviates from a route to a predetermined extent.

7. The navigation system of claim 1, further comprising means for detecting a lane change of the vehicle.

8. A guidance display method, comprising the following steps of:

detecting a vehicle'"'"'s current position, including lane basis information;

storing maps and road networks, including lane data;

providing guidance information to the vehicle driver on a lane basis; and

displaying the current position of the vehicle and the guidance information, wherein a user interface displays the guidance information and the vehicle'"'"'s current position matching with the maps and road networks, without a route, wherein the guidance information without route is displayed with additional information as guide option icons,

wherein the additional information comprises distance and complexity flags, and wherein the factor to determine the complexity includes;

freeway junction counts to destination, local street turn counts to destination, local street left turn versus right turn counts, and street and freeway junction counts.

9. The guidance display method of claim 8,

wherein the step of providing the guidance information includes a step of sending an instruction not to recalculate the route, upon receipt of lane change information based on the step of detecting the vehicle'"'"'s current position, when the step for detecting route deviation indicates that the vehicle does not deviate from the route to a predetermined extent and is still travelling on the same route.

10. The guidance display method of claim 9, wherein the step of providing guidance information comprises the step of determining number of lanes according to the lane data stored in a database.

11. The guidance display method of claim 9, wherein the step of providing guidance information comprises the step of providing a distance indicator which provides distance information from the vehicle'"'"'s current position to nearby freeway junctions of nearby streets.

12. The guidance display method of claim 9 further comprises the step of generating a route.

13. The guidance display method of claim 12, wherein the step of detecting a vehicle'"'"'s current position comprises a step of detecting route deviation of the vehicle to detect whether the vehicle deviates from a route to a predetermined extent.

14. The guidance display method of claim 9, further comprising a step of detecting a lane change of the vehicle.

15. A display apparatus for a navigation system comprising:

a user interface;

a vehicle position detecting unit to detect a vehicle'"'"'s current position;

at least one database to store and provide maps and road networks, including lane data; and

a guidance providing unit to provide guidance information to a driver on a lane basis,

wherein the guidance providing unit is communicatively coupled with the database and the vehicle position detecting unit to match the vehicle'"'"'s current position with the lane data and display such information on the user interface without a route,

wherein the guidance information without route is displayed with additional information as guide option icons,

wherein the additional information comprises distance and complexity flags, and wherein the factor to determine the complexity includes;

freeway junction counts to destination, local street turn counts to destination, local street left turn versus right turn counts, and street and freeway junction counts.

16. The display apparatus of claim 15,

wherein the guidance providing unit sends an instruction not to recalculate the route, upon receipt of lane change information from the vehicle position detecting unit, when the route deviation detecting unit indicates that the vehicle does not deviate from the route to a predetermined extent and is still travelling on the same route.

17. The display apparatus of claim 16, wherein said guidance providing unit includes a lane number determining unit to determine number of lanes according to the lane data stored in a database.

18. The display apparatus of claim 16, wherein said guidance providing unit comprises a distance indicator which provides distance information from the driver'"'"'s current position to nearby freeway junctions of nearby streets.

19. The display apparatus of claim 16 further comprises a route generating unit.

20. The display apparatus of claim 19, wherein the vehicle position detecting unit further comprises a route deviation detecting unit to detect whether the vehicle deviates from a route to a predetermined extent.

21. The display apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a lane change detection unit to detect a lane change of the vehicle.