Navigation method of mobile terminal and apparatus thereof

• US 9,103,692 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2010
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Cho, Chae-Guk, Choi, Sung-Ha, Lee, Yong-Hwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Tyler J
• Application Number:
  US12/819,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20110071758A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,877 Days
• Field of Search: 701/426, 701/428, 34099519-99528
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3685 the POI's being parking facilities

Abstract

A navigation method and apparatus of a mobile terminal displays only a particular point of interest (POI) existing by the roadside of a pre-set route when the POI is selected by the user, to thereby provide the user-selected POI without changing the route (or without re-searching the route). The navigation apparatus of a mobile terminal includes a display unit configured to display a route from a current location to a destination on map data, and a controller configured to search a first point of interest (POI) among the first POI located by the roadside of the route and a second POI located near the route, and display location information of the searched first POI on the display unit.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a display unit configured to display, on map data, a route from a current location to a destination; and

a controller configured to;

display a point of interest (POI) list associated with the route;

when one POI is selected from the displayed POI list, display a window inquiring about whether to search only a POI associated with the selected one POI existing by a roadside of the route;

when a first key of the window is selected, search, from the POI list associated with the route, only the POI associated with the selected one POI;

when a second key of the window is selected, search, from the POI list associated with the route, the POI associated with the selected one POI and POIs near the route; and

cooperate with the display unit to display roadside information associated with the searched POI,

wherein the roadside information indicates whether a location of the searched POI is close to a left roadside of the route or a right roadside of the route, and is displayed on a left or a right side of a roadside icon,

wherein the searched POI indicates a point where the route is not changed,

wherein the controller is further configured to;

display a virtual keypad having a plurality of keys on the display unit;

receive a POI name through the displayed virtual keypad;

display the received POI name on a first region of the virtual keypad;

search the received POI name from the POI list; and

display, on a second region of the virtual keypad, an icon indicating whether a location of the searched POI name is close to the left roadside of the route or the right roadside of the route while the searched POI name is displayed on the first region of the virtual keypad, and

wherein the controller is configured to automatically display the icon on the second region of the virtual keypad without selecting the displayed POI name.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an input unit configured to adjust according to POI information for providing an assisted POI search function.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein when a POI search is conducted using the input unit, the input unit includes a plurality of keys that become non-selectable according to the POI information.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein when a POI search is conducted using the input unit, the display unit further displays the roadside information associated with the searched POI obtained due to the POI search.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller searches the one POI according to a user request.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to display, on a right roadside of the route, an icon indicating a direction of the searched POI when the searched POI is close to the right roadside of the route, and to display, on a left roadside of the route, the icon indicating a direction of the searched POI when the searched POI is close to the left roadside of the route.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein when the icon indicating a direction of the searched POI is selected, the controller displays information of the searched POI.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein when a key for searching a POI is selected, the controller displays the virtual keypad on the display unit.

9. A navigation method comprising:

displaying, on a display unit, a route from a current location to a destination on map data;

displaying a point of interest (POI) list associated with the route;

when one POI is selected from the displayed POI list, displaying a window inquiring about whether to search only a POI associated with the selected one POI existing by a roadside of the route;

when a first key of the window is selected, searching, from the POI list associated with the route, only the POI associated with the selected one POI;

when a second key of the window is selected, searching, from the POI list associated with the route, the POI associated with the selected one POI and POIs near the route;

displaying roadside information associated with each of the searched POI, the roadside information indicates whether a location of the searched POI is close to a left roadside of the route or a right roadside of the route, and is displayed on a left or the right side of a roadside icon, wherein the searched POI indicates a point where the route is not changed;

displaying a virtual keypad having a plurality of keys on the display unit;

receiving a POI name through the displayed virtual keypad;

displaying the received POI name on a first region of the virtual keypad;

searching the received POI name from the POI list;

displaying, on a second region of the virtual keypad, an icon indicating whether a location of the searched POI name is close to the left roadside of the route or the right roadside of the route while the searched POI name is displayed on the first region of the virtual keypad; and

automatically displaying the icon on the second region of the virtual keypad without selecting the displayed POI name.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

adjusting an input unit according to a POI information for providing an assisted POI search function.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein when a POI search is conducted using the input unit, the input unit includes a plurality of keys that become non-selectable according to the POI information.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying the roadside information for the searched POI obtained due to a POI search when the POI search is conducted using the input unit.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising searching the at least one POI according to a user request.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein when the searched POI is close to the right roadside of the route, an icon indicating a direction of the searched POI is displayed on the right roadside of the route and when the searched POI is located at the left roadside of the route, the icon indicating a direction of the searched POI is displayed on the left roadside of the route.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

when the icon indicating a direction is selected, displaying information of the searched POI corresponding to the icon indicating a direction on the map data.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

when a key for searching a POI is selected, displaying the virtual keypad on the display unit.

17. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a display unit configured to display, on map data, a route from a current location to a destination; and

a controller configured to;

display a point of interest (POI) list associated with the route;

when one POI is selected from the displayed POI list, display a window inquiring about whether to search only a POI associated with the selected one POI existing by a roadside of the route;

when a first key of the window is selected, search, from the POI list associated with the route, only the POI associated with the selected one POI;

when a second key of the window is selected, search, from the POI list associated with the route, the POI associated with the selected one POI and POIs near the route; and

cooperate with the display unit to display turn-by-turn and roadside information of the searched POI along the roadside of the route, the roadside information indicates whether a location of the searched POI is close to a left roadside of the route or a right roadside of the route, and is displayed on a left or a right side of a roadside,

wherein the searched POI indicates a point where the route is not changed,

wherein the controller is further configured to;

display a virtual keypad having a plurality of keys on the display unit;

receive a POI name through the displayed virtual keypad;

display the received POI name on a first region of the virtual keypad;

search the received POI name from the POI list; and

display, on a second region of the virtual keypad, an icon indicating whether a location of the searched POI name is close to the left roadside of the route or the right roadside of the route while the searched POI name is displayed on the first region of the virtual keypad, and

wherein the controller is configured to automatically display the icon on the second region of the virtual keypad without selecting the displayed POI name.

18. A navigation method comprising:

displaying, on a display unit, a route from a current location to a destination on map data;

displaying a point of interest (POI) list associated with the route;

when one POI is selected from the displayed POI list, displaying a window inquiring about whether to search only a POI associated with the selected one POI existing by a roadside of the route;

when a first key of the window is selected, searching, from the POI list associated with the route, only the POI associated with the selected one POI;

when a second key of the window is selected, searching, from the POI list associated with the route, the POI associated with the selected one POI and POIs near the route;

displaying turn-by-turn and roadside information of the searched POI associated with the roadside of the route, the roadside information indicates whether a location of the searched POI is close to a left roadside of the route or a right roadside of the route, and is displayed on a left or a right side of a roadside icon without displaying the location of the searched POI, wherein the searched POI indicates a point where the route is not changed;

displaying a virtual keypad having a plurality of keys on the display unit;

receiving a POI name through the displayed virtual keypad;

displaying the received POI name on a first region of the virtual keypad;

displaying, on a second region of the virtual keypad, an icon indicating whether a location of the POI name inputted by the user is close to the left roadside of the route or the right roadside of the route while the searched POI name is displayed on the first region of the virtual keypad; and

automatically displaying the icon on the second region of the virtual keypad without selecting the displayed POI name.