Navigation system for vehicle and navigation service method for the same

• US 9,336,682 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2010
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Kim, Min Suk, Oh, Chi Nam, Kim, Tae Soo, Ma, Young Eon
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US12/949,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,000 Days
• Field of Search: 701/34.3, 701/123, 701/112, 701/22, 701/429, 701/33, 701117-119, 701420-426, 701 19- 20, 701/532, 701/23.93, 340/450, 340/450.2, 340/457.4, 340/439, 123/339.14, 903902-903, 380/255, 455/403
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0295 by at least one leading vehicle of the fleet
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096816 where the complete route is transmitted to the vehicle at once
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096866 where the complete route is shown to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096888 where input information is obtained using learning systems, e.g. history databases

Abstract

A navigation system for a vehicle and a navigation method for the same are disclosed. The navigation system collects transportation information and fuel efficiency information from several source vehicles located in a specific region, generates an optimum route for the corresponding region, and informs a target vehicle having requested a navigation service of the optimum route, resulting in the implementation of more effective navigation service.

Claims

1. A navigation system for a vehicle comprising:

a receiver that receives transportation information and fuel efficiency information from one or more source vehicles located in a specific region;

a remote central processing unit (CPU) that generates navigation information of the specific region using the transportation information and the fuel efficiency information;

a transmitter that receives navigation information from the CPU, and transmits the received navigation information to a target vehicle; and

a database that accumulates the transportation information and the fuel efficiency information of the specific region and stores the accumulated information,

wherein the CPU provides the target vehicle with navigation information that is generated using real-time transportation information and real-time fuel efficiency information during a predetermined range from a start time to a predetermined time and provides the target vehicle with navigation information generated using transportation information and fuel efficiency information that is pre-stored in the database after the predetermined time.

2. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the CPU calculates a vehicle speed for each traveling direction of the one or more source vehicles, an average waiting time for each traveling direction of the one or more source vehicles, and an average fuel efficiency for each traveling direction of the one or more source vehicles using the transportation information and the fuel efficiency information, and generates the navigation information using the calculated information.

3. The navigation system according to claim 2, wherein the CPU, when a first route in which an average vehicle speed from a departure to a destination is excellent, is different from a second route in which fuel efficiency is excellent, informs the target vehicle of the first and second routes so that a vehicle driver is able to select one of the first and second routes.

4. The navigation system according to claim 2, wherein the CPU, when a plurality of identical routes are searched for in an operation for searching for a route on the basis of a distance from a departure to a destination, determines an optimum route using the transportation information and the fuel efficiency information.

5. The navigation system according to claim 4, wherein the CPU, when a first route in which an average vehicle speed from a departure to a destination is excellent, is different from a second route in which fuel efficiency is excellent, informs the target vehicle of the first and second routes so that a vehicle driver is able to select one of the first and second routes.

6. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the CPU additionally reflects geographical information of the specific region to generate the navigation information.

7. The navigation system according to claim 6, wherein the CPU, when a plurality of identical routes are searched for in the operation for generating the navigation information using the transportation information and the fuel efficiency information, determines an optimum route based on the geographical information.

8. The navigation system according to claim 7, wherein the geographical information includes information about a road slope.

9. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the CPU calculates an average fuel efficiency for each of the one or more source vehicles in a particular way according to a vehicle type of each of the one or more source vehicles.

10. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the CPU, upon receiving no transportation information and no fuel efficiency information from the source vehicles, generates the navigation information using the transportation information and the fuel efficiency information pre-stored in the database.

11. A navigation method for a vehicle by a navigation system comprising:

a) receiving a route search request for a specific region from a target vehicle by a receiver of the navigation system;

b) receiving transportation information and fuel efficiency information from source vehicles located in the specific region by the receiver;

c) generating navigation information using the transportation information and the fuel efficiency information by a remote central processing unit (CPU) of the navigation system;

d) transmitting the received navigation information to the target vehicle by a transmitter of the navigation system; and

e) accumulating the transportation information and the fuel efficiency information of the specific region and storing the accumulated information in a database,

wherein the CPU provides the target vehicle with navigation information that is generated using real-time transportation information and real-time fuel efficiency information during a predetermined range from a start time to a predetermined time and provides the target vehicle with navigation information generated using transportation information and fuel efficiency information that is pre-stored in the database after the predetermined time.

12. The navigation method according to claim 11, wherein the receiving step b) includes receiving information about a moving speed of each source vehicle located in the specific region, information about a crossroads waiting time of each source vehicle, information about fuel consumption of each source vehicle, and information about a moving distance of each source vehicle.

13. The navigation method according to claim 12, wherein the generating step c) includes:

calculating a vehicle speed for each traveling direction of the source vehicles, an average waiting time for each traveling direction and an average fuel efficiency for each traveling direction; and

generating the navigation information using the calculated information.

14. The navigation method according to claim 13, wherein the transmitting step d) includes:

when a first route in which an average vehicle speed from a departure to a destination is excellent, is different from a second route in which fuel efficiency is excellent, informing the target vehicle of the first and second routes so that a vehicle driver is able to select one of the first and second routes.