Turn-by-turn navigation system with enhanced turn icon

• US 20050273252A1
• Filed: 05/21/2004
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Nix, Axel, Gellatly, Andrew W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,546,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for generating turn instructions on a turn-by-turn navigation system. The turn instructions can include a turn icon as well as visual and audio prompts. A countdown bar is typically embedded within the turn icon to provide upcoming turn information in intuitive graphic form, in order to reduce driver distraction. The turn-by-turn navigation system can generally be produced more economically than a typical premium system having a full complement of costly features, such as a color map display. Moreover, the turn-by-turn navigation system can be configured with only those features deemed most useful to a broad-based market segment, in order to further reduce manufacturing costs.

Claims

1. A method of providing turn information to a driver on a display associated with a turn-by-turn navigation system in a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

graphically generating a turn icon on the display; and

graphically embedding a countdown bar within the displayed turn icon, wherein the countdown bar is progressively highlighted as the vehicle approaches a turn point.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein voice prompts are synchronized with the progressive highlighting of the countdown bar.

3. A turn-by-turn navigation system for a vehicle, comprising:

a control unit having a visual display and destination selection controls;

a processor electrically coupled to the control unit and configured to receive destination selections from the control unit;

a database comprising road-network/address information and configured to input database information to the processor; and

a vehicle location apparatus configured to input vehicle location data to the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to calculate a turn-by-turn route to a selected destination, based on a received destination selection from the control unit and on received road-network/address information from the database, and wherein the processor is further configured to generate instructions and a turn icon image having an embedded countdown bar on the visual display, wherein the embedded countdown bar is progressively highlighted as the vehicle approaches a turn point.

4. The navigation system of claim 3, wherein voice prompts are synchronized with the visual turn instructions on the display.

5. A turn-by-turn navigation system for a vehicle having a visual display, comprising:

a turn icon image on the visual display, the turn icon image having an embedded countdown bar, wherein the countdown bar is progressively highlighted as the vehicle approaches a turn point.

6. A display for providing directions toward a waypoint for a vehicle having an audio system, the display comprising:

a navigational information portion providing textual data related to the waypoint;

an audio information portion providing information relating to the audio system; and

a directional arrow graphically representing the directions to the waypoint.

10. A navigation system for directing a vehicle toward a destination, the navigation system comprising:

a vehicle location apparatus configured to determine a location of the vehicle;

a database containing route information;

a processor configured to receive the location from the vehicle location apparatus and to compute a route from the location to the destination, the route comprising at least one waypoint; and

a display in communication with the processor to produce a graphical image of at least a portion of the route, wherein the graphical image comprises a turn icon comprising an arrow representing a path from the location of the vehicle to the at least one waypoint, and wherein the display is further configured to progressively highlight the arrow as the vehicle approaches the waypoint.

7. The display of claim 10 wherein the directional arrow is progressively highlighted as the vehicle approaches the waypoint.

8. The display of claim 10 wherein the directional arrow is shaped to represent a turning direction for the vehicle to reach the waypoint.

9. The display of claim 10 wherein the audio information is in the form of voice prompts synchronized with the graphic representations of the directional arrow.