Vehicle navigation display

• US 20060074553A1
• Filed: 10/01/2004
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Sakalowsky, John Michael, Foo, Edwin W., McBrine, Thomas E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,430,473 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/212
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker

Abstract

A mobile navigation system includes a graphical display for presentation of map information. Map features are selected for presentation on a display. Characteristics for display are also selected. The characteristics for display include a scale for display that varies across the display. An image for display is generated from the selected features according to a selected scale.

Claims

1. A method for display of information for a mobile navigation system comprising:

selecting map features for presentation on a display;

selecting characteristics for display, the characteristics for display including a scale for display that varies across the display; and

generating an image for display from the selected features according to the selected characteristics.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting at least some of the features is performed according to a level of detail of each feature.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the map features include at least one of a road segment, a point of interest, a traffic signal, a geographic feature, and a political region.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the characteristics for display include a level of detail.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the level of detail varies across the display.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the characteristics for display include a degree of highlighting that varies across the display.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the degree of highlighting includes a degree of image intensity.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the degree of highlighting includes a degree of image color saturation.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the selecting of the characteristics for display is repeated at different locations of the mobile navigation system.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the mobile navigation system is associated with a vehicle, and the selecting of the characteristics for display is repeated as the vehicle travels over a road network.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the method provides an increasing level of detail as the vehicle approaches a predetermined location in the road network.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the predetermined location in the road network includes a location of a planned maneuver for the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the selecting of the characteristics for display includes using factors that include at least one of a position of a vehicle, a path of a route for the vehicle, a location of a maneuver on the route, and a distribution of features.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the selecting of the characteristics for display includes selecting at least one of a greater level of detail and a larger scale for a region near the vehicle as compared to a region relatively farther away from the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the selecting of the characteristics for display includes selecting at least one of a greater level of detail and a larger scale for a region near the path of the route as compared to a region relatively farther away from the path.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the selecting of the characteristics for display includes selecting at least one of a greater level of detail and a larger scale for a region near a maneuver on the route as compared to a region relatively farther away from the maneuver.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the selecting of the characteristics for display includes selecting at least one of a greater level of detail and a larger scale for a region with a relatively greater number of features as compared to a region with a relatively fewer number of features.

18. A vehicle navigation system comprising:

a display;

a storage for holding map data; and

a controller coupled to the display and to the storage and configured to

select map features from the map data for presentation on a display,

select characteristics of an image for presentation on the display, the characteristics including a scale for display that varies across the display, and

generate the image from the selected features according to the selected characteristics.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein selecting at least some of the features is performed according to a level of detail of each feature.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the map features include at least one of a road segment, a point of interest, a traffic signal, a geographic feature, and a political region.

21. Software stored on a computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing a data processing system to:

select map features for presentation on a display;

select characteristics for display, the characteristics for display including a scale for display that varies across the display; and

generate an image for display from the selected features according to the selected characteristics.

22. A method for display of information for a mobile navigation system comprising:

selecting characteristics for display according to a distribution of features in a map database; and

generating an image for display of a map according to the selected characteristics.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the characteristics for display are further selected according to a distribution of features of planned route.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein selecting the characteristics for display is performed according to a spatial density of the features.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein selecting the characteristics for display includes selecting a relatively larger scale for a higher density of features than for a lower density of features.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein selecting the characteristics for display is performed according to a density of the map features along a route.

27. The method of claim 22 wherein selecting the characteristics for display includes selecting a scale for display.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein selecting the scale for display includes selecting a scale for display that varies across the image.

29. The method of claim 22 wherein selecting the characteristics for display includes selecting detail for display.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein selecting the detail for display includes selecting a level of detail for display that varies across the image.

31. A mobile navigation system comprising:

a display;

a storage for holding a map database; and

a controller coupled to the display and to the storage and configured to

select characteristics for display according to a distribution of features in the map database, and

generate an image for presentation of a map on the display according to the selected characteristics.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the selecting of the characteristics for display is further performed according to a distribution of features of a planned route.

33. The system of claim 31 wherein selecting the characteristics for display is performed according to a spatial density of the features.

34. Software stored on a computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing a data processing system to:

select characteristics for display according to a distribution of features in a map database; and

generate an image for display of a map according to the selected characteristics.

35. A method for presenting information in a moving vehicle comprising:

identifying a location of the vehicle and a travel route on a road network;

selecting map features that are upcoming on the travel route according to the identified location of the vehicle, wherein the selected map features include at least one of a cross street to the travel route, a point of interest on the travel route, a traffic signal on the travel route, and a geographic feature in the proximity of the travel route; and

presenting a list of identifications of the selected map features in the vehicle.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein selecting the map features includes selecting the map features associated with a portion of the travel route not yet traversed by the vehicle.

37. The method of claim 35 wherein selecting the map features includes selecting features with a limited range along the portion of the travel route not yet traversed.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein selecting the map features includes selecting features prior to a planned maneuver on the travel route.

39. The method of claim 35 wherein presenting the list of identifications of the selected features includes presentation of associated ranges to the selected features.

40. The method of claim 35 wherein presenting the list of identifications of the selected features includes presenting the identifications according to an order associated with distance along the travel route.

41. The method of claim 35 wherein the travel route comprises a planned route.

42. The method of claim 35 wherein the travel route comprises an expected route.

43. A mobile navigation system comprising:

a display;

a storage for holding map data; and

a controller coupled to the display and to the storage and configured to

determine a location of the vehicle and a travel route on a road network,

select map features from the map data that are upcoming on the travel route according to the identified location of the vehicle, wherein the selected map features include at least one of a cross street to the travel route, a point of interest on the travel route, a traffic signal on the travel route, and a geographic feature in the proximity of the travel route, and

present a list of identifications of the selected map features in the vehicle on the display.

44. Software stored on a computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing a data processing system to:

determine a location of a vehicle and a travel route on a road network;

select map features that are upcoming on the travel route according to the identified location of the vehicle, wherein the selected map features include at least one of a cross street to the travel route, a point of interest on the travel route, a traffic signal on the travel route, and a geographic feature in the proximity of the travel route, and

present a list of identifications of the selected map features.