MOTOR VEHICLE NAVIGATION SYSTEM

• US 20070192021A1
• Filed: 01/08/2007
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Becker GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Becker GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Becker, Michael, Bahren, Frank, Schopp, Harald
• Granted Patent: US 7,668,648 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus to display a geographical picture on a screen (36) of a monitor (30), which is connected over a data bus (3) to a first computer (1). The invention specifies that the first computer (1) furnishes abstract data (a, c, f), determined on a geographical basis, to the data bus (3), and that these data (a, c, f) are processed in a second computer (31) situated in the monitor (30), for the visual display of a picture on the screen (36) of the monitor (30).

Claims

1. A navigation system for use in a motor vehicle, comprising:

a position sensor that that senses the geographic position of the navigation system and provides a first navigation system position signal indicative thereof;

a data bus;

a navigation computing unit that receives the first navigation system position signal, and transmits onto the data bus (i) a first position signal indicative of the position of a trip starting location, (ii) a second position signal indicative of a trip destination location, and (iii) the first navigation system position signal;

a monitor unit that includes

a memory device that includes map data;

a monitor computing unit that receives from the data bus (i) the first position signal, (ii) the second position signal and (iii) the received navigation system position signal, and accesses the memory device to generate initial image data including map data indicative of the trip starting location, the trip destination and the current position of the navigation system; and

a display device responsive to the image data, to display an initial image indicative of the image data;

where the navigation computing unit receives a second navigation position signal indicative of a new position of the navigation system and transmits the second navigation position signal over the data bus to the monitor computing unit, which generates revised image data including map data indicative of the trip starting location, the trip destination and the updated position of the navigation system, which is provided for display on the display device.

2. The navigation system of claim 1, where the position sensor comprises a global position satellite (GPS) receiver.

3. The navigation system of claim 2, where the first position signal and the second position signal each include longitude and latitude position data.

4. The navigation system of claim 1, where the navigation computing unit also transmits to the monitor computing unit via the data bus (iv) an instruction that a place symbol belongs at the map location associated with the trip starting location, and (v) an instruction that a place symbol belongs at the map location associated with the trip destination location.

5. The navigation system of claim 4, where the navigation computing unit also transmits to

the monitor computing unit via the data bus (vi) an instruction that a throughway runs between the trip starting location and the trip destination location.

6. The navigation system of claim 5, where the first and second position signals each include geographic data formatted in accordance with the WGS 84 Standard.

7. A motor vehicle navigation system, comprising:

a position sensor that that senses the geographical position of the navigation system and provides a first navigation system position signal indicative thereof;

a data bus;

a navigation computing unit that receives the first navigation system position signal, and transmits onto the data bus (i) a first position signal indicative of the position of a trip starting location, (ii) a second position signal indicative of a trip destination location, and (iii) the received navigation system position signal;

a road map memory device that includes map data;

means responsive to (i) the first position signal, (ii) the second position signal and (iii) the received navigation system position signal and the map data, for generating initial image data including map data indicative of the trip starting location, the trip destination and the current position of the navigation system; and

a display that displays an initial image indicative of the initial image data.

8. The motor vehicle navigation system of claim 7, where the navigation computing unit receives a second navigation position signal indicative of a new position of the navigation system and transmits the second navigation position signal over the data bus to the monitor computing unit, which generates revised image data including map data indicative of the trip starting location, the trip destination and the updated position of the navigation system, which is provided for display on the display.

9. The motor vehicle navigation system of claim 8, where the position sensor comprises a global position satellite (GPS) receiver.

10. The motor vehicle navigation system of claim 9, where the data bus comprises a Media Oriented Synchronous Transfer (MOST) bus.

11. The motor vehicle navigation system of claim 9, where the data bus comprises a Multi Media Link (MML) bus.

12. The motor vehicle navigation system of claim 7, where the navigation computing unit computes a travel route between the trip starting location and the trip destination, and transmits a signal indicative of the travel route to the means for generating over the data bus.

13. A method of generating an image for display by a motor vehicle navigation system that includes a navigation computing unit, a data bus and a monitor unit, comprising:

sensing the geographical position of the navigation system and providing a first navigation system position signal indicative thereof;

transmitting onto the data bus from the navigation computing unit (i) a first position signal indicative of the position of a trip starting location, (ii) a second position signal indicative of a trip destination location, and (iii) the first navigation system position signal;

receiving at the monitor unit the first position signal, the second position, and the first navigation system position signal;

generating, at the monitor unit, initial image data including map data indicative of the trip starting location, the trip destination location and the current position of the navigation system; and

displaying an initial image indicative of the initial image data.