NAVIGATION SYSTEM WITH SPEED MONITORING MECHANISM AND METHOD OF OPERATION THEREOF

• US 20110161004A1
• Filed: 12/29/2009
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TeleNav Incorporated
• Original Assignee: TeleNav Incorporated
• Inventors: Chao, Yi-Chung
• Granted Patent: US 8,364,392 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09626 where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map

Abstract

A method of operation of a navigation system includes: calculating a safe speed for a travel path; calculating a user'"'"'s speed along the travel path; and calculating a difference value between the user'"'"'s speed and the safe speed for displaying on a device.

Claims

1. A method of operation of a navigation system comprising:

calculating a safe speed for a travel path;

calculating a user'"'"'s speed along the travel path; and

calculating a difference value between the user'"'"'s speed and the safe speed for displaying on a device.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

setting a buffer zone around the safe speed; and

changing a display for the difference value based on the user'"'"'s speed outside the buffer zone.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising generating an override speed for overriding the safe speed with a location condition from a sensor physically proximate to the device.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

generating an override speed for overriding the safe speed with the location condition from a sensor physically proximate to the device; and

wherein calculating the difference value includes;

selecting the safe speed or the override speed, whichever is lower; and

subtracting the user'"'"'s speed from the safe speed or the override speed, whichever is lower.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein calculating the difference value between the user'"'"'s speed and the safe speed for displaying on the device includes:

selecting a user icon for representing the user'"'"'s speed;

selecting a virtual companion icon for representing the safe speed; and

displaying the virtual companion icon relative to the user icon based on the difference value.

6. A method of operation of a navigation system comprising:

calculating a safe speed along a travel path;

calculating a user'"'"'s speed along the travel path;

setting a buffer zone around the safe speed;

changing a display for a difference value based on the user'"'"'s speed outside the buffer zone;

generating an override speed with a location condition from a sensor physically proximate to a device;

overriding the safe speed with the override speed; and

calculating the difference value between the safe speed or the override speed and the user'"'"'s speed for displaying on the device.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein calculating the safe speed for the travel path includes:

setting the safe speed to a speed limit;

setting a lower bound of the safe speed; and

lowering the safe speed below the speed limit along the travel path while not going lower than the lower bound of the safe speed.

8. The method claimed as in claim 6 wherein setting the buffer zone around the safe speed includes:

downloading an accident indicator;

downloading a traffic condition; and

setting a lower bound of the safe speed to minimize the risk of an accident based on the accident indicator and the traffic condition.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein calculating the difference value includes:

selecting the safe speed or the override speed, whichever is lower; and

subtracting the user'"'"'s speed from the safe speed or the override speed, whichever is lower.

10. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein calculating the difference value between the safe speed or the override speed and the user'"'"'s speed for displaying on the device includes:

depicting a bar graph for the safe speed or the override speed;

depicting the user'"'"'s speed on the bar graph;

depicting the buffer zone on the bar graph; and

displaying the difference value on the bar graph with the relative positions of the safe speed or the override speed and the user'"'"'s speed.

11. A navigation system comprising:

a safe speed module for calculating a safe speed for a travel path;

a user'"'"'s speed module, coupled to the safe speed module, for calculating a user'"'"'s speed along the travel path;

a difference module, coupled to the safe speed module, for calculating a difference value between the safe speed and the user'"'"'s speed; and

a display module, coupled to the difference module, for depicting the difference value.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the display module for setting a buffer zone around the safe speed and for changing a display for the difference value based on the user'"'"'s speed outside the buffer zone.

13. The system as claimed in claim 11 further comprising an override module, coupled to the safe speed module, for generating an override speed for overriding the safe speed with a location condition from a sensor physically proximate to the device.

14. The system as claimed in claim 11 further comprising:

an override module, coupled to the safe speed module, generating an override speed for overriding the safe speed with the location condition from a sensor physically proximate to the device; and

wherein;

the difference module is for calculating the difference value by selecting the safe speed or the override speed, whichever is lower, and for subtracting the user'"'"'s speed from the safe speed or the override speed, whichever is lower.

15. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein:

the display module for selecting a user icon for representing the user'"'"'s speed and selecting a virtual companion icon for representing the safe speed; and

further comprising;

the display interface for displaying the virtual companion icon relative to the user icon based on the difference value.

16. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein:

the display module is for setting a buffer zone around the safe speed and changing a display for the difference value based on the user'"'"'s speed outside the buffer zone; and

further comprising;

an override module is for generating an override speed with a location condition from a sensor physically proximate to a device and overriding the safe speed with the override speed.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the safe speed module for setting the safe speed to a speed limit, setting a lower bound of the safe speed, and lowering the safe speed below the speed limit along the travel path while not going lower than the lower bound of the safe speed.

18. The system as claimed in claim 16 further comprising:

a control unit for downloading an accident indicator and for downloading the traffic condition; and

wherein;

the safe speed module is for setting a lower bound of the safe speed to minimize the risk of an accident based on the accident indicator and the traffic condition.

19. The system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the difference module is for selecting the safe speed or the override speed, whichever is lower, and for subtracting the user'"'"'s speed from the safe speed or the override speed, whichever is lower.

20. The system as claimed in claim 16 wherein:

the display module is for depicting a bar graph for the safe speed or the override speed, for depicting the user'"'"'s speed on the bar graph, for depicting the buffer zone on the bar graph; and

the display interface is for displaying the difference value on the bar graph with the relative positions of the safe speed or the override speed and the user'"'"'s speed.