Vehicle navigation and route guidance system

• US 5,875,412 A
• Filed: 06/10/1997
• Issued: 02/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Sulich, Janusz S., Knockeart, Ronald P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US08/872,287
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/202, 701/207, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 701/213, 701/117, 73/178 R, 340/990, 340/988, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3611 using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs character input methods in general G06F3/0233
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096822 where the segments of the route are transmitted to the vehicle at different locations and times
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096894 where input is assisted by the navigation device, i.e. the user does not type the complete name of the destination, e.g. using zip codes, telephone numbers, progressively selecting from initial letters

Abstract

A vehicle navigation system 10 utilizing a wireless communications medium 74 for transmitting present position 77 and destination position 75 data to a central processing means 14 for generating a route. The central processing means generates a series of turn-by-turn routing vectors 82-87 comprising the route. The wireless communications medium transmits the turn-by-turn routing vectors to the vehicle for display either audibly or visually or both to the vehicle operator 34. A vehicle identification means can be used for updating the routing vectors upon subsequent transmissions.

Claims

1. A vehicle navigation system for directing a vehicle from its present position to a destination position, the system comprising:

an input device located in said vehicle for inputting by the vehicle operator a description of the destination position;

a GPS receiver in said vehicle for generating the geodetic coordinates of the present position of said vehicle;

invehicle information processor in said vehicle for receiving said geodetic coordinates of the present position of the vehicle and said description of the destination position and generating a transmission message therefrom including vehicle identification;

an out of vehicle central processor having a receiver, information processor, a transmitter, a map data base and a routing algorithm for generating one or more sequential routing vectors from the present position to the destination position and in response to said vehicle identification to store said routing vectors for recall in response to a subsequent transmission message having a different present position and the identical destination position and to update said routing vectors from said different present position to said destination position, each of said routing vectors and said updated vectors having a direction coordinate and a distance value;

wireless communications device operatively coupled to said invehicle information processor and operable to transmit said transmission message and said subsequent transmission message to said out of vehicle central processor and to transmit said one or more sequential routing vectors and said updated vectors to said invehicle information processor;

said invehicle information processor receives and stores said vectors; and

a display in said vehicle operatively connected to said invehicle information processor for displaying said vectors in sequence, in a turn by turn format to the destination position.

2. A method of vehicle navigation for directing a vehicle from its present position to a destination position, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting to an invehicle information processor a description of the destination position;

generating a GPS geodetic coordinate value in said vehicle information processor the present position of the vehicle;

generating a vehicle identification;

transmitting a transmission message having the geodetic coordinate of the present position of the vehicle, the description of the destination position and vehicle identification from the invehicle information processor to an out of vehicle central processor;

generating in the out of vehicle central processor having a receiver, information processor, a transmitter, a map data base and a routing algorithm, in response to the transmission message one or more sequential routing vectors from the present position to the destination position, each of said routing vectors having a direction coordinate and a distance value;

storing in the out of vehicle central processor in response to the vehicle identification, said one or more sequential routing vectors to said destination position;

transmitting a second transmission message comprising the sequential routing vectors from the out of vehicle central processor;

updating in response to a subsequent present position and the vehicle identification the stored sequential routing vectors to the destination position;

transmitting in response to said subsequent present position, a subsequent transmission message from the out of vehicle central processor comprising the updated stored sequential routing vectors;

storing said routing vectors in said invehicle information processor; and

sequentially displaying in the vehicle said routing vectors in a turn by turn mode a route from the present position to the destination position.

3. A vehicle navigation system for directing a vehicle from its present position to a destination position, the system comprising:

an invehicle processing information unit having a means for generating a vehicle identification;

a GPS for generating a present position of the vehicle;

means for generating a destination position;

an off site central processor having a map data base and a routing algorithm operatively connected to the map data base and capable of generating sequential routing vectors from the present position to the destination position forming a route, and in response to the vehicle identification storing said sequential routing vectors, each of said vectors having a direction coordinate and a distance value from the end of the previous vector;

means in said central processor responding to a succeeding transmission of the same vehicle identification and a different present position to update said stored routing vectors from said different present position to destination position;

wireless communications medium for transmitting the present, said different present and destination positions to said central processor, and said stored routing vectors and said updated vectors between the central processor and the invehicle processing information unit;

said invehicle processing information unit receives said vectors, measures the distance traveled along a vector by the vehicle and connects each sequential vector to the next succeeding vector at the end of the measured travel distance;

means for sequentially displaying in the vehicle said vectors in a turn by turn manner forming said route from the present or the different present position to the destination position.