Method and system for providing instructions about tollways with a navigation system

• US 6,278,935 B1
• Filed: 07/23/1999
• Issued: 08/21/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Navteq B.V.
• Original Assignee: Navigation Technologies Corp. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaplan, Lawrence M., Kozak, Frank J.
• Primary Examiner(s): LOUIS JACQUES, JACQUES H
• Application Number:
  US09/360,420
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 701/208, 701/117, 235/384, 235/380, 235/375, 235/462.15, 235/378, 340/928, 340/933, 340/923, 340/942, 340/937, 340/996, 340/901, 340/905, 705/13, 705/412, 705/417
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

A navigation system provides a user thereof with warnings or advisories about toll gates that require exact change. The warnings or advisories are provided when the navigation system calculates a solution route to a destination specified by the user. The warnings or advisories are also provided when the user queries the navigation system about a particular specified portion of a road. The navigation system uses a geographic database that includes data about roads in a geographic region. The geographic database includes data about toll gates located along portions of roads including data about whether a toll gate along a portion or a road requires exact change.

Claims

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

accepting a request from a vehicle driver to calculate a solution route to a destination indicated by the vehicle driver;

accessing a geographic database that contains information about whether exact change is required at toll gates; and

advising the vehicle driver that exact change is required at a toll gate located along the solution route.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

in conjunction with the step of advising the vehicle driver that exact change is required at a toll gate located along the solution route, offering to calculate an alternative route.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

after advising the operator about said exact change, accepting a request from the vehicle driver to calculate an alternative route; and

calculating a new solution route that does not include driving to a toll gate at which exact change is required.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said navigation system is an in-vehicle system.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

transmitting a first message from the vehicle to a server, wherein the message indicates that said driver has been provided with driving instructions that direct the driver to drive to a toll gate;

on a database associated with said server, querying whether said toll gate requires exact change; and

transmitting a second message from said server to said vehicle indicating whether said toll gate requires exact change.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

in conjunction with the step of advising the vehicle driver that exact change is required at said toll gate, advising the vehicle driver that change can be obtained at a toll gate located before the toll gate at which exact change is required.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing the vehicle driver with driving instructions to follow the solution route.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of advising the vehicle driver is provided with a visual warning message on a display panel of the navigation system.

26. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of advising the vehicle driver is provided with a visual warning message on a display panel of the navigation system.

9. A method of operation for a navigation system installed in a vehicle comprising the steps of:

receiving an inquiry through a user interface of said navigation system from a driver of said vehicle, wherein said inquiry asks whether a specified portion of a road includes a toll gate that requires exact change;

accessing a geographic database that contains information about whether exact change is required at toll gates along said road; and

in response to said inquiry, advising said driver whether said specified portion of a road includes a toll gate that requires exact change.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said navigation system is an in-vehicle system.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said step of advising the vehicle driver is provided with a visual warning message on a display panel of the navigation system.

12. A method of operation for a navigation system comprising:

calculating a route to a destination using a geographic database;

using data contained in the geographic database to determine whether exact change is required along any roads in the route; and

advising an operator of said navigation system that exact change is required at a toll gate along the route.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of:

after advising the operator about said exact change, accepting a request from said driver to calculate an alternative route that does not require exact change at a toll gate along the alternative route.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein said step of advising the operator is provided with a visual warning message on a display panel of the navigation system.

15. A method of operating a navigation system to calculate a route, the method comprising:

accepting input from an operator of said navigation system that indicates that a calculated route should not include toll gates at which exact change is required;

accepting input from the operator of said navigation system including at least a desired destination; and

if said input indicates that a calculated route should not include any toll gates at which exact change is required, accessing a geographic database that contains information about whether exact change is required at tollgates, and calculating a route to said desired destination excluding any road that includes a toll gate at which exact change is required.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said navigation system is an in-vehicle system.

17. A method of operation for a navigation for calculating routes, the method comprising:

accepting a request from a user of the navigation system to avoid toll gates at which exact change is required;

accepting a request from the user to calculate a route to a specified destination;

accessing a geographic database to determine characteristics of roads, including whether a toll gate at which exact change is required is located along a road along said route;

calculating a solution route to the specified destination based upon the characteristics of roads, wherein said solution route does not include a road along which is located a toll gate at which exact change is required; and

indicating the solution route to the user.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said step of accepting a request from a user of the navigation system to avoid toll gates at which exact change is required is specified as a default for the navigation system.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said navigation system is an in-vehicle system.

20. A method of operation for a navigation system comprising:

accepting a request from a vehicle driver to calculate a solution route to a destination indicated by the vehicle driver;

accessing a geographic database to determine characteristics of roads, including whether a toll gate at which exact change is required is located along said route;

advising the vehicle driver that exact change is required at a toll gate located along the solution route;

after advising the operator about said exact change, accepting a request from the vehicle driver to calculate an alternative route; and

calculating a new solution route that does not include driving to the toll gate at which exact change is required.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising the steps of:

in conjunction with the step of advising the vehicle driver that exact change is required at a toll gate located along the solution route, offering to calculate an alternative route.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein said navigation system is an in-vehicle system.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising the steps of:

transmitting a first message from the vehicle to a server, wherein the message indicates that said driver has been provided with driving instructions that direct the driver to drive to a toll gate;

on a database associated with said server, querying whether said toll gate requires exact change; and

transmitting a second message from said server to said vehicle indicating whether said toll gate requires exact change.

24. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of:

in conjunction with the step of advising the vehicle driver that exact change is required at said toll gate, advising the vehicle driver that change can be obtained at a toll gate located before the toll gate at which exact change is required.

25. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

providing the vehicle driver with driving instructions to follow the solution route.