Personal GPS navigation device

• US 8,027,784 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2008
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TomTom Navigation B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Geelen, Pieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Louie; Wae
• Application Number:
  US12/292,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20090171561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/209, 701/211, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3635 Guidance using 3D or perspective road maps
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/24 Acquisition or tracking or demodulation of signals transmitted by the system synchronisation aspects of direct sequence spread spectrum modulation H04B1/7073
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing

Abstract

A navigation device is disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the navigation device includes a storage device to store map information; a processor to determine a route of travel based upon a current position of the navigation device and an input or selected destination position; and a display to display the current position on the map information corresponding to the determined route of travel, the display displaying zoomed-in display of the map information upon the processor determining that a decision point is within a threshold distance of the current position of the navigation device.

Claims

1. A navigation device, comprising:

a storage device, in the navigation device, to locally store vector-based map information;

a processor, in the navigation device, configured to determine a route of travel based upon a current position of the navigation device within the locally stored vector-based map information and a destination position within the locally stored vector-based map information, the processor configured to determine at least one action point on the route of travel, the at least one action point being a point along the route of travel where more than one route action is available; and

a display, in the navigation device, configured to display the current position in a graphical representation of the locally stored vector-based map information and to display the determined route of travel, the display being further configured to display additional information from the locally stored vector-based map information upon the processor determining that the at least one action point is within a threshold distance of the current position of the navigation device.

2. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the at least one action point is at least one of an upcoming turn, roundabout, intersection and merge along the determined route of travel.

3. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein an amount of the additional information of the locally stored vector-based map information progressively increases as the current position of the navigation device approaches the at least one action point.

4. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein an amount of the additional information of the locally stored vector-based map information progressively increases as threshold distances between the current position of the navigation device and the at least one action point are reached.

5. The navigation device of claim 2, wherein an amount of the additional information of the locally stored vector-based map information progressively increases as the current position of the navigation device approaches the at least one action point point.

6. The navigation device of claim 2, wherein an amount of the additional information of the locally stored vector-based map information progressively increases as threshold distances between the current position of the navigation device and the action point are reached.

7. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the display returns to a normal display of the current position on the locally stored vector-based map information corresponding to the determined route of travel, upon the current position of the navigation device reaching the at least one action point.

8. The navigation device of claim 2, wherein the display returns to a normal display of the current position on the map information corresponding to the determined route of travel, upon the current position of the navigation device reaching the at least one action point.

9. A method, comprising:

locally storing vector-based map information in a storage device of a navigation device;

determining a route of travel based upon a current position of the navigation device within the locally stored vector-based map information and a destination position within the locally stored vector-based map information; and

determining, by a processor in the navigation device, at least one action point on the route of travel, the at least one action point being a point along a route of travel where more than one route decision is available;

displaying, on a display of the navigation device, the current position in a graphical representation of the locally stored vector-based map information corresponding to the determined route of travel, the displaying including additional information of the map information upon the processor determining that the at least one action point is within a threshold distance of the current position of the navigation device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one action point is at least one of an upcoming turn, roundabout, intersection and merge along the determined route of travel.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein an amount of the additional information of the locally stored vector-based map information progressively increases as the current position of the navigation device approaches the at least one action point.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein an amount of the additional information of the locally stored vector-based map information progressively increases as threshold distances between the current position of the navigation device and the at least one action point.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein an amount of the additional information of the locally stored vector-based map information progressively increases as the current position of the navigation device approaches the at least one action point.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein an amount of the additional information of the locally stored vector-based map information progressively increases as threshold distances between the current position of the navigation device and the at least one action point.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the displaying returns to a normal display of the current position on the locally stored vector-based map information corresponding to the determined route of travel, upon the current position of the navigation device reaching the at least one action point.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the displaying returns to a normal display of the current position on the locally stored vector-based map information corresponding to the determined route of travel, upon the current position of the navigation device reaching the at least one action point.