Range marker for a navigation system

• US 9,043,134 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2010
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Rosekrans, Darin Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US12/942,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20120116670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,659 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/409
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence

Abstract

Devices, methods and systems are disclosed herein to describe a range marker for a navigation system. The range marker may delineate a bounded area within a navigation map that a vehicle may travel based on the amount of fuel remaining. As the fuel continues to decrease during operation of the vehicle, the range marker may become smaller and smaller indicating a shrinking range since the fuel remaining decreases, thereby allowing the driver to easily identify which gas stations may be within a range of the vehicle (based on a current vehicle fuel level) and which gas stations might not be within the range of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A navigation unit for a vehicle, the navigation unit configured to provide turn-by-turn directions, the navigation unit comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive or determine a current location of the vehicle and vehicle energy information indicating at least one of remaining fuel or electrical energy for the vehicle,

determine a distance-to-empty value based on the vehicle energy information, and

generate range marker data based on the distance-to-empty value, the range maker data representing a closed boundary for defining a closed area of a navigation map where the vehicle can travel from the current location of the vehicle using the remaining fuel or electrical energy;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory configured to retrieve a location of an energy station within the closed boundary; and

a display configured to receive the range marker data generated by the processor and the location of the energy station, the display further configured to;

display the closed boundary, the closed area of the navigation map and the energy station within the closed boundary, and

iteratively update the display of the closed boundary based on an updated current location of the vehicle and an updated distance-to-empty value received from the processor.

2. The navigation unit of claim 1, further comprising:

an input/output (I/O) interface coupled to the processor, the I/O interface configured to receive an input from a user to re-route the navigation unit to include turn-by-turn directions for leading the user to the location of the energy station within the closed boundary; and

a route determination unit coupled to the I/O interface, the route determination unit configured to re-calculate turn-by-turn directions for leading the user to the location of the energy station within the closed boundary,

wherein the display is further configured to output the turn-by-turn directions for leading the user to the location of the energy station within the closed boundary.

3. The navigation unit of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to obtain an estimated fuel or electrical energy efficiency of the vehicle, and further configured to calculate a product of the remaining fuel or electrical energy level and the estimated fuel or electrical energy efficiency to determine the distance-to-empty value.

4. The navigation unit of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the distance-to-empty value and the current location of the vehicle to the memory and request a location information for each energy station with a distance equal to or less than the distance-to-empty value from a reference point defined by the current location of the vehicle.

5. The navigation unit of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive the distance-to-empty value from a vehicle control system.

6. The navigation unit of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to adjust the closed boundary based on an updated distance-to-empty information.

7. The navigation unit of claim 5, wherein the navigation unit is a third-party navigation system detachably connectable to the vehicle, and communicates with a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus of the vehicle control system via a Universal Serial Bus (USB).

8. The navigation unit of claim 1, wherein the energy station is a gas station.

9. The navigation unit of claim 1, wherein the energy station is a station providing electricity to electric vehicles.

10. A navigation system for a vehicle, the navigation system comprising:

a vehicle control system configured to;

receive or determine vehicle energy information indicating at least one of remaining fuel or electrical energy for the vehicle, and

determine a distance-to-empty value based on the vehicle energy information; and

a navigation unit coupled to the vehicle control system and having a display, the navigation unit configured to;

receive or determine a current location of the vehicle,

receive the distance-to-empty value from the vehicle control system,

generate range marker data based on the distance-to-empty value, the range marker data representing a closed boundary for defining a closed area of a navigation map where the vehicle can travel from the current location of the vehicle using the remaining fuel or electrical energy,

determine a location of an energy station within the closed boundary,

display the closed boundary, the closed area of the navigation map and the location of the energy station, and

iteratively update the display of the closed boundary based on an updated current location of the vehicle and an updated distance-to-empty value received from the processor.

11. The navigation system of claim 10, wherein the navigation unit is further configured to:

receive an updated distance-to-empty value from the vehicle control system, and

generate an updated range marker data representing an updated closed boundary for defining an updated closed area of the navigation map, the updated closed boundary having an updated radius size that is based on the updated distance-to-empty value, the updated radius size being smaller compared to a previous radius size of a previously displayed closed boundary.

12. The navigation system of claim 11, wherein the navigation unit is further configured to remove a displayed energy station when a location of the displayed energy station is outside of the updated closed boundary.

13. The navigation system of claim 10, wherein the energy station is a gas station.

14. The navigation system of claim 10, wherein the energy station is a station providing electricity to electric vehicles.

15. A method of displaying a closed boundary on a navigation map of a navigation unit for a vehicle and displaying an energy station within the closed boundary, the method comprising:

receiving or determining, using a processor, a current location of the vehicle and vehicle energy information indicating at least one of remaining fuel or electrical energy for the vehicle;

receiving or calculating, using the processor, a distance-to-empty value based on the vehicle energy information;

generating, using the processor, range marker data based on the distance-to-empty value, the range maker data representing a closed boundary for defining a closed area of the navigation map where the vehicle can travel from the current location of the vehicle using the remaining fuel or electrical energy;

retrieving, from a memory coupled to the processor, a location of the energy station within the closed boundary;

receiving, by a display coupled to the processor, the range marker data generated by the processor and the location of the energy station;

displaying, using the display, the closed boundary, the closed area of the navigation map and the energy station within the closed boundary; and

iteratively updating, using the processor, the display of the closed boundary based on an updated current location of the vehicle and an updated distance-to-empty value.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

activating, using the processor, a range marker mode in response to determining, using the processor, that the distance-to-empty value that is below a threshold value; and

deactivating, using the processor, the range marker mode and activating, using the processor, a normal mode in response to determining, using the processor, that the distance-to-empty value has increased from below the threshold value to above or at the threshold value,

wherein in response to the processor determining that the range marker mode is activated, the following steps of claim 15 are performed;

generating, using the processor, the range marker data;

retrieving, from the memory, the location of the energy station;

receiving, by the display, the range marker data; and

displaying, using the display, the closed boundary, the closed area of the navigation map and the location of the energy station.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

in response to determining, using the processor, that the vehicle is not refueled and is not recharged, adjusting, using the processor, a radius of the closed boundary based on an updated distance-to-empty value.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein in response to determining that no energy stations are available within the closed boundary, transmitting a signal requesting assistance to a customer representative.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the closed boundary is a circular ring.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the closed boundary is a non-circular marker.