Navigation system for a motor vehicle

• US 9,202,375 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2009
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG), Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG), Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Sampedro Diaz, Luis, Rosario, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US12/392,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20100017121A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,471 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3889 Transmission of selected map data, e.g. depending on route
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

In a method for operating a navigation system for a motor vehicle having an offboard data memory, spatially separated from the motor vehicle, having data packets of visual map information, divided by region, as well as a display arranged in the motor vehicle, a selection of data packets provided for transmission to the motor vehicle and/or their sequence occur as a function of the resolution of the display, the location of the motor vehicle, an assumed route of the motor vehicle and/or the bandwidth of a communication connection provided for the transmission, the selected data packets being transmitted to the motor vehicle (e.g., in the selected sequence), and visual map information from data packets transmitted to the motor vehicle being represented by the display.

Claims

1. A method for operating a navigation system for a motor vehicle having an offboard data memory, spatially separated from the motor vehicle, having data packets for transmission to the motor vehicle via a communication connection having a bandwidth, divided by region, of visual map information and a display arranged in the motor vehicle, comprising:

selecting at least one of (a) data packets provided for transmission to the motor vehicle or (b) a sequence of the data packets, the selecting occurring as a function of at least one of (a) a resolution of the display, (b) at least one of (i) a chosen or (ii) an available resolution of data, (c) a location of the motor vehicle, (d) an assumed route of the motor vehicle, or (e) the bandwidth of the communication connection provided for the transmission;

transmitting the selected data packets to the motor vehicle;

transmitting, in response to user request for the bandwidth of the communication connection, expected values of the bandwidth of the communication connection along the assumed route of the motor vehicle, wherein if the expected values of the bandwidth are below a threshold value, the resolution of the display is reduced; and

representing visual map information of the data packets transmitted to the motor vehicle by the display.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting includes transmitting the selected data packets in the selected sequence.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting includes transmitting the selected data packets to the motor vehicle via the communication connection.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selection is performed as a function of permissible driving directions.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein data packets are provided for transmission to the motor vehicle, which at a certain resolution of the display are displayable on the display along the assumed route of the motor vehicle.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the sequence of the data packets provided for transmission to the motor vehicle is a function of a proximity of a region represented by the data packets with respect to the location of the motor vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein, from among the data packets provided for transmission to the motor vehicle, the data packets concerning regions that are closer to the location of the motor vehicle are transmitted before the data packets concerning regions that are further away from the location of the motor vehicle.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein near a route junction, data packets are provided for transmission to the motor vehicle, which at a certain resolution of the display are allocated to regions which touch a circle around the route junction having a diameter corresponding to a screen size of the display.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, if the bandwidth of the communication connection is not fully utilized, near a route junction, at least one additional data packet is provided for transmission to the motor vehicle, which is situated at the route junction, but not along the assumed route of the motor vehicle.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the expected values of the bandwidth of the wireless communication connection along the assumed route of the motor vehicle are determined as a function of at least one of historical or real-time values of the bandwidth of the wireless communication connection along the assumed route.

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

an offboard data memory, spatially separated from the motor vehicle, having data packets, divided by region, of visual map information;

a wireless communication connection having a bandwidth between the offboard data memory and the motor vehicle configured to transmit selected data packets to the motor vehicle;

a display arranged in the motor vehicle and configured to represent visual map information of data packets transmitted to the motor vehicle; and

a computation device configured to select at least one of (a) data packets provided for transmission to the motor vehicle or (b) a sequence of the data packets, the computation device configured to select as a function of at least one of (a) a resolution of the display, (b) at least one of (i) a chosen or (ii) an available resolution of data, (c) a location of the motor vehicle, (d) an assumed route of the motor vehicle or (e) the bandwidth of the wireless communication connection;

wherein the wireless communication connection is configured to transmit, in response to user request for the bandwidth of the wireless communication connection, expected values of the bandwidth of the wireless communication connection along the assumed route of the motor vehicle,

wherein if the expected values of the bandwidth are below a threshold value, the resolution of the display is reduced.

11. The navigation system according to claim 10, further comprising an onboard navigation system configured to calculate a suggested route for the motor vehicle.

13. The navigation system according to claim 10, wherein the computation device is configured to determine the expected values of the bandwidth of the wireless communication connection along the assumed route of the motor vehicle as a function of at least one of historical or real-time values of the bandwidth of the wireless communication connection along the assumed route.