Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-29
2004-12-28
Zanelli, Michael J. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
C701S036000, C340S995160
Reexamination Certificate
active
06836723
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a navigation method and system for guiding a user to the destination, and more particularly, to a unique key arrangement having a minimum number of keys for operating a navigation system such as map scroll or map zoom in/out where such key arrangement is formed on a steering wheel of a vehicle or on a panel of a portable navigation system such as a one incorporated in a PDA, a lap-top computer, or a cellular phone, etc.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A navigation system performs travel guidance for enabling a user to easily and quickly reach the selected destination. A typical example is a vehicle navigation system where the user drives the car having the navigation system. Such a navigation system detects the current position of the vehicle, reads out map data pertaining to an area at the current vehicle position from a data storage medium, for example, a CD-ROM (compact disc read-only memory), a DVD (digital versatile disc) or a hard disc the navigation system displays a map image on a monitor screen while superimposing a mark representing the current location of the user vehicle on the map image. Alternatively, such map data can be provided to the vehicle from a remote server through a communication network such as Internet.
When a destination is not set, such a navigation system functions as a locator map which indicates the current location of the vehicle on a map image. When a destination is set, the navigation system starts a route guidance function for setting a guided route from the starting point to the destination. To determine the guided route to the destination, the navigation system calculates and determines an optimum route to the destination based on various parameters. For example, the guided route is determined based on the shortest way to reach the destination, the route preferring freeways to surface roads, the least expensive way to the destination, or the route without using toll road, or the like.
Typically, the route guidance function performs an intersection guidance process in which a monitor screen displays an enlarged intersection diagram and the direction in which the vehicle is to travel while displaying the guided route on a map. During the route guidance, the navigation system reads the nodes data from the data storage medium such as DVD and successively stores the nodes data of street segments (expressed in longitude and latitude) constituting the guided route in a memory.
During actual traveling, the portion of the guided route is highlighted so as to be discriminable from other routes. When the vehicle is within a predetermined distance of an intersection it is approaching, an enlarged or highlighted intersection diagram is displayed to inform a user of the desired one of roads or directions selectable at the intersection. Such route guidance by the navigation system is also given by voice instruction.
As the present position of the vehicle changes with the travel of the vehicle, the vehicle current position mark in the map image on the screen changes accordingly, or the map is scrolled while the vehicle current position mark is fixed at a predetermined position, for example, at the center of the image. In either method, the navigation system enables the user to recognize the map information of the area at the vehicle position at a glance.
FIG. 1A
shows an example of a locator map display containing a current vehicle position mark VP on a map image
21
. Typically, a navigation system shows the street on which the vehicle is running in the map image
21
and a name of the street in an information box
23
on the monitor screen. Other information such as a north pointer NP, a map scale and a current time may also be illustrated on the display screen. In this manner, the locator map display shows the current position of the vehicle on the map image, however, it does not perform the route guidance function because the destination is not set.
FIG. 1B
shows an example of route guidance display which performs the route guidance function. The route guidance display is activated after specifying the destination. In this example, the current street “W 190TH ST” and the left side of the next street “PRAIRIE AVE” will be highlighted in the map image
21
to show the direction of turn at the next intersection. In addition, this example further shows an arrow indicating the direction (left) in which the vehicle is to turn at the intersection in a guidance information box
22
at the top of the screen. The guidance information box
22
also shows the name of the street which intersects with the current street and a distance to the intersection. Thus, in this example, the navigation system indicates that the vehicle should make a left turn at the intersection.
Further to the highlighted display, such route guidance is accompanied by voice instructions. If the direction of travel in the next intersection is left, the navigation system gives spoken guidance such as “turn left at the next intersection”. In this example, an information box
24
at the bottom of the display screen includes information regarding the remaining distance to the final destination and an estimated time to reach the final destination.
As noted above, in order to be guided by the route guidance mode such as shown in
FIG. 1B
, a destination must be specified in the navigation system so that the system can find one or more routes to get to the destination. FIGS.
2
A-
2
C show examples of display on the monitor screen during the operation of inputting the destination.
By operating a menu key, a main menu screen
25
such as shown in
FIG. 2A
is displayed on the navigation system and a menu item “Destination” is selected from the main menu. This allows the navigation system to display an “Enter Destination by” screen
27
as shown in
FIG. 2B
for specifying an input method for selecting the destination. The “Enter Destination by” screen
27
lists various methods for selecting the destination including “Address” for specifying the city and address of the destination, “Intersection” for specifying the names of two streets which intersect with one another, and “Point of Interest” (POI) for selecting the programmed destination based on the name, category or telephone number. Other methods in the “Enter Destination by” screen
27
include “Recent Route” for specifying the destination based on the recent destinations saved in the navigation system, “Address Book” for selecting the address of the destination out of the addresses stored in the system, and “Today's Plan” for specifying two or more destinations in the navigation system.
When selecting, for example, the “Address” in
FIG. 2B
, the navigation system displays an “Enter Street Name” screen such as shown in FIG.
2
C. The screen of
FIG. 2C
is basically a key board
38
for inputting the city and address in an address input box
37
on the monitor screen. After inputting the destination, the navigation system determines a route to the destination based on, for example, the shortest way to reach the destination, the route using many freeways as possible, the route without using toll road, or the like. Thus, the navigation system moves to the route guidance display such as shown in
FIG. 1B
which performs the route guidance.
In such a navigation system, in addition to the operation described with reference to
FIGS. 2A-2C
, a map scroll function and a map zoom function are frequently used. An example of operation involved in the map scroll is shown in
FIGS. 3A-3L
. This example shows a process in which a user finds and specifies a destination from a map screen by selecting the street name, since there arises a case where the user is familiar with a particular city and knows a particular address in that city where he wants to go. In such a situation, for entering the destination, the user may prefer to use a map screen
50
of
FIG. 3A
rather than a key board screen of FIG.
2
C.
The user sets the map image of the city “Torrance, Calif.” with use of, for example, a zoom function
Alpine Electronics, Inc
Muramatsu & Associates
Zanelli Michael J.
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