WO2008153256A1

WO2008153256A1 - Path search method connected with guideboard information and navigation system

Info

Publication number: WO2008153256A1
Application number: PCT/KR2007/006504
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hee Back Lee
Original assignee: Thinkware Systems Corporation
Priority date: 2007-06-12
Filing date: 2007-12-13
Publication date: 2008-12-18
Also published as: KR100906312B1; KR20080109194A

Abstract

A route search method in association with guidance information of a road sign and navigation system are provided. A route search method in association with guidance information of a road sign, the route search method including: including a database storing heading information of a road sign for each link, and designating a destination desired to be guided; and retrieving a route to the designated destination based on the heading information stored in the database.

Description

PATH SEARCH METHOD CONNECTED WITH GUIDEBOARD INFORMATION AND NAVIGATION SYSTEM

Technical Field The present invention relates to a navigation system, and more particularly, to a route search method and navigation system in association with guidance information of a road sign for a user's safe driving.

Background Art A navigation system is a system which provides information for driving of a transportation device, such as a vehicle, using an artificial satellite. The navigation system is automatic.

The navigation system receives predetermined data from a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite above the Earth using a GPS receiver, and calculates its own location based on the received data.

The navigation system may provide a user with information about a current location of a vehicle based on calculated location information, perform routing to calculate a route to a desired destination, and provide guidance about the route.

The navigation system stores geographic data and POI information about an entire map. The POI information includes information about a building, road, and the like on the map. The navigation system uses the stored geographic data and POI information as information for route guidance.

That is, the navigation system receives a signal including latitude and longitude information from GPS satellites, and calculates and outputs a user location. Also, the navigation system map-matches the user location with geographic data, and thereby may provide guidance about a route to a desired destination from a current location.

A user determines a driving direction by referring to information provided by a navigation system and by checking a signpost on a road. A signpost on a road imparts information about a route to a destination to a road user. A navigation system in a conventional art provides guidance about a route and heading information about a driving direction. However, heading information is not actually associated with an algorithm for a route search. That is, since a navigation system in a conventional art searches for an optimal route to a destination with respect to distance or time or provides guidance about a route based on a route setting condition set by a user, a route provided by a navigation system may be different from heading information of a signpost. Accordingly, a user may be confused.

For example, when a user desires to drive to "Dongdeagu station" as a destination, a navigation system may guide the user to go straight as opposed to a signpost indicating a left turn to "Dongdeagu station". It is frequent that information provided by a navigation system is different from heading information of a signpost. In this case, a user may be confused about a driving direction and have difficulty in determining a correct driving direction, which may prevent the user from driving safely.

Disclosure of Invention Technical Goals

The present invention provides a route search method in association with guidance information of a road sign and navigation system to improve route guidance information for a user's safe driving.

The present invention also provides a route search method in association with guidance information of a road sign and navigation system which generate a route using the guidance information of the road sign on a road to reduce confusion about a driving direction.

Technical solutions According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a route search method in association with guidance information of a road sign, the route search method including: including a database storing heading information of a road sign for each link, and designating a destination desired to be guided; and retrieving a route to the designated destination based on the heading information stored in the database. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a navigation system, including: a database maintaining heading information of a road sign for each link; a route calculation unit calculating a route to a destination designated by a user based on the heading information stored in the database; and a control unit retrieving heading information corresponding to surrounding information of the designated destination, controlling the route calculation unit to retrieve a route identical to the retrieved heading information, and providing guidance about the heading information and calculated route to the destination.

According to the present invention, a route search method in association with guidance information of a road sign and navigation system use heading information, provided on a road, for an algorithm for route search, and thereby may generate a route identical to the heading information of the road sign.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a navigation system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrams illustrating a configuration of a database including heading information of a road sign according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a route search method in association with guidance information of a road sign according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a route guidance screen providing a route which is set to enable a driving direction to the same as heading information in a link according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail by referring to the figures.

First, a configuration of a navigation system for route search according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a navigation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the navigation system includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) module 10. The GPS module 10 receives a location signal from at least three GPS satellites, and calculates its own location.

The navigation system is a user terminal which retrieves a route to a destination set by a user and provides guidance about the route to enable a user to drive according to the route. In particular, the navigation system sets the route to the destination based on road sign information provided on a road, hereinafter, referred to as 'heading information'.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the navigation system includes a route calculation unit 20, storage unit 30, user interface 40, display unit 50, voice output unit 60, and control unit 70. The storage unit 30 includes a map database including map data of a national map and route guidance data associated with the map data. Also, the storage unit 30 stores a control program to control an entire operation of the navigation system including a route guidance function and route search algorithm. The route search algorithm is for retrieving the route to the destination set by the user, and the route guidance function is for providing guidance about the retrieved route.

In the navigation system, route guidance information and the heading information are displayed when providing guidance about the route. Specifically, a database for heading information of a road sign, hereinafter, referred to as 'road sign information database', is required to be established to use the heading information. The road sign information database may be included in the storage unit 30.

The road sign information database includes examined heading information of road signs on roads of national map.

The road sign information database provides information which may refer to heading information included in a link in road network data for a route search when moving in a link.

The route search is performed in association with connectivity among links of roads. Accordingly, link information includes heading information, and thus the heading information included in the link may be used for the route search.

However, when heading information is included in link information of each link, an amount of link information data for the route search may increase and route search speed may decrease.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrams illustrating a configuration of a road sign information database according to an embodiment of the present invention;

It is preferable that the road sign information database stores heading information of a road sign in link information of each link and an identification (ID) is provided to heading information based on a data management capability and route search speed.

As illustrated, in the road sign information data, a data area storing a heading information ID for each link, illustrated in FIG. 2, and a data area storing road sign information for each heading information ID, illustrated in FIG. 3, are divided.

That is, it is preferable that the heading information ID is included in the link information and road sign information is stored in a separate storage space. The road sign information is detailed information for each heading information ID.

At least one road sign exists in a single link, and a single road sign provides heading information about a plurality of directions. Accordingly, the heading information about the plurality of directions may be included in each link as illustrated in FIG. 2.

The road sign information for each heading information ID, illustrated in FIG. 3, includes a heading name recorded in a road sign and direction information of each heading name. Also, the road sign information for each heading information ID may further include coordinate information indicating a location of a road sign. A route calculation unit 20 ascertains a current location of a user using a GPS signal received through a GPS module 10, and then retrieves a route from the current location to a destination set by the user from map data, stored in the map database of the storage unit 30, and generates route information.

In this instance, the route calculation unit 20 induces the route search to enable a route to the destination, set by a user, to be identical to heading information in a corresponding link using the heading information stored in the road sign information database under control of a control unit 70.

The control unit 70 may provide guidance about the route, identical to the heading information in the link, based on route information generated in the route calculation unit 20. The control unit 70 may provide guidance about the route as well as the heading information by accessing the heading information through the link information. Also, the display unit 50 displays map information for the route guidance and a variety of contents according to each system operation. A Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or Electro Luminescence (EL) display may be used as the display unit 50.

The user interface 40 is for inputting a user command with respect to a route guidance function, for example, inputting a destination. The user interface 40 may be a touch pad formed integrally with the display unit 50, and provides a user graphic interface unit. Every menu environment associated with the route guidance function of the route guidance system may be provided as a graphic screen through the display unit

50. A user command may be inputted by touching a particular location on the graphic screen using a stylus pen, fingers, and the like.

The voice output unit 60 provides voice guidance about the route. The voice guidance includes the heading information in the link.

A route search method in association with guidance information of a road sign is described in detail with reference to FIG. 4. In operation S410, a user sets a destination desired to be guided. In operation

S420, when the destination is set in operation S410, heading information corresponding to the destination, hereinafter, referred to as 'destination heading name' is retrieved in road sign information using surrounding information of the destination. The road sign information is stored in a road sign information database. In this instance, the surrounding information of the destination may include at least one of a name of the destination, administrative district name of the destination, and landmark adjacent to the destination. That is, heading information including a heading name identical to the surrounding information of the destination is retrieved in the road sign information database. In operation S430, a route search command with respect to the destination is inputted. When the route search command is inputted in operation S430, a current location of a user is calculated using a location signal received through a GPS module 10, and a route to the destination from the calculated current location is retrieved.

The route search is performed in association with connectivity among links of roads. Accordingly, corresponding heading information may be accessed through link information of each link in road network data for a route search when moving in a link. A heading information ID included in a corresponding link is determined based on the link information, and road sign information corresponding to the determined heading information ID is accessed. Accordingly, direction information and heading name included in the heading information ID may be read.

In operation S440, the route is set to enable a direction of the corresponding link to be the same as direction information corresponding to the destination heading name by accessing the heading information through the link information.

That is, the direction information corresponding to the destination heading name is read from the road sign information database, and the direction of the link is set as the read direction information. Accordingly, the route to the destination is set to be identical to a direction provided in an actual road sign.

In operation S450, when the route search is completed through the above- described operations, a map screen and voice guidance about the retrieved route may be provided to enable the user to drive according to the retrieved route.

Also, in the route search method, the heading information is provided in a predetermined location on the map screen for route guidance by accessing heading information of each link through the link information.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a route guidance screen 51 providing a route which is set to enable a driving direction to be the same as heading information in a link according to an embodiment of the present invention. When heading information exists in a link when a user is driving on a route, a route guidance screen 51 and a heading information display area 53 are provided as illustrated. The route guidance screen 51 provides guidance about the route to a destination, and the heading information display area 53 is for displaying the heading information in the link at a predetermined location on the route guidance screen 51. When providing guidance about the route, a driving direction provided through the route guidance screen 51 is identical to the heading information provided in the heading information display area 53.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a route is set to be identical to road sign information for each link, and thus the route identical to heading information provided in a road sign on a road may be provided.

The above-described embodiment of the present invention may be recorded in computer-readable media including program instructions to implement various operations embodied by a computer. The media may also include, alone or in combination with the program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like. The media and program instructions may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention, or they may be of the kind well-known and available to those having skill in the computer software arts. Examples of computer-readable media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD ROM disks and DVD; magneto-optical media such as floptical disks; and hardware devices that are specially configured to store and perform program instructions, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include both machine code, such as produced by a compiler, and files containing higher level code that may be executed by the computer using an interpreter. The described hardware devices may be configured to act as one or more software modules in order to perform the operations of the above-described embodiments of the present invention. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a route search method in association with guidance information of a road sign and navigation system use heading information of a road sign of a road.

Also, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a route search method in association with guidance information of a road sign and navigation system provides a driving user with heading information identical to a road sign, and thereby may reduce user's confusion and provide an easier and safer driving environment.

Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. Instead, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A route search method in association with guidance information of a road sign, the route search method comprising: including a database storing heading information of a road sign for each link, and designating a destination desired to be guided; and retrieving a route to the designated destination based on the heading information stored in the database.

2. The route search method of claim 1, wherein the database includes a heading information identification (ID) for each link and road sign information for each heading information ID.

3. The route search method of claim 2, wherein the road sign information includes a heading name recorded in a corresponding road sign and direction information of each heading name.

4. The route search method of claim 3, wherein the retrieving of the route comprises: retrieving a heading name of a road sign identical to surrounding information of the designated destination from the database; and setting the route to the destination to be the same as direction information corresponding to the retrieved heading name.

5. The route search method of claim 4, wherein the surrounding information of the destination includes at least one of a name of the destination, administrative district name of the destination, and landmark adjacent to the destination.

6. The route search method of claim 4, wherein the setting comprises: determining heading information corresponding to the retrieved heading name of the destination from among heading information included in link information for each link; reading direction information corresponding to the heading name of the destination from the determined heading information; and setting direction information on a corresponding link to be the same as the read direction information.

7. The route search method of claim 1, further comprising: providing guidance about the heading information and route to the destination.

8. The route search method of claim 7, wherein the providing guidance about the route comprises: reading heading information corresponding to the destination from link information in the route; and providing guidance about direction information of the route and the read heading information.

9. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 through 8.

10. A navigation system, comprising: a database maintaining heading information of a road sign for each link; a route calculation unit calculating a route to a destination designated by a user based on the heading information stored in the database; and a control unit retrieving heading information corresponding to surrounding information of the designated destination, controlling the route calculation unit to retrieve a route identical to the retrieved heading information, and providing guidance about the heading information and calculated route to the destination.