EP2294360A1

EP2294360A1 - Method for operating a navigation system with the output of place names

Info

Publication number: EP2294360A1
Application number: EP09761320A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Harald Englerth
Original assignee: Navigon AG
Current assignee: Garmin Wurzburg GmbH
Priority date: 2008-06-12
Filing date: 2009-06-08
Publication date: 2011-03-16
Also published as: WO2009149698A1; DE102009024562A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a navigation system for calculating a route and for route guidance from a current location to a destination that can be input. According to the invention, manouvring instructions are supplemented acoustically and/or optically by the output of place names during turning manoeuvres (1). As a result of a query along the route, which leads through or to a place (2), the next place (2) along the route is determined and used in the output.

Description

June 8, 2009

Method for operating a navigation system with output of place names

The invention relates to a method for operating a navigation system according to the preamble of claim 1.

In generic navigation systems so far the issue of street names and / or the use of stationary information associated with the card are known.

The issuing of a street name is often unhelpful outside of localities, for example when driving overland, because in reality it is difficult to find an orientation based on this street name. So such street names are often not available when driving overland or even difficult to see.

Furthermore, a sole indication of the numbering of the road in reality would also be difficult to identify. Signs on the numbering of roads are often found at intersections only rarely or hardly recognizable. Furthermore, stationary information connected to the card, for example signpost information, is present almost exclusively in the area of highways, ie for example at motorway junctions such as crossings and junctions. In the overland area, for example in federal highways, such information is not available and a

Orientation in such routes is difficult in reality.

Furthermore, in currently known route guidance only instructions in a turn, ie. It will be about 300 meters, then 100 meters and directly at the turning process an output, in particular an announcement, for right turn or left turn, partly issued together with an output of the street name.

Furthermore, a clear route guidance by mere indication of the turning direction (right or left) is not always possible because in some situations there are several roads that correspond to the given turning direction (right or left). This is especially true in places where several forked paths lead in the same direction in a short sequence, but only one of the route guidance corresponds.

It may happen during navigation that, for example, by bad GPS signal or the known inaccuracy of GPS and the map material, the announcement is interpreted directly at the turn wrong or is given at a wrong time and thus is bent into a wrong street.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to propose a method for operating a navigation system, which overcomes the above disadvantages and allows an improved orientation of the user. This object is achieved by the present invention according to the teaching of the main claim.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

According to the invention, the problem is solved by the method for operating a navigation system for calculating a route and route guidance from the current location to an input destination, wherein maneuver instructions are supplemented by the fact that place names are output acoustically and / or optically during turnarounds, wherein on the basis of a query Along the route that goes through or into a place, a next place on the route is determined and used in the output.

Thus, during active route guidance, the location name relevant for this turn is also output, in addition to or as an alternative to known outputs.

This is particularly advantageous in situations where a street name plate or a sign with the street number is difficult to find or does not exist and thus has no recognition effect. Direction signs with place names are found in reality far more frequently and also much more clearly recognizable.

Such signs can be found in the traffic in a shorter time, whereby the distraction is kept shorter from the traffic.

Thus, the route guidance and the orientation of the user are greatly simplified and improved, and the user can briefly orient themselves on the basis of the place direction information signs in reality. An issue in the form of an announcement could, for example, be made as follows: "Please turn left in the direction of Würzburg in 300 meters", then "Please turn left in 200 meters in the direction of Würzburg" and finally "Turn left in the direction of Würzburg".

The proposed solution to the problem reduces incorrect turn-by-turn operations by making the turn-off situation quicker, allowing for more accurate routing and providing a greater overview of the route.

Supplementing the maneuvering hints with the place names may, for example, be done by replacing information intended for this maneuvering indication (e.g., signpost information) or by adding information intended for this maneuvering indication.

The type of output is basically arbitrary, but is particularly advantageous, for example, acoustically and / or optically. An additional visual representation has the advantage that it is permanently displayed and can be viewed, while an acoustic announcement is not permanently audible.

A next location on the route is determined by a query along the route passing through or into a location and then used in the output. The query along the route can in principle be configured as desired, and the route can be scanned for the next locations.

Often, itineraries run through more than one location until it reaches the destination. The determination of a next location on the route can include the determination of the next immediate location, but also the determination of the next but one, the third nearest town, etc.

In an advantageous embodiment of the method, the route is subdivided into segments, and the navigation system is the municipality area corresponding to a segment and / or the one having a segment Segment corresponding place name is known, wherein, if a turn with a corresponding maneuver note is detected, and if a change of the municipality or the location is detected until a next turn along the segments, the name of the new municipality or the new place name in the issue is used.

A route is subdivided into a plurality of segments, the segments representing the roads intended for route guidance. Thus, the segments can not be assigned to different municipalities, different locations or, for example, in rural areas, neither to a municipal area nor to a place. For example, by means of the information stored in the map database or, for example, by means of an allocation table, the name of the municipality or the name of the location corresponding to the segment can be determined.

If a route guidance through a closed locality is established, whereby closed localities represent an own area category (so-called Builtup area), then for example the name of the closed locality is relevant for the expenditure. These may also be districts with different names from the commune name, e.g. Mesh instead of the municipality Seevetal. If, on the other hand, a bypass leads around the closed town, then for example the crossing of the municipal boundaries is relevant for the detection of a given place name, and the name of the village is used as the place name to be output. This is advantageous because the country's surface is largely covered by municipalities (with the exception of so-called community-free areas).

This name can then be passed to the output.

This determination and supply takes place in particular when a turn with a corresponding maneuver instruction detected and if a change in the municipal area or location is detected until the next turn along the segments.

The detection of a turn with corresponding maneuvering indication indicates an imminent change of direction. Shortly before and during this change of direction, ie the turning process, the user of the navigation system will have to orient himself in reality. The addition of the output with a place name as a direction indicator is therefore advantageous.

Further, along the segments until a next turn, the route is scanned for a change in the municipality or location. This change may already be present during the directly next turning operation, but may also be present during one of the following turning operations, in particular in the case of inner-city turning operations. After the change, the municipality or the place has a new name. This name of the new municipality area or new location will then be used in the output.

A change of the municipality or the place can be so pronounced that is changed from a first municipality or place in a second municipality or place, but also that is not changed from any municipality or place in a first municipality or place , In the first case, the name of the second municipality or town is used in the output. In the second case, the name of the first municipality or town is used in the output.

In other words, if it is determined that a turn is being made with a corresponding maneuver indication, a check is made of the segments to a municipality or location through which the route passes. If at least one segment has been found within another (new) municipality or location, then the corresponding name of the municipality or place used in the issue.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the method, upon detection of a plurality of changes in the municipal area or location up to a next upcoming turning operation, the name of the first new municipality area or the first new place name is used in the output.

For example, detection of multiple changes may be desirable to improve the accuracy of route guidance and orientation assistance.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the method, upon detection of a plurality of changes in the municipality or location until a next turn operation, the name of the last new municipality area or the last new city name is used in the output.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the method, upon detection of a plurality of changes in the municipality or location until a next turn, the name of the most important new municipality or the most important new place name is used in the output, the importance being based on the corresponding population and / or the segments covered and / or the corresponding degree of familiarity.

Direction signs of more important communities / places are often more eye-catching and easily recognizable.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the method, several of the names of the new municipality areas or several of the new location names are used in the output upon detection of a plurality of changes in the municipality area or location until a next turn operation. In a further advantageous embodiment of the method, the use of the location in the output when driving through a locality is dependent on the size of the traversed town.

If the announcement of the place name for the further route, for example when navigating within towns, should not be necessary, the announcement of the place name can be prevented. Frequently there are already alternative output supplements, such as street names, in front of and right in the center of large cities, for example, there are often no direction signs.

In contrast, in smaller towns often no alternative output supplements, such as signpost information, and continue to be found especially in smaller towns and direction signs for the incident and failing streets.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the method, upon detection of passage through a smaller location, the detection of the change in the municipality area or of the location up to that turning operation along the segments of the route is carried out, in which a change takes place in the municipality area or location.

This can ensure that in the presence of several turnarounds within a municipality or within a location, not the output of the site itself, because the directly following turn process is not yet in another municipality or place. In such a case, the segments of the next but one turn are considered and so on.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the size of the village passed through is based on traversed traffic-calmed areas and / or based on the presence of alternative output supplements and / or based on the population and / or on the basis of a Capital attribute and / or judged on the importance of the village passed through, the importance is assessed based on the corresponding population and / or the segments involved and / or the corresponding level of recognition.

The alternative output supplements may be, in particular, so-called signpost information.

Likewise, a weighted mixed consideration of several of the mentioned criteria is possible.

As a result, it is possible to judge whether, as described above, it is a smaller or larger town or city.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the method, as the next location on the route, a highway designation is determined and used in the output.

Special advantages arise because on signs, especially in the overland area, often also highway numbers and numbers of highways and highways are to be found. The corresponding highway designations can be determined, for example, via the map data, in particular in segments.

If no change in the municipal area or the location can be detected between the current turn and the driveway on the highway, so in this case, for example, only the highway number at the issue can be used.

If there is a municipality or a place between the current turn and the driveway, then in this case, for example, the name of the municipality or the place name in combination with the highway number can be used in the output. In a further advantageous embodiment of the method, highways lying behind the next following turning maneuver can also be output in combination with the previously mentioned commune name or place name.

Various embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings and are explained below by way of example.

Show it:

Fig. 1 shows the method in a bending operation;

FIG. 2 shows the method in a turning operation with several following villages; FIG.

3 shows a first form of representation when navigating with the method;

4 shows a more complex route guidance with different turning operations;

5 shows a route guidance with access to a motorway;

6 shows different ways of displaying the location information.

Fig. 1 shows a turning process 1 to the right in the direction of a location 2, wherein the route consists of different, marked black and white, segments. According to the state of the art, only the maneuver instruction "turn right" would take place during the bending process.

Here, however, additionally the location 2 into which the turning operation 1 leads is output. The name of the location 2 is determined based on a query along the route that passes through the place. For this purpose, the names of the municipal areas or places corresponding to the segments 3 are examined. Up to the first segment 4 within the location 2, the segments 3 do not correspond to any municipality area. Consequently There is a change of the municipality or place to the first segment 4 within the place 2 instead. Such an examination of the segments 3 will always take place when a turning operation 1 with a corresponding maneuvering instruction is detected, which is to be supplemented or replaced.

The name of place 2, the new place name, is then used in the output.

Fig. 2 shows a route guidance from Augsburg to Munich via highway. On the way to Munich between Augsburg 1 1 and Friedberg 12, turn right to Mehring 14 and pass through Neukissing 13.

In Turning 1, the segments of the route are examined for a change in the municipality or location until the next turn (not shown), and it is found that Neukissing 13 is traversed en route to Mehring 14.

When issuing both places or only one can be used, so that, for example, the announcement "Please turn right towards Neukissing" occurs.

Furthermore, it is at the road 15 in the direction of Neukissing 13 to a highway, namely a federal highway B2. In an optical representation (Figure 3), the highway designation 16 "B2" can be used along with the new place name in the output.

Fig. 3 shows an optical representation of an output according to the method, wherein in the upper part of the representation, the optical output is carried out by the method, here consisting of the highway name 16 and the landmark location 17. In addition, here are still the currently used road 18 and the in the future after the intersection following street 19 listed. However, street name information is often of little use on overland trips because, in reality, street nameplates are much less visible than directional signs, and street nameplates are partly unprovoked in rural areas.

The driver can orient himself much better in the reality with the trend-setting location 17, because direction signs are large, immediate and easily recognizable.

Furthermore, in the illustration in addition to the directional location 17 "Neukissing" could still be displayed "Mehring", since in this example it can be assumed that between the current and the next turn community change in both places are performed and both places can be found on road direction information signs.

4 shows a more complex route guidance from Oberpleichfeld to Altbessingen, whereby the route through sacrificial tree 21 first leads to Essleben 22.

In Essleben the first turn 26 and immediately afterwards the second turn 27 in the direction Mühlhausen 23 takes place.

Because eating life 22 in this example has been recognized as a smaller locality, for example based on its population, beyond the first turn 26 beyond the second turn 27, the change in the municipality or location is examined until a change has been identified. The first segment within a new town lies in Mühlhausen 23.

Thus, the announcements in the Turning 26 and 27 in Essleben 22 could be "Please turn left towards Mühlhausen" and at the second turn 27 "Please turn right towards Mühlhausen". Thus it can be prevented that is used in the first turning process 26 within Essleben 22 the location Essleben 22 itself or no place name in the output.

In Mühlhausen 23 turn right to Zeuleben 24. There could be the announcement "Please turn right in the direction Zeuzleben".

In Zeuzleben turn left to Schraudenbach 25, and the announcement could be "Please turn left towards Schraudenbach".

Fig. 5 shows a route guidance of Jesteburg in the direction of Hamburg on the motorway A7. Starting in Jesteburg 31, the route leads via Harmsdorf 32 and Ramelsloh 33 onto the A7 34 motorway.

In Harmsdorf 32, the new location Ramelsloh 33 could be used for the edition. In order to improve the remote orientation, but could also be searched for the next place Ramelsloh 33 away after using a highway on the route and then the A7 34 are found. In this case, for example, only the trunk road designation "A7" may be used in the output, or a combination of the new place name "Ramelsloh" and the future to be driven highway "A7" is used.

As a result, an orientation of the driver is significantly improved.

With an acoustic announcement this could thus be: "Please turn right in the direction of Ramelsloh / Autobahn A7".

However, this output of the additional information regarding the highway designation is not limited to highway designations but can be applied to all road number designations such as federal road or country road numbers.

Fig. 6 shows various representations of the optical output in the upper area in Fig. 3. It is in each case the highway designation 16, here "A7", together with the landmark information 17, here "Rimelsloh".

The two display elements 16 and 17 can be highlighted with a country-specific marking color. Motorways are marked blue in Germany. Thus, the Fernstraßenbezeich- tion 16 can be highlighted in blue. Ramelsloh 33 can be reached in the example via a federal highway, which is marked yellow in Germany. Therefore, the directional location 17 can be highlighted in yellow here.

The illustrations in FIGS. 6b to 6e here also include the long-distance name 16 and the direction-indicating location 17, and furthermore also an arrow information for indicating the turning direction. Here, Fig. 6e shows a country-specific variant, e.g. could be used in France.

Claims

claims

1. A method for operating a navigation system for calculating a route and route guidance from the current location to a definable destination, wherein maneuver instructions are supplemented by the fact that in turn operations (1, 26, 27) place names (17) are output acoustically and / or visually wherein, based on a query along the route passing through or into a location (2, 13, 14), a next location (2, 13, 14) on the route is determined and used in the output.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the route is divided into segments (3) and the navigation system with a segment (3) corresponding community area and / or with a segment (3) corresponding place name

(2), wherein, if a turning operation (1, 26, 27) is detected with a corresponding maneuvering indication and if a change of the municipality (2) is detected until a next turning operation along the segments, the name of the new municipality area or the new place name (2) is used in the output.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that upon detection of several changes in the municipality or the place (13, 14) to a next turn of the

Name of the first new municipality area or the first new place name (13) is used in the output.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that upon detection of several changes of the municipality or the place (13, 14) to a next turn the name of the last new municipality area or the last new place name (14) used in the output becomes.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that upon detection of a plurality of changes of the municipality or the place until a next turn operation, the name of the most important new municipality area or the most important new place name is used in the output, the importance based on the corresponding number of inhabitants and / or the segments involved and / or the corresponding degree of familiarity.

6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that upon detection of several changes in the municipality or the place (13, 14) to a next turn several of the names of the new municipal areas or more of the new

Place names (13, 14) are used in the output.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the use of the location in the issue when driving through a village is dependent on the size of the traversed town.

8. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that upon detection of passing through a smaller town (22), the detection of the change of the municipality or the place up to that turning process along the segments (3) of

Route is carried out in which a change in the municipality or the place (23) takes place.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the size of the traversed village based on traversed traffic calmed areas and / or based on the presence of alternative output supplements and / or based on the population and / or based on a capital attribute and / or on the importance of traversed City is assessed, the importance is assessed based on the corresponding population and / or the segments involved and / or the corresponding level of awareness.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that as the next location on the route a highway designation (16) determined and used in the output.