WO2009084783A1

WO2009084783A1 - Method and apparatus for display crossroad guide symbol in navigation system

Info

Publication number: WO2009084783A1
Application number: PCT/KR2008/003782
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yongjoo Lee; Jinyoung Du
Original assignee: Thinkware Systems Corporation
Priority date: 2007-12-27
Filing date: 2008-06-29
Publication date: 2009-07-09
Also published as: KR100939925B1; KR20090070941A

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol which can display a crossroad and inform of a moving direction to move are provided. The apparatus includes: an angle calculation unit calculating an angle with an axis of a user's moving direction when a crossroad is sensed while giving guidance along a movement route; a symbol selection unit selecting a guidance display symbol which corresponds to the calculated angle from guidance display symbols having a predetermined number of directivity in which an entire circle is divided based on a predetermined angle; and a display unit displaying a symbol selected in the symbol selection unit.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAY CROSSROAD GUIDE SYMBOL IN NAVIGATION SYSTEM

Technical Field The present invention relates to a navigation system, and more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system.

Background Art In general, a navigation system provides useful information for guiding drivers of vehicles, such as automobiles, using satellites, and is referred to as an auto navigation system.

The navigation system receives predetermined data using a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver from GPS satellites that fly over the earth and calculates the navigation system's own position based on the received data.

Based on current location information, the navigation system can provide various useful information such as informing the driver of a current location of the vehicle (Location), computing a route to a desired destination (Routing), and guiding the user along a movement route (Guidance). When a motor vehicle moves along a moving route, the navigation system searches for predetermined objects of guidance ahead of a moving direction, including crossroads, underground passages, elevated roads, and expressway entrances/exits (hereinafter 'routes'), and provides guidance information to the driver in the form of video images and/or voice signals as to a recommended driving direction of the routes when the vehicle comes within a predetermined distance from the identified route.

However, numerous users of the navigation system in Europe often confuse display symbols about crossroads, which were of specific icons such as traffic signal, resulting in European users misunderstanding the display symbols, and unintended actions are brought about such as stopping the motor vehicle or slowing down the motor vehicle's speed.

Furthermore, conventional technologies display a crossroad too briefly so that accurate identification of the location and precise direction guidance are difficult. Disclosure of Invention Technical Goals

The present invention provides a new method for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol which can display a crossroad and give notice of a moving direction of where to move at the crossroad.

The present invention also provides an apparatus and a method for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system which provides a moving direction in advance while giving guidance to a crossroad and improves a level of recognition for the guidance display symbol, thereby encouraging safe driving.

Technical solutions

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system including: an angle calculation unit calculating an angle with an axis of a user's moving direction when a crossroad is sensed while giving guidance along a movement route; a symbol selection unit selecting a guidance display symbol which corresponds to the calculated angle from guidance display symbols having a predetermined number of directivity in which an entire circle is divided based on a predetermined angle; and a display unit displaying a symbol selected in the symbol selection unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system including: searching for a movement route to a destination point requested from a user to search; calculating a predetermined element for each route according to the search result, and displaying and guiding the calculated predetermined element on the movement route; and displaying a moving direction at a crossroad and the crossroad using a guidance display symbol when the crossroad is sensed on a movement route while giving guidance along the movement route.

Industrial Applicability

According to present invention, it is possible to prevent mistakes of passing through a crossroad without recognition by improving a level of recognition of a guidance display symbol when displaying a guidance symbol at the crossroad, such as blinking.

Also, according to present invention, it is possible to clearly recognize a moving direction to advance by the moving direction being matched with a guidance display symbol displayed in a bottom of a screen of a navigation system.

Also, according to present invention, it is possible to provide more effective guidance than conventional methods when crossroads appear in succession.

Brief Description of Drawings FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a two dimensional (2D) rotation mode according to a method for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a three dimensional (3D) rotation mode according to a method for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a 2D direction fixed mode according to a method for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a method for configuring a guidance display symbol for a crossroad in a navigation system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a screen in which a display method of blinking is displayed from among methods for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a screen of a route which represents directivity by rotating a symbol in a 2D rotation mode or in a 3D mode in a method for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a guidance display symbol unit for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Hereinafter, although embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. When detailed descriptions related to a well-known related function or configuration are determined to make the spirits of the present invention ambiguous, the detailed descriptions will be omitted herein. Also, terms used throughout the present specification are used to appropriately describe exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and thus may be different depending upon a user and an operator's intention, or practices of application fields of the present invention. Therefore, the terms must be defined based on descriptions made through the present invention.

FIGS. 1 through 3 illustrate a display method for each mode according to a method for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the display method for each mode according to exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 3.

FIG. 1 is a two dimensional (2D) rotation mode in which a movement route is changed based on an axis of a user's moving direction and is displayed in 2D, and FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional (3D) mode showing a movement route is changed based on the axis of the user's moving direction as illustrated in FIG. 1.

In contrast, FIG. 3 illustrates a 2D direction fix direction mode having an axis of a fixed direction (North-up) and in which a user's moving direction is changed according to a route based on the axis of the fixed direction. FIG. 4 illustrates a method for configuring a guidance display symbol for a crossroad in a navigation system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The guidance display symbol for the crossroad of present invention may consist of any one of symbols having a predetermined number of 36 directivities, which divide an entire circle (360 degrees) based on a predetermined angle, for example 10 degrees, and a symbol in a shape of an arrow indicates an angle, which is matched with an angle of a movement route based on an axis of a user's moving direction or an axis of a fixed direction.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a screen in which a display method of blinking is displayed from among methods for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. When a user has started on a trip having set a starting point and a destination point in the navigation system, the navigation system searches for a movement route to the destination point requested by the user, a predetermined element is calculated according to the moving route based on the search result, and the predetermined element is displayed on the movement route for guidance to the user. Here, the predetermined elements may include a distance from the starting point to the destination point, a traveling speed according to the user's route, a distance from the starting point, a name of a current road on the movement route, and a direction of movement.

When a crossroad is sensed on the movement route, the crossroad and a moving direction at the crossroad is displayed using a guidance display symbol. Here, as a method for displaying the moving direction at the crossroad using the guidance display symbol, a moving direction to move is displayed by blinking a symbol having directivity along the moving direction towards the destination point based on the user's current moving direction, and, in this instance, the moving direction to move may be displayed blinking based on a moving body, for example the user's automobile, according to a search result for the route being updated at a predetermined time interval.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a screen of a route which represents directivity by rotating a symbol in a 2D rotation mode or in a 3D mode in a method for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In a method for displaying a movement route in the navigation system, a single mode is selected according to a user's selection among a 2D rotation mode displaying a route in 2D type based on an axis of a user's moving direction, a 3D mode displaying a route in 3D type base on the axis of the user's moving direction, and a direction fix mode displaying a route according to the user's moving direction based on an axis of a fixed direction, the selected mode is displayed on a navigation screen, and when a route is displayed in the 2D rotation mode or 3D mode based on the axis of the user's moving direction, an angle difference is calculated with a single crossroad based on the user's moving direction according to the user's movement on the movement route, and a corresponding directional guidance display symbol is rotated according to the calculated angle, thereby displaying a moving direction to move on the route.

Also, when displaying an updated search result for the route according to the moving direction at a predetermined time interval, by displaying the angle difference with the crossroad is displayed using the directional guidance display symbol which corresponds to the angle difference, the route according to the updated data may be displayed.

Accordingly, a guidance display symbol for crossroad 601, which originally faces southeast based on the user's moving direction, may now point east 602 and 603, which is a location of the crossroad as the user's moving direction changes toward a destination crossroad, and a distance to a corresponding crossroad is matched with a guidance display symbol on the moving direction, thereby displaying a direction indicator for a moving direction to move on a specific location, for example on a lower middle of a right corner of a screen in FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a guidance display symbol unit for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 7, configuration elements and performance of the guidance display symbol unit according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described.

For reference, FIG. 7 illustrates only those modules which are directly or indirectly related to the present invention. Obviously, this applies equally to other accompanied drawings. Blocks shown in this specification may be designed as modules, and the module may be embodied in hardware, software, or a combination thereof.

The guidance symbol display unit according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes an angle calculation unit 701, a symbol selection unit 702, and a symbol display unit 703.

The angle calculation unit 701 may calculate an angle with an axis of a user's moving direction when a crossroad is sensed while giving guidance along a movement route. In this instance, the calculated angle may be selected from values being determined by the method for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in FIG. 4.

The symbol selection unit 702 may select a guidance display symbol which corresponds to the angle calculated in the angle calculation unit 701 among guidance display symbols having the predetermined number of 36 directivities, which divide the entire circle (360 degrees) into the predetermined angle (10 degrees) as in FIG. 4.

The symbol display unit 703 displays a symbol selected in the symbol selection unit 702, and the symbol display unit 703 may display a guidance display symbol with directivity by blinking at a predetermined time interval, or, when a display mode selected by the user is in 2D rotation mode or 3D mode, may display the selected guidance display symbol by rotating the guidance display symbol with directivity based on the user's moving direction according to the user's movement on the movement route.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In operation S801, a user establishes a starting point and a destination point in a navigation system, thereby beginning a route guidance of the navigation system and searching for a route to a destination point in operation S802. When a crossroad is sensed while searching for the route, the method for displaying crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system according to the present invention is applied. When the crossroad is sensed in operation S803, the angle calculation unit 701 of FIG. 7 calculates the angle with the axis of the user's moving direction in operation S804, and the guidance display symbol, selected with directivity with respect to the calculated angle, is displayed in operation S805.

Subsequently, when there is no angle change in the moving direction despite movement of the moving body used by the user, the identical guidance display symbol is used to display the route in operation S806, whereas, when an angle is changed due to the user's movement on the movement route as the vehicle progresses, the guidance display symbol is displayed by rotating the guidance display symbol in operation S808 in the case of the 2D rotation mode or 3D mode in operation S807, and a changed angle is displayed using a guidance display symbol in operation S 809 according to the angle changes in the same method as described in operation S 805. The method for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system according to the above-described exemplary embodiments 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. 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 optical 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. The media may also be a transmission medium such as optical or metallic lines, wave guides, and the like, including a carrier wave transmitting signals specifying the program instructions, data structures, 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.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.

Therefore, it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended thereto and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An apparatus for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system, the apparatus comprising: an angle calculation unit calculating an angle with an axis of a user's moving direction when a crossroad is sensed while giving guidance along a moving route; a symbol selection unit selecting a guidance display symbol which corresponds to the calculated angle from guidance display symbols having a predetermined number of directivity in which an entire circle is divided based on a predetermined angle; and a display unit displaying a symbol selected in the symbol selection unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the guidance display symbol having the directivity blinking at a predetermined time interval.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the guidance display symbol by rotating the guidance display symbol having the directivity according to angle changes followed by movements on a movement route when a display mode selected by a user is two dimensional (2D) rotation mode or a three dimensional (3D) rotation mode.

4. A method for displaying a crossroad guidance symbol in a navigation system, the method comprising: searching for a movement route to a destination point requested from a user to search; calculating a predetermined element for each route according to the search result, and displaying and guiding the calculated predetermined element on the movement route; and displaying a moving direction at a crossroad and the crossroad using a guidance display symbol when the crossroad is sensed on a movement route while giving guidance along the movement route.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the guidance display symbol for the crossroad is configured with any one of symbols having a predetermined number of directivity in which an entire circle is divided based on predetermined angles.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the displaying of the moving direction at the crossroad and the crossroad using the guidance display symbol when the crossroad is sensed on a movement route while giving guidance along the movement route comprises: blinking a symbol having directivity toward a moving direction for the destination point based on a user's moving direction; and displaying an updated retrieved route result according to the moving direction at a predetermined time interval.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the displaying of the updated retrieved route result according to the moving direction at the predetermined time interval displays an angle difference with a crossroad according to the user's moving direction based on the user's movement on the movement route using a directional guidance display symbol corresponding to the angle difference.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising: displaying a direction indicator for the moving direction by matching the moving direction with the guidance display symbol while displaying the moving direction at the crossroad using the guidance display symbol.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein, in the calculating of the predetermined element for each route according to the search result, and displaying and guiding of the calculated predetermined element on the movement route, the calculated predetermined element displays any one of a 2D rotation mode displaying a route in 2D type based on an axis of a user's moving direction, a 3D mode displaying a route in 3D type based on the axis of the user's moving direction, and a direction fix mode displaying a route according to the user's moving direction based on an axis of a fixed direction.

10. The method of claim 9, when displaying the route in a 2D rotation mode based on the axis of the user's moving direction or in a 3D rotation mode based on the axis of the user's moving direction, further comprising: calculating an angle difference with a crossroad according to the user's moving direction, based on the user's movement on the movement route; and displaying a moving direction on the movement route by rotating a corresponding directional guidance display symbol according to the calculated angle.

11. At least one computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for implementing the method of any one of claims 4 through 10.