WO2010045976A1 - Appareil et procédé de navigation pour planifier un itinéraire - Google Patents

Appareil et procédé de navigation pour planifier un itinéraire Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2010045976A1
WO2010045976A1 PCT/EP2008/064325 EP2008064325W WO2010045976A1 WO 2010045976 A1 WO2010045976 A1 WO 2010045976A1 EP 2008064325 W EP2008064325 W EP 2008064325W WO 2010045976 A1 WO2010045976 A1 WO 2010045976A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
user
schedule data
user schedule
route
data
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2008/064325
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Rob Schuurbiers
Soeters Bob Arnold
Original Assignee
Tomtom International B.V.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Tomtom International B.V. filed Critical Tomtom International B.V.
Priority to PCT/EP2008/064325 priority Critical patent/WO2010045976A1/fr
Priority to TW097141823A priority patent/TW201017120A/zh
Publication of WO2010045976A1 publication Critical patent/WO2010045976A1/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
    • G01C21/00—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00
    • G01C21/26—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
    • G01C21/34—Route searching; Route guidance
    • G01C21/3407—Route searching; Route guidance specially adapted for specific applications
    • G01C21/343—Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
    • G01C21/00—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00
    • G01C21/26—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
    • G01C21/34—Route searching; Route guidance
    • G01C21/36—Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
    • G01C21/3605—Destination input or retrieval
    • G01C21/362—Destination input or retrieval received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/04—Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem"
    • G06Q10/047—Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to route planning, and in particular to route planning using a portable navigation device.
  • the invention concerns in particular the planning of routes to scheduled appointments or events.
  • Portable computing devices for example Portable Navigation Devices (PNDs) that include GPS (Global Positioning System) signal reception and processing functionality are well known and are widely employed as in-car or other vehicle navigation systems.
  • GPS Global Positioning System
  • a modern PND comprises a processor, memory (at least one of volatile and non-volatile, and commonly both), and map data stored within said memory.
  • the processor and memory cooperate to provide an execution environment in which a software operating system may be established, and additionally it is commonplace for one or more additional software programs to be provided to enable the functionality of the PND to be controlled, and to provide various other functions.
  • these devices further comprise one or more input interfaces that allow a user to interact with and control the device, and one or more output interfaces by means of which information may be relayed to the user.
  • output interfaces include a visual display and a speaker for audible output.
  • input interfaces include one or more physical buttons to control on/off operation or other features of the device (which buttons need not necessarily be on the device itself but could be on a steering wheel if the device is built into a vehicle), and a microphone for detecting user speech.
  • the output interface display may be configured as a touch sensitive display (by means of a touch sensitive overlay or otherwise) additionally to provide an input interface by means of which a user can operate the device by touch.
  • Devices of this type will also often include one or more physical connector interfaces by means of which power and optionally data signals can be transmitted to and received from the device, and optionally one or more wireless transmitters/receivers to allow communication over cellular telecommunications and other signal and data networks, for example Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, GSM, UMTS and the like.
  • PNDs of this type also include a GPS antenna by means of which satellite- broadcast signals, including location data, can be received and subsequently processed to determine a current location of the device.
  • the PND may also include electronic gyroscopes and accelerometers which produce signals that can be processed to determine the current angular and linear acceleration, and in turn, and in conjunction with location information derived from the GPS signal, velocity and relative displacement of the device and thus the vehicle in which it is mounted.
  • electronic gyroscopes and accelerometers which produce signals that can be processed to determine the current angular and linear acceleration, and in turn, and in conjunction with location information derived from the GPS signal, velocity and relative displacement of the device and thus the vehicle in which it is mounted.
  • location information derived from the GPS signal, velocity and relative displacement of the device and thus the vehicle in which it is mounted.
  • PNDs The utility of such PNDs is manifested primarily in their ability to determine a route between a first location (typically a start or current location) and a second location (typically a destination). These locations can be input by a user of the device, by any of a wide variety of different methods, for example by postcode, street name and house number, previously stored "well known" destinations (such as famous locations, municipal locations (such as sports grounds or swimming baths) or other points of interest), and favourite or recently visited destinations.
  • PNDs may be mounted on the dashboard or windscreen of a vehicle, but may also be formed as part of an on-board computer of the vehicle radio or indeed as part of the control system of the vehicle itself.
  • the navigation device may also be part of a hand-held system, such as a PDA (Portable Digital Assistant), a media player, a mobile phone or the like, and in these cases, the normal functionality of the hand-held system is extended by means of the installation of software on the device to perform both route calculation and navigation along a calculated route.
  • a hand-held system such as a PDA (Portable Digital Assistant), a media player, a mobile phone or the like
  • PNDs During navigation along a calculated route, it is usual for such PNDs to provide visual and/or audible instructions to guide the user along a chosen route to the end of that route, i.e. the desired destination. It is also usual for PNDs to display map information on-screen during the navigation, such information regularly being updated on-screen so that the map information displayed is representative of the current location of the device, and thus of the user or user's vehicle if the device is being used for in- vehicle navigation.
  • An icon displayed on-screen typically denotes the current device location, and is centred with the map information of current and surrounding roads in the vicinity of the current device location and other map features also being displayed. Additionally, navigation information may be displayed, optionally in a status bar above, below or to one side of the displayed map information, examples of navigation information include a distance to the next deviation from the current road required to be taken by the user, the nature of that deviation possibly being represented by a further icon suggestive of the particular type of deviation, for example a left or right turn.
  • the navigation function also determines the content, duration and timing of audible instructions by means of which the user can be guided along the route.
  • the devices are particularly useful for users who have schedules of appointments to keep or events to attend, as they enable the users to travel to such appointments or events efficiently. However, it is generally the user's own responsibility to keep track of appointments and events and to remember to program the navigation device with the locations of such appointments and events.
  • An alternative method or system for enabling a user to navigate to scheduled appointments or events is desirable.
  • a navigation apparatus comprising communication circuitry configured to establish communication with a device and to receive stored user schedule data from the device, and a processing resource configured to plan a route in dependence upon the received user schedule data.
  • the device may be remote from the navigation apparatus.
  • the device may be a user device, for example a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone or a personal computer, for example a laptop computer.
  • PDA personal digital assistant
  • the device may be a server.
  • the device may comprise or may be configured to run a calendar application, for example Outlook or Google Calendar.
  • the communication circuitry may be configured to receive and/or transmit data according to a communication protocol, for example Bluetooth or WiFi.
  • the communication circuitry may comprise at least one antenna and/or a communication device or module configured to control transmission of data via the antenna and/or process data received via the antenna.
  • the communication device or module may comprise software or dedicated hardware or a combination thereof.
  • the user schedule data may comprise appointment data representative of user appointments.
  • the user schedule data may comprise calendar data from a calendar application.
  • the user schedule data may comprise location data and/or time data.
  • the user schedule data may comprise calendar application data.
  • the calendar application may be, for example, Outlook or Google Calendar.
  • the processing resource may be configured to determine at least one of a destination for the route and a desired arrival time at the destination in dependence upon the user schedule data.
  • the user schedule data may comprise appointment or event data, and the processing resource may be configured to determine the destination for the route as being a location of the appointment or event.
  • the user schedule data may comprise an appointment or event time, and the processing resource may be configured to determine a desired arrival time in dependence upon the appointment or event time.
  • the processing resource may comprise a SyncML module for processing the user schedule data according to the SyncML protocol.
  • the processing resource may be configured to determine a departure location for the route in dependence upon the received user schedule data. Alternatively or additionally, the processing resource may be configured to determine the expected location of a user at a selected time in dependence upon the user schedule data.
  • the processing resource may be configured to determine a departure location for a route from the expected location of the user at the selected time.
  • the processing resource may be configured to determine a departure location for a route to an appointment or event in dependence upon received user schedule data representative of an earlier appointment, preferably an immediately preceding appointment.
  • the processing resource may be configured to use a predetermined location, for example a default location, as a departure location.
  • the predetermined location may be used, for example, in the absence of an earlier appointment in a particular day or other time window.
  • the predetermined location may be a user home, work or accommodation location.
  • the processing resource may be configured to operate the communication circuitry so as to transmit user schedule data and/or route data to the user device and/or to a further device.
  • the apparatus may be configured to transmit user schedule data to the user device and/or to request transmission of user schedule data from the user device so as to synchronise user schedule data between the navigation apparatus and the user device.
  • the apparatus may be configured to transmit user schedule data to the user device and/or to request transmission of user schedule data from the user device periodically and/or in response to a user request.
  • the processing resource may be configured to process user schedule data in dependence upon the or an identifier associated with user schedule data.
  • the identifier may comprise an appointment or event identifier and/or a device identifier.
  • the processing resource may be configured to associate the or an identifier with user schedule data.
  • the processor may further comprise a memory for storing user schedule data, and the processing resource may be configured to allocate an amount of the memory for storage of the user schedule data.
  • the processing resource may be configured to delete stored user schedule data in dependence upon at least one of time since receipt of the user schedule data and a comparison between current time and the time of an appointment represented by the user schedule data.
  • the navigation apparatus may further comprise a user input device for at least one of input of user schedule data, selection of user schedule data and modification of user schedule data.
  • the navigation apparatus may further comprise a display for displaying the user schedule data and/or the route.
  • the processing resource may be configured to determine a departure time in dependence on the schedule data, to monitor the current time, and to generate an alarm signal in dependence on a comparison between the current time and the departure time.
  • a navigation system comprising a navigation apparatus and a device, wherein the device comprises a memory for storing user schedule data and communication circuitry for transmitting the user schedule data, and the navigation apparatus comprises further communication circuitry for receiving user schedule data from the device and a processing resource configured to plan a route in dependence upon the received user schedule data.
  • a method of planning a route comprising receiving stored user schedule data from a device and planning a route in dependence upon the received user schedule data.
  • the processing resource has information about where the user is (the source). Where the user wants to go (a destination) and at what time she wants to be there (a destination time) can be provided to the processing resource from a user's personal information management software (for example, Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar). Travel data may be obtained from another system or source.
  • the processing resource may be configured to calculate the fastest route from the source to the destination, taking into account the current travel times.
  • the processing resource may also be configured to calculate the total travel time for the fastest route.
  • the processing resource may also be configured to subtract the total travel time and a margin from the destination time; this is the "time to leave”.
  • the processing resource may be configured to notify the user of the time to leave when the current time is close or equal to the time to leave.
  • the processing resource may be integrated in a mobile device, which may communicate with other devices or systems to get accurately measured travel times, over the air.
  • the user may interact with the device and obtain notifications from the device. Notifications may be audio and/or video notifications.
  • User interaction with the device may also be performed through a connection to a user's personal information management system (for example Microsoft Outlook or Google Calendar), which may supply agenda events.
  • the system may be used by any road user or other traveller, and may be particularly useful in planning business trips or organising travel to business appointments.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary part of a Global Positioning System (GPS) usable by a navigation device;
  • GPS Global Positioning System
  • Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a communications system for communication between a navigation device and a server;
  • Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of electronic components of the navigation device of Figure 2 or any other suitable navigation device;
  • Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an arrangement of mounting and/or docking a navigation device;
  • Figure 5 is a schematic representation of an architectural stack employed by the navigation device of Figure 3;
  • Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a route planning system
  • Figure 7 is a schematic illustration of components of the route planning system of Figure 6;
  • Figure 8 is an illustration of the display of a navigation device
  • Figure 9 is an illustration of a main menu
  • Figure 10 is an illustration of an appointment list screen
  • Figure 1 1 is an illustration of a screen for inputting, displaying and modifying an offset time
  • Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a device menu screen
  • Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of an appointment selection screen
  • Figure 14 is an illustration of an appointment screen
  • Figures 15, 16 and 17a to 17c are illustrations of menus for input of a destination by a user.
  • Figure 18 is a flow chart illustrating one mode of operation of the system of Figures 6 and 7.
  • a navigation device is intended to include (without limitation) any type of route planning and navigation device, irrespective of whether that device is embodied as a PND, a vehicle such as an automobile, or indeed a portable computing resource, for example a portable personal computer (PC), a mobile telephone or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) executing route planning and navigation software.
  • PC personal computer
  • PDA Personal Digital Assistant
  • the Global Positioning System (GPS) of Figure 1 and the like are used for a variety of purposes.
  • the GPS is a satellite-radio based navigation system capable of determining continuous position, velocity, time, and in some instances direction information for an unlimited number of users.
  • NAVSTAR the GPS incorporates a plurality of satellites which orbit the earth in extremely precise orbits. Based on these precise orbits, GPS satellites can relay their location to any number of receiving units.
  • the GPS system is implemented when a device, specially equipped to receive GPS data, begins scanning radio frequencies for GPS satellite signals. Upon receiving a radio signal from a GPS satellite, the device determines the precise location of that satellite via one of a plurality of different conventional methods. The device will continue scanning, in most instances, for signals until it has acquired at least three different satellite signals (noting that position is not normally, but can be determined, with only two signals using other triangulation techniques). Implementing geometric triangulation, the receiver utilizes the three known positions to determine its own two-dimensional position relative to the satellites. This can be done in a known manner. Additionally, acquiring a fourth satellite signal allows the receiving device to calculate its three dimensional position by the same geometrical calculation in a known manner. The position and velocity data can be updated in real time on a continuous basis by an unlimited number of users.
  • the GPS system 100 comprises a plurality of satellites 102 orbiting about the earth 104.
  • a GPS receiver 106 receives spread spectrum GPS satellite data signals 108 from a number of the plurality of satellites 102.
  • the spread spectrum data signals 108 are continuously transmitted from each satellite 102, the spread spectrum data signals 108 transmitted each comprise a data stream including information identifying a particular satellite 102 from which the data stream originates.
  • the GPS receiver 106 generally requires spread spectrum data signals 108 from at least three satellites 102 in order to be able to calculate a two-dimensional position. Receipt of a fourth spread spectrum data signal enables the GPS receiver 106 to calculate, using a known technique, a three-dimensional position.
  • a navigation device 200 comprising or coupled to the GPS receiver device 106, is capable of establishing a data session, if required, with network hardware of a "mobile" or telecommunications network via a mobile device (not shown), for example a mobile telephone, PDA, and/or any device with mobile telephone technology, in order to establish a digital connection, for example a digital connection via known Bluetooth technology.
  • a mobile device for example a mobile telephone, PDA, and/or any device with mobile telephone technology
  • the mobile device can establish a network connection (through the Internet for example) with a server 150.
  • a "mobile” network connection can be established between the navigation device 200 (which can be, and often times is, mobile as it travels alone and/or in a vehicle) and the server 150 to provide a "real-time” or at least very “up to date” gateway for information.
  • the establishing of the network connection between the mobile device (via a service provider) and another device such as the server 150, using the Internet for example, can be done in a known manner.
  • any number of appropriate data communications protocols can be employed, for example the TCP/IP layered protocol.
  • the mobile device can utilize any number of communication standards such as CDMA2000, GSM, IEEE 802.1 1 a/b/c/g/n, etc.
  • the internet connection may be utilised, which can be achieved via data connection, via a mobile phone or mobile phone technology within the navigation device 200 for example.
  • the navigation device 200 may, of course, include its own mobile telephone technology within the navigation device 200 itself (including an antenna for example, or optionally using the internal antenna of the navigation device 200).
  • the mobile phone technology within the navigation device 200 can include internal components, and/or can include an insertable card (e.g. Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card), complete with necessary mobile phone technology and/or an antenna for example.
  • SIM Subscriber Identity Module
  • mobile phone technology within the navigation device 200 can similarly establish a network connection between the navigation device 200 and the server 150, via the Internet for example, in a manner similar to that of any mobile device.
  • a Bluetooth enabled navigation device may be used to work correctly with the ever changing spectrum of mobile phone models, manufacturers, etc., model/manufacturer specific settings may be stored on the navigation device 200 for example. The data stored for this information can be updated.
  • the navigation device 200 is depicted as being in communication with the server 150 via a generic communications channel 152 that can be implemented by any of a number of different arrangements.
  • the communication channel 152 generically represents the propagating medium or path that connects the navigation device 200 and the server 150.
  • the server 150 and the navigation device 200 can communicate when a connection via the communications channel 152 is established between the server 150 and the navigation device 200 (noting that such a connection can be a data connection via mobile device, a direct connection via personal computer via the internet, etc.).
  • the communication channel 152 is not limited to a particular communication technology. Additionally, the communication channel 152 is not limited to a single communication technology; that is, the channel 152 may include several communication links that use a variety of technology. For example, the communication channel 152 can be adapted to provide a path for electrical, optical, and/or electromagnetic communications, etc. As such, the communication channel 152 includes, but is not limited to, one or a combination of the following: electric circuits, electrical conductors such as wires and coaxial cables, fibre optic cables, converters, radio-frequency (RF) waves, the atmosphere, free space, etc. Furthermore, the communication channel 152 can include intermediate devices such as routers, repeaters, buffers, transmitters, and receivers, for example.
  • RF radio-frequency
  • the communication channel 152 includes telephone and computer networks. Furthermore, the communication channel 152 may be capable of accommodating wireless communication, for example, infrared communications, radio frequency communications, such as microwave frequency communications, etc. Additionally, the communication channel 152 can accommodate satellite communication.
  • the communication signals transmitted through the communication channel 152 include, but are not limited to, signals as may be required or desired for given communication technology.
  • the signals may be adapted to be used in cellular communication technology such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), etc.
  • TDMA Time Division Multiple Access
  • FDMA Frequency Division Multiple Access
  • CDMA Code Division Multiple Access
  • GSM Global System for Mobile Communications
  • Both digital and analogue signals can be transmitted through the communication channel 152.
  • These signals may be modulated, encrypted and/or compressed signals as may be desirable for the communication technology.
  • the server 150 includes, in addition to other components which may not be illustrated, a processor 154 operatively connected to a memory 156 and further operatively connected, via a wired or wireless connection 158, to a mass data storage device 160.
  • the mass storage device 160 contains a store of navigation data and map information, and can again be a separate device from the server 150 or can be incorporated into the server 150.
  • the processor 154 is further operatively connected to transmitter 162 and receiver 164, to transmit and receive information to and from navigation device 200 via communications channel 152.
  • the signals sent and received may include data, communication, and/or other propagated signals.
  • the transmitter 162 and receiver 164 may be selected or designed according to the communications requirement and communication technology used in the communication design for the navigation system 200. Further, it should be noted that the functions of transmitter 162 and receiver 164 may be combined into a single transceiver.
  • the navigation device 200 can be arranged to communicate with the server 150 through communications channel 152, using transmitter 166 and receiver 168 to send and receive signals and/or data through the communications channel 152, noting that these devices can further be used to communicate with devices other than server 150.
  • the transmitter 166 and receiver 168 are selected or designed according to communication requirements and communication technology used in the communication design for the navigation device 200 and the functions of the transmitter 166 and receiver 168 may be combined into a single transceiver as described above in relation to Figure 2.
  • the navigation device 200 comprises other hardware and/or functional parts, which will be described later herein in further detail.
  • Software stored in server memory 156 provides instructions for the processor
  • One service provided by the server 150 involves processing requests from the navigation device 200 and transmitting navigation data from the mass data storage 160 to the navigation device 200.
  • Another service that can be provided by the server 150 includes processing the navigation data using various algorithms for a desired application and sending the results of these calculations to the navigation device 200.
  • the server 150 constitutes a remote source of data accessible by the navigation device 200 via a wireless channel.
  • the server 150 may include a network server located on a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), virtual private network (VPN), etc.
  • LAN local area network
  • WAN wide area network
  • VPN virtual private network
  • the server 150 may include a personal computer such as a desktop or laptop computer, and the communication channel 152 may be a cable connected between the personal computer and the navigation device 200.
  • a personal computer may be connected between the navigation device 200 and the server 150 to establish an internet connection between the server 150 and the navigation device 200.
  • the navigation device 200 may be provided with information from the server 150 via information downloads which may be periodically updated automatically or upon a user connecting the navigation device 200 to the server 150 and/or may be more dynamic upon a more constant or frequent connection being made between the server 150 and navigation device 200 via a wireless mobile connection device and TCP/IP connection for example.
  • the processor 154 in the server 150 may be used to handle the bulk of processing needs, however, a processor (not shown in Figure 2) of the navigation device 200 can also handle much processing and calculation, oftentimes independent of a connection to a server 150.
  • the block diagram of the navigation device 200 is not inclusive of all components of the navigation device, but is only representative of many example components.
  • the navigation device 200 is located within a housing (not shown).
  • the navigation device 200 includes a processing resource comprising, for example, the processor 202 mentioned above, the processor 202 being coupled to an input device 204 and a display device, for example a display screen 206.
  • a processing resource comprising, for example, the processor 202 mentioned above, the processor 202 being coupled to an input device 204 and a display device, for example a display screen 206.
  • the input device 204 represents any number of input devices, including a keyboard device, voice input device, touch panel and/or any other known input device utilised to input information.
  • the display screen 206 can include any type of display screen such as a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), for example.
  • LCD Liquid Crystal Display
  • one aspect of the input device 204, the touch panel, and the display screen 206 are integrated so as to provide an integrated input and display device, including a touchpad or touchscreen input 250 ( Figure 4) to enable both input of information (via direct input, menu selection, etc.) and display of information through the touch panel screen so that a user need only touch a portion of the display screen 206 to select one of a plurality of display choices or to activate one of a plurality of virtual or "soft" buttons.
  • the processor 202 supports a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that operates in conjunction with the touchscreen.
  • GUI Graphical User Interface
  • the processor 202 is operatively connected to and capable of receiving input information from input device 204 via a connection 210, and operatively connected to at least one of the display screen 206 and the output device 208, via respective output connections 212, to output information thereto.
  • the navigation device 200 may include an output device 208, for example an audible output device (e.g. a loudspeaker).
  • an audible output device e.g. a loudspeaker
  • input device 204 can include a microphone and software for receiving input voice commands as well.
  • the navigation device 200 can also include any additional input device 204 and/or any additional output device, such as audio input/output devices for example.
  • the processor 202 is operatively connected to memory 214 via connection 216 and is further adapted to receive/send information from/to input/output (I/O) ports 218 via connection 220, wherein the I/O port 218 is connectible to an I/O device 222 external to the navigation device 200.
  • the external I/O device 222 may include, but is not limited to an external listening device, such as an earpiece for example.
  • connection to I/O device 222 can further be a wired or wireless connection to any other external device such as a car stereo unit for hands-free operation and/or for voice activated operation for example, for connection to an earpiece or headphones, and/or for connection to a mobile telephone for example, wherein the mobile telephone connection can be used to establish a data connection between the navigation device 200 and the Internet or any other network for example, and/or to establish a connection to a server via the Internet or some other network for example.
  • any other external device such as a car stereo unit for hands-free operation and/or for voice activated operation for example, for connection to an earpiece or headphones, and/or for connection to a mobile telephone for example
  • the mobile telephone connection can be used to establish a data connection between the navigation device 200 and the Internet or any other network for example, and/or to establish a connection to a server via the Internet or some other network for example.
  • Figure 3 further illustrates an operative connection between the processor 202 and an antenna/receiver 224 via connection 226, wherein the antenna/receiver 224 can be a GPS antenna/receiver for example.
  • the antenna and receiver designated by reference numeral 224 are combined schematically for illustration, but that the antenna and receiver may be separately located components, and that the antenna may be a GPS patch antenna or helical antenna for example.
  • the electronic components shown in Figure 3 are powered by one or more power sources (not shown) in a conventional manner.
  • different configurations of the components shown in Figure 3 are contemplated.
  • the components shown in Figure 3 may be in communication with one another via wired and/or wireless connections and the like.
  • the navigation device 200 described herein can be a portable or handheld navigation device 200.
  • the portable or handheld navigation device 200 of Figure 3 can be connected or "docked" in a known manner to a vehicle such as a bicycle, a motorbike, a car or a boat for example. Such a navigation device 200 is then removable from the docked location for portable or handheld navigation use.
  • the navigation device 200 may be a unit that includes the integrated input and display device 206 and the other components of Figure 2 (including, but not limited to, the internal GPS receiver 224, the microprocessor 202, a power supply (not shown), memory systems 214, etc.).
  • the navigation device 200 may sit on an arm 252, which itself may be secured to a vehicle dashboard/window/etc, using a suction cup 254.
  • This arm 252 is one example of a docking station to which the navigation device 200 can be docked.
  • the navigation device 200 can be docked or otherwise connected to the arm 252 of the docking station by snap connecting the navigation device 200 to the arm 252 for example.
  • the navigation device 200 may then be rotatable on the arm 252.
  • a button (not shown) on the navigation device 200 may be pressed, for example.
  • Other equally suitable arrangements for coupling and decoupling the navigation device 200 to a docking station are well known to persons of ordinary skill in the art.
  • the processor 202 and memory 214 cooperate to support a BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) 282 that functions as an interface between functional hardware components 280 of the navigation device 200 and the software executed by the device.
  • BIOS Basic Input/Output System
  • the processor 202 then loads an operating system 284 from the memory 214, which provides an environment in which application software 286 (implementing some or all of the above described route planning and navigation functionality) can run.
  • the application software 286 provides an operational environment including the GUI that supports core functions of the navigation device, for example map viewing, route planning, navigation functions and any other functions associated therewith.
  • part of the application software 286 comprises a view generation module 288.
  • the embodiment of the system comprises a navigation device 200 that is connectable to a docking station associated with a local server or platform 300, for example present in a user's home.
  • the local server or platform 300 is in turn connected to the server 150 via an internet connection.
  • the navigation device 200 is also connected to an alarm 304, and is connectable to a device 302, in this case a mobile telephone, via a digital connection, in this case a Bluetooth connection.
  • docking of the navigation device 200 at the docking station enables charging of the navigation device 200 and the sending of data between the navigation device 200 and the local server or platform 300, and between the navigation device 200 and the server 150 via the local server.
  • Data may also be sent between the navigation device 200 and the server 150 via the device 302 as described above in relation to Figure 2.
  • Figure 7 is a more detailed schematic diagram of the navigation device of Figures 2 and 6. It can be seen from Figure 7 that the processor 202 includes a Bluetooth module 306, a SyncML module 307, a route planning module 308 and a calendar module 309, whose functions are described in more detail below.
  • the device 200 acquires a GPS fix and calculates (in a known manner) the current location of the navigation device 200. The user is then presented, as shown in Figure 8, with a display 310 showing in pseudo three-dimensions the local environment 312 in which the navigation device 200 is determined to be located, and in a region 314 of the display 310 below the local environment a series of control and status messages.
  • the navigation device 200 By touching the display of the local environment 312, the navigation device 200 switches to display (as shown in Figure 9) a series of virtual or soft buttons represented by icons. By operation of the buttons, a user is able to access various interlinked user input and display screens, which can be used to input a destination to which to navigate, and perform various other functions relating to control of the navigation device 200 or display of data on the display 310.
  • user schedule information can be received from the device 302, in this case a mobile phone.
  • the navigation device is able to communicate with the device 302, via the Bluetooth communication protocol in this example, enabling the transfer of data between the navigation device 200 and a calendar application (for example Outlook or Google Calendar) running on the device.
  • a calendar application for example Outlook or Google Calendar
  • the device 302 illustrated in Figure 6 is a mobile phone but it may also be, for example, a personal digital assistant (PDA), personal computer, server or any other type of device operating a suitable communication protocol or suitably connected to the processor 202.
  • PDA personal digital assistant
  • Bluetooth module 306 which establishes a communication session with the device 302 according to the Bluetooth communication protocol.
  • the Bluetooth module 306 modulates or demodulates and encodes or decodes data that is transmitted to or received from the device 302.
  • Appointment or other schedule data that is received via the Bluetooth module 306 from the device 302 is processed by the SyncML module 307, operating according to the SyncML protocol.
  • the SyncML module is able to extract time data, date data, location data and other data relating to each appointment, if such data is included in the appointment or other schedule data.
  • a unique identifier is provided for each appointment or other schedule entry.
  • device identifiers are associated with each appointment or other schedule entry identifying the devices on which the entries are stored.
  • the processed appointment or other schedule data is passed from the SyncML module 307 to the calendar module 309, which runs a calendar application.
  • the calendar module 309 processes the appointment or other schedule data from the SyncML module 307 and enters appointments or other events in the calendar application.
  • the calendar application can be used to display the appointments or other events to a user.
  • the appointment or other schedule data is also used in route planning by the navigation device 200.
  • the processor 202 is operable to determine a route to the appointment location using the appointment or other schedule data. In certain modes of operation the processor 202 may also determine a departure time and provide a departure alarm for the journey to the appointment.
  • the appointment or other schedule data is passed to the control and route planning module 308 for use in route planning.
  • the location of the appointment is used as a destination location by the control and route planning module 308. If an appointment time is provided it can be used (usually minus an offset time) as a desired arrival time.
  • the control and route planning module 308 of the processor 202 pre-selects a set of possible routes to the destination, using known techniques, and then calculates an expected travel time to the destination. In the default mode of operation, the processor 202 then selects the route that provides the shortest expected travel time and calculates a departure time. If a desired arrival time is provided, or obtained from appointment data, a departure time is also calculated by subtracting the expected travel time and an additional offset time from the desired arrival time.
  • the selected route for each appointment and/or the determined departure time is stored in the memory 214 and can also be associated with the appointment to which it corresponds by the calendar module 309.
  • the user views appointments using the calendar application, he or she can also view associated routes and departure times for travelling to the appointments.
  • Each stored appointment and associated route and/or departure time information can be viewed by the user on an appointment screen 350 shown in Figure 10.
  • the expected travel time for the or each route is calculated in dependence on one or more of standard speed/distance data (also referred to as predicted data), historic travel data, and current travel data.
  • standard speed/distance data also referred to as predicted data
  • historic travel data also referred to as historic travel data
  • current travel data are stored at the server 150 and provided to the navigation device 200 either via communications channel 152 or (when the navigation device 200 is docked) via the local server or platform 300.
  • the current travel data is updated and provided to the local server or platform 300 and/or the navigation device 200 periodically.
  • the processor 202 monitors the current time using an internal clock (not shown) and when the current time matches a stored departure time the processor 202 generates an alarm signal and passes the alarm signal to the alarm
  • the alarm signal may be passed to the display 310 causing it to flash and/or to display a departure message to the user.
  • the departure time may also be displayed on the display 310 in advance of the departure time, continuously, periodically or on command of a user. In one mode of operation a countdown to the departure time is displayed, for example "You should depart within the next x minutes”.
  • the offset time is intended to compensate for any unforeseen delays that may occur en route, to allow time for the user to prepare themselves for departure, and, in some circumstances, to enable the user to arrive slightly in advance of the desired arrival time.
  • the offset time is preset at a default value, for example 15 minutes, but the user is able to alter the offset time via the input screen 360 shown in Figure 1 1 .
  • a plurality of different offset times are provided, resulting in a plurality of departure or pre-departure times and different messages or signals are provided to the user as the current time matches each departure time or pre- departure time, for example "depart in 15 mins”, “depart in 5 mins”, “depart now” accompanied by an audible alarm.
  • appointment or other user schedule data does not include a departure location for a journey to the appointment, which is required in order to plan a route.
  • Further user input screens (not shown) enable a user to enter a departure location. If the user does not enter a departure location then, depending on the settings of the navigation device 200, the current location is used as the departure point. In general, as the current location may change, that requires that travel time and departure time must subsequently be recalculated periodically and/or in response to a change in location of the navigation device 200. Other default departure locations may also be set, for example the user's home or work location. The departure location that is used can depend, for example, on the time of an appointment and the expected location of the user at or before that time.
  • the control and route planning module 308 can be configured to use the location of a previous appointment as the departure location for the next appointment.
  • the user is also able to enter or modify a desired arrival time at a destination using a further user input screen (not shown), for example if the appointment or other schedule data does not include an appointment time.
  • the route to the destination that is selected is the route having the shortest expected travel time.
  • alternative or additional constraints are applied to the selection of a route, the determination of travel time and departure time, and/or to the selection of an offset time.
  • a route may be selected (and departure time calculated accordingly) by the processor 202 in dependence upon the expected reliability of the expected travel time for each possible route.
  • the processor 202 may also select a larger offset time than usual in such circumstances.
  • the reliability of expected travel time can be determined from historic travel data. For example, the variance of measured, historic speed data for each leg of a traffic network can be obtained from the historic travel data and used as a measure of reliability.
  • the reliability of a particular route can also be modified in dependence on current travel data and/or event data. For example, if current travel data indicated that there had been traffic flow problems on a usually reliable route earlier in the day then the reliability of the route could be temporarily downgraded (for example, until the next day). It is possible for the user to select the safest route to arrive in time based upon historic speed data along potential routes to the destination.
  • the safest route is usually the route with the lowest variance in speed, and thus having the lowest risk of providing any delays.
  • the user is able to specify whether an appointment is of high importance, and in that case the processor 202 selects a route only from amongst routes having a reliability level above a predetermined threshold.
  • the user schedule data is stored in the memory 214 of the navigation device 200.
  • a predetermined amount of memory capacity is allocated for storage of user schedule data, and in one mode of operation user schedule data is deleted in dependence upon time since receipt and/or a comparison between the time of an appointment represented by the data and current time.
  • appointment and schedule data can also be transferred from the navigation device 200 to the device 302.
  • appointment or other schedule or calendar data can be synchronised between the navigation device 200 and the device 302.
  • the processor 202 is configured to perform such synchronisation periodically and/or in response to command of a user.
  • existing schedule data stored on the navigation device 200 (apart, optionally, from schedule data input to the navigation device 200 manually by a user) is deleted in advance of synchronisation. Routes and departure times determined by the navigation device 200 and associated with a particular appointment can also be transferred to the device 302, and accessed by a user when they view that appointment using the device 302.
  • appointment data representing an appointment can be obtained from a calendar application running on the mobile phone 302 and provided to the navigation device 200.
  • the navigation device is able to determine a route and departure time for the appointment and send route and departure time data back to the device 302. Subsequently a user can view the route and departure time information for the appointment on the device 302.
  • a user is also able to select the mobile phone or other device from which to obtain data, and to select particular appointment or other schedule data from the mobile phone or other device.
  • the device menu screen 370 comprises a list of registered devices 372, a synchronise all button 374, and a select appointment button 376. Each device may be selected by pressing the corresponding device name on the list 339. Selected devices are highlighted with a pointer, as shown in Figure 12. The user downloads data from listed devices or synchronises data with listed devices by use of the synchronise all button 374, and the select appointment button 376. If the user operates the synchronise all button 340, all schedule data from all of the selected devices is downloaded to the navigation device, and saved as schedule data in the memory 214 of the navigation device 200.
  • schedule data from the navigation device 200 is also uploaded to the selected devices.
  • a select appointment screen 380 is displayed, as illustrated schematically in Figure 13.
  • the select appointment screen 380 comprises a list of appointments 382 obtained from the selected devices, a save appointment button 384, and a save all button 386.
  • Each appointment may be selected by pressing the appointment name on the list 382.
  • Selected appointments are highlighted with a pointer, as shown in Figure 13.
  • the user is able to save selected appointments in the memory 214 of the navigation device 200 by operation of the save appointment button 384. All listed appointments can be saved in the memory 214 of the navigation device 200 by operation of the save all button 386.
  • Appointments that have been downloaded to and saved at the navigation device 200 can be viewed and modified by the user using the appointment list screen shown in Figure 14.
  • the destination data does not match a destination recognised by the navigation device 200 and the user must modify the destination.
  • the user is also able to modify the appointment time, or a desired arrival time for the appointment via the appointment list screen, and to enter a departure location.
  • appointment or schedule data can also be input by a user using a series of interlinked user input screens shown in Figures 15, 16 and 17a to 17c. Similar user input screens can be used to modify downloaded schedule data.
  • the user input screens enable a user to enter a destination.
  • the destination can be entered as an address, or selected from a lists of points of interest, favourite destinations, or recent destinations, or the destination can be set as the user's home address, via further input screens.
  • Figures 16 and 17a to 17c illustrate an example in which a user enters an address based on street and house number (in this case 75 Johanna Westerdijkplein, Gravenhage).
  • the address can also be entered as a city centre location, a postcode, a crossing or intersection or via a spoken command by the user as indicated by the buttons shown in Figure 16.
  • Figure 18 is a flow chart illustrating one mode of operation of the system of Figures 6 and 7.
  • the processor 202 of the navigation device 200 carries out processing operations relating to departure time and departure notifications.
  • the processing is carried out by the local server or platform 300 and/or by the server 150 either solely or jointly with the navigation device 200.
  • Resulting departure time data representative of a departure time is transferred from the server 150 and/or local server or platform 300 to the navigation device 200 via link 152 or via the local server or platform 300.
  • the navigation device 200 then monitors the current time and generates the alarm signal in dependence upon a comparison between the current time and the departure time.
  • the embodiment of Figures 6 and 7 relates to a navigation apparatus in communication with a remote device.
  • the device may be a local device forming part of the navigation apparatus itself.
  • the embodiments described above include a departure alarm feature. That feature is not essential and in alternative embodiments such a departure alarm feature is not provided.
  • the navigation device operates under a Linux operating system and is able to synchronise data from Outlook and Google Calendar applications running on the device.
  • the navigation device may operate under any suitable operating system and may be configured to synchronise data with any suitable calendar application or other user schedule application.
  • route planning and navigation functionality may also be provided by a desktop or mobile computing resource running appropriate software.
  • the Royal Automobile Club provides an on-line route planning and navigation facility at http://www.rac.co.uk, which facility allows a user to enter a start point and a destination whereupon the server with which the user's computing resource is communicating calculates a route (aspects of which may be user specified), generates a map, and generates a set of exhaustive navigation instructions for guiding the user from the selected start point to the selected destination.
  • the facility also provides for pseudo three-dimensional rendering of a calculated route, and route preview functionality which simulates a user travelling along the route and thereby provides the user with a preview of the calculated route.
  • the navigation device may utilise any kind of position sensing technology as an alternative to (or indeed in addition to) GPS.
  • the navigation device may utilise using other global navigation satellite systems such as the European Galileo system. Equally, it is not limited to satellite based position sensing but could readily function using ground based beacons or any other kind of system that enables the device to determine its geographic location.
  • Alternative embodiments of the invention can be implemented as a computer program product for use with a computer system, the computer program product being, for example, a series of computer instructions stored on a tangible data recording medium, such as a diskette, CD-ROM, ROM, or fixed disk, or embodied in a computer data signal, the signal being transmitted over a tangible medium or a wireless medium, for example, microwave or infrared.
  • the series of computer instructions can constitute all or part of the functionality described above, and can also be stored in any memory device, volatile or non-volatile, such as semiconductor, magnetic, optical or other memory device.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
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  • Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
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  • Human Resources & Organizations (AREA)
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Abstract

L’invention porte sur un appareil de navigation comprenant des circuits de communication (224, 306, 307) conçus pour établir une communication avec un dispositif et pour recevoir du dispositif des données de programme d’utilisateur mémorisées, ainsi qu’une ressource de traitement (202) conçue pour planifier un itinéraire en fonction des données de programme d’utilisateur reçues.
PCT/EP2008/064325 2008-10-22 2008-10-22 Appareil et procédé de navigation pour planifier un itinéraire WO2010045976A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/EP2008/064325 WO2010045976A1 (fr) 2008-10-22 2008-10-22 Appareil et procédé de navigation pour planifier un itinéraire
TW097141823A TW201017120A (en) 2008-10-22 2008-10-30 Navigation apparatus and method for planning a route

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/EP2008/064325 WO2010045976A1 (fr) 2008-10-22 2008-10-22 Appareil et procédé de navigation pour planifier un itinéraire

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GB2479188A (en) * 2010-04-01 2011-10-05 Courtney Walters Combined scheduling and navigation system
WO2014051806A1 (fr) * 2012-09-28 2014-04-03 Intel Corporation Planification intelligente d'itinéraires
EP2960630A3 (fr) * 2014-06-26 2016-03-23 LG Electronics Inc. Terminal de type lunette et procédé de commande de celui-ci
CN106403980A (zh) * 2016-12-06 2017-02-15 南京九致信息科技有限公司 用于车辆的导航系统与导航方法
CN112013864A (zh) * 2020-08-25 2020-12-01 中国第一汽车股份有限公司 远程启动车辆导航的方法、装置、设备及存储介质
CN116052321A (zh) * 2023-01-10 2023-05-02 中国人民解放军总医院第六医学中心 一种门诊智能分诊叫号方法和装置

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US20020030698A1 (en) * 2000-06-09 2002-03-14 Reinhold Baur Electronic organiser
US20030027558A1 (en) * 2001-08-01 2003-02-06 Alcatel Method for executing a service for organisation of meetings for participants in a communications network, and service computer and program module for this
EP1439374A2 (fr) * 2003-01-15 2004-07-21 Robert Bosch Gmbh Appareil d'information

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20020030698A1 (en) * 2000-06-09 2002-03-14 Reinhold Baur Electronic organiser
US20030027558A1 (en) * 2001-08-01 2003-02-06 Alcatel Method for executing a service for organisation of meetings for participants in a communications network, and service computer and program module for this
EP1439374A2 (fr) * 2003-01-15 2004-07-21 Robert Bosch Gmbh Appareil d'information

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2479188A (en) * 2010-04-01 2011-10-05 Courtney Walters Combined scheduling and navigation system
WO2014051806A1 (fr) * 2012-09-28 2014-04-03 Intel Corporation Planification intelligente d'itinéraires
US10317225B2 (en) 2012-09-28 2019-06-11 Intel Corporation Intelligent route planning
EP2960630A3 (fr) * 2014-06-26 2016-03-23 LG Electronics Inc. Terminal de type lunette et procédé de commande de celui-ci
US9921073B2 (en) 2014-06-26 2018-03-20 Lg Electronics Inc. Eyewear-type terminal and method for controlling the same
CN106403980A (zh) * 2016-12-06 2017-02-15 南京九致信息科技有限公司 用于车辆的导航系统与导航方法
CN112013864A (zh) * 2020-08-25 2020-12-01 中国第一汽车股份有限公司 远程启动车辆导航的方法、装置、设备及存储介质
CN116052321A (zh) * 2023-01-10 2023-05-02 中国人民解放军总医院第六医学中心 一种门诊智能分诊叫号方法和装置

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