Patent Application
20150241240
The present application generally relates to a vehicle navigational system, and, more particularly, to a vehicle navigation system having a zoom in and zoom out feature which allows one to view a desired number of waypoints ahead of a current location.
Many vehicles may now be equipped with navigations systems. Vehicle navigation systems may be used to search for and calculate a route from a current location of the vehicle to a desired destination. To accomplish this, typical vehicle navigation systems may be configured to allow a user to enter a name or address of the desired destination. The user may also perform a search for different types of “points of interest” such as nearest gas station, restaurants or the like and then select one of the “points of interest” selected. The vehicle navigation system may then calculate a preferred route to the desired destination.
The vehicle navigation system may show the preferred route calculated on a display unit. The display unit may show a graphical representation of a map showing the present location of the vehicle as the vehicle moves along a highlighted path to the desired destination. The display may also show textual directions along with the graphical representation of a map showing the present location of the vehicle. The vehicle navigation system may further provide audible directions to the driver.
Present vehicle navigation systems are beneficial in helping drivers navigate the vehicle to the desired destination. However, the displays of the vehicle navigation systems generally only provide a limited view of the graphical representation of the map. As stated above, the displays generally only show the graphical representation of the map of the present location of the vehicle along with a highlighted pathway of the road. Present vehicle navigation systems have limited functionality and generally do not allow the driver to zoom in or zoom out to see upcoming and or future waypoints on the calculated route.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a vehicle navigation system and method that overcome the above problems.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the DESCRIPTION OF THE APPLICATION. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
A navigation system has a display. A processor is coupled to the display. A memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores program instructions that when executed by the processor, causes the processor to: calculate a route from a present location to a desired destination; and display on the display a graphical representation of a map showing the present location and a desired number of waypoints along the route, wherein the desired number of waypoints is entered by a user through a user interface of the navigation system.
A navigation system has a processor. A location determining unit is coupled to the processor. A display is coupled to the processor. A user interface is coupled to the processor for entering data into the navigation system, wherein the user interface is configured to enter a desired number of waypoints to be viewed. A memory is coupled to the processor. The memory stores program instructions that when executed by the processor, causes the processor to: determine a present location of the navigation system by receiving data from the location determining unit; calculate a route from the present location to a desired destination; and display on the display a graphical representation of a map showing the present location and the desired number of waypoints along the route calculated.
A method of displaying a map on a display of a navigation system comprising: determining a current location of the navigation system; calculating a route from the current location to a desired destination; displaying a map showing the present location; entering a desired number of waypoints ahead of the current location to be viewed; and displaying on the display the map showing the desired number of waypoints along the route calculated.
Embodiments of the disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of presently preferred embodiments of the disclosure and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present disclosure can be constructed and/or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the disclosure in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and sequences can be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of this disclosure.
Referring to
Referring now to
The processor 14 may be used to control the various functions of the navigation system 12. The processor 14 may be implemented in hardware, software or a combination thereof. The processor 14 may store a computer program or other programming instructions associated with the memory 18 to control the operation of navigation system 12. The data structures and code within the software in which the present disclosure may be implemented, may typically be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage. The storage may be any device or medium that may store code and/or data for use by a computer system. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes, but is not limited to, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, magnetic and optical storage devices such as disk drives, magnetic tape, CDs (compact discs), DVDs (digital versatile discs or digital video discs), or other media capable of storing code and/or data now known or later developed. The processor 14 may comprise various computing elements, such as integrated circuits, microcontrollers, microprocessors, programmable logic devices, etc, alone or in combination to perform the operations described herein.
When the navigation system 12 is active, the processor 14 may determine a current location of the vehicle 10 having the navigation system 12. In accordance with one embodiment, the processor 14 may receive location data from the location determining unit 16. The location determining unit 16 may be a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) unit or the like. The above is given as an example and should not be seen in a limiting manner. The processor 14 may determine a current location of the vehicle 10 in other manners without departing from the spirit and scope.
The memory 18 may be coupled to the processor 14 as well as other components of the navigation system 12. The memory 18 may be used to store various data utilized by the processor 14 and or other components of the navigation system 12. The memory 18 may include removable and non-removable memory elements such as RAM, ROM, flash, magnetic, optical, and/or other conventional memory elements. The above listing is given as an example and should not be seen in a limiting manner.
The memory 18 may be used to store programming data for instructing the processor 14 or other components of the navigation system 12 to perform certain steps as will be described below. The memory 18 may also store various geographic map and navigation data, as well as data related to “points of interest” and the like. The above listing is given as an example and should not be seen in a limiting manner. The memory 18 may store other data without departing from the sprit and scope.
The user interface 20 may be coupled to the processor 14 as well as other components of the navigation system 12. The user interface 20 may be used to enter information into the navigation system 12. The user interface 20 may be buttons, switches, keyboard, trackball, scroll wheel or similar device used to enter data. In accordance with one embodiment, the display unit 22 may show an alphanumeric keyboard and the user interface 20 may be used to select and enter a desired letter and or number. Alternatively, the display unit 22 may be a touch screen display thereby functioning as a display unit 22 and the user interface 20.
The display 22 may be coupled to the processor 14 as well as other components of the navigation system 12. The display 22 may be used to show graphical representations of maps, routes, points of interest, and the like as will be detailed below. Further, as stated above, the display 22 may be used to show an alphanumeric keyboard to be used with or as the user interface 20. The display 22 may be a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or the like. The above is given as an example and should not be seen in a limiting manner.
The power source 24 may be provided to supply power to the various components of the navigation system 12. Thus, the power source 24 may be used to directly or indirectly power the processor 14, the location determining unit 16, memory 18, user interface 20 and/or display 22. The power source 24 may be batteries, an adapter for running off of power supplied by the vehicle 10 or the like. The above is given as an example and should not be seen in a limiting manner.
Based on the current location identified, the processor 14 may display a graphical representation of a map showing the current location of the vehicle 10 on the display unit 22. The processor 14 may obtain map data from the memory 18. Alternatively, the processor 14 may download map data via the location determining unit 16 (i.e., the GPS unit). The above is given as an example and should not be seen in a limiting manner. The graphical representation of the map shown on the display 22 may be a two dimensional representation, a three dimensional representation, a satellite image representation, or the like. The above listing is given as an example and should not be seen in a limiting manner. Other graphical representations of the map may be used without departing from the spirit and scope. Further, the navigation system 12 may be configured such that the graphical representation of the map shown on the display 22 may change as different views of the map are shown on the display 22 as will be described below.
When the user wishes to search for and calculate a route from the current location of the vehicle 10 to a desired destination, the user may enter address data, name data or enter a type of point of interest such as (restaurants, gas stations, etc.) of the desired destination by using the user interface 20. Once the user has entered data related to the desired destination, a preferred route to the desired destination may be calculated. The processor 14 may calculate the preferred route using data obtained from the memory 18 and or the location determining unit 16.
Referring now to
In general, in prior art navigation systems, the initial screen view 30 may only show the general area around where the vehicle 12 is presently located. Thus, prior art navigation systems have limited functionality as to allow the driver to zoom in or zoom out to see upcoming and or future waypoints on the preferred route 34.
The navigation system 12 may be configured to allow a user to zoom in and or zoom out to see a desired number of waypoints along the preferred route 34 that has been calculated. When a user enters destination data into the user interface 20, the navigation system 12 may calculate the preferred route 34 from the current location of the vehicle 10 to the desired destination.
Once the preferred route 34 has been calculated, the navigation system 12 may generate the initial screen view 30 as shown in
The waypoint user interface 20A may allow a user to select a desired number of waypoints ahead of a current position a user would like to view. Like the user interface 20, the waypoint user interface 20A may interface with the processor 14. Use of the waypoint user interface 20A may cause the processor 14 to execute a computer program to allow a user to zoom out or zoom in to see a desired number of waypoints along the preferred route 34 calculated ahead of a current position of the vehicle 10. By using the waypoint user interface 20A, the display unit 22 may show a graphical representation of a map showing the current location of the vehicle 10 as well as a desired number of waypoints ahead of the current position.
Since the initial screen view 30 may only show the general area around where the vehicle 10 is presently located, the user may wish to see one or more waypoints ahead of the present location. By using the waypoint user interface 20A, a user may select a desired number of waypoints ahead of the present location. For example, to see one waypoint ahead along with the current waypoint or waypoints, the user may press the arrow button 20A1 on the right side of the navigation system 12. Each additional push of the arrow button 20A1 on the right side of the navigation system 12 may increase by one, the number of additional waypoints to be seen. By pressing the arrow button 20A2 on the left side of the navigation system 12, the number of waypoints to be seen may decrease by one.
The navigation system 12 may be configured such that additional pressing of either arrow button 20A1 or arrow button 20A1 passed a maximum and or minimum number of viewable waypoints may have no effect on further adjusting the number of waypoints to be seen. For example, in the embodiment shown in
The navigation system 10 may further generate one or more text boxes 36. Each text box 36 may be used to convey additional information to the user. For example, one text box 36 may display information related to a current position of the vehicle 12. For example, the text box 36 may display the name of the street where the vehicle 12 is currently driving. As seen in
If the user wishes to view four (4) waypoints ahead, from the present screen shown in
Similarly, by pressing the arrow button 20A2, the user may zoom-in and lessen an amount of waypoints that may be seen. For example, from the screen shown in
In accordance with one embodiment, further pressing of the arrow button 20A1 past the maximum number of waypoints or further pressing of the arrow button 20A2 past the minimum number of waypoints may perform other functions. For example, once the display 22 shows all future waypoints ahead of the current position, further pressing of the arrow button 20A1 may perform functions such as adjusting the settings of the display 22 (i.e., brightness level, contrast level, etc.), volume level of the navigation system 12, and the like. The above is given as examples and should not be seen in a limiting manner. Similarly, once the display 22 shows the current position, further pressing of the arrow button 20A2 may perform similar functions as disclosed above.
The navigation system 12 may be a dynamic system. Thus, as the vehicle 10 moves, the graphical representation of the map 32 and the position of the graphical representation of the vehicle 33 on the map 32 may be updated. Once the vehicle 10 moves past waypoint 1, the user may be allowed to zoom out and see at most 4 additional waypoints (i.e., waypoints 2-5). In operation, when the vehicle 10 moves past waypoint 1, pressing the arrow button 20A1 one time may cause the navigation system 12 to zoom out and show waypoint 2. Thus, once the vehicle 10 moves past waypoint 1, the user may zoom out to see the remaining 4 waypoints 2-5. Similarly, the user may zoom back in to see waypoints 2-4 as well as the current location which is past waypoint 1.
In accordance with one embodiment, the navigation system 12 may be configured such that the initial screen view 30 showing the general area around where the vehicle 10 may be displayed in a first graphical setting, for example as a three dimensional representation or satellite representation. As the user zooms out to see one or more waypoints ahead of the present location, the graphical representation of the map 32 may change from the first graphical setting to a second graphical setting. As the user continues to zoom out to see even more waypoints along the preferred route 34, the graphical representation of the map 32 may further change to a third graphical setting. For example, the initial screen view 30 showing the general area around where the vehicle 10 may be displayed as a satellite representation. If the user zooms out to see the next waypoint ahead of the current position, the graphical representation of the map 32 may change to a three dimensional representation. If the user zooms out to see two or more waypoint ahead of the current position, the graphical representation of the map 32 may change to a two dimensional representation. The above is given as an example and should not be seen in a limiting manner.
While embodiments of the disclosure have been described in terms of various specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced with modifications within the spirit and scope of the claims.
