Methods and systems of providing lane information using a navigation apparatus

A system for providing information using a navigation apparatus to guide a user in a vehicle along a determined route through a road network, the system comprising one or more processing resources including respective processing circuitry and a display device, the one or more processing resources configured to:

• display, on the display device, a navigation map and a first route line, the first route line showing one or more roads to be taken from a current position of the navigation apparatus to follow the determined route through the road network, and the navigation map and the first route line being updated as the vehicle travels along the determined route;
• generate data indicative of a lane guidance panel, wherein the data indicative of the lane guidance panel is generated upon determining, while the vehicle is traveling along the determined route, that the current position of the navigation apparatus on a given multi-lane roadway is approaching a road junction, and wherein the data indicative of the lane guidance panel is generated based on a position of the road junction in the navigation map;
• generate data indicative of a second route line for display at least on the lane guidance panel indicating one or more lanes in which the user should be travelling so as to follow the determined route;
• and
• display, on the display device, the navigation map including the first route line and the lane guidance panel including the second route line, the lane guidance panel being arranged in the display to cover a portion of the navigation map and so that the second route line in the lane guidance panel aligns with the first route line in the navigation map at a boundary line separating the lane guidance panel from the navigation map so as to show a continuation to the determined route beyond the road junction.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a system, cause the system to perform a method for providing information using a navigation apparatus to guide a user in a vehicle along a determined route through a road network, the method comprising:

• displaying, on a display device, a navigation map and a first route line, the first route line showing one or more roads to be taken from a current position of the navigation apparatus to follow the determined route through the road network, and the navigation map and the first route line being updated as the vehicle travels along the determined route,
• generating, upon determining, while the vehicle is traveling along the determined route, that the current position of the navigation apparatus on a given multi-lane roadway is approaching a road junction, data indicative of a lane guidance panel based on a position of the road junction in the navigation map;
• generating data indicative of a second route line for display at least on the lane guidance panel indicating one or more lanes in which the user should be travelling so as to follow the determined, route;
• providing the data indicative of the lane guidance panel and the second route line to the display device for display thereon;
• and
• displaying, on the display device, the navigation map including the first route line and the lane guidance panel including the second route line, the lane guidance panel being arranged in the display to cover a portion of the navigation map and so that the second route line in the lane guidance panel aligns with the first route line in the navigation map at a boundary line separating the lane guidance panel from the navigation map so as to show a continuation to the determined route beyond the road junction.