Vehicle-based navigation system with smart map filtering, portable unit home-base registration and multiple navigation system preferential use

#The present invention is directed to a method of navigating and, in particular, to a method of navigating in a vehicle. More particularly, the invention is directed to a vehicle-based navigation system with smart map filtering, portable unit home-base registration, and multiple navigation system preferential use.

#Position locators, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, signal triangulation receivers, compass-based systems, and inertial navigation systems, and the like, have become common in electronic devices, in general, and are particularly used in vehicles. The popularity of such systems is driven by consumer demand, low-cost electronics, and federal legislation which dictates that certain devices, such as cellular telephones, have position-locating capabilities. Position-locating technology is frequently used with mapping programs which provide map data, and the like, to aid in the determination of location and direction. Other related data, such as restaurants, shopping centers, street names, and scenic sites, often accompanies the map data. In addition to cellular telephones and vehicle-based installations, position locators may be included with other portable devices, such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs).

#The widespread use of devices having position locators has caused certain redundancies to occur. For example, a consumer may have a position locator in his/her cellular telephone, PDA, or the like, and a position locator as a part of a vehicle-based navigation system. Indeed, it is expected that, in the future, vehicles will include a port which holds a portable device, such as a cellular telephone or a PDA, when the vehicle is in use and the portable device is removed when the occupant leaves the vehicle.

#FIG. 1 is a diagram of a smart map filtering method according to the invention;

#FIGS. 2a and 2b are diagrams of a portable unit with home-base registration;

#FIG. 3 is a diagram of a multiple navigation system with preferential use;

#Referring now specifically to the drawings, and the illustrative embodiments depicted therein, FIG. 1 describes a method of navigating that utilizes an adaptive system 10 utilizing smart map filtering that includes a vehicle-based navigation system 13 and a communication link 14, preferably a wireless link such as via radio frequency (RF) or microwave telecommunication, between vehicle 12 and a map database 16. In the illustrated embodiment, map database 16 is located remote from vehicle 12. Vehicle 12 is a road transportation vehicle such as an automobile, bus, truck or van. Communication link 14, which is a two-way link, includes communication of map data from database 16 to vehicle 12, as illustrated at 14a, and communication of information such as speed information from vehicle 12 to database 16, as represented by 14b. Various information can be communicated from vehicle 12 to database 16 and from database 16 to vehicle 12. Such information can include identification of the driver or vehicle (for example, that the vehicle is part of a particular rental fleet or that the driver is a subscriber to the remote service provider of database 16), authorization for the driver or vehicle to access database 16, payment by the driver/vehicle to access or transact with database 16, information on the language/dialect understood by the driver and desired communication from database 16 to vehicle 12, credit information, and the like. Such information communicated from vehicle 12 to remote database 16 can include the geographic location of the vehicle, its velocity and heading while travelling on a road, its altitude above sea level, its inclination, and the type of vehicle and its equipment level so that the data sent from database 16 to vehicle 12 is appropriate for the level/model of equipment/display in the vehicle. Such information communicated from vehicle 12 to remote database 16 can also include a request/preference by the driver for a particular level of map detail/area display/detail density and the like. Map data transferred from database 16 to vehicle 12, such as at 14a, preferably has a particular resolution determined, most preferably, by driver preference and/or by driver authorization and/or by driver experience and/or by driver payment and/or by equipment/display capability in the vehicle and/or by vehicle velocity and/or by vehicle location and/or by vehicle heading and/or by vehicle type or model. Map data resolution establishes the capability of distinguishing individual features of the map segment. In particular, higher resolution map data includes more details, such as individual city streets and landmarks; whereas, coarser resolution map data may include fewer details, such as only thoroughfares, interstate highways, and exit information. The skilled artisan would understand that there is a wide range of information that could be encompassed within the definition of map data resolution. Map data may include related data, such as restaurants, shopping centers, street names, and the like. The display of map data to the driver is thus adaptive to the particular driving condition at the moment of display, and the resolution of the data displayed is a dynamic function of vehicle and personal parameters. Thus, the resolution and/or detail of information displayed to and/or presented to (such as audibly) the driver located within the interior cabin of the vehicle can dynamically adapt in accordance with a vehicle parameter of the vehicle, such as vehicle speed or location or model or equipment type or heading/direction of travel or vehicle authorization, or in accordance with a personal parameter of a person such as of an occupant of the vehicle such as of the driver and/or of a passenger (such as driver/occupant identity, driver/occupant preference for a particular level of information resolution and/or detail such as might be manually input or such as might be stored in a memory in the vehicle, driver authorization, driver credit, driver national identity, driver linguistic, and the like), and in accordance with a driving condition at a particular time and/or at a particular location.

#In operation, vehicle-based navigation system 13 conveys speed data, and/or other information as described above, to map database 16. Map database 16 loads map data at a resolution that, preferably, varies inversely with vehicle speed. In particular, if a vehicle is traveling at a relatively high speed, such as along a highway (such as a rural highway), map database 16 would download information along that highway at a relatively coarse resolution. For example, the map data may include exits off of the highway, but not include details of the local streets. It is possible to superimpose related data, such as restaurant information, along each of the exits of the expressway. When vehicle 12 approaches a city or residential area, the location of the vehicle is identified by vehicle-based navigation system 13 (that, for example, can be in-vehicle GPS system that includes a GPS antenna), this is transmitted to the remote database, the vehicle's proximity to an urban center/area is recognized by remote database 16 and, therefore, the proximity of the vehicle to a city/residential zone automatically causes map database 16 to download map data at a finer resolution. Thus, a dynamic map resolution function is provided to the system. Such dynamic map resolution function can be responsive to a variety of vehicle conditions and/or driver preferences/authorizations. These include vehicle location (for example, traveling on a rural highway or on a city/residential highway, whether slowing down to approach an exit on a highway or upon exiting a highway, whether speeding up upon entering a highway via an entry ramp, whether slowing down or speeding up upon entering or exiting a residential area, and the like). Therefore, for example, the map database may download map data of local streets in an area, for example, a three mile radius around the vehicle, when the vehicle is traveling at a relatively slow speed commensurate with city driving or when the vehicle is stopped. This is based upon a recognition that both the rate of vehicle travel and the detail required vary as a function of vehicle speed, and/or other factors as described above. When, for example, vehicle 12 approaches a city or residential area and slows down, system 10, recognizing the geographic location of the vehicle and recognizing its proximity to a city or residential area, and recognizing that the vehicle has slowed down (system 10 can deduce this by interpretation of GPS data from the vehicle and/or for a speed sensor transducer in the vehicle that provides a signal and/or data to system 10 indicative of the speed of vehicle 12), can cause the download of data from map database 16, and its display to the driver in the vehicle cabin, to be of a finer resolution so as to display map details such as more side streets, intersections, buildings, etc., than when the vehicle had been traveling faster. Likewise, when system 10 recognizes that vehicle 12 is approaching a desired highway ingress or exit ramp, a finer map resolution than previously can be displayed.

#By varying the resolution of data with a vehicle parameter of the vehicle, such as vehicle speed or location or model or equipment type or heading/direction of travel or vehicle authorization, or by varying the resolution of data with a personal parameter of a person such as of an occupant of the vehicle such as of the driver and/or of a passenger (such as driver identity, driver/occupant preference for a particular level of map resolution such as might be manually input or such as might be stored in a memory in the vehicle, driver authorization, driver credit, driver national identity, driver linguistic, and the like), the information displayed to the driver can dynamically adapt to best suit the driver's needs at a particular moment and/or for a particular driving condition. Also, the capability of the data bandwidth over communication link 14 may remain substantially constant. The faster the vehicle travels, the larger the circle of geographic area in which data is provided and the less the data density becomes. In order to increase the available information to the user, it may be desirable to make the information coverage area biased in the direction of travel of the vehicle. For example, information coverage area may be configured, presented or deformed into a forward-facing shape, such as a cone K, with the majority of the data area in the direction of vehicle travel (FIG. 4). This provides more data forward of the vehicle, where the information will likely be useful while providing some data in the area in which the vehicle has already traveled, if desired.