US 7,680,594 B2Granted

Display method and system for a vehicle navigation system

AssigneeHonda Motor Co., Ltd.

InventorsCesar Cabral, Maja Kurciska, Eric Shigeru Ohki, Kazuya Tamura, Robert Uyeki, Hiromitsu Yuhara

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Abstract

Traffic information, including traffic flow information and traffic incident information, obtained through a traffic management system for providing and facilitating the exchange of traffic information between a remote location and a vehicle may be presented to a user on a user display in the vehicle. The traffic information may be presented to the user in several circumstances, either as cued by the user, or automatically presented by the traffic management system. The user display may also automatically display traffic flow and traffic incident information for the direction that the user is traveling or along a route calculated by the navigation device. Further, a window displaying information about an upcoming traffic incident such as distance to the incident and incident details may automatically appear in the user display. Alternately, the user may select a roadway, freeway, or area for which traffic information is desired.

Claims20

Dependent claims

In a navigation system having a user display for assisting a person in a vehicle traveling from a first location to a second location, a method for providing traffic-related information to the person comprising:

receiving the first location for the vehicle;
receiving the second location for the vehicle;
acquiring traffic-related information from an information supplier;
using the traffic-related information to determine a travel route for the vehicle from the first location to the second location;
displaying the travel route to the person via the user display;
acquiring up-dated traffic-related information from the information supplier while the vehicle is traveling on the travel route;
and
automatically determining, in response to the acquisition of the up-dated traffic-related information, whether the travel route is a preferred route from a current location of the vehicle to the second location, comprising:
determining the current location of the vehicle on the travel route;
using the updated traffic-related information to determine an alternate travel route for the vehicle from the current location to the second location;
determining first and second times, respectively, that it would take the vehicle to travel from the current location to the second location via the travel route and the alternate travel route;
comparing the first and second times;
displaying at least one feature of the travel route and the alternate travel route if the second time is less than the first time, the at least one feature being selected from a list of features consisting of distance, travel time and estimated time of arrival (ETA);
and
displaying the alternate travel route to the person via the user display if at least the second time is less than the first time and the person indicates a desire to have the alternate travel route displayed.

12 more elements

A vehicle navigation system, comprising:

a position detection device for determining at least a current location of a vehicle;
an input device for inputting at least a second location;
a receiver for receiving at least traffic-related information and up-dated traffic-related information from a remote location;
a memory device for storing at least a portion of the traffic-related information and at least a portion of the up-dated traffic-related information
an output device for displaying at least a travel route from a first location to the second location and an alternate travel route from the current location to the second location;
and
a processor for controlling operation of the vehicle navigation system, the processor being adapted to:
use the at least a portion of the traffic-related information to determine the travel route for the vehicle from the first location to the second location;
display the travel route via the output device;
receive the at least a portion of the up-dated traffic-related information;
and
automatically determine, in response to receiving the at least a portion of the up-dated traffic-related information, whether the travel route is a preferred route from the current location of the vehicle to the second location, by:
determining the current location of the vehicle on the travel route, wherein the current location is different than the first location;
using the at feast a portion of the updated traffic-related information to determine the alternate travel route for the vehicle from the current location to the second location;
determining first and second times, respectively, that it would take the vehicle to travel from the current location to the second location via the travel route and the alternate travel route;
comparing the first and second times;
displaying at least one feature of the travel route and the alternate travel route if the second time is less than the first time, the at least one feature being selected from a first of features consisting of distance, travel time and estimated time of arrival (ETA);
and
displaying the alternate travel route to the person via the user display if the person indicates a desire to have the alternate travel route displayed.

16 more elements

receiving the first location for the vehicle;
receiving the second location for the vehicle;
acquiring traffic-related information from an information supplier;
using the traffic-related information to determine a travel route for the vehicle from the first location to the second location;
displaying the travel route to the person via the user display;
continuously acquiring up-dated traffic-related information from the information supplier while the vehicle is on the travel route;
and
automatically determining, in response to a trigger event, whether the travel route is a preferred route from a current location of the vehicle to the second location, comprising:
determining the current location of the vehicle on the travel route, wherein the current location is different than the first location;
using at least a portion of the updated traffic-related information to determine an alternate travel route for the vehicle from the current location to the second location;
determining first and second times, respectively, that it would take the vehicle to travel from the current location to the second location via the travel route and the alternate travel route;
comparing the first and second times;
displaying at least two features of the travel route and the alternate travel route, the at least two features being selected from a list of features consisting of distance, travel time and estimated time of arrival (ETA);
and
providing the person in the vehicle with information on the alternate travel route if at least the second time is less than the first time.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/093,919Filed 29 Mar 2005 · us provisional application
Priority: 6 Apr 2004
Published: US 2005/0222760 A16 Oct 2005
Granted: 16 Mar 2010
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G08G 1/096716
Where the received information might be used to generate an automatic action on the vehicle control: where the received information does not…
G01C 21/3492
Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments: employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or…
G08G 1/09675
Where a selection of the information might take place: where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
G08G 1/096775
Where the system is characterised by the origin of the information transmission: where the origin of the information is a central station