WO2014195406A1

WO2014195406A1 - Method for acquiring on-vehicle navigation information and on-vehicle navigation system

Info

Publication number: WO2014195406A1
Application number: PCT/EP2014/061702
Authority: WO
Inventors: Renliang LIU
Original assignee: Continental Automotive Gmbh
Priority date: 2013-06-07
Filing date: 2014-06-05
Publication date: 2014-12-11
Also published as: CN104236567A; CN104236567B

Abstract

Disclosed in the present invention are a method for acquiring on-vehicle navigation information and an on-vehicle navigation system. The method comprises: acquiring information about a current target location to be reached by a vehicle, and planning a driving route for the vehicle (S302); acquiring key location information from the driving route, wherein the key location information comprises at least one of the following: one or more road sections on which the actual distance between neighboring at-grade intersections is less than a first preset distance, and one or more separated multi-level intersections (S304). According to the technical solution provided by the present invention, by analyzing road information in the driving route, the foundation is laid for a driver to expect to have a grasp of the road sections on which he is likely to go the wrong way while driving and pay attention accordingly.

Description

Method for acquiring on-vehicle navigation information and on-vehicle navigation system

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of communications, in particular to a method for acquiring on-vehicle navigation information and an on-vehicle navigation system.

Background art

Geostationary satellites above the Earth were originally used for military and aeronautical navigation. In the 1980s, the US government relaxed its restrictions on the use of geostationary satellites, breaking a path for their subsequent widespread use. The commercial communication satellites which followed increased the accuracy and coverage of communication satellites con- siderably. Ever since the emergence of highways, there have been maps to guide people along them. However, as guides which give people directions, maps also often end up being the root cause of strained personal relationships. Since it is often difficult for printed maps to keep up with the incessant change which takes place in the roads of cities and even the countryside, and since maps are difficult to read due to many factors such as scale, they cause a great deal of hassle to people at the wheel. Therefore, there is no doubt that the ability to use satellite signals from high altitudes to provide accurate and prompt navigational positioning for motor vehicles is welcome assistance in an hour of need.

In recent years, motor vehicle navigation systems have been developing at a truly rapid pace. At present, not only can the buyer of a new vehicle choose to have a navigation system fitted as an optional accessory, it is also possible to install the navigation system in an existing motor vehicle, or even to configure a mobile satellite navigation system.

The Global Positioning System (abbreviated as GPS) for motor vehicles is a navigation system consisting of two parts:

One part consists of a GPS receiver and a display device mounted on the motor vehicle. The GPS receiver receives data transmitted by at least 3 GPS satellites from amongst 24 such satellites surrounding the Earth, and thereby determines the current location of the motor vehicle.

The other part consists of a computer control center; the two parts communicate with each other via positioning satellites . The computer control center is authorized and set up by a motor vehicle management department, and is responsible for observing at all times the movements of motor vehicles designated for monitoring within the area of its jurisdiction as well as the traffic situation. Therefore, the entire motor vehicle navi- gation system has the following two major functions: The first is a motor vehicle tracking/monitoring function; as long as an encoded GPS receiving device is mounted on a motor vehicle, the direction and location of the vehicle can be indicated by means of the electronic map of the computer control center, no matter where the vehicle travels. The second is a driving guide function; a driver can store electronic maps of communication routes for any area on a floppy disk, and as long as the floppy disk is inserted into the receiving device on the vehicle, the display screen will immediately display the location of the area where the vehicle is located, as well as the current traffic conditions. Not only can a destination be inputted, to draw up an optimum driving route in advance, a command can also be received from the computer control center, to select a route and direction for the motor vehicle's movement.

On this basis, assistance is provided in the form of a variety of functions including driving navigation, route recommendation, information inquiry and video playing. The driver can realize these functions by simply viewing the picture on the display, listening to voice prompts, or manipulating a handheld remote control device, so as to make driving relaxed and smooth.

However, on-vehicle navigation is still in the phase of daily development, and so has many problems associated with it, for example : Scenario 1

Fig. 1 is a first schematic diagram of a route planned on the basis of a destination designated by a driver according to related art. As Fig. 1 shows, in order to reach the destination (a shop) from the vehicle's current location, it is necessary to first pass junction SI, go straight on and turn right at junction S3, go straight on and turn left at junction S4, and then continue straight on until the destination is reached. If the on-vehicle navigation is accurate and error-free, the driver can reach the destination promptly, accurately and without making a mistake. However, since the neighboring junctions S2 and S3 are quite close to each other (suppose the two junctions are separated by 20 m) , the driver could easily turn too early, at junction S2, in the electronic map displayed on the on-vehicle navigation terminal. Even if the driver were to realize immediately that he had taken a wrong turn, it would be difficult to rectify the mistake. Thus, due to the wrong turning, the vehicle would have to be located again, and the route adjusted. Scenario 2

Fig. 2 is a second schematic diagram of a route planned on the basis of a destination designated by a driver according to related art. As Fig. 2 shows, in order to reach the destination (an airport) from the vehicle's current location, the vehicle of course has to change lanes from its current location to the straight road on the right hand side, but there is no ramp at point S2 connecting the lane curving to the right on the second level with the straight road on the right hand side on the first level, and the on-vehicle navigation did not emit a prompt in advance in relation to this road intersection where it is easy to go the wrong way, so the driver has no option but to re-plan the driving route .

Content of the invention The present invention provides a method for acquiring on-vehicle navigation information and an on-vehicle navigation system, to at least solve the problem in the related art of an on-vehicle navigation system being unable to analyze road information after planning a driving route.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for acquiring on-vehicle navigation information is provided.

The method for acquiring on-vehicle navigation information according to the present invention comprises: acquiring information about a current target location to be reached by a vehicle, and planning a driving route for the vehicle; acquiring key location information from the driving route, wherein the key location information comprises at least one of the following: one or more road sections on which the actual distance between neighboring at-grade intersections is less than a first preset distance, and one or more separated multi-level intersections.

Preferably, the step of acquiring the one or more road sections from the driving route comprises: starting from a first at-grade intersection in the driving route, calculating the actual distance between each pair of neighboring at-grade intersections successively; determining a road section on which the actual distance is less than the first preset distance as the one or more road sections. Preferably, the step of calculating the distance between each pair of neighboring at-grade intersections successively, starting from a first at-grade intersection, comprises: setting an at-grade intersection passed through first in the traveling direction of the vehicle as the origin of coordinates and establishing a plane rectangular coordinate system; acquiring the coordinates in the plane rectangular coordinate system of a neighboring at-grade intersection passed through afterwards by the vehicle; calculating the coordinate distance between the at-grade intersection passed through first and the neighboring at-grade intersection passed through afterwards; using the coordinate distance and a preset picture scale to calculate the actual distance. Preferably, the step of acquiring the one or more separated multi-level intersections from the driving route comprises: searching for one or more multi-level intersections from the driving route; determining the type to which each multi-level intersection belongs, and selecting the one or more separated multi-level intersections according to the type of each mul^¬ ti-level intersection.

Preferably, after acquiring the key location information from the driving route, the method further comprises: providing the user with a preview of the key location information.

Preferably, the above method for acquiring on-vehicle navigation information further comprises: acquiring location information to be marked, wherein the location information to be marked is determined according to some or all of the information selected by the user from the key location information, or according to preference settings of the user; marking the location information to be marked in the driving route. Preferably, after marking the location information to be marked, the method further comprises: determining whether the actual distance between the location at which the vehicle is currently traveling and a marked location has reached a second preset distance; if it has, issuing a voice prompt.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an on-vehicle navigation system is provided.

The on-vehicle navigation system according to the present invention comprises: a receiving device, for acquiring information about a current destination location to be reached by a vehicle; a processor, for planning a driving route for the vehicle according to the information acquired about the current destination location to be reached by the vehicle; the processor is further used for acquiring key location information from the driving route, wherein the key location information comprises at least one of the following: one or more road sections on which the actual distance between neighboring at-grade intersections is less than a first preset distance, and one or more separated multi-level intersections. Preferably, the system further comprises: a display device; the display device is used for providing the user with a preview of the key location information.

Preferably, the receiving device is further used for acquiring location information to be marked, wherein the location information to be marked is determined according to some or all of the information selected by the user from the key location information, or according to preference settings of the user; and the processor is further used for marking the location in- formation to be marked in the driving route, after acquiring the location information to be marked.

Preferably, the above system further comprises: a display device and/or a loudspeaker; the processor is further used for issuing prompt information to the display device and/or loudspeaker when the actual distance between the location at which the vehicle is currently traveling and a marked location reaches a second preset distance, and the display device and/or loudspeaker prompt ( s ) the user .

By way of the present invention, it is possible to acquire information about a current target location to be reached by a vehicle according to address information inputted by a user, and plan a driving route for the vehicle; and then acquire key location information from the driving route, wherein the key location information may comprise but is not limited to at least one of the following: one or more road sections on which the actual distance between neighboring at-grade intersections is less than a first preset distance, and one or more separated multi-level intersections. Since, when providing the driving route for the driver, the on-vehicle navigation system analyzes the key location information, it can prepare for customized key information to be requested by the driver, thereby solving the problem in the related art of an on-vehicle navigation system being unable to analyze road information after planning a driving route, and in turn, by analyzing road information in the driving route, lays the foundation for a driver to expect to have a grasp of the road sections on which he is likely to go the wrong way while driving and pay attention accordingly.

Description of the accompanying drawings

The accompanying drawings described here are intended to furnish further understanding of the present invention, and form part of this application. The illustrative embodiments of the present invention are intended to explain the latter, and do not by any means limit it inappropriately. In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a first schematic diagram of a route planned on the basis of a destination designated by a driver according to related art. Fig. 2 is a second schematic diagram of a route planned on the basis of a destination designated by a driver according to related art . Fig. 3 is a flow chart of the method for acquiring on-vehicle navigation information according to an embodiment of the present invention .

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the route of scenario 1 after the driver has requested customized key information according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the route of scenario 2 after the driver has requested customized key information according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of an on-vehicle navigation system according to an embodiment of the present invention .

Fig. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of an on-vehicle navigation system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Particular embodiments

The present invention will be explained in detail below with reference to embodiments and the accompanying drawings. It must be explained that the embodiments in this application may be combined with each other, as can features within embodiments, as long as no conflict arises as a result. In the following description, unless otherwise stated, the embodiments of this application will be described by referring to symbol indications of actions and operations executed by one or more computers. Here, the term "computer" encompasses all sorts of products such as personal computers, servers and mobile terminals; devices with processing chips, such as those using a CPU, single-chip microcomputer or DSP, etc., may all be referred to as computers. Therefore, it can be understood that such actions and operations sometimes referred to as being executed by computer include manipulation by a computer's processing unit of electrical signals representing data in structured form. This manipulation converts data or maintains it in a location in the computer's memory system, and this reconfigures or changes computer operations in a manner understood by all those skilled in the art. The data structure maintaining the data is the physical location of a memory having specific attributes defined by the data format. However, although the present invention is described in the above context, it does not at all signify limitation. As those skilled in the art will understand, each aspect of the actions and operations described below may also be realized using hardware. Turning to the accompanying drawings, identical reference labels therein denote identical elements. The principle of this ap^¬ plication is shown as being realized in a suitable calculating environment. Embodiments based on this application are described below, and it should not be thought that this restricts this application in relation to alternative embodiments not ex^¬ plicitly described here.

Fig. 3 is a flow chart of the method for acquiring on-vehicle navigation information according to an embodiment of the present invention. As Fig. 3 shows, the method may comprise the following processing steps:

Step S302: acquiring information about a current target location to be reached by a vehicle, and planning a driving route for the vehicle;

Step S304: acquiring key location information from the driving route, wherein the key location information comprises at least one of the following: one or more road sections on which the actual distance between neighboring at-grade intersections is less than a first preset distance, and one or more separated multi-level intersections . In the related art, an on-vehicle navigation system is unable to analyze road information after planning a driving route. Using the method shown in Fig. 3, it is possible to acquire information about a current target location to be reached by a vehicle according to address information inputted by a user (which may comprise: keyboard input or voice input ) , and plan a driving route for the vehicle; and then acquire key location information from the driving route (e.g. about which road sections a driver is likely to go the wrong way on) , wherein the key location information may comprise but is not limited to at least one of the following: one or more road sections on which the actual distance between neighboring at-grade intersections is less than a first preset distance, and one or more separated multi-level in- tersections. Since, when providing the driving route for the driver, the on-vehicle navigation system analyzes the key location information, it can prepare for customized key information to be requested by the driver, thereby solving the problem in the related art of an on-vehicle navigation system being unable to analyze road information after planning a driving route, and in turn, by analyzing road information in the driving route, lays the foundation for a driver to expect to have a grasp of the road sections on which he is likely to go the wrong way while driving and pay attention accordingly.

In a preferred embodiment, a driving route is planned by means of a first location (generally the starting point of the vehicle or the current location of the vehicle) and a second location (generally the destination to be reached by the vehicle) inputted by the driver. These locations may be inputted by a driver who uses an on-vehicle navigation system in any way, for example by inputting a ZIP code, street name or door number on an on-vehicle navigation display screen; or they may be pre-stored destinations "known to everybody", for example famous attractions, municipal buildings, or places visited often recently. An "optimum driving route" between a starting address location and a destination address location is calculated on the basis of the first location and second location inputted by the driver, combined with electronic map data stored in the on-vehicle navigation system. Moreover, the "optimum driving route" may be determined on the basis of preset rules, and is not necessarily the route with the fastest anticipated arrival time or the shortest anticipated driving route. In choosing a driving route for the driver, the on-vehicle navigation system may take into account existing road condition information (for example: which road sections are more congested or on which road sections traffic accidents have occurred in a current time period) , predicted road condition information (for example: which road sections are likely to suffer vehicle congestion in a given future time period), and the driver's own preferences regarding road se^¬ lection (for example: the driver wishes to avoid highways or toll stations as far as possible on the driving route) . Once the on-vehicle navigation system has planned driving routes for the driver, the driver can select the route he requires at will from the list of multiple routes planned by the on-vehicle navigation system (for example: the different calculated routes are ordered according to jams which may occur or the degree of delay caused to the vehicle traveling time by jams which have already occurred) by means of information exchange with the on-vehicle navigation system.

Preferably, in step S304, the step of acquiring one or more road sections from the driving route may comprise the following operations :

Step SI: starting from a first at-grade intersection in the driving route, calculating the actual distance between each pair of neighboring at-grade intersections successively; Step S2: determining a road section on which the actual distance is less than the first preset distance as the one or more road sections . The term "at-grade intersection" generally denotes an inter^¬ section formed by roads intersecting in the same plane, and the form which it takes may comprise but is not limited to one of the following: a T-intersection, Y-intersection, cross-roads,

X-intersection, staggered intersection or ring intersection. When vehicles pass through at-grade intersections that are not subject to traffic controls, their directions of travel, being different, cross over one another to form collision points. An intersection of three roads has 3 collision points, an intersection of four roads has 16 collision points, while an intersection of five roads has 50 collision points. Each collision point is a potential site for a traffic accident. The traffic safety and capacity of an at-grade intersection is in large measure determined by traffic organization at the in^¬ tersection. In general, a variety of traffic signal lights are used to organize traffic, or traffic is organized in a ring, or traffic islands of various kinds (for example: vehicle seg^¬ regation islands, median strips, guide islands and safety islands), traffic signs and road traffic marker lines etc. are used to channelize traffic at junctions.

In a preferred embodiment, S2 and S3 in scenario 1 shown in Fig. 1 are T-intersections , while SI and S4 are X-intersections . Since, in scenario 1 above, the driving route designed by the on-vehicle navigation system is S1->S2->S3->S4, it is necessary to calculate the actual distances between SI and S2, S2 and S3, and S3 and S4, starting at junction SI. Suppose that the first preset distance is 50 m, and only the actual distance between S2 and S3 is less than 50 m; thus it can be determined that this road section is a road section on which the driver may easily go the wrong way, and the driver must be reminded to pay attention.

Preferably, in step SI, the step of calculating the distance between each pair of neighboring at-grade intersections suc^¬ cessively, starting from a first at-grade intersection, may comprise the following steps: Step Sll: setting an at-grade intersection passed through first in the vehicle traveling direction as the origin of coordinates and establishing a plane rectangular coordinate system; ac- quiring the coordinates in the plane rectangular coordinate system of a neighboring at-grade intersection passed through afterwards by the vehicle;

Step S12: calculating the coordinate distance between the at-grade intersection passed through first and the neighboring at-grade intersection passed through afterwards;

Step S13 : using the coordinate distance and a preset picture scale to calculate the actual distance.

In a preferred embodiment, the calculation of the actual distance between S2 and S3 in scenario 1 is explained by way of example. Since the direction of travel of the vehicle is from south to north, junction S2 is passed through before junction S3 in the vehicle traveling direction. Therefore a plane rectangular coordinate system is established with S2 at the origin of coordinates; next, the coordinates of the location of S3 in the plane rectangular coordinate system are determined; next, the coordinate distance between S2 and S3 in the plane rectangular coordinate system is calculated; finally, the actual distance between S2 and S3 is calculated according to the preset picture scale of the display.

Preferably, in step S304, the step of acquiring one or more separated multi-level intersections from the driving route may comprise the following operations:

Step S3: searching for one or more multi-level intersections from the driving route;

Step S4: determining the type to which each multi-level intersection belongs, and selecting one or more separated mul- ti-level intersections according to the type of each multi-level intersection.

The term "multi-level intersection" generally denotes a mul- ti-level intersection formed by roads intersecting in different planes. It arranges conflicting traffic flows on roads at different levels, ensuring smooth traffic flow as well as traffic safety. The three main parts of a multi-level intersection are an interchange, an approach road and a slope. The interchange is a bridge spanning the road, or a tunnel bridge passing beneath the road. The approach road is a bridgehead road connecting the road with the interchange. The slope is a road section connecting a road with a road surface beneath the interchange. An in^¬ terconnected multi-level intersection also has a ramp connecting two intersecting roads, one above the other.

Multi-level intersections are categorized according to traffic function, and can be classed as separated multi-level inter^¬ sections or interconnected multi-level intersections.

(1) The term "separated multi-level intersection" refers to a multi-level intersection with no ramps. Only the interchange is built, to ensure that there is no interference between traffic flows heading straight on, but no interconnection is possible between these. Such an interchange is simple in structure, takes up little space, and requires little engineering and investment; it is suited to junctions which are restricted or where the volume of traffic heading straight on is large and there are few vehicles making turns .

(2) The term "interconnected multi-level intersection" refers to an intersection provided with ramps connecting upper and lower intersecting roads, enabling vehicles on each road to change direction .

In a preferred embodiment, as Fig. 2 shows, in scenario 2, both SI and S2 are separated multi-level intersections, while S3 is a Y-shaped at-grade intersection. The vehicle is currently traveling from south to north, and should have traveled north along the straight road on the right hand side until it reached the destination (the airport) . However, the on-vehicle navi- gation system identified S3->S2 as part of the driving route when planning the latter, erroneously determining that the vehicle could turn left at junction S2, and then go straight on to the airport. However, when actually traveling, the driver finds, upon reaching junction S2, that there is no way at all of turning left, as the on-vehicle navigation system has made a mistake in planning the route. At this point, the driving route must be re-planned with the current location as a starting point, but this delays the vehicle's arrival at the airport. When the technical solution provided by the present invention is adopted, once the on-vehicle navigation system has planned a driving route for the driver, it searches for a multi-level intersection S2 from the driving route, and further performs analysis to determine that the type to which S2 belongs is a separated multi-level intersection. Thus, the information that S2 is a separated multi-level in- tersection may be used as key information, to remind the driver that this place is a road section where he may easily go the wrong way .

Preferably, after acquiring key location information from the driving route, step S304 may further comprise the following step:

Step S5: providing the user with a preview of the key location information . In a preferred embodiment, once the on-vehicle navigation system has planned a driving route for the driver, it may also issue a prompt to the driver, via a display interface of an on-vehicle navigation system display, to the effect that he can preview key information in the driving route. If the driver is relatively familiar with most of the road sections in the planned driving route (for example: the driver generally goes to a certain place to work out each weekend, but on a particular weekend plans to take the whole family out on a trip, and it just so happens that most of the road sections in the driving route planned for the driver by the on-vehicle navigation system are essentially the same as the road sections leading to the place where the driver works out, except that the destination of the trip is somewhat further way than the place where he works out), then the driver need not preview the key information, or need only preview a small portion of the road sections, those that he has never traveled before. However, if the driver is completely unfamiliar with the planned driving route, then it is necessary that he studies the driving route carefully before setting out, to avoid going the wrong way and thereby being delayed.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, once a window appears on the display interface of the display prompting the driver that he can preview key information in the driving route, it will await further confirmation from the driver; if the driver manually presses a "Yes" virtual button or gives the voice response "Yes", all of the key information can be listed on the display interface of the display, for the driver to preview, and may specifically comprise: which pairs of neighboring at-grade intersections are connected by road sections whose actual distance is less than a preset distance; which multi-level intersections are separated multi-level intersections.

Preferably, the above method for acquiring on-vehicle navigation information may further comprise the following operations:

Step S8: acquiring location information to be marked, wherein the location information to be marked is determined according to some or all of the information selected by the user from the key location information, or according to preference settings of the user ; Step S9: marking the location information to be marked in the driving route. In a preferred embodiment, the location information to be marked may be acquired by one of the following methods:

Method 1: once the display device of the on-vehicle navigation system has provided the user with a preview of the key location information, the user can make a selection from the key location information, being able to select some information or all the information for marking; Method 2: when it begins planning the route, the on-vehicle navigation system can mark location information automatically according to the preference settings of the user. For example, the user can make a setting in the on-vehicle navigation system in advance to the effect that at-grade intersections or separated multi-level intersections must be marked, and the on-vehicle navigation system can automatically search for junctions which tally with said features and mark them after planning the route.

In the course of navigation along the driving route planned by the on-vehicle navigation system, the display can provide visual and/or voice commands in real time, to guide the driver along the selected route to the end point of the route, namely the destination to be reached. During navigation, map information may be displayed on the screen of the display; the map information must be periodically updated on the screen, so that the map information displayed thereby is map information within a preset range with the vehicle's current location as reference point. In general, an icon displayed on the screen indicates the current vehicle location, and the vehicle occupies a central location on the screen. Also included are: map information currently displayed about roads in the region surrounding the current vehicle location, and other map features. In addition, the driver can also display navigation information in a status bar above, below or at one side of the map information displayed. Real examples of navigation information could include: the distance from the current road which the driver needs to select to the next deviation, or the nature of the deviation; said nature may be shown by another icon indicating the specific type of the deviation (for example: left turn or right turn) . The navigation function may also determine the content, duration and timing arrangement of voice commands, and may guide the user by voice commands to drive along the planned driving route, for example: drive straight on and turn left after 100 meters. Interaction between the driver and the on-vehicle navigation system may be accomplished by means of a touch screen, a remote control device mounted on the control column, voice activation or any other suitable method.

Electronic map data stored in the on-vehicle navigation system may comprise a base map layer, a layer of location points representing addresses, and a layer of roads between location points, etc. , which are combined to form the final electronic map seen by the driver, so when the coordinate information provided by GPS is superimposed on the electronic map, the driver can see the current location of the vehicle he is driving as well as the future traveling direction. The map database may be sourced by a variety of channels, the principal source being neighborhood databases provided by city government agencies. Of course, the driver may also selectively purchase map data from a third party according to his own needs. In a preferred embodiment, once the on-vehicle navigation system has analyzed the driving route and acquired key information, not only can it display a preview on the screen for the driver prior to setting off, it can also customize the location information to be marked according to the driver's individual needs. For example: the driver often travels along the first half of the route, and knows the road conditions on this half very well; therefore there is no need for special markings to be applied to the electronic map. However, he is rather unfamiliar with the second half of the route, and it is necessary to mark pairs of neighboring at-grade intersections or the road sections therebetween, as well as separated multi-level intersections. Having acquired said location information to be marked, the on-vehicle navigation system can display it on the screen. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the route of scenario 1 after the driver has requested customized key information according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As Fig. 4 shows, the marking "Wrong turn likely at road intersection ahead, go straight on!", which contains prompt information, may be added at junction S2. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the route of scenario 2 after the driver has requested customized key in^¬ formation according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As Fig. 5 shows, the marking "Junction S2 ahead is a separated multi-level intersection, pay attention!", which contains prompt information, may be added at junction S2.

Preferably, after marking the location information to be marked, step S9 may further comprise the following steps:

Step S10: determining whether the actual distance between the location at which the vehicle is currently traveling and a marked location has reached a second preset distance;

Step Sll: if it has, issuing prompt information.

In a preferred embodiment, the prompt information may comprise but is not limited to at least one of the following: preset voice prompt information, preset image prompt information,

self-defined user voice prompt information and self-defined user image prompt information.

In a preferred embodiment, pictorial navigation means that the display screen will display an electronic map and driving information relating to the vehicle's current location, driving speed, distance to destination, planned route prompts and junction turn prompts. Voice navigation employs voice to provide the driver with driving information like junction turns and navigation system status in advance. The principal advantage of voice navigation over pictorial navigation is that the driver does not need to constantly watch the display screen; he can reach his destination safely by means of voice prompts. In scenario 1, when the vehicle reaches a point where its distance from junction S2 is less than a second preset distance (100 m) , a voice prompt can be issued in advance to the driver, "Wrong turn likely at road intersection ahead, go straight on!", so that the driver does not need to pay constant attention to the key information marked in the display interface. By the same principle, in scenario 2, when the vehicle reaches a point where its distance from junction S2 is less than a second preset distance (100 m) , a voice prompt can be issued in advance to the driver, "This is a separated multi-level intersection, pay attention!".

Fig. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of an on-vehicle navigation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As Fig. 6 shows, the on-vehicle navigation system may comprise: a receiving device 10, for acquiring information about a current destination location to be reached by a vehicle; a processor 20, for planning a driving route for the vehicle according to the information acquired about the current des- tination location to be reached by the vehicle. The processor 20 is also used for acquiring key location information from the driving route, wherein the key location information comprises at least one of the following: one or more road sections on which the actual distance between neighboring at-grade intersections is less than a first preset distance, and one or more separated multi-level intersections.

The system shown in Fig. 6 solves the problem in the related art of an on-vehicle navigation system being unable to analyze road information after planning a driving route, and in turn, by analyzing road information in the driving route, lays the foundation for a driver to expect to have a grasp of the road sections on which he is likely to go the wrong way while driving and pay attention accordingly.

In a preferred embodiment, the processor in the on-vehicle navigation system can receive via a preset communication in- terface the starting location and target location of a driving route inputted by the driver via a touch screen or button, or the processor can receive via a voice recorder the starting location and target location of a driving route inputted by the driver by voice (for example: a microphone), and then plan one or more driving routes between the starting location and target location for the driver in the on-vehicle navigation system, for the driver to make a selection from. Of course, after receiving the location information inputted by the driver, the processor may also be used to send the location information via an antenna to a server; a specific driving route is then planned for the driver by the server, which has strong data processing capability.

Preferably, as Fig. 7 shows, the above system may further comprise: a display device 30. The display device 30 is used for providing the user with a preview of the key location information.

Preferably, the receiving device 10 as shown in Fig. 7 is further used for acquiring location information to be marked, wherein the location information to be marked is determined according to some or all of the information selected by the user from the key location information, or according to preference settings of the user; and the processor 20 is further used for marking the location information to be marked in the driving route, after acquiring the location information to be marked.

Preferably, as Fig. 7 shows, the above system may further comprise: a display device 30 and/or a loudspeaker 40; the processor 20 is further used for issuing prompt information to the display device and/or loudspeaker when the actual distance between the location at which the vehicle is currently traveling and a marked location reaches a second preset distance, and the display device and/or loudspeaker prompt (s) the user. It can be seen from the above description that the above em^¬ bodiments realize the following technical effects (it must be explained that these effects can be achieved by certain preferred embodiments) : Since, when providing the driving route to the driver, the on-vehicle navigation system analyzes the key location information, it can prepare for customized key information to be requested by the driver, thereby solving the problem in the related art of an on-vehicle navigation system being unable to analyze road information after planning a driving route, and in turn, by analyzing road information in the driving route, lays the foundation for a driver to expect to have a grasp of the road sections on which he is likely to go the wrong way while driving and pay attention accordingly.

Obviously, those skilled in the art should understand that the modules or steps of the present invention presented above may be realized using a universal computing device; they may be concentrated on a single computing device, or distributed across a network formed of multiple computing devices. Optionally, they may be realized using program code executable by a computing device, so that they can be stored in a storage device for execution by a computing device. Moreover, in certain cir- cumstances, the steps shown or described may be executed in a different order to that given here; or they may each be made as different integrated circuit modules; or multiple modules or steps from amongst them may be made as a single integrated circuit module. Thus, the present invention is not restricted to any specific combination of hardware and software.

The embodiments above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit it. From the point of view of those skilled in the art, the present invention could have a variety of alterations and modifications. Any amendments, equivalent substitutions or improvements etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection thereof.

Claims

Patent claims

1. A method for acquiring on-vehicle navigation information, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by comprising:

acquiring information about a current target location to be reached by a vehicle, and planning a driving route for the vehicle ;

acquiring key location information from the driving route, wherein the key location information comprises at least one of the following: one or more road sections on which the actual distance between neighboring at-grade intersections is less than a first preset distance, and one or more separated multi-level intersections. 2. The method as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the step of acquiring the one or more road sections from the driving route comprises:

starting from a first at-grade intersection in the driving route, calculating the actual distance between each pair of neighboring at-grade intersections successively;

determining a road section on which the actual distance is less than the first preset distance as the one or more road sections . 3. The method as claimed in claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the step of calculating the distance between each pair of neighboring at-grade intersections successively, starting from a first at-grade intersection, comprises: setting an at-grade intersection passed through first in the traveling direction of the vehicle as the origin of co^¬ ordinates and establishing a plane rectangular coordinate system;

acquiring the coordinates in the plane rectangular co^¬ ordinate system of a neighboring at-grade intersection passed through afterwards by the vehicle;

calculating the coordinate distance between the at-grade intersection passed through first and the neighboring at-grade intersection passed through afterwards;

using the coordinate distance and a preset picture scale to calculate the actual distance.

The method as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the step of acquiring the one or more separated multi-level intersections from the driving route comprises : searching for one or more multi-level intersections from the driving route;

determining the type to which each multi-level intersection belongs, and selecting the one or more separated multi-level intersections according to the type of each multi-level intersection.

The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that, after acquiring the key location information from the driving route, the method further comprises:

providing the user with a preview of the key location information .

The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the method for acquiring on-vehicle navigation information further comprises:

acquiring location information to be marked, wherein the location information to be marked is determined according to some or all of the information selected by the user from the key location information, or according to preference settings of the user;

marking the location information to be marked in the driving route .

The method as claimed in claim 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that after marking the location information to be marked, the method further comprises:

determining whether the actual distance between the location at which the vehicle is currently traveling and a marked location has reached a second preset distance; if it has, issuing prompt information.

8. An on-vehicle navigation system, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by comprising:

a receiving device, for acquiring information about a current destination location to be reached by a vehicle; a processor, for planning a driving route for the vehicle according to the information acquired about the current destination location to be reached by the vehicle;

the processor is further used for acquiring key location information from the driving route, wherein the key location information comprises at least one of the following: one or more road sections on which the actual distance between neighboring at-grade intersections is less than a first preset distance, and one or more separated multi-level intersections .

9. The system as claimed in claim 8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the system further comprises: a display device; the display device is used for providing the user with a preview of the key location information.

10. The system as claimed in claim 8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that

the receiving device is further used for acquiring location information to be marked, wherein the location information to be marked is determined according to some or all of the information selected by the user from the key location information, or according to preference settings of the user ;

the processor is further used for marking the location information to be marked in the driving route, after acquiring the location information to be marked.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the system further comprises: a display device and/or a loudspeaker;

the processor is further used for issuing prompt information to the display device and/or the loudspeaker when the actual distance between the location at which the vehicle is currently traveling and a marked location reaches a second preset distance, and the display device and/or the loudspeaker prompt (s) the user.