Alpine Electronics, Inc.

Hikaru P Wako

Tatsuo Yokota

Takashi Ichikawa

Andrew S De Silva

Mike Iao

Ikuo Inouchi

Andrew De Silva

Kenny Chen

Nobuo Yamaguchi

An infotainment system in a vehicle including a central processing unit (CPU), one or more memory units, a console including a touch screen having a screen, a touch sensor integrally attached to the screen for receiving a touching operation of a user, and a pressure sensor attached to the screen for receiving a pressing operation of the user, and a graphical user interface module that processes display contents and to instruct the screen to display the display contents is provided. Depending on whether to activate either the touch sensor or the pressure sensor or both in order to receive an entry from a user is determined, based on current vehicle situation, graphic contents according to the determined sensors may be displayed, the determined sensors may be activated, and the entry from the user may be received at the activated one or more sensors.

Method and system for operating console with touch screen

A method and apparatus for entering an address for a navigation system allows a user to easily and quickly select a key indicating the next character of the address. At the start of operation, the navigation system shows a full alpha-numeric keyboard. Once the next candidate characters are narrowed down to a certain degree, the navigation system shows a simplified keyboard with a limited number of keys on the monitor screen and highlights the next candidate characters on the simplified keyboard. The navigation system displays both the simplified keyboard and a street name list on the same screen. Since the keys of the limited number are arranged within a small space such as in the three-by-three manner, the user can easily point a cursor or other pointing device to the desired key.

Method and apparatus for keyboard arrangement for efficient data entry for navigation system

The display method and apparatus for a navigation system interchangeably displays a normal map image and a simplified map image in accordance with a user's preference and complexity of the map image. The method includes the steps of checking whether a simple map mode or a normal map mode is set for displaying a map image on a monitor screen of the navigation system, determining which map elements are selected to be displayed when the simple map mode is set, and displaying the map image with only the selected map elements when the simple map mode is set while displaying the map image with all the map elements when the normal map mode is set. The navigation system is designed to switch between the normal map mode and the simple map mode either manually or automatically.

Method and apparatus for displaying simplified map image for navigation system

A method and apparatus for a navigation system displays local brand icons in such a way that a user not familiar with the local brand icons can tell the types of business that the brand icons represent through graphic representations on a screen of the navigation system. The method includes the step of creating an icon database regarding generic icons and brand icons where the icon database includes information for distinguishing a local brand icon from a national brand icon, displaying the icons over a map image on a screen of a navigation system, detecting whether there is any local brand icon displayed on the screen, and indicating a business category of a business entity using the local brand icon when the local brand icon is detected on the screen.

Method and apparatus for displaying local brand icons for navigation system

A method and apparatus of valuing contrast of representation on background displayed on a screen of a navigation apparatus, by counting a number of the presentations on the background of the screen, adjusting contrast of the representations against the background displayed on the screen in response to the number of the representation on the background, and displaying the representations on the screen based on the adjusted contrast of the representation. The contrast of the representations against the background is set lower than original contrast against the background when the number of the representations is equal to or more than a predetermined number. The contrast of the representations is set higher than current contrast when the number of the representations on the screen is less than a predetermined number.

Display method and apparatus for adjusting contrast of map elements for navigation system

A sports information viewing method for a navigation system designed for receiving sports information and displaying the sport information in multiple windows on a display device, the method performs a step of forming a database of sports information including current sports information and past sports information in a memory, a step for setting a keyword and priority for retrieving the sports information, a step for retrieving the sports information according to the keyword and the priority, a step for sorting the sports information according to a predetermined order, and a step for displaying the retrieved sports information on the display device.

Sports information viewing method and apparatus for navigation system

A method and apparatus for use with a navigation system to search specified type of information along a calculated route to a destination by incorporating search criteria based on city or other regional zones. The method includes the steps of building one or more zones to be traversed in travelling on the calculated route to the destination based on map data, displaying a list of zones on the calculated route to prompt a user to select a zone, displaying a list of types of information to prompt the user to select a type of information to be searched, searching information along the calculated route within the selected zone within a predetermined search range of the calculated route, and displaying the information of the selected type within the selected zone resulted from the search.

Method and apparatus for navigation system for searching selected type of information along route to destination

Vehicle navigation unit

A method and apparatus for use with a navigation system allows a user to define and edits a favorite spot and retrieves points of interest (POI) information or other information associated with the favorite spot. The method includes the steps of creating a favorite spot by selecting a location on a map image displayed on the navigation system and setting a size of the favorite spot, selecting one of the favorite spots created in the navigation system, and retrieving information associated with the selected favorite spot. The navigation is able to inform the user that the user has entered a favorite spot or has left a favorite spot.

Navigation method and apparatus to define favorite spot and extract information concerning the favorite spot

A Point of Interest (POI) icon display method in a navigation system is described for displaying a POI icon at a POI point on a map. For every POI in a POI category, the location point and type of POI are stored. Each POI is identified on the displayed map by the same POI icon, and when a POI icon of a POI is selected, the type of POI is displayed. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the number of POI icons, recognize the type of POI, such as the type of food of a restaurant (classified by country, such as Japanese food, Chinese food, Italian food, and French food), and provide a guide route to a desired POI quickly.

POI icon display method and navigation system

The destination specifying method comprises: (1) configuring a database by associating a telephone number with a name, address, and position of a facility, and when a plurality of facilities share one telephone number, configuring a database by associating the one telephone number with a plurality of the facility names, (2) displaying a telephone number list on a display screen, when a destination is set by a telephone number, and (3) when a specific telephone number is selected from the list, if the telephone number is associated with a plurality of facilities, displaying a facility name list of a plurality of the facilities, and when a facility is selected from the facility name list, displaying detailed information regarding the selected facility. A system for carrying out this method is also described.

Destination specifying method and system

A display method and apparatus for navigation system for specifying the destination easily and quickly. The navigation system is designed to enable a user to quickly select a POI (Point of Interest) through a set of POIs specially made by a user or by the system. The navigation system includes a &ldquo;Favorite POI&rdquo; menu created based on user's preference or frequency of use and/or &ldquo;Last POI&rdquo; created based on most recent use. The user can directly select a POI through the &ldquo;Favorite POI&rdquo; or &ldquo;Last POI&rdquo;. Since this process does not require a long list of category and sub-category or page scrolling, the user can easily and quickly select the destination.

Display method and apparatus for navigation system

A display method and apparatus for navigation system for displaying information necessary for guiding a driver of a vehicle. The navigation system is designed to promote safe driving by producing different display forms and contents depending on whether the vehicle is in motion or stationary. When the vehicle is stationary, the navigation system can perform all of the functions. However, when the vehicle is in motion, the navigation system provides simplified and limited functions to ease the operations. The number of key strokes required for operating the navigation system is reduced when the vehicle is in motion.

A travel state monitoring unit monitors whether the vehicle position deviates from a road so as to be in the off-road travel state, on the basis of the map information and the vehicle position. When the vehicle position is in the off-road state, a travel trail generating unit generates off-road travel trail data and stores the data in an off-road travel trail storage unit. A display control unit displays, by the user's instruction, the off-road travel trail superimposed with the map, using the off-road travel trail data. The route search unit searches a route to an off-road point and displays the route.

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Torrance, CA, United States of America

Hikaru P Wako