Harman Becker Automotive Systems Gmbh

Martin Fischer

Carsten-Christian Spindler

Vladimir Ivanov

Simon Schütz

Alexey Pryakhin

Thomas Feldbauer

Viktor Samokhin

Stavros Mitrakis

Juergen Welscher

Simon Schuetz

Cc Spindler

A system may generate a database of a geographical map of a navigation device. The geographical map covering a geographical area which is divided into several update regions. The system may identify at least one object in the geographical map which covers an object area in the geographical area. The object area can be divided into different parts which are located in different update regions. The system can store in the database, for each of said at least one object, information indicating that the object area overlaps with plural update regions, the information including pointers to update regions in which the respective different parts of the object area are stored.

Seamless display of objects

A system and method for processing a 3-dimensional landmark providing a 3-dimensional representation of a 3-dimensional real world object located at a predefined geographic location is provided. The method includes the steps of providing a data set containing the 3-dimensional landmark, determining a largest continuous horizontal surface of the 3-dimensional landmark, and storing the determined largest horizontal surface as road traffic area of a road network used by a user when moving on the object.

System for displaying a three-dimensional landmark

A vehicle navigation system has a processing device. The processing device receives entries in a first data structure that are generated and are respectively associated with one tile of a tiling. The processing device may compare a three-dimensional terrain on the respective tile with at least one pre-defined tile pattern. Either an identifier for a pre-defined tile pattern or data describing the terrain on the respective tile may be stored by the processing device in the entry.

System for determining height information

A navigation system may use digital maps to represent cartographic features during guidance along a route to a destination requested by a user. A system and method are provided for management of icons used to represent the cartographic features by storing data for multiple icons in a data array representing an image containing the plurality of icons.

Digital map icon management system

A navigation device for a vehicle comprises a database storing, for a plurality of tiles of a tiling, at least one triangulated irregular network (TIN) defining a three-dimensional surface, and, for a plurality of triangular faces of the at least one TIN, control information defining a nested bounding sphere for the respective triangular faces. The navigation device comprises a processor coupled to the database configured to calculate a screen-space error for the plurality of triangular faces based on the respective control information and based on at least one of the following: a viewing angle of an electronic map view, a virtual camera position of the electronic map view. The processor is configured to predict whether a triangular face is visible in the electronic map view based on the calculated screen-space error.

Navigation device, method of predicting a visibility of a triangular face in an electronic map view, and method for generating a database

A navigation system may display a segment of a digital map including a map element and a label corresponding to the map element. A portion of the digital map where no labeling shall occur may be determined based on coordinate values of the map element. The label may be displayed such that the portion of the digital map where no labeling shall occur is not occupied by any portion of the label.

System for digital map labeling

A navigation system includes a display for displaying at least a part of a digital map. A landmark detected within the digital map is displayed as a three-dimensional graphical object or a two-dimensional graphical object depending on a location of the landmark.

Digital map landmarking system

A navigation system may display a map element represented by a spline including a plurality of vertices. Label coordinate values derived from coordinate values of the plurality of vertices may be retrieved from a database. A label assigned to the map element may be displayed based on the stored label coordinate values. The assigned label may be adapted to the geometric form of at least a portion of the map element.

Digital map labeling system

The invention relates to system and method for generating a 3-dimensional representation of a tunnel. Road network data is provided having a plurality of road segments, at least one road segment being a tunnel road segment, including the information that said at least one road segment is a road segment located in a tunnel. The tunnel segment in the road network is identified, providing a geographical elevation map including elevation data of the geographical region in which the tunnel road segment is located, providing predefined patterns representing predefined parts of a 3-dimensional tunnel body, generating the 3-dimensional representation of the tunnel based on the tunnel road segment, the elevation map and the predefined patterns, and storing the 3-dimensional representation of the tunnel in connection with the road network as a 3-dimensional object which is located at the geographical position of the tunnel road segment.

3D tunnel representation

A vehicle navigation system includes a map database storing map data. The map data has links representing road segments, road number icons, and additional road information icons. At least one of the links is associated with at least one of the road number icons and at least one of the additional road information icons. The vehicle navigation system may furthermore include a processing unit coupled to the map database and configured to control outputting of route guidance information via an output device. The outputting of route guidance information may include displaying a road number icon and an additional road information icon together with a link if the link is associated with the road number icon and the additional road information icon.

Vehicle navigation system

A navigation system includes a display for displaying at least a part of a digital map. The navigation system includes a navigation database which stores any text and/or symbol(s) associated with a signpost independently from a background of the signpost. The text and/or symbol(s) and the background may be retrieved from the navigation database and displayed as a signpost image in the displayed part of the digital map.

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Munich, Germany

Martin Fischer