Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-17
2002-07-30
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C340S995190
Reexamination Certificate
active
06427117
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a navigation method in which navigation data concerning a route from a current position of a moving body to a destination is transmitted from a navigation center to the moving body, and then route guidance is carried out at the moving body using the received navigation data. The present invention also relates to a navigation system and an information communications apparatus used in the navigation system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One example of a navigation system in which a moving body such as a vehicle is provided with route/guidance data (i.e., route data and guidance data concerning searched recommended route) from a navigation center is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. HEI 10-19588. In such a navigation system, map images and recommended route data (or the best route data) required for guiding a vehicle to a destination is transmitted from a navigation center (navigation base) to the vehicle. In particular, data communications are carried out between a data transmission system in the navigation center and the navigation apparatus in the vehicle. In this regard, the data transmission system includes a database which stores data required for guiding the vehicle to a destination.
Further, based on a request received from the navigation apparatus mounted on the vehicle, the data transmission system reads out required data from the database and creates map images. Furthermore, the data transmission system carries out a route search to produce optimum route data. Data indicating the created map images and the optimum route is transmitted from the data transmission system to the navigation apparatus. Then, based on the map images and optimum route data transmitted from the data transmission system, the navigation apparatus on the vehicle displays predetermined images on a display.
Further, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. HEI 8-33437 discloses a vehicle-mounted route guidance apparatus in which a new recommended route is transmitted from a control center to the vehicle-mounted route guidance apparatus when the vehicle strays from the original recommended route due to a driving operation error. In this arrangement, the vehicle-mounted route guidance apparatus transmits departure point data and destination data to the control center when necessary, and the control center transmits recommended route data to the vehicle-mounted route guidance apparatus.
Further, the vehicle-mounted route guidance apparatus is constructed to carry out judgements as to whether or not t h e vehicle is traveling along the recommended route. In the case where a judgement that the vehicle has strayed from the recommended route is made, the vehicle-mounted route guidance apparatus reestablishes the departure point and then transmits data of such new departure point and the destination to the control center. In this case, the control center searches a new recommended route to the destination based on the newly established departure point data and the destination data received from the vehicle-mounted route guidance apparatus, and then transmits such searched recommended route data to the vehicle-mounted route guidance apparatus.
However, in the prior art navigation systems described above, when data related to the recommended route is transmitted to the vehicle, the navigation center transmits all the data in a single communication operation. Consequently, in the case where the road conditions of the recommended route along which the vehicle is scheduled to travel change (e.g., due to traffic congestion caused by an accident) after all the data related to the recommended route has been received by the vehicle but before reaching destination, it is no longer possible to continue (or carry out) smooth route guidance based on (or using) the received route/guidance data for the recommended route.
Further, in the conventional navigation system, all of the route/guidance data from the departure point to the destination are transmitted to the vehicle. Therefore, the amount of the data to be transmitted becomes huge, so that it takes a long time to transmit the data and further it is necessary for the vehicle to temporally store the huge amount of the transmitted data. Further, such a long data transmission time not only increases communication cost at the user but also lengthens the time required for processing the data. In particular, when the distance between the departure point and the destination is long, such increases in the communication time and communication cost cannot be ignored or disregarded.
Furthermore, in the case where the vehicle is traveling in tunnels or mountain areas where radio waves can not reach weak radio or wave areas such as building shadows, it becomes impossible to carry out communications satisfactorily between the navigation center and the vehicle. As a result, there is a probability that the vehicle will not be able to obtain the required route/guidance data.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the problems of the prior art described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a navigation method, a navigation system and an information communications apparatus used in the navigation system in which it is possible to transmit navigation data extracted from the newest navigation information to a moving body from a navigation center over the entire time the moving body is traveling to the destination (instead of carrying out such transmission only at the time of departure of the moving body toward the destination).
In is another object of the present invention to provide a highly reliable navigation method, a navigation system and an information communications apparatus used in the navigation system in which it is possible to reliably transmit navigation data from the navigation center to the moving body regardless of communication conditions.
In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention is directed to a navigation method in which navigation data concerning a route from a current position of a moving body to a destination is transmitted from a navigation center to the moving body, and then route guidance is carried out at the moving body using the navigation data received from the navigation center, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) updating navigation information which includes various information concerning routes, the navigation information being stored in memory means provided in the navigation center;
(b) conducting a route search for setting a route from a current position of the moving body to a destination on the basis of the newest navigation information updated in the updating step (a);
(c) dividing the route set at the route searching step (b) into at least two portions;
(d) extracting navigation data concerning at least a head portion of the route divided at the dividing step (c) from said memory means storing the newest navigation information updated in the updating step (a);
(e) transmitting the navigation data extracted at the extracting step (d) from the navigation center to the moving body;
(f) conducting a route search for setting a route from a current position of the moving body to the destination on the basis of the newest navigation information updated in the updating step (a) after transmitting the navigation data for the head portion to the moving body but before transmitting navigation data for a remaining portion of the route;
(g) dividing the route set at the route searching step (f) into at least two portions;
(h) extracting navigation data concerning at least a head portion of the route divided at the dividing step (g) from said memory means storing the newest navigation information updated at the updating step (a); and
(i) transmitting the navigation data extracted at the extracting step (h) from the navigation center to the moving body.
According to the present invention described above, the determined route is divided into at least two portions, and then navigation data concerning the head por
Gorai Naoki
Ito Yasuo
Kitano Satoshi
Sugawara Takashi
Yamakawa Hiroyuki
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Kabushikikaisha Equos Research
Nguyen Thu
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