Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-30
2004-11-30
Beaulieu, Yonel (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C701S211000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06826474
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a communication navigation system and method, which execute, at a communication navigation terminal mounted on a movable body such as a vehicle or the like, a navigation operation such as presentation of an optimum route or the like by using map database information (hereunder, it is referred to as map D/B information as occasion demands) provided from a communication center apparatus for providing map information on a communication network. The present invention also relates to the communication center apparatus for providing map information, the communication navigation terminal, a program storage device, and a computer data signal embodiment in a carrier wave.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally speaking, a navigation apparatus mounted on a vehicle has a function called “route search” or “path search” and is designed to be capable of searching for an optimum route connecting an origin and a destination, both of which are designated by a user. It is also designed to lead and guide (navigate) the user to the destination by displaying on a map a current position based on a self-contained or built-in positioning measurement or a GPS (Global Positioning System) measurement and the searched optimum route.
With respect to a traditional navigation apparatus, this kind of route search is performed by microprocessor processing in the apparatus on the basis of the map D/B information stored in a map information recording medium (e.g. DVD-ROM) set in the navigation apparatus. More concretely, the route search is executed by using “information for route search”, which enables a search for the optimum route based on predetermined mathematical algorithm, such as link information corresponding to a road part between branching points and intersections, node information including coordinates information (absolute position information on latitude and longitude, or on altitude, latitude and longitude) corresponding to the branching points and the intersections of roads or the like among the map D/B information. Generally, in view of its nature of being for route search, this kind of information for route search is constructed by the link information, the node information, and the like, which are about broad areas where roads are mutually connected, for example, such as throughout Honshu or the main island of Japan, throughout Japan, or the like, so that its volume of data becomes enormous, which increases the whole amount of data of the map D/B information.
Moreover, the map D/B information includes data of added information, which is facility guidance information on tourist attractions/facilities, facility numerals, names (characters) of maps/roads, views of waters/railroads, and roads, in each one of many pieces of map information (drawings). These data as well as the above-described information for route search further increase the volume of data of the map D/B information.
By the way, the search for the optimum route requires the newest map D/B information because of changes, new constructions, and the like on roads.
Therefore, there is a need to equip for the traditional navigation apparatus a map information recording medium that stores the map D/B information which is the newest and whose data volume is enormous. At the same time, there is a need of the display processing and the search processing of an optimum route based on the complicating map D/B information. In this case, there is a need to mount a microprocessor unit (MPU), which is capable of high-speed processing, so that the scale of the processing and that of the apparatus come to increase.
On that account, various communication navigation systems are suggested in order to improve such increase of the scale of the processing and that of the apparatus. In these communication navigation systems, the map D/B information is obtained and provided through two-way wireless communication between a communication center apparatus for providing map information on a communication network and a communication navigation terminal mounted on a vehicle (e.g. refer to the examples of Japanese Patent Application Laying Open NO. Hei 7-262493 “a system for distributing map information for a movable body” and Japanese Patent Application Laying Open NO. Hei 10-96644 “a system for guiding a moving route”).
In this type of the communication navigation system, the newest map D/B information can be provided all at once by updating the map D/B information at one communication center apparatus. By this type of the communication navigation system, the newest map D/B information can be provided quickly and cheaply, comparing the traditional navigation apparatus in which the newest map D/B information is provided for an individual navigation apparatus on a vehicle with the information recording medium, such as a DVD-ROM. Therefore, users side becomes able to easily receive the map D/B information including the newest information for route search or the like.
However, the above-described communication navigation system has the following disadvantage (1) to (4):
(1) In the case that radio or wireless transmission is performed from the communication center apparatus for providing map information to the communication navigation terminal, the map D/B information including the information for route search or the like, whose data volume is enormous, is wirelessly transmitted. Especially depending on a range of an origin and a destination of route search request, its data volume increase, because the route search is executed with respect to a plurality of map information (drawings). Therefore, traffic volume in a wireless section increases, and it becomes difficult to access a circuit. On that account, it becomes necessary to transmit repeatedly to access the circuit from the communication navigation terminal, which generates convergence at the communication center apparatus for providing map information, and further this makes it more difficult to access the circuit.
(2) To solve this problem, it is possible to consider installing a plurality of communication center apparatuses for providing map information on the communication network. In that case, however, the cost for administering operations may increase on the side of administrators that provide the map D/B information and the like.
(3) Moreover, if a radio transmission rate is more speeded up to solve the problem, the scales of data processing and those of apparatus of the communication navigation terminal and the communication center apparatus for providing map information will become large, which will cause the cost of each apparatus to increase.
(4) As for a communication navigation terminal mounted on a vehicle, the communication navigation terminal performs route search processing by own microprocessor. As the route search processing has many processing steps, this causes heavy load of processing in the microprocessor. Furthermore, in recent years, the navigation apparatus tends to unification with a television apparatus, an audio apparatus, and the like (i.e. multifunctionalization). The load in the microprocessor is further increased. This makes processing of the microprocessor difficult in the communication navigation terminals.
On the other hand, it is also considered that the route search is performed on the side of the communication center apparatus for providing map information. In this case, however, the necessity to wirelessly transmit arises after generating the map information, which is specially designed to include the searched optimum route in a thick line or the like, so that the volume of data to be wirelessly transmitted will become enormous. In addition, there arises a need to wirelessly transmit information for outputting as voice or sound or for outputting as image route guidance or the like (hereunder, the information is referred to as route guidance information as occasion demands), such as instructions of left turn, right turn, or straight advance and the like at each guidance
Fujita Toru
Hashida Masaya
Miyahara Hiroshi
Nambata Ippei
Sakai Akira
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