Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-18
2001-03-13
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C701S213000, C701S200000, C701S024000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06202024
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a data transmitting and receiving system, and in more particular to a communicatory navigation system comprising an information center and a plurality of on-vehicle navigation units each communicatively connected to the information center.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The most important function of the navigation system mounted on a vehicle is of course to navigate the vehicle to drive from the current position to a predetermined destination along a suitable drive route. Most of conventional navigation systems have a control unit installed in the vehicle and data or information to be used for such drive route navigation are stored in a memory connected to the control unit, which may not be sufficient to store the increasing data that is necessary or at least desirable for smooth navigation in various situations.
To cope with this problem, a communicatory navigation system has recently been proposed and put to practical use. In the communicatory navigation system, there is installed an information center with a database memory of a great capacity from which supplementary data is transmitted to the on-vehicle navigation unit to thereby assist the drive route navigation. More particularly, the navigation unit obtains the current vehicle position data detected by a position sensor and the destination position data inputted by the user with any suitable input device, and transmits these items of data to the information center. Based on these items of position data received and in reference to the road data in the database memory, the information center makes a plan for a recommended drive route from the current position to the destination, and transmits the planned drive route back to the navigation unit. The navigation unit receiving the drive route from the information center will operate to display the drive route on a display and induce the driver to drive therealong.
There is an increasing demand of the navigation system that a drive route should be determined not only depending upon the current and destination position data but also by taking into consideration various conditions in or around the vehicle (referred to as “vehicle conditions” throughout the specification) such as weather conditions, road surface conditions, traffic jams, roads under construction, etc. For example, if there is a heavy traffic jam in the course of a specific drive route that is determined by normal discrimination, it is preferable to arrange another route bypassing the traffic jam point so that the driver is guided therealong to drive smoothly and reach the destination earlier. To achieve this, it is necessary that data indicating the vehicle condition, for example data indicating ON/OFF of a wiper and the past drive route data of the vehicle, is transmitted from the navigation unit to the information center. However, while the current and destination position data is being transmitted from the navigation unit to the information center, or while the drive route is transmitted from the information center to the navigation unit, so that the communication line or telephone line therebetween is busy, the same line can not be used for other data transmission. Another communication medium such as a hand phone may be used for transmission of the drive condition data, but in practice this is not preferable because it takes another communication charge and requires the user's calling operation.
Another problem in the prior art communicatory navigation system is a matter of version-up or updating of the road database. Although the information center may store a lot of the road database, a newly constructed road is not in the database unless the database is updated to include such a new road. Until the database is updated, no drive route including the new road can be determined by the information center.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a novel communicatory navigation system capable of providing the best drive route that is most suited in a particular situation in and around the vehicle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a communicatory navigation system in which data transmission between the navigation unit and the information center is controlled to prevent jamming in communication therebetween.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a communicatory navigation system in which the vehicle may be given a most preferable drive route from the current position to the destination position that bypasses any point or route with trouble such as a traffic accident, traffic jam, bad weather condition, bad road surface condition, etc.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a communicatory navigation system in which a road database is automatically updated to include a newly constructed road or route soon after one or several of the member vehicles in the system passes through the new road.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communicatory navigation system comprising an information center and at least one navigation unit each mounted on a vehicle and communicatably connected to the information center. The navigation unit comprises first memory means for storing first data indicating previously driven routes of the vehicle, second memory means for storing second data indicating current conditions in and around the vehicle, communication means for allowing bi-directional data communication with the information center, and transmission control means for controlling the communication means such that either or both of the first and second data in the first and second memory means is automatically transmitted to the information center during a communicatable period from when the navigation unit become communicatable with the information center and before the bi-directional data communication therebetween is disconnected. Preferably, the transmission control means controls such that data transmission from the navigation unit to the information center is made during spare time within the communicatable period therebetween.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communicatory navigation system comprising an information center, at least one navigation unit each mounted on a vehicle and communication means for allowing bi-directional data communication between the information center and the navigation unit. The navigation unit comprises position sensor means for detecting a current position of the vehicle, destination input means for inputting a destination position of the vehicle, first memory means for storing first data indicating previously driven routes of the vehicle, second memory means for storing second data indicating current conditions in and around the vehicle, and data transmission means for transmitting to the information center, via the communication means, data including the current position data detected by the position sensor means, the destination data input by the destination input means and either or both of the first and second data in the first and second memory means. The information center comprises a database storing road data, and drive route finding means that operates in response to receiving of the data from the navigation unit to determine a recommended drive route from the current position to the destination position with reference to the road data stored in the database and in further consideration of the first and second data.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communicatory navigation system comprising an information center, at least one navigation unit each mounted on a vehicle and communication means for allowing bi-directional data communication between the information center and the navigation unit. The navigation unit comprises position sensor means for detecting a current position of the vehicle, destination input means for inputting
Gorai Naoki
Ishikawa Hiroki
Ito Yasuo
Kitano Satoshi
Kubota Tomoki
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Hernandez Olga
Kabushikikaisha Equos Research
Lorusso & Loud
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