Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-06
2002-08-06
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3861)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C701S202000, C701S201000, C340S398100, C340S995190
Reexamination Certificate
active
06430500
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a vehicle navigation system that automatically determines a drive route from a current position of a vehicle to a designated destination or destinations, along which the driver may drive the vehicle without going astray. The present invention specifically relates to input of a destination by the driver or user in operation of the vehicle navigation system.
BACKGROUND OF THE ART
Japanese patent publication No. 8-95736 discloses a navigation system in which a number of destinations are classified into groups including, for example, golf courses, amusement parks, skiing grounds, restaurants, hotels, highway interchanges, etc. A display first provides a group select menu showing a list of the groups, from which the user may select one group which is believed to include a destination where he or she wants to go. In actual application, since the display size is not sufficiently large to represent all of the group names, the group select menu comprises a plurality of menu pictures. For example, only “GOLF COURSES” and “OTHERS” appear on a first menu picture. When the desired destination is one of the golf courses, this group is selected by a finger touch on a touch panel of the display or with another input device, so that the display is switched to provide a destination input menu showing a list of destinations classified in the selected group. In the above-described example, since the user has selected “GOLF COURSES” in the group input menu, a list of names of the golf courses will appear on the destination input menu of the display, whereby the user may choose any one of the golf courses via the input device such as a touch panel. Thus, the selected golf course is inputted as a destination.
When the destination to be designated is not a golf course, the user touches a column of “OTHERS” appearing on the first menu picture so that the display is changed to provide a second menu picture on which other group names such as “AMUSEMENT PARKS”, “SKIING GROUNDS”, etc. now appear. The second menu picture also includes a touch panel section shown as “NEXT”, which is depressed to switch the display to a third menu picture on which still other group names should appear. The user repeats such picture renewal operation until a group into which the destination to be designated is classified appears on the display.
The above-described prior art system is of more help in the user's selection and input of the destination as compared with selection of a desired one from a number of uncategorized destinations stored in the memory. However, in accordance with the above-described prior art, each group of menu pictures of the group select menu has a fixed pattern in which several groups are arranged in a predetermined order and layout. The user may designate differently categorized destinations day by day and case by case. When the single navigation system mounted on a vehicle may be used by two or more users, they may have different behavioral patterns that tend to select destinations in different groups. In summary, the above-described prior art has a disadvantage that the input menu pattern is fixed and can not be changed according to the pattern of the user's behavior. Consequently, the user is often obliged to depress the touch panel section “NEXT” again and again to renew the displayed pictures until a menu picture indicating a group in which the user's desired destination is categorized appears.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a vehicle navigation system in which any destination that the user desires is easy to select and input.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle navigation system in which a display is controlled to change a display pattern in response to the user's behavior schedule which may vary day by day or case by case, thereby assisting the user's destination selection and input operation.
Still another object of the present invention is to simplify the user's operation for selection and input of a destination which, in turn, facilitates determination of a recommended drive route from the current position to the destination in a vehicle navigation system.
To achieve the above objects, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a destination input device in a vehicle navigation system that determines a drive route from a current position to a destination to be inputted by a user, comprising a first memory that stores a plurality of destinations which are categorized into several groups; first input means for inputting a behavioral schedule of the user; first display control means that controls a display to provide a group selection menu picture representing a predetermined combination of the groups, in accordance with the user's behavioral schedule input by said first input means; second input means for selecting a specific one of the groups appearing on said display; second display control means for controlling the display to provide a destination input menu picture representing a plurality of destinations included in the selected group; and third input means for selecting a desired destination from among those appearing on said display.
In the destination input device of the present invention, a number of destinations are, in advance, classified or categorized into a plurality of groups depending upon the user's behavioral schedule, which are stored in the memory. The display is first controlled to provide a group selection menu display on which a predetermined combination of the groups appears. A specific one of the group selection menu displays is determined in accordance with the user's behavioral schedule input through the first input means. Accordingly, a group selection menu picture first appearing on the display may vary day by day, case by case, and user by user, because the user's behavioral schedule is not always the same. In accordance with the prior art navigation system, the user is often obliged to repeat operation for picture renewal of the display, until a pertinent group is found on the display. In accordance with the present invention, however, the user may readily select a pertinent group, since a first menu picture of the display, which is controlled by the first display control means and determined in response to the user's behavioral schedule, will most likely include a pertinent group containing a destination that the user desires. When the user selects one of the groups on the first menu picture of the display through the second input means, the display is then controlled to provide a destination selection menu picture on which a plurality of destinations that are categorized in the selected group will now appear. Since the destination that the user desires will surely be included in a destination list of the destination selection menu picture, this may readily be selected by the third input means.
The destinations are stored in the memory as having been categorized into one of predetermined groups including, for example, “RESTAURANTS”, “AMUSEMENT PARKS”, “GOLF COURSES”, etc.
In a preferred embodiment, there is provided a second memory storing a table in which a particular behavioral schedule correlates with a predetermined combination of the destination groups, which is referred to by the first display control means. The display may randomly represent a predetermined combination of the destination groups. Alternatively, the display may represent a predetermined combination of the destination groups in a predetermined order, in which case the table also indicates priority in representation of the destination groups. The priority is determined also depending upon the user's behavioral schedule. A predetermined combination of the destination groups may extend over several group selection menu pictures, which may appear on the display with a predetermined priority.
In determination of the destination groups that should first appear on the
Adachi Kazuhide
Hori Koji
Kubota Tomoki
Mazda Manabu
Mukai Kouji
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Kabushikikaisha Equos Research
Lorusso & Loud
To Tuan C
LandOfFree
Destination input device in vehicle navigation system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Destination input device in vehicle navigation system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Destination input device in vehicle navigation system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2939140