Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-28
2002-07-09
Louis-Jacques, Jacques H. (Department: 3663)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C701S200000, C701S210000, C701S216000, C340S995190, C340S988000, C340S990000, C340S991000, C340S925000, C342S357490, C342S357490, C342S357490, C342S357490, C342S357490, C342S457000, C342S439000, C455S456500, C455S557000, C455S566000, C455S090300, C455S575100, C705S001100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06418374
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to navigation devices and, more specifically, to a navigation device structured as usable both inside and outside a vehicle.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventional vehicle navigation devices display a map and a present position of a vehicle on the map, and search for an optimal route from a starting point to a destination point for guiding a driver. Such a vehicle navigation device is usually mounted fixedly inside the vehicle, and therefore the user cannot use the device outside the vehicle or inside another vehicle. To avoid such inconvenience, research and development has been carried out on navigation devices removable from the vehicle for portable use both inside and outside the vehicle. Such navigation device is exemplarily disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-318763, which is described below with reference to
FIGS. 24
a
and
24
b.
In
FIG. 24
a
, a navigation device N
c
is structured by a main device
101
, a GPS (Global Positioning System) antenna
102
, and an autonomous navigation sensor
103
. The main device
103
is removably mounted on an arm stand
104
fixed in the vicinity of a driver's seat of a vehicle for various operations required for navigating the user. When used inside the vehicle, the navigation device N
c
is typically mounted on a dashboard. On the other hand, when used outside the vehicle, the antenna
102
is mounted on an antenna mounting portion
105
. Provided on the antenna mounting portion
105
is a micro switch
106
that turns on when the antenna
102
is mounted.
When the above-structured navigation device N
c
is used inside the vehicle, the main device
101
is fixedly mounted on the arm stand
104
, and supplied with power by a battery provided in the vehicle through a power cable, cigarette socket or others. Moreover, the main device
101
makes a connection with the autonomous navigation sensor
103
. Thus, the main device
101
carries out various operations required for user's navigation, which are similar to the conventional ones.
When the navigation device N
c
is used outside the vehicle, the user first removes the power cable and autonomous navigation sensor
103
from the main device
101
. When the power cable is removed, the main device
101
is automatically supplied with electric power by an internal battery. The user also removes the antenna
102
from the dashboard, and then mounts it on the antenna mounting portion
105
. The user then removes the main device
101
from the arm stand
104
. Once the antenna
102
is mounted on the antenna mounting portion
105
, the micro switch
106
is ON. The state of the micro switch is always monitored by a controller (not shown) of the main device
101
. When the micro switch is ON, the controller determines that the main device has been out of the vehicle, and the operation mode is changed to portable mode as shown in a flow chart of
FIG. 24
b.
In portable mode, the controller stores the present position and the present time when the main device
101
was out of the vehicle, as the present position of the vehicle and the time. The controller also stores cartographic data that has been used until the main device
101
was removed. The cartographic data represents a map covering an area adjacent to the present position of the vehicle (step S
1001
).
Next, the controller waits for a predetermined time (step S
1002
), and then detects the present position of the user based on a signal from a GPS satellite (step S
1003
). The controller further checks whether the detected present position of the user is within a predetermined range of distance (step S
1004
). If within the range, the procedure goes to step S
1005
. Otherwise, the procedure goes to step S
1006
.
In step S
1005
, the controller checks whether the micro switch is ON, that is, whether the antenna
102
has been removed from the antenna mounting portion
105
. If the antenna
102
has been removed, the controller determines that the user came back inside the vehicle, and ends the portable mode. If the micro switch is ON in step S
1005
, the controller determines that the user is around the vehicle within the predetermined range of distance therefrom, and the procedure goes to step S
1006
.
In step S
1006
, the controller checks whether the present position of the user is at a predetermined distance (100 meters, for example) or more from the position previously stored. If the present position is within the predetermined distance, the procedure returns to step S
1002
to repeat the process. If, on the other hand, the present position is at 100 meters or more away from the stored position, the controller chronologically stores a set of the present position and the present time (step S
1007
). Then, the procedure returns to step S
1002
to repeat the process.
As described above, the navigation device N
c
stores the position when the main device
101
was out of the vehicle as the position of the vehicle. Then, as the user travels the predetermined distance or more, the main device
101
stores the position of the user and the time of the movement. In other words, the controller stores a path of the traveling user. Then, in response to an operation by the user, the controller makes the map, with the path of travel overlaid thereon, displayed on a screen of the main device
101
. Thus, the user can recognize his/her own path of travel, and come back to the vehicle along the path. Moreover, with an operation by the user, the controller searches for a route from the present position of the user to the vehicle position, and guides the user to the vehicle along the route.
In portable mode, the conventional navigation device N
c
guides the vehicle and the user outside the vehicle. On the other hand, the conventional navigation device N
c
guides the vehicle as such when the main device
101
is mounted on the arm stand
104
. There is a big difference, however, between guiding users and guiding vehicles. For example, the user can only travel within an area much smaller than that the vehicle can. Therefore, the navigation device N
c
can preferably display a relatively small area in detail in portable mode, while displaying a relatively large area when guiding the vehicle. However, even in portable mode, the navigation device N
c
uses cartographic data used for guiding the vehicle and displays a map covering a larger area with the path of the traveling user overlaid thereon.
Furthermore, different traffic regulations are applied to pedestrians and vehicles. Therefore, the navigation device N
c
searches for a route for guiding the user to the vehicle with the aid of the map used for guiding the vehicle, but the found route is not necessarily optimal for the user as a pedestrian.
As is evident from the above, the navigation device N
c
carries out the same operation when used both inside and outside the vehicle, and therefore cannot provide guidance suitable for pedestrians.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device that can automatically determine whether it is used inside or outside a vehicle, and operate in an appropriate mode.
To achieve the object above, the present invention is directed to a navigation device that can be used inside and outside a vehicle, the device comprising a determination part for determining whether the device is used inside or outside the vehicle, and a navigation processing unit. When the determination unit determines that the device is used inside the vehicle, the navigation unit carries out first navigation suitable for use inside of the vehicle. When the determination unit determines that the device is used outside the vehicle, the navigation unit carries out second navigation suitable for use outside of the vehicle.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjun
Ata Teruaki
Hamada Hiroyuki
Ogawa Isao
Sakamoto Kiyomi
Ueyama Yoshiki
Louis-Jacques Jacques H.
Mancho Ronnie
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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