Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-15
2003-12-09
Beaulieu, Yonel (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C701S033000, C701S036000, C307S010100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06662104
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a navigation device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a vehicle navigation device, based on a detected current position of the vehicle and a destination set by the driver, and the like, searches for a route from the current position to the destination so that the vehicle can travel in accordance with the searched route. In addition, automatic transmission control systems have been developed to provide control based on navigation information and current position information received from the navigation device.
FIG. 2
is a block diagram of a conventional navigation device which includes a CPU
11
for overall control of the entire navigation device, a work memory (RAM)
12
used by the CPU
11
to temporarily store various data, such as route and guidance information, a ROM
13
in which various programs for searching a route to a destination and for providing guidance along the route, as well as a control program are stored, and a current position detection processing section
15
. A GPS
16
and a gyro
17
are connected to the current position detection processing section
15
. The GPS
16
receives radio wave transmissions from a satellite to detect the current position. The gyro
17
detects the yaw of the vehicle and integrates the detected yaw to determine the direction of the vehicle.
Further, the navigation device is provided with a driver
18
and a read/write device
19
for reading a data storage medium in which road condition data is recorded and for writing data onto the storage medium.
The navigation device also has a communication interface (I/F)
20
serving as a communication section, a communication device
21
connected to the communication interface
20
, a semicustom IC
24
, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for example, for a specified drawing function, and a display device
25
connected to the ASIC
24
. The navigation device is further provided with a voice LSI
26
to which a voice input/output device
27
is connected.
The display device
25
includes a screen for display of operation guidance, operation menus, operation keys, a guidance route
1
displayed with the current position, and map of areas around the current position. The display device
25
may be a CRT display, a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, or a hologram device which projects a hologram on a front glass.
The voice input/output device
27
includes a microphone, a voice synthesizer, and a speaker (not shown) for input of information by means of voice and output of guide information through the speaker as a voice synthesized by the voice synthesizer.
The navigation device also has a vehicle interface (I/F)
28
which allows the navigation device to operate in conformance with the vehicle in which the navigation device is installed. The navigation device receives, via the vehicle interface
28
, vehicle information from the engine controller which controls the engine, the automatic transmission controller which controls the automatic transmission, and various sensors (an engine speed sensor, a throttle opening sensor, and a vehicle speed sensor, and the like).
A power source (not shown) generates a predetermined voltage for operating the various components including the CPU
11
, the work memory
12
, the ROM
13
, the current position detection processing part
15
, the GPS
16
, the gyro
17
, the driver
18
, the player
19
, the communication interface
20
, the communication device
21
, the ASIC
24
, the display device
25
, the voice LSI
26
, the voice input/output device
27
, and the vehicle interface
28
. An input device (not shown) can be connected to the CPU
11
for correcting the current position when the vehicle starts running and for inputting a destination.
In the navigation device described above, the CPU
11
executes the guidance and display routines, whereby a current position and a map of the area around the current position are displayed on the display screen of the display device
25
. When a driver of the vehicle operates the input device to set a destination, the CPU
11
executes a route search to provide a recommended route from the current position to the destination, and when such a route is determined, executes guidance with display of current position and a map of the area around the current position on the display screen whereby the vehicle's driver can follow the recommended route.
However, in the conventional navigation device, if the specifications of the various components such as the GPS
16
, the gyro
17
, the read/write device
19
, the communication device
21
, the display device
25
, the voice input/output device
27
, the engine control device, the automatic transmission control device, and the sensors are different, the internal communications (LAN) between the GPS
16
, the gyro
17
and the current position detection processing section
15
, between the read/write device
19
and the driver
18
, between the display device
25
and the ASIC
24
, between the voice input/output device
27
and the voice LSI
26
, and between the engine control device, the automatic transmission control device, and the sensors and the vehicle interface
28
may differ, as will external communication between the communication interface
20
, the communication device
21
and an external (remote) communication center (not shown). As a result, the specifications for the detection signals, control signals, various data, and power voltages become different. Further, if the specifications of other accessories such as audio equipment, video, and radio to be mounted on the navigation device are different, the specifications of the control signal to be transmitted between other components (not shown) may be different, or the specifications for the power voltages may be different.
Therefore, it is necessary that each navigation device be individually designed and manufactured for each model vehicle, which is provided with components having different specifications, or for each model vehicle which is equipped with other components with different specifications. These problems of compatibility/incompatibility between the various components lead to corresponding problems of mounting the navigation device in a given vehicle and cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, one object of the invention is to provide a navigation device with improved mountability and reduced cost by solving the above-mentioned problems.
Therefore, the navigation device of the invention includes a main processing unit provided with a CPU and a memory, a sub-processing unit connected to the main processing unit, connection means for connecting the main processing unit and the sub-processing unit, and component(s) connected to the sub-processing unit.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the main processing unit is further provided with a drawing section having a drawing function. The components connected to the sub-processing unit include current position detection means for detecting a current position and a data recorder for recording data.
In still another embodiment of a navigation device of the invention, the main processing unit is further provided with a component identification means for identifying the components(s) connected to the sub-processing unit. The component identification means may identify the component by judging the type of the sub-processing unit.
In yet another embodiment of the navigation device of the invention, the sub-processing unit is further provided with a component identification information generation means for generating component identification information. The component identification means identifies the component based on the component identification information.
The aforementioned connection means may be a general-purpose interface.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the main processing unit is formed of three or more stacked circuit boards, and the sub-processing unit is formed of two or
Ito Yasunobu
Kato Daisuke
Yamada Kunihiro
Aisin AW Co. Ltd.
Beaulieu Yonel
Broadhead Brian J
Lorusso, Loud & Kelly
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