Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
2003-04-07
2004-10-26
Black, Thomas C. (Department: 3663)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C340S988000, C340S995190, C342S357490
Reexamination Certificate
active
06810329
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a navigation guide device for guiding the navigation of a mobile body by providing the mobile body with information about possible events encountered along a path to be taken by the mobile body to reach a target point, a system incorporating the navigation guide device and a navigation guide method using the device and system, and a program therefor, and a medium for recording the program.
2. Description of Related Art
The conventional well-known system for guiding the movement of a mobile body such as a motor vehicle, aircraft and ship includes navigation guide systems. The navigation guide system detects the current position of a mobile body, and recognizes a target point provided by the user, and chooses an appropriate path connecting the current position with the target point. The navigation guide system displays the current position in connection with the path to be taken on a map, and provides necessary information en route at crucial points until the target point is reached.
The conventional navigation guide system incorporates a drive unit for reading map information from a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory) or DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk-Read Only Memory). For such a navigation guide system to be installed in a limited space within a mobile body, it is necessary to make the system smaller and lighter. Furthermore, for the navigation guide system to be able to guide the mobile body smoothly to any given target point at all times, it is necessary to replace every year an old recording medium with a new recording one carrying updated map information, which may cost the user considerably.
In view of this, recently being supported by the progress of communication technology, a new navigation guide system based on wireless communication is proposed in which map information updated as appropriate by a map information provider is stored in a server system, and the user provides the server system with necessary information using a terminal installed in his/her mobile body, so that the server system can determine an appropriate path for the user's mobile body, and transmit a radio signal carrying the information to the user's terminal.
However, such a navigation guide system based on wireless communication has a number of problems. For example, if the mobile body is a vehicle and the vehicle passes underground or through a tunnel, communication will be interrupted, and the user will not be able to provide a server system with information regarding the vehicle's current position, nor to receive a signal from the server system carrying information about a path to be taken by the user's vehicle. In short, the user will be unable to receive navigation guide which would be otherwise provided by the server system. This awkward situation often occurs when the vehicle starts to move. Generally, the user wants to be informed of a path he/she should take before he/she moves his/her vehicle, and the parking place is often located underground or in a closed space within a building which may reject wireless communication. Then, the user would not be able to receive guidance from the start which would be otherwise provided by the server system. To avoid this awkward situation, the user must firstly move his/her vehicle to a nearby open space where wireless communication is possible, park the vehicle at a safe spot there, and start complicate operations necessary for being informed of an appropriate path. This will cost time and labor which will encroach on the utility of the system.
To cope with this disadvantage, it is possible to introduce a terminal which will ensure wireless communication even when the vehicle carrying the terminal is in a closed space within a building, or runs underground or through a tunnel. However, such a terminal will be generally so voluminous and complicated that practical use thereof would be difficult.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of above, a principal object of this invention is to provide a navigation guide device by which one can easily determine an appropriate path for reaching a target point, a system incorporating the device, and a method thereof, and a program therefor and a recording medium for recording the program.
The navigation guide device of this invention comprises current position acquisition section for acquiring information regarding the current position of a mobile body; target point acquisition section for acquiring information regarding a target point the mobile body wants to reach; information storing section for storing information regarding the current position and target point; communication state monitoring section which monitors signal transmission state under which transmission of a signal notifying the current position and target point to a path determining section should occur so that the path determining section can determine an appropriate path connecting the current position with the target point, as well as signal reception state under which reception of a signal notifying the appropriate path determined by the path determining section should occur; guide information presenting section for presenting guide information based on the received information about the appropriate path; and communication control section which, if the communication state monitoring section finds communication is impossible, causes the information storing section to store information regarding the current position and target point until communication becomes possible again and transmission of the information regarding the current position and target point is completed.
According to said aspect of this invention, the communication state monitoring section monitors signal transmission state under which transmission of a signal notifying the current position of a mobile body acquired by the current position acquisition section and a target point the mobile body wants to reach acquired by the target point acquisition section should occur, as well as signal reception state under which reception of a signal notifying a path to be taken by the mobile body determined by the path determining section based on the received information regarding the current position and target point. The communication control section instructs, if the communication state monitoring section finds communication is not possible, the information storing section to store the information regarding the current position and target point until communication becomes possible and transmission of the information regarding the current position and target point is completed. Thus, the information regarding the current position and target point is kept stored in the information storing section as long as communication is impossible, until a communicable state reappears and the guide information presenting section acquires updated information regarding a path to be taken by the mobile body. This eliminates the need for the renewed operation which will involve reentry of information regarding the current position and target point. This will lead to the improved utility of the device.
According to the navigation guide device of this invention, preferably the communication control section permits the path determining section to determine a path to be taken by a mobile body based on information regarding the current position and target point transmitted by the mobile body as long as communication is possible, and it instructs the information storing section to store the information regarding the current position and target point of the mobile body until information about the determined path is received.
According to this invention, as long as communication is possible, the path determining section is allowed to determine an appropriate path based on the received information regarding the current position of a mobile body and its target point, while the communication control section instructs the information storing section to store the information regarding
Armstrong Kratz Quintos Hanson & Brooks, LLP
Black Thomas C.
Pioneer Corporation
To Tuan C
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