Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-25
2001-08-28
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C701S210000, C701S025000, C701S026000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06282492
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a navigation system and a navigation apparatus used in the navigation system, in which data concerning a recommended route from the current position of the navigation apparatus on a vehicle to the destination thereof is transmitted from a navigation center to the navigation apparatus by means of communications, with the navigation apparatus then providing route guidance for the recommended route to a user using such received data.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At present, navigation apparatuses which provide route guidance for a travel route to a destination to a user are widely used. In these navigation apparatuses, each apparatus is equipped with navigation data such as data related to destinations (targets of guidance), road data for performing a search for a recommended travel route to a destination, and map data for producing display images and the like. Further, each navigation apparatus is provided with a GPS receiver or the like for detecting the current position of the vehicle. In such navigation apparatuses, a recommended route from the current position to the destination is determined using road data, and route guidance along the recommended route is carried out with indicating the current position of the vehicle and the travel directions (going straight or turning left or right etc) on the displayed recommended route.
Further, in addition to the navigation apparatuses described above, a communications navigation system is developed. In this type of navigation apparatus, the current position of the vehicle is detected at the navigation apparatus in the vehicle, while search for a recommended route to the destination is carried out at a separate information center or the like. The navigation apparatus receives the data concerning the recommended route from the information center to perform the route guidance using the received data and the like.
An example of this type of navigation system is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. HEI 10-160497, in which a travel route is determined using recommended route data transmitted from outside the vehicle such as the information center described above. Specifically, in this navigation system, the information center navigation apparatus sends data of a recommended route in the form of a string of link numbers to a navigation apparatus, and then the navigation apparatus converts the received string of link numbers into a string of link numbers for the navigation apparatus, and then a travel route to the destination is established in the navigation apparatus using the string of the converted link numbers.
However, in this navigation system, there is a case that the navigation apparatus receives, as data for a recommended route, a string of link numbers of intersections or roads (e.g., newly constructed intersections or roads) of which data is not stored in the storage medium in the navigation apparatus. In such a case, it is not possible for the navigation apparatus on the vehicle to identify the intersection or road represented by the string of link numbers, which results in a problem in that rout guidance can not be carried out at the navigation apparatus even though the data for the recommended route has been duly received from the information center.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the problem described above. Accordingly, it is a main object of the present invention to provide a navigation system and a navigation apparatus used in the navigation system, in which the navigation apparatus can produce route guidance data including intersections and roads corresponding to intersection specified data on a recommended route received from a navigation center or the like, even if the navigation apparatus does not have data corresponding to the intersection specified data.
Further, it is another object of the present invention to provide a navigation system and a navigation apparatus used in the navigation system, in which the navigation apparatus can receive navigation data which is not contained in the storage medium thereof from the navigation center by requesting it to the navigation center.
In view of the objects described above, the present invention is directed to a navigation system which includes a navigation center and a plurality of navigation apparatuses, in which data concerning a recommended route from a current position of each navigation apparatus to a destination is transmitted from the navigation center to the navigation apparatus, and then route guidance is carried out in the navigation apparatus using the data received from the navigation center,
wherein the navigation center of the navigation system comprises:
data receiving means for receiving at least data concerning a destination and data concerning a current position of the navigation apparatus from the navigation apparatus using data communications;
a database which stores at least intersection information concerning intersections;
database updating means for updating each information in the database;
recommended route determining means for determining a recommended route from the current position of the navigation apparatus to the destination, the determination of the recommended route being made based on the information in the database in response to a request from the navigation apparatus;
intersection specifying data producing means for specifying intersections located on the determined recommended route based on the intersection information in the database to produce intersection specifying data for said specified intersections; and
data transmitting means for transmitting at least the produced intersection specifying data to the navigation apparatus using data communications;
and wherein each navigation apparatus of the navigation system comprises:
data transmitting means for transmitting at least the current position data and the destination data to the navigation center using data communications;
data receiving means for receiving the intersection specifying data from the navigation center using data communications;
data storage means which stores at least intersection information concerning intersections and road information which includes information concerning roads connecting said intersections; and
route guidance data producing means for producing route guidance data which is used for providing route guidance for the recommended route to a user of the navigation apparatus, the route guidance data being produced in accordance with the intersection specifying data received from the navigation center and the road information in the data storage means, in which said route guidance data producing means comprises:
(a) specified intersection judging means for judging whether or not intersection data for each of the intersections specified by the intersection specifying data is considered to be contained in the intersection information in the data storage means, respectively;
(b) guide intersection extracting means for, in a case where the specified intersection judging means (a) has judged that intersection data for the intersection specified by the intersection specifying data is considered to be contained in the intersection information in the data storage means, extracting the intersection data for the intersection from the data storage means; and
(c) new-intersection establishing means for, in a case where the specified intersection judging means (a) has judged that intersection data for the intersection specified by the intersection specifying data is not contained in the intersection information in the data storage means, establishing the intersection as a newly-built intersection on the recommended route;
wherein the route guidance data producing means of the navigation apparatus is designed so as to produce the route guidance data using the intersection data extracted by said guide intersection extracting means (b), and/or intersection data concerning the newly-built intersection established by said
Gorai Naoki
Ito Yasuo
Kitano Satoshi
Sugawara Takashi
Yamakawa Hiroyuki
Beaulieu Yonel
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Kabushikikaisha Equos Research
Lorusso & Loud
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