Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-25
2001-07-03
Chin, Gary (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
C701S208000, C340S990000, C340S008100, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06256578
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to navigation systems, particularly a navigation system which is adaptive to extended navigation facilities, such as the presentation of multimedia information available for moving bodies.
2. Description of the Related Art
Navigation systems have now become a well-known automobile accessories for informing a driver of the current vehicle position and guiding the driver to a specific destination via an appropriate route. For example, a typical navigation system may sense the current position of the vehicle using a current position sensor, retrieve a map in the vicinity of the current position from the map database, and then displays the retrieved map on which the current position is marked. When the user selects a destination, such a navigation system may compute a suitable route to the destination and guide the operator (driver) to the destination, based on the computed route. The set route is typically shown on the display and voice announcements, such as “turn right” or “turn left” are output from a speaker as required.
FIG. 1
shows the basic configuration of an example predecessor navigation system. Navigation hardware
1
(
FIG. 1
) includes the CPU and other components of a navigation computer, current position sensing and related devices, a map data recording medium, and input/output devices. The applied hardware configuration varies according to the system specification. A device driver
2
(
FIG. 1
) controls the navigation hardware
1
. Navigation programs
4
which implement various kinds of navigation actions are executed under a navigation operating system (OS)
3
. The navigation programs include a current position computing program, a route computing program, and a map retrieval program. A navigation system according to this type of configuration is described in, for example, “Development of a New Platform for Car Navigation Systems” (published by Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., No.148, March, 1996, pp. 37-41).
Meanwhile, the development of a more advanced navigation system provided with extended navigating facilities for expanding applications in addition to the above-mentioned basic navigation features is under way. Such system attracts attention as one variant of an Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). One extended navigating facility is presentation to the user of recommendation information. For example, concerning a public space such as a restaurant is presented as one candidate destination, with multimedia visual and audio information being included in such a presentation. It is desirable that such extended navigating and previously established basic navigating operations be combined and executed in a chain. This kind of navigation system is expected to be compatible with multimedia and networking technologies, providing the user with the versatility of information through the operation in conjunction with telecommunicating infrastructure, such as centers.
In the predecessor navigation system as shown in
FIG. 1
, however, the navigation programs
4
are platform-dependent, that is, they are specific to a proprietary machine model (the platform refers to the navigation hardware
1
or the combination of the hardware
1
with the navigation OS
3
). To implement a chain of basic and extended navigating operations as mentioned above, thus, a discrete extended navigation program which is adaptive to each specific platform model must be prepared. The work load for preparing such a program is high and requires great efforts and time. In situations where customizing on a platform-by-platform basis is required, a car-oriented information system, which distributes such information to many cars from a telecommunicating infrastructure, will become very complex.
As a referential technical approach, ISO-TC204 suggests accessing a map database using Java. However, this suggestion discusses that Java is incorporated into a part of the basic navigating operation, but does not concern the extended operation of navigation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a navigation system which can suitably perform a chain of basic and extended navigating operations, without equipping each navigating platform with a program dedicated to extended facilities.
A navigation system implemented by the invention generates and outputs the navigating information for guiding a moving body to a specific place. This system comprises a basic navigation operating function which implements basic navigating operation, an extended program interpreting and executing function which interprets and executes an extended program for implementing extended navigating operation described in a given general-purpose language, and a translating service function which translates a specific general-purpose language into a format interpretable by the basic navigation operating function.
The translating service function includes service units which are respectively associated with navigation control data items. For a navigation control data item related to the basic navigating operation generated during the execution of an extended program, the service unit appropriate to this navigation control data item translates the data item into a format interpretable by the basic navigation operating function. The translated data is then delivered to the basic navigation operating function.
As described above, when the navigation system according to the invention executes extended navigating operation, such as the presentation of multimedia information, the extended program interpreting and executing function interprets and executes an extended program for implementing extended navigating operation described in a general-purpose language. A noticeable feature of this invention is the provision of the translating service function. Because the translating service function translates the navigation control data into a format interpretable by the basic navigation operating function, the basic navigation operating function and the extended program that implements extended navigating facilities can coordinate appropriately. This allows a common extended program to run on the different platform types used for discrete navigation systems. Every navigation system can use a common extended program and chain the extended facilities provided by the extended program with its basic operation. There is thus no need for preparing a platform-specific extended program. Distributing a common extended program to a plurality of platform types is all that is required, making it possible to design and construct a simplified information system intended for moving bodies.
The above-mentioned given general-purpose language is a language interpretable to a plurality of different types of navigating platforms, for example, Java. If Java is used, a Java virtual machine undertakes the function of interpreting and executing an extended program.
It may also be preferable that the navigation system according to the invention includes an addition and modification control function. When an item is added to the basic navigation operating function or the existing basic functional item is modified, the addition and modification control function adds a service unit to the translating service function or modifies the corresponding service unit. When the navigation system is provided with this function, addition or modification made to the basic navigation operating function would be reflected in the translating service function. Thus, the navigation system can easily coordinate between the added or modified part of its basic navigation operating function and the extended program execution. In other words, the entire system can easily be altered to enhance the basic navigation operating function.
It may also be preferable that the translating service function includes a navigation class library, a navigation Application Programming Interface (API) that interfaces the basic navigation operating function with the navigation class library, and an exten
Chin Gary
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Toyota Jidosha & Kabushiki Kaisha
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