Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-15
2001-04-17
Zanelli, Michael J. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C701S209000, C340S995190, C340S996000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06219614
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a navigation system mounted onto a mobile body and used to guide the movement of the mobile body.
BACKGROUND ART
FIG. 1
is an explanatory diagram showing a guide screen employed in a conventional navigation system disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 2-55796. In the drawing, reference numeral
1
indicates a screen display unit for displaying a guide screen thereon, and reference numeral
2
indicates a road map displayed on the screen display unit
1
. Reference numeral
3
indicates the present position of a mobile body equipped with the navigation system, which is displayed so as to be superimposed on the road map
2
, reference numeral
4
indicates the direction in which the mobile body is traveling, and reference numeral
5
indicates the locus of movement of the mobile body.
In the conventional navigation system as described above, the state of the mobile body, instructions for the direction to be guided, etc. are displayed by using the road map
2
and superimposing symbols or the like indicative of the route and the present position
3
of the mobile body on the road map
2
. Hence a display screen for such guidance is displayed on the screen display unit
1
. Thus, the road map
2
is necessary for the display of the guide screen and the display of the road map
2
has been used for all phases such as the setting of geographic points, the display of the present position, the display of a route, etc.
Since the conventional navigation system is constructed as described above, it has a problem in that information that is not necessarily required for actual driving is included and the guiding screen display is apt to become complex. Hence a great load is placed on a user to recognize the displayed contents.
Further, the present navigation system has another problem in that the size of the screen display unit
1
for displaying the guide screen is apt to increase to clearly display the road map
2
and thus it is hard to suitably install the system when the navigation system is placed in the mobile body.
Moreover, the present navigation system has a further problem in that since a system with high resolution is required to clearly display the road map
2
on the screen, the screen display unit
1
is apt to increase in cost, so that the cost of the entire system increases.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. An object of the present invention is to obtain a navigation system wherein a route is represented by a quantized bearing so as to simplify the entire screen without displaying a road map on the screen, thereby making it possible to reduce the load on the user as regards the recognition of the displayed contents.
Another object of the present invention is to obtain a navigation system wherein the need for the user to frequently observe a display screen is eliminated by guiding a route by voice.
A further object of the present invention is to obtain a navigation system wherein a road map is not displayed on the screen so as to relax restrictions on the size of the screen display unit, and the screen display unit is simplified to improve versatility of its installation place and allow a reduction in the cost of the entire system.
However, an additional problem arises in that since the user cannot utilize a map as a method for recognizing the present position when the road map is not displayed on the screen in this way, it is necessary to additionally provide means for recognizing the present position.
The present invention has been made to simultaneously solve such problems. An object of the present invention is to obtain a navigation system wherein facilities such as famous roads, railway lines, etc. located in the neighborhood of the mobile body are used to represent the present position thereof and are displayed in the form of a position relative to the present position, thereby making it possible to recognize the present position. The position can be given even by voice so as to ease the situation in which a user frequently views the display screen to recognize the present position.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
This invention is constructed so as to set a route between two points by a route setting means by map data such as road data, intersection data or the like stored in map information storing means, detect a target intersection on the route by target intersection detecting means from the route set by the route setting means and the map data, detect the present position of the mobile body by a present position detecting means, quantize the route for the mobile body into simple graphics by the quantization computing means, and display the quantized route on the display means according to the distance relationship between the nearest target intersection and the present position of the mobile body. According to this construction, since the display of the route is made according to the bearing based on the quantized simple graphics and information that is not necessarily required in actual driving is omitted, the display of the entire screen becomes simple and hence a user is able to recognize the displayed contents on sight, whereby the load on route recognition is reduced. Further, since a road map is not displayed on the screen, restrictions on the size of a screen display unit are lightened and a simple screen display unit can be used. Thus, versatility as regards the installation can be improved and the cost of the entire system can be reduced.
The present invention is constructed so as to store words or phrases or the like necessary for a guide message as voice waveform data in a voice information storing means incorporated in voice message generating means. It then reads the voice waveform data for the corresponding guide message from the voice information storing means when a route for the corresponding mobile body, which is represented in simple graphics quantized by the quantization computing means, based on the relationship in distance between the nearest target intersection and the present position. The information then is displayed on display means, notified to a user even by voice through voice outputting means. According to this construction, the user is not required to frequently observe the display screen and can concentrate on the driving of the mobile body.
The present invention is constructed so as to store a program for performing a computing process in the quantization computing means in an external storage medium and read the program as needed to execute a quantization computation. According to this construction, the replacement of a faulty portion of the program for the quantization computing process by another and the upgrading of a version can be easily performed.
The present invention is constructed so as to set a route between two points by route setting means on map data stored in map information storing means, detect target intersections on the set route between the two points by target intersection detecting means, generate, by general route generating means, a general route in which the detected target intersections and the names of roads, numbers thereof, etc. between the intersections are arranged in list form, and display the general route on the display means. According to this construction, the entire state of a route can be displayed and a user can recognize at a route set stage in advance, along which route a user reaches the destination.
The present invention is constructed so as to store a program for performing a computing process in the general route generating means in an external storage medium and read it as needed to thereby generate a general route. According to this construction, the replacement of a faulty portion of the program used for the general route generating process by another and the upgrading of a version can be easily performed.
The present invention is constructed so as to store words or phrases or the like in a voice information storing means built in voice message generating means as voice wavefor
Akamatsu Teruki
Uchigaki Yuichiro
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Zanelli Michael J.
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