Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-07
2001-05-01
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C701S210000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06226590
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicular navigation system providing voice guidance at a road branch point, and to a storage medium.
2. Related Art
In the prior art, there have been proposed a variety of route guidance systems for assisting travel through unfamiliar areas. The prior art route guide systems enable a guidance route to be followed to a destination identified by input. In such route guidance systems, direction guidance at a guide branch point requires acquiring information on a road entering the guide branch point and on a road departing the guide branch point.
In the prior art system, however, the directional information provided for the branch point on the guidance route is derived exclusively from the information acquired for the entering road and for the departing road. Thus, the guidance may not be understandable when the branch is complicated or when there are many roads linking at the intersection (branch point).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the invention has as its objective solution of the above described problems. In other words, an objective of the present invention is to provide a vehicular navigation system and a recording medium which provide understandable direction guidance for an intersection, even when the intersection is complicated or when there are many roads linking at the intersection.
In order to achieve the foregoing objectives, the present invention provides a vehicular navigation system including:
present position detecting means for determining the present position of a vehicle;
input means for inputting a destination and other information governing determination of a guidance route;
output means for outputting route guidance;
guidance information storage means containing stored road information including guide branch (e.g. intersection) data, link data and other data necessary for guidance;
route search means for determining the guidance route, designed for optimum travel in accordance with the information input through the input means, by search of the road information;
route information storing means for storing guidance route information for the determined guidance route; and
guidance control means for outputting, through the output means, guidance for the next guide branch, in advance of the detected present position.
The guide control means acquires information relating to the next guide branch (e.g. intersection) from the route information storing means and acquires information on a road at the next guide branch from the road information stored in the guidance information storage means, and generates the guidance output for the next guide branch guide on the basis of information pertaining to an admission road to the guide branch, and link data for the guide branch included in the acquired road information.
According to the invention, in acquiring information for a guidance message pertaining to an intersection, a road having a link attribute is skipped. On the other hand, a road having no link attribute is registered as one departing the intersection.
The present invention may also be embodied in a storage medium having programs thereon for searching to determine a guidance route to a destination from a departure point or detected present location and for providing guidance along the guidance route. These stored programs provide for:
searching to locate a guide branch point on the guidance route;
acquiring information for all the roads meeting at the located guide branch point; and
registering a road as one departing the guide branch point provided the road has no intersection link attribute.
According to the invention, moreover, the storage medium further comprises programs for skipping an intersection linking road on the condition that the road has the intersection link attribute, i.e. is a road segment internal to the intersection.
According to the invention, where an intersection is encountered which has intersection link roads, information on all the roads entering and departing the guide branch point can be acquired and understandable guidance provided, by skipping the intersection link roads and by registering the roads having no intersection link attribute as the departing roads.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5523765 (1996-06-01), Ichikawa
patent: 5587911 (1996-12-01), Asano et al.
patent: 5938718 (1999-08-01), Morimoto et al.
patent: 6067499 (2000-05-01), Yagyu et al.
patent: 6076041 (2000-06-01), Watanabe
Fukaya Takaharu
Inoue Koji
Aisin Aw Co. Ltd.
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Lorusso & Loud
Pipala Edward
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