Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-20
2001-11-20
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C701S200000, C701S201000, C701S208000, C701S210000, 36, 36, C340S990000, C340S991000, C340S995190, C340S996000, C342S358000, C342S451000, C342S457000, C342S458000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06321160
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a car navigation apparatus which is improved in a display method of a road guide as far as a destination and which has the high user's operability, and a guide display method thereof.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
In recent years, there have been used widely a car navigation apparatus capable of displaying the position of an automobile or the like during its movement by utilizing the GPS (Global Positioning System) which is a positioning system for receiving navigation radio waves radio-transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites to the ground to detect a current position.
When using such a navigation apparatus, the user watches a map and a guide displayed on a display screen of the navigation apparatus, and determines the direction in which the car should advance in order to arrive at the destination. Therefore, there is demanded a car navigation apparatus capable of conducting such a display that a guide or the like displayed on a display screen can be readily understood by a user.
As a conventional car navigation apparatus and a guide display method thereof, “Direction display method in a car navigation system” is disclosed in JP-A-10-206176. The direction display method is characterized by comprising the steps of: finding out map data and map related data including a current position of an own car from a map database; finding out an intersection node which is located on a road in an advance direction of the own car and which is located the nearest to the current own car position, from the map related data; reading out intersection direction name information from the map database together with the map data; and displaying the intersection direction name information of the intersection node read out on a display screen of a display device together with the map data.
Furthermore, in JP-A-6-186051, “Car navigation apparatus to be mounted on car” is disclosed. The car navigation apparatus is characterized by comprising: map information storage means for storing map information; own car position detection means for detecting a current position of an own car; advance direction detection means for detecting an advance direction of the own car based on the current position detected by the own car position detection means; display means for displaying the advance direction of the own car detected by the advance direction detection means and the current position of the own car detected by the own car position detection means on a map including them; input means for inputting at least a departure place and a destination place; guidance route setting means for setting a guidance route coupling the departure place to the destination place and causing the display means to display the set guidance route; guidance route decision means for making a decision as to whether or not an intersecting road is a part of the guidance route when the own car has approached an intersection; and guidance route information display means for causing the display means to display turning intersection information concerning an intersection where the own car should turn, on the display means when the intersecting road is judged to be a part of the guidance route by the guidance route decision means.
Hereafter, the “car navigation apparatus to be mounted on car” disclosed in JP-A-6-186051 will be described referring to drawing.
FIG. 11A
is a diagram showing an example of a wide area diagram displayed on a display screen of the “car navigation apparatus to be mounted on car” disclosed in JP-A-6-186051.
FIGS. 11B and 11C
are enlarged views each showing an enlarged view of a partial area of the wide area diagram shown in FIG.
11
A.
In
FIGS. 11A-11C
, reference numeral
200
denotes a wide area diagram displayed on the display screen of the car navigation apparatus. Reference numerals
201
and
202
denote a departure point and a destination point, respectively. Reference numeral
203
denotes an area shown in the enlarged view of FIG.
11
B. Reference numeral
204
denotes an area shown in the enlarged view of FIG.
11
C. Reference numeral
205
denotes a route ranging from the departure point
201
to the destination point
202
. Reference numeral
206
denotes an enlarged view of the area
203
of FIG.
11
A. Reference numeral
207
denotes an enlarged view of the area
204
of FIG.
11
A. Reference numeral
208
denotes an own car mark indicating an own car's position. Each of reference numerals
209
and
210
denotes an information display area for displaying information of an intersection or the like.
In the “car navigation apparatus to be mounted on car” disclosed in JP-A-6-186051, the user registers the departure point
201
and the destination point
202
by executing a guidance route setting processing program. At this time, the optimum route
205
linking the departure point
201
with the destination point
202
is automatically set and displayed on the display screen. In case the above-described guidance route setting is conducted, the own car mark
208
indicating the position of the own car is displayed on the map displayed on the display screen. As shown in
FIGS. 11B and 11C
, the advance direction of the car is indicated by a front end of a triangular mark of the own car mark
208
. On the basis of the position of the own car, the guidance route decision means determines whether or not there is on the guidance route an intersection where the own car have not reached and should turn. Unless there is an intersection where the own car should turn, the guidance route decision means displays a distance to the destination in the information display area
209
as shown in FIG.
11
B. If there is an intersection where the own car should turn, then the guidance route decision means searches for an intersection located in the advance direction of the own car where the own car should turn, calculates the distance between the own car and the intersection where the own car should turn, displays a detailed map around the intersection in the information display area
210
, together with the distance to the destination, the distance to the intersection, and the direction of the turning.
However, the above-described conventional car navigation apparatus and the guide display method thereof have the following problems.
(1) It is now assumed that the user has set a route in the car navigation apparatus and causes the car navigation apparatus to guide to the destination. If there is an intersection where the own car should turn, then the distance to the intersection where the own car should turn is displayed. However, it is difficult for the user to intuitively know in what place of the forward scenery there is a way to which the own car should turn. This results in a problem that the user is apt to commit an error and consequently the operability is poor.
(2) Although the shape of an intersection where the own car should turn and the direction to which the own car should turn are displayed on the map, it is difficult to intuitively associate them with the forward scenery. This results in a problem that the user is apt to make an error and consequently the operability is poor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention solves the above-described problems of the conventional technique. An object of the present invention is to provide a car navigation apparatus capable of conducting a guide causing fewer mistakes, by performing such a guide display that a user can intuitively understand with ease, and consequently having the high operability.
The present invention solves the above-described problems of the conventional technique. Another object of the present invention is to provide a guide display method of a car navigation apparatus capable of conducting a guide causing fewer mistakes, by performing such a guide display that a user can intuitively understand with ease.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5130709 (1992-07-01), Toyama et al.
patent: 5272638 (1993-12-01), Martin et al.
patent: 5452212 (1995-09-01), Yokoyama et al.
patent: 5465089 (1995
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Mancho Ronnie
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Stevens Davis Miller & Mosher LLP
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