US 4,989,151 AGranted

Navigation apparatus and matching method for navigation

AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

InventorYoshimi Nuimura

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Abstract

A navigation apparatus, which is carried on a vehicle, computes the present positions of the vehicle by using the data collected by various types of sensors, and visually presents the computed present positions on a display. An absolute position data membory stores the surveyed data of the previously surveyed reference points in correspondence with the reference points. A key input device generates a passing signal indicating that the vehicle has actually passed on the the reference points. is response to the operationm of a matching key. When receiving the passing signal, a CPU compares the survey data of the reference points stored in the map data storing means with the present position data calculated by using the data derived from the sensors, selects the surveyed data of a reference point of which surveyed data provides the smallest difference between the reference point and the present position data, and corrects the present position data so that is becomes the selected surveyed data.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A navigation apparatus which is carried on a vehicle, computes present positions of the vehicle, and visually presents the computed present positions, comprising:

map data storing means for storing data of a map to be displayed, said map including at least one reference point, said map data storing means storing surveyed data corresponding to said reference point, the surveyed data being data which indicates a previously determined absolute position of the reference point;
sensor means for sensing at least a speed and moving direction of the vehicle, said sensor means including a speed sensor and a direction sensor;
position calculating means for calculating present position data representing a present position of the vehicle on the basis of the data collected by said sensor means;
display means for displaying a map based on the map data stored in said map data storing means, and for displaying the present position of the vehicle as a mark overlaid on the displayed map, based on the present position data calculated by said calculating means;
key-in means for generating a passing signal indicating that the vehicle has actually passed said reference point, through operation of a predetermined key;
and position correcting means includes first correcting means for, when receiving said passing signal, comparing the surveyed data of a plurality of reference points stored in said map data storing means with the present position data calculated by said position calculating means, selecting the surveyed data of a reference point of which the surveyed data corresponds to the smallest difference between the reference point and the present position data, and correcting said present position data so that it corresponds to said selected surveyed data.

3 more elements

In a navigation apparatus which is carried on a vehicle, computes a present position of the vehicle, and visually presents the computed present position, comprising:

map data storing means for storing data of a map to be displayed, said map including at least one reference point, said map data storing means storing the surveyed data corresponding to said reference point, the surveyed data being data which indicates a previously surveyed absolute position of the reference point;
sensor means for sensing at least the speed and moving direction of the vehicle, said sensor means including a speed sensor and a direction sensor;
position calculating means for calculating present position data representing the present position of the vehicle on the basis of the data collected by said sensor means;
display means for displaying a map based on the map data stored in said map data storing means, and said mark overlaid on the displayed map, based on the present position data calculated by said position calculating means, a method for matching the present position data calculated by said position calculating means with said surveyed data, comprising:
a first step of generating a passing signal indicating that the vehicle has actually passed said reference point, through the operation of a predetermined key of a key-in means which is operated when said vehicle actually passes said reference point;
a second step of comparing the surveyed data of each of a plurality of reference points stored in said map data storing means with the present position data calculated by said position calculating means, when said pressing signal is generated, to obtain differences between each of said reference points and said present position data;
a third step of selecting the surveyed data of one of said reference points of which the surveyed data corresponds to the smallest one of said differences, and a fourth step of correcting said present position data so that it corresponds to said selected surveyed data.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.