Navigation system for guiding a vehicle along a precomputed optimal route
AssigneeZexel Corporation Diahatsu-Nissan Ikebukuro
InventorsHaruhisa Tamai, Tatsuhiko Abe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
When a vehicle has deviated from a computer-determined optimal route from a starting point to a destination, a navigation system warns the vehicle driver that he is off the optimal route, picks an appropriate direction for continued travel, selects a new starting point, and computes a new optimal route from the new starting point to the destination. By selecting the new starting point based on the vehicle's present location and the time to recompute a new optimal route, the system eliminates the necessity for a driver either to go back to the original optimal route, to recompute the optimal route by a manual operation, or to recompute a new optimal route more than once.
Claims11
A vehicle navigation system, which comprises:
- means for storing and retrieving map data;
- first means for detecting a present location of a vehicle;
- manually operated means for sending a command signal effective for commanding computation of a route;
- means, responsive to said means for sending, for computing from said map data an optimal route for said vehicle from a starting point to a destination;
- means for guiding said vehicle along said optimal route;
- second means for detecting a deviation of said vehicle from said optimal route;
- said second detecting means effective to signal said deviation;
- means for displaying information effective to indicate that said vehicle is off said optimal route when said second means for detecting signals said deviation;
- said means for computing effective to recompute said optimal route, in response to a deviation signal from said second means for detecting when said deviation is detected;
- means for selecting a new starting point for said recomputed optimal route;
- and
- said new starting point being selected to be forward of said present location of said vehicle at a distance which is sufficient to ensure that a recomputation of said optimal route is completed before said vehicle arrives at said new starting point.
A vehicle navigation system, which comprises:
- a CD ROM for storing and retrieving map data;
- a manually operated touch-screen switch effective to send a signal for commanding computation of a route;
- a shaft sensor;
- a terrestrial magnetism sensor;
- said shaft sensor and said terrestrial magnetism sensor sending signals that determine a present location of a vehicle;
- a microcomputer;
- said microcomputer including means for computing from said map data an optimal route for said vehicle from a starting point to a destination;
- said microcomputer further including means for guiding said vehicle along said optimal route;
- said microcomputer receiving said signals to detect a deviation of said vehicle from said optimal route;
- said microcomputer including means for signalling said deviation;
- a CRT display including means for indicating that said vehicle is off said optimal route when said microcomputer signals said deviation;
- said microcomputer including means for recomputing said optimal route when said deviation is detected;
- said microcomputer further including means for selecting a new starting point for said recomputed optimal route;
- and
- said new starting point being selected to be forward of said present location of said vehicle at a distance which is sufficient to ensure that a recomputation of said optimal route is completed before said vehicle arrives at said new starting point.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.