US 6,278,941 B1Granted

Route guide system

AssigneeKabushikikaisha Equos Research

InventorShoji Yokoyama

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Abstract

In order to enable a location function for telling the present position on a screen as a function usually used when traveling in a known area to be always used by its lone, a navigation apparatus 100 mounted on a car stores display map data in it, and displays a map of an area around a present position and the present position together on a display portion 106. It is attained to reduce the amount of stored data and the burden of processing on the navigation apparatus 100 by receiving a traveling route to a destination from a center apparatus 150 in case that a traveling route guidance to the destination is needed. Data of the whole traveling route to a destination are not transmitted at one time but data of only a traveling route from the present position to a specific distance ahead are transmitted at one time and thereby it is possible to reduce the amount of data of communication and start the car earlier. And by newly finding a traveling route to the destination before each transmission of a divided route, it is possible to transmit the optimum traveling route in consideration of the latest traffic information.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A route guidance system composed of a navigation apparatus mounted on a car and a center apparatus communicating with a plurality of navigation apparatuses, wherein;

said navigation apparatus comprising;
a storage means for having background map data stored in it,
a present position detecting means for detecting the present position of the car,
a display device,
a location means for reading a background map around the present position detected by said present position detecting means from said background map data storage means and displaying the background map on said display device, and displaying said present position on the background map,
a car side communication means for transmitting said detected present position and request information necessary for setting a destination in the center apparatus, and receiving a traveling route found to the destination from the center apparatus, and
a route guidance means for guiding a user on the traveling route received by this communication means;
said center apparatus comprising;
a background map database,
a destination database storing in it detailed information related to a destination for setting the destination,
a traveling road database for finding a route to a destination,
a destination setting means for setting a destination meeting request information transmitted from said navigation apparatus by means of said destination database,
a route finding means for searching and finding a traveling route from the present position of a car transmitted from said navigation apparatus to a destination set by said destination setting means by means of said traveling road database, and
a center side communication means for receiving said request information and said present position through communication with said navigation apparatus, and transmitting a traveling route found by said route finding means.

11 more elements

A route guidance system composed of a navigation apparatus mounted on a car and a center apparatus communicating with a plurality of navigation apparatuses, said center apparatus dividing, and transmitting a traveling route found to a destination to said navigation apparatus, wherein;

said navigation apparatus comprising;
a background map data storage means for having background map data stored in it,
a present position detecting means for detecting the present position of the car,
a display device,
a location means for reading a background map around the present position detected by said present position detecting means from said background map data storage means and displaying the background map on said display device, and displaying said present position on the background map,
a car side communication means for transmitting request information necessary for setting a destination in the center apparatus, and receiving a traveling route from the center apparatus, and
a route guidance means for guiding a user on the traveling route received by this communication means;
said center apparatus comprising;
a destination database storing in it detailed information related to a destination for setting the destination,
a traveling road database for finding a route to a destination
an updating means for updating said traveling road database,
a destination setting means for setting a destination meeting request information transmitted from said navigation apparatus by means of said destination database,
a route finding means for searching and finding a traveling route to a destination set by said destination setting means by means of said traveling road database before each transmission of a divided traveling route to said navigation apparatus,
a route dividing means for dividing a traveling route found by said route finding means and generating a traveling route to be transmitted, and
a center side communication means for receiving said request information through communication with said navigation apparatus, and transmitting a traveling route generated by said route dividing means.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/720,430Filed 28 Feb 2001
Priority: JP 11-12311128 Apr 1999
Granted: 21 Aug 2001
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G08G 1/096811
Where the transmitted instructions are used to compute a route: where the route is computed offboard
G01C 21/34
Specially adapted for navigation in a road network: route searching; Route guidance
G08G 1/096822
Where the route is computed offboard: where the segments of the route are transmitted to the vehicle at different locations and times
G08G 1/096838
Where different aspects are considered when computing the route: where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route…