Movable body progress direction navigating apparatus

• US 20020107635A1
• Filed: 02/06/2002
• Published: 08/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Morita, Hiroyuki, Katayama, Mutsumi
• Granted Patent: US 6,662,102 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance

Abstract

To provide a movable body progress direction navigating apparatus capable of correct navigation without requiring a large storage capacity. A movable body progress direction navigating apparatus for navigating a movable body in a predetermined progress direction includes a position detector for continuously detecting positional data of a movable body to obtain a position thereof; a directional data generator for generating, on the basis of the locus of the movable body, at least one of approach directional data obtained when the movable body has entered into a predetermined via-point and departing directional data obtained when the movable body has departed from the via-point; a directional data storage for storing at least one of the approach direction data and the departing directional data in association with positional data of the via-point; and when the movable body has approached the via-point, a navigator for navigating the movable body in a predetermined progress direction, on the basis of at least one of the approach directional data or the departing directional data, whichever is stored in the directional data storage.

Claims

1. A movable body progress direction navigating apparatus for navigating a movable body in a predetermined direction, comprising:

a position detector for continuously detecting positional data of a movable body to obtain a position thereof;

a directional data generator for generating, on the basis of said position of said movable body, at least one of approach directional data obtained when said movable body has entered into a predetermined via-point and departing directional data obtained when said movable body has departed from said via-point;

a directional data storage for storing at least one of said approach directional data and said departing directional data in association with positional data of said via-point; and

when said movable body has approached said via-point, a navigator for navigating said movable body in a predetermined progress direction, on the basis of at least one of said approach directional data or said departing directional data, stored in said directional data storage.

2. The movable body progress direction navigating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said via-point is a current position of said movable body at a point of time when a predetermined registration operation has been made.

3. The movable body progress direction navigating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said via-point is a predetermined position which was registered beforehand.

4. The movable body progress direction navigating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said directional data generator computes said approach directional data on the basis of positional data of said movable body at a point, which is a predetermined interval before said movable body enters a predetermined via-point, and positional data of said predetermined via-point.

5. The movable body progress direction navigating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said directional data generator computes said approach directional data on the basis of positional data of said movable body at a point, which is a predetermined interval before said movable body enters a predetermined via-point, and positional data of said predetermined via-point.

6. The movable body progress direction navigating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said directional data generator computes said approach directional data on the basis of positional data of said movable body at a point, which is a predetermined interval before said movable body enters a predetermined via-point, and positional data of said predetermined via-point.

7. The movable body progress direction navigating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said directional data generator computes said departing directional data on the basis of positional data of said movable body at a point which is a predetermined interval away from a predetermined via-point and positional data of said predetermined via point.

8. The movable body progress direction navigating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said directional data generator computes said departing directional data on the basis of positional data of said movable body at a point which is a predetermined interval away from a predetermined via-point and positional data of said predetermined via point.

9. The movable body progress direction navigating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said directional data generator computes said departing directional data on the basis of positional data of said movable body at a point which is a predetermined interval away from a predetermined via-point and positional data of said predetermined via point.

10. The movable body progress direction navigating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said directional data generator uses, as said approach directional data, a difference between coordinates of said predetermined via-point and coordinates of said movable body at a point which is said predetermined interval short of said via-point.

11. The movable body progress direction navigating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said directional data generator uses, as said approach directional data, a difference between coordinates of said predetermined via-point and coordinates of said movable body at a point which is said predetermined interval short of said via-point.

12. The movable body progress direction navigating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said directional data generator uses, as said approach directional data, a difference between coordinates of said predetermined via-point and coordinates of said movable body at a point which is said predetermined interval short of said via-point.

13. The movable body progress direction navigating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said directional data generator uses, as said approach directional data, a bearing at a point which is said predetermined interval short of said predetermined via-point.

14. The movable body progress direction navigating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said directional data generator uses, as said approach directional data, a bearing at a point which is said predetermined interval short of said predetermined via-point.

15. The movable body progress direction navigating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said directional data generator uses, as said approach directional data, a bearing at a point which is said predetermined interval short of said predetermined via-point.

16. The movable body progress direction navigating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said directional data generator uses, as said approach direction data, a relative bearing of a point which is short of said predetermined interval relative to a point which is away by said predetermined interval.

17. The movable body progress direction navigating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said directional data generator uses, as said departing directional data, a difference between coordinates of said predetermined via-point and coordinates of said movable body at a point which is departed from said predetermined via-point by said predetermined interval.

18. The movable body progress direction navigating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said directional data generator uses, as said departing directional data, a bearing of a point which is departed away from said predetermined via-point by said predetermined interval.

19. The movable body progress direction navigating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said directional data generator uses, as said departing directional data, a relative bearing of a point which is away, by said predetermined interval, from said point which is short of said predetermined interval by said predetermined interval.