Communication navigation system and method, communication center apparatus for providing map information, communication navigation terminal, program storage device and computer data signal embodied in carrier wave

• US 20030040866A1
• Filed: 08/27/2002
• Published: 02/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Kawakami, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 6,801,851 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance

Abstract

A communication navigation system is provided with a communication center apparatus (3) and a communication navigation terminal (5), which perform two-way communication on a communication network (1, 2). The communication center apparatus for providing map information is provided with a search device (74) for searching for a recommendation route with respect to the request of route search from the communication navigation terminal; and a wireless device (73) for wirelessly transmitting guidance position information including information indicating a direction or a route to be advanced and/or information indicating a location of each one of a plurality of guidance positions located on the recommendation route. The communication navigation terminal is provided with a display processing device (43) for displaying the recommendation route by connecting the plurality of guidance positions by interpolation according to the content of the received guidance position information.

Claims

1. A communication navigation system comprising a communication center apparatus;

and a communication navigation terminal, which perform two-way communication on a communication network,

(i) the communication center apparatus comprising;

a map database for storing therein map database information including information for route search, which enables a search for a recommendation route from an origin to a destination;

a search device for searching for the recommendation route with respect to route search request information that indicates the origin and the destination and that is received through the communication network, on the basis of the information for route search; and

a center side communication device for wirelessly transmitting, through the communication network, guidance position information including at least any one of information indicating a location of each one of a plurality of guidance positions located on the searched recommendation route, information indicating a direction to be advanced at each one of the plurality of guidance positions and information indicating a route to be advanced at each one of the plurality of guidance positions, and

(ii) the communication navigation terminal comprising;

a terminal side communication device for receiving the guidance position information wirelessly transmitted; and

a display processing device for displaying a route, which is obtained by connecting the plurality of guidance positions on a map shown with map information for display according to the contents of the received guidance position information, as the recommendation route on the map

2. A communication navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal side communication device transmits the route search request information and the center side communication device receives the route search request information.

3. A communication navigation system according to claim 1, further comprising a user communication terminal, which performs two-way communication on the communication network and which transmits the route search request information.

4. A communication navigation system according to claim 1, wherein if the searched recommendation route includes an expressway, the plurality of guidance positions include at least one of a parking area, a service area, and an interchange on the expressway.

5. A communication navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the center side communication device thins out the plurality of guidance positions according to the type of the searched recommendation route, and transmits the guidance position information with respect to each one of the thinned guidance positions.

6. A communication navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the center side communication device thins out the plurality of guidance positions according to a map scale corresponding to the information for route search used when searching for the recommendation route, and transmits the guidance position information with respect to each one of the thinned guidance positions.

7. A communication navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the center side communication device thins out the plurality of guidance positions according to a map scale of the map information for display used at the display processing device, and transmits the guidance position information with respect to each one of the thinned guidance positions.

8. A communication navigation system according to claim 1, wherein a map scale corresponding to the information for route search used when searching for the recommendation route agrees with a map scale of the map information for display used at the display processing device.

9. A communication navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the route search request information includes one or a plurality of passing places that exist between the origin and the destination and

the search device searches for the recommendation route with respect to the route search request information.

10. A communication navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the route search request information comprises screen information including character information, and is transmitted and received according to a two-way communication method.

11. A communication navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the route search request information includes character information, and is transmitted according to a one-way communication method.

12. A communication navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the route search request information includes transmission time information indicating a time point supposed to transmit the guidance position information,

the communication center apparatus further comprises a timing device for measuring a time point shown by the transmission time information and

the center side communication device transmits the guidance position information at the time point shown by the transmission time information according to the time measurement by the timing device.

13. A communication center apparatus for performing two-way communication on a communication network with a communication navigation terminal provided with:

(i) a terminal side communication device for receiving guidance position information that is wirelessly transmitted and that includes at least any one of information indicating a location of each one of a plurality of guidance positions, information indicating a direction to be advance at each one of the plurality of guidance positions and information indicating a route to be advanced at each one of the plurality of guidance positions; and

(ii) a display processing device for displaying a route, which is obtained by connecting the plurality of guidance positions on a map shown with map information for display according to the contents of the received guidance position information, as a recommendation route on the map,

the communication center apparatus comprising;

a map database for storing therein map database information including information for route search, which enables a search for the recommendation route;

a search device for searching for the recommendation route with respect to route search request information that indicates an origin and a destination and that is received through the communication network, on the basis of the information for route search; and

a center side communication device for wirelessly transmitting, through the communication network, the guidance position information on each one of the plurality of guidance positions located on the searched recommendation route.

14. A communication navigation terminal for performing two-way communication on a communication network with a communication center apparatus provided with:

(i) a map database for storing therein map database information including information for route search, which enables a search for a recommendation route from an origin to a destination;

(ii) a search device for searching for the recommendation route with respect to route search request information that indicates the origin and the destination and that is received through the communication network, on the basis of the information for route search; and

(iii) a center side communication device for wirelessly transmitting, through the communication network, guidance position information including at least any one of information indicating a location of each one of a plurality of guidance positions located on the searched recommendation route, information indicating a direction to be advanced at each one of the plurality of guidance positions and information indicating a route to be advanced at each one of the plurality of guidance positions,

the communication navigation terminal comprising;

a terminal side communication device for receiving the guidance position information wirelessly transmitted; and

a display processing device for displaying a route, which is obtained by connecting the plurality of guidance positions on a map shown with map information for display according to the contents of the received guidance position information, as the recommendation route on the map.

15. A communication navigation method executed in a communication navigation system comprising:

a communication center apparatus and a communication navigation terminal, which perform two-way communication on a communication network,

the communication navigation method comprising;

(i) at the communication center apparatus,

a search process of searching for a recommendation route with respect to route search request information indicating an origin and a destination received through the communication network on the basis of information for route search that is included in map database information stored in a map database and that enables a search for the recommendation route from the origin to the destination; and

a center side communication process of wirelessly transmitting, through the communication network, guidance position information including at least any one of information indicating a location of each one of a plurality of guidance positions located on the searched recommendation route, information indicating a direction to be advanced at each one of the plurality of guidance positions and information indicating a route to be advanced at each one of the plurality of guidance positions, and

(ii) at the communication navigation terminal,

a terminal side communication process of receiving the guidance position information wirelessly transmitted; and

a display processing process of displaying a route, which is obtained by connecting the plurality of guidance positions on a map shown with map information for display according to the contents of the received guidance position information, as the recommendation route on the map.

16. A program storage device readable by a computer for tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform a communication navigation method at a communication center apparatus in a communication navigation system, the communication navigation system comprising the communication center apparatus and a communication navigation terminal, the communication center apparatus performing two-way communication on a communication network with the communication navigation terminal, the communication navigation terminal comprising:

(i) a terminal side communication device for receiving guidance position information that is wirelessly transmitted and that includes at least any one of information indicating a location of each one of a plurality of guidance positions, information indicating a direction to be advance at each one of the plurality of guidance positions and information indicating a route to be advanced at each one of the plurality of guidance positions; and

(ii) a display processing device for displaying a route, which is obtained by connecting the plurality of guidance positions on a map shown with map information for display according to the contents of the received guidance position information, as a recommendation route on the map,

the communication navigation method comprising;

a search process of searching for the recommendation route with respect to route search request information indicating an origin and a destination received through the communication network on the basis of information for route search that is included in map database information stored in a map database and that enables a search for the recommendation route from the origin to the destination; and

a center side communication process of wirelessly transmitting, through the communication network, the guidance position information on each one of the plurality of guidance positions located on the searched recommendation route.

17. A program storage device readable by a computer for tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform a communication navigation method at a communication navigation terminal in a communication navigation system, the communication navigation system comprising a communication center apparatus and the communication navigation terminal, the communication navigation terminal performing two-way communication on a communication network with the communication center apparatus, the communication center apparatus comprising:

(i) a map database for storing therein map database information including information for route search, which enables a search for a recommendation route from an origin to a destination;

(ii) a search device for searching for the recommendation route with respect to route search request information that indicates the origin and the destination and that is received through the communication network, on the basis of the information for route search; and

(iii) a center side communication device for wirelessly transmitting, through the communication network, guidance position information including at least any one of information indicating a location of each one of a plurality of guidance positions located on the searched recommendation route, information indicating a direction to be advanced at each one of the plurality of guidance positions and information indicating a route to be advanced at each one of the plurality of guidance positions,

the communication navigation method comprising;

a terminal side communication process of receiving the guidance position information wirelessly transmitted; and

a display processing process of displaying a route, which is obtained by connecting the plurality of guidance positions on a map shown with map information for display according to the contents of the received guidance position information, as the recommendation route on the map.

18. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and representing a series of instructions which cause a computer to perform a communication navigation method at a communication center apparatus in a communication navigation system, the communication navigation system comprising the communication center apparatus and a communication navigation terminal, the communication center apparatus performing two-way communication on a communication network with the communication navigation terminal, the communication navigation terminal comprising:

(i) a terminal side communication device for receiving guidance position information that is wirelessly transmitted and that includes at least any one of information indicating a location of each one of a plurality of guidance positions, information indicating a direction to be advance at each one of the plurality of guidance positions and information indicating a route to be advanced at each one of the plurality of guidance positions; and

(ii) a display processing device for displaying a route, which is obtained by connecting the plurality of guidance positions on a map shown with map information for display according to the contents of the received guidance position information, as a recommendation route on the map,

the communication navigation method comprising;

a search process of searching for the recommendation route with respect to route search request information indicating an origin and a destination received through the communication network on the basis of information for route search that is included in map database information stored in a map database and that enables a search for the recommendation route from the origin to the destination; and

a center side communication process of wirelessly transmitting, through the communication network, the guidance position information on each one of the plurality of guidance positions located on the searched recommendation route.

19. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and representing a series of instructions which cause a computer to perform a communication navigation method at a communication navigation terminal in a communication navigation system, the communication navigation system comprising a communication center apparatus and the communication navigation terminal, the communication navigation terminal performing two-way communication on a communication network with the communication center apparatus, the communication center apparatus comprising:

(i) a map database for storing therein map database information including information for route search, which enables a search for a recommendation route from an origin to a destination;

(ii) a search device for searching for the recommendation route with respect to route search request information that indicates the origin and the destination and that is received through the communication network, on the basis of the information for route search; and

(iii) a center side communication device for wirelessly transmitting, through the communication network, guidance position information including at least any one of information indicating a location of each one of a plurality of guidance positions located on the searched recommendation route, information indicating a direction to be advanced at each one of the plurality of guidance positions and information indicating a route to be advanced at each one of the plurality of guidance positions,

the communication navigation method comprising;

a terminal side communication process of receiving the guidance position information wirelessly transmitted; and

a display processing process of displaying a route, which is obtained by connecting the plurality of guidance positions on a map shown with map information for display according to the contents of the received guidance position information, as the recommendation route on the map.