Navigation system

• US 20030163250A1
• Filed: 02/27/2003
• Published: 08/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakagawa, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 6,907,344 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3614 through interaction with a road map, e.g. selecting a POI icon on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention was achieved in order to provide a useful navigation system, which obtains facility information and displays a facility icon in a position corresponding to the position of the facility on a map shown on a display, comprising a facility designating device to designate the facility icon, and a designated facility route guidance device to give route guidance to the facility when the facility designating operation is conducted by the facility designating device.

Claims

1. A navigation system, capturing facility information from a foreign source and displaying a facility icon in a position corresponding to the facility position on a map shown on a display, comprising:

a facility designating device to directly designate the facility icon; and

a designated facility route guidance device to give route guidance to the facility when the direct designating operation is conducted on the facility by the facility designating device.

2. A navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the facility designating device, comprising a touch panel for coordinate designation front-mounted on the display, comprises:

a designating operation detecting device to judge a first facility designating operation to have been conducted when the facility designating operation was conducted through the touch panel; and

a designated facility information announcing device to announce the facility information of the designated facility when a second facility designating operation different from the first facility designating operation was conducted through the touch panel.

3. A navigation system according to claim 1, comprising a facility icon clearing device to clear the facility icon, when no designating operation is conducted on the facility within a prescribed time after the facility icon being displayed.

8. A navigation system according to claim 1, which comprises a scroll display device to produce a scroll display of detailed information of facilities in a predetermined area of the display.

4. A navigation system, capturing facility information from a foreign source and displaying a facility icon in a position corresponding to the facility position on a map shown on a display, comprising:

an information freshness measuring device to measure the freshness of the facility information; and

a display form changing device to change the display form of the facility icon according to the freshness of the information measured by the information freshness measuring device.

5. A navigation system, capturing facility information from a foreign source and displaying a facility icon in a position corresponding to the facility position on a map shown on a display, comprising:

a facility selection device to select a prescribed number of facilities whose detailed information is displayed in order of increasing distance from the car position; and

a detailed information display device to display the detailed information of the facilities selected by the facility selection device near the corresponding facility icons.

7. A navigation system according to claim 5, which comprises a facility icon clearing device to clear displayed facility icons of passed facilities.

6. A navigation system, capturing facility information from a foreign source and displaying a facility icon in a position corresponding to the facility position on a map shown on a display, comprising:

a facility selection device to exclude passed facilities from objects of selection so as to select facilities whose detailed information is displayed; and

a detailed information display device to display the detailed information of the facilities selected by the facility selection device near the corresponding facility icons.