Navigation apparatus

• US 20040128061A1
• Filed: 10/09/2003
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company), Nippon Seiki Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company), Nippon Seiki Company Limited
• Inventors: Morita, Hiroyuki, Kawada, Shinichi, Murohashi, Eiichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,206,695 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence

Abstract

A current place indicating icon a for indicating the current place of a user, a used road image b for indicating a used road being followed by the user, an option road image c for indicating an option road connected to the used road and located in front of the current place in the traveling direction, and a way point indicating icon d set by the user and located in front of the current place in the traveling direction are displayed in the screen X of a display unit 7.

Claims

1. A navigation system characterized in that a current place indicating icon for indicating the current place of a user, a used road image for indicating a used road being followed by the user, an option road image for indicating an option road connected to said used road and located in front of said current place in the traveling direction, in a display shape different from that of said used road image, and a way point indicating icon for indicating a way point set by said user and located in front of said current place in the traveling direction are displayed in a common screen.

2. A navigation system as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that:

said current place indicating icon is positioned at a portion below the vertical center of said screen;

in that said front in the traveling direction is displayed above said current place indicating icon; and

in that said current place indicating icon is displayed such that it does not change at its location or in its direction in said screen but stands still at said portion even if said current place changes, until at least said way point indicating icon is displayed in said screen.

6. A navigation system as set forth in claim 1 or 3, characterized in that, in case said current place departs from said used road, a locus image indicating a history of said current place is displayed at the back of said current place indicating icon.

7. A navigation system as set forth in claim 6, characterized in that the display mode of said screen of the case, in which said current place deviates from said used road, is different from that of the case, in which said user is moving on said used road.

3. A navigation system characterized:

in that a current place indicating icon for indicating the current place of a user, a used road image for indicating a used road being followed by the user, an option road image for indicating an option road connected to said used road and located in front of said current place in the traveling direction, in a display shape different from that of said used road image, and a way point indicating icon for indicating a way point set by said user and located in front of said current place in the traveling direction are displayed in a common screen;

in that said way point indicating icon moves toward a predetermined portion of the screen, as said current place approaches said way point, and stands still at said predetermined portion; and

in that said current place indicating icon then moves on said used road image toward said way point indicating icon.

4. A navigation system as set forth in claim 3, characterized in that, in case the distance between said current place and said way point comes within a predetermined distance, the way point indicating icon is fixed and displayed at a predetermined portion of said screen.

5. A navigation system as set forth in claim 3, characterized in that, when said current place passes through said way point, said current place indicating icon is displayed at the indication of said way point passage until a predetermined time period or a predetermined distance passes.

8. A navigation system characterized in that a current place indicating icon staying at a predetermined position even if the current place of a user changes, azimuth information on an azimuth within a predetermined range in front of the traveling direction around said current place, and guide information on an azimuth of said traveling direction at said current place and a way point set by said user are displayed in a common screen.

9. A navigation system as set forth in claim 8, characterized in that said azimuth information, said current place indicating icon and said guide information are displayed in said screen such that:

said azimuth information is arranged in the horizontal direction of said screen;

said current place indicating icon is arranged over or near said azimuth information; and

said guide information is arranged above said azimuth information.

10. A navigation system as set forth in claim 8 or 9, characterized in that said guide information has different display shapes between the case, in which said way point is located within said predetermined range with respect to said current place, and the remaining cases.

11. A navigation system characterized in that a current place indicating icon, which stands still even if the current place of a user changes, and travel information on the direction of a way point, which is located around said current place indicating icon and set by said user, are displayed in a common screen.

12. A navigation system as set forth in claim 11, characterized in that said travel information is composed of a plurality of breakpoint marks, which divide a predetermined angle range at least in front of the said traveling direction around said current place and can indicate said direction of said way point.

13. A navigation system as set forth in claim 12, characterized in that said direction of said way point is indicated with one or adjacent two of said breakpoint marks.