Vehicle navigation system

• US 20050033507A1
• Filed: 07/02/2004
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Fukui, Kunihiko, Funayose, Yusuke
• Granted Patent: US 7,184,882 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 GPS-based vehicle navigation system and method for properly displaying direction guide information, which represents a target direction, regardless of forward motion or backward motion. The system calculates the current position of the vehicle, and senses the traveling direction of the vehicle. The operation mode of the system is determined. If the operation mode is a “compass mode”, the orientation of the traveling direction is calculated based on the current position and the traveling direction. On the other hand, if the operation mode is a “NAVI mode”, a target position T separately set is read, and a target direction is calculated based on the current position and the target position T. Next, it is determined whether the motion of the vehicle is forward or backward. If the motion of the vehicle is backward, the direction guide information is corrected by an angle equivalent to 180°.

Claims

1. A vehicle navigation system comprising:

means for sensing a current position of a vehicle;

means for sensing a traveling direction of the vehicle;

means for sensing whether the vehicle is running in any one of a forward direction and a backward direction;

means for finding direction guide information based on the current position, the traveling direction, an orientation of the vehicle; and

means for displaying the direction guide information.

2. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the means for finding the direction guide information comprises:

means for finding the direction guide information based on the current position and the traveling direction of the vehicle; and

means for correcting the direction guide information by an angle equivalent to 180°

when the vehicle is running in the backward direction.

3. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 2,

wherein the direction guide information is an orientation of the traveling direction, and

when the orientation found based on the current position and the traveling direction of the vehicle is any one of east, west, south, and north, the correcting means corrects the orientation to west, east, north, and south, respectively.

4. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 2,

wherein the direction guide information is a target direction, and

the correcting means corrects the target direction found based on the current position and the traveling direction of the vehicle by 180°

.

5. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the orientation of the vehicle is found based on a shift position.

6. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 2, wherein the orientation of the vehicle is found based on a shift position.

7. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 3, wherein the orientation of the vehicle is found based on a shift position.

8. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 4, wherein the orientation of the vehicle is found based on a shift position.

9. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the orientation of the vehicle is found based on a direction of wheel rotation.

10. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 2, wherein the orientation of the vehicle is found based on a direction of wheel rotation.

11. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 3, wherein the orientation of the vehicle is found based on a direction of wheel rotation.

12. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 4, wherein the orientation of the vehicle is found based on a direction of wheel rotation.

13. A method for displaying directional guide information of a vehicle navigation system comprising the steps of:

sensing a current position of the vehicle;

sensing a traveling direction of the vehicle;

sensing whether the vehicle is running in any one of a forward direction and a backward direction;

finding direction guide information based on the current position, the traveling direction, and an orientation of the vehicle; and

displaying the direction guide information.

14. The method for displaying directional guide information of a vehicle navigation system according to claim 13, wherein the step of finding the direction guide information comprises:

finding the direction guide information based on the current position and the traveling direction of the vehicle; and

correcting the direction guide information by an angle equivalent to 180°

when the vehicle is running in the backward direction.

15. The method for displaying directional guide information of a vehicle navigation system according to claim 14,

wherein the direction guide information is an orientation of the traveling direction, and

when the orientation found based on the current position and the traveling direction of the vehicle is any one of east, west, south, and north, the correcting means corrects the orientation to west, east, north, and south, respectively.

16. The method for displaying directional guide information of a vehicle navigation system according to claim 14,

wherein the direction guide information is a target direction, and

the correcting means corrects the target direction found based on the current position and the traveling direction of the vehicle by 180°

.

17. The method for displaying directional guide information of a vehicle navigation system according to claim 13, wherein the orientation of the vehicle is found based on a shift position.

18. The method for displaying directional guide information of a vehicle navigation system according to claim 14, wherein the orientation of the vehicle is found based on a direction of wheel rotation.