Route guidance method, navigation apparatus, portable terminal, and information server

• US 20050240344A1
• Filed: 03/29/2005
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Nagase, Kenji, Tomita, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,389,182 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance

Abstract

A route guidance method provides route guidance from a current position to a destination by using a navigation apparatus capable of displaying a route from the current position to the destination in combination with a portable terminal carried by a user. The navigation apparatus produces a 2-dimensional code based on information associated with the destination and a location at which the user leaves his/her car en route to the destination and displays the thus produced code. The portable terminal acquires the information associated with the location at which the user leaves his/her car and the destination by reading the 2-dimensional code displayed by the navigation apparatus.

Claims

1. A route guidance method for providing route guidance from a current position to a destination by using a navigation apparatus including a display screen for display of a route from the current position to the destination and a portable terminal carried by a user, the method comprising:

a step, performed by the navigation apparatus, for producing a code based on information associated with the destination and the current position en route to the destination and displaying the produced code on the display screen; and

a step, performed by the portable terminal, for acquiring code image information by capturing an image of the code displayed on the display screen and for providing route guidance along a route to the destination based on the image information.

2. A route guidance method according to claim 1, further comprising a step, performed by an information server in two-way communication with the portable terminal, for receiving image information produced from the captured image of the code and a step for extracting information associated with the current position and the destination by analyzing the received image information.

3. A route guidance method according to claim 1, further comprising a step, performed by the portable terminal, for extracting information associated with the current position and the destination by analyzing the code image information obtained from the captured image of the code.

4. A route guidance method according to claim 1, further comprising a step, performed by an information server, for searching for a route from the current position to the destination based on the extracted information associated with the current position and the destination, and a step for transmitting information associated with the route determined by said searching.

5. A route guidance method according to claim 1, further comprising a step, performed by the portable terminal, for searching for a route from the current position to the destination based on the extracted information associated with the current position and the destination.

6. A route guidance method according to claim 2, further comprising a step, performed by the navigation apparatus, for searching for a route from the current position to the destination based on the information associated with the current position and the destination, and incorporating information associated with the route determined by said searching into the code.

7. A route guidance method according to claim 3, further comprising a step, performed by the navigation apparatus, for searching for a route from the current position to the destination based on the information associated with the current position and the destination, and incorporating information associated with the route determined by said searching into the code.

8. A route guidance method according to claim 1, further comprising a step, performed by an information server in two-way communication with the portable terminal, for producing information for a route or a running schedule of a transportation system based on the extracted information associated with the current position and the destination and a step for transmitting the produced information for the route or the running schedule of the transportation system to the portable terminal.

9. A route guidance method according to claim 1, further comprising a step, performed by the portable terminal or an information server in two-way communication with the portable terminal via a two-way communication line, for transmitting facility information associated with the current position or facility information associated with the destination to the portable terminal, based on the extracted information associated with the current position and the destination.

10. A navigation apparatus for displaying a route from a current position to a destination, comprising code generation means for generating a code which includes information associated with the current position and the destination and whose image can be captured by a portable terminal, and further comprising a display for displaying the generated code.

11. A portable terminal for capturing, from a navigation apparatus, information associated with a route from current position to a destination and for displaying the route, comprising:

an imaging unit for capturing, as code image information, an image of a code produced based on information associated with the current position and the destination and displayed on a display screen of the navigation apparatus; and

analysis means for extracting information associated with the current position and the destination by analyzing the code image information.

12. An information server in two-way communication with a portable terminal carried by a user, comprising analysis means for receiving code image information for a code produced based on information associated with a current position and a destination and transmitted from the portable terminal, and for extracting information associated with the current position and the destination by analyzing the code image information.