Car navigation system and program

• US 20050288851A1
• Filed: 06/16/2005
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yokota, Yasunari
• Granted Patent: US 7,363,146 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3878 Hierarchical structures, e.g. layering

Abstract

When a corridor operation is conducted in a car navigation system, a stoppable place where a vehicle is able to stop is retrieved before a map disk is removed. The stoppable place is a place that is located along a route to a destination and also as close as possible to a regional boundary of map data clipped out from the map disk to an external memory. When the stoppable place is retrieved, route guiding is performed so that the retrieved stoppable place is regarded as a temporary destination. Therefore, re-setting the map disk can be safely achieved by stopping the vehicle at the stoppable place, which helps prevent usability of the corridor operation from deteriorating.

Claims

1. A car navigation system provided in a vehicle, the system comprising:

a disk reproducing unit that is able to read and reproduce data from one of a fist disk storing map data and a second disk storing data other than the map data, wherein the fist disk and the second disk are interchangeable in the disk reproducing unit;

a storing unit that stores a given range of map data that is read out from the first disk via the disk reproducing unit;

a controlling unit that causes a display unit to display a map

based on map data read out from the fist disk when the fist disk is reproduced by the disk reproducing unit or

based on the given range of map data stored in the storing unit when the second disk is reproduced by the disk reproducing unit;

a current position designating unit that designates a current position of the vehicle; and

a route guiding unit that indicates a route to a destination,

wherein, when the controlling unit causes the display unit to display a map based on the given range of map data, the controlling unit causes the route guiding unit to indicate a route to a temporary destination that is as close as possible to a peripheral boundary of the given range of map data along the route to the destination and is a stoppable place where the vehicle is able to stop.

2. The navigation system of claim 1,

wherein the map data includes facility data that indicate facilities, and

wherein a facility that is supposed to have a parking place is designated based on the facility data when the stoppable place is determined.

3. The navigation system of claim 2,

wherein at least two are considered when the stoppable place is determined, wherein a first of the two is a distance from the peripheral boundary along the route to the destination and a second of the two is which of an advancing lane and an opposite lane with respect to the vehicle the facility faces.

4. The navigation system of claim 1, further comprising:

an accepting unit that accepts an operation of a user,

wherein, when the controlling unit accepts an instruction of temporarily storing map data via the accepting unit,

the controlling unit causes the storing unit to store the given range of map data that is read out from the first disk that is reproduced.

5. The navigation system of claim 4,

wherein, when the controlling unit accepts the instruction of temporarily storing map data via the accepting unit,

the controlling unit causes the storing unit to store the given range of map data that is read out from the first disk, based on the current position.

6. The navigation system of claim 1, further comprising:

a notifying unit that notifies a user,

wherein, when no map data is stored in the storing unit, the controlling unit causes the notifying unit to notify the user of information that no map data is stored in the storing unit.

7. A car navigation system provided in a vehicle, the system comprising:

a disk reproducing unit that is able to read and reproduce data from one of a fist disk storing map data and a second disk storing data other than the map data, wherein the fist disk and the second disk are interchangeable in the disk reproducing unit;

a storing unit that stores a given range of map data that is read out from the first disk via the disk reproducing unit;

a controlling unit that causes a display unit to display a map

based on map data read out from the fist disk when the fist disk is reproduced by the disk reproducing unit or

based on the given range of map data stored in the storing unit when the second disk is reproduced by the disk reproducing unit;

a current position designating unit that designates a current position of the vehicle; and

a notifying unit that notifies a user,

wherein, in a case that the controlling unit causes the display unit to display a map based on the given range of map data stored in the storing unit,

the controlling unit causes the notifying unit to notify a place where the vehicle is able to stop and that is located from the current position to a peripheral boundary of the given range of map data when the vehicle approaches the peripheral boundary within a given distance.

8. A car navigation system provided in a vehicle, the system comprising:

a disk reproducing unit that is able to read and reproduce data from one of a fist disk storing map data and a second disk storing data other than the map data, wherein the fist disk and the second disk are interchangeable in the disk reproducing unit;

a storing unit that stores a given range of map data that is read out from the first disk via the disk reproducing unit;

a controlling unit that causes a display unit to display a map

based on map data read out from the fist disk when the fist disk is reproduced by the disk reproducing unit or

based on the given range of map data stored in the storing unit when the second disk is reproduced by the disk reproducing unit;

a current position designating unit that designates a current position of the vehicle; and

a stoppable place determining unit that determines a stoppable place where the vehicle is able to stop and that is located from the current position to a peripheral boundary of the given range of map data in a case that the controlling unit causes the display unit to display a map based on the given range of map data stored in the storing unit, so that the first disk is able to be re-set in the disk reproducing unit at the stoppable place before the vehicle crosses the peripheral boundary of the given range.

9. A computer program product in a computer-readable medium for use in a car navigation system provided in a vehicle, the car navigation system including:

a disk reproducing unit that is able to read and reproduce data from one of a fist disk storing map data and a second disk storing data other than the map data, wherein the fist disk and the second disk are interchangeable in the disk reproducing unit;

a storing unit that stores a given range of map data that is read out from the first disk via the disk reproducing unit; and

a current position designating unit that designates a current position of the vehicle,

the computer program product comprising;

instructions for causing a display unit to display a map

based on map data read out from the fist disk when the fist disk is reproduced by the disk reproducing unit or

based on the given range of map data stored in the storing unit when the second disk is reproduced by the disk reproducing unit; and

instructions for indicating a route to a temporary destination that is a stoppable place where the vehicle is able to stop when the display unit is caused to display a map based on the given range of map data, wherein the temporary destination is as close as possible to a peripheral boundary of the given range of map data along a route to a final destination.

10. A computer program product in a computer-readable medium for use in a car navigation system provided in a vehicle, the car navigation system including:

a disk reproducing unit that is able to read and reproduce data from one of a fist disk storing map data and a second disk storing data other than the map data, wherein the fist disk and the second disk are interchangeable in the disk reproducing unit;

a storing unit that stores a given range of map data that is read out from the first disk via the disk reproducing unit; and

a current position designating unit that designates a current position of the vehicle,

the computer program product comprising;

instructions for causing a display unit to display a map

based on map data read out from the fist disk when the fist disk is reproduced by the disk reproducing unit or

based on the given range of map data stored in the storing unit when the second disk is reproduced by the disk reproducing unit; and

instructions for notifying a user of a stoppable place where the vehicle is able to stop when the vehicle approaches a peripheral boundary of the given range of map data within a given distance in a case that the display unit is caused to display a map based on the given range of map data, wherein the stoppable place is located from the current position to the peripheral boundary of the given range of map data.

11. A computer program product in a computer-readable medium for use in a car navigation system provided in a vehicle, the car navigation system including:

a disk reproducing unit that is able to read and reproduce data from one of a fist disk storing map data and a second disk storing data other than the map data, wherein the fist disk and the second disk are interchangeable in the disk reproducing unit;

a storing unit that stores a given range of map data that is read out from the first disk via the disk reproducing unit; and

a current position designating unit that designates a current position of the vehicle,

the computer program product comprising;

instructions for causing a display unit to display a map

based on map data read out from the fist disk when the fist disk is reproduced by the disk reproducing unit or

based on the given range of map data stored in the storing unit when the second disk is reproduced by the disk reproducing unit; and

instructions for determining a stoppable place where the vehicle is able to stop and that is located from the current position to a peripheral boundary of the given range of map data in a case that the display unit is caused to display a map based on the given range of map data, so that the first disk is able to be re-set in the disk reproducing unit at the stoppable place before the vehicle crosses the peripheral boundary of the given range of map data.