Route guiding apparatus

• US 3,925,641 A
• Filed: 05/03/1974
• Issued: 12/09/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toshio Kashio
• Original Assignee: Toshio Kashio
• Inventors: Kashio, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Gruber, Felix D.
• Application Number:
  US05/466,701
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 235/150.2,151.2,150.24 340/22,23,24,27
• US Class Current: 701/25
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence

Abstract

A route guiding apparatus mounted on an automobile which automatically indicates a distance to a particular point on a route as well as a direction in which the automobile should continue its run at said point, namely, whether it should turn to the right or left or advance straight forward, and wherein the indicated distance decreases as the automobile advances and is finally reduced to zero at said point. Data corresponding to the course to be taken by the automobile at said point and corresponding to a distance between two adjacent points is stored in a memory device of said apparatus, and data corresponding to said course and distance is supplied as the automobile proceeds from a device for generating data on its actual run or data previously obtained, for example, from a map by operating a key input device.

Claims

1. A route guiding apparatus comprising:

means for generating pulses as a function of the rotation of the wheels of a vehicle such as an automobile, a motorcycle, a bicycle or the like, for each specified increment of distance covered by said vehicle;

counting means coupled to said pulse generating means for counting the pulses from said pulse generating means so as to measure the distance covered by said vehicle;

first indicating means coupled to said counting means for displaying a distance data item corresponding to the covered distance obtained by said counting means;

input means for supplying a direction data item indicating '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'right turn,'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'left turn'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' or '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'go-straight'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' guiding write-in means coupled to said input means for pairing said distance data and said direction data item into a route segment data item upon receipt of said direction data from said input means;

memory means coupled to said write-in means for sequentially storing a plurality of route segment data items from said write-in means;

instructing means for instructing read-out of the route segment data items from said memory means;

read-out means responsive to instructions from said instructing means for reading out controllably and sequentially A plurality of route segment data items from said memory means, each route segment data item including a distance data item corresponding to the distance of a route segment to be covered by said vehicle and a direction data item corresponding to the direction of the next route segment to be covered;

second indicating means coupled to said memory means for displaying the direction data item read out from said memory means; and

third indicating means coupled to said memory means for displaying the remaining distance of a route segment and including means for reducing the number of pulses defining the distance data item read out by said read-out means as the vehicle advances along the route segment to generate signals corresponding to said remaining distance of a route segment.

2. A route guiding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said write-in means includes:

a first input terminal coupled to receive said data corresponding to the covered distance from said counting means;

a second input terminal coupled to receive the direction data item from said input means; and

an AND gate coupled to said input terminals to supply said data corresponding to the covered distance to said memory means when said second input terminal receives said direction data item.

3. A route guiding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said write-in means includes a switch to form a write-in command signal;

a first input terminal coupled to receive a said write-in command signal from said switch;

a second input terminal coupled to receive said data corresponding to the covered distance from said counting means;

a third input terminal coupled to receive said direction data item from said input means; and

an AND gate coupled to said input terminals to supply said data corresponding to the covered distance to said memory means when said first and third input terminals receive said write-in command signal and said direction data item, respectively.

4. A route guiding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said read-out means includes a switch to form a read-out command signal;

a first AND gate having a first input terminal coupled to receive said read-out command signal from said switch and a second input terminal coupled to receive said direction data item from said input means;

a direction data memory to store said direction data item from said first AND gate;

a second AND gate having a first input terminal coupled to receive said data corresponding to the covered distance from said memory means and a second input terminal coupled to receive said readout command signal from said switch; and

a counter coupled to said second AND gate to receive said data corresponding to the covered distance from said second AND gate.

5. A route guiding apparatus according to claim 1 comprising further counting means coupled to said memory means for counting the number of route segment data items and means coupled to said further counting means for displaying the counted number of route segment data items as a route segment number, together with said data corresponding to the covered distance and said direction data item.

6. A route guiding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes a direction indicator, and wherein said input means is coupled to and co-acts with said direction indicator of the vehicle.

7. A route guiding apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising alarm means coupled to said third indicating means for emitting an alarm when said data corresponding to the remaining distance of a route segment has a value lower than a predetermined value while the distance data is read out from said memory means.

8. A route guiding apparatus comprising:

means for generating pulses as a function of the rotation of the wheels of a vehicle such as an automobile, a motorcycle, a bicycle or the like, for each specified increment of distance covered by said vehicle;

counting means coupled to said pulse generating means for counting the puLses from said pulse generating means so as to measure the distance covered by said vehicle;

first indicating means coupled to said counting means for displaying a distance data item corresponding to the covered distance obtained by said counting means;

input means for supplying a direction data item indicating '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'right turn,'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'left turn,'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' or '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'go-straight'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' guiding;

write-in means coupled to said input means for pairing said distance data and said direction data item into a route segment data item upon receipt of said direction data from said input means;

memory means coupled to said write-in means for sequentially storing a plurality of route segment data items from said write-in means;

instructing means for instructing read-out of the route segment data items from said memory means in the opposite order to the order in which said route segment data items have been stored in said memory means;

read-out means responsive to instructions from said instructing means for reading out from said memory means a plurality of route segment data items, each route segment data item including a distance data item corresponding to the distance of a route segment to be covered by said vehicle and a direction data item corresponding to the direction of the next route segment to be covered, said route segment data items being read out from said memory means controllably and sequentially in the opposite order to the order in which said route segment data items have been stored in said memory means;

second indicating means coupled to said memory means for displaying an opposite direction data to the direction data read out from said memory means; and

third indicating means for displaying the remaining distance of a route segment and including means for reducing the number of pulses defining the distance data item read out by said read-out means as the vehicle advances along the route segment to generate signals corresponding to said remaining distance of a route segment.

9. A route guiding apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said write-in means includes:

a first input terminal to receive said data corresponding to the covered distance from said counting means;

a second input terminal coupled to receive the direction data item from said input means; and

an AND gate coupled to said input terminals to supply said data corresponding to the covered distance to said memory means when said second input terminal receives said direction data item.

10. A route guiding apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said write-in means includes a switch to form a write-in command signal;

a first input terminal coupled to receive said write-in command signal from said switch;

a second input terminal coupled to receive said data corresponding to the covered distance from said counting means;

a third input terminal coupled to receive said direction data item from said input means; and

an AND gate coupled to said input terminals to supply said data corresponding to the covered distance to said memory means when said first and third input terminals receive said write-in command signal and said direction data item, respectively.

11. A route guiding apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said read-out means includes a switch to form a read-out command signal;

a first AND gate having a first input terminal coupled to receive said read-out command signal from said switch and a second input terminal coupled to receive said direction data item from said input means;

a direction data memory to store said direction data item from said first AND gate;

a second AND gate having a first input terminal coupled to receive said data corresponding to the covered distance from said memory means and a second input terminal coupled to receive said read-out command signal from said switch; and

a counter coupled to said second AND gate to receive said data corresponding to the covered distance from said second AND gate.

12. A route guiding apparatUs according to claim 8 comprising further counting means coupled to said memory means for counting the number of route segment data items and means coupled to said further counting means for displaying the counted number of route segment data items as a route segment number, together with said data corresponding to the covered distance and said direction data item.

13. A route guiding apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the vehicle includes a direction indicator, and wherein said input means is coupled to and co-acts with said direction indicator of the vehicle.

14. A route guiding apparatus according to claim 8 further comprising alarm means coupled to said third indicating means for emitting an alarm when said data corresponding to the remaining distance of a route segment has a value lower than a predetermined value while the distance data is read out from said memory means.

15. A route guiding apparatus comprising:

means for generating pulses as a function of the rotation of the wheels of a vehicle such as an automobile, a motorcycle, a bicycle or the like, for each specified increment of distance covered by said vehicle;

counting means coupled to said pulse generating means for counting the distance pulses from said pulse generating means so as to measure the distance covered by said vehicle;

first indicating means coupled to said counting means for displaying a distance data item corresponding to the covered distance obtained by said counting means;

key input means for supplying a distance data item corresponding to the distance of a route segment to be covered by the vehicle and a direction data item corresponding to the direction of the next route segment;

write-in means coupled to said key input means for pairing said distance data item and said direction data item into a route segment data item upon receipt of said direction data item from said key input means;

memory means coupled to said write-in means for sequentially storing a plurality of route segment data items from said write-in means;

instructing means for instructing read-out of the route segment data items from said memory means;

read-out means responsive to instructions from said instructing means for reading out controllably and sequentially a plurality of route segment data items from said memory means, each route segment data item including a distance data item corresponding to the distance of a route segment to be covered by said vehicle and a direction data item corresponding to the direction of the next route segment to be covered;

second indicating means coupled to said memory means for displaying the direction data item read out from said read-out means; and

third indicating means for displaying the remaining distance of a route segment and including means for reducing the number of pulses defining the distance data item read out by said read-out means as the vehicle advances along the route segment to generate signals corresponding to said remaining distance of a route segment.