Navigation apparatus and navigation method

• US 5,463,553 A
• Filed: 06/16/1994
• Issued: 10/31/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Electronic Corporation (Pioneer Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Electronic Corporation (Pioneer Corporation)
• Inventors: Hayashi, Katsuyoshi, Habu, Yukiko, Araki, Morio
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCFADDEN, SUSAN IRIS
• Application Number:
  US08/260,833
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: 364/443, 364/444, 364/449, 73/178 R, 340/990, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled

Abstract

A navigation apparatus is provided with: a measuring device for measuring a present position of a movable body to output a present position information; a storing device for storing map information; a displaying device having a display picture plane, for displaying various information on the display picture plane; a display controlling device for controlling the displaying device to display a target position information, which is set as information indicating a target position, and the present position information on the map information; a judging device for judging whether a distance between the present position and the target position is within a predetermined value; and a calculating device for calculating a middle position between the present position and the target position when the distance is within the predetermined value, to output middle position information, the display controlling device controlling the displaying device to display the target position information and the present position information under a condition where a display position of the middle position information is located at a center of the display picture plane.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a measuring means for measuring a present position of a movable body to output a present position information indicating the measured present position;

a storing means for storing map information;

a displaying means having a display picture plane, for displaying various information on the display picture plane;

a display controlling means for controlling said displaying means to display a target position information, which is set as information indicating a target position, and the present position information on the map information;

a judging means for judging whether a distance between the present position and the target position is within a predetermined value; and

a calculating means for calculating a middle position between the present position and the target position when the judged distance is within the predetermined value according to a judgement by the judging means, to output middle position information indicating the calculated middle position;

said display controlling means controlling said displaying means to display the target position information and the present position information under a condition where a display position of the middle position information is located at a center of the display picture plane when the judged distance is within the predetermined value according to the judgement by the judging means, and to display the target position information and the present position information under a condition where a display position of the present position information is away from the center of the display picture plane by a predetermined distance when the judged distance is not within the predetermined value according to the judgement by the judging means.

2. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said measuring means comprises at least one of an earth magnetism sensor, an angular velocity sensor, a travelling distance sensor and a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver.

3. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an inputting means for inputting the target position.

4. A navigation method comprising the steps of:

measuring a present position of a movable body to output a present position information indicating the measured present position;

storing map information;

displaying various information on a display picture plane of a displaying means;

controlling said displaying means to display a target position information, which is set as information indicating a target position, and the present position information on the map information;

judging whether a distance between the present position and the target position is within a predetermined value;

calculating a middle position between the present position and the target position when the judged distance is judged to be within the predetermined value, to output middle position information indicating the calculated middle position; and

controlling said displaying means to display the target position information and the present position information under a condition where a display position of the middle position information is located at a center of the display picture plane when the judged distance is within the predetermined value according to a judgement of the judging step, and to display the target position information and the present position information under a condition where a display position of the present position information is away from the center of the display picture plane by a predetermined distance when the judged distance is not within the predetermined value according to the judgement of the judging step.

5. A navigation method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of inputting the target position by an inputting means.

6. A navigation method according to claim 4, wherein, in said measuring step, the present position is measured by at least one of an earth magnetism sensor, an angular velocity sensor, a travelling distance sensor and a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver.