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Apparatus and method for guiding vehicle occupant to travel from present position of vehicle to set destination through display unit

  • US 5,557,522 A
  • Filed: 09/09/1994
  • Issued: 09/17/1996
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1993
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for guiding a vehicle occupant toward a destination at which the vehicle occupant desires to arrive through a display unit, comprising:

  • a) road map storing means for storing a road map therein;

    b) setting means through which the vehicle occupant sets the destination;

    c) first detecting means for detecting a present position of the vehicle and outputting a signal indicative of the present position of the vehicle;

    d) display control means for reading the road map from said road map storing means, displaying the road map on the display unit, and simultaneously displaying the detected present position of the vehicle and an optimum route of travel of the vehicle to the set destination from the present position of the vehicle;

    e) second detecting means for detecting whether a vehicular ignition key switch is placed at an OFF position or at an ON position to determine whether or not the vehicle is stopped;

    f) first route searching means for previously searching the optimum routes of the vehicle to respective intersections from the detected present position of the vehicle when said second detecting means detects that the vehicular ignition key switch is placed at the OFF position with the vehicle stopped before the display control means is effective, said respective intersections falling in a region other than the destination set by the occupant through the setting means and surrounding the detected present position of the vehicle; and

    g) second route searching means operating for immediately displaying one of the optimum routes from the present position of the vehicle to the set destination if the set destination set through the setting means corresponds to one of the respective intersections falling in the region and whose optimum route is searched by the first route searching means when the ignition key switch is placed at the ON position and the vehicle occupant sets the destination through the setting means and otherwise operating for retrieving the result of search by the first route search means and the read road map data so as to derive the optimum route from the set destination toward the present position of the vehicle via one of the optimum routes searched by the first route searching means when the ignition key switch is placed at the ON position when the destination is set, and for immediately displaying the derived optimum route from the set destination through the setting means toward the present position of the vehicle via the searched optimum route by said first route searching means through one of the respective intersections in the region on the display unit through the display control means.

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