Vehicle navigation system with destination selection using hierarchical menu arrangement with selective level skipping

• US 5,784,059 A
• Filed: 06/30/1995
• Issued: 07/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Moroto, Syuzo, Asano, Hitoshi, Suzuki, Yukiyoshi, Maekawa, Kazuteru, Morimoto, Kyomi, Kanemitsu, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Application Number:
  US08/497,251
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 395/353, 395/352, 395/333, 395/334, 395/356, 395/357, 340/995, 340/990, 340/989, 364/449.2, 364/449.3, 364/449.5, 364/443, 345/353, 345/352, 345/333, 345/334, 345/356, 345/357, 701/208, 701/209, 701/211, 701/200
• US Class Current: 715/854
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3611 using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs character input methods in general G06F3/0233
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

To improve the efficiency of a menu selecting operation, not only a menu of a predetermined hierarchy, but also at least one menu of a lower hierarchy corresponding to the predetermined hierarchy are displayed. If the lower hierarchy (first genre) menu is selected, the nationwide and individual state or region menus of the first genre are instantly displayed. If, on the other hand, the menu of predetermined hierarchy is selected from the main menu, individual genre menus of the same hierarchy as that of the lower hierarchy menu are displayed to enable selection of a different genre menu. The nationwide and state or regions menus of the selected genre are then displayed (at S8). As a result, the operation efficiency for selecting the first genre can be improved. Provision is also made for destination selection by input of a telephone number. A match of the input telephone number with prestored data calls up display of a map of the vicinity of the address corresponding to the input telephone number, which map display can be utilized to set a destination. On the other hand failure to match the input telephone number with prestored data results in a display of landmarks located within the larger area assigned to the local exchange portion of the input telephone number. One of the display listed landmarks may then be selected to call up a map of the vicinity of the selected landmark.

Claims

1. A vehicle navigation system for guiding a user to a destination selected by using a hierarchical menu arrangement, comprising

a display unit for displaying information including selectable items of a menu;

a storage unit for storing data including a hierarchical arrangement of a plurality of menus in at least three levels wherein (a) a first level of the hierarchical arrangement includes a first level menu having a plurality of selectable items of general categories, (b) a second level of the hierarchical arrangement includes a plurality of second level menus each having a plurality of selectable items of more specific categories, each second level menu relating to a corresponding general category of the first level menu, and (c) a third level of the hierarchical arrangement includes a plurality of third level menus each having a plurality of selectable items of instructions, each third level menu relating to a corresponding specific category of a menu of the second level menus;

said first, second and third levels of the hierarchical arrangement defining progressively lower levels;

input means for selecting an item from a menu displayed by the display unit;

first control means responsive to selection of an item of instruction of the third level by the input means for executing a corresponding instruction;

second control means for operating the display unit to display selectable items including a menu of selectable items of the hierarchical arrangement;

third control means for controlling the second control means to display successive menus of selectable items based upon the data stored in the storage unit and in accordance with the hierarchical arrangement beginning with the first level and progressing sequentially to the second and third levels in response to corresponding items input by the input means; and

fourth control means responsive to the display of a higher level menu for controlling the second control means to display a selectable item of a lower level menu within the higher level menu based upon predetermined information to enable selection of said selectable lower level menu item by said input means to bypass one or more lower levels of menus.

2. A vehicle navigation system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising learning means responsive to said input means inputting each lower level menu item for determining a most selected lower level menu item;

said most selected lower level menu item being said predetermined information used by said fourth control means to display the most selected lower level menu item as said selectable lower level menu item.

3. A vehicle navigation system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the items of instruction of the third level menus include destinations, and the first control means includes means for computing and displaying guiding information to a destination selected from a third level menu.

4. A destination setting system, for use in a vehicular navigation apparatus, said system comprising

a storage unit for storing data including a hierarchical arrangement of a plurality of menus in at least two levels including (a) a higher hierarchical level menu having a plurality of first selectable items of general categories, and (b) a plurality of lower hierarchical level menus each including a plurality of second selectable items more specific than said first selectable items, each lower hierarchical level menu relating to a corresponding general category of said higher hierarchical level menu;

a display unit for displaying information including said menus;

main menu means for displaying, on said display unit, a main menu identifying said higher hierarchical level menu and at least one of said lower hierarchical level menus;

first select means for selecting said higher hierarchical level menu from said main menu;

second select means for selecting said one lower hierarchical level menu from said main menu;

higher hierarchical level menu means for displaying, on said display unit, said higher hierarchical level menu on said display unit, responsive to operation of said first select means;

a plurality of third select means for selecting one of said first selectable items from the displayed higher hierarchical level menu;

second hierarchical level menu means for displaying, on said display unit, one of said lower hierarchical level menus for the general category of the first selectable item selected by operation of one of said third select means or by operation of said second select means;

a plurality of fourth select means for selecting one of said second selectable items from the displayed one lower level menu.

5. The destination setting system of claim 4, further comprising:

learning means for determining one of said first selectable items being most often selected, over a given period of time for setting said one first selectable item as said at least one of said lower hierarchical level menus identified in said main menu.

6. The destination setting system of claim 4 wherein said main menu means further identifies telephone number input means and further comprising:

means for inputting a telephone number inclusive of a multi-digit local exchange number portion and, following said local exchange number portion, a multi-digit subscriber number portion;

wherein the data stored in said storage unit further includes first information items correlated with subscriber portions of telephone numbers, data for landmark information correlated with local exchange portions of telephone numbers, and map data;

first detection means for detecting if information data corresponding to the local exchange portion of the input telephone number is stored in said storage unit;

second detection means, responsive to a positive determination by said first detection means, for determining if the subscriber portion of said input telephone number is correlated with information data in said storage unit;

first retrieve means, responsive to a positive determination by said second detection means, for retrieving map data and displaying, on said display unit, a map of the vicinity of an address corresponding to said input telephone number;

second retrieve means, responsive to a negative determination by said second detection means, for retrieving landmark data corresponding to the local exchange portion of said input telephone number from said storage unit;

landmark identification means for identifying, based on the landmark data retrieved by said second retrieve means, landmarks within an area assigned to the local exchange portion of said input telephone number;

select means for selecting one of said landmarks identified by said landmark identification means; and

third retrieve means for retrieving map data corresponding to the selected landmark and for generating a map display, on said display unit, of the vicinity of said selected landmark.

7. A destination setting system, for use in a vehicular navigation apparatus, said system comprising

a storage unit for storing data including a hierarchical arrangement of data for a plurality of menus in at least two levels including (a) a higher hierarchical level having a plurality of first selectable items of general categories, and (b) a lower hierarchical level including a plurality of groups of second information more specific than said first selectable items, each group of second information relating to a corresponding general category of said higher hierarchical level;

a display unit for displaying information including first and second menus which are contained in a hierarchy of menus wherein (a) said first menu lists at least one of said first selectable items along with an identification of said second menu, and (b) said second menu lists the first selectable items other than the at least one first selectable item listed in said first menu;

first select means active during display of said first menu and responsive to selection of said identification of said second menu for advancing said display unit to display said second menu;

second select means active during display of said first menu and responsive to selection of a first selectable item from said at least one first selectable item listed in said first menu to advance said display unit to skip display of the second menu and to display the group of second information corresponding to the first selectable item selected by said second select means;

third select means active during display of said second menu and responsive to selection of one of said first selectable items from the second menu to advance said display unit to display the group of second information corresponding to the first selectable item selected by said third select means; and

learning means responsive to said third select means for setting the first selectable item selected by the third select means as at least one of said first selectable items in said first menu.

8. The destination setting system of claim 7, wherein said learning means responds to the first selectable item selected by the third select means being most often selected by the third select means a plurality of times, over a given period of time, for setting the first selectable item selected by the third select means as at least one of said first selectable items in said first menu.

9. The destination setting system of claim 7 wherein said first menu further identifies telephone number input means and further comprising:

means for inputting a telephone number inclusive of a multi-digit local exchange number portion and, following said local exchange number portion, a multi-digit subscriber number portion;

wherein the data stored in said storage unit further includes first information items correlated with subscriber portions of telephone numbers, data for landmark information correlated with local exchange portions of telephone numbers, and map data;

first detection means for detecting if information data corresponding to the local exchange portion of the input telephone number is stored in said storage unit;

second detection means, responsive to a positive determination by said first detection means, for determining if the subscriber portion of said input telephone number is correlated with information data in said storage unit;

first retrieve means, responsive to a positive determination by said second detection means, for retrieving map data from said storage unit and for displaying, on said display unit, a map of the vicinity of an address corresponding to said input telephone number;

second retrieve means, responsive to a negative determination by said second detection means, for retrieving landmark data corresponding to the local exchange portion of said input telephone number from said storage unit;

landmark identification means for identifying, based on the landmark data retrieved by said second retrieve means, landmarks within an area assigned to the local exchange portion of said input telephone number;

select means for selecting one of said landmarks identified by said landmark identification means; and

third retrieve means for retrieving map data corresponding to the selected landmark and for generating a map display, on said display unit, of the vicinity of said selected landmark.