Navigation system for vehicles

• US 6,061,628 A
• Filed: 04/14/1997
• Issued: 05/09/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Kato, Shinichi, Hayashida, Kihachi, Mutsuga, Katsuhiko, Inoue, Keizo, Nimura, Mitsuhiro, Hayashi, Seiji
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US08/837,148
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/202, 701/205, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 340/990, 340/995, 342/457, 342/357
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3658 Lane guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice

Abstract

Lane change guidance information is output based on data for the next guide intersection on a route calculated in advance and on detection of the driving lane in which the vehicle is currently driven. The system includes present position detection, direction of advance determination for guide intersections along the preset route, driving lane determination, and guidance information output for instructing the driver when direction to be taken at a guide intersection does not match the current driving lane, whereby adequate guidance information is provided the driver regarding lane changes when the vehicle is driven on a road having two or more lanes.

Claims

1. A navigation system for a vehicle providing route guidance to an input destination, along a route set in advance, comprising:

present position detecting means for detecting the present position of the vehicle;

a memory containing stored road data inclusive of flagged data for unopened roads;

search means for searching said stored road data, exclusive of said flagged data, to set the route;

road status update means for determining if a road flagged unopened is currently open and for removing the flag from said flagged data if said road is determined to be currently open.

2. A navigation system according to claim 1 wherein said road status update means acquires data for a road section currently travelled and compares that acquired road section data with said flagged data and, if the acquired road section data matches said flagged data, removes the flag from said flagged data.

3. A navigation system according to claim 1 wherein said memory additionally contains stored therein information as to a scheduled date for opening of an unopened road and wherein said current status update means determines whether or not a current date is on or after the scheduled date and, if on or after, removes the flag from the data for the unopened road.

4. A navigation system for displaying a road map, comprising:

a memory for storing road data, for generating the display of the road map, inclusive of data for opened roads data and data for unopened roads; and

control means for reading out the road data from the memory and for drawing the road map displaying opened roads and unopened roads, with the opened roads displayed in a different form than the display form of the unopened roads.