Navigation system providing simplified navigation instructions using graphics and voice guidance to preferred routes and using landmarks

• US 6,219,614 B1
• Filed: 10/15/1998
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Uchigaki, Yuichiro, Akamatsu, Teruki
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US09/171,239
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 701/209, 701/211, 701/201, 340/995, 340/996
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence

Abstract

A navigation system comprises a map information storage device for storing map data, a route setting device for setting a route between two points on the map data, target intersection detecting device for detecting a target intersection on the route from the set route and the map data, present position detector for detecting the present position of a mobile body, quantization computing device for quantizing the set route into simple graphics, and display for displaying the quantized route on a stepwise basis according to the distance between the nearest target intersection and the present position. The navigation system is capable of reducing the amount of distraction posed to a vehicle driver, is highly versatile and reduces the cost of the system.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

map information storing means storing map data including road data and intersection data;

route setting means for setting a route between two points on the map data stored in said map information storing means;

present position detecting means for detecting a present position of a mobile body;

quantization computing means for generating by computation simple graphics indicating the route set by said route setting means;

target intersection detecting means for detecting a target intersection on the route set by said route setting means; and

display means for displaying the simple graphics computed by said quantization computing means on the basis of a distance relationship between the target intersection detected by said target intersection detecting means and the present position detected by said present position detecting means,

wherein when the distance relationship is greater than a first predetermined value, a first graphic output is displayed, and when the distance relationship is less than the first predetermined value but larger than a second predetermined value, a second graphic output is displayed, and when the distance relationship is less than the second predetermined value, a third graphic output is displayed.

2. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

voice message generating means which has a voice information storing means storing voice waveform data, comprising at least one of;

words and phrases to produce a guide message used to guide a driver of said mobile body along the route, and which reads voice waveform data from said voice information storing means to thereby generate a guide message when the simple graphics computed by said quantization computing means is displayed on said display means based on the distance relationship between the target intersection and the present position of the mobile body; and

voice outputting means for audibly notifying the guide message generated by said message generating means.

3. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a program for performing a quantization computation is stored on an external storage medium and said quantization computing means generates the simple graphics, based on the program read from said external storage medium.

4. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said first through third graphic outputs include progressively more information as guiding information.

5. A navigation system comprising:

map information storing means storing map data including road data and intersection data;

route setting means for setting a route between a starting point and a final destination point based on the map data stored in said map information storing means;

present position detecting means for detecting a present position of a mobile body;

target intersection detecting means for detecting a target intersection on the route set by said route setting means;

general route generating means for arranging information about respective names of said target intersections on the route set by said route setting means and roads lying therebetween in list form, on the basis of the route set by said route setting means to thereby generate a composite route description from said starting point to said final destination point; and

display means for displaying the general route generated by said general route generating means.

6. The navigation system according to claim 5, wherein a program for generating the general route is stored on an external storage medium and said general route generating means performs a process for generating the general route, based on the program read from said external storage medium.

7. The navigation system according to claim 5, further including selecting means to select a subset of the route set by said route setting means based on a selected range of target intersections including a first subpoint and a second subpoint, and wherein said general route generating means generates a sectional route description from said first subpoint to said second subpoint.

12. The navigation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the route achievable distance detecting means detects a minimum linear distance between the present position of the mobile body and said route.

8. A navigation system comprising:

map information storing means storing map data including road data and intersection data;

route setting means for setting a route between a starting point and a final destination point based on the map data stored in said map information storing means;

present position detecting means for detecting a present position of a mobile body;

target intersection detecting means for detecting a target intersection on the route set by said route setting means;

general route generating means for arranging information about respective names of said target intersections on the route set by said route setting means and roads lying therebetween in list form, on the basis of the route set by said route setting means to thereby generate a composite route description from said starting point to said final destination point;

voice message generating means for generating a guide message for notifying the general route generated by said general route generating means by voice; and

voice outputting means for audibly notifying the guide message generated by said voice message generating means.

9. The navigation system according to claim 8, further including selecting means to select a subset of the route set by said route setting means based on a selected range of target intersections including a first subpoint and a second subpoint, and wherein said general route generating means generates a sectional route description from said first subpoint to said second subpoint, and wherein said voice message generating means is further operable to output the guide message according to the sectional route description.

10. A navigation system comprising:

map information storing means storing therein map data including road data and intersection data;

route setting means for setting a route between two points on the map data stored in said map information storing means;

present position detecting means for detecting the present position of a mobile body;

quantization computing means for generating by computation simple graphics indicating the route set by said route setting means;

route achievable distance detecting means for detecting the route set by said route setting means and for detecting an achievable distance between the present position of the mobile body detected by said present position detecting means and said route; and

display means for displaying thereon the achievable distance to the route, which is detected by said route achievable distance detecting means, together with the present position of the mobile body, which is detected by said present position detecting means and for displaying the simple graphics generated by said quantization computing means indicating the route set by said route setting means, which route is located in the vicinity of the present position of the mobile body.

11. The navigation system according to claim 10, wherein a program for detecting the achievable distance to the route is stored on an external storage medium and said route achievable distance detecting means executes a process for detecting the achievable distance between the present position and the route, based on the program read from said external storage medium.

13. A navigation system comprising:

map information storing means storing map data including road data and intersection data;

route setting means for setting a route between two points on the map data stored in said map information storing means;

present position detecting means for detecting a present position of a mobile body;

route achievable distance detecting means for detecting the route set by said route setting means and a minimum linear distance between the present position of the mobile body detected by said present position detecting means and said route;

voice message generating means for generating a guide message for performing voice notification including the minimum linear distance up to the route, which is detected by said route achievable distance detecting means; and

voice outputting means for notifying the guide message generated by said voice message generating means by voice.

14. A navigation system comprising:

map information storing means storing therein map data including road data and intersection data;

route setting means for setting a route between two points on the map data stored in said map information storing means;

present position detecting means for detecting the present position of a mobile body;

quantization computing means for generating by computation simple graphics indicating the route set by said route setting means;

peripheral road retrieving means for retrieving a connection to a peripheral road between the present position of the mobile body detected by said present position detecting means based on the route set by said route setting means and a corresponding route for the peripheral road from the map data stored in said map information storing means; and

display means for displaying the peripheral road retrieved by said peripheral road display means together with the present position of the mobile body detected by said present position detecting means and the simple graphics generated by said quantization computing means, indicating the route set by said route setting means, which route is located in the vicinity of the present position of the mobile body.

15. The navigation apparatus according to claim 14, wherein a program for detecting the peripheral road up to the route set by said route setting means is stored on an external storage medium and said peripheral road retrieving means executes a process for retrieving the peripheral road extending from the present position to the route, based on the program read from said external storage medium.

16. A navigation system comprising:

map information storing means storing therein map data including road data and intersection data;

route setting means for setting a route between two points on the map data stored in said map information storing means;

present position detecting means for detecting the present position of a mobile body;

quantization computing means for generating by computation simple graphics indicating the route set by said route setting means;

peripheral target extracting means for extracting already-known target existing around the present position of the mobile body detected by said present position detecting means, based on the map data stored in said map information storing means; and

display means for displaying the known target extracted by said peripheral target extracting means together with the present position detected by said present position detecting means and the simple graphics generated by said quantization computing means indicating the route set by said route setting means.

17. The navigation system according to claim 16, wherein a program for extracting the known target is stored on an external storage medium and said peripheral target extracting means executes a process for retrieving the known target lying around the present position, based on the program read from said external storage medium.

18. A navigation system comprising:

map information storing means storing therein map data including road data and intersection data;

route setting means for setting a route between two points on the map data stored in said map information storing means;

present position detecting means for detecting the present position of a mobile body;

quantization computing means for quantizing the route set by said route setting means into simple graphics;

route achievable distance detecting means for detecting the route set by said route setting means and for detecting an achievable distance between the present position of the mobile body detected by said present position detecting means and said route; and

display means for displaying thereon the achievable distance to the route, which is detected by said route achievable distance detecting means, together with the present position of the mobile body, which is detected by said present position detecting means and for displaying the route which is located in the vicinity of the present position of the mobile body and which is quantized by said quantization computing means;

wherein the route available detecting means detects a minimum linear distance between the present position of the mobile body and said route.