Navigation apparatus using radio communication device

• US 6,236,338 B1
• Filed: 12/29/1998
• Issued: 05/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamada, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Application Number:
  US09/222,499
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/990, 340/995, 340/639, 340/994, 455/517, 455/524, 455/425, 455/404, 455/422, 455/566, 455/551, 455/433, 455/432, 455/552, 701/212, 701/210, 701/208, 379/909, 379/211, 379/204, 379/903, 379/908, 380/266
• US Class Current: 340/995.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services

Abstract

When a radio communication device inputs a target place, it receives information of a radio control apparatus at the target place and those on the route from a database or a radio control apparatus. Upon reception of identification information of the radio control apparatus, the radio communication device compares it with the information of the radio control apparatus, and notifies the comparison result, thereby confirming its current position.

Claims

1. A radio communication device comprising:

reception means for receiving map information from a radio control apparatus, the map information being defined by a control range of one of the radio control apparatus and another radio control apparatus;

display means for performing a display operation on the basis of the map information.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the map information represents a map of an area around the radio control apparatus.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising speech communication means for performing a speech communication by radio.

4. A radio communication system comprising having a radio control apparatus and a radio communication device,

wherein said radio control apparatus comprising:

first reception means for receiving an instruction signal for instructing transmission of map information; and

first transmission means for transmitting map information in accordance with the instruction signal received by said first reception means, the transmitted map information being defined by a control range of one of the radio control apparatus and another radio control apparatus, and

said radio communication device comprises;

second transmission means for transmitting the instruction signal;

second reception means for receiving the map information transmitted from said radio control apparatus; and

display means for performing a display operation on the basis of the map information.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the map information represents a map of an area around said radio control apparatus.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein said radio communication device further comprises speech communication means for performing a speech communication by radio.

7. The system according to claim 4, wherein said radio control apparatus is connected to a database for managing the map information, and further comprises third reception means for receiving the map information from the database upon reception of the instruction signal.

8. The system according to claim 4, wherein said radio control apparatus further comprises storage means for storing the map information.

9. A control method for a radio communication device, comprising:

the reception step of receiving map information from a radio control apparatus, the map information being defined by a control range of one of the radio control apparatus and another radio control apparatus; and

the display step of displaying the map information.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the map information represents a map of an area around the radio control apparatus.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the radio communication device can also perform a speech communication by radio.

12. A control method for a radio communication system comprising having a radio control apparatus and a radio communication device,

wherein the radio control device comprises:

the first reception step of receiving an instruction signal for instructing transmission of map information; and

the first transmission step of transmitting the map information in accordance with the instruction signal received in the reception step, the transmitted map information being defined by a control range of one of the radio control apparatus and another radio control apparatus, and

the radio communication device comprises;

the second transmission step of transmitting the instruction signal;

the second reception step of receiving the map information transmitted from the radio control apparatus; and

the display step of performing a display operation on the basis of the map information.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the map information represents a map of an area around the radio control apparatus.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the radio communication device can perform a speech communication by radio.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the radio control apparatus is connected to a database for managing the map information, and further comprises the third reception step of receiving the map information from the database upon reception of the instruction signal.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the radio control apparatus stores the map information.

17. A database apparatus which is connected to a radio control apparatus for controlling a radio communication device, and stores map information on the basis of a control range of said radio control apparatus, comprising:

reception means for receiving an instruction signal from said radio control apparatus in accordance with an instruction from said radio communication device; and

transmission means for transmitting the map information to said radio control apparatus in accordance with the instruction signal.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the map information is stored on the basis of identification information of said radio control apparatus.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the instruction signal includes at least identification information of the radio control apparatus.

20. A control method for a database apparatus which is connected to a radio control apparatus for controlling a radio communication device, and stores map information on the basis of a control range of the radio control apparatus, comprising:

the reception step of receiving an instruction signal from the radio control apparatus in accordance with an instruction from the radio communication device; and

the transmission step of transmitting the map information to the radio control apparatus in accordance with the instruction signal.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the map information is stored on the basis of identification information of the radio control apparatus.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein the instruction signal includes at least identification information of the radio control apparatus.

23. A radio communication device utilizable in a system having a plurality of radio apparatuses, said radio communication device comprising:

reception means for receiving map information in accordance with a radio control apparatus which is communicating with the radio communication device; and

display means for performing a display operation on the basis of the map information.

24. The device according to claim 23, wherein the map information represents a map of an area around the radio control apparatus.

25. The device according to claim 23, further comprising speech communication means for performing speech communication by radio.

26. A radio communication system having a plurality of radio control apparatuses used for communication with a radio communication device, each of the plurality of radio control apparatuses comprising:

reception means for receiving an instruction signal for transmission of map information from the radio communication device; and

transmission means for transmitting map information in accordance with a radio control apparatus which is communicating with the radio communication device.

27. The system according to claim 26, wherein the map information represents a map of an area around the radio control apparatus.

28. The system according to claim 26, wherein the radio communication device further comprises speech communication means for performing speech communication by radio.

29. The system according to claim 26, wherein each of the radio control apparatuses is connected to a database for managing the map information, and further comprises second reception means for receiving the map information from the database.

30. The system according to claim 26, wherein each of the radio control apparatuses further comprises storage means for storing the map information.

31. A control method for a radio communication device utilizable in a system having a plurality of radio control apparatuses, said control method comprising:

a reception step of receiving map information in accordance with a radio control apparatus which is communicating with the radio communication device; and

a display step of displaying the map information.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the map information represents a map of an area around the radio control apparatus.

33. The method according to claim 31, wherein the radio communication device can also perform speech communication by radio.

34. A control method for a radio communication system having a plurality of radio control apparatuses used for communication with a radio communication device, said control method comprising:

a reception step of receiving an instruction signal for instructing transmission of map information from the radio communication device; and

a transmission step of transmitting the map information in accordance with a radio control apparatus which is communicating with the radio communication device.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein the map information represents a map of an area around the radio control apparatus.

36. The method according to claim 34, wherein the radio communication device can perform speech communication by radio.

37. The method according to claim 34, wherein each of the radio control apparatuses is connected to a database for managing the map information, and further comprises second reception step of receiving the map information from the database.

38. The method according to claim 34, wherein each of the radio control apparatuses stores the map information.

39. A database apparatus, which is connected to each of a plurality of radio control apparatuses, said database apparatus comprising:

storage means for storing map information in accordance with a radio control apparatus; and

transmission means for transmitting map information in accordance with a radio control apparatus which is communicating with a radio communication device.

40. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the map information is stored on the basis of identification information of the radio control apparatus.

41. A control method for a database apparatus which is connected to each of a plurality of radio control apparatuses and stores map information in accordance with the radio control apparatus, said control method comprising:

a reception step of receiving an instruction signal which is output from a radio communication device to a radio control apparatus; and

a transmission step of transmitting map information in accordance with the radio control apparatus which is communicating with the radio communication device in a case where the instruction signal has been received.

42. The method according to claim 41, wherein the map information is stored on the basis of identification information of the radio control apparatus.