Navigation device

• US 6,259,989 B1
• Filed: 09/23/1999
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Kusama, Toshiki
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US09/381,698
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 701/20, 701/201, 701/208-213, 701/23, 340/995, 340/990, 340/928, 340/988, 342/42, 705/417, 705/418
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3605 Destination input or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968

Abstract

The present invention is a navigation device comprising a map data base which stores map data relating to each target geographical point and a display data base which distinguishes between named intersections and general roads and expressways at the geographical point and stores display data for display. The attributes of roads entering the target intersection at the target geographical point are determined, display data stored in the display data base corresponding to the attributes of the determined roads are acquired and named intersections at the target geographical point are displayed based on acquired display data. In this way, it is easy for the user to understand named intersections of the expressway.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

a map data base which records map data relating to each target geographical point;

a display data base which distinguishes between the name of an intersection of general roads and the name of an intersection of expressways at a target geographical point and stores display data for their display;

a determination device which determines an attribute of a road entering a target intersection at the target geographical point;

a display data acquisition device which acquires display data stored in said display data base depending on the attribute of a road determined by said determination device; and

a display device which displays an intersection name at said target geographical point based on display data acquired by said display data acquisition device.

5. A navigation system as defined by claim 1, wherein said attribute of a road corresponds to whether a road is a general road or an expressway.

6. A navigation system as defined by claim 1, wherein said display data includes one of color, size, and shape of said intersection name depending on the attribute of a road determined by said determining device.

2. A navigation device comprising:

a map data base which records map data relating to each target geographical point;

a display data base which distinguishes between destination names relating to general roads and destination names relating to expressways at a target geographical point and stores display data for their display;

a determination device which makes a determination on whether a destination name at said target geographical point is related to a general road or whether it is related to an expressway;

a display data acquisition device which acquires display data stored in said display data base depending on the determination made by said determination device; and

a display device which displays a destination name at said target geographical point based on display data acquired by said display acquisition device.

7. A navigation system as defined by claim 2, wherein said display data includes one of color, size, and shape of said destination name depending on the determination made by said determining device.

3. A navigation device which comprises:

a map data base which stores map data related to a target geographical point;

a toll data base which stores expressway toll data;

a determination device which determines whether the present position has passed an entrance or is approaching an exit toll collection point of an expressway;

an identification data recording device which records said entrance identification data when a present position is determined to have passed an expressway entrance by said determination device;

an expressway toll calculation device which calculates an expressway toll based on expressway toll data recorded in said toll data base from exit toll collection point identification data and said recorded entrance identification data when it is determined by said determination device that the present position is approaching an exit toll collection point; and

a display device which displays an expressway toll calculated by said expressway toll calculation device.

4. A navigation device as defined by claim 3, further comprising a toll data acquisition device which acquires corresponding expressway toll data from said toll data base when it is determined that the target geographical point is an expressway entrance toll collection point, and

wherein said display device displays said acquired toll data.

8. A navigation device as defined by claim 3, wherein said expressway toll data includes method of payment for a toll collection point, and

wherein said display device displays said method of payment for a toll collection point.

9. A navigation device as defined by claim 3, wherein said expressway toll data includes whether a toll collection point is for right- or left-hand drive cars, and

wherein said display device displays whether a toll collection point is for right- or left-hand drive cars.

10. A navigation system comprising:

a determination device which makes a determination on whether a road entering a target intersection at a target geographical point is a general road or an expressway;

a display device which displays a name of said target intersection at said target geographical point based on display data depending on the determination made by said determination device.

11. A navigation system as defined by claim 10, wherein said display data includes one of color, size, and shape of said intersection name depending on the determination made by said determination device.

13. A navigation system as defined by claim 10, wherein said display data includes one of color, size, and shape of said destination name depending on the determination made by said determination device.

12. A navigation device comprising:

a determination device which makes a determination on whether a destination name at a target geographical point is related to a general road or an expressway;

a display device which displays a destination name at said target geographical point based on display data depending on the determination made by said determination device.

14. A navigation device comprising:

a determination device which determines whether the present position of a vehicle is approaching a toll collection point;

an identification data recording device which records identification data of a toll collection point when a present position is determined to have passed the toll collection point by said determination device;

a toll calculation device which calculates a toll based on said toll collection point identification data when it is determined that the present position is approaching said toll collection point;

a display device which displays the expressway toll calculated by said expressway toll calculation device.

15. A navigation device as defined by claim 14, further comprising a toll data base which stores toll data corresponding to a plurality of toll collection points,

wherein said toll calculation device calculates the toll based on toll data corresponding to said toll collection point identification.

16. A navigation device as defined by claim 14 further comprising a map data base which stores map data related to a target geographical point.

17. A navigation device as defined by claim 16 further comprising a toll data acquisition device which acquires corresponding expressway toll data from said toll data base when it is determined that the target geographical point is a toll collection point.