Car navigation apparatus, traffic information providing apparatus, program recording medium for car navigation apparatus, and program recording medium for traffic information providing apparatus

• US 6,546,333 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2001
• Issued: 04/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Eiichi, Ito, Masayasu, Sasaki, Makoto, Tanaka, Shigeru, Shinada, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US09/918,943
• Publication Number:
  US 20020049531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/207, 701/213, 701/214, 701/215, 340/988, 340/906, 340/907, 340/993, 340/991, 342/357.01, 342/357.03, 342/357.09, 342/357.1
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/071 DGPS corrections
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

Providing a car navigation apparatus which can always detect a position of a car with high accuracy, and can obtain traffic information in a practical manner. The car navigation apparatus according to the present invention obtains the DGPS correction data from a base station nearest the car in two-way radio communication instead of obtaining the DGPS correction data by receiving the FM broadcasting. Accordingly, the current position of the car can always be detected with high accuracy. Furthermore, the car navigation apparatus according to the present invention obtains traffic information by having access to a traffic information providing system in two-way radio communication instead of obtaining traffic information by receiving the FM broadcasting. So, the car navigation apparatus can obtain traffic information near the current position selectively or according to the priority. Accordingly, the car navigation apparatus can promptly obtain traffic information when necessary, and can obtain necessary traffic information promptly.

Claims

1. An on-vehicle navigation apparatus that detects and corrects a current position of a motor vehicle by the use of radio communication, comprising:

detection means for detecting a preliminary current position of the vehicle;

a CPU processing device for detecting at least one base station out of base stations near the detected preliminary current position of the vehicle using information of positions of a plurality of base stations which have been registered in map data in advance;

a radio transmitting device for transmitting a correction data request to the base station detected by the CPU processing device; and

a radio receiving device for receiving, in response to said request, correction data transmitted from the detected base station;

wherein a corrected current position of the vehicle is generated by correcting the preliminary current position using the correction data received by the radio receiving device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said preliminary current position of the vehicle is detected via GPS information received by the navigation apparatus, and said correction data is correction data of the differential-GPS.

3. An on-vehicle navigation apparatus that detects and corrects a current position of a motor vehicle by the use of radio communication, comprising:

detection means for detecting a preliminary current position of the vehicle;

processing means for detecting at least one base station out of base stations near the detected preliminary current position of the vehicle using information of positions of a plurality of base stations which have been registered in map data in advance;

radio transmitting means for transmitting a correction data request to the base station detected by the processing means; and

radio receiving means for receiving, in response to said request, correction data transmitted from the detected base station;

wherein a corrected current position of the vehicle is generated by correcting the preliminary current position using the correction data received by the radio receiving means.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said preliminary current position of the vehicle is detected via GPS information received by the navigation apparatus, and said correction data is correction data of the differential-GPS.

5. A method for use in an on-vehicle navigation apparatus for detecting and correcting a current position of a motor vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting a preliminary current position of the vehicle;

detecting at least one base station out of base stations near the detected preliminary current position of the vehicle using information of positions of a plurality of base stations which have been registered in map data in advance;

transmitting a correction data request to the detected base station;

receiving, in response to said request, correction data transmitted from the detected base station; and

generating a corrected current position of the vehicle by correcting the preliminary current position using the received correction data.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said preliminary current position of the vehicle is detected via GPS information received by the navigation apparatus, and said correction data is correction data of the differential-GPS.

7. A program recording medium for an on-vehicle navigation apparatus, said recording medium having recorded thereon a program to be executed by processing means of said apparatus to implement a method for detecting and correcting a current position of a motor vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting a preliminary current position of the vehicle;

detecting at least one base station out of base stations near the preliminary current position of the vehicle using information of positions of a plurality of base stations which have been registered in map data in advance;

transmitting a correction data request to the detected base station;

receiving, in response to said request, correction data transmitted from the detected base station; and

generating a corrected current position of the vehicle by correcting the preliminary current position using the received correction data.

8. The program recording medium of claim 7 wherein said preliminary current position of the vehicle is detected via GPS information received by the navigation apparatus, and said correction data is correction data of the differential-GPS.