Navigation system

• US 6,553,309 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2001
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Ohmori, Atsuo, Uchida, Toshiharu, Nagaki, Koichi, Kaneko, Michihiro, Yamauchi, Keiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Donnelly, Arthur D.
• Application Number:
  US09/774,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20010012980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 701/213, 340/998, 340/990, 340/995, 731/98.R, 345/133, 345/419, 345/427, 345/438, 345/510, 455/414, 455/418, 455/456
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3611 using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs character input methods in general G06F3/0233

Abstract

A navigation system is provided with: a present position detecting device (16, 17, 18) for detecting a present position; and a navigation device (11, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24) for performing a navigation in correspondence with the detected present position on the basis of map data. The navigation system is also provided with a menu controlling device (11, 25, 26) for controlling a menu display of the navigation by using menu information capable of being updated.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

a present position detecting device for detecting a present position;

a navigation device for performing a navigation in correspondence with the detected present position on the basis of map data;

a menu controlling device for controlling a menu display of the navigation by using menu information capable of being updated; and

wherein the menu information is composed by a user.

2. A navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said menu controlling device controls the menu display of the navigation by using another menu information set and fixed in advance, in addition to the menu information capable of being updated.

3. A navigation system according to claim 2, wherein said navigation system further comprises a menu selection device adapted to select one of the menu information, which is set and fixed in advance, and the menu information capable of being updated, as the menu information to be used for the menu display.

4. A navigation system according to claim 3, wherein said menu selection device is adapted to select one of a plurality of menu information each capable of being updated, as the menu information to be used for the menu display.

5. A navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said navigation system further comprises a reading device, to which an external record medium recorded with the menu information capable of being updated is set, for reading the menu information from the external record medium.

6. A navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said navigation system further comprises a wireless communication device for receiving the menu information capable of being updated from an external portion.

7. A navigation system according to claim 6, wherein

the menu information capable of being updated is reserved on an internet, and

said wireless communication device receives the menu information capable of being updated by connecting to the internet.

8. A navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said navigation system further comprises an operation device adapted to issue an operation command of the navigation in accordance with the menu display.

9. A navigation system according to claim 8, wherein

said navigation system further comprises an operation history memory for storing an operation history of said operation device, and

said menu controlling device controls the menu display on the basis of the operation history.

10. A navigation system according to claim 9, wherein

the menu information has such a data structure that the operation command is assigned to respective one of a plurality of hierarchies of the menu display, and

said menu controlling device changes an hierarchy of the operation command on the basis of the operation history.

11. A navigation system according to claim 10, wherein said menu controlling device judges the number of times of operations for each operation command on the basis of the operation history, changes the operation command for which the number of times of the operation is larger to a higher hierarchy and changes the operation command for which the number of times of the operation is smaller to a lower hierarchy.

12. A navigation system according to claim 11, wherein said menu controlling device sets a display character string accompanying the menu display with respect to each operation command, and changes the display character string when changing the operation command to the higher or lower hierarchy.

13. A navigation system according to claim 1,

wherein the menu information is described by a format corresponding to a hyper text.

21. A navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the menu information includes positional information for a facility.

22. A navigation system according to claim 21, wherein the navigation device sets a destination based on the positional information, and performs the navigation.

14. A navigation system comprising:

a present position detecting device for detecting a present position;

a navigation device for performing a navigation in correspondence with the detected present position on the basis of map data;

a menu information memory for storing a plurality of menu information corresponding to a plurality of different menus;

a menu selection device adapted to select a desirable menu information from among the plurality of menu information;

a menu controlling device for controlling a menu display of the navigation by using the selected desirable menu information; and

wherein the menu information is composed by a user.

15. A navigation system according to claim 14, wherein said menu selection device displays a menu selection screen including titles of the plurality of menu information stored in said menu information memory.

16. A navigation system according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of menu information include menu information capable of being updated.

17. A navigation system according to claim 16, wherein a layout of a menu in the menu information capable of being updated is capable of being updated.

18. A navigation system according to claim 16, wherein a character string of a menu in the menu information capable of being updated is capable of being updated.

19. A navigation system according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of menu information include menu information corresponding to a menu whose theme is a specific event.

20. A navigation system according to claim 19, wherein the menu whose theme is the specific event includes an item related to a facility of an event place.

23. A navigation system comprising:

a present position detecting device for detecting a present position;

a navigation device for performing a navigation in correspondence with the detected present position on the basis of map data;

a menu controlling device for controlling a menu display of the navigation by using menu information capable of being updated; and

wherein the menu controlling device updates the menu display based on an operational history by a user.

24. A navigation system comprising:

a present position detecting device for detecting a present position;

a navigation device for performing a navigation in correspondence with the detected present position on the basis of map data;

a menu information memory for storing a plurality of menu information corresponding to a plurality of different menus;

a menu selection device adapted to select a desirable menu information from among the plurality of menu information;

a menu controlling device for controlling a menu display of the navigation by using the selected desirable menu information; and

wherein the menu controlling device updates the menu display based on an operational history by a user.