Route guiding explanation device and route guiding explanation system

• US 6,577,950 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2001
• Issued: 06/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Shimazu, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Donnelly, Arthur D.
• Application Number:
  US09/755,867
• Publication Number:
  US 20010007968A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 701/211, 701/200, 701/201, 701/202, 701/206, 701/207, 701/208, 701/213, 340/990, 340/995, 342/357.3, 345/173, 345/121
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence

Abstract

To provide a route guiding explanation device capable of adding or changing route information data or the like by general users without requiring any CPU of high-level function and any large number of memories. A destination absolute position storing portion stores latitude and longitude information of a destination converted by a destination absolute position converting portion. A present location neighboring landmark storing portion selects and stores a landmark name which is a most nearest to the latitude and longitude information of the present location absolute position storing portion. A destination neighboring landmark storing portion selects and stores the landmark name which is a most nearest to the latitude and longitude information of the destination absolute position storing portion. A landmark section travel explanation renewing portion regards a value of the present location neighboring landmark storing portion as a starting point landmark and the value of the destination neighboring landmark storing portion as a destination landmark and takes out the explanations from the landmark section travel explanation storing portion and renews the explanations for a driver.

Claims

1. A route guiding explanation device for guiding a route to a destination as instructed while in traveling, comprising:

landmark absolute position storing means for storing a pair of a landmark as a mark while in traveling and its absolute position;

landmark section travel explanation storing means for storing route explanations on how to travel from a starting point landmark as a starting point to a destination landmark as the destination;

first detecting means for detecting the landmark which is a most nearest to a present location from said landmark absolute position storing means;

second detecting means for detecting the landmark which is a most nearest to said destination from said landmark absolute position storing means; and

explanation renewing means for obtaining and informing route explanations from said landmark section travel explanation storing means based on each detecting result of the first and the second detecting means.

2. The route guiding explanation device according to claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining means for obtaining absolute position information of said present location; and

converting means for converting said destination into an absolute position.

3. The route guiding explanation device according to claim 2, wherein said first detecting means is configured so as to calculate distances between the absolute position of said present location obtained by said obtaining means and the absolute positions of each landmark in said landmark absolute position storing means and to detect the landmark which is a most nearest to the absolute position of said present location.

4. The route guiding explanation device according to claim 2, wherein said second detecting means is configured so as to calculate distances between the absolute position of said destination converted by said converting means and the absolute positions of each landmark in said landmark absolute position storing means and to detect the landmark which is a most nearest to the absolute position of said destination.

5. The route guiding explanation device according to claim 1, wherein said explanation renewing means regards the landmark detected by said first detecting means as the starting point landmark and the landmark detected by said second detecting means as a destination landmark and to take out and renew corresponding route explanations from said landmark section travel explanation storing means.

6. The route guiding explanation device according to claim 1, wherein said route explanations comprises at least either of voices and text data.

7. The route guiding explanation device according to claim 1, further comprising:

landmark adding means for adding a name and its absolute position of relevant landmark to said landmark absolute position storing means at the time of inputting an addition of a new landmark as instructed; and

explanation adding means for adding route explanations to said landmark section travel explanation storing means at the time of inputting route explanations between relevant landmark and the other landmark.

8. The route guiding explanation device according to claim 1, further comprising correcting means for updating corresponding route explanations in said landmark section travel explanation storing means by corrected route explanations at the time of inputting corrections of said route explanations as instructed.

9. A route guiding explanation system, comprising:

a server device for storing route guiding information to a destination as instructed while in traveling; and

a navigation device for guiding a route by obtaining said route guiding information from said server device,

wherein said server device is provided with;

landmark absolute position storing means for storing a pair of the landmark as a mark while in traveling and its absolute position; and

landmark section travel explanation storing means for storing route explanations on how to travel from the starting point landmark as a starting point and to the destination landmark as a destination, and

wherein first detecting means for detecting the landmark which is the most nearest to the present location from said landmark absolute position storing means, second detecting means for detecting the landmark which is the most nearest to said destination from said landmark absolute position storing means and explanation renewing means for obtaining and informing route explanations from said landmark section travel explanation storing means based on each detecting result of said first and second detecting means are provided for said navigation device.

10. The route guiding explanation system according to claim 9, wherein said navigation device includes:

obtaining means for obtaining an absolute position information of said present location; and

converting means for converting said destination into an absolute position.

11. The route guiding explanation system according to claim 10, wherein said first detecting means is configured so as to calculate distances between the absolute position of said present location obtained by said obtaining means and the absolute positions of each landmark in said landmark absolute position storing means and to detect the landmark which is a most nearest to said present location.

12. The route guiding explanation system according to claim 11, wherein said second detecting means is configured so as to calculate distances between the absolute position of said destination converted by said converting means and the absolute positions of each landmark in said landmark absolute position storing means and to detect the landmark which is a most nearest to the absolute position of said destination.

13. The route guiding explanation system according to claim 9, wherein said explanation renewing means is configured so as to regard the landmark detected by said first detecting means as the starting point landmark and the landmark detected by said second detecting means as a destination landmark and to take out and renew corresponding route explanations from said landmark section travel explanation storing means.

14. The route guiding explanation system according to claim 9, wherein said route explanations comprises at least either of voices and text data.

15. The route guiding explanation system according to claim 9, wherein said server device includes:

landmark adding means for adding a name and its absolute position of a relevant landmark to said landmark absolute position storing means at the time of inputting the addition of the new landmark as instructed; and

explanation adding means for adding the route explanations to said landmark section travel explanation storing means at the time of inputting the route explanations between relevant landmark and the other landmark.

16. The route guiding explanation system according to claim 9, further comprising correcting means for updating corresponding route explanations in said landmark section travel explanation storing means by corrected route explanations at the time of inputting the correction of said route explanations as instructed.

17. The route guiding explanation system according to claim 9, further comprising a radio network in which said server device and said navigation device are connected by a radio.