Navigation system

• US 6,658,352 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2001
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Akiyoshi, Abe, Yuichi, Iida, Susumu, Yoshimura, Tomoyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): LOUIS JACQUES, JACQUES H
• Application Number:
  US09/979,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20020161521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 701/213, 701/211, 701/208, 701/209, 701/212, 701/214, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995, 340/995.1, 340/995.17, 340/995.19, 342/357.15, 342/357.06, 342/357.17, 370/252, 370/332
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a navigation apparatus capable of performing a proper voice guidance even in such a case that signals transmitted from GPS satellites cannot be received, but a current location cannot be judged. The navigation apparatus of the present invention is featured by such a navigation apparatus in which signals transmitted from GPS satellites are received so as to measure a current location, the measured current location is displayed on a screen in connection with a map, a guidance route up to a destination place is set, and a guidance is notified every predetermined guidance point. In this navigation apparatus, when the signals transmitted from the GPS satellites cannot be received, if a current location is located on the guidance route, then a virtual current location is displayed in such a manner that the virtual current location is moved on the guidance route at a predetermined speed, and a guidance is notified every predetermined guidance point.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus in which signals transmitted from GPS satellites are received so as to measure a current location, the measured current location is displayed on a screen in connection with a map, a guidance route up to a destination place is set, and a guidance is notified every predetermined guidance point,

wherein, in the case that the signals transmitted from the GPS satellites cannot be received, if a current location is located on said guidance route, then a virtual current location is displayed so that the virtual current location is moved on said guidance route at a predetermined velocity, and a guidance is notified every predetermined guidance point.

2. A navigation apparatus in which signals transmitted from GPS satellites are received so as to measure a current location, the measured current location is displayed on a screen in connection with a map, a guidance route up to a destination place is set, and a guidance is notified every predetermined guidance point,

wherein, in the case that a starting point of a tunnel is detected as a current location, if the current location is located on said guidance route, then a virtual current location is displayed in such a manner that the virtual current location is moved on said guidance route at a predetermined speed, and a guidance is notified every predetermined guidance point.

3. A navigation apparatus as claimed in claim 2,

wherein the virtual current location is displayed in such a manner that said virtual current location is moved on said guidance route after an end point of the tunnel has been detected as a current location until signals transmitted from GPS satellites are received to output a calculation result of the current location, and the guidance notification is continued in response to said virtual current location.

4. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a receiver to receive signals transmitted from GPS satellites;

a processor to calculate a current location based on the GPS signals received from the receiver;

a screen coupled to the processor to display the current location in connection with a map and a guidance route up to a destination entered into the apparatus by a user; and

a circuit to notify a predetermined guidance point along the guidance route,

wherein if the signals transmitted from the GPS satellites are interrupted and if the current location is located on said guidance route, then a virtual current location in the display is moved on said guidance route at a predetermined velocity while notifying every predetermined guidance point along the guidance route.

5. The navigation apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the circuit is a voice processor to notify every predetermined guidance point along the guidance route by a voice message.

6. The navigation apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the circuit sends signals to the display to display a character for every predetermined guidance point along the guidance route.

7. The navigation apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein if the processor detects a starting point of a tunnel as the current location and if the current location is located on said guidance route, then the virtual current location is moved on said guidance route at a predetermined speed.

8. The navigation apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the virtual current location is moved along said guidance route even after an end point of the tunnel has been detected by the processor until signals transmitted from the GPS satellites are received by the receiver and the processor to calculate the current location.

9. The navigation apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:

a CD driver for sending signals to display a map in connection with the current location calculated by the processor.