Communication navigation system, communication navigation method, terminal unit, and route guidance information transmitting apparatus

• US 6,778,901 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2002
• Issued: 08/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Increment P Corporation, Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Increment P Corporation, Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Miyahara, Hiroshi, Nagamune, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US10/208,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20030028313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 701/202, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 340/995.12, 340/995.19, 340/995.2
• US Class Current: 701/202
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B

Abstract

A communication navigation system includes a server that transmits items of route guidance information to terminal units via a communication network such as the Internet, a processing subsystem, provided in each terminal unit, for determining whether or not the items of route guidance information from the server are necessary, a display subsystem for performing guidance using only one or more items of route guidance information determined to be necessary by the processing subsystem, and a speech output subsystem.

Claims

1. A communication navigation system that performs navigation, using map data stored in a map database site and current position data about navigation terminals, by transmitting the map data to the navigation terminals via a communication network, the communication navigation system comprising:

a route guidance information transmitting device which transmits items of route guidance information including map data displayed when route guidance is performed to each of the navigation terminals via the communication network;

a determining device, provided at each of the navigation terminals, which determines whether or not the items of route guidance information transmitted by the route guidance information transmitting device are necessary; and

a guidance device which performs guidance using only one or more items of route guidance information determined to be necessary by the determining device.

2. The communication navigation system according to claim 1, further comprising an input device which accepts an input of one or more of the items of route guidance information to be determined to be necessary by the determining device.

3. The communication navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the route guidance information transmitting device transmits displayed map data which covers a predetermined place to each of the navigation terminals via the communication network.

4. A communication navigation method for performing navigation, using map data stored in a map database site and current position data about navigation terminals, by transmitting the map data to the navigation terminals via a communication network, the communication navigation method comprising:

a route guidance information transmitting process for transmitting items of route guidance information including map data displayed when route guidance is performed to each of the navigation terminals via the communication network;

a determining process, performed by each of the navigation terminals, for determining whether or not the items of route guidance information transmitted by the route guidance information transmitting process are necessary; and

a guidance process for performing guidance using only one or more items of route guidance information determined to be necessary by the determining process.

5. The communication navigation method according to claim 4, further comprising an input process for accepting an input of one or more of the items of route guidance information to be determined to be necessary by the determining process.

6. The communication navigation method according to claim 4, wherein the route guidance information transmitting process transmits displayed map data which covers a predetermined place to each of the navigation terminals via the communication network.

7. A navigation terminal that executes a communication navigation method for performing navigation, using map data stored in a map database site and current position data about the navigation terminal, by receiving the map data via a communication network, the navigation terminal comprising:

a determining device which determines whether or not items of route guidance information, which include map data displayed when route guidance is performed, transmitted by a route guidance information transmitting device are necessary, the route guidance information transmitting device being in the map database site and transmitting the items of route guidance information to the navigation terminal via the communication network; and

a guidance device which performs guidance using only one or more items of route guidance information determined to be necessary by the determining device.

8. The navigation terminal according to claim 7, further comprising an input device for accepting an input of one or more of the items of route guidance information to be determined to be necessary by the determining device.

9. The navigation terminal according to claim 7, wherein the determining device determines whether or not the items of route guidance information, which includes displayed map data which covers a predetermined place, transmitted by the route guidance information transmitting device are necessary.

10. A route guidance information transmitting device that executes a communication navigation method for performing navigation, using map data stored in a map database site and current position data about navigation terminals, by transmitting the map data to the navigation terminals via a communication network, wherein

the route guidance information transmitting device transmits items of route guidance information including map data displayed when route guidance is performed to each of the navigation terminals via the communication network, the navigation terminals comprising:

a determining device for determining whether or not the items of route guidance information transmitted by the route guidance information transmitting device are necessary; and

a guidance device for performing guidance using only one or more items of route guidance information determined to be necessary by the determining device.

11. A terminal for a navigation system, comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting a map request to a server;

a receiver for receiving map display information communicated from the server in response to the map request;

a processing system for executing a guidance process of the terminal, the processing system identifying map display information in the received map display information that is necessary for the guidance process and processing the necessary map display information; and

a display for displaying one or more maps based on the processing of the necessary map display information by the processing system during the guidance process.

12. The terminal according to claim 11, wherein the identifying of necessary map display information by the processing system is based on whether the map display information is used by the guidance process.

13. The terminal according to claim 11, further comprising:

an input device operable by a terminal user for inputting data designating certain map display information as necessary,

wherein the processing system uses the inputted data to identify the necessary map display information.

14. A terminal for a navigation system, comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting a route guidance request to a server;

a receiver for receiving route guidance information communicated from the server in response to the route guidance request, the route guidance information being communicated in blocks each of which includes size data indicative of the size of the route guidance information in the block and type data indicative of the type of route guidance information in the block;

a processing system for checking the type data of each of the received blocks to determine if the block is a necessary block for a guidance process and, if not, using the size data of the block to skip to a next received block; and

a display for displaying route guidance information based on the blocks of route guidance information determined by the processing system to be necessary blocks.

15. The terminal according to claim 14, further comprising:

an input device operable by a terminal user for inputting type data designating one or more types of route guidance information,

wherein the processing system compares the input type data with the type data of each received block to determine whether the received block is a necessary block for the guidance process.

16. The terminal according to claim 14, wherein the size data and the type data are contained in fixed-size fields of the blocks.

17. The terminal according to claim 14, wherein the route guidance information comprises a map.

18. The terminal according to claim 14, wherein the transmitter, the receiver, the processing system and the display are embodied in an in-vehicle terminal.

19. The terminal according to claim 14, wherein the transmitter, the receiver, the processing system and the display are embodied in a portable terminal.

20. The terminal according to claim 14, wherein the transmitter, the receiver, the processing system and the display are embodied in a personal digital assistant.

21. The terminal according to claim 14, wherein the transmitter, the receiver, the processing system and the display are embodied in a wireless telephone.

22. A navigation system, comprising:

a server; and

a terminal comprising;

a transmitter for transmitting to the server a route guidance request;

a receiver for receiving route guidance information communicated over a communication network from the server in response to the route guidance request, the route guidance information being communicated in blocks each of which includes size data indicative of the size of the route guidance information in that block and type data indicative of the type of route guidance information in that block;

a processing system for checking the type data of each of the received blocks to determine if the block is a necessary block for a guidance process and, if not, using the size data of the block to skip to a next received block; and

a display for displaying route guidance information based on the blocks of route guidance information determined by the processing system to be necessary blocks.