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

• US 6,842,693 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2002
• Issued: 01/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Increment P Corporation, Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Increment P Corporation, Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Nagamune, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US10/208,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20030028314A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 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 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/03 Cooperating elements; Interaction or communication between different cooperating elements or between cooperating elements and receivers

Abstract

A communication navigation system includes a server that transmits route guidance information to terminal units via a communication network, and a transmitter/receiver, provided in each terminal unit, for transmitting specification data that specifies a type of necessary route guidance information, to the server via the communication network. The server transmits only the route guidance information of the type specified by the specification data, to the terminal unit.

Claims

1. A communication navigation system that comprises a navigation terminal and a server, the server comprising a map database and transmitting route guidance information via a communication network to the navigation terminal using map data stored in the map database and using current position data of the navigation terminal,

wherein the navigation terminal comprises:

an input device for inputting type designation data for designating one of a high-function type and a turn-by-turn type of route guidance information; and

an information specifying device which transmits identification information including the type designation data for specifying the route guidance information, and

wherein the server further comprises;

a route guidance information transmitting device which transmits route guidance information associated with the identification information which is transmitted from the navigation terminal.

2. A communication navigation method for use in a communication navigation system that comprises a navigation terminal and a server, the server comprising a map database and transmitting via a communication network route guidance information to the navigation terminal using map data stored in the map database and using current position data about the navigation terminal, the communication navigation method comprising:

an input process at the navigation terminal for inputting type designation data for designating one of a high-function type and a turn-by-turn type of route guidance information;

an information specifying process at the navigation terminal for transmitting identification information including the type designation data for specifying the route guidance information; and

a route guidance information transmitting process at the server for transmitting the route guidance information associated with the identification information which is transmitted from the navigation terminal.

3. A route guidance information transmitting apparatus that executes a communication navigation method for transmitting route guidance information to a navigation terminal via a communication network,

wherein the communication navigation method comprises

a route guidance information transmitting process for transmitting the route guidance information to the navigation terminal, and

the route guidance information is associated with identification information which is transmitted from the navigation terminal and includes type designation data for designating one of a high-function type and a turn-by-turn type of route guidance information.

4. A navigation system comprising:

a navigation terminal; and

a server for transmitting route guidance information to the navigation terminal via a communication network, wherein

the navigation terminal comprises a transmitting device for transmitting a route guidance request to the server over the communication network, the route guidance request including terminal identification data identifying the navigation terminal, and

the server comprises a receiving device for receiving the route guidance request including the terminal identification data from the navigation terminal, a processing system for processing the received route guidance request to generate route guidance information that is responsive to the route guidance request and to determine one of a high-function type and a turn-by-turn type of route guidance information to transmit to the navigation terminal based on the terminal identification data, and a transmitting device for transmitting to the navigation terminal the route guidance information that is responsive to the route guidance request and is of the determined type of route guidance information.

5. The navigation system according to claim 4, further comprising:

a storage device that is part of or accessible to, the processing system of the server, the storage device storing data that designates the type of route guidance information to be transmitted to the navigation terminal,

wherein the processing system determines the type of route guidance information to be transmitted to the navigation terminal based on the data stored in the storage device.

6. The navigation system according to claim 5, wherein the navigation terminal further comprises an input device for inputting data designating one of the high-function type and the turn-by-turn type of route guidance information to be sent to the navigation terminal, the transmitting device of the navigation terminal transmits the input data to the server and the processing system of the server stores the received input data in the storage device and subsequently accesses the stored input data to determine the type of route guidance information to transmit to the navigation terminal.

7. The navigation system according to claim 4, wherein the navigation terminal comprises a vehicle navigation terminal.

8. The navigation system according to claim 4, wherein the high-function type of route guidance information comprises intersections, intersection names and sign information and the turn-by-turn type of route guidance information is limited to turn-by-turn information.

9. A server for a navigation system comprising:

a receiving device for receiving a route guidance request from a navigation terminal, wherein the route guidance request includes terminal identification data identifying the navigation terminal;

a processing system for processing the received route guidance request to generate route guidance information that is responsive to the route guidance request and to determine one of a high-function type and a turn-by-turn type of route guidance information to transmit to the navigation terminal based on the terminal identification data; and

a transmitting device for transmitting to the navigation terminal the route guidance information that is responsive to the route guidance request and is of the determined type of route guidance information.

10. A process for use in a navigation system comprising a navigation terminal and a server, the process comprising:

transmitting a route guidance request to the server over a communication network, wherein the route guidance request includes terminal identification data identifying the navigational terminal;

receiving the route guidance request at the server;

processing the route guidance request at the server to generate route guidance information that is responsive to the route guidance request and to determine one of a high-function type and a turn-by-turn type of route guidance information to transmit to the navigation terminal based on the terminal identification data; and

transmitting from the server to the navigation terminal the route guidance information that is responsive to the route guidance request and is of the determined type of route guidance information.