Navigation system

• US 6,850,838 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2002
• Issued: 02/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Morita, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US10/074,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20020152019A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 701/207, 701/204, 701/209, 701/213, 701/300, 701/301, 701/302, 701/715, 701/214, 701/211, 701/216, 342/357.01, 342/357.06, 342/357.08, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 342/357.12, 342/450
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

To provide a navigational system which allows each user to easily recognize the relative positional relationship with other navigational systems. The navigational system includes a positional information generating section for detecting current position and generating positional information. A transmitting/receiving section is provided for transmitting a first positional information and receiving positional information from other navigational systems. A storage section stores the positional information of the other navigational systems. A relative position determining section is provided for determining a relative positional relationship including a relative distance between the navigational system and the other navigational systems on the basis of the positional information of the navigational system and the other navigational systems. A display panel displays the relative positional relationship.

Claims

1. A navigational system for detecting a current position to generate positional information, comprising:

transmitting means for transmitting positional information of said navigational system;

receiving means for receiving positional information of other navigational systems;

relative position determining means for determining a relative positional relationship including a relative distance between said navigational system and said other navigational systems on the basis of the positional information of said navigational system and said other navigational systems; and

display means for displaying said relative positional relationship, and said display means also displaying identification information corresponding to said other navigational systems when a distance between said navigational system and said other navigational systems has exceeded a predetermined limit distance set by an operator.

2. The navigational system according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting means transmits identification information of said navigational system along with said positional information thereof, said receiving means receives the positional information of said other navigational systems along with said identification information thereof, and said display means displays said relative positional relationship between said navigational system and said other navigational systems along with said identification information of said other navigational systems.

3. The navigational system according to claim 1, and further comprising an alarm generating means for generating an alarm signal when said relative positional relationship between said navigational system and said other navigational systems becomes a predetermined relationship.

4. The navigational system according to claim 2, and further comprising an alarm generating means for generating an alarm signal when said relative positional relationship between said navigational system and said other navigational systems becomes a predetermined relationship.

5. The navigational system according to claim 3, wherein said alarm generating means generates an alarm signal when said relative distance between said navigational system and said other navigational systems has exceeded said predetermined limit distance.

6. The navigational system according to claim 4, wherein said alarm generating means generates an alarm signal when said relative distance between said navigational system and said other navigational systems has exceeded said predetermined limit distance.

7. The navigational system according to claim 3, and further comprising a reference position detecting means for detecting a predetermined reference position on the basis of the positional information of said navigational system and said other navigational systems, wherein said alarm generating means generates an alarm signal when a relative distance between said reference position and a current position of said navigational system has exceeded said predetermined limit distance.

8. The navigational system according to claim 4, and further comprising a reference position detecting means for detecting a predetermined reference position on the basis of the positional information of said navigational system and said other navigational systems, wherein said alarm generating means generates an alarm signal when a relative distance between said reference position and a current position of said navigational system has exceeded said predetermined limit distance.

10. The navigational system according to claim 4, and further comprising a reference position detecting means for detecting a predetermined reference position on the basis of the positional information of said navigational system and said other navigational systems, wherein said alarm generating means generates an alarm signal when a relative distance between a current position of any one of said other navigational systems and said reference position has exceeded said limit distance.

11. The navigational system according to claim 3, wherein said alarm generating means generates an alarm signal when a relative distance between said navigational system and any one of said other navigational systems that is nearest to said navigational system has exceeded said predetermined limit distance.

12. The navigational system according to claim 4, wherein said alarm generating means generates an alarm signal when a relative distance between said navigational system and any one of said other navigational systems that is nearest to said navigational system has exceeded said predetermined limit distance.

13. The navigational system according to claim 3, wherein said alarm generating means generates an alarm signal when a relative distance between the navigational system which heads in a progress direction and the navigational system which trails in the progress direction has exceeded said limit distance.

14. The navigational system according to claim 4, wherein said alarm generating means generates an alarm signal when a relative distance between the navigational system which heads in a progress direction and the navigational system which trails in the progress direction has exceeded said limit distance.

15. The navigational system according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting means and said receiving means transfer said positional information via a base station.

16. The navigational system according to claim 2, wherein said transmitting means and said receiving means transfer said positional information via a base station.

17. The navigational system according to claim 3, wherein said transmitting means and said receiving means transfer said positional information via a base station.

18. The navigational system according to claim 4, wherein said transmitting means and said receiving means transfer said positional information via a base station.

9. A navigational system for detecting a current position to generate positional information, comprising:

transmitting means for transmitting positional information of said navigational system;

receiving means for receiving positional information of other navigational systems;

relative position determining means for determining a relative positional relationship including a relative distance between said navigational system and said other navigational systems on the basis of the positional information of said navigational system and said other navigational systems;

reference position detecting means for detecting a predetermined reference position on the basis of the positional information of said navigational system and said other navigational system, and display means for displaying said relative positional relationship.

19. The navigational system according to claim 9, wherein said display means displays identification information corresponding to said other navigational systems when a distance between said navigational system and said other navigational systems has exceeded a predetermined limit distance, the predetermined limit distance being set by an operator of the navigational system.