Navigation system

• US 6,859,728 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2003
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kubota, Shinji, Sakamoto, Kiyomi, Nomura, Noboru
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thu V.
• Application Number:
  US10/404,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20030191585A1
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701206-209, 701/211, 701/212, 701/300, 701117-120, 340/990, 340/995, 340/996, 345/700, 345/712, 345/714, 345/716, 345/745, 345/747
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names

Abstract

A navigation system for providing different modes of navigation guidance to drivers is provided. A smart card stores user information. In a main apparatus, a parameter table storage section stores parameters which are used for controlling the outputting of navigation guidance to an entity. A control section acquires at least one parameter from the parameter table storage section based on user information stored in the smart card, and thereafter generates information necessary for providing navigation guidance for the entity in accordance with the acquired parameter(s). A display section or an audio output section outputs various information generated by the control section.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

a storage medium operable to store user information;

a parameter storage section operable to store one or more parameters used for controlling a presentation of information necessary for providing navigation guidance for an entity;

a parameter acquisition section operable to acquire at least one parameter from the parameter storage section based on the user information stored in the storage medium;

an information generation section operable to generate information necessary for providing navigation guidance for the entity and for arranging a presentation of the information being generated in accordance with the at least one parameter acquired by the parameter acquisition section;

an output section operable to output the information generated by the information generation section; and

a traffic information receiving section operable to receive traffic information representing a current traffic situation in a road network,

wherein,

the storage medium is comprised in a smart card,

the parameter storage section, the parameter acquisition section, the information generation section, and the output section are comprised in a main apparatus,

the entity is a vehicle,

the user information stored in the storage medium is an age of a bearer of an electronic driver'"'"'s license,

the parameter storage section stores at least one parameter for each range of a plurality of predetermined ranges of age or length of driving career,

the parameter acquisition section acquires, from the parameter storage section, a set of parameters associated with the age range within which falls the age stored in the storage medium or a length of driving career calculable from a date of issue stored in the storage medium,

the parameter storage section stores, for each range of the plurality of predetermined ranges of age or length of driving career, a switching period for switching the traffic information received by the traffic information receiving section,

the parameter acquisition section acquires, from the parameter storage section, the switching period associated with the range within which falls the age stored in the storage medium or the length of driving career calculable from the date of issue stored in the storage medium,

the information generation section comprises a display timing determination section operable to determine whether a time to display information has been reached or not based on the switching period acquired by the parameter acquisition section, and

if the display timing determination section determines that the time to display information has been reached, the output section displays the traffic information received by the traffic information receiving section as information.

2. A navigation system comprising:

a storage medium operable to store user information;

a parameter storage section operable to store one or more parameters used for controlling the presentation of information necessary for providing navigation guidance for an entity;

a parameter acquisition section operable to acquire at least one parameter from the parameter storage section based on the user information stored in the storage medium;

an information generation section operable to generate information necessary for providing navigation guidance for the entity and for determining an amount of information to be included in the presentation of the information being generated in accordance with the at least one parameter acquired by the parameter acquisition section;

an output section for outputting the information generated by the information generation section; and

a traffic information receiving section operable to receive traffic information representing a current traffic situation in a road network,

wherein,

the entity is a vehicle,

the user information stored in the storage medium is an age of a driver of the vehicle,

the parameter storage section stores at least one parameter for each range of a plurality of predetermined ranges of age or length of driving career,

the parameter acquisition section acquires, from the parameter storage section, a set of parameters associated with the age range within which falls the age stored in which the storage medium or a length of driving career calculable from a date of issue stored in the storage medium,

the parameter storage section stores, for each range of the plurality of predetermined ranges of age or length of driving career, a switching period for switching the traffic information received by the traffic information receiving section,

the parameter acquisition section acquires, from the parameter storage section, the switching period associated with the range within which falls the age stored in the storage medium or the length of driving career calculable from the date of issue stored in the storage medium,

the information generation section comprises a display timing determination section operable to determine whether a time to display information has been reached or not based on the switching period acquired by the parameter acquisition section, and

if the display timing determination section determines that the time to display information has been reached, the output section displays the traffic information received by the traffic information receiving section as information.