Communications type navigation device

• US 6,873,905 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2002
• Issued: 03/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Xanavi Informatics Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.), Opnext Japan, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Endo, Yoshinori, Matsuo, Shigeru, Nakamura, Kozo, Machii, Kimiyoshi, Ishida, Takaharu, Tanaka, Katsuaki, Morioka, Michio, Yamaashi, Kimiya
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US10/100,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20040204829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 701/202, 701/211, 701/209, 701/24, 701/212, 701/208, 701/200, 701/201, 340/995, 340/990, 340/988, 340/953, 340/994, 340/460, 704/275, 704/246, 704/270, 704/274
• US Class Current: 701/202
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096816 where the complete route is transmitted to the vehicle at once
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096866 where the complete route is shown to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA

Abstract

There is provided a communications-type car navigation system including a vehicle-mounted terminal and a server. When transferring, to the terminal, the result of a route searching which the server has performed, the server transfers the data that will satisfy the requirements of a route guiding method which the user wishes. Also, the server transfers the route data that has been compressed. Concerning the map data as well, the server transfers only the necessary attributes thereof. Moreover, the following conditions allow the operability to be enhanced: the selection of a map transferring method and the route guiding method where the driving state has been taken into consideration, and the selection of a guiding unit which the user wishes.

Claims

1. A communications-type navigation device, comprising:

a position measuring unit which measures a position of a self-terminal device;

a destination place setting unit which sets destination place information;

a communicator which performs transmission/reception of map data including at least one of wide area map data and detailed map data with an information center;

a route guide which performs route guidance to said destination place; and

a driving state monitor which monitors a driving state of a self-vehicle,

wherein said communicator transmits, to said information center, present place information obtained by said position measuring unit, said destination place information as set by said destination place setting unit and download area information, which is modified dynamically depending on the driving state of the self-vehicle indicated by said driving state monitor, to download a larger area of map data when the self-vehicle is operated at high speed, and receives route information and guiding point information up to said destination place which have been transmitted from said information center, and

wherein said route guide includes a judging unit which judges whether or not said self-terminal device has deviated from said route from said received route information and said position information measured by said position measuring unit, and a determining unit which determines, if said self-terminal device is judged to have deviated, whether or not to request said information center to perform a route calculation to said destination place according to an input to a prompt by a user in correspondence with said driving state detected by said driving state monitor.

2. The communications-type navigation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said route guide includes said judging unit whether or not said self-terminal has deviated from said route from said received route information and said position information measured by said position measuring unit, and judging unit, if said self-terminal is judged to have deviated, whether or not said self-terminal is in an on-run state, and for prohibiting, if said self-terminal is in said on-run state, said route calculation to said destination place from being requested to said information center.

3. The communications-type navigation device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said route guide further includes judging unit that said self-vehicle has changed from said on-run state into a stop state so as to confirm a user as to whether or not to request said information center to perform said route calculation to said destination place.

4. The communications-type navigation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said route guide provides a mode of automatically requesting said information center to perform said route calculation to said destination place when said self-terminal has deviated from said route, and a mode of confirming a user as to whether or not to request said information center to perform said route calculation to said destination place when said self-terminal has deviated from said route.

5. The communications-type navigation device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a voice outputting unit and voice recognizing unit,

wherein said route guide talks to a user, with a voice, as to whether or not to request said information center to perform said route calculation to said destination place when said self-terminal has deviated from said route, and recognizes a user instruction by said voice recognizing unit, and determines, from said recognized result, whether or not to request said information center to perform said route calculation to said destination place.

6. A communications-type navigation device, comprising:

a communicator which performs transmission/reception of data;

a storage which stores said received data; and

a map display which displays a map,

wherein said communicator transmits, to an information center, a map request for specifying position information, scale information, and download area information, which is modified dynamically depending on a driving state of a vehicle, to download a larger area of the map when the vehicle is operated at high speed, said storage stores map data transmitted from said information center, said map display displaying said stored map data.

7. A communications-type navigation device comprising:

a communicator which performs transmission/reception of map data;

a storage which stores said received data which include at least one of wide area map data and detailed map data;

a map display which displays a map,

a map requesting unit which issues a map information request to said information center; and

a driving state judging unit which differentiates a driving state of a vehicle,

wherein said map requesting unit determines whether or not to communicate said map request according to an input to a prompt by a user in correspondence with said driving state of said vehicle acquired by said driving state judging unit, and

wherein said communicator transmits, to an information center, a map request for specifying position information, scale information and downloaded area information, which is modified dynamically depending on the driving state of said vehicle indicated by said driving state judging unit, to download a larger area of the map when said vehicle is operated at high speed, said storage stores said map data transmitted from said information center, and said map display displays said stored map data.

8. The communications-type navigation device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said map requesting unit judges whether or not said driving state of said vehicle acquired by said driving state judging unit is an on-run state, said map requesting unit prohibiting said map request if said driving state is said on-run state.

9. The communications-type navigation device as claimed in claim 8, wherein said map requesting unit determines whether or not to issue said map request if said driving state of said vehicle has changed to a stop state.

10. The communications-type navigation device as claimed in claim 8, wherein, if said vehicle state is said on-run state and if a map needed for displaying an equally-scaled map on a present place'"'"'s periphery has been not stored in said storing means, said map display displays a wide-area map stored in said storing means.

11. The communications-type navigation device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said communicator makes a comparison between an updating time-and-date of said map information recorded in said storing means and an updating time-and-date of map information corresponding to the same map recorded in said information center, and thereby monitors whether or not said map information has been updated.

12. The communications-type navigation device as claimed in claim 11, wherein said comparison is made between said updating time-and-date of said map in said information center and said updating time-and-date of said stored map, and, if said map in said information center is judged to have been updated, said map updating is notified with a picture or a voice.

13. The communications-type navigation device as claimed in claim 12, wherein, if said map in said information center has been updated, differential information of said updated map is received, and said map information is updated from said map information recorded in said storing means and said differential information.

14. The communications-type navigation device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said map display stores said map acquired by said communicator and, if map information at a predetermined position is requested, said means judges whether or not said map information has been stored in said storing means, said means, if stored, reading out said map information from said storing means, and if not stored, requesting said map to said information center.

15. The communications-type navigation device as claimed in claim 14, wherein said storing means judges whether or not there exists a storage area for storing said received map information and, if said storage area is judged to be lacking, said storing means deletes already existing map information therein in a sequence starting from its oldest reference time-and-date, and stores said received map information.

16. The communications-type navigation device as claimed in claim 7, wherein, said communicator transmits, to said information center, said map request for a map in a predetermined area including a predetermined point, and receives a data size of said map transmitted from said information center, said communicator also calculating, from said received data size, a communications fee needed for said communications, and outputting said communications fee with a voice or an image.

17. The communications-type navigation device as claimed in claim 7, wherein, said communicator transmits, to said information center, said map request for a map in a predetermined area including a predetermined point and measures its transmitted data amount, and receives said map information transmitted from said information center and measures its received data amount, and outputs, with a voice or an image, a communications fee needed for said communications from said transmitted data amount and said received data amount measured.