Route guidance information generating device and method, and navigation system

• US 7,092,819 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2004
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2000
• 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: Horikami, Shugo, Kawamura, Yuki, Odachi, Eriko, Ajima, Takumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US10/958,576
• Publication Number:
  US 20050049786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/208, 701/210, 701/209, 701/202, 707/4, 707/100, 707/102, 707/10, 707/104.1, 707/200, 340/995.19, 340/990, 709/217, 709/202, 709/203, 709/218, 709/219
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem

Abstract

Route guidance information capable of displaying a route can be generated in an easy-to-understand, user-friendly manner even on a small screen of a navigation system. To generate such information, route guidance information at plural guide points on the route between plural points is so constructed that each piece of route guidance information will fit in the area of one screen. Display positions of the route guidance information are brought into one-to-one correspondence with numeric keys in ascending numeric order, and into correspondence with one another through hyperlinks not accompanied by calling of another file. Each file is divided so that each piece will not exceed the file size or maximum value of the numeric keys.

Claims

1. A route guidance information generating device comprising:

a display;

a map store for storing a road network;

an input unit for entering plural points;

a search unit for taking in from said input unit information obtained from said map store to calculate a route between plural points;

a route guidance element generating unit for generating route guidance elements for route guidance on the basis of the route result calculated by said search unit; and

a route guidance information generating unit for generating route guidance information on the basis of the route guidance elements generated by said route guidance element generating unit, wherein said route guidance information generating unit generates route guidance information at plural guide points on the route between plural points as plural pieces of ordered information or information capable of fitting in one-screen display space of said display, wherein display positions of intersection names at the guide points in the route guidance information, composed of a plurality of names of intersections to pass through on the route between plural points, are brought into one-to-one correspondence with numeric key in ascending numeric order through hyperlinks.

2. The route guidance information generating device according to claim 1, wherein the route guidance information contains at least distance on each road to the next guide point.

3. The route guidance information generating device according to claim 1, wherein the route guidance information contains at least intersection names.

4. The route guidance information generating device according to claim 1, wherein the plural guide points include named intersections located at the nearest side of corresponding nameless intersections along the traveling direction as well as locations at which geographical orientations change to a considerable extent before and after intersections, Y branches and locations at which road types change.

5. The route guidance information generating device according to claim 1, wherein the route guidance information contains at least display information images, which represent with arrows traveling directions at intersections of roads.

6. The route guidance information generating device according to claim 1, wherein the route guidance information contains at least display information images, which represent with arrows directions indicative of crossing conditions at intersections of roads and traveling directions at the intersections of roads.

7. The route guidance information generating device according to claim 1, wherein the route guidance information contains at least display information images, which represent with arrows directions indicative of crossing conditions at intersections of roads, widths of the roads and traveling directions at the intersections of the roads.

8. The route guidance information generating device according to claim 1, wherein the route guidance information contains at least display information images which represent with arrows traveling directions at intersections of roads, and distance on each road to the next guide point, the distance being located at the tip of each arrow of the display information images that represent with the arrows the traveling directions.

9. The route guidance information generating device according to claim 1, wherein the route guidance information contains at least display information images which represent break lines between the guide points.

10. The route guidance information generating device according to claim 1, wherein the route guidance information contains at least any of character, image or voice information, or a combination of these pieces of information.

11. The route guidance information generating device according to claim 1, wherein a route guidance simplified map is represented by images, the map schematically synthesizing driving directions of the intersections at the plural guide points in one file, brought into one-to-one correspondence with the numeric keys, corresponding numerals are put in positions corresponding to the guide points on the route guidance simplified map, and the display positions are brought into one-to-one correspondence with the numeric keys in ascending numeric order, and into correspondence with one another thorough hyperlinks.

12. The route guidance information generating device according to claim 1, wherein the positions at which corresponding numerals are represented on the route guidance simplified map are standardized on either the right or left side of the traveling directions.

13. The route guidance information generating device according to claim 1, wherein information is created for representing the route guidance information in plural levels of hierarchy and associating the plural levels of the guidance information with one another through a hyperlink on a guide point basis.

14. The route guidance information generating device according to claim 13, wherein the route guidance information represented in the plural levels of hierarchy is divided into files dependently on the division of the next-higher level of hierarchy.

15. A route guidance information generating device comprising:

a display;

a map store for storing a road network;

an input unit for entering plural points;

a search unit for taking in from said input unit information obtained from said map store to calculate a route between plural points;

a route guidance element generating unit for generating route guidance elements for route guidance on the basis of the route result calculated by said search unit; and

a route guidance information generating unit for generating route guidance information on the basis of the route guidance elements generated by said route guidance element generating unit;

wherein said route guidance information generating unit generates route guidance information of plural guide points on the route as respective pieces of ordered information, representative of a plurality of names of intersections to pass through on the route between plural points, adapted to be displayed as a one-screen simplified display on said display, said pieces of information represented by corresponding numeric keys on the one-screen simplified display in a one-to-one correspondence through hyperlinks to respective other displays each adaptable to be displayed on the display when the numeric key corresponding to the each display is activated on the one-screen simplified display without the need to obtain further pieces of information from said route guidance information generating unit or said map store.