Vehicular navigation device

• US 7,181,342 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2002
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Mitsugi, Tatsuya, Matsubara, Tsutomu, Hirai, Masato, Ogawa, Kenichi, Kawahara, Kenta
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US10/485,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20040176906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,803 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/208, 701/211, 701/212, 701/214, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995.17, 340/995.18
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3611 using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs character input methods in general G06F3/0233
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09

Abstract

A vehicular navigation device for presenting a navigation content by continuing a predetermined inputting operation for navigation till the last step even if the used state changes. The navigation device comprises a presentation unit (6) for presenting a navigation content, a manual input unit (3) for receiving a plurality of inputting operations, a speech input unit (4) for receiving a speech input operation substantially identical to that of the manual input unit (3), a database (5) stored with data necessary for navigation, and a control unit (2) for providing the navigation content to the presentation unit (6) by searching the database (5) according to the inputting operation from the manual input unit (3) or the speech input unit (4). Depending on the used state of the navigation device (1), the control unit (2) switches the active state between the manual input unit (3) and the speech input unit (4) so as to continue the predetermined navigation search operation to the last step thereby to present the navigation contents.

Claims

1. A vehicle navigation system comprising:

a presentation unit presenting navigational content;

a manual input unit accepting a plurality of input operations;

a voice input unit accepting vocally input operations of substantially the same content as those of said manual input unit;

a database storing data necessary for navigation; and

a controller searching said database based on the input operations of the manual input unit or the voice input unit for presenting navigational content on said presentation unit,

wherein said controller switches an active status between said manual input unit and said voice input unit based on a usage status of said navigation system, continues predetermined input operations for navigation until a final step is reached, and presents the navigational content.

2. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 1 wherein said controller identifies the usage status of said navigation system based on whether or not the vehicle is in motion, and switches the active status between said manual input unit and said voice input unit.

3. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 2 wherein said controller forces the voice input unit to activate when a number of operations of said manual input exceeds a predetermined number while the vehicle is in motion.

4. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 1 wherein said controller switches the active status between said manual input unit and said voice input unit for mutually complementing each other between the input operations of said manual input unit and those of said voice input unit.

5. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 2 wherein, when the usage status of said navigation system indicates in-motion status, said controller displays the navigational content in an enlarged format on a display of said presentation unit.

6. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 5 wherein, when the usage status of said navigation system indicates in-motion status, said controller displays the navigational content in an enlarged, simplified format on the display of said presentation unit and, at the same time, vocally presents the displayed content.

7. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said controller includes a skip acceptance processor that skips a portion of operation steps necessary for input operations using the manual input unit when said voice input unit accepts corresponding input operations.

8. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said controller includes a reaction change processor that causes said manual input unit to change a reaction in the manual input unit according to the navigational content presented on the presentation unit when the input operations are performed using said manual input unit.

9. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 1 wherein, when the input operations are suspended for at least a predetermined length of time during the input operations of said manual input unit or said voice input unit, said controller gives vocal guidance on a next operation.

10. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 1 wherein said controller includes an interrupt controller that gives guidance on the voice input operation through an interrupt operation of the manual input unit during the input operation via said voice input unit.

11. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 1 wherein said controller switches the active status between said manual input unit and said voice input unit for controlling vehicle attachment units.

12. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 1

wherein said controller includes a plurality of media-based information collection units and

wherein said database comprises by-information databases each individually storing information in one category, said information being obtained by said media-based information collection units from a plurality of media.

13. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 12 wherein said media-based information collection units access media inside and external to the vehicle to store information in the by-information databases.

14. A vehicle navigation system comprising:

a presentation unit presenting navigational content;

an input unit accepting a plurality of input operations;

media-based information collection units each collecting information in one category from a plurality of media;

by-information databases each individually storing information collected in one category; and

a controller searching said by-information databases based on an input operation from the input unit for providing the navigational content to said presentation unit.

15. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 14 wherein said media-based information collection units access media inside and external to the vehicle to store information in the by-information databases.

16. A navigation method for a vehicle,

accepting a plurality of manual input operations;

accepting one or more vocally input operations having substantially the same content as the manual input operations;

searching a database having stored data necessary for navigation based on at least one of the manual input operations and the vocally input operations; and

presenting navigation content based upon the searching, wherein the searching further comprises continuing predetermined input operations for navigation until a final step is reacted while switching acceptable input types between the manually input operations and the vocally input operations based upon traveling conditions of a vehicle.