Navigation apparatus

• US 7,206,695 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2002
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company), Nippon Seiki Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company), Nippon Seiki Company Limited
• Inventors: Morita, Hiroyuki, Kawada, Shinichi, Murohashi, Eiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Behncke; Christine M.
• Application Number:
  US10/474,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20040128061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,590 Days
• Field of Search: 701/212, 701/206, 701/210, 340/995.17, 340/995.15, 340/995.27, 340/995.24, 340/995.2, 340/995.14
• US Class Current: 701/210
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence

Abstract

A current place indicating icon a for indicating the current place of a user, a used road image b for indicating a used road being followed by the user, an option road image c for indicating an option road connected to the used road and located in front of the current place in the traveling direction, and a way point indicating icon d set by the user and located in front of the current place in the traveling direction are displayed in the screen X of a display unit 7.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

a processor and a display unit, characterized in that a current place indicating icon for indicating the current place of a user, a used road image for indicating a used road being followed by the user, an option road image for indicating an option road connected to said used road and located in front of said current place in the traveling direction, in a display shape different from that of said used road image, and a way point indicating icon for indicating a way point set by said user and located in front of said current place in the traveling direction are displayed in a common screen;

in that said way point indicating icon moves toward a predetermined portion of the screen, as said current place approaches said way point, and stands still at said predetermined portion; and

in that said current place indicating icon then moves on said used road image toward said way point indicating icon.

2. A navigation system as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that, in case the distance between said current place and said way point comes within a predetermined distance, the way point indicating icon is fixed and displayed at a predetermined portion of said screen.

3. A navigation system as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that, when said current place passes through said way point, said current place indicating icon is displayed at the indication of said way point passage until a predetermined time period or a predetermined distance passes.

4. A navigation system as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that, in case said current place departs from said used road, a locus image indicating a history of said current place is displayed at the back of said current place indicating icon.

5. A navigation system as set forth in claim 4, characterized in that the display mode of said screen of the case, in which said current place deviates from said used road, is different from that of the case, in which said user is moving on said used road.

6. A navigation system comprising:

a processor and a display unit, characterized in that a current place indicating icon for indicating the current place of a user, a used road image for indicating a used road being followed by the user, an option road image for indicating an option road connected to said used road and located in front of said current place in the traveling direction in a display shape different from that of said used road image, and a way point indicating icon for indicating a way point set by said user and located in front of said current place in the traveling direction are displayed in a common screen,

wherein when said current place departs from said used road, a locus image indicating a history of said current place is displayed at the back of said current place indicating icon, and

the display mode of said screen when said current place deviates from said used road is different from that when said user is moving on said used road.