Navigation system, user terminal, navigation device, and information recording method

• US 7,383,122 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2003
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Satoshi, Yamada, Kunihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US10/499,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20050065713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/201, 701/207, 701/208, 701/210, 340/990, 340/993, 340/995, 340/998, 340/995.1, 370/401, 370/480, 342/357.08, 342/357.09
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3889 Transmission of selected map data, e.g. depending on route
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3896 Transmission of map data from central databases
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096888 where input information is obtained using learning systems, e.g. history databases

Abstract

A navigation system includes a controller that compresses at least one of a plurality of information portions, each one of the plurality of information portions having a priority, wherein each of the at least one of the plurality of information portions is compressed based on its priority; and a transmitter that transmits the at least one compressed information portion to a navigation device. A navigation device includes a receiver that receives at least one of a plurality of information portions, each one of the plurality of information portions having a priority, wherein each of the at least one of the plurality of information portions is compressed based on its priority.

Claims

1. A navigation system for transmitting a plurality of information portions, the information portions including a surrounding information portion and a non-surrounding information portion, the surrounding information portion including navigation data surrounding an area containing a starting point and the non-surrounding information portion including other navigation data, the system comprising:

a controller that compresses non-surrounding information portion while maintaining the surrounding information portion uncompressed; and

a transmitter that transmits the compressed non-surrounding information portion and the uncompressed surrounding information portion to a navigation device.

2. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the controller and the transmitter are included in an information center.

3. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the controller and the transmitter are included in a user terminal.

4. The navigation system of claim 3, wherein the user terminal is connected to an information center over a network.

5. The navigation system of claim 4, wherein the information center provides the plurality of information portions to the controller in the user terminal.

6. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the non-surrounding information portion includes a plurality of information sub-portions.

7. The navigation system of claim 6, wherein the non-surrounding information portion includes at least a route-surrounding information sub-portion and a non-route-surrounding information sub-portion.

8. The navigation system of claim 7, wherein the controller compresses the route-surrounding information sub-portion and the non-route-surrounding information sub-portion at respectively different compression rates.

9. The navigation system of claim 8, wherein a compression rate of the non-route-surrounding information sub-portion is higher than a compression rate of the route-surrounding information sub-portion.

10. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of information portions includes map data.

11. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of information portions includes route guidance data including a searched for route.

12. A navigation device, comprising:

a receiver that receives a plurality of information portions, wherein the plurality of information portions includes a surrounding information portion and a non-surrounding information portion, the surrounding information portion including navigation data surrounding an area containing a starting point and the non-surrounding information portion including other navigation data, and the surrounding information portion and the non-surrounding information portion are each; and

a controller that decompresses the surrounding information portion before the non-surrounding information portion.

13. The navigation device of claim 12, wherein a compression rate of the non-route-surrounding information sub-portion is higher than a compression rate of the route-surrounding information sub-portion.

14. The navigation device of claim 12, wherein the non-surrounding information portion includes a plurality of information sub-portions.

15. The navigation device of claim 12, wherein, when an ignition switch is turned on, the controller first decompresses the surrounding information portion and second decompresses the non-surrounding information portion.

16. The navigation device of claim 12, wherein the controller decompresses the surrounding information portion as soon as it is received by the receiver and decompresses the non-surrounding information portion when an ignition switch of a vehicle is turned on.

17. The navigation device of claim 12, further comprising a present position detector that detects a current position, wherein the controller determines whether each of the plurality of information portions is the surrounding information portion based on position information included within each of the plurality of information portions and the current position.

18. The navigation device of claim 12, further comprising a present position detector that detects a current position, wherein the controller determines whether each of the plurality of information portions is nearby non-surrounding information based on position information included within each of the plurality of information portions and the current position and the controller successively decompresses nearby non-surrounding data as the current position is updated.

19. The navigation device of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of information portions includes map data.

20. The navigation device of claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of information portions includes route guidance data including a searched for route.

21. The navigation device of claim 15, wherein the controller decompresses the non-surrounding information portion after a vehicle starts traveling.

22. The navigation device of claim 14, wherein the non-surrounding information portion includes at least a route-surrounding information sub-portion and a non-route-surrounding information sub-portion.

23. The navigation device of claim 22, wherein, when an ignition switch is turned on, the controller first decompresses the surrounding information portion, second decompresses the route-surrounding information sub-portion, and third decompresses the non-route-surrounding information sub-portion.

24. A method for transmitting a plurality of information portions to a navigation device, the information portions including a surrounding information portion and a non-surrounding information portion, the surrounding information portion including navigation data surrounding an area containing a starting point and the non-surrounding information portion including other navigation data, the method comprising:

compressing the non-surrounding information portion while maintaining the surrounding information portion uncompressed; and

transmitting the compressed non-surrounding information portion and the uncompressed surrounding information portion to the navigation device.

25. A method for receiving information in a navigation device, comprising:

receiving a plurality of information portions, wherein the plurality of information portions includes a surrounding information portion and a non-surrounding information portion, the surrounding information portion including navigation data surrounding an area containing a starting point and the non-surrounding information portion including other navigation data, and the surrounding information portion and the non-surrounding information portion are each compressed priority; and

decompressing the surrounding information portion before the non-surrounding information portion.

26. A navigation system for transmitting a plurality of information portions, the information portions including a surrounding information portion and a non-surrounding information portion, the surrounding information portion including navigation data surrounding an area containing a starting point and the non-surrounding information portion including other navigation data, the system comprising:

a first controller that compresses both the surrounding information portion and the non-surrounding information portion;

a transmitter that transmits the compressed information portions to a navigation device;

a receiver that receives the compressed information portions; and

a second controller that decompresses each of the compressed information portions;

wherein the second controller decompresses the surrounding information portion before the non-surrounding information portion.

27. The navigation system of claim 26, wherein the receiver is in the navigation device.

28. The navigation system of claim 27, wherein the second controller is in a navigation device.

29. The navigation system of claim 26, wherein the first controller and the transmitter are included in an information center.

30. The navigation system of claim 26, wherein the first controller and the transmitter are included in a user terminal.

31. The navigation system of claim 30, wherein the user terminal is connected to an information center over a network.

32. The navigation system of claim 26, wherein each of the plurality of information portions includes map data.

33. The navigation system of claim 26, wherein at least one of the plurality of information portions includes route guidance data including a searched for route.