Navigation system and output controlling method therefor

• US 7,493,215 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2007
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Xanavi Informatics Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kamiwaki, Tadashi, Tanaka, Katsuaki, Fukuda, Yoshibumi, Atarashi, Yoshitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Broadhead; Brian J
• Application Number:
  US11/657,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20070233378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 754 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/45, 701/211, 340/995.1, 340/995.14, 340/995.26
• US Class Current: 701/211
• 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 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3688 Systems comprising multiple parts or multiple output devices (not client-server), e.g. detachable faceplates, key fobs or multiple output screens

Abstract

A technology for preventing a driver from being distracted even if a navigation operates on an input device in the rear seat. A navigation system, connected to a combination of an output/input devices of a driver and to a combination of an output device and an input device of a fellow passenger, comprises a setting information storage unit storing setting information indicating whether or not information generated is to be output to the output device of the driver and an output processing unit, to the output device of the driver according to the setting information read from the setting information storage unit. When operation information enters from the input device of the fellow passenger, the setting information, stored in the setting information storage unit for the processing, changes to the information indicating that information is not output to the output device of the driver.

Claims

1. A navigation system, connected to a combination of a first output device and a first input device and to a combination of a second output device and a second input device, for performing processing indicated by operation information from said input devices and for outputting information, generated by the processing, onto said output devices, said navigation system comprising:

first setting information storage means that stores setting information indicating whether or not the information generated by the processing is to be output to said first output device;

second setting information storage means that stores setting information indicating whether or not the information generated by the processing is to be output to said second output device;

first output processing means that outputs the information, generated by the processing, to said first output device according to the setting information read from said first setting information storage means;

second output processing means that outputs the information, generated by the processing, to said second output device according to the setting information read from said second setting information storage means, and

setting means,

wherein, when the operation information is entered from said second input device, said setting means changes the setting information, stored in said first setting information storage means, to a setting that does not output the information generated by the processing indicated by the entered operation information.

2. A navigation system, connected to a combination of a first output device and a first input device and to a combination of a second output device and a second input device, for performing processing indicated by operation information from said input devices and for outputting information, generated by the processing, onto said output devices, said navigation system comprising:

a plurality of frame buffers including a frame buffer in which an image is drawn for displaying the information generated by the processing indicated by the operation information;

first setting information storage means that stores a correspondence between each of said plurality of frame buffers and setting information indicating whether or not an image drawn in each of said plurality of frame buffers is to be output to said first output device;

second setting information storage means that stores a correspondence between each of said plurality of frame buffers and setting information indicating whether or not an image drawn in each of said plurality of frame buffers is to be output to said second output device;

first output processing means that superimposes the image drawn in each of said plurality of frame buffers according to the setting information read from said first setting information storage means and outputs the superimposed image onto said first output device;

second output processing means that superimposes the image drawn in each of said plurality of frame buffers according to the setting information read from said second setting information storage means and outputs the superimposed image onto said second output device; and

setting means,

wherein, when the operation information is entered from said second input device, said setting means changes the setting information to a setting that does not output the superimposed image to said first output device, said setting information being stored in said first setting information storage means, said setting information corresponding to a frame buffer in which an image is drawn for displaying information corresponding to the entered operation information.

3. The navigation system according to claim 2,

wherein, when the operation information is entered from said first input device, the setting information is changed to a setting that does not output the superimposed image to said second output device, said setting information being stored in said second setting information storage means, said setting information corresponding to a frame buffer in which an image is drawn for displaying information generated by the processing indicated by the operation information.

4. The navigation system according to claim 3, further comprising:

management information storage means that stores a correspondence between each of said plurality of frame buffers and operation device information, said operation device information indicating an input device from which operation information used to generate the information drawn in each of said plurality of buffers is entered,

wherein, when the operation information is entered from said first input device, said setting means sets the operation device information to information indicating said first input device, said operation device information being stored in said management information storage means, said operation device information corresponding to a frame buffer in which an image for displaying information for the entered operation information is drawn,

when the operation information is entered from said second input device, said setting means sets the operation device information to information indicating said second input device, said operation device information being stored in said management information storage means, said operation device information corresponding to a frame buffer in which an image for displaying information for the entered operation information is drawn,

when the operation information is entered from said first input device, said setting means reads the operation device information and, if the operation device information that has been read is information indicating said second input device, does not perform processing requested by the entered operation information, said operation device information being stored in said management information storage means, said operation device information corresponding to a frame buffer in which an image for displaying information for the entered operation information is drawn, and

when the operation information is entered from said second input device, said setting means reads the operation device information and, if the operation device information that has been read is information indicating said first input device, does not perform processing requested by the entered operation information, said operation device information being stored in said management information storage means, said operation device information corresponding to a frame buffer in which an image for displaying information generated by processing indicated by the operation information is drawn.

5. An output control method for use by a navigation system, connected to a combination of a first output device and a first input device and to a combination of a second output device and a second input device, for performing processing indicated by operation information from said input devices and for outputting information, generated by the processing, onto said output devices, said navigation system comprising:

first setting information storage means that stores setting information indicating whether or not the information generated by the processing is to be output to said first output device;

second setting information storage means that stores setting information indicating whether or not the information generated by the processing is to be output to said second output device;

first output processing means that outputs the information, generated by the processing, to said first output device according to the setting information read from said first setting information storage means; and

second output processing means that outputs the information, generated by the processing, to said second output device according to the setting information read from said second setting information storage means,

wherein, when the operation information is entered from said second input device, said output control method comprises the step of changing the setting information, stored in said first setting information storage means, to a setting that does not output the information generated by the processing indicated by the entered operation information.