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Navigation apparatus

  • US 7,522,997 B2
  • Filed: 04/16/2007
  • Issued: 04/21/2009
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2006
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A navigation apparatus installed in a vehicle, comprising:

  • a display for showing information graphically;

    an input interface for receiving an instruction from an operator;

    a locator configured to identify a current position of the vehicle; and

    a controller configured to hold a plurality of first path-finding conditions to which priorities are assigned and perform;

    a first process for generating first path information based on the plurality of first path-finding conditions,a second process for generating a navigation screen including first and second path information and displaying the navigation screen on the display, anda third process for changing the priorities assigned to the plurality of first path-finding conditions based on the current position identified by the locator and generating a plurality of second path-finding conditions, whereinthe first process finds a plurality of paths from a first current position of the vehicle identified by the locator to a destination input by the operator and received through the input interface based on the plurality of first path-finding conditions respectively, and stores a path found on the basis of a top-priority first path-finding condition of the plurality of first path-finding conditions and the top priority first path-finding condition associated with each other as first path information;

    the second process acquires a second current position of the vehicle identified by the locator after the first process, stores a path from the second current position of the vehicle to the destination found based on a first path-finding condition which is not the top-priority first-path condition and the first path-finding condition which is not the top-priority first-path condition as second path information, and displays path information including at least a part of the first and second path information on the display; and

    the third process determines whether or not the second current position is on the path stored as the first path information and whether or not the second current position is on the path stored as the second path information, generates a plurality of second path-finding conditions by changing a priority assigned to the first path-finding condition stored as the second path information to a top priority and a priority assigned to the top-priority first path-finding condition to a priority other than the top priority when the second current position is not on the path stored as the first path information and is on the path stored as the second path information, and overwrites the first path information with the second path information, whereinthe controller automatically performs the second process and the third process repeatedly every time the vehicle passes a branch point of the path stored as the first path information and the path stored as the second path information.

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