System and method for navigation

• US 7,729,854 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Muramatsu, Toshiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby; Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US11/316,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20060142939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 Days
• Field of Search: 701207-213, 3409951-99523
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968

Abstract

A navigation system performs route guidance with map information, which is suited for use in navigating a vehicle or other movable object. The system includes a user interface in which starting point and destination are input to a service provider. A service provider determines the route between the starting point and destination and generates driving directions and map images for one or more turning points along the routes. Map images near the turning points are displayed to the user, along with the driving directions for each turning point. A mark indicating the position of the vehicle itself is superimposed on the map image that is displayed to the driver.

Claims

1. A navigation system for guiding a movable body from a starting point to a destination, comprising:

(a) a user interface adapted to accept information pertaining to the destination and the starting point;

(b) a route computing module in communication with the user interface and adapted to generate a route from the starting point to the destination, and to generate guidance information including a prescribed site for at least the destination and each point where route changes occur;

(c) an image data generation module adapted to generate a map image for each prescribed site of a prescribed range around the prescribed site and an expanded range map image of each intermediate route including consecutive prescribed sites at each end of the intermediate route in a travel direction of the route;

(d) a position information acquisition module that outputs the position of the movable body;

(e) a display image generation module responsive to the position information acquisition module to superimpose on the map image an indicia indicating the position of the movable body when the movable body is within the prescribed range of the prescribed site and to superimpose on the expanded range map image an indicia indicating the position of the movable body when the movable body is outside of both prescribed sites included in the expanded range map image; and

(f) a display adapted to display the guidance information, the map image, the expanded range map image and the superimposed indicia, each image displayed singly and in a sequential order.

2. The navigation system of claim 1, further comprising:

a server including the route computing module, the image data generation module, and a memory on which is stored the guidance information; and

a terminal device that moves with the movable body, and that includes the position information acquisition module, the display image generation module and the display;

wherein the server device determines the route for guiding the movable body and generates the guidance information and the map and expanded range map images pertaining to the route based on the information pertaining to the destination and starting point input via the user interface; and

the terminal device displays the guidance information, the map and expanded range map images, and the superimposed indicia to indicate the position of the movable body.

3. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein the server and the terminal device are connected to each other via a communication network;

the information pertaining to the destination and the starting point of the movable body is input from the terminal device via the communication network to the server; and

the guidance information and the map and expanded range map images generated in the server are transmitted via the communication network from the server to the terminal device.

4. The navigation system of claim 2, further comprising:

a computing device connected to the server via the communication network and including the user interface;

a receiver adapted to receive via the communications network the guidance information and the map and expanded range map images generated by the server; and

a recording device adapted to store on a portable recording medium the guidance information and the map and expanded range map images received from the server;

wherein the terminal device is further adapted to receive guidance information and the map and expanded range map images via the portable recording medium.

5. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the prescribed site is at a center of each map image.

6. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the route computing module is further adapted to include map image position information in each map image;

and the display image generation module is further adapted to superimpose the indicia in a location in at least one map image based on the position of the movable body and the map image position information contained in that map image.

7. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the display is adapted to display at least one of the map image and the expanded range map image with the route highlighted.

8. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the display is adapted to display at least one of the map image and the expanded range map image with at least one symbol superimposed on the route indicating the direction of travel.

9. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the display is further adapted to display a symbol indicating the prescribed change in direction of travel direction for at least one prescribed site where the course of the movable body on the route should be changed based on the guidance information.

10. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the guidance information includes text information pertaining to at least one prescribed site where the course of the movable body should be changed based on the route;

and the display is further adapted to display the text information for at least one prescribed site.

11. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the guidance information includes text information pertaining to at least one prescribed site where the course of the movable body should be changed based on the route;

and further comprising a voice synthesizer that outputs the text information.

12. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the guidance information includes voice data pertaining to at least one prescribed site where the course of the movable body should be changed based on the route;

and further comprising a player that outputs the voice data.

13. A navigation system for guiding a movable object from a starting point to a destination, comprising:

(a) input means for inputting information pertaining to the destination and the starting point;

(b) route determining means for determining a route from the starting point to the destination;

(c) guidance information generating means for generating guidance information for guidance along the determined route, the guidance information including one or more prescribed sites on the route in addition to the prescribed site defined by the destination, map image information for prescribed ranges around each prescribed site on the route, and expanded range map image information for intermediate routes, each intermediate route including consecutive prescribed sites at each end of the intermediate route;

(d) movable body position determining means for determining the position of the movable body;

(e) movable body position superimposing means for superimposing on the map image information an indicia indicating the position of the movable body when the movable body is within the prescribed range of the map image information and for superimposing on the expanded range map image information an indicia indicating the position of the movable body when the movable body is outside of the prescribed ranges for those of the prescribed sites included in the expanded range map image information; and

(f) display means for sequentially displaying the map image information and the expanded range map image information, each with the superimposed indicia to indicate the position of the movable body.

14. A method for navigating a movable object from a starting point to a destination, comprising:

(a) inputting the information pertaining to the destination and starting point;

(b) using a database of map information, computing a route for the moving body from the starting point to the destination point;

(c) determining at least one prescribed site, other than a prescribed site defined by the destination point, that is along the route and occurs where the course of the moving body will change;

(d) generating for each prescribed site a map image for an area within a prescribed range of the prescribed site;

(e) generating for each intermediate route between consecutive prescribed sites an expanded range map image including an intermediate route and the consecutive prescribed sites at each end of the intermediate route;

(f) determining the location of the movable body; and

(g) if the movable body is within the prescribed range of the prescribed site, displaying the map image with an indicia superimposed on the map image to indicate the location of the movable body; and

(h) if the movable body is outside of the prescribed range of the prescribed site, displaying the expanded range map image containing the prescribed site and the next sequential prescribed site with an indicia superimposed on the expanded range map image to indicate the location of the movable body.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a server remote from the moving body computes the route, determines the prescribed site and generates the map and expanded range map images;

and

a terminal device that is borne by the movable body inputs the information pertaining to the destination and starting point, determines the location of the movable body and displays the map and expanded range map images.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting the information pertaining to the destination and the starting point from the terminal device to the server via a communications network; and

transmitting the map and expanded range map images from the server to the terminal device via the communications network.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

storing on portable recording media the prescribed sites, map image and expanded range map image generated by the server; and

inputting the prescribed sites, map image and expanded range map information to the moving body device from the portable recording media.

18. A server for generating information for navigating a movable body from a starting point to a destination, comprising:

(a) an input to receive the starting point and destination;

(b) memory on which is stored map image information and route information;

(c) a route computing module in communication with the input and the memory, and adapted to generate a route from the starting point to the destination; and

to generate guidance information for guidance along the route, the guidance information including at least one prescribed site on the route other than a prescribed site defined by the destination; and

(d) an image data generation module adapted to generate a map image for each prescribed site of a prescribed range around the prescribed site and to generate an expanded range map image for each intermediate route, each intermediate route including one of the prescribed sites at a first end thereof and a second one of the prescribed sites at a second end thereof, the second one of the prescribed sites subsequent to the one of the prescribed sites along a travel direction of the route.

19. A movable body terminal device for use in a navigation system that guides a movable body along a route from a starting point to a destination, comprising:

(a) a receiver adapted to receive guidance information for the route, including at least one prescribed site other than a prescribed site defined by the destination, map image information for an area within a prescribed range around the prescribed site and expanded range map image information of each intermediate route including consecutive prescribed sites at each end of the intermediate route;

(b) a position information acquisition module that outputs the position of the movable body;

(c) a display image generation module responsive to the position information acquisition module to superimpose on the map image information an indicia indicating the position of the movable body when the movable body is within the prescribed range of the prescribed site and to superimpose on the expanded range map image information the indicia when the movable body is outside of the prescribed ranges of both the prescribed sites at each end of the intermediate route; and

(d) a display adapted to sequentially display the map image information and the expanded range map image information, each with the superimposed indicia to indicate the position of the movable body along the route.

20. A computer program product comprising computer-readable medium having a control logic stored therein for causing a computer to accept as input a starting point and a destination;

to determine a route from the starting point to the destination using map data, which route includes a prescribed site for each route change opportunity; and

to generate guidance information including map image information for each prescribed site of an area within a prescribed range of the prescribed site and including expanded range map image information of each intermediate route including consecutive prescribed sites at each end of the intermediate route.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the route change opportunity is centered within the prescribed range of the map image.

22. A computer program product implemented in a terminal device for use in a navigation system that guides a movable body along a route from a starting point to a destination, comprising a computer-readable medium having a control logic stored therein for causing a computer to:

accept as input guidance information for the route from the destination to the starting point, map image information for at least one area within a prescribed range around at least one prescribed site on the route and for an area within a prescribed range around a prescribed site defined by the destination, and expanded range map image information of each intermediate route including consecutive prescribed sites at each end of the intermediate route;

accept as input the position of the movable body;

superimpose on the map image information an indicia indicating the position of the movable body when the movable body is within the prescribed range of the prescribed site and on the expanded range map image information when the movable body is outside of the prescribed range of the prescribed site and has not yet reached the prescribed range of the next prescribed site; and

display the map image information and the indicia and the expanded range map image information and the indicia in sequence based on a travel direction of the route.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the control logic causes the computer to determine the position in the map image information on which the indicia is superimposed based on the position of the movable body and additional information indicating the position of the map image that is appended to the map image information.

24. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein the control logic causes the computer to display the map image information with the route highlighted.

25. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein the control logic causes the computer to display one or both of the map image information and the expanded map image information with symbols superimposed on the route indicating the moving body'"'"'s direction of movement.

26. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein the control logic causes the computer to display a symbol for indicating the change in direction of travel along the route.

27. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein the control logic causes the computer to display text information pertaining to the route for at least one prescribed site on the route where the course of the movable body on the route should be changed based on the route.

28. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein the guidance information includes text information pertaining to at least one prescribed site that is a turning point, wherein the control logic causes the computer to generate a signal adapted to instruct a voice synthesizer to output the text information.

29. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein the guidance information includes voice data pertaining to at least one prescribed site that is a turning point, wherein the control logic causes the computer to generate a signal adapted to instruct a player to output the voice data.