Navigation device, method and program

• US 7,818,122 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2004
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Inventors: Tobiyama, Hiroyuki, Takahashi, Masato, Yahiro, Takao
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu; Yonel
• Application Number:
  US10/558,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20070179711A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,342 Days
• Field of Search: 701200-202, 701/211, 701/25, 701/28, 340/988, 340/995.1, 340/995.19, 340/995.24
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence

Abstract

A navigation device, method, and program provides output information on service facilities that exist on a road such as an expressway. A display provides a map in a general road display mode that includes facilities such as general roads, family restaurants, and convenience stores, and also can display a highway mode. The highway mode can be a predetermined expressway display mode which displays expressways and facilities on the expressways, and combines a single map focusing mainly on expressways so that the expressways can be easily recognized along with vehicle moving images. A searching and outputting portion searches for a predetermined number of facility information items of a desired type of element facility from the road map data in accordance with a provided predetermined operation, and outputs the information items when the present location is in the expressway display mode, and an element facility exists ahead on the expressway.

Claims

1. A navigation device which displays a present location, searches for and guides on a route to a destination, on the basis of a prepared road map and data of facilities, wherein the navigation device comprises:

searching and outputting unit for searching for and outputting a predetermined number of facility information items of a desired type of element facility included in facilities existing ahead on an expressway, when the present location is on an expressway, from the data of facilities in accordance with a predetermined operation performed; and

a predetermined key for user activation wherein, the searching and outputting unit is configured to simultaneously output two or more of the facilities including facility information of two or more element facilities automatically together with related information of element facilities including a name of element facility, a distance from the present location and a required time period from the present location, when operating the predetermined key for displaying information on desired types of element facilities on an already displayed map in the highway mode.

2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the searching and outputting unit is configured to display only the facility information of the element facility which exists before getting off the expressway, when the facility information is set as a target for searching and outputting, in the case in which the route to a destination is set.

3. The navigation device according to claim 2, further comprising an input portion, which enables the user to input information into a receiving selection to designate a target for searching and outputting from among a plurality of types of element facilities.

10. The navigation device according to claim 1, further causing a computer to receive a selection of a target for searching and outputting from among a plurality of types of element facilities.

13. The navigation device according to claim 1, further including configuring the searching and outputting means to set a plurality of types of moving image patterns representative of driving patterns based on a speed of a vehicle.

4. A navigation method of displaying a present location on a display unit, searching for and guiding on a route to a destination with a computer, on the basis of a prepared road map and data of facilities, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

searching and outputting a predetermined number of facility information items of a desired type of element facility included in the facilities existing ahead on an expressway, when a present location is on an expressway, from data of facilities in accordance with a predetermined operation to be performed, and wherein the computer executes a process of simultaneously outputting two or more of the facilities including facility information of two or more element facilities together with related information of element facilities including a name of an element facility, a distance from the present location and a required time period from the present location, when a user operates a predetermined key for displaying information on desired types of element facilities on an already displayed map in the highway mode.

5. The navigation method according to claim 4, wherein the process of searching and outputting is configured to display only the facility information of the element facility which exists before getting off the expressway when the facility information items are set as a target for searching and outputting, in the case in which the route to a destination is set.

6. The navigation method according to claim 5, further comprising the process of receiving a selection of the target for searching and outputting from among a plurality of types of element facilities.

11. The navigation method according to claim 4, further comprising the process of receiving a selection of a target for searching and outputting from among a plurality of types of element facilities.

14. The navigation method according to claim 4, further including enabling the user to set a plurality of types of moving image patterns representative of driving patterns based on a speed of a vehicle.

7. A computer readable medium storing a navigation program which controls a computer to display a present location, search for and guide a route to a destination on the display, on the basis of a prepared road map and data of facilities, wherein the program causes the computer to,

execute a process of searching and outputting a predetermined number of facility information items of a desired type of element facility included in the facilities existing ahead on an expressway, when the present location is on an expressway, from the data of facilities in accordance with a predetermined operation to be performed and wherein the computer is caused to execute a process of simultaneously outputting two or more of the facilities including facility information of two or more element facilities together with related information of element facilities including a name of an element facility, a distance from the present location and a required time period from the present location, when a user operates a predetermined key for displaying information on desired types of element facilities on an already displayed map in the highway mode.

8. The navigation program according to claim 7, wherein, in the process of searching and outputting, the program causes the computer to set only the facility information of the element facility existing before getting off the expressway, as a target for searching and outputting, in the case in which the route to a destination is set.

9. The navigation program according to claim 8, further causing the computer to receive a selection of the target for searching and outputting from among a plurality of types of element facilities and displaying an icon indicating that an element facility does not exist.

12. The navigation program according to claim 7, further causing the computer to receive selection of the target for searching and outputting from among a plurality of types of element facilities.