Navigation system and operation guidance display method for use in this navigation system

• US 8,170,798 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2007
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Arita, Hidekazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Amee A
• Application Number:
  US12/438,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20100004850A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,799 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/400, 701/538
• US Class Current: 701/538
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers

Abstract

A navigation system according to the present invention includes a control device 1 equipped with an automatic operation management means 10 for, when acquiring an operation guidance display request which is generated by a user'"'"'s manipulation of an input device 2, making a direct transition to a final operation screen which is required to judge the user'"'"'s intention among operation screens which are developed to implement navigation, and for combining the above-mentioned final operation screen which is reduced and a corresponding operation guidance to display them on a display device 5.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

an input device for making an operation guidance display request for display of an operation guidance according to a user'"'"'s manipulation;

a display device for combining an operation guidance and a reduced operation screen corresponding to said operation guidance to display them;

a transition graph storage unit in which a series of operation screens leading to display of the final operation screen required to implement the user'"'"'s intention of the manipulation done by the user are stored in a form of graph structure;

a transition path extracting unit for referring to said transition graph storage unit, and for extracting transition paths respectively leading to nodes which construct said graph; and

a control device equipped with an automatic operation management unit, wherein every time when an initial value is set up for each of said transition paths, and an operation screen of said transition path is displayed, said automatic operation management unit counts a number of times that a corresponding operation guidance is displayed and compares said counted number of times that the operation guidance is displayed with a certain number of operation guidance display times which is predetermined as a threshold so as to judge whether said automatic operation management unit waits for the user'"'"'s selection operation or makes an automatic transition to the final operation screen.

2. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said automatic operation management unit includes:

a main control unit for carrying out development and control of operation guidances being held while being respectively associated with said nodes in turn according to a transition among said operation screens; and

a drawing and display control unit under control of said main control unit, for generating display information which is a combination of each of said operation guidances and a reduced operation screen corresponding to each of said operation guidances and sequentially updating the display information at a speed velocity which the user can recognize to display the display information on said display device.

3. An operation guidance display method for use in a navigation system which combines a reduced operation screen and a screen of an operation guidance about the operation screen to display them on a display device, and which comprises at least an input device, a storage device, a control device, and said display device, said operation guidance display method comprising the steps of:

said control device being triggered by acquisition of a request for display of an operation guidance which is generated by a user'"'"'s manipulation of said input device to refer to said storage device in which a series of operation screens leading to display of a final operation screen required to judge the user'"'"'s intention of the manipulation done by the user are stored in a form of graph structure, and to extract transition paths respectively leading to nodes which construct said graph; and

every time when an initial value is set up for each of said transition paths, and an operation screen of said transition path is displayed, said control device counting a number of times that a corresponding operation guidance is displayed and comparing said counted number of times that the operation guidance is displayed with a certain number of operation guidance display times which is predetermined as a threshold so as to judge whether said control device waits for the user'"'"'s selection operation or makes an automatic transition to the final operation screen.