Navigation apparatus and navigation method

• US 9,476,726 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2003
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company), Nippon Seiki Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company), Nippon Seiki Company Limited
• Inventors: Morita, Hiroyuki, Kawada, Shinichi, Murohashi, Eiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US10/486,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20050004746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,992 Days
• Field of Search: 701/209, 701/202, 701/207, 701/210, 701/213, 701/217, 701/400, 701/408, 701/409, 701/410, 701/420, 701/425, 701/426, 701/428, 701/430, 701/431, 701/438, 701/461, 701/468, 701/487, 701/467, 340/990, 340/995, 340/431, 340/439.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340/539.17, 340/539.16, 340/539.2, 342/357.13, 342/357.1, 342/357.14, 342/357.06, 342/357.2, 342/357.21, 342/352, 342/357.22, 342/357.25
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station

Abstract

A navigation device 10 comprises: position detecting means 11 for determining the current position of a user from the absolute position in longitude and latitude by using the electric waves coming from a plurality of artificial satellites going around the earth; storage means 14 for storing the coordinates in longitude and latitude of nodes, as obtained by setting a starting point and a final place, on a scheduled route; display means 12 for displaying the current position and the scheduled route; and control means 16 for controlling the display on the display means 12 by converting the angular data of the absolute positions and the coordinates into distance data while making corrections according to the current position, and by calculating an element between the nodes thereby to calculate whether or not the current position is on the scheduled route, in dependence upon whether or not the distance between the element and the current position is within a predetermined range.

Claims

1. A navigation device comprising:

means for determining the current position of a user using an absolute position expressed as angular data in units of degrees longitude and degrees latitude by using the electric waves coming from a plurality of artificial satellites going around the earth;

means for storing coordinates of longitude and latitude of a starting place and a final place, and coordinates of longitude and latitude of nodes, as obtained by setting said starting point and said final place, on a scheduled route, wherein the coordinates are stored as angular data in units of degrees longitude and degrees latitude;

means for displaying said current position and said scheduled route;

means for controlling the display of said means for displaying, by converting the angular data of said absolute positions and said coordinates into distance data while making corrections according to said current position, by calculating an element between said nodes to determine whether or not said current position is on said scheduled route, based on whether or not the distance between said element and said current position is within a predetermined range, and by changing a display on said means for displaying based on the calculation of whether or not the distance between said element and said current position is within said predetermined range; and

means for receiving the coordinates of longitude and latitude of said starting place and said final place, and coordinates of longitude and latitude of said nodes, from an external auxiliary device including a processor for selecting said scheduled route based on the starting place and final place.

2. A navigation method comprising:

setting a starting place and a final place;

providing the starting place and final place to an external auxiliary device including a processor;

selecting at least one scheduled route based on the provided starting place and final place using the processor of the external auxiliary device;

receiving coordinates in longitude and latitude of the starting place and the final place, and coordinates in longitude and latitude of nodes on said scheduled route, as angular data in units of degrees longitude and degrees latitude through interface means from said external auxiliary device;

storing coordinates in longitude and latitude of the starting place and the final place, and coordinates in longitude and latitude of nodes on said scheduled route, in the navigation device as angular data in units of degrees longitude and degrees latitude;

detecting an absolute position in longitude and latitude of the current position of a user by using electric waves coming from a plurality of artificial satellites going around the earth, the absolute position being expressed as angular data in units of degrees longitude and degrees latitude;

correcting the angular data of said absolute position and said coordinates according to said current position and converting the corrected angular data into distance data, and calculating an element between said nodes;

calculating whether or not said current position is on said scheduled route based on whether or not the distance between said element and said current position is within a predetermined range;

displaying said current position and said scheduled route in accordance with the calculation results; and

controlling a display based on the calculation of whether or not the distance between said element and said current position is within said predetermined range.

3. A navigation method as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that said predetermined range is varied such that it is smaller when said current position is approaching said scheduled route than when said current position is moving away from said scheduled route.