Navigation system

• US 20020161521A1
• Filed: 11/14/2001
• Published: 10/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Tottori Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Akiyoshi, Abe, Yuichi, Iida, Susumu, Yoshimura, Tomoyuki
• Granted Patent: US 6,658,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a navigation apparatus capable of performing a proper voice guidance even in such a case that signals transmitted from GPS satellites cannot be received, but a current location cannot be judged.

That is to say, the navigation apparatus of the present invention is featured by such a navigation apparatus in which signals transmitted from GPS satellites are received so as to measure a current location, the measured current location is displayed on a screen in connection with a map, a guidance route up to a destination place is set, and a guidance is notified every predetermined guidance point. In this navigation apparatus, when the signals transmitted from the GPS satellites cannot be received, if a current location is located on the guidance route, then a virtual current location is displayed in such a manner that the virtual current location is moved on the guidance route at a predetermined speed, and a guidance is notified every predetermined guidance point.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus in which signals transmitted from GPS satellites are received so as to measure a current location, the measured current location is displayed on a screen in connection with a map, a guidance route up to a destination place is set, and a guidance is notified every predetermined guidance point,

wherein, in the case that the signals transmitted from the GPS satellites cannot be received, if a current location is located on said guidance route, then a virtual current location is displayed so that the virtual current location is moved on said guidance route at a predetermined velocity, and a guidance is notified every predetermined guidance point.

2. A navigation apparatus in which signals transmitted from GPS satellites are received so as to measure a current location, the measured current location is displayed on a screen in connection with a map, a guidance route up to a destination place is set, and a guidance is notified every predetermined guidance point,

wherein, in the case that a starting point of a tunnel is detected as a current location, if the current location is located on said guidance route, then a virtual current location is displayed in such a manner that the virtual current location is moved on said guidance route at a predetermined speed, and a guidance is notified every predetermined guidance point.

3. A navigation apparatus as claimed in claim 2,

wherein the virtual current location is displayed in such a manner that said virtual current location is moved on said guidance route after an end point of the tunnel has been detected as a current location until signals transmitted from GPS satellites are received to output a calculation result of the current location, and the guidance notification is continued in response to said virtual current location.