Navigation system equipped with portable sub-navigation unit

• US 20030074135A1
• Filed: 10/16/2002
• Published: 04/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Watanabe, Tomoo, Sato, Tsuyoshi, Saito, Yukitaka, Oda, Tamami
• Granted Patent: US 6,748,321 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3423 Multimodal routing, i.e. combining two or more modes of transportation, where the modes can be any of, e.g. driving, walking, cycling, public transport
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3688 Systems comprising multiple parts or multiple output devices (not client-server), e.g. detachable faceplates, key fobs or multiple output screens

Abstract

A navigation system comprises a navigation apparatus mounted on a vehicle and a portable information device communicable with the navigation apparatus based on a predetermined communication protocol. The navigation apparatus searches a route from a current position to a destination, and guides the searched route to the vehicle, that is, crews on board. The navigation apparatus further comprises a unit for searching a further route from a further current position to the destination in response to a predetermined command. The further current position is a position at which the unit searches the further route. The navigation apparatus further comprises a transfer unit for transferring information indicative of the further route to the portable information device. This device provides a person, who carries the device, with a further route guide by showing the further route, after the route guide performed by the navigation apparatus.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

a first route search processing unit configured to perform a first route search to produce map information to guide a first movable member carrying a navigation apparatus from a current position to a destination and to produce first-movable-member map information formed by laying route information on the map information; and

a second route search processing unit configured to perform a second route search to produce further map information to guide a second movable member carrying a portable sub-navigation unit from a further current position to the destination and to produce second-movable-member map information formed by laying further route information on the further map information, the further current position being an instantaneous position at which the second route search is performed.

2. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the portable sub-navigation unit carried by the second movable member is a portable information device wire-less communicable with the navigation apparatus,

further comprising a transfer unit configured to transfer the second-movable-member map information to the portable information device.

3. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the first movable member is a vehicle having an engine and the second route search processing unit is configured to automatically start the second route search in response to a turn-off operation of the engine of the vehicle.

4. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the second route search processing unit is configured to produce the second-movable-member map information consisting of a plurality of maps formed depending on distances from the destination.

5. The navigation system of claim 4, wherein at least one of the plurality of maps solely includes both of the further current position and the destination in cases where each of the maps is displayed on a screen of the portable information device.

6. The navigation system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of maps are formed based on the same scale.

7. The navigation system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of maps are formed into enlarged maps showing a predetermined region in which a route including a right-and-left-turn crossing is placed with the crossing located at a center of the region, the route being selected from routes searched by the second route search processing unit.

8. The navigation system of claim 4, wherein the second route search processing unit is configured to produce each of the plurality of maps so as to show a travel direction of the second movable member upward on a display screen of the portable information device.

9. The navigation system of claim 4, wherein the second route search processing unit is configured to produce each of the plurality of maps so as to display on each map information about a transit time to be expected, in cases where the second movable member travels along a route guided by the second route search processing unit.

10. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein the second route search processing unit is configured to additionally perform search a route from the destination to the further current position.

11. A navigation method comprising the steps of:

performing a first route search to produce map information to guide a first movable member carrying a navigation apparatus from a current position to a destination and to produce first-movable-member map information formed by laying route information on the map information; and

performing a second route search to produce further map information to guide a second movable member carrying a portable sub-navigation unit from a further current position to the destination and to produce second-movable-member map information formed by laying further route information on the further map information, the further current position being an instantaneous position at which the second route search is performed.

12. The navigation method of claim 11, wherein the portable sub-navigation unit carried by the second movable member is a portable information device wire-less communicable with the navigation apparatus,

further comprising a step of transferring the second-movable-member map information to the portable information device.

13. A program readable by a computer incorporated in a navigation system provides the functions of:

performing a first route search to produce map information to guide a first movable member carrying a navigation apparatus from a current position to a destination and to produce first-movable-member map information formed by laying route information on the map information; and

performing a second route search to produce further map information to guide a second movable member carrying a portable sub-navigation unit from a further current position to the destination and to produce second-movable-member map information formed by laying further route information on the further map information, the further current position being an instantaneous position at which the second route search is performed.

14. The program of claim 13, further providing a function of transferring the second-movable-member map information to the portable sub-navigation unit.

15. An information recording medium in which the program of claim 13 is recorded.

16. A navigation system, comprising:

a navigation apparatus for providing a first movable member with a route guide by showing a route from a current position to a destination; and

a portable sub-navigation unit for providing a second movable member with a further route guide by showing a further route from a further current position to the destination, after the route guide performed by the navigation apparatus

17. The navigation system of claim 16, wherein the navigation apparatus comprises

a first route search processing unit for searching the route from the current position to the destination;

a route guiding unit for guiding the searched route to the first movable member;

a second route search processing unit for searching the further route from the further current position to the destination in response to a predetermined command; and

a transfer unit for transferring information indicative of the further route to the portable sub-navigation unit.

18. The navigation system of claim 17, wherein the first movable member is a vehicle on which the navigation apparatus is mounted and the portable sub-navigation unit is a portable information device carried by the second movable member and wireless-communicable with the navigation unit based on a predetermined communication protocol.