NAVIGATION DEVICE, SERVER DEVICE, NAVIGATION SYSTEM AND PROGRAM

• US 20120209523A1
• Filed: 07/28/2010
• Published: 08/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Inventors: Nara, Norikazu, Abe, Noriyuki, Shioya, Takashi, Okamoto, Kimio, Takatsuki, Hiroaki, Ishii, Takaaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,080,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/537
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application

Abstract

Provided is a navigation technique which allows a person other than a user who received a route guide to operate a navigation device through an interaction process. The navigation device is characterized by being provided with an instruction reception unit, a process unit, and an output unit. The instruction reception unit receives an instruction for a process from an external device. The process unit executes a process in accordance with the instruction received by the instruction reception unit. The output unit outputs output information which is obtained as the result of the process executed by the process unit.

Claims

1. A navigation device, comprising:

an instruction receiving unit adapted to receive, from an external device, a processing instruction;

a processing unit adapted to reform processing according to the instruction received by the instruction receiving unit; and

an output unit adapted to output output information obtained as a result of the processing performed by the processing unit.

2. A navigation device, of claim 1, wherein:

the navigation device further comprises a communication unit adapted to communicate with another device through a communication network;

the instruction receiving unit receives a processing instruction from the device through the communication unit;

the output unit sends output information obtained as a result of the processing performed by the processing unit to the device through the communication unit.

3. A navigation device of claim 2, further comprising:

a state notification unit adapted to send, to the device, information specifying whether the navigation device is in a state allowing receipt of a processing instruction from the device.

4. A navigation device of claim 1, wherein:

the navigation device further comprises an input receiving unit adapted to receive an input instruction; and

the processing instruction received by the instruction receiving unit is an instruction corresponding to the input instruction received by the input receiving unit.

5. A navigation device of claim 1, wherein:

the navigation device further comprises a display unit;

the output information sent by the output unit is information on screen display; and

the output unit makes the output information displayed on the display unit if a prescribed condition is satisfied, and inhibits the output information from being displayed on the display unit if the prescribed condition is not satisfied.

6. A navigation device of claim 5, wherein:

the prescribed condition is that the screen display does not make drastic transition.

7. A navigation device of claim 1, wherein:

when the prescribed condition is not satisfied, the processing unit refrains from performing the processing until the prescribed condition is satisfied; and

when the prescribed condition is satisfied, the processing unit performs the processing.

8. A navigation device of claim 2, further comprising:

a communication impossibility notification unit adapted to notify the device of information to the effect that communication becomes impossible, at a time of entering an area where communication through the communication unit becomes impossible.

9. A server device, comprising:

a navigation device communication unit adapted to communicate with a navigation device;

a client communication unit adapted to communicate with a client computer;

a remote control operation receiving unit adapted to receive a remote control operation from the client computer through the client communication unit;

an operation instruction unit adapted to specify an operation instruction corresponding to the remote control operation received by the remote control operation receiving unit, and sends the specified operation instruction to the navigation device through the navigation device communication unit; and

an output processing unit adapted to receive output information as a result of the operation instruction through the navigation device communication unit, and sends the output information to the client computer through the client communication unit.

10. A server device of claim 9, wherein:

the navigation device communication unit and the client communication unit communicate with the navigation device and the client computer through different communication networks, respectively.

11. A server device of claim 9, wherein:

the output processing unit sends, instead of the output information, information for interrupting the remote control operation to the client computer, when information that reception of an operation instruction is impossible is received from the navigation device.

12. A server device of claim 11, wherein:

the server device further comprises a monitoring unit adapted to request the navigation device to send state notification, and receives the state notification information; and

the output processing unit sends, instead of the output information, information for interrupting the remote control operation when the monitoring unit does not receive the state notification information from the navigation device.

13. A navigation system comprising a navigation device, a server device and a client computer, wherein:

the navigation device comprises;

a communication unit adapted to communicate with the server device through a communication network;

an instruction receiving unit adapted to receive a processing instruction from the server device through the communication unit;

a processing unit adapted to perform processing according to the instruction received by the instruction receiving unit; and

an output sending unit adapted to send output information obtained as a result of the processing performed by the processing unit;

the server device comprises;

a navigation device communication unit adapted to communicate with the navigation device through the communication network;

a client communication unit adapted to communicate with the client computer;

a remote control operation receiving unit adapted to receive a remote control operation from the client computer through the client communication unit;

a processing instruction unit adapted to specify a processing instruction corresponding to the remote control operation received by the remote control operation receiving unit, and sends the specified processing instruction to the navigation device through the navigation device communication unit; and

an output processing unit adapted to receive the output information through the navigation device communication unit, and sends the output information to the client computer through the client communication unit;

the client computer comprises;

an input receiving unit adapted to receive input from a user;

an output processing unit adapted to output to the user;

a server device communication unit adapted to communicate with the server device through the communication network; and

a remote control operation sending unit adapted to send input information concerning a remote control operation, the input information being received from the user through the input receiving unit, to the server device through the server device communication unit; and

the output processing unit outputs the output information received from the server device through the server device communication unit.

14. A navigation system of claim 13, wherein:

when a prescribed condition is not satisfied, the processing unit of the navigation device refrains from performing the processing until the prescribed condition is satisfied; and

when a prescribed condition is satisfied, the processing unit performs the processing.

15. A navigation system of claim 13, wherein:

the server device further comprises a monitoring unit adapted to request the navigation device to send state notification information, and receives the state notification information;

the navigation device further comprises a state notification unit adapted to send, to the server device, state notification information specifying whether the navigation device is in a state allowing reception of a processing instruction from the server device; and

the output processing unit of the server device sends, instead of the output information, information for interrupting the remote control operation to the client computer, when information that reception of an operation instruction is impossible is received from the navigation device.

16. A navigation system of claim 13, wherein:

the output processing unit of the server device sends, instead of the output information, information for interrupting the remote control operation to the client computer, further when the monitoring unit does not receive the state notification information from the navigation device.

17. A program for a navigation device, wherein:

the navigation device comprises a control unit; and

the program makes the control unit carry out;

an instruction receiving step, in which a processing instruction is received from an external device;

a processing step, in which processing according to the instruction received in the instruction receiving step is performed; and

an output step, in which output information obtained as a result of the processing performed in the processing step is outputted.