Navigation system for vehicles

• US 5,874,905 A
• Filed: 08/14/1996
• Issued: 02/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Kato, Kiyohide, Nanba, Akimasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Application Number:
  US08/698,258
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 340/995, 340/988, 340/990, 701/200, 701/201, 701/202, 701/203, 701/209, 701/211, 345/123, 345/125, 345/121, 345/122
• US Class Current: 340/995.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3635 Guidance using 3D or perspective road maps
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

The vehicular navigation system of the present invention includes a present position detector for detecting the present position of a vehicle, an input device for inputting a destination, an information memory for storing road data for searching for an optimal route, a route search system for searching for an optimal route to the destination based on the road data stored in the information memory, a route information converter for converting the route information near the present position of the vehicle to a visually 3-dimensional route information based on configuration of the road by the route search system, and a display for outputting and displaying the route information converted by the route information converter. The present position of the vehicle is detected, and the present position of the vehicle and route information ahead of the present position can be easily confirmed by detecting the present position of the vehicle and by converting the route information of the present position, based on the configuration of the road, to a 3-dimensional road display.

Claims

1. A vehicular navigation system, comprising:

present position detecting means for detecting the present position of a vehicle;

input means for inputting a destination;

information memory means for storing road data to be searched for determination of an optimal route;

route searching means for searching said road data to determine the optimal route to the destination;

route information converting means for calculating a road configuration from said road data for the detected present position and from road data for plural guidance points at spaced, predetermined distances in advance of the detected present position on the optimal route and for converting the calculated road configuration into visually and 3-dimensionally expressed route information according to the calculation; and

display means for outputting and displaying the route information converted by the route information converting means;

wherein said route information converting means calculates an angle between a heading for the present position of the vehicle and a heading for a position a given distance ahead from the present position of the vehicle, at a predetermined time interval, draws a road in straight line if the angle is less than a predetermined value, and draws the road in curved line if the angle is equal to or more than the predetermined value.

2. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 1 wherein said route information converting means determines if said present position and said two advanced points are aligned and, if not aligned, calculates a single continuous curve running through the present position and said two advanced points, as said road configuration.

3. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said calculated configuration road consists of a central lane and side lanes at left and right and wherein said display means displays the calculated configuration as a road width which gradually narrows toward an upper portion of the screen.

4. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 3, wherein, in drawing the road in straight line, the central line and the side lines at left and right of the road are drawn around a given point and toward a lower portion of the screen.

5. A vehicle navigation system according to claim 3, wherein, in drawing the road in curved line, said converting means converts a straight line connecting the present position with a position ahead at a given distance from the present position of the vehicle to said central line and side lines at left and right.

6. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 5, wherein said converting means calculates the central line and the side lines at left and right based on a calculation formula.

7. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 5, wherein said converting means obtains the central line and the side lines at left and right based on a conversion map.

8. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said display means reads advancing directions including an advancing direction at a first guide branch point where guidance is to be next given and an advancing direction at a second guide branch point after the first guide branch point, said first and second guide branch points being located on the determined optimal route in advance of the present position detected by the present position detecting means, and outputs and generates a separate display window for each of said advancing directions on a single display screen.

9. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 8, wherein said display means changes the position of the display window of advancing direction guiding information for the second guide branch point, relative to the position of the display window of advancing direction guiding information for the first guide branch point, based on the advancing direction at the first guide branch point.

10. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 8, wherein said display means generates the display windows for advancing directions at two guide branch points only if the distance between the two guide branch points is shorter than a predetermined distance.

11. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 8, wherein said display means outputs and displays the advancing directions in the display windows in such a manner that necessary advancing direction guidance can be easily recognized by emphasizing the display of advancing direction guiding information for the first guide branch point.

12. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 11, wherein said display window for advancing direction guiding information for the first guide branch point overlaps the display window for advancing direction guiding information at the second guide branch point.

13. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 11, wherein the emphasized display window for the advancing direction guiding information at the first guide branch point has larger marks, thicker lines, different colors, different patterns or flashing, to distinguish it from the remainder of the display.

14. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 8, wherein said display means positions the display window of the advancing direction guiding information for the first guide branch point at a position located in upper center of the display screen and overlapping the display windows of advancing direction guiding information for the second and subsequent guide branch points, each display window of advancing direction guiding information for the second and subsequent guide branch points being offset to the right or left of the display screen relative to the position of the display window of the advancing direction guiding information for the previous guide branch point.

15. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 8, wherein, in case a road is branched off at a guide branch point at a narrow angle, the road is drawn by widening the angle.

16. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 8, wherein the display window for advancing direction at the second guide branch point is offset, relative to an overlapping display window of advancing direction at the first guide branch point, in the advancing direction at the first guide branch point.

17. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said information memory means is an external storage medium, and a program for controlling navigation operation is stored in addition to said road data.

18. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 17, wherein said program includes a program for converting the route information near the present position of the vehicle to information for a visual and 3-dimensional display.

19. A vehicular navigation system comprising:

present position detecting means for detecting the present position of the vehicle;

input means for inputting information necessary for searching an optimal route;

display means for displaying information for route guidance;

information memory means for storing all data necessary for route guidance including guidance road data;

route searching means for searching to determine a route based on the information inputted by said input means;

route information memory means for storing information for the route determined by said route searching means; and

guidance control means for reading, from said information memory means, advancing direction guiding information for plural guide branch points including an advancing direction at a first guide branch point for which guidance is to be next given and an advancing direction at a second guide branch point in advance of the first guide branch point, based on the route determined by the route searching means and the present position detected by said present position detecting means, for outputting information for separate display windows for each of said first and second advancing directions to said display means, and for changing the position of the display window for advancing direction guiding information at the second guide branch point, relative to position of the display window for advancing direction at the first guide branch point, in accordance with the advancing direction at the first guide branch point.

20. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 19, wherein, in case a road is branched off at a guide branch point at a narrow angle, the road is drawn by widening the angle.

21. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 19, wherein the display window of advancing direction at the second guide branch point is offset, relative to an overlapping display window of advancing direction at the first guide branch point, in the advancing direction at the first guide branch point.

22. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 19, wherein said guidance control means outputs the information for the display windows for advancing direction guiding information for the first and second guide branch points to said display means only if the distance between the first and second guide branch points is shorter than a predetermined distance.

23. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 22, wherein the next necessary advancing direction guidance is easily recognized by emphasizing the display window for advancing direction guiding information for the first guide branch point.

24. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 23, wherein said display window for the advancing direction guiding information for the first guide branch point is made to overlap the display window for the advancing direction guiding information for the second guide branch point.

25. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 23, wherein the display window of the advancing direction guiding information for the first guide branch point is emphasized by larger marks, thicker lines, different colors, different patterns or flashing to distinguish it from the remainder of the display.

26. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 22, wherein said display means positions the display window of the advancing direction guiding information for the first guide branch point at a position located in upper center of the display screen and overlapping the display windows of advancing direction guiding information for the second and subsequent guide branch points, each display window of advancing direction guiding information for the second and subsequent guide branch points being offset to the right or left of the display screen relative to the position of the display window of the advancing direction guiding information for the previous guide branch point.