Navigation system

• US 5,941,930 A
• Filed: 11/17/1997
• Issued: 08/24/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Asano, Hitoshi, Suzuki, Yukiyoshi, Nanba, Akimasa, Morimoto, Kyomi, Ito, Yasunobu
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US08/971,366
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 701/212, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3611 using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs character input methods in general G06F3/0233
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names

Abstract

A navigation system includes input means (1a) for entering a telephone number; an information storage device (3) for storing telephone-number data (3a), in which a location name inclusive of a set of coordinate is stored for each telephone number, address data (3b) in which an address is stored for each set of coordinates, and map data (3c); a central processor (4) having telephone-number retrieval means (4a) for retrieving, from the information storage device, location coordinates and location name of a telephone number entered by the input means, and address-data retrieval means (4b) for retrieving address data corresponding to the location coordinates of the telephone number entered by the input means; and display means (1b) for displaying a location name and address, which have been retrieved by the central processor, as well as a map centered on the location. Designation and entry of a location are performed by displaying the location name and address retrieved by entry of a telephone number, as well as the map centered on said location, on the display means. Since the amount of data is broken up into the telephone-number data and address data, the amount of telephone-number data can be reduced.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

input means for entering a telephone number;

information storage means for storing telephone-number data, in which at least a location name inclusive a set of coordinates is stored for each telephone number, address data, and map data;

a central processor having telephone-number retrieval means for retrieving, from said information storage means, location coordinates and location name of a telephone number entered by said input means, and address-data retrieval means for retrieving address data corresponding to the telephone number entered by said input means; and

display means for displaying a location name and address, which have been retrieved by said central processor, as well as a map on the basis of location coordinates, which have been retrieved by said central processor;

said central processor being such that when a telephone number is entered by said input means, a location name inclusive of location coordinates of said telephone number stored in said information storage means is retrieved on the basis of said telephone number and an address of said address data is retrieved on the basis of said location coordinates to display said entered telephone number and said retrieved location name and address on said display means, and after the lapse of a given time or when an order for confirmation of what is displayed is entered, a map is displayed through the map data stored in said information storage means on the basis of said location coordinates to perform designation and input of a location from said displayed map.

2. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said telephone-number data has registered-location classification data representing classification of registered locations, said telephone-number retrieval means has discriminating means for discriminating said registered-location classification, and said address-data retrieval means retrieves an address from said address data based upon results of discrimination by said discriminating means.

3. The navigation system according to claim 2, wherein said telephone number data has said location name as well as a subscriber name stored for each telephone number, said registered-location classification data is data indicating whether or not it is registered data of said subscriber name, and said address-data retrieval means retrieves an address from said address data only when said classification data is determine to be the registered data of the subscriber name.

4. A navigation system comprising:

input means for entering a telephone number;

information storage means for storing telephone-number data, in which at least a location name inclusive a set of coordinates is stored for each telephone number, address data, and map data;

a central processor having telephone-number retrieval means for retrieving, from said information storage means, location coordinates and location name of a telephone number entered by said input means, and address-data retrieval means for retrieving address data corresponding to the telephone number entered by said input means; and

display means for displaying a location name and address, which have been retrieved by said central processor, as well as a map on the basis of location coordinates, which have been retrieved by said central processor;

said central processor being such that when a telephone number is entered by said input means, a location name inclusive of location coordinates of said telephone number stored in said information storage means is retrieved on the basis of said telephone number and an address of said address data is retrieved on the basis of said location coordinates to display said entered telephone number and said retrieved location name or address on said display means, and after the lapse of a given time or when an order for confirmation of what is displayed is entered, said telephone number is registered in a memory in a registered location-information form which is accessed in a list form upon input of designation of location.

5. The navigation system according to claim 4, wherein said central processor allows a location name and address retrieved on the basis of said telephone number on said display means, and registers said location name or address after a map has been displayed on the basis of location coordinated retrieved on the basis of said telephone number.

6. The navigation system according to claim 5, wherein said telephone number data has said location name as well as a subscriber name stored for each telephone number, said registered-location classification data is data indicating whether or not it is registered data of said subscriber name, and said address-data retrieval means retrieves an address from said address data only when said classification data is determined to be the registered data of the subscriber name.

7. The navigation system according to claim 4, wherein said telephone-number data has registered-location classification data representing classification of registered locations, said telephone-number retrieval means has discriminating means for discriminating said registered-location classification, and said address-data retrieval means retrieves an address from said address data based upon results of discrimination by said discriminating means.

8. A navigation system having a function for registering a location designated on a map, said navigation system comprising:

input means for entering a location according to an input-form selected from a plurality of input-forms inclusive of an input-form by a telephone number,

memory means for storing information and a map regarding a location conforming to said plurality of input-forms,

a control unit having input-form detecting means for detecting an input-form selected by said input means, discriminating means for discriminating information regarding a location entered by said input means, and registering means for registering information regarding a location discriminated by said input means corresponding to an input-form detected by said input-form detecting means, and

display means for displaying information and a map regarding a location when information regarding said location entered by said input means is registered in said control unit,

said control unit comprising a name-date discriminating means for discriminating where or not a location entered by said input means has name data, so that when the location entered in an input-form by a telephone number is judged by said name data-discriminating means to have name data, the name is registered as said location information, and when said location is judged to have no name data, an address is registered as said location information.

9. The navigation system according to claim 8, wherein said control unit registers said location information in said registering unit upon display on said display means corresponding to said input-form.

10. The navigation system according to claim 8, wherein said control unit allow a map to be displayed together with location information conforming to said input-form on the basis of said location, and then registers said location information in said registering means.

11. The navigation system according to claim 8, wherein said display means comprises a shift means for shifting a center location of the map displayed on said display means, and said control unit is such that when said center location of the map displayed on said display means is shifted by said shift means, said location information is registered in said registering means while an address is displayed of said center location on the map after said shift.

12. The navigation system according to claim 8, wherein said input-form takes the form of an establishment name input of said location, and said control unit displays said establishment name and a map on the basis of a location corresponding to said establishment name and then registers said establishment name in said registering means.

13. The navigation system according to claim 8, wherein said input-form takes the form of an address name input of said location, and said control unit displays said address name and a map on the basis of a location corresponding to said address name and then registers said address name in said registering means.

14. A navigation system comprising:

display means for displaying information regarding a location and a map,

input means for entering a telephone number and moving a map displayed on said display means,

storage means for storing at least a telephone number, information regarding a location and a map, and

a central processor having telephone number-discriminating means for discriminating whether or not a telephone number entered by said input means is stored in said storage means, telephone number retrieving means for retrieving information regarding a location corresponding to the telephone number entered by said input means, and registering means for registering therein information regarding a location retrieved by said telephone number-retrieving means, wherein;

said storage means stores therein information regarding a typical location corresponding to an area code of the telephone number, and

said central processor is such that when a telephone number is entered by said input means, said telephone number is discriminated to retrieve the information regarding a location, and when said telephone number is determined to be not stored in said storage means, information regarding a typical location corresponding to the area code of said telephone number is retrieved to display a map on said display means based on said retrieved information, and information regarding a location corresponding to a distance of movement of said displayed map caused by said input means is registered in said registering means.

15. The navigation system according to claim 14, wherein said central processor is such that when said distance of movement is greater than a predetermined distance, an address name and coordinates are registered in said registering means in the form of information regarding a location.

16. The navigation system according to claim 14, wherein said central processor is such that when said distance of movement is less than a predetermined distance, a telephone number and coordinates are registered in said registering means in the form of information regarding a location.