Vehicle navigation apparatus providing both automatic guidance and guidance information in response to manual input request

• US 6,317,687 B1
• Filed: 03/15/1993
• Issued: 11/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Kato, Kiyohide, Ozaki, Naokazu, Morimoto, Kyoumi, Sugiura, Naoko
• Primary Examiner(s): ZANELLI, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US08/030,481
• Time in Patent Office: 3,165 Days
• Field of Search: 364/443, 364/444, 364/449, 364/449.5, 364/444.1, 340/996, 381/86
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0373 Voice control in general G10L
• 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

Abstract

A vehicle navigation apparatus in accordance with the present invention includes a CDROM (2) for storing all the data required for navigation processing such as maps and voice data, and a buffer (4-1) for accessing CDROM (2) to prepare beforehand a phrase necessary for the navigation guidance. A control device (1) selects appropriate phrases corresponding to the present vehicle position and reads out the selected phrases from the buffer, (4-1) successively, in response to a request signal supplied from a request sensor (7) which is output in response to the driver'"'"'s request. The thus processed navigation information data is transformed into voice signals through a decoder (4-2) and output from a speaker (5) as a voice response. The control device (1) checks whether or not a phrase prepared in the buffer (4-1) is a frequently used phrase and replaces this phrase with a new phrase if this phrase is not frequently used. Furthermore, the control device (1) sets discriminating flags to the selected phrases and continuously reads out these phrases with the discriminating flags, in a predetermined order, in accordance with the driver'"'"'s request, so as to execute voice response processing.

Claims

1. A vehicle navigation apparatus, in which navigation guidance is provided to guide a driver of a vehicle along a predetermined route to a selected destination, comprising:

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

information storing means for storing map information and guidance information;

route storing means for storing route information;

request means, responsive to an input by the driver, for generating a request signal for requesting a next guidance point on a current route;

guide point approach judging means for determining if the detected present position is at a guidance point on the current route and for automatically outputting a request signal for requesting information regarding the guidance point, in accordance with said determination;

control means for retrieving, responsive to a request signal, guidance information regarding a guidance point from said information storing means and processing the retrieved guidance information, on the basis of the detected current position and the route information stored in said route storing means, for determining whether the request signal has been generated automatically or by said request means and for cancelling, if it is determined that the guidance information has been requested by said request means, guidance currently being provided and providing the requested information regarding the next guidance point; and

guidance output means for outputting, in voice form, the guidance information processed by said control means.

2. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guidance information regarding the guidance point is distance between the detected current position and the guidance point.

3. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein guidance information output responsive to the request signal from the request means is in a first format and guidance information output responsive to an automatic request is in a second format which is different from said first format.

4. A vehicle navigation apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said guidance information is a description of an intersection.

5. A vehicle navigation apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said guidance information further includes the distance from the detected present position to the described intersection and directions for guiding the vehicle through the described intersection.

6. A vehicle navigation apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said guidance output means generates said voice by selecting and combining a plurality of phrases.

7. A vehicle navigation apparatus in accordance with claim 6 wherein each of said phrases includes a noun identifying a feature of the predetermined route.

8. A navigation apparatus that determines a route to a destination, traces the current position of a vehicle on the determined route and provides guidance information along the determined route in accordance with the current position, said navigation apparatus comprising:

information storing means for storing map information and guidance information that includes a plurality of separate voice phrases;

route storing means for storing route information;

control means for retrieving guidance information regarding a next guidance point from the information storing means and processing the retrieved guidance information, on the basis of the current position and the route information stored in the route storing means;

guidance information storing means for temporarily storing the guidance information retrieved by the control means separately for each voice phrase; and

output means for outputting, in voice form, the guidance information processed by the control means;

wherein said control means retrieves guidance information separately for individual voice phrases from the information storing means and stores the retrieved guidance information in the guidance information storing means phrase by phrase.

9. A navigation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control means determines whether each of the voice phrases required for the guidance information regarding the next guidance point is stored in the guidance information storing means, and the control means retrieves from the information storing means only the voice phrases that are needed for the guidance information regarding the next guidance point but are not stored in the guidance information storing means, and stores in the guidance information storing means the voice phrases retrieved from the information storing means.

10. A navigation apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the control means includes comparing means for determining frequencies of use of individual voice phrases of the guidance information stored in the guidance information storing means, and wherein the control means updates the guidance information stored in the guidance information storing means on the basis of the determined frequencies of use of the individual voice phrases.

11. A navigation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control means includes comparing means for determining frequencies of use of individual voice phrases of the guidance information stored in the guidance information storing means, and wherein the control means updates the guidance information stored in the guidance information storing means on the basis of the determined frequencies of use of the individual voice phrases.

12. A navigation apparatus that determines a route to a destination, traces the current position of a vehicle on the determined route and provides guidance information along the determined route in accordance with the current position, said navigation apparatus comprising:

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

information storing means for storing map information and guidance information that includes a plurality of separate voice phrases;

route storing means for storing route information;

request means for generating a request signal for requesting information regarding the next guidance point on a current route;

control means for retrieving, responsive to said request signal, guidance information regarding the next guidance point from the information storing means, for temporarily storing the retrieved guidance information, and for processing the guidance information, on the basis of the current position and the route information stored in the route storing means;

guidance information storing means for temporarily storing the guidance information retrieved by the control means separately for each voice phrase; and

output means for outputting, in voice form, the guidance information processed by the control means;

wherein said control means retrieves guidance information separately for individual voice phrases from the information storing means and stores the retrieved guidance information into the guidance information storing means phrase by phrase, in accordance with changes in the detected current position and, responsive to a guidance request by the request means, retrieves voice phrases from the guidance information storing means and composes a piece of guidance information using the retrieved voice phrases.

13. A navigation apparatus according to claim 12, additionally comprising:

guide point approach judging means for determining if the detected present position is at a guidance point on the current route and for automatically outputting a request signal for requesting information regarding the guidance point, in accordance with said determination; and

wherein the control means comprises means for determining whether the guidance information has been requested automatically or by said request means, and for cancelling, if it is determined that the guidance information has been requested by said request means, guidance currently being provided and providing the guidance requested by said request means.

14. A navigation apparatus according to claim 13, wherein guidance information output responsive to the request signal from the request means is in a first format and guidance information output responsive to an automatic request is in a second format which is different from said first format.

15. A navigation apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the control means determines whether each of the voice phrases required for the guidance information regarding the next guidance point is stored in the guidance information storing means, and the control means retrieves from the information storing means only the voice phrases that are needed for the guidance information regarding the next guidance point but are not stored in the guidance information storing means, and stores in the guidance information storing means the voice phrases retrieved from the information storing means.

16. A navigation apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the control means includes comparing means for determining frequencies of use of individual voice phrases of the guidance information stored in the guidance information storing means, and wherein the control means updates the guidance information stored in the guidance information storing means on the basis of the determined frequencies of use of the individual voice phrases.

17. A navigation apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the control means retrieves alert sound data from the guidance information storing means and combines the alert sound data with retrieved guidance information to form said second format.

18. A navigation apparatus according to claim 12, additionally comprising:

guide point approach judging means for determining if the detected current position is at a guidance point on the current route and for automatically outputting a request signal for requesting information regarding the guidance point, in accordance with said determination.

19. A navigation apparatus according to claim 18, wherein guidance information output responsive to the request signal from the request means is in a first format and guidance information output responsive to an automatic request is in a second format which is different from said first format.

20. A navigation apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the control means determines whether each of the voice phrases required for the guidance information regarding the next guidance point is stored in the guidance information storing means, and the control means retrieves from the information storing means only the voice phrases that are needed for the guidance information regarding the next guidance point but are not stored in the guidance information storing means, and stores in the guidance information storing means the voice phrases retrieved from the information storing means.

21. A navigation apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the control means includes comparing means for determining frequencies of use of individual voice phrases of the guidance information stored in the guidance information storing means, and wherein the control means updates the guidance information stored in the guidance information storing means on the basis of the determined frequencies of use of the individual voice phrases.

22. A navigation apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the control means retrieves alert sound data from the guidance information storing means and combines the alert sound data with retrieved guidance information to form said second format.

23. A vehicle navigation apparatus that determines a route to a destination, traces the current position of the vehicle on the determined route and provides guidance information along the determined route in accordance with the current position, said navigation apparatus comprising:

information storing means for storing map information and guidance information that includes a plurality of separate voice phrases;

route storing means for storing route information;

control means for retrieving guidance information regarding a next guidance point from said information storing means and processing the retrieved guidance information, on the basis of the current position and the route information stored in said route storing means;

guidance information storing means for temporarily storing the guidance information retrieved by said control means separately for each voice phrase; and

output means for outputting, in voice form, the guidance information processed by said control means;

wherein said control means retrieves the guidance information phrase by phrase from said information storing means, stores the retrieved guidance information in said guidance information storing means, determines phrase by phrase whether or not the guidance information regarding the next guidance point is stored in said guidance information storing means, retrieves from said information storing means only those phrases determined not to be stored in said guidance information storing means, and stores the phrases retrieved from said information storing means in said guidance information storing means.

24. A vehicle navigation apparatus for guiding a vehicle along a current route comprising:

current position detection means for detecting a current position of the vehicle;

data memory means for storing map data and guidance data for forming guidance information pertaining to predetermined guide points along the current route;

route memory means for storing route data;

request means for generating, in response to an input by an occupant of the vehicle, a request signal for requesting guidance information as to a predetermined guide point located on the current route;

guide point arrival determination means for determining whether a currently detected present position corresponds to a guide point on the current route, and for automatically generating a request signal requesting guidance information pertaining to the guide point corresponding to the currently detected present position, responsive to a positive determination;

control means, responsive to receipt of a request signal, for searching through said data memory means to locate data corresponding to the requested guidance information, based on the route data stored in said route memory means and the current position as detected by said current position detection means, for processing the located data to provide the requested guidance information, and for determining whether the received request signal is from said request means or from said guide-point arrival determination means;

guidance output means for audibly outputting the guidance information processed by said control means; and

wherein said control means causes said guidance output means to output the requested guidance information for a given guide point in a first form when the request signal is received from said request means and in a second form, different from said first form, when the request signal is received from said guide-point arrival determination means.

25. A navigation apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the guide information regarding the guide point is distance between the detected current position and the guide point.

26. A navigation apparatus according to claim 24 wherein said first form is the guidance information as processed by said control means and said second form is a combination of an alert sound and the guidance information as processed by said control means.