Vehicle position communication system, vehicle navigation apparatus and portable communications apparatus

• US 6,992,583 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2003
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Muramatsu, Toshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, SON M
• Application Number:
  US10/373,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20030164778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.32, 340/539.13, 340/539.2, 340988-99525, 340/995.28, 340/932.1, 340/539.11, 701/213
• US Class Current: 340/539.32
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• 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 cellular phone places a call to vehicle navigation apparatus, performs ID matching, and acquires the information on the position of the vehicle measured by the vehicle navigation apparatus. The cellular phone acquires peripheral map data including the position of the owner of the vehicle and the position of the vehicle where the vehicle navigation apparatus is mounted from a position information center and displays the data acquired together with the data on the positions.

Claims

1. A portable communication apparatus comprising:

a communications unit that communicates with a vehicle navigation system that is installed in a vehicle, the vehicle navigation system including a first Global Positioning System (GPS) unit and an electric compass;

a storage that stores plural sets of icon data where each of the plural sets of icon data correspond to a predetermined range of an azimuth angle, respectively; and

a display unit which displays, according to positional information that is detected by the first Global Position System unit of the vehicle navigation system and received through the communications unit from the vehicle navigation system, an icon which represents a position and a direction of the vehicle on a map based on one set of icon data, selected from the plural sets of icon data stored in the storage, according to an azimuth angle data that is detected by the electronic compass and received through the communications unit from the vehicle navigation apparatus;

the portable communications further including a second Global Positioning System Unit,

wherein the communications unit transmits information acquired by the second Global Position System unit of the portable communications apparatus to a position information center, and

wherein the display unit receives peripheral map information created in the position information center based on the information acquired by the second Global Position System unit of the portable communications apparatus and the information on the position and the direction of the vehicle measured by the vehicle navigation apparatus and displays on the display unit an icon showing the position and the direction of the portable communications apparatus and the icon showing the position and the direction of the vehicle navigation apparatus.

2. The portable communications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a scale of the map to be displayed on the display unit is determined so that the icon of the vehicle and the icon of the portable communications apparatus are displayed on a screen.

3. A portable communications apparatus comprising:

a communications unit that communicates with a vehicle navigation apparatus, the vehicle navigation apparatus being provided with a first Global Positioning System unit and a first electric compass and installed in a vehicle;

a second electric compass that detects azimuth angle information of the portable communications apparatus;

a second Global Positioning System unit that detects positional information of the portable communications apparatus;

a storage that stores plural sets of icon data where each of the plural sets of icon data correspond to a predetermined range of an azimuth angle, respectively;

a display for displaying, according to positional information that is detected by the first Global Position System unit and received through the communications unit from the vehicle navigation apparatus, an icon showing a position and a direction of the vehicle based on one set of icon data selected from the plural sets of icon data stored in the storage according to azimuth angle information that is detected by a first electric compass and received through the communications unit from the vehicle navigation apparatus;

wherein the communications unit transmits information acquired by the second Global Position System unit of the portable communications apparatus to a position information center, and

wherein the display unit receives peripheral map information created in the position information center based on the information acquired by the second Global Position System unit of the portable communications apparatus, and an icon showing a position and a direction of the portable communications apparatus based on one set of icon data selected from the plural sets of icon data selected according to the positional information of the portable communications apparatus detected by the second Global Position System unit and the azimuth angle information of the portable communications apparatus detected by the second electric compass unit.

4. The portable communications apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the map displayed on the display unit is displayed based on map data downloaded from a positional information center connected to a network.

5. The portable communications apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a scale of the map displayed on the display unit is determined so that the icon showing the vehicle and icon showing the portable communications apparatus are simultaneously displayed on a screen of the display unit.