Guidance information providing system

• US 7,072,766 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2004
• Issued: 07/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kawamichi, Hiroaki, Kato, Hiromitsu, Sameshima, Shigetoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US10/820,034
• Publication Number:
  US 20040260459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• Field of Search: 340/691.1
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence

Abstract

A guidance system which may include: a position direction obtaining unit which obtains a current position and moving direction of an operation device; a destination information obtaining unit which obtains destination information; a route information generating unit which generates route information to the destination from the current position by use of map information; an output device management unit which manages an installation position of the output device; an output device selecting unit which selects one output device from the plurality of output devices, on the basis of information of the current position, moving direction and installation position of the output device; a selected output device presenting unit which presents an information that specifies the selected output device to the operation device; and an information display instructing unit which displays the generated route information displayed on the selected output device in accordance with the information to be specified.

Claims

1. A guidance information providing system which outputs guidance information of a destination in accordance with an operation from a movable operation device, to any one of a plurality of output devices connected to said operation device through a network, comprising:

a position direction obtaining means which obtains a current position and a moving direction of said operation device;

a destination information obtaining means which obtains information of the destination;

a route information generating means which generates route information to said destination from information of said current position and said destination by use of a map information possessed in advance;

an output device management means which manages an information of an installation position of said output device;

an output device selecting means which selects one output device from said plurality of the output devices, on the basis of information of said current position, said moving direction and the installation position of said output device;

a selected output device presenting means which presents an information that specifies said selected output device to the operation device; and

an information display instructing means which displays said generated route information displayed on said selected output device in accordance with said information to be specified.

2. The guidance information providing system according to claim 1, comprising,

a guidance information calculating means, wherein,

said output device management means manages said information to a direction of said output device;

said guidance information calculating means calculates said guidance information of said destination said generated route information and said information of a direction to said selected output device; and

said information display instructing means displays said guidance information as said route information.

3. The guidance information providing system according to claim 1, wherein,

said information to specify in said selected output device presenting means includes a direction in which said selected output device exists, and a color or/and a pattern to be displayed by said selected output device.

4. The guidance information providing system according to claim 3, wherein,

said selected output device presenting means comprises a display means which indicates forward, leftward, rightward, and

said direction in which said selected output device exists is indicated by said display means.

5. The guidance information providing system according to claim 1, wherein,

said output device selecting means selects an output device which is unused, exists in a predetermined region to said operation device, and gives the shortest distance form the operation device, out of said output devices.

6. The guidance information providing system according to claim 1, wherein,

said output device selecting means selects an output device which has an unused one out of usable colors or/and patterns, exists in a predetermined region to said operation device, and gives the shortest distance from the operation device, out of said output devices.

7. The guidance information providing system according to claim 1, comprising,

a display stopping means which stops display of said generated guidance information on said selected output device.

8. A guidance information providing method which outputs a guidance information to a destination, in accordance with an operation from a movable operation device, to any one of a plurality of output devices connected to said operation device through a network, comprising:

a position direction obtaining step which obtains a current position and a moving direction of said operation device;

a guidance information generating and a output device selecting step which generates a route information to the destination, from information of said current position and said destination, by use of map information possessed in advance, and selects one output device from said plurality of output devices, on the basis of information of said current position, said moving direction and the installation position of said output device; and

an information display instructing step which presents an information to specify said selected output device to the operation device, and displays said generated route information on said selected output device in accordance with said information to specify.

9. The guidance information providing method according to claim 8, comprising

a guidance information calculating step which calculates guidance information to the destination from said route information and an information of a direction to said output device managed in said plurality of output devices, and

a displaying step which displays said guidance information as said route information, in said information display instructing step.

10. One or more machine-readable medium, containing at least one sequence of instructions that, when executed, causes a machine to effect:

a position direction obtaining means which obtains a current position and a moving direction of a moveable operation device;

a destination information obtaining means which obtains information of a destination;

a route information generating means which generates a route information of the destination from information of said operation device and said destination by use of a map information possessed in advance;

an output device management means which manages information of installation positions of a plurality of output devices connected to said operation device through a network;

an output device selecting means which selects one output device from said plurality of the output devices, on the basis of information of said current position, said moving direction and the installation position of said output device;

a selected output device presenting means which presents an information to specify said selected output device to the operation device; and

an information display instructing means to instruct display of said generated route information on said selected output device in accordance with said information to specify.

11. One or more machine-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein:

a computer is functioned as a guidance information calculating means;

said output device management means manages an information of a direction of said output device;

and wherein said at least one sequence of instructions that, when executed, causes the machine to effect;

a guidance information calculating means which calculates said guidance information to said destination from said generated route information and said information of a direction of said selected output device; and

said information display instructing means displays said guidance information as said route information.