Aisin Aw Co., Ltd.

Kihachi Hayashida

Mitsuhiro Nimura

Seiji Hayashi

Yasunobu Ito

Kunihiro Yamada

Takeshi Yanagikubo

Chihiro Hayashi

Minoru Ootake

Kazuteru Maekawa

Hiroyoshi Masuda

Shinichi Kato

Katsuhiko Mutsuga

Yumi Shibata

Nobuo Suzuki

Keizo Inoue

Akihiro Nakajima

Shino Kimura

Atsuya Ooshima

A navigation apparatus includes a memory that stores registered routes, wherein each registered route includes a previously traveled route, a corresponding starting point, and a corresponding destination point. The navigation apparatus includes a controller that searches for a route from a specified starting point to a specified destination point, compares the searched route with the registered routes, and utilizes, if a corresponding starting point is substantially identical to the specified starting point or a corresponding destination point is substantially identical to the specified destination point, a portion of a registered route including the substantially identical starting point or the substantially identical destination point as a navigation route.

Navigation apparatus and method

A navigation system for searching coordinates of a telephone number, displaying a map and setting a point, the navigation system comprising a memory for storing information on a subscriber inclusive of coordinates corresponding to a telephone number and map data, an input device for inputting a telephone number, and a control device for searching a subscriber and coordinates based on the input of the telephone number, setting specific coordinates based on the searched coordinates and displaying a map with the specific coordinates located at the center of the map on a condition that the searched subscriber is a specific classified subscriber, wherein a map with a vague point located at the center of the map is displayed while a private home is not directly displayed thereon when the subscriber is a private subscriber of the input telephone number.

Navigation system

A navigation system provides road guidance by displaying information relating to roads on a structure shape map, together with landmark information, in such a manner that only information around the present position is highlighted. The system retrieves road information in the direction of travel from the present position according to the vehicle speed, or road information within a predetermined angular or distance range in the direction of travel. Information relating to roads includes information indicating a one-way road, information indicating a road into which entry is prohibited, and information indicating a pedestrian crossing and a railroad crossing. These items of information are displayed by using marks, and the landmark information is displayed by using landmarks, thereby displaying information necessary for travel in a readily perceivable manner according to the travel conditions. When the vehicle enters a parking lot in the middle of the guidance for a route to a destination, the system searches for a route from the parking lot to the destination and outputs the found route by using a structure-shape map. The parking lot in this case is one within a predetermined walking distance from the destination. If the parking lot is in close proximity of the destination, further guidance is not necessary and the guidance is terminated.

A navigation system has a display screen which can be divided into a plurality of windows for simultaneously displaying different classifications of routes in the same scale, or different routes from a present position or starting point to a destination or return to a route from which a car has deviated.

Device for displaying map

Lane change guidance information is output based on data for the next guide intersection on a route calculated in advance and on detection of the driving lane in which the vehicle is currently driven. The system includes present position detection, direction of advance determination for guide intersections along the preset route, driving lane determination, and guidance information output for instructing the driver when direction to be taken at a guide intersection does not match the current driving lane, whereby adequate guidance information is provided the driver regarding lane changes when the vehicle is driven on a road having two or more lanes.

Navigation system for vehicles

A vehicular navigation system includes: a current position detection unit for detecting the current position of the vehicle; an information storage unit for storing map information for conducting route searching and for providing route guidance; an input unit for inputting a destination and inputting instructions for executing a search of the map information for a route from the current position detected by the current position detection unit to the destination; an output unit for outputting information for route guidance; and a central processing unit for temporarily memorizing a route detected by the route search and for outputting a signal to the output unit to provide route guidance according to the memorized route. The central processing unit judges whether or not one information storage unit has been replaced by another and, when replaced, if the destination has not been reached, conducts another route search from the current position to the destination.

A navigation apparatus has: a current position detecting device for detecting current position of a vehicle in which the device is installed; an information storing device for storing map information and other route information for route search and route guidance; an input device for inputting instructions; an output device for outputting information for route guidance; and a central processing unit. The central processing unit has a route searching capability for searching for a route from the current position to a destination or an intermediate point on the basis of the map information, route storage means for temporarily storing the route found by the route search, and route guidance control for outputting to the output device a signal for executing route guidance. The apparatus determines a location on the road located a predetermined distance ahead in the direction of travel from the current position, as a search starting location or as a route guidance starting location.

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Anjo, Japan

Kihachi Hayashida