Pioneer Corporation

Other

Pioneer Electronic Corporation

Masaya Hashida

Akira Sakai

Hitoshi Kaneko

Makoto Hijikata

Hiroshi Miyahara

Takashi Kawakami

Tatsuya Okamoto

Toru Fujita

Ippei Nambata

Motoki Ishiguro

Toshiki Matsukawa

Mayumi Naganuma

Yoshiaki Matsumoto

A navigation apparatus is provided with: a first storing device for storing original data for a navigation based on a predetermined format and including map data, in such a manner that an empty area exists on the predetermined format in each processing unit for a predetermined kind of navigation processing; a second storing device for storing difference update data representing a data portion for the navigation that is updated with respect to the original data as a standard; and a re-writing device for generating updated data based on the format and including the original data and merge data, by re-writing the merge data at least partially into the empty area corresponding to the merge data. The merge data defines a relationship of the difference update data with respect to the original data. The navigation apparatus is also provided with a processing device performing the navigation processing on the basis of the original data and the difference update data.

Navigation apparatus and method, and computer program product

A navigation system and navigation equipment which reduce the time required for radio transmissions to implement fast navigational guidance. The navigation equipment communicates bi-directionally by radio with a navigation server, thereby providing navigational guidance. The navigation equipment transmits position data delivered by a GPS receiver to the navigation server through a communication device and acquires, from the communication device, map data for display indicative of a map of a surrounding area including a self-location provided by the position data sent back from the navigation server. The navigation equipment then performs map matching between road information contained in the acquired map data for display and the position information, thereby determining a current position on the road, thereby displaying a map in the form of an image on a display unit in accordance with the map data for display and displaying the current position determined by the map matching on the map displayed in the form of an image.

Navigation system and navigation equipment

When a moving body (e.g., a car) is entering a roundabout, a navigation machine extracts link data of the roundabout from road map data. The navigation machine detects a route entering the roundabout (i.e., a route the moving body is currently taking), a center of the roundabout, and an exiting route based on the link data to determine an angle of the exiting route with respect to the entering route. A direction mark having the exiting route angle is prepared as a heading direction guidance image. The navigation machine can show an appropriate route (direction) at the roundabout without increasing the amount of stored image data.

Route guidance apparatus and method

Map data stored in a memory includes normal road data and additional road data for predetermined regions along a highway. A current location of a moving body is detected by sensor(s). The normal road data or additional road data is selected on the basis of the detected current location of the moving body. A map matching process is performed with the selected road data. Accordingly, the current location of the moving body is determined in the map matching process with high accuracy.

Navigation apparatus

A communication navigation system is provided with a communication center apparatus ( ) and a communication navigation terminal ( ), which perform two-way communication on a communication network ( ). The communication center apparatus is provided with: a search device ( ) for searching for an optimum route with respect to the request of route search from the communication navigation terminal on the basis of information for route search and a communication device ( ) for wirelessly transmitting coordinates information at a plurality of positions on this optimum route. The communication navigation terminal is provided with a communication device ( ) for receiving the coordinates information and a display processing device ( ) for displaying the optimum route on the basis of this received coordinates information.

Communication navigation system and method, communication center apparatus, communication navigation terminal, program storage device and computer data signal embodied in carrier wave

There is provided a navigation apparatus capable of executing a guide corresponding to an inside structure of a building which even if a vehicle is running in the building. The apparatus determines whether or not a current position of the vehicle is located in the building. If it is determined that the current position is located in the building, a plan view of the building is displayed. Then, the displayed plan view is used to carry out a navigation process.

Navigation apparatus, navigation method and information recording medium containing navigation program readable by computer

A car navigation apparatus for determining entry/exit of a vehicle into/from a parking area based on a running state of the vehicle without using a dedicated parking area database. Upon entry into a parking area, the entry is determined by totally checking the speed of the vehicle, the presence or absence of turn-round motion, an error in a forward and backward direction of the vehicle, estimated by map matching, the presence or absence of front and rear intersections, and the widths of intersecting roads. On the other hand, upon exit from a parking area, the exit is determined by totally judging the detected speed of the vehicle, the presence or absence of a straight running distance, the presence or absence of a nearby road extending in parallel with the course of the vehicle, and the width of the parallelly extending road.

Car navigation apparatus capable of determining entry into parking area

A navigation system includes sensors to detect a moving direction and location of a mobile body. The navigation system first presumes a first route pattern, which includes straight and curve ways, from data supplied from the sensors. The navigation system then determines a second route pattern, based on data supplied from the sensors. The navigation system compares the first route pattern with the second route pattern. When the first route pattern is substantially the same as the second route pattern, a current moving direction and location of the mobile body detected by the sensors are calibrated in accordance with the first route pattern. The navigation system can accurately determine a current location of the mobile body even if the mobile body moves in a roofed building and no driveway data is available for the building.

A navigation apparatus provided with: a vertical movement detecting device for detecting a presence or absence of a movement in a vertical direction of a moveable body associated with the movement of the movable body; a judging device for judging a position in the vertical direction of the movable body on the basis of the presence or absence of the movement in the vertical direction detected by the detecting device; and a notifying device for notifying a present position of the movable body on the basis of the position in the vertical direction judged by the judging device.

Growing community of inventors

Kawagoe, Japan

Masaya Hashida