Aisin Aw Co., Ltd.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyota Jidosha K.k.

Other

Toru Ito

Hiroshi Kishi

Kyomi Morimoto

Shoji Yokoyama

Akimasa Nanba

Kenji Kuroda

Mitsuhiro Nimura

Kiyohide Katoh

Shigekazu Ohara

Hiroyoshi Masuda

Shinichi Katoh

Kazuteru Maekawa

Kouichi Ando

Koji Hashimoto

Atsushi Watanabe

Nobuyuki Nakano

Takuya Nezaki

Toyoji Hiyokawa

Hiroshi Takeuchi

Hidetoshi Fujimoto

Yoshitaka Kato

Shuji Yamada

Motonobu Sugiura

Akihiko Nojima

Masanari Yamamoto

Makoto Isomura

Yasunori Suezawa

Norikazu Endo

Shinichi Yasui

Fumihiko Matsumura

Masaharu Hirota

Between communication equipment to be loaded in a vehicle and a base station, CDMA data communication is performed. A speed sensor detects a traveling speed. When the speed sensor crosses a speed determining value, a communication speed is changed. When the vehicle is at a halt or travels at a low speed, the communication speed is set to be high. When the traveling speed exceeds the speed determining value resulting from acceleration, the communication speed is decreased. Satisfactory communication is performed in the whole speed range, and data communication can be performed at the maximum speed. In order to change the communication speed, for example, a chip rate of PN code is changed. Also, the number of PN codes to which parallel processing is simultaneously applied is changed. Thus, it is possible to set the communication speed to be high even in a high-speed mobile object.

Radio communication system for mobile objects and radio communication mobile station used in the system

A basic navigation operating part implements basic navigating function, such as current position and route computation. Meanwhile, an extended program for extended navigating operation, typically used to present multimedia information, is described in a general-purpose language such as Java. A virtual machine interprets and executes this extended program. If a navigation control code related to the basic navigating function is generated during the execution of the extended program, the service module,translates it into a format interpretable by the basic navigation operating part. Thus, several Java-compatible multimedia facilities can be linked with the basic navigating function. Navigation system platforms can execute a chain of basic and extended navigating operations without being provided with a platform-specific program for extended navigating operation.

Navigation system and navigation data processing method

A navigation controller includes, in addition to a main CPU in the form of a general purpose CPU, a media processor having a VLIW structure or an SIMD structure. The main CPU controls ordinary navigation actions and causes the media processor to perform a route calculation requiring product-sum operations. The high-speed calculation ability of the media processor is utilized, remarkably increasing the route calculation speed. Preferably, the media processor executes both route calculation processing and graphics processing by time sharing. The time sharing ratio is varied in accordance with the state of navigating action so that the calculation time can be reduced to a minimum while an appropriate image display is maintained.

Navigation controller

There is provided a map data access method and device capable of reading out from a recording medium the map data requested by a navigation system and providing them to the system whether C language, etc. or JAVA (trademark), etc. is employed to constitute a processing program on the navigation system side. In the recording medium, the map data and a reading method of the data are recorded in pairs in a map data section and a method section, respectively. When a navigation function section requests the map data, a data access section reads out desired data in a method (program) read out from the method section according to a requested application programming interface (API). The data read out are supplied as a byte array object to the navigation function section.

Map data access method for navigation and navigation system

On a vehicle side, map data storage section stores map data, which is to be updated by using the latest map data transmitted from an information center. The map data includes map data of a number of types, such as landmark information, drawing data, route calculation data. For drawing data and route calculation data, the information center sends differential data indicative of difference between the latest data held by the center and the map data held by the vehicle. The differential data of the drawing data is stored separately from extant data in the storage section by generating processing section. The differential data of the route calculation data is combined with extant data by restructure processing section to thereby restructure route calculation data. On the other hand, for landmark data, the center transmits full data, which is data corresponding to the entire latest map data, rather than only the difference. The full data is used to overwrite the extant data. As described above, an appropriate update process is performed according to the type of map data.

Map data processing apparatus and method, and map data processing system

The present system executed data recovery without affecting other operations in the event that some recorded data has failed. In a database installed on a motor vehicle, program data, map data and the like used to carry out navigation are stored. If any set of these data has failed, a controller evaluates the urgency of recovery of the failed data set. For example, the urgency of recovery is evaluated by determining whether the failed data is part of a program in current use or whether it is map data scheduled to be used directly before long. Even if lower priority data in terms of the urgency of recovery has failed, the request for data recovery is issued at an appropriate delay timing instead of immediately requesting the information center to send that data, so that the influence of the data recovery on normal operation can be decreased.

Data recovery system and data recovery program recorded medium

Unpossessed road data is added to possessed road data stored in a road contour database of an information center. An on-vehicle terminal apparatus first compares a current position of a vehicle detected by a D-GPS unit against the road data stored in a storage section for storing road contour data of possessed roads. If the current position deviates from a known existing road, it is determined that the vehicle travels on an unpossessed road. Road data of the unpossessed road is then obtained based on a travel locus of the vehicle and sent to the information center together with a reliability index of the road data. The information center collects unpossessed road data from a plurality of sources, evaluates the reliability index for each data, and adds sufficiently reliable road data to the possessed road data. Thus, the information center can quickly obtain and utilize new and reliable road data.

Road data maintenance system and on-vehicle terminal apparatus

DGPS data obtained from an FM broadcast wave is extracted by a DGPS data extraction section (226). Adjustment error, the accuracy of which is not very high, has been appended to correction data to be used in actual positioning correction within the obtained DGPS data. A correction value creation section (228) judges, from the contents of DGPS data, which data in a correction value table (230) may be read. The method of this judgment is predetermined. Then, the correction value is created by reading the corresponding correction value from correction value table (230). Next, the correction value and correction data are added in a DGPS data specifying section (232) to yield proper correction data. Position information having high accuracy can be obtained from the obtained proper correction data.

Positioning system and fixed station and positioning apparatus for

A voice route-guidance system for vehicles which terminates its route-guidance when the vehicle arrives at the destination and even if the present position of the vehicle is measured with low accuracy. An approach judging unit judges that the vehicle approaches a point spaced apart from a destination by a predetermined distance. A guidance termination judging unit further judges whether or not there is a point in which the route-guidance should be carried out between the present vehicle position and the destination. From these judgments, the system judges that the vehicle approaches the point spaced apart from the destination by the predetermined distance and also that all the route-guidance has been terminated. Thus, a termination unit terminates the route-guidance.

Voice route-guidance system and method having a function for judging

A route guidance section compares the current position provided by a current position determination section and the route provided by a route calculation section for detecting an off-route condition. When the off-route condition is detected, a re-searching key as well as the route and current place is displayed on a display section. When the re-searching key is touched, a search is again made for a new route from the current position to the destination. Then, route guidance is again started in response to the re-searching result. When the re-searching key is not touched, the route and current place continue to be displayed while the vehicle carrying the apparatus travles off route, thereby efficiently preventing the apparatus from executing unnecessary re-searching when the driver drives the vehicle off route on purpose.

Vehicle route guidance apparatus for reseaching for a route when vehicle

A voice expression selection processing section recognizes a route from data from a route memory. When a vehicle has reached a junction, it is judged whether or not a curved road is present at the junction on the basis of connecting road number data from a junction data storage section, connecting angle data and connecting road width data. The content of the voice expression is changed in accordance with a case where the curved road is present or another case where the curved road is absent. Particularly, when the curved road is present, the direction of this curved road is added as a base of the voice expression. Therefore, the voice expression which matches with the feeling of a driver can be carried out to achieve suitable car guidance.

Vehicle-guiding device for recognizing curved road and leading vehicle

A vehicle navigation system realizing a discrete display of the present position of a vehicle during a period from when the vehicle reaches a predetermined distance before an intersection until the vehicle passes the intersection. Especially, in a zone a short distance before the intersection, the present vehicle position mark is fixed at the center of the displayed intersection until the travelling direction of the vehicle is changed. Thereby, even when the accuracy of monitoring of the present position is relatively low, misindication, such that the present position is displayed as if the vehicle has passed straight through the intersection in spite of not having actually reached the intersection, is avoided.

Vehicle navigation system and navigation method

An apparatus to facilitate volume control for route aural guidance. When supplying a guidance voice to a loudspeaker 34a, a voice control section 30 disconnects the loudspeaker 34a from audio and outputs the guidance voice through the loudspeaker. A volume control screen is displayed on a display section 28 where the user adjusts the volume by touching the screen. When the voice control section 30 switches a signal to the loudspeaker 34a, a mute circuit 40a is operated to mute the voice output before the voice is output through the loudspeaker 34a. When the user terminates volume adjustment, the voice control section 30 outputs a voice for volume confirmation or check at the adjusted volume through the loudspeaker 34a. The user can check the adjusted volume at this time.

Volume control of aural guidance of vehicle route guidance apparatus

A navigation system to be mounted on a vehicle for carrying out a route search and displaying the searched route. Traffic jam information and the like are obtained by an beacon receiver and an input part inputs time as a driving condition. An ECU executes a predetermined calculation based on map data of a CD-ROM and traffic jam data and to obtain a range and routes reachable within the input time and to display the same. In case of residual fuel as a condition, the reachable range by this fuel is displayed. A display of gasoline stands as information for expanding reachability is also executed. Hence, a driver can plan a driving based on these information. Also, a reachable range within 2 hours is displayed and the use of railways is guided when the driver cannot reach the destination within a predetermined time.

Navigation system to be mounted on vehicles

A route guidance section compares the current position provided by a current position determination section and the route provided by a route calculation section for detecting an off-route condition. When the off-route condition is detected, a researching key as well as the route and current place is displayed on a display section. When the researching key is touched, a search is again made for a new route from the current position to the destination. Then, route guidance is again started in response to the researching result. When the researching key is not touched, the route and current place continue to be displayed while the vehicle carrying the apparatus travles off route, thereby efficiently preventing the apparatus from executing unnecessary researching when the driver drives the vehicle off route on purpose.

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Nagoya, Japan

Toru Ito