Abstract: A navigation apparatus includes a receiving section for receiving program via a communication unit, a driving determining section for determining whether a vehicle equipped with the navigation apparatus is running or not if receiving a start request for the program, and an execution control section for activating the program if it is determined that the vehicle is running by the driving determining section and also if the program received by the receiving section is authorized. The executing control section cancels executing the program if it is determined that the vehicle is running by the driving determining section and also if the program received by the receiving section is not authorized.

Abstract: A method for determining a preferred route of road links between an origin and a destination in a vehicle navigation system. A boundary is established the origin and a destination and real time road link data is acquired for road links between the origin and the boundary. Similarly, road link data from a statistical database is retrieved from a road link database for road links between the boundary and the destination. The preferred route between the origin and the destination is then calculated as a function of both said real time road link data and statistical road link data and the calculated route is displayed on a screen.

Abstract: Provided is a digital broadcast receiving device (20) which can display a high resolution image longer without burdening users with a cumbersome operation. The digital broadcast receiving device (20) of the present invention switches, based on vehicle information, between switching thresholds by which switching is made between plural digital broadcast decoders outputting different digital broadcast images from one another in accordance with a reception state of digital broadcast waves. The plural digital broadcast decoders include, for example, a stationary reception decoder (200), which outputs a digital broadcast image for stationary receivers, and a mobile reception decoder (201), which outputs a digital broadcast image for mobile receivers.

Abstract: A method for route planning for use with a vehicle navigation system. The method includes the steps of inputting a route origin and route destination on a computer separate from the navigation system, such as a PC. The user also inputs activities or points of interest. The computer then searches a point of interest database which matches the activities inputted by the user and calculates a preferred route from the origin and to the route destination. The preferred route, together with data relating to the points of activity, are then wirelessly transmitted to the navigation system for subsequent display on the navigation system screen.

Abstract: An automobile navigation apparatus, that has a rewritable recording medium and capability to updates the map data base by obtaining latest map data, records the map data in the recording means and comprises updating data acquisition means that acquires updated data of a map to which updating procedure is added, an information interpreting means that interprets the updating procedure information, and a map data updating means that searches over said map data base and updates said map data base on the basis of the results of such interpretation and manages the map data by using attributions that indicates additional information of the map elements which are composed into a table as the records thereof so that the row record of the table is classified by the attribution which indicates the additional information of the map element.

Abstract: A navigation method for providing navigation by using map data includes: displaying a menu with which a user specifies an area of a map over which map data are to be updated, the menu containing a map-based option for area specification and a route-based option for area specification; obtaining update data along a route if the route-based option is selected from the options in the menu on display; and executing processing by using the obtained update data.

Abstract: An on-vehicle information terminal includes a menu display control unit that displays at a display monitor a selection menu organized over a plurality of hierarchical levels, a selection unit that selects a specific menu item in each hierarchical level in the selection menu, a processing execution unit that executes processing corresponding to a menu item that is ultimately selected, a keyword setting unit that sets a search keyword based upon an input operation performed by the user, a search unit that searches for a menu item related to the search keyword having been set from among various menu items in the selection menu and an informing unit that informs the user of an operation procedure to be performed when the selection unit selects the searched menu item.

Abstract: In a map data update method for updating map data used in an on-vehicle navigation apparatus by installing update map data, an authentication key is generated based upon an apparatus-inherent ID assigned in correspondence to the navigation apparatus and the use of update map data installed in the navigation apparatus is enabled or disabled by verifying the authentication key assigned to the navigation apparatus.

Abstract: A navigation system includes: a roadmap display unit that displays a roadmap at a display monitor; a current position detection unit that detects a current position of the navigation system; a setting unit that sets a right turn instruction or a left turn instruction for an intersection displayed in the roadmap; and a guidance unit that provides guidance based upon the right turn instruction or the left turn instruction having been set, as the detected current position moves to a point at or within a predetermined distance to the intersection having been set via the setting unit.

Abstract: A type of data among road data, route search data and route guidance data or a type of background data is specified to be updated. When updating either one of the road data, the route search data and the route guidance data, the entire data of the corresponding type stored in a hard disc 12 are updated. When updating the type of background data, data are updated in units of blocks corresponding to a specified range.

Abstract: This abridged map generating apparatus includes a route searching unit that searches for a plurality of routes from a departure point to a destination which has been set, an abridged map generation unit that generates an abridged map in which road shapes of the routes which are searched out by the route searching unit are simplified, based upon road map data which specifies shapes of roads by shapes of links set for each predetermined road section, and a link compactification unit that compactifies links of the routes based upon relative positional relationships of the routes before the abridged map generation unit generates the abridged map.

Abstract: A probe center server (10) previously performs filtering to determine whether or not a projection norm of a link in a feature space can be interpolated, and notifies a probe terminal (20) to preferentially collect and upload detected probe data for the link whose missing data can not be interpolated.

Abstract: A navigation apparatus comprises a map display control unit that displays a map on a display monitor, a voice information outputting unit that outputs voice information related to traveling of a vehicle, and a highlighting unit that highlights a part of the map that corresponds to the voice information in synchronization with output of the voice information by the voice information outputting unit.

Abstract: A navigation apparatus comprises a route setting unit that sets a route, a route characteristic point setting unit that sets a plurality of route characteristic points to the route set by the route setting unit, a priority setting unit that sets priority to each of the route characteristic points set by the route characteristic point setting unit, a selecting unit that selects any of the route characteristic points based upon the priority set by the priority setting unit, and a display control unit that displays the route and the route characteristic point selected by the selecting unit on a display monitor.

Abstract: A route searching apparatus comprises a processing device that searches a guided route along which a vehicle is to be guided from a current vehicle position to a destination and also searches a detour route for detouring a detour segment set over part of the guided route. The processing device extracts guidance-requiring intersections at which the vehicle needs to be guided to follow a course among intersections on the guided route, sets a segment ending at a guidance-requiring intersection close to the current vehicle position among the guidance-requiring intersections as the detour segment, and searches the detour route for detouring the detour segment.

Abstract: An on-vehicle information terminal comprises a route search unit that searches for a plurality of routes connecting a current position to a destination and a characteristics extraction unit that extracts characteristics of each route searched by the route search unit based upon geographic names. The on-vehicle information terminal displays the characteristics of individual routes extracted by the characteristics extraction unit at a display device.

Abstract: A controller of a navigation terminal (navigation apparatus) is configured to find a plurality of paths from a current position of a vehicle and a destination based on a plurality of different and prioritized path-finding conditions, respectively, and causes a display to show the plurality of paths which includes a navigating path found on the basis of a top-priority path-finding condition and at least one alternative path found on the other path-finding condition(s). In response to detection of deviation of the vehicle, the priority assigned to a path-finding condition based on which a specific alternative path along which the vehicle is running is changed into a top priority, and path-finding operation is performed again for paths from the current position of the vehicle to the destination to show a new navigating path and at least one new alternative path in the display.

Abstract: A method for geographic interpolation of traffic data in a vehicle navigation system in which the navigation system includes a map database divided into geographic meshes. Each mesh includes a plurality of road links of different types. That data also includes a first set of meshes containing traffic flow data while a mutually exclusive second set of meshes contains no such traffic flow data. A border between the first and second set of meshes is first identified and thereafter a blend zone of blend meshes is created by selecting at least one mesh adjacent the border so that the blend mesh is interposed between the first and second set of meshes. Thereafter, the traffic data for each type of road link in the blend mesh is adjusted to a value intermediate the first and second set of adjacent meshes for each type of road link and the blend mesh data is then stored.

Abstract: According to the 1st aspect of the invention, a navigation system comprises: a storage unit that stores map data managed with links representing smallest road units; a road map display unit that displays a road map based upon the map data; a depressed position detection unit that detects a depressed position on the road map on display; and a route setting unit that extracts a corresponding link corresponding to the depressed position and sets the extracted corresponding link as a route to a destination based upon the map data, and the route setting unit extracts a link adjacent to the corresponding link and makes a decision as to whether or not the adjacent link can be entered from the corresponding link based upon the map data.

Abstract: A recommended route is searched by the use of traffic information collected in the past. A map/statistical traffic data storage device 3 stores map data including link data of respective links constituting roads on a map, and statistical data including travel time or moving speeds of the respective links determined by statistical values of traffic information collected in the past. Said statistical data is classified every condition of collection of traffic information. A navigation device searches a recommended route from a departure position to a destination by using the map data stored in the map/statistical traffic data storage device and statistical data corresponding to a day type and a weather type which constitute conditions of search, out of statistical data stored in the map/statistical traffic data storage device 3.