Abstract: A bird's eye view commonly used in a flight simulation is applicable to an apparatus and method for navigating a vehicle running on a set route of travel to a set destination using a (color) display unit according to the present invention. The bird's eye view of a road map surrounding a present position of the vehicle has a viewing point placed at a predetermined position on an upper sky in a direction opposite to the set destination with the present position of the vehicle as a reference and has a line of sight looking down over the road map so that a part of the road map surrounding the present position of the vehicle can be viewed in an extended scale form and the remaining part of the road map remote from the present position and nearer to the set destination can be viewed in a gradually reduction scale form.

Abstract: A bird's eye view commonly used in a flight simulation is applicable to an apparatus and method for navigating a vehicle running on a set route of travel to a set destination using a (color) display unit according to the present invention. The bird's eye view of a road map surrounding a present position of the vehicle has a viewing point placed at a predetermined position on an upper sky in a direction opposite to the set destination with the present position of the vehicle as a reference and has a line of sight looking down over the road map so that a part of the road map surrounding the present position of the vehicle can be viewed in an extended scale form and the remaining part of the road map remote from the present position and nearer to the set destination can be viewed in a gradually reduction scale form.

Abstract: In apparatus and method for navigating a mobile body such as an automotive vehicle along a set route of travel, a road map stored in an external large-capacity memory unit such as a CD-ROM on a two-dimensional plane is graphically drawn on a display frame of an image screen with a degree of particulars of the road map data varied according to a displayed position of the image screen with respect to the display frame so that the graphically drawn road map in a form of a bird's eye view is viewed three-dimensionally with a feeling of depth given to a viewer. In an embodiment, as the displayed position of the image screen becomes upper with respect to the display frame, the degree of the particulars becomes lower.

Abstract: A vehicle navigation system includes: a key board (9) for setting a start point and a destination of a vehicle; a speed sensor (2) for detecting vehicle travel speed; an azimuth sensor (1) for detecting travel direction; a road map data memory (3) for storing road map data related to various roads; a display unit (8); and CPU (4) provided with functions for detecting a current vehicle position (CVP) on the basis of the detected speed and direction after the start point and in accordance with road map data; calculating a recommendable route from the start point to the destination on the basis of the road map data; and forming various birds-eye view road maps. In particular, the birds-eye view road maps of different visual points (E) and different contraction scale ratios can be formed according to vehicle travel speed or according to a distance from the current vehicle position to the nearest specific traffic point (e.g.

Abstract: In an apparatus and method for guiding a vehicle occupant from a present position of the vehicle to a destination to which the vehicle occupant desires to reach, optimum routes of travel from the present position to respective intersections surrounding the present position of the vehicle are already searched and stored when the vehicle stops at the present position of the vehicle with a vehicular ignition switch turned off. Then, when the ignition switch is turned on and the vehicle occupant sets the destination, the optimum routes from the set destination toward the present position are searched on the basis of the road map data and result of search of the optimum routes of the respective intersections surrounding the present position of the vehicle.

Abstract: A system for measuring a traveling direction of a vehicle includes a geomagnetic sensor and a gyro sensor. The system utilizes first and second indices for deriving the vehicle traveling direction. The first index is indicative of a disturbance of the geomagnetic field on a short distance basis, and the second index is indicative of a disturbance of the geomagnetic field on a long distance basis. The system varies a rate of dependence upon the geomagnetic sensor and the gyro sensor based on values of the first and second indices when calculating the vehicle traveling direction.

Abstract: In an apparatus for detecting a driving azimuth of a vehicle, a gyroscopic sensor signal and a geomagnetic sensor signal are acquired. When the vehicle is driven in a disturbed geomagnetic area such as a straight road, the acquired geomagnetic sensor signal does not correctly reflect the actual driving azimuth of the vehicle. Moreover, the gyroscopic sensor signal drifts over time. When the vehicle is in such a disturbed geomagnetic area, a variation amount in the acquired geomagnetic sensor signals is subtracted from another variation amount in the acquired gyroscopic sensor signals to obtain a driving azimuth similar to the actual driving azimuth.

Abstract: A system measures a traveling direction of a vehicle based on a direction toward a coordinate position defined by outputs of a geomagnetic sensor from a first coordinate position of a center of a corresponding output circle. The system utilizes a preliminary coordinate position as a preliminarily corrected value of the first coordinate position, a first value indicative of accuracy of the preliminary coordinate position and a second value which is variable depending on a variation in a magnetization level on a vehicle body. The system derives a finally corrected value of the first coordinate position based on the preliminary coordinate position and a latest value of the finally corrected value which has been derived in a prior execution of the system, by changing a rate which determines a point of the current finally corrected value between the latest finally corrected value and the preliminary coordinate position.

Abstract: A system and method for measuring a position of a moving object such as a vehicle using a hybrid-type navigation apparatus. In the system and method, at least two measurement results of an electromagnetic wave position measuring apparatus (such as a GPS position measuring apparatus) are evaluated to determine whether they are reliable with respect to the those derived by an integration calculation position measuring apparatus incorporated in the system together with the electromagnetic wave position measuring apparatus on the basis of the corresponding measurement results by means of the integration calculation position measuring apparatus. When they are determined to be highly reliable, a measurement result of the electromagnetic wave position measuring apparatus subsequent to those evaluated is set to a reference position on the basis of which the integration calculation position measuring apparatus measures the position of the moving object.

Abstract: A navigation system has a map memory storing map data. The road map stored in the map memory is divided into a plurality of pages further subdivided into continuous blocks. The map memory also stores identification data for the blocks and index data for various points within the map blocks. The index data includes position data for a plurality of known points. The navigation system also includes an input unit for entry of the identification data for a map memory block and/or the index data for known points, and a display unit for displaying a map block on a display monitor. A processor of the navigation system accepts entry of the index data for a travel starting point and a destination through the input unit. Based on the entered data, the processor searches for the map blocks containing the designated known points. The processor progressively expands the search area along a vector between the travel starting point and the destination.