Abstract: A vehicle navigation system for indication of the current vehicle position provides improved guidance to the driver when he is exiting from a freeway onto a freeway connector road segment (a freeway bifurcation), with the destination being a street (non-freeway road segment) linked to the freeway connector. In this case there is a possibility that the displayed sign text data at the first decision point upon exiting from the freeway does not correspond closely enough to the actual freeway signs, which tend to emphasize the connecting freeways rather than the street. This would tend to confuse the driver. Therefore, before the vehicle passes through the first decision point upon exiting the freeway, the sign text data for the freeway connector segment of the segment prior to the last freeway connector segment connecting to the destination street is displayed at the first guidance point, and not just the destination street.

Abstract: In a vehicle navigation system, an improvement in the way sign text data is displayed. Sign text data stored in the system corresponds to road signs and is displayed for route guidance purposes. Along certain types of road segments, for instance freeway ramps where there are multiple signs in sequence and each sign is associated with a decision point at which the driver must decide which direction to take, a comparison is made between the content (the sign text) of the first sign and the last sign in the sequence. If any words or phrases coincide, only the content of the last sign is displayed at the point of the first sign. This simplifies the displayed sign text and provides better and more concise route guidance to the driver.