Patents by Inventor Satoru Aito

Satoru Aito has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Navigation system with switching between an ordinary road preferential mode and a tall road preferential mode
    Patent number: 5991689
    Abstract: In a navigation apparatus for a vehicle, a route is determined in an ordinary-road-preferential mode or a toll-road-preferential mode, and route guidance is provided based on the thus-determined route. When the vehicle deviates from the determined route, redetermination is conducted so as to obtain a new route based on which guidance is provided. For example, when the vehicle has deviated from a route determined in the ordinary-road-preferential mode in order to enter a toll road, the user operates a toll-road-preference ON touch button so to change the determination mode to the toll-road preferential mode, so that route redetermination is carried out in a state in which priority is given to toll roads. In the navigation apparatus, optimum interchanges of a special road are automatically searched, and a route that preferentially uses the special road is calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Aisin AW Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoru Aito, Masahiro Suetsugu, Toyoji Hiyokawa, Kazuteru Maekawa, Takeshi Yanagikubo