Abstract: While the vehicle is traveling on a highway, the controller searches facilities located within a specific distance from the next exit of the highway, on the basis of the map data contained in the CD-ROM and the current vehicle position measured by a position measuring device, and provides the result to a display controller. The display controller superimposes on a displayed map image on a monitor the searched facilities as well as the distances from the relevant highway exit. The controller also searches a guide route to a facility selected by the user, stores it in a route guide memory, and executes route guidance to the facility on the basis of the guide route stored in the guide route memory. Thus, the invention provides a navigation system whereby the user can find facilities located within a specific distance from the next exit of the highway.

Abstract: A navigation system provides route guidance to a destination even when a facility in an unmapped area is input as the destination. When a facility in an unmapped area is input as a destination, the navigation system obtains a guidance route to an appropriate freeway exit near the facility, thus guiding a vehicle along the guidance route. Subsequently, the navigation system displays an arrow indicating the direction from a vehicle position to the facility and a linear distance from the vehicle position to the facility, thus guiding the vehicle to the destination. The guidance is provided until the vehicle arrives at the destination.

Abstract: The present invention provides a navigation system for vehicles, in which advancing direction guidance information at a first guide branch point is displayed by partially overlapping it on advancing direction guidance information at a second guide branch point, and it is possible to recognize that the information at the uppermost layer has higher priority and also to find two advancing direction guidances at the same time. The advancing direction guidance information at a second guide branch point is displayed only when there are two or more guide branch points separated from each other at shorter distance than a predetermined distance, and the driver can easily recognize that the branch points requiring guidance are located adjacent to each other and can drive the vehicle at ease and with full confidence.