Navigation system

Abstract

In a main device, a processor receives information about a destination point, and further generates guide image data representing a guide image for guiding a user who is driving a vehicle. A display unit displays the guide image generated by the processor, thereby guiding the driving user to the destination point. When it is determined, while guiding the driving user, that the user is going to get off the vehicle, the processor generates navigation data Dnvg including the information about the destination point, and transfers the navigation data to a sub-device. In the sub-device, a processor generates, based on the received navigation data Dnvg, guide image data for outside of the vehicle representing a guide image for guiding the user who is traveling to the destination point on foot. A display unit displays the guide image generated by the processor. Thus, it is possible to provide a navigation system that is convenient to use.

1 . A navigation device fixed to a vehicle, for guiding a user from a starting point to a destination point, said navigation device comprising: 
 a receiving unit for receiving at least information about the destination point;    a generating unit for generating vehicle guide image data representing a guide image for guiding the vehicle;    a displaying unit for displaying the guide image represented by the vehicle guide image data generated by the generating unit;    an input unit for generating, in response to an operation by the user, a signal indicative of when the user exits the vehicle;    a determining unit for determining whether the user exits the vehicle; and    a generating/transferring unit for generating, if the determining unit determines that the has exited the vehicle, navigation data including at least the destination point received by the receiving unit, and transferring the navigation data to a sub-device capable of communicating with the navigation device, said sub-device being portable by the user.    
   
   
       2 . The navigation device according to  claim 1 , said navigation device further comprising: 
 a calculating unit for calculating a current position of the vehicle; wherein    said generation/transferring unit generates the navigation data further includes, as a vehicle position, the current position of the vehicle calculated by said calculating unit if said determining unit determines that the user has exited the vehicle, and transfers the navigation data to the sub-device.    
   
   
       3 . A portable navigation device capable of communicating with a in-vehicle main device for guiding a user from a starting point to a destination point, wherein the main device transfers navigation data including at least the destination point to the navigation device if the user exits the vehicle, 
 said navigation device comprising: 
 a reception unit for receiving the navigation data transferred by the main device;  
 a generating unit for generating guide image data representing a guide image for guiding the user traveling outside of the vehicle, based on the navigation data received by the reception unit;  
 a display unit for displaying the guide image represented by the guide image data generated by the second generating unit.  
   
   
   
       4 . The navigation device according to  claim 1 , wherein the navigation data further includes a vehicle position, 
 said navigation device further comprises a route searching unit for deriving an optimal route from the vehicle position to the destination point based on the navigation data received by the reception unit;    said generation unit further generates guide image data by using the optimal route derived by the route searching unit.    
   
   
       5 . The navigation device according to  claim 4 , further comprising: 
 a calculating unit for calculating a current position of the user traveling outside of the vehicle; and    a non-volatile storage unit for storing, as travel data, one or more of the current positions calculated by said calculating unit while the user traveling outside of the vehicle is guided to the destination point, and    if the travel data is stored in said non-volatile storage unit, said generation unit generates the guide image data by using the travel data stored in said non-volatile storage unit.    
   
   
       6 . The navigation device according to  claim 4 , wherein said route searching unit further derives an optimal route from the destination point to the vehicle position.  
   
   
       7 . The navigation device according to  claim 3 , wherein said device is one of a data processing terminal with a communication function and a mobile communication terminal.  
   
   
       8 . The navigation device according to  claim 3 , wherein said navigation device sets the destination point as a new starting point and the starting point as a new destination point, searches for a route from the new starting point to the new destination point, and then guides the user.  
   
   
       9 . A navigation device fixed to a vehicle, for guiding a user from a starting point to a destination point, said navigation device comprising: 
 a receiving unit for receiving at least information about the destination point;    a generating unit for generating vehicle guide image data for the vehicle representing a guide image for guiding the vehicle;    a displaying unit for displaying the guide image represented by the vehicle guide image data generated by the generating unit;    a determining unit for determining whether the user exits the vehicle;    a generating/transferring unit for generating, if the determining unit determines that the user has exited the vehicle, navigation data including at least the destination point received by the receiving unit, and transferring the navigation data to a sub-device capable of communicating with the navigation device, said sub-device being portable by the user;    a storage unit for storing possible place data including a possible place as the destination point and an intermediate point through which the user goes to reach the destination point;    an extracting unit for extracting, from the possible place data stored in said storage unit, the intermediate point related to the destination point received by said receiving unit; and    a calculating unit for calculating a current position of the vehicle; wherein    said determining unit determines that the user has exited the vehicle if the current position calculated by said calculating unit coincides with the intermediate point extracted by said extracting unit.    
   
   
       10 . The navigation device according to  claim 9 , wherein 
 said storage unit further stores cartographic data representing a map that depicts an optimal route from the intermediate point to the destination point included in the possible place data,    said generation/transferring unit generates the navigation data further including the cartographic data stored in said storage unit if said determining unit determines that the user exits the vehicle, and transfers the navigation data to the sub-device.    
   
   
       11 . A portable navigation device capable of communicating with a fixed main device, for guiding the user from a starting point to a destination point, wherein the main device transfers, to the navigation device, navigation data including at least the destination point and cartographic data representing a map if the user gets off the vehicle, 
 said navigation device comprising: 
 a reception unit for receiving the navigation data and the cartographic data transferred by the main device;  
 a generating unit for generating guide image data representing a guide image for guiding the user traveling outside of the vehicle based on the navigation data and the cartographic data received by the reception unit;  
 a display unit for displaying the guide image represented by the guide image data generated by the generating unit.  
   
   
   
       12 . The navigation device according to  claim 11 , wherein said device is one of a data processing terminal with a communication function and a mobile communication terminal.  
   
   
       13 . The navigation device according to  claim 11 , wherein said navigation device sets the destination point as a new starting point and the starting point as a new destination point, searches for a route from the new starting point to the new destination point, and then guides the user.  
   
   
       14 . A navigation device being fixed to a vehicle, for guiding a user from a starting point to a destination point, said navigation device comprising: 
 a calculating unit for calculating a current position of the vehicle;    a receiving unit for receiving at least information about the destination point and an intermediate point through which the user goes to reach the destination point;    a generating unit for generating vehicle guide image data representing a guide image for guiding the vehicle;    a displaying unit for displaying the guide image represented by the vehicle guide image data generated by the generating unit;    a determining unit for determining whether the user exits the vehicle, said determining unit determines that the user has exited the vehicle if the current position calculated by said calculating unit coincides with the intermediate point received by said receiving unit; and    a generating/transferring unit for generating, if the determining unit determines that the user has exited the vehicle, navigation data including at least the destination point received by the receiving unit, and transferring the navigation data to a sub-device capable of communicating with the navigation device, said sub-device being portable by the user.    
   
   
       15 . The navigation device according to  claim 14 , wherein 
 if the said determining unit determines that the user gets off the vehicle, said generating/transferring unit generates the navigation data that further includes, as a vehicle position, the current position calculated by said calculating unit, and transfers the navigation data to said sub-device.    
   
   
       16 . A portable navigation device capable of communicating with a fixed main device, for guiding the user from a starting point to a destination point, wherein the main device transfers, to the navigation device, navigation data including at least the destination point if the user gets off the vehicle, 
 said navigation device comprising: 
 a reception unit for receiving the navigation data transferred by the main device;  
 a route search unit for deriving an optimal route from the vehicle position to the destination point based on the navigation data received by the reception unit;  
 a generating unit for generating guide image data representing a guide image for guiding the user traveling outside of the vehicle based on the navigation data received by the reception unit and the optimal route derived by the route search unit;  
 a display unit for displaying the guide image represented by the guide image data generated by the generating unit.  
   
   
   
       17 . The navigation device according to  claim 16 , wherein said device is one of a data processing terminal with a communication function and a mobile communication terminal.  
   
   
       18 . The navigation device according to  claim 16 , wherein said navigation device sets the destination point as a new starting point and the starting point as a new destination point, searches for a route from the new starting point to the new destination point, and then guides the user.