Apparatus for displaying travel path

Claim 1

An apparatus for displaying a travel path of a moving body in which locations of the moving body for every unit of travel distance on X-Y coordinates imposed on a road map are successively decided by computer processing, on the basis of outputs of a distance sensor for detecting a travel distance of the moving body and a direction sensor for detecting a direction of said travel, by means of a signal processing device and current locations of the moving body are renewably displayed on a display screen on which line segments of roads on the road map have been previously displayed, on the basis of data of the locations as decided above, comprising: means for effecting polygonal approximation of the travel path of the moving body by line segments of said travel path, said travel path being obtained by storing the data of the locations of the moving body as decided by the above-mentioned computer processing according to a process previously programmed in said signal processing device; selecting means for selecting proposed line segments of a road approximating the line segments of said travel path from the above-mentioned line segments of the roads on the road map in which data concerning the locations on the X-Y coordinates of the respective line segments of said travel path which have been previously approximated by polygonal approximation are stored in a memory, said selecting means including a comparing means for comparing characteristic amounts concerning positional relation between (1) the line segment of the travel path decided by the computer processing and (2) the line segment of the road to determine if the amounts fall within an allowable range; means for effecting matching of a first pattern of the proposed line segments of the road on the road map as selected and a second pattern of the line segments of said travel path including comparing said first and second patterns and selecting a first pattern that is similar to the second pattern; and means for making the travel path coincide with said selected first pattern of the proposed line segments of the road on the road map to which the matching of the pattern has been effected.

Claim 2

An apparatus for displaying a travel path of a moving body in which locations of the moving body for every unit of travel distance on X-Y coordinates imposed on a road map are successively decided by computer processing, on the basis of outputs of a distance sensor for detecting a travel distance of the moving body and a direction sensor for detecting a direction of said travel, by means of a signal processing device and current locations of the moving body are renewably displayed on a display screen on which line segments of roads on the road map have been previously displayed, on the basis of data of the locations as decided above, comprising: means for effecting polygonal approximation of the travel path of the moving body by line segments of said travel path, said travel path being obtained by storing the data of the locations of the moving body as decided by the above-mentioned computer processing according to a process previously programmed in said signal processing device; selecting means for selecting proposed line segments of a road approximating the line segments of said travel path from the above-mentioned line segments of the roads on the road map in which data concerning the locations on the X-Y coordinates of the respective line segments of said travel path which have been previously approximated by polygonal approximation are stored in a memory, said selecting means including a comparing means for comparing characteristic amounts concerning positional relation between (1) the line segment of the travel path decided by the computer processing and (2) the line segment of the road to determine if the amounts fall within an allowable range; means for effecting matching of a first pattern of the proposed line segments of the road on the road map as selected and a second pattern of the line segments of said travel path including comparing said first and second patterns and selecting a first pattern that is similar to the second pattern; and means for making the travel path coincide with said selected first pattern of the proposed line segments of the road on the road map to which the matching of the pattern has been effected.

Claim 7

An apparatus for displaying a travel path of a moving body in which locations of the moving body for every unit travel distances on X-Y coordinates imposed on a road map are successively decided by computer processing, on the basis of outputs of a distance sensor for detecting a travel distance of the moving body and a direction sensor for detecting a direction of said travel, by means of a signal processing device and a current location of the moving body is renewably displayed on a display screen, on which line segments of roads on the road map have been previously displayed, on the basis of the locations as decided above, comprising: means for effecting polygonal approximation of the travel path of the moving body by line segments, said travel path being obtained by storing the data of the locations of the moving body as decided by the above-mentioned computer processing according to a process previously programmed in said signal processing device; selecting means for selecting proposed line segments of a road approximating the line segments of said travel path from the above-mentioned line segments of the roads on the road map in which data concerning the locations on the X-Y coordinates of the respective line segments of said travel path which have been previously approximated by polygonal approximation are stored in a memory, said selecting means including a comparing means for comparing characteristic amounts concerning positional relation between (1) the line segment of the travel path decided by the computer processing and (2) the line segment of the road to determine if the amounts fall within a predetermined allowable range; means for deciding upon a proposed line segment on a virtual road, which does not correspond to a road on the road map, but which has interconnections with the proposed line segment of a road previously selected and the line segment of a road to be selected by the succeeding processing; means for effecting matching of a pattern of the line segments of said travel path to a pattern of the line segments of the roads on the road map or of the virtual road; and means for making the travel path coincide with the proposed line segments of the road on the road map or of the virtual road to which the matching has been effected.

Claim 8

An apparatus for displaying a travel path of a moving body in which locations of the moving body for every unit travel distances on X-Y coordinates imposed on a road map are successively decided by computer processing, on the basis of outputs of a distance sensor for detecting a travel distance of the moving body and a direction sensor for detecting a direction of said travel, by means of a signal processing device and a current location of the moving body is renewably displayed on a display screen, on which line segments of roads on the road map have been previously displayed, on the basis of the locations as decided above, comprising: means for effecting polygonal approximation of the travel path of the moving body by line segments, said travel path being obtained by storing the data of the locations of the moving body as decided by the above-mentioned computer processing according to a process previously programmed in said signal processing device; selecting means for selecting proposed line segments of a road approximating the line segments of said travel path from the above-mentioned line segments of the roads on the road map in which data concerning the locations on the X-Y coordinates of the respective line segments of said travel path which have been previously approximated by polygonal approximation are stored in a memory, said selecting means including a comparing means for comparing characteristic amounts concerning positional relation between (1) the line segment of the travel path decided by the computer processing and (2) the line segment of the road to determine if the amounts fall within a predetermined allowable range; means for deciding upon a proposed line segment on a virtual road, which does not correspond to a road on the road map, but which has interconnections with the proposed line segment of a road previously selected and the line segment of a road to be selected by the succeeding processing; means for effecting matching of a pattern of the line segments of said travel path to a pattern of the line segments of the roads on the road map or of the virtual road; and means for making the travel path coincide with the proposed line segments of the road on the road map or of the virtual road to which the matching has been effected.

Claim 13

An apparatus for displaying a travel path of a moving body in which locations of the moving body on X-Y coordinates on a road map are successively decided by computer processing, on the basis of outputs of a distance sensor for detecting a travel distance of the moving body and a direction sensor for detecting a direction of said travel, by means of a signal processing device and a current location of the moving body is renewably displayed on a display screen, on which a road map has been previously displayed, on the basis of data of the locations as decided above, comprising: means for dividing into line segments the travel path of the moving body obtained by storing the data of the locations of the moving body as decided by the above-mentioned computer processing according to a process previously programmed in said signal processing device and for obtaining data concerning position of the respective line segments on the X-Y coordinates on the road map; means for effecting matching of a pattern of the line segments of a road on the road map to a pattern of line segments of the travel path; and means for making the travel path coincide with the pattern of the line segments of the road on the road map to which the pattern matching has been effected.

Claim 14

An apparatus for displaying a travel path of a moving body in which locations of the moving body on X-Y coordinates on a road map are successively decided by computer processing, on the basis of outputs of a distance sensor for detecting a travel distance of the moving body and a direction sensor for detecting a direction of said travel, by means of a signal processing device and a current location of the moving body is renewably displayed on a display screen, on which a road map has been previously displayed, on the basis of data of the locations as decided above, comprising: means for dividing into line segments the travel path of the moving body obtained by storing the data of the locations of the moving body as decided by the above-mentioned computer processing according to a process previously programmed in said signal processing device and for obtaining data concerning position of the respective line segments on the X-Y coordinates on the road map; means for effecting matching of a pattern of the line segments of a road on the road map to a pattern of line segments of the travel path; and means for making the travel path coincide with the pattern of the line segments of the road on the road map to which the pattern matching has been effected.

Claim 17

An method for displaying a travel path of a moving body in which locations of the moving body on X-Y coordinates on a road map are successively decided by computer processing, on the basis of outputs of a distance sensor for detecting a travel distance of the moving body and a direction sensor for detecting a direction of said travel, by means of a signal processing device and a current location of the moving body is renewably displayed on a display screen, on which a road map has been previously displayed, on the basis of data of the locations as decided above, comprising the steps of: dividing into line segments the travel path of the moving body obtained by storing the data of the locations of the moving body as decided by the above-mentioned computer processing according to a process previously programmed in said signal processing device and for obtaining data concerning position of the respective line segments on the X-Y coordinates on the road map; effecting matching of a pattern of the line segments of a road on the road map to a pattern of line segments of the travel path; and making the travel path coincide with the pattern of the line segments of the road on the road map to which the pattern matching has been effected.

Claim 18

An method for displaying a travel path of a moving body in which locations of the moving body on X-Y coordinates on a road map are successively decided by computer processing, on the basis of outputs of a distance sensor for detecting a travel distance of the moving body and a direction sensor for detecting a direction of said travel, by means of a signal processing device and a current location of the moving body is renewably displayed on a display screen, on which a road map has been previously displayed, on the basis of data of the locations as decided above, comprising the steps of: dividing into line segments the travel path of the moving body obtained by storing the data of the locations of the moving body as decided by the above-mentioned computer processing according to a process previously programmed in said signal processing device and for obtaining data concerning position of the respective line segments on the X-Y coordinates on the road map; effecting matching of a pattern of the line segments of a road on the road map to a pattern of line segments of the travel path; and making the travel path coincide with the pattern of the line segments of the road on the road map to which the pattern matching has been effected.