JP2002122433A - Navigation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation device allowing radio communication between a GPS receiving device and a navigation main body. SOLUTION: This navigation device is provided with the GPS receiving device 10 constructed of a GPS antenna 11 and a GPS tuner 12 integrated together and the navigation main body 30. A signal is transmitted/received between the GPS receiving device 10 and the navigation main body 30 via radio communication by means of a radio control unit 14 and a radio communication unit 31 individually built in them.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation apparatus, and more particularly to transmission and reception of signals between a GPS receiver and a navigation body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a car navigation system, a GPS antenna (GPS receiver) is installed on the roof of a car or the like, and a connection cord is connected between the GPS antenna and a display device (navigation body) installed in the car. Signals are transmitted and received between the GPS antenna (GPS receiving device) and the display device (navigation main body).

[0003]

In a vehicle-mounted navigation device, it is desirable to install a GPS antenna in a place where the sky can be seen widely, such as the roof of a car, in order to improve the accuracy of GPS. Because
It was necessary to wire from outside the car to inside the car. The work of wiring the connection cord from the inside of the vehicle to the outside of the vehicle is very complicated, and there are problems such as impairing the beauty. Further, as a countermeasure against theft or mischief of the GPS antenna, it is desirable to store the antenna inside the vehicle when leaving the vehicle, but it is difficult to remove (or attach) the antenna if a connection cord is wired.

[0004] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device that enables wireless communication between a GPS receiver and a navigation body. And

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems (1) A navigation device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a GPS antenna and a GPS antenna.
A GPS receiver integrated with a PS tuner and a navigation body are provided, and signals are exchanged between the GPS receiver and the navigation body by wireless communication. In the present invention, the GPS receiver and the navigation body are not connected by a connection cord or the like,
Since the transmission and reception of signals between the two are performed by wireless communication, the inconvenience of wiring connection codes and the like is eliminated. That is, the wiring work is not required, and the aesthetic feeling is not impaired by the wiring. Further, the GPS receiver can be easily removed (or attached), and the GPS receiver can be easily stored for theft prevention or the like.

(2) A navigation device according to another aspect of the present invention is the navigation device according to the above (1), wherein the GPS receiving device is a first wireless communication unit for exchanging signals with the navigation body. And the navigation body includes a second wireless communication unit for exchanging signals with the GPS receiver. In the present invention, the GPS receiving device and the navigation main body exchange signals with each other via the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit.

(3) In the navigation device according to another aspect of the present invention, in the device according to the above (1) or (2), the first and second wireless communication units may use a low-power communication requiring no specific license. A signal is transmitted and received by the In the present invention, since signals are transmitted and received by low-power communication, operation can be performed without a specific license (users are not limited), and power saving is realized.

(4) A navigation device according to another aspect of the present invention is the navigation device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the GPS receiving device receives a transmission request from the navigation body. The coordinate data is transmitted to. In the present invention, the GPS receiving apparatus does not constantly transmit coordinate data to the navigation main body, but transmits the coordinate data only when receiving a transmission request from the navigation main body. By doing so, it is possible to save power of the GPS receiver.

(5) In the navigation device according to another aspect of the present invention, in any one of the above (1) to (4), when the GPS receiving device receives a transmission request from the navigation body, the GPS receiving device receives the coordinate data. Is started. In the present invention, the GPS receiving device does not constantly obtain coordinate data, but obtains and transmits coordinate data only when receiving a transmission request from the navigation body. By doing so, G
The power saving of the PS receiving device has become possible.

(6) A navigation device according to another aspect of the present invention is the navigation device according to any one of the above (1) to (5), wherein the GPS receiving device receives a transmission request from the navigation main body. And a driving power supply to the GPS tuner. In the present invention, G
The driving power is not constantly supplied to the PS antenna and the GPS tuner, but the driving power is supplied when there is a transmission request from the navigation body to obtain the coordinate data. By doing this,
The GPS receiver can save power.

(7) A navigation device according to another aspect of the present invention is the navigation device according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the GPS receiving device is a power generating device and a secondary device charged by the power generating device. It is provided with a battery and a power switch for supplying the power of the secondary battery to the GPS antenna and the GPS tuner when receiving a transmission request from the navigation body. In the present invention, the GPS receiver includes an independent power supply including a power generator and a secondary battery,
In order to save power, a GPS antenna and GPS
The drive power is not constantly supplied to the tuner, and the power switch is closed to supply the power of the secondary battery to the GPS antenna and the GPS tuner when there is a transmission request from the navigation body. I have to.

(8) In a navigation device according to another aspect of the present invention, in the above device (7), the power generation device is a solar cell. In the present invention, a solar battery is provided in the GPS receiver, and when the GPS receiver is mounted outdoors such as a roof of an automobile, effective power from sunlight is easily obtained.

(9) A navigation device according to another aspect of the present invention is the navigation device according to any one of the above (1) to (8), wherein the GPS receiving device and the navigation body have the same or different ID numbers. When the received signal includes the correct partner ID number, the received signal is taken in. In the present invention, when a preset ID number is included in the received signal, the received signal is taken in, so as to avoid interference.

(10) A navigation device according to another aspect of the present invention is the navigation device according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit are bidirectional. It performs serial communication.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1 FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the car navigation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This car navigation system uses GPS
It comprises a receiving device 10 and a navigation body 30. The GPS receiving device 10 includes a GPS antenna 11,
A GPS tuner 12, a control device (for a receiving device) 13, and a wireless control unit 14 are provided. The GPS receiver 10 includes a power generator 21 such as a solar cell, a charging circuit 22, and a storage battery 23 as its driving power supply. The output of the storage battery 23 is connected to a power supply circuit 24, and the output of the power supply circuit 24 is connected to the control device 13 and the wireless communication unit 14.
Is supplied constantly as a driving power to the GPS antenna 11 and the GPS tuner 12.
4 is supplied via the power switch 25. The power switch 25 is constantly open, and its opening and closing are controlled by the control device 13.

The navigation body 30 includes a wireless communication unit 31, a control device (for the body) 32, a display device (not shown), and the like. This wireless communication unit 31 and G
The wireless control unit 14 of the PS receiving apparatus 10 performs communication by both serial communication and low-power communication without a specific license. Although FIG. 1 shows only the characteristic portions of the present embodiment, other components included in the navigation device are naturally included, and this does not mean that other components are excluded.

The car navigation device shown in FIG.
Since the receiving device 10 and the navigation body 30 are not connected by wire, the GPS receiving device 10 needs to be equipped with an independent power supply, and is equipped with the power generating device 21 and the like as described above. The electric power generated by the power generation device charges the storage battery 23 by the charging circuit 22. Then, the voltage of the storage battery 23 is supplied to the power supply circuit 24, converted into a predetermined voltage, and output as a drive power supply. However, since the power generation device 21 and the storage battery 23 each have restrictions on the power generation capacity and charging capacity, it is desirable to minimize the power consumption of the GPS receiver 10. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the control device 13
Power saving is achieved by controlling the opening and closing of the power supply.
The details will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a process for saving power in the GPS receiver 10 of FIG. (S11) The control device 13 receives the transmission signal from the navigation body 30 via the wireless control unit 14,
Check whether there is a transmission request in the signal command. (S12) When there is a transmission request from the navigation body 30, the control device 13 closes the power switch 25 and supplies the output of the power circuit 24 to the GPS antenna 11 and the GPS tuner 12 as drive power.

(S13) GPS antenna 11 and GPS
When driving power is supplied to the tuner 12, the GPS antenna 11 receives a radio wave from a satellite, and the GPS tuner 12 obtains coordinate data of the current position from the received radio wave. Then, the control device 13 receives the coordinate data from the GPS tuner 12. (S14) The control device 13 transmits data including the coordinate data to the navigation body 30 via the wireless control unit 14. On the navigation body 30 side, the wireless communication unit 31 receives the data and sends the data to the control device 32.
The control device 32 performs processing such as displaying map information on a display device based on the data.

(S15) The above processing (S13) through (1)
5) is repeated until the communication ends. In general, when the power of the navigation body 30 is turned on, a transmission request command is issued, communication is performed at a set interval, and the communication ends when the power of the navigation body 30 is turned off. However, the process may be terminated when the termination condition according to the command instruction from the navigation body 30 is satisfied or when a preset transmission time has elapsed. (S16) When the communication is completed, the control device 32 opens the power switch 25 to stop the supply of the driving power to the GPS antenna 11 and the GPS tuner 12, and returns to the initial state.

As described above, in this embodiment, the GPS
The receiving device 10 closes the power switch 25 and supplies driving power to the GPS antenna 11 and the GPS tuner 12 only when a transmission request is issued from the navigation body 30, thereby realizing power saving of the GPS receiving device 10. ing.

Embodiment 2 By the way, the GPS receiver 1
Since the transmission and reception of signals between 0 and the navigation body 30 are performed by wireless communication, if there is a similar type of navigation device in an adjacent place, there is a possibility of interference, but in the present embodiment, Such a state is avoided by setting the same ID in the GPS receiver 10 and the navigation body 30. The details will be described with reference to FIGS. It is desirable to set the same ID, but different IDs can be used as long as they can be identified from each other by, for example, ID registration.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a signal format when transmitting and receiving between the GPS receiver 10 and the navigation body 30. The communication format 50 includes a header 51, coordinate data 52, other data 53, redundant test data 54, and an end code 55. The header 51 includes a head identification code 56, a main body unique ID 57, a command status 58, a data size 59, and other information 60.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the processing on the receiving side when transmitting and receiving between the GPS receiving apparatus 10 and the navigation body 30. The illustrated example is the GPS receiver 1
0 and the navigation body 30 are common to both the GPS receiver 10 and the controller 13 in the GPS receiver 10 and perform the processing in FIG. 4.

(S21) Wait for transmission from the other party (GPS receiver 10 or navigation body 30). In this case, the navigation body 30 waits for the reception after transmitting the transmission request. (S22) When a signal from the other party is received, the flow shifts to a data fetching process. (S23) First, it is determined whether or not the “head identification signal” 56 is present in the header 51 of the received signal. If there is no "head identification signal" 56, the process returns to step (S21).

(S24) If the "header identification signal" 56 is present in the header 51 of the received signal, it is determined whether the "test redundant data" 54 is normal. If the “test redundant data” 54 is not normal, the process returns to the processing (S21). (S25) If the “inspection redundant data” 54 is normal, it is determined whether the “main unit unique ID” 57 matches. If the “body unique ID” 57 does not match, the process returns to step (S21). (S26) If the “body unique ID” 57 matches, the received data is processed as appropriate. When the process is completed, the process returns to the first process (S21).

As described above, in the present embodiment, the control devices 13 and 32 check the "head identification signal" 56, the "redundancy data for inspection" 54 and the "ID unique to the main body" 57, respectively, to Interference with a kind of wireless device and a kind of navigation device is avoided to prevent malfunction.

Embodiment 3 In the above embodiment, an example in which the storage battery (secondary battery) 23 is used as the driving source of the GPS receiver 10 has been described, but a primary battery may be used in the present invention. In that case, the power generator 21 and the charging circuit 22 of FIG. 1 become unnecessary.

Further, the navigation device of the present invention
Since the PS receiver and the navigation main body are separated without being connected by a connection cord, the handling is easy, and therefore, it is useful not only for a vehicle but also as a portable navigation device.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the radio communication is performed between the GPS receiver and the navigation body, the inconvenience of wiring with a connection cord or the like is eliminated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a navigation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a process for saving power in the GPS receiver of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a signal format when transmitting and receiving between a GPS receiver and a navigation body.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a receiving side process when transmitting and receiving between the GPS receiving device and the navigation body.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 GPS receiving device 11 GPS antenna 12 GPS tuner 13 Control device (for receiving device) 14 Wireless control unit 21 Power generating device 22 Charging circuit 23 Storage battery 24 Power supply circuit 25 Power switch 30 Navigation body 31 Wireless communication unit 32 Control device (for body)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yasuyuki Kobayashi 3-5-3 Yamato, Suwa-shi, Nagano Seiko Epson Corporation (72) Inventor Kenichiro Yajima 3-5-35 Yamato, Suwa-shi, Nagano Seiko-Epson F term (reference) 2F029 AA01 AB07 AC02 5H180 AA01 BB04 BB09 CC12 FF05 FF27

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A GPS receiver comprising a GPS antenna and a GPS tuner integrated with each other, and a navigation body, wherein signals are exchanged between the GPS receiver and the navigation body by wireless communication. A navigation device characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The GPS receiving device includes a first wireless communication unit for transmitting and receiving a signal to and from the navigation main body, wherein the navigation main body transmits and receives a signal to and from the GPS receiving device. 2. The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising a second wireless communication unit for performing the operation. 3. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second wireless communication units exchange signals by low-power communication requiring no specific license. 4. The navigation according to claim 1, wherein the GPS receiving device transmits coordinate data to the navigation main body when receiving a transmission request from the navigation main body. apparatus. 5. The navigation according to claim 1, wherein the GPS receiving apparatus starts processing for obtaining the coordinate data when receiving a transmission request from the navigation body. apparatus. 6. The GPS receiver according to claim 1, wherein upon receiving a transmission request from the navigation body, the GPS receiver supplies driving power to the GPS antenna and the GPS tuner. A navigation device as described. 7. The GPS receiving device, upon receiving a power generation device, a secondary battery charged by the power generation device, and a transmission request from the navigation body, transmits the power of the secondary battery to the GPS antenna and the GPS antenna. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a power switch for supplying the GPS tuner. 8. The navigation device according to claim 7, wherein the power generation device is a solar cell. 9. The GPS receiving apparatus and the navigation main body are set with the same or different ID numbers, respectively, and take in the received signal when the received signal includes the ID number. Claim 1
The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 8. 10. The navigation device according to claim 2, wherein each of the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit performs bidirectional serial communication.