Navigation apparatus and storage medium therefor

• US 20030028318A1
• Filed: 09/17/2001
• Published: 02/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamada, Kunihiro, Kaji, Takanori, Ishibashi, Noboru
• Granted Patent: US 6,795,769 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968

Abstract

Disclosed is a navigation apparatus for a vehicle, which detects a present location of a mobile body, searches for a route to a destination based on map data and roads ranked in accordance with a degree of details of roads, and outputs information of the searched route. An optimal route from a present location to a destination is searched for using the map data every predetermined time or every predetermined distance. A storage medium incorporates a program that has the capabilities of the navigation apparatus.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus for a vehicle for searching for a route to a destination and giving a guidance, comprising:

a present-location detecting means for detecting a present location of a mobile body;

an information storage means which holds information necessary for route searching including map data hierarchized in accordance with a degree of details of roads from upper-rank roads to lower-rank roads;

a route searching means for searching for a route based on present-location information detected by the present-location detecting means and the map data hierarchized in accordance with the degree of details of roads and stored in the information storage means;

an output means for outputting route information searched by the route searching means; and

a control means for outputting the route information to the output means,

whereby the route searching means searches for an optimal route from a present location to a destination based on the map data every predetermined time or every predetermined distance.

2. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the route searching means searches for an optimal route from a present location to a destination in consideration of traffic congestion and the control means outputs the route information to the output means based on search results.

3. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means compares a new route searched by the route searching means with a present route and outputs information of the new route to the output means when a time needed for the new route or a distance of the new route is smaller than a time needed for the present route or a distance of the present route.

4. The navigation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control means compares a new route searched by the route searching means with a present route and outputs information of the new route to the output means when a time needed for the new route or a distance of the new route is smaller than a time needed for the present route or a distance of the present route.

5. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means compares a new route searched by the route searching means with a present route, and changes a guided route to the new route and outputs information of the new route to the output means automatically or based on a manual instruction on a condition that a time needed for the new route or a distance of the new route is smaller than a time needed for the present route or a distance of the present route.

6. The navigation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control means compares a new route searched by the route searching means with a present route, and changes a guided route to the new route and outputs information of the new route to the output means automatically or based on a manual instruction on a condition that a time needed for the new route or a distance of the new route is smaller than a time needed for the present route or a distance of the present route.

7. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means outputs information of a difference between a searched new route and a present route to the output means.

8. The navigation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control means outputs information of a difference between a searched new route and a present route to the output means.

9. The navigation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control means outputs information of a difference between a searched new route and a present route to the output means.

10. The navigation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control means outputs information of a difference between a searched new route and a present route to the output means.

11. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means computes a distance from a present location of the mobile body detected by the present-location detecting means to a route branch point at which a new route searched by the route searching means branches from a present route, and outputs information of the new route to the output means on a condition that the distance is smaller than a predetermined value.

12. The navigation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control means computes a distance from a present location of the mobile body detected by the present-location detecting means to a route branch point at which a new route searched by the route searching means branches from a present route, and outputs information of the new route to the output means on a condition that the distance is smaller than a predetermined value.

13. The navigation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control means computes a distance from a present location of the mobile body detected by the present-location detecting means to a route branch point at which a new route searched by the route searching means branches from a present route, and outputs information of the new route to the output means on a condition that the distance is smaller than a predetermined value.

14. The navigation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control means computes a distance from a present location of the mobile body detected by the present-location detecting means to a route branch point at which a new route searched by the route searching means branches from a present route, and outputs information of the new route to the output means on a condition that the distance is smaller than a predetermined value.

15. The navigation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control means computes a distance from a present location of the mobile body detected by the present-location detecting means to a route branch point at which a new route searched by the route searching means branches from a present route, and outputs information of the new route to the output means on a condition that the distance is smaller than a predetermined value.

16. A storage medium incorporating a program capable of:

detecting a present location of a mobile body;

searching for a route to a destination based on map data hierarchized in accordance with a degree of details of roads from upper-rank roads to lower-rank roads; and

outputting information of the searched route,

whereby the program searches for an optimal route from a present location to a destination based on the map data every predetermined time or every predetermined distance.

17. The storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the incorporated program changes a present route to a new route searched and outputs information of the new route automatically or based on a manual instruction on a condition that the new route is excellent over the present route in time and distance.

18. The storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the incorporated program comprises:

a first step of determining whether or not a distance from a present location of a mobile body to a route branch point at which the new route branches from the present route is smaller than a predetermined value; and

a second step of determining whether or not a time needed for the new route or a distance of the new route is smaller than a time needed for the present route or a distance of the present route on a condition that the distance to the route branch point has been decided as being smaller than the predetermined value in the first step,

wherein route information of the new route is output on a condition that the time needed for the new route or the distance of the new route has been decided as being smaller than the time needed for the present route or the distance of the present route in the second step.