Car navigation system prioritizing automatic travel road

• US 20040068366A1
• Filed: 09/16/2003
• Published: 04/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Nisiyama, Seiji
• Granted Patent: US 7,031,829 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries

Abstract

Road map data includes node data indicating a branch point, a junction point, or an intersection point and link data indicating a road between the preceding points. The node data and link data include distances, kinds of the roads, costs based on easiness of traveling. In a route search, a route is selected so that a total cost included in traveling on the route to a destination can be minimum. When command is generated as giving priority to an automatic travel road, costs included in the node and link data that correspond to the automatic travel road are lowered. A route including the automatic travel road is thereby selected in preference to other routes.

Claims

1. A car navigation system comprising:

road map data including node data indicating at least one point of a branch point, a junction point, and an intersection point, and link data indicating a road between the points;

a route searching unit for searching for a route between two points based on the road map data;

a notifying unit for notifying the route that is searched for as a guide route of the two points; and

a commanding unit for commanding that the route searching unit select a route as giving priory to an automatic travel road where a vehicle can automatically travel,

wherein, when the route searching unit is commanded to select a route as giving priority to the automatic travel road, the route searching unit preferentially selects a route including a road that corresponds to the automatic travel road.

2. The car navigation system according to claim 1,

wherein the link data of the road map data includes a cost,

wherein the route searching unit selects a given route where a total of costs of links that are included in the given route is a minimum value, and

wherein, when the route searching unit is commanded to select a route as giving priority to the automatic travel road, a cost of link data that corresponds to the automatic travel road is changed to be smaller.

3. The car navigation system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a determining unit for determining whether a vehicle where the car navigation system is mounted has an automatic travel guiding device,

wherein, only when the determining unit determines that the vehicle has the automatic travel guiding device, the route searching unit selects a route as giving priority to the automatic travel road.

4. A route searching method used in a car navigation having road map data that includes node data indicating at least one point of a branch point, a junction point, and an intersection point and link data indicating a road between the points, the route searching method comprising steps of;

searching for a route between two points based on the road map data;

notifying the route that is searched for as a guide route of the two points; and

commanding that the route be selected as giving priory to an automatic travel road where a vehicle can automatically travel,

wherein, when it is commanded that a route be selected as giving priority to the automatic travel road, a route including a road that corresponds to the automatic travel road is preferentially selected.