Navigation apparatus for a vehicle and program which controls the apparatus

• US 20040148094A1
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Katou, Kiyohide
• Granted Patent: US 7,209,828 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles

Abstract

A navigation apparatus for a vehicle including a registration means for registering a place of departure, a destination, and a route traveled by the vehicle; a determination means for determining whether an input place of departure and input destination are respectively substantially the same as a place of departure and destination of a registered route, an input place of departure and an input destination being substantially the same as a respective place of departure and destination of a particular registered route when the input place of departure is within a predetermined distance of the place of departure of the particular registered route and the input destination is within the predetermined distance of the destination of the particular registered route; a route search means for reading out the particular registered route from registered route information; and a control means for performing route guidance based on a route returned by the search means.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

a registration means for registering a place of departure, a destination, and a route traveled by the vehicle;

a determination means for determining whether an input place of departure and input destination are respectively substantially the same as a place of departure and destination of a registered route, an input place of departure and an input destination being substantially the same as a respective place of departure and destination of a particular registered route when the input place of departure is within a predetermined distance of the place of departure of the particular registered route and the input destination is within the predetermined distance of the destination of the particular registered route;

a route search means for reading out the particular registered route from registered route information; and

a control means for performing route guidance based on a route returned by the search means.

2. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the route search means is also for:

reducing a search cost for the read out particular registered route;

searching for a route between the input place of departure and input destination with a smallest search cost; and

returning the searched for route with the smallest search cost.

3. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the route search means is also for returning the read out particular registered route without performing a search.

4. The navigation apparatus of claim 3, wherein if it is determined that it is impossible to travel one or more portions of the read out particular registered route, the route search means is also for:

searching, for each of the one or more impossible portions of the read out particular registered route, for a route around that impossible portion of the read out particular registered route; and

returning a route comprising all portions of the read out particular registered route that are possible to travel and each of the searched for routes around the one or more impossible sections of the read out particular registered route.

5. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein an input place of departure and input destination are only substantially the same as the respective place of departure and destination of the particular registered route, if a direction connecting the input place of departure and the input destination is within a predetermined angle of a direction connecting the place of departure and the destination of the particular registered route.

6. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined distance is determined based on a distance between the input route and the input destination.

7. The navigation apparatus of claim 7, wherein the predetermined distance is defined by one or more geographical areas.

8. A navigation apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

a registration means for registering a place of departure, a destination, and a route traveled by the vehicle;

a determination means for determining whether an input place of departure and input destination are respectively substantially the same as respective places of departure and destinations of one or more registered routes, an input place of departure and an input destination being respectively substantially the same as respective places of departure and destinations of one or more particular registered routes when, for each of the one or more particular registered routes, the input place of departure is within a predetermined distance of a place of departure of that particular registered route and the input destination is within the predetermined distance of a destination of that particular registered route;

a route search means for reading out the one or more particular registered routes from registered route information;

an output means for, if a plurality of particular registered routes are read out from the route search means, outputting information related to the plurality of particular registered routes;

a selection means for allowing the user to select one of the plurality of particular registered routes; and

a control means for performing, if a user has selected a particular registered route, route guidance based on the selected particular registered route.

9. The navigation apparatus of claim 8, wherein the input place of departure and the input destination are only respectively substantially the same as the respective places of departure and destinations of the one or more particular registered routes, if, for each of the one or more particular registered routes, a direction connecting the input place of departure and the input destination is within a predetermined angle of a direction connecting the place of departure and the destination of that particular registered route.

10. The navigation apparatus of claim 8, wherein the predetermined distance is determined based on a distance between the input route and the input destination.

11. The navigation apparatus of claim 10, wherein the predetermined distance is defined by one or more geographical areas.

12. A method for providing guidance based on registered route information, comprising:

inputting a place of departure;

inputting a destination;

comparing the input place of departure and input destination to respective places of departure and destinations of registered routes;

determining if the input place of departure and input destination are substantially the same as a respective place of departure and destination of a registered route, an input place of departure and an input destination being substantially the same as a respective place of departure and destination of a particular registered route when the input place of departure is within a predetermined distance of the place of departure of the particular registered route and the input destination is within the predetermined distance of the destination of the particular registered route;

reading out, if the input place of departure and input destination are substantially the same as a respective place of departure and destination of the particular registered route, the particular registered route; and

providing guidance.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

reducing a search cost for the read out particular registered route;

searching for a route between the input place of departure and input destination with a smallest search cost; and

returning the searched for route with the smallest search cost;

wherein providing guidance comprises providing guidance based on the route with the smallest search cost.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining whether it is possible to travel all sections of the read out particular registered route; and

searching, if it is impossible to travel one or more sections of the read out particular registered route, for, for each of the one or more impassable sections, a route around that one or more impossible section of the read out particular registered route;

wherein providing guidance comprises returning a route comprising all sections of the read out portion of the particular registered route that are possible to travel and each of the searched for routes around the one or more impossible sections of the read out particular registered route.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising adjusting the predetermined distance based on a distance between the input place of departure and the input destination.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined distance is defined by one or more geographic areas.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein an input place of departure and input destination are only respectively substantially the same as the respective place of departure and destination of the particular registered route, if a direction connecting the input place of departure and the input destination is within a predetermined angle of a direction connecting the place of departure and the destination of the particular registered route.

18. A method for providing guidance based on registered route information, comprising:

inputting a place of departure;

inputting a destination;

comparing the input place of departure and input destination to respective places of departure and destinations of registered routes;

determining if the input place of departure and input destination are respectively substantially the same as respective places of departure and destinations of one or more registered routes, an input place of departure and an input destination being respectively substantially the same as respective places of departure and destinations of one or more particular registered routes when, for each of the one or more particular registered routes, the input place of departure is within a predetermined distance of a place of departure of that particular registered route and the input destination is within the predetermined distance of a destination of that particular registered route;

reading out, if the input place of departure and input destination are respectively substantially the same as respective places of departure and destinations of one or more registered routes, the one or more particular registered routes from registered route information;

outputting, if a plurality of particular registered routes are read out from the route search means, information related to the plurality of particular registered routes;

allowing the user to select one of the plurality of particular registered routes; and

performing, if a user has selected a particular registered route, guidance based on the selected particular registered route.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the input place of departure and the input destination are only respectively substantially the same the respective places of departure and destinations of the one or more particular registered routes, if, for each of the one or more particular registered routes, a direction connecting the input place of departure and the input destination is within a predetermined angle of a direction connecting the place of departure and the destination of that particular registered route.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising adjusting the predetermined distance based on a distance between the input place of departure and the input destination.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the predetermined distance is defined by one or more geographical areas.