Method and apparatus that search for a route

• US 20050187702A1
• Filed: 01/27/2005
• Published: 08/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Nagase, Kenji, Tomita, Hiroshi, Minami, Toshiaki, Yoshikawa, Kazutaka
• Application Number:
  US11/043,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20050187702A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3446 Details of route searching algorithms, e.g. Dijkstra, A*, arc-flags, using precalculated routes
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data

Abstract

Method and apparatus for searching for a navigation route search a tentative route from a start point to a destination, based on hierarchical map data. The methods and apparatus search for a start-area route from the start point to a point on the tentative route at which wide-area map data is connected to local-area map data, based on the local-area map data and traffic information and search for a destination-area route to the destination from a point on the tentative route at which the wide-area map data is connected to the local-area map data, based on the local-area map data and the traffic information. The methods and apparatus determine a navigation route from the start point to the destination, based on the start-area route, the tentative route, and the destination-area route.

Claims

1. A route search apparatus comprising:

a memory that stores hierarchical map data and predicted traffic information, the hierarchical map data comprising at least wide-area map data and local-area map data; and

a controller that;

receives current traffic information from outside the route search apparatus;

searches a tentative route from a start point to a destination, based on the hierarchical map data;

searches for a start-area route from the start point to a point on the tentative route at which the wide-area map data is connected to the local-area map data, based on the local-area map data and the current traffic information;

searches for a destination-area route to the destination from a point on the tentative route at which the wide-area map data is connected to the local-area map data, based on the local-area map data and the predicted traffic information; and

determines a navigation route from the start point to the destination, based on the start-area route, the tentative route, and the destination-area route.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller receives the current traffic information from a dedicated information and communication system.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller searches for the destination-area route based on a predicted traffic condition that will occur at a predicted arrival time at which the destination will be reached.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the predicted arrival time is estimated based on the tentative route.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller determines the navigation route based on predicted traffic information.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller determines the navigation route based on a portion of the tentative route in the wide-area data.

7. A route search apparatus comprising:

a memory that stores hierarchical map data and predicted traffic information, the hierarchical map data comprising at least wide-area map data and local-area map data; and

a controller that;

searches a tentative route from a start point to a destination, based on the hierarchical map data;

searches for a start-area route from the start point to a point on the tentative route at which the wide-area map data is connected to the local-area map data, based on the local-area map data and the predicted traffic information;

searches for a destination-area route to the destination from a point on the tentative route at which the wide-area map data is connected to the local-area map data, based on the local-area map data and the predicted traffic information data; and

determines a navigation route from the start point to the destination, based on the start-area route, the tentative route, and the destination-area route.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller searches for the destination-area route based on a predicted traffic condition that will occur at a predicted arrival time at which the destination will be reached.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the predicted arrival time is estimated based on the tentative route.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller determines the navigation route based on predicted traffic information.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller determines the navigation route based on a portion of the tentative route in the wide-area data.

12. A route search method comprising the steps of:

searching a tentative route from a start point to a destination, based on hierarchical map data, the hierarchical map data comprising at least wide-area map data and local-area map data;

searching for a start-area route from the start point to a point on the tentative route at which the wide-area map data is connected to the local-area map data, based on the local-area map data and current traffic information;

searching for a destination-area route to the destination from a point on the tentative route at which the wide-area map data is connected to the local-area map data, based on the local-area map data and predicted traffic information; and

determining a navigation route from the start point to the destination, based on the start-area route, the tentative route, and the destination-area route.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein searching for the destination-area route comprises searching for the destination-area route based on a predicted traffic condition that will occur at a predicted arrival time at which the destination will be reached.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising estimating the predicted arrival time based on the tentative route.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the navigation route comprises determining the navigation route based on the predicted traffic information.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the navigation route comprises determining the navigation route based on a portion of the tentative route in the wide-area data.

17. A route search method comprising the steps of:

searching a tentative route from a start point to a destination, based on hierarchical map data, the hierarchical map data comprising at least wide-area map data and local-area map data;

searching for a start-area route from the start point to a point on the tentative route at which the wide-area map data is connected to the local-area map data, based on the local-area map data and predicted traffic information;

searching for a destination-area route to the destination from a point on the tentative route at which the wide-area map data is connected to the local-area map data, based on the local-area map data and the predicted traffic information; and

determining a navigation route from the start point to the destination, based on the start-area route, the tentative route, and the destination-area route.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein searching for the destination-area route comprises searching for the destination-area route based on a predicted traffic condition that will occur at a predicted arrival time at which the destination will be reached.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising estimating the predicted arrival time based on the tentative route.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the navigation route comprises determining the navigation route based on the predicted traffic information.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the navigation route comprises determining the navigation route based on a portion of the tentative route in the wide-area data.