Navigation apparatus and method

• US 20060009908A1
• Filed: 07/08/2005
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Tomita, Hiroshi, Ishikawa, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 7,483,788 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/210
• 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

A navigation apparatus and method that store route information, the stored route information including, for each of a plurality of routes starting at a first point and ending at a second point, a required travel time and a traffic condition. The apparatus and method determine whether a guidance route includes the first point and the second point of a stored route. The apparatus and method read out, if a guidance route includes the first point and the second point of a stored route, the stored route information for the stored route that shares the first point and the second point with the guidance route. The read out stored route information having a same or similar traffic condition as a current traffic condition. The apparatus and method output the required time to travel the stored route from the read route information.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus, comprising:

a controller that;

stores route information, the stored route information including, for each of a plurality of routes starting at a first point and ending at a second point, a required travel time and a traffic condition;

determines whether a guidance route includes the first point and the second point of a stored route;

reads out, if a guidance route includes the first point and the second point of a stored route, the stored route information for the stored route that shares the first point and the second point with the guidance route, the read out stored route information having a same or similar traffic condition as a current traffic condition; and

outputs the required time to travel the stored route from the read route information.

2. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller:

receives traffic information from an external system; and

detects a current traffic condition for each stored route whose first point and second point are on the guidance route.

3. A navigation apparatus, of claim 1, wherein the controller:

generates route information, the route information including, for each route, a required time to travel the route, traffic conditions for the route, and traffic conditions of other routes having a same first point and second point as the route, the route information generated each time the route is traveled; and

stores the generated route information.

4. The navigation apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller:

receives traffic information from an external system; and

determines the traffic conditions for the route and the traffic conditions of the other routes having the same first point and second point as the route based on the received traffic information.

5. A navigation apparatus for storing a detour route that diverges from a branch point on the guidance route and merges into the guidance route at a junction point, comprising:

a controller that;

receives current traffic conditions from an external system;

stores path information for a path, the path being a segment of the guidance route from the branch point to the junction, the path information including a first required time to travel the path, a traffic condition of the path, and a traffic condition of the detour route;

stores detour route information for the detour route, the detour route information including a second required time to travel the detour route, a traffic condition of the path, and a traffic condition of the detour route;

reads out, when arriving at the branch point, path information having a same or similar traffic condition as a current path traffic condition and detour route information having a same or similar traffic condition as a current detour route traffic condition; and

outputs at least one of the read out first required time, the read out second required time, the path, and the detour route, on a display unit.

6. The navigation apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller:

calculates the first required time to travel the path;

determines the current traffic condition of the path, and the current traffic condition of the detour route based on the current traffic conditions received from the external system;

creates the path information;

stores the created path information a memory;

calculates the second required time to travel the detour route;

creates the detour route information; and

stores the created detour route information in the memory.

7. The navigation apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller:

determines, at the branch point, whether the guidance route is being traveled;

stores, if it is determined at the branch point the guidance route is no longer being traveled, the received current traffic information;

determines, at the junction point, whether the guidance route is being traveled;

obtains, if it is determined at the branch point the guidance route is no longer being traveled and it is determined at the junction point that the guidance route is being traveled, the current traffic condition of the detour route and the current traffic condition of the path based on the received traffic conditions;

creates the detour route information, the detour route information including the obtained current traffic condition of the detour route, the obtained current traffic condition of the path, and the second required time to travel the detour route; and

stores the detour route information.

8. The navigation apparatus of claim 5, wherein the path information is stored every time the path is traveled.

9. The navigation apparatus of claim 5, wherein the detour route information is stored every time the detour route is traveled.

10. A navigation method, comprising:

storing route information, the stored route information including, for each of a plurality of routes starting at a first point and ending at a second point, a required travel time and a traffic condition;

determining whether a guidance route includes the first point and the second point of a stored route;

reading out, if a guidance route includes the first point and the second point of a stored route, the stored route information for the stored route that shares the first point and the second point with the guidance route, the read out stored route information having a same or similar traffic condition as a current traffic condition; and

outputting the required time to travel the stored route from the read route information.

11. The navigation method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving traffic information from an external system; and

detecting a current traffic condition for each stored route whose first point and second point are on the guidance route.

12. The navigation method of claim 10, further comprising:

generating route information, the route information including, for each route, a required time to travel the route, traffic conditions for the route, and traffic conditions of other routes having a same first point and second point as the route, the route information generated each time the route is traveled; and

storing the generated route information.

13. The navigation method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving traffic information from an external system; and

determining the traffic conditions for the route and the traffic conditions of the other routes having the same first point and second point as the route based on the received traffic information.

15. A storage medium storing a set of program instructions executable on a data processing device and usable to implement the method of claim 10.

14. A navigation method for storing a detour route that diverges from a branch point on the guidance route and merges into the guidance route at a junction point, comprising:

receiving current traffic conditions from an external system;

storing path information for a path, the path being a segment of the guidance route from the branch point to the junction, the path information including a first required time to travel the path, a traffic condition of the path, and a traffic condition of the detour route;

storing detour route information for the detour route, the detour route information including a second required time to travel the detour route, a traffic condition of the path, and a traffic condition of the detour route;

reading out, when arriving at the branch point, path information having a same or similar traffic condition as a current path traffic condition and detour route information having a same or similar traffic condition as a current detour route traffic condition; and

outputting at least one of the read out first required time, the read out second required time, the path, and the detour route, on a display unit.