Navigation system, program thereof and map data thereof

• US 20060184321A1
• Filed: 02/16/2006
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Ogawa, Michima, Kawakami, Hidehiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,899,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3658 Lane guidance

Abstract

A navigation system for a vehicle determines a recommended route to a destination among a plurality of possible routes to the destination based on total profile values of the plurality of possible routes. The navigation system guides the vehicle to the destination along the recommended route. Here, navigation system determines whether an upstream side section of one of the plurality of possible routes is located on a multi-lane road in a specific condition. The navigation system determines whether an exit road and an entrance road are connected to the multi-lane road on a common side of the multi-lane road. The navigation system sets an amount of increase to be reflected into the total profile value of the one of the plurality of possible routes based on determination results.

Claims

1. A navigation system for a vehicle, comprising:

route calculating means for determining a recommended route to a destination among a plurality of possible routes to the destination based on total profile values of the plurality of possible routes in such a manner that the recommended route is chosen to have a minimum one of the total profile values among the plurality of possible routes; and

route guiding means for guiding the vehicle to the destination along the recommended route determined by the route calculating means, wherein the route calculating means includes;

upstream side section determining means for determining whether an upstream side section of one of the plurality of possible routes, which is present on an upstream side of a predetermined road section of a multi-lane road defined between a merge point of the multi-lane road and a branch point of the multi-lane road along the one of the plurality of possible routes, is located on the multi-lane road, wherein the branch point of the multi-lane road is directly connected to an exit road for exiting the multi-lane road along the one of the plurality of possible routes, and the merge point is directly connected to an entrance road for entering the multi-lane road;

connection side determining means for determining whether the exit road and the entrance road are connected to the multi-lane road on a common side of the multi-lane road; and

profile value increase setting means for setting an amount of increase to be reflected into the total profile value of the one of the plurality of possible routes, wherein in a case where a determination result of the upstream side section determining means and a determination result of the connection side determining means are both affirmative, the profile value increase setting means sets the amount of increase to be higher than that of a case where at least one of the determination result of the upstream side section determining means and the determination result of the connection side determining means is negative.

2. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein:

the route calculating means further includes drive lane detecting means for determining whether a current drive lane of the multi-lane road, along which the vehicle currently travels, is different from an exit lane of the multi-lane road, which is directly connected to the branch point and the exit road, when the vehicle is guided by the route guiding means along the one of the possible routes in the multi-lane road; and

in a case where a determination result of the drive lane detecting means, the determination result of the upstream side section determining means and the determination result of the connection side determining means are all affirmative, the profile value increase setting means sets the amount of increase to be higher than that of a case where at least one of the determination result of the drive lane detecting means, the determination result of the upstream side section determining means and the determination result of the connection side determining means is negative.

3. The navigation system according to claim 1, further comprising a merge warning means for providing a warning to a driver of the vehicle before reaching the branch point upon satisfaction of all of the following conditions:

the route calculating means determines the one of the plurality of possible routes as the recommended route; and

the connection side determining means determines that the exit road and the entrance road are connected to the multi-lane road on the common side of the multi-lane road.

4. A computer program embodied in a computer readable medium, comprising:

a route calculating code segment that determines a recommended route of a vehicle to a destination among a plurality of possible routes to the destination based on total profile values of the plurality of possible routes in such a manner that the recommended route is chosen to have a minimum one of the total profile values among the plurality of possible routes; and

a route guiding code segment that guides the vehicle to the destination along the recommended route determined by the route calculating code segment, wherein the route calculating code segment includes;

an upstream side section determining code segment that determines whether an upstream side section of one of the plurality of possible routes, which is present on an upstream side of a predetermined road section of a multi-lane road defined between a merge point of the multi-lane road and a branch point of the multi-lane road along the one of the plurality of possible routes, is located on the multi-lane road, wherein the branch point of the multi-lane road is directly connected to an exit road for exiting the multi-lane road along the one of the plurality of possible routes, and the merge point is directly connected to an entrance road for entering the multi-lane road;

a connection side determining code segment that determines whether the exit road and the entrance road are connected to the multi-lane road on a common side of the multi-lane road; and

a profile value increase setting code segment that sets an amount of increase to be reflected into the total profile value of the one of the plurality of possible routes, wherein in a case where a determination result of the upstream side section determining code segment and a determination result of the connection side determining code segment are both affirmative, the profile value increase setting code segment sets the amount of increase to be higher than that of a case where at least one of the determination result of the upstream side section determining code segment and the determination result of the connection side determining code segment is negative.

5. A navigation system for a vehicle, comprising:

route calculating means for determining a recommended route to a destination among a plurality of possible routes to the destination based on total profile values of the plurality of possible routes in such a manner that the recommended route is chosen to have a minimum one of the total profile values among the plurality of possible routes;

route guiding means for guiding the vehicle to the destination along the recommended route determined by the route calculating means; and

a storage medium that stores profile value increase data, which indicates an amount of increase to be reflected into the total profile value of one of the plurality of possible routes in a case where the one of the plurality of possible routes includes a predetermined road section of a multi-lane road defined between a merge point of the multi-lane road and a branch point of the multi-lane road, wherein;

the merge point of the multi-lane road is directly connected to an entrance road for entering the multi-lane road;

the branch point of the multi-lane road is directly connected to an exit road for exiting the multi-lane road along the one of the plurality of possible routes on a common side of the multi-lane road where the entrance road is connected to the multi-lane road;

the amount of increase is set in such a manner that in a case where an upstream side section of the one of the plurality of possible routes, which is present on an upstream side of the predetermined road section of the multi-lane road, is located on the multi-lane road, the amount of increase is higher than that of a case where the upstream side section of the one of the plurality of possible routes is located on the entrance road; and

the route calculating means includes;

upstream side section determining means for determining whether the upstream side section of the one of the plurality of possible routes is present on the multi-lane road; and

profile value increase setting means for setting the amount of increase to be reflected into the total profile value of the one of the plurality of possible routes based on a determination result of the upstream side section determining means in view of the profile value increase data stored in the storage medium.

6. Navigation system map data embodied in a computer readable medium, comprising profile value increase data, which indicates an amount of increase to be reflected into a total profile value of one of a plurality of possible routes to a destination of a vehicle in a case where the one of the plurality of possible routes includes a predetermined road section of a multi-lane road defined between a merge point of the multi-lane road and a branch point of the multi-lane road, wherein:

the merge point of the multi-lane road is directly connected to an entrance road for entering the multi-lane road;

the branch point of the multi-lane road is directly connected to an exit road for exiting the multi-lane road along the one of the plurality of possible routes on a common side of the multi-lane road where the entrance road is connected to the multi-lane road; and

the amount of increase is set in such a manner that in a case where an upstream side section of the one of the plurality of possible routes, which is present on an upstream side of the predetermined road section of the multi-lane road, is located on the multi-lane road, the amount of increase is higher than that of a case where the upstream side section of the one of the plurality of possible routes is located on the entrance road.

7. A computer program embodied in a computer readable medium, comprising:

a route calculating code segment that determines a recommended route of a vehicle to a destination among a plurality of possible routes to the destination based on total profile values of the plurality of possible routes in such a manner that the recommended route is chosen to have a minimum one of the total profile values among the plurality of possible routes; and

a route guiding code segment that guides the vehicle to the destination along the recommended route determined by the route calculating code segment, wherein the route calculating code segment includes;

an upstream side section determining code segment that determines whether an upstream side section of one of the plurality of possible routes, which is present on an upstream side of a predetermined road section of a multi-lane road defined between a merge point of the multi-lane road and a branch point of the multi-lane road along the one of the plurality of possible routes, is located on the multi-lane road, wherein the branch point of the multi-lane road is directly connected to an exit road for exiting the multi-lane road along the one of the plurality of possible routes, and the merge point is directly connected to an entrance road for entering the multi-lane road; and

a profile value increase setting code segment that sets an amount of increase to be reflected into the total profile value of the one of the plurality of possible routes based on a determination result of the upstream side section determining code segment in view of the profile value increase data of the navigation system map data according to claim 6.

8. A navigation system for a vehicle, comprising:

first recommended route lane navigating means for guiding the vehicle to a first recommended route lane of a multi-lane road based on a first recommended route to a destination at a first spot located along the multi-lane road on an upstream side of a junction area of the multi-lane road, which includes at least one branch point for branching from the multi-lane road, wherein the first recommended route travels along the multi-lane road and exits the multi-lane road along a first branch road, which branches from the multi-lane road at a first one of the at least one branch point in the junction area;

lane determining means for determining whether a current lane, on which the vehicle drives, is the first recommended route lane at a second spot located along the multi-lane road between the first spot and the junction area; and

second recommended route lane navigating means for guiding the vehicle to a second recommended route lane of the multi-lane road based on a second recommended route to the destination when the lane determining means determines that the current lane is not the first recommended route lane.

9. The navigation system according to claim 8, further comprising multi-branch point determining means for determining whether the at least one branch point further includes a second branch point, at which a second branch road branches from the multi-lane road, besides the first one of the at least one branch point, wherein:

the second branch road inevitably merges with the first branch road at a merge point before the destination; and

when the multi-branch point determining means determines that the at least one branch point further includes the second branch point, the second recommended route lane navigating means sets the second branch road as a part of the second recommended route.

10. The navigation system according to claim 9, further comprising map data, wherein the map data includes the first spot, which indicates presence of the first and second branch points in the junction area.

11. The navigation system according to claim 8, wherein:

when the lane determining means determines that the current lane is not the first recommended route lane of the multi-lane road, the lane determining means determines whether the current lane is the second recommended route lane or closer to the second recommended route lane than to the first recommended route lane; and

when the lane determining means determines that the current lane is the second recommended route lane or closer to the second recommended route lane than to the first recommended route lane, the second recommended route lane navigating means guides the vehicle to the second recommended route lane based on the second recommended route to the destination.

12. The navigation system according to claim 11, further comprising route computing means for determining the first recommended route to the destination among a plurality of possible routes to the destination based on numbers of merge points of the junction area, at each of which an entrance road merges with the multi-lane road, of the plurality of possible routes in such a manner that the first recommended route is chosen to have a minimum number of the merge points among the plurality of possible routes.

13. A program embodied in a computer readable medium, the program includes:

a first recommended route lane navigating code segment that guides a vehicle to a first recommended route lane of a multi-lane road based on a first recommended route to a destination at a first spot located along the multi-lane road on an upstream side of a junction area of the multi-lane road, which includes at least one branch point for branching from the multi-lane road, wherein the first recommended route travels along the multi-lane road and exits the multi-lane road along a first branch road, which branches from the multi-lane road at a first one of the at least one branch point in the junction area;

a lane determining code segment that determines whether a current lane, on which the vehicle drives, is the first recommended route lane at a second spot located along the multi-lane road between the first spot and the junction area; and

a second recommended route lane navigating code segment that guides the vehicle to a second recommended route lane of the multi-lane road based on a second recommended route to the destination when the lane determining code segment determines that the current lane is not on the first recommended route lane.

14. The program according to claim 13, further comprising a multi-branch point determining code segment for determining whether the at least one branch point further includes a second branch point, at which a second branch road branches from the multi-lane road, besides the first one of the at least one branch point, wherein:

the second branch road inevitably merges with the first branch road at a merge point before the destination; and

when the multi-branch point determining code segment determines that the at least one branch point further includes the second branch point, the second recommended route lane navigating code segment sets the second branch road as a part of the second recommended route.

15. Map data of a navigation system embodied in a computer readable medium, comprising:

a first spot that is located along a multi-lane road on an upstream side of a junction area of the multi-lane road, which includes at least one node connected with first and second links for branching from the multi-lane road, wherein;

the first spot is a point, at which the navigation system starts guiding of a vehicle to a first recommended route lane of the multi-lane road based on a first recommended route; and

the first and second links satisfy one of the followings;

the at least one node includes a single node, wherein;

an upstream end of the first link and an upstream end of the second link are commonly connected with the single node; and

a downstream end of the first link and a downstream end of the second link are connected with a node, which is located along the first recommended route on a downstream side of the single node; and

the at least one node includes first and second nodes, wherein;

the upstream end of the first link is connected with the first node in the junction area;

the upstream end of the second link is connected with the second node in the junction area; and

the downstream end of the first link and the downstream end of the second link are connected with a node, which is located along the first recommended route on a downstream side of the first node.