Navigation system

• US 20070021907A1
• Filed: 07/20/2006
• Published: 01/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kato, Seiji, Oumi, Masanori
• Application Number:
  US11/489,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20070021907A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3685 the POI's being parking facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3815 Road data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3844 Data obtained from position sensors only, e.g. from inertial navigation

Abstract

A navigation system is mounted in a vehicle positioned in a facility, whose on-site passage data is unavailable for the system. In this case, the system determines whether a facility exit is learned. When the facility exit is learned, the system defines, as a facility exit coordinates, the learned coordinates. When the facility exit is not learned, the system defines, as the facility coordinates, a guidance coordinates, which is used to terminate a route guidance when the facility is designated as a destination. The system then retrieves a route using the defined facility exit coordinates as a departure position. Even when the on-site passage data is unavailable, defining the facility exit allows the system to highly accurately retrieve a route passing through the actual facility exit.

Claims

1. A navigation system provided in a vehicle, the system comprising:

map data storage means for storing map data on a map, the map data including (i) facility data on a position of a facility and a site of the facility and (ii) road data on a road outside the facility;

vehicle position detection means for detecting a vehicle position of the vehicle;

point storage means for storing, as a certain point, one of (i) an entering point where the vehicle position moves from a road outside the facility into the facility and (ii) an exiting point where the vehicle position moves from within the facility to a road outside the facility;

facility inside determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle position is in a facility; and

exit designation means for, when the vehicle position is determined to be in a facility, designating the certain point stored in the point storage means as an exit, through which the vehicle is able to exit from within the facility to a road outside the facility.

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

route retrieval means for calculating a route from an exit designated by the exit designation means to a user-designated destination; and

route guidance means for performing a route guidance along the calculated route.

3. The navigation system according to claim 1,

wherein, when a route guidance to the facility is performed, the point storage means stores as the certain point a point where the route guidance terminates.

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

exit guidance means for performing guidance of a direction of an exit designated by the exit designation means.

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

traveling direction detection means for detecting a traveling direction of the vehicle; and

exit guidance means for performing a guidance of a direction of an exit designated by the exit designation means in accordance with a traveling direction detected by the traveling direction detection means.

6. The navigation system according to claim 5, further comprising:

route retrieval means for calculating a route from an exit designated by the exit designation means to a user-designated destination,

wherein the exit guidance means further performs a guidance of a direction to depart from an exit designated by the exit designation means to a route retrieved by the route retrieval means.

7. The navigation system according to claim 5, further comprising:

route retrieval means for calculating a route from an exit designated by the exit designation means to a user-designated destination,

wherein the exit guidance means acquires and indicates a name of an area, toward which a route retrieved by the route retrieval means travels from an exit designated by the exit designation means.

8. The navigation system according to claim 1,

wherein, when facility exit information is included in facility data stored in the map data storage means, the exit designation means designates an exit based on the facility data.

9. The navigation system according to claim 1,

wherein, when the point storage means stores both (i) an entering point where the vehicle position moves from a road outside the facility into the facility and (ii) an exiting point where the vehicle position moves from within the facility to a road outside the facility, wherein both the entering point and the exiting point differ from each other, the exit designation means designates the exiting point as an exit.

10. The navigation system according to claim 1, comprising:

parking structure inside determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle is positioned inside a multi-level parking structure; and

temporary exit point definition means for, when the parking structure inside determination means determines that the vehicle is positioned inside a multi-level parking structure in a facility, defining a temporary exit point corresponding to an approach road exiting from a floor where the vehicle is positioned,

wherein, when the parking structure inside determination means determines that the vehicle is positioned inside a multi-level parking structure, the exit designation means designates the temporary exit point as an exit.

11. A method used in a navigation system in a vehicle,

the navigation system including

a map data storage unit that stores map data on a map, the map data including (i) facility data on a position of a facility and a site of the facility and (ii) road data on a road outside the facility, and

a vehicle position detector used to detect a vehicle position of the vehicle,

the method comprising:

storing, as a certain point, one of (i) an entering point where the vehicle position moves from a road outside the facility into the facility and (ii) an exiting point where the vehicle position moves from within the facility to a road outside the facility;

determining whether or not the vehicle position is in a facility; and

designating the certain point as an exit when the vehicle position is determined to be in a facility, the exit through which the vehicle is able to exit from within the facility to a road outside the facility.

12. A navigation system provided in a vehicle, the system comprising:

a map data storage unit that stores map data on a map, the map data including (i) facility data on a position of a facility and a site of the facility and (ii) road data on a road outside the facility;

a vehicle position detector used to detect a vehicle position of the vehicle;

a point storage unit that stores, as a certain point, one of (i) an entering point where the vehicle position moves from a road outside the facility into the facility and (ii) an exiting point where the vehicle position moves from within the facility to a road outside the facility;

a facility inside determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle position is in a facility; and

an exit designation unit that designates the certain point as an exit when the vehicle position is determined to be in a facility, the exit through which the vehicle is able to exit from within the facility to a road outside the facility.