Navigation apparatus

• US 20070021910A1
• Filed: 08/18/2004
• Published: 01/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Takeshi, Terada, Tomohiro, Nakano, Nobuyuki, Iwami, Ryotaro
• Granted Patent: US 7,477,990 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/210
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn

Abstract

In a navigation apparatus of guiding a vehicle to a destination, a data storing section stores an information set including at least location information for identifying a location of a travel burden point on a road network, link information indicating a road linked to the travel burden point, and a reference hesitation value indicating a degree of a driver'"'"'s hesitation to go through the travel burden point, and a characteristic value of the driver. A point guidance data generating section generates point guidance data representing guidance for the travel burden point based on a current location derived by a location deriving section, a path obtained by a path obtaining section, and the information set and the driver characteristic value stored in the data storing section.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus of guiding a vehicle to a destination, comprising:

a destination setting section of setting a destination in accordance with an input by a driver;

a location deriving section of deriving a current location of the vehicle;

a path obtaining section of obtaining a path from the current location derived by the location deriving section as a starting point to the destination set by the destination setting section;

a data storing section of storing an information set including at least location information for identifying a location of a travel burden point on a road network, link information indicating a road linked to the travel burden point, and a reference hesitation value indicating a degree of a driver'"'"'s hesitation to go through the travel burden point, and a characteristic value of the driver;

a point guidance data generating section of generating point guidance data representing guidance for the travel burden point based on the current location derived by the location deriving section, the path obtained by the path obtaining section, and the information set and the driver characteristic value stored in the data storing section; and

an output section of outputting the guidance for the travel burden point in accordance with the point guidance data generated by the point guidance data generating Section,

wherein the point guidance data generating section compares a reference hesitation value contained in the information set stored in the data storing section with a driver characteristic value, and based on a result of the comparison generates point guidance data.

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

a travel burden point selecting section of selecting an information set of a travel burden point present within a predetermined range from the current location derived from the location deriving section, from the data storing section, based on the path obtained by the path obtaining section and the current location,

wherein the point guidance data generating section generates point guidance data based on the information set selected by the travel burden point selecting section.

3. The navigation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the point guidance data generating section compares a reference hesitation value contained in the information set selected by the travel burden point selecting section with a driver characteristic value, and based on a result of the comparison, generates point guidance data.

4. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output section outputs a voice in accordance with the point guidance data generated by the point guidance data generating section.

6. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the travel burden point is any of a bridge, an entrance of a tunnel, a grade crossing, an entrance point of an elevated road, a point where a road width suddenly becomes narrower, an entrance of a mountain road, an intersection where a road on which the vehicle is traveling intersects a road having a broader road width, an entrance of a shopping street, a point where a shrine gate is present, a point where a sign board or a road sign indicating that a destination is present in a direction different from a travel direction of a vehicle, and an entrance/exit of a parking lot.

5. (canceled)

7. A guidance method which is performed in a navigation apparatus and is for guiding a vehicle to a destination, wherein

the navigation apparatus comprises a data storing section of storing an information set including at least location information for identifying a location of a travel burden point on a road network, link information indicating a road linked to the travel burden point, and a reference hesitation value indicating a degree of a driver'"'"'s hesitation to go through the travel burden point, and a characteristic value of the driver,

the method comprising:

a destination setting step of setting a destination in accordance with an input by a driver;

a location deriving step of deriving a current location of the vehicle;

a path obtaining step of obtaining a path from the current location derived by the location deriving step as a starting point to the destination set by the destination setting step;

a point guidance data generating step of generating point guidance data representing guidance for the travel burden point based on the current location derived by the location deriving step, the path obtained by the path obtaining step, and the information set and the driver characteristic value stored in the data storing section; and

an output step of outputting the guidance for the travel burden point in accordance with the point guidance data generated by the point guidance data generating step,

wherein the point guidance data generating step compares a reference hesitation value contained in the information set stored in the data storing section with a driver characteristic value, and based on a result of the comparison generates point guidance data.

8. A computer program which is performed in a navigation apparatus and is for guiding a vehicle to a destination, wherein

the navigation apparatus comprises a data storing section of storing an information set including at least location information for identifying a location of a travel burden point on a road network, link information indicating a road linked to the travel burden point, and a reference hesitation value indicating a degree of a driver'"'"'s hesitation to go through the travel burden point, and a characteristic value of the driver,

the computer program comprising:

a destination setting step of setting a destination in accordance with an input by a driver;

a location deriving step of deriving a current location of the vehicle;

a path obtaining step of obtaining a path from the current location derived by the location deriving step as a starting point to the destination set by the destination setting step;

a point guidance data generating step of generating point guidance data representing guidance for the travel burden point based on the current location derived by the location deriving step, the path obtained by the path obtaining step, and the information set and the driver characteristic value stored in the data storing section; and

an output step of outputting the guidance for the travel burden point in accordance with the point guidance data generated by the point guidance data generating step,

wherein the point guidance data generating step compares a reference hesitation value contained in the information set stored in the data storing section with a driver characteristic value, and based on a result of the comparison, generates point guidance data.

9. The computer program according to claim 8, which is stored in a recording medium.

10. A navigation apparatus of guiding a vehicle to a destination, comprising:

a destination setting section of setting a destination in accordance with an input by a driver;

a location deriving section of deriving a current location of the vehicle;

a path obtaining section of obtaining a path from the current location derived by the location deriving section as a starting point to the destination set by the destination setting section;

a calculation section of calculating a reference hesitation value indicating a degree of a driver'"'"'s hesitation to go through a travel burden point on a road network after the path obtaining section obtains the path;

a data storing section of storing an information set including at least the reference hesitation value calculated by the calculation section of the travel burden point, location information for identifying a location of the travel burden point, and link information indicating a road linked to the travel burden point, and a characteristic value of the driver;

a point guidance data generating section of generating point guidance data representing guidance for the travel burden point based on the current location derived by the location deriving section, the path obtained by the path obtaining section, and the information set and the driver characteristic value stored in the data storing section; and

an output section of outputting the guidance for the travel burden point in accordance with the point guidance data generated by the point guidance data generating section.

11. A guidance method which is performed in a navigation apparatus and is for guiding a vehicle to a destination, wherein

the navigation apparatus comprises a data storing section of storing at least location information for identifying a location of a travel burden point on a road network, link information indicating a road linked to the travel burden point, and a characteristic value of the driver,

the method comprising:

a destination setting step of setting a destination in accordance with an input by a driver;

a location deriving step of deriving a current location of the vehicle;

a path obtaining step of obtaining a path from the current location derived by the location deriving step as a starting point to the destination set by the destination setting step;

a calculation step of calculating a reference hesitation value indicating a degree of a driver'"'"'s hesitation to go through a travel burden point on a road network after the path obtaining section obtains the path;

a data storing step of storing at least the reference hesitation value of the travel burden point calculated by the calculation step;

a point guidance data generating step of generating point guidance data representing guidance for the travel burden point based on the current location derived by the location deriving step, the path obtained by the path obtaining step, the reference hesitation value stored by the data storing step, and location information for identifying a location of a travel burden point on a road network, link information indicating a road linked to a travel burden point, and a characteristic value of a driver, which are stored in the data storing section; and

an output step of outputting the guidance for the travel burden point in accordance with the point guidance data generated by the point guidance data generating step.

12. A computer program which is performed in a navigation apparatus and is for guiding a vehicle to a destination, wherein

the navigation apparatus comprises a data storing section of storing at least location information for identifying a location of a travel burden point on a road network, link information indicating a road linked to the travel burden point, and a characteristic value of the driver,

the computer program comprising:

a destination setting step of setting a destination in accordance with an input by a driver;

a location deriving step of deriving a current location of the vehicle;

a path obtaining step of obtaining a path from the current location derived by the location deriving step as a starting point to the destination set by the destination setting step;

a calculation step of calculating a reference hesitation value indicating a degree of a driver'"'"'s hesitation to go through a travel burden point on a road network after the path obtaining section obtains the path;

a data storing step of storing at least the reference hesitation value of the travel burden point calculated by the calculation step;

a point guidance data generating step of generating point guidance data representing guidance for the travel burden point based on the current location derived by the location deriving step, the path obtained by the path obtaining step, the reference hesitation value stored by the data storing step, and location information for identifying a location of a travel burden point on a road network, link information indicating a road linked to a travel burden point, and a characteristic value of a driver, which are stored in the data storing section; and

an output step of outputting the guidance for the travel burden point in accordance with the point guidance data generated by the point guidance data generating step.

13. The computer program according to claim 12, which is stored in a recording medium.