Navigation device

• US 20070055443A1
• Filed: 09/05/2006
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AutoNavigare LLC
• Original Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Inventors: Sumizawa, Akio, Amaya, Shinichi, Endo, Yoshinori, Tsuburaya, Taketo
• Granted Patent: US 7,725,254 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• 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

Abstract

Route search is performed considering the fact that traffic conditions differ according to lane even for the same road. A navigation device performs route search, using link costs (link travel times) classified by lane. For example, the navigation device searches for a route having the lowest total cost to the destination, using link data that determine cost for each lane of a component link of a road on a map. A cost of a lane on which a vehicle runs to move to a next link, being the cost of any lane of the link, is used as a cost of a link on a route.

Claims

1. A navigation device, comprising:

a storage means for storing link data including cost of respective lanes of links constituting a road on a map; and

a route search means for searching for a route having a lowest total cost to a destination, using said link data.

2. A navigation device according claim 1, wherein:

said route search means uses, as a cost of a link that a route comprises, a cost of a lane on which a vehicle runs to move to a next link, being the cost of one of lanes of the link in question.

3. A navigation device according to claim 2, wherein:

said link data includes cost according to time period; and

said route search means uses, as a cost of a link that the route comprises, a cost of a time period to which an expected time of arrival at the link belongs.

7. A navigation device according to claim 1 or 2 further comprising a receiving means for receiving current traffic information including traffic information for respective lanes of links;

wherein

said storage means stores cost of respective lanes of links, said cost being obtained from the traffic information received by said receiving means.

4. A navigation device, wherein said navigation device comprises:

a means for storing link data including cost of respective lanes of links constituting a road on a map, said costs being statistically processed based on traffic information collected in the past and classified according to a collection condition; and

a route search means for searching for a route having a lowest total cost to a destination, using said link data;

wherein

said route search means uses, as a cost of a link that a route comprises, a cost of a lane on which a vehicle runs to move to a link next to the link in question, being the cost classified according to a collection condition corresponding to a situation at a time of arrival at the link in question.

5. A navigation device according to claim 4, wherein:

said collection condition of said traffic information collected in the past is at least one of;

type of day, weather and time period.

6. A navigation device comprising:

a means for storing link data including travel times of respective lanes of links constituting a road on a map;

a route search means for searching for a route to a destination; and

a travel time calculation means for calculating total travel time to said destination, by adding travel time of respective links constituting a route to said destination;

wherein

said travel time calculation means uses, as a travel time of a link that a route comprises, a travel time of a lane on which a vehicle runs to move to a next link, being the travel time of one of lanes of the link in question.