Navigation system

• US 20070088502A1
• Filed: 10/12/2006
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Denso IT Laboratory, Inc. (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Denso IT Laboratory, Inc. (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Hara, Kousuke, Suzuki, Takamitsu, Mizuno, Nobuhiro, Iwasaki, Hirotoshi, Oumi, Masanori
• Granted Patent: US 7,734,415 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes

Abstract

When a vehicle deviates from a guide route at a first branch point, the state of the first branch point is memorized. Afterward, when a second branch point becomes a target for a route guide and the state of the second branch point is similar to the memorized state, a user of the vehicle is provided with a guide for preventing deviation from the guide route at the second branch point with a manner of the guide changed. This procedure allows learning of tendency of the user with respect to a state apt to cause the user to mistake a guide route. A guide to help prevent a user from deviating from a guide route at a branch point can be thus performed appropriately.

Claims

1. A navigation system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

a position detector for detecting a current position of the vehicle;

a map data storage unit for storing road map data;

a route designating unit for designating a guide route to a destination based on the road map data and the current position;

a route guide unit for outputting a guide to indicate a route for the vehicle to take at a guide-target branch point, which is a target for the guide on a guide route, when the vehicle approaches the guide-target branch point;

a state storage unit for storing a state of a branch point, at which the vehicle deviates from a guide route;

a similarity determining unit for determining whether a state of the guide-target branch point is similar to the stored state; and

a guide change unit for changing a manner of a guide at the guide-target branch point when the state of the guide-target branch point is determined to be similar to the stored state.

2. The navigation system of claim 1, further comprising:

a deviation determining unit for determining whether the vehicle deviates from a guide route at a branch point intentionally or mistakenly, wherein

the state storage unit stores a state of the branch point when the deviation determining unit determines that the vehicle deviates from the guide route at the branch point mistakenly.

3. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein

the deviation determining unit make, to the user, an inquiry of whether a vehicle'"'"'s deviation from the guide route is intentional when the vehicle has deviated from the guide route, and the deviation determining unit determines whether the vehicle deviates from the guide route at the branch point intentionally or mistakenly based on a response of the user.

4. The navigation system of claim 2, further comprising:

a travel record storage unit for storing a travel record of a road for the vehicle, wherein

the deviation determining unit determines that the vehicle has mistakenly deviated from a guide route when the vehicle has moved from a guide route having a travel record of a certain frequency to a road having a travel record of a frequency smaller than the certain frequency.

5. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein

the deviation determining unit determines that the vehicle has mistakenly deviated from a guide route when a branch point, at which the vehicle has deviated from the guide route, has a shape more complicated than a shape of a crossroad.

6. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein

the deviation determining unit determines that the vehicle has mistakenly deviated from a guide route when a branch point, at which the vehicle has deviated from the guide route, is an intersect, which is located close to an adjoining intersection within a predetermined distance.

7. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein

the deviation determining unit determines that the vehicle has mistakenly deviated from a guide route when the vehicle deviates from the guide route to depart from the guide route.

8. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein

the deviation determining unit determines that the vehicle has mistakenly deviated from a certain guide route when the vehicle deviates from the certain guide route and then a guide route, which has a longer distance by a predetermined distance than the certain guide route, is designated.

9. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein

each road in the road map data has a road type at least including a type of a town narrow road, and

the deviation determining unit determines that the vehicle has mistakenly deviated from a guide route when the vehicle deviates from the guide route and enters a road corresponding to a town narrow road.

10. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein

the deviation determining unit determines that the vehicle has mistakenly deviated from a guide route when the vehicle deviates from the guide route and enters a road heading for an area having no connection with other than the guide route.

11. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein

the deviation determining unit determines that the vehicle has mistakenly deviated from a guide route when the vehicle deviates from the guide route and then changes a heading direction to a reversed direction.

12. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein

the deviation determining unit determines that the vehicle has mistakenly deviated from a guide route when the vehicle deviates from the guide route and then returns to the guide route.

13. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein

the deviation determining unit determines that the vehicle has mistakenly deviated from a guide route when the vehicle deviates from the guide route to go straight ahead although a direction indicator of the vehicle is operated or when the vehicle deviates from the guide route to turn although the direction indicator is not operated.

14. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein

the deviation determining unit determines that the vehicle has intentionally deviated from a guide route when the vehicle deviates from the guide route to turn to a direction opposite to a direction indicated based on the guide route.

15. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein

the deviation determining unit determines that the vehicle has intentionally deviated from a guide route when the vehicle deviates from the guide route to turn to a direction indicated by a direction indictor of the vehicle.

16. The navigation system of claim 2, wherein

the deviation determining unit determines that the vehicle has intentionally deviated from a guide route when the vehicle deviates from the guide route and stops at a position excluding the destination and passing points included in the guide route.

17. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein

when the vehicle travels to follow a guide route without deviating from the guide route at a certain branch point, at which the vehicle previously deviated from a guide route, the state storage unit eliminates a stored state of the certain branch point.

18. The navigation system of claim 17, wherein

the state storage unit eliminates the stored state of the certain branch point when the vehicle travels the guide route at the certain branch point without deviating from the guide route not less than N times (N is a predetermined positive integer).

19. The navigation system of claim 17, wherein

in a case that the vehicle travels the guide route at the certain branch point without deviating from the guide route, the state storage unit elimiates the stored state of the certain branch point when the vehicle passes through the certain branch point or when the vehicle reaches the destination through the guide route.

20. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein

the state storage unit stores as the state of a branch point at least one of a configuration of the branch point, a relationship between the branch point and an adjoining branch point, and a road environment when the vehicle enters the branch point.

21. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein

when a state of the guide-target branch point is determined to be similar to the stored state, the guide change unit changes a manner of a guide at the guide-target branch point to add information indicating that the guide-target branch point is apt to cause the vehicle to deviate from the guide route.

22. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein

when a state of the guide-target branch point is determined to be similar to the stored state, the guide change unit changes a manner of a guide at the guide-target branch point to increase a number of guides in comparison with a case when a state of the guide-target branch point is determined to be not similar to the stored state.

23. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein

the route guide unit includes a display unit to indicate a route for the vehicle to take at a guide-target branch point by displaying an enlarged image of the guide-target branch point, and,

when a state of the guide-target branch point is determined to be similar to the stored state, the guide change unit changes a manner of a guide at the guide-target branch point by increasing a display area in comparison with a case when a state of the guide-target branch point is determined to be not similar to the stored state.

24. The navigation system of claim 1, wherein

the route guide unit includes a display unit to indicate a route for the vehicle to take at a guide-target branch point by displaying an enlarged image of the guide-target branch point, and,

when a state of the guide-target branch point is determined to be similar to the stored state, the guide change unit changes a display manner for the guide-target branch point in the enlarged image of the guide-target branch point, in comparison with a case when a state of the guide-target branch point is determined to be not similar to the stored state.

25. A navigation system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

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

map data storage means for storing road map data;

route designating means for designating a guide route to a destination based on the road map data and the current position;

route guide means for outputting a guide to indicate a route for the vehicle to take at a guide-target branch point, which is a target for the guide on a guide route, when the vehicle approaches the guide-target branch point;

state storage means for storing a state of a branch point, which is apt to cause the vehicle to deviate from a guide route;

similarity determining means for determining whether a state of the guide-target branch point is similar to the stored state; and

guide change means for changing a manner of a guide at the guide-target branch point when the state of the guide-target branch point is determined to be similar to the stored state.

26. The navigation system of claim 25, wherein

the state storage means stores, as a state of a branch point which is apt to cause the vehicle to deviate from a guide route, a state of a branch point, at which the vehicle has deviated from a guide route.

27. The navigation system of claim 25, wherein

the state storage means stores as preliminary data a state of a branch point which is apt to cause the vehicle to deviate from guide routes at a time point of installation to the vehicle.

28. A route guide method in a navigation system for a vehicle, the navigation system including:

a position detector for detecting a current position of the vehicle;

a map data storage unit for storing road map data;

a route designating unit for designating a guide route to a destination based on the road map data and the current position; and

a route guide unit for outputting a guide to indicate a route for the vehicle to take at a guide-target branch point, which is a target for the guide on a guide route, when the vehicle approaches the guide-target branch point,

the method comprising;

storing a state of a branch point, which is apt to cause the vehicle to deviate from a guide route;

determining whether a state of a guide-target branch point, which is a target for a guide on a guide route, is similar to the stored state when the vehicle approaches the guide-target branch point; and

changing a manner of a guide at the guide-target branch point when a state of the guide-target branch point is determined to be similar to the stored state.