Navigation device

• US 20070106458A1
• Filed: 08/16/2004
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Takeshi, Terada, Tomohiro, Nakano, Nobuyuki, Iwami, Ryotaro
• Granted Patent: US 7,421,336 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance

Abstract

By using map data stored in a data storage section, a navigation device comprises: a route receiving section for receiving route data indicating a route from a current position derived by a position deriving section to a destination designated by a destination designating section; a data selecting section for selecting candidate location data indicating at least one location which exists on the route represented by the route data or in a vicinity of the route, and satisfies a predetermined condition; a location-change designating section for designating a location of change at which a guiding method is to be changed, based on the candidate location data selected by the data selecting section; a determination section for determining whether a user has arrived at the location of change; and a navigation guidance section for guiding the user to the destination with a relatively detailed method when the determination section determines that the user has arrived at the location of change.

Claims

1. A navigation device comprising:

a data storage section for storing map data;

a destination designating section for designating a destination;

a position deriving section for deriving a current position of a user;

a route receiving section for receiving route data representing a route from the current position derived by the position deriving section to the destination designated by the destination designating section, by means of the map data stored in the data storage section;

a data selecting section for selecting a candidate location data indicating at least one location which exists on the route represented by the route data or in a vicinity of the route, and satisfies a predetermined condition, based on the route data received by the route receiving section and the map data stored in the data storage section;

a location-change designating section for designating a location of change at which a guiding method is to be changed, based on the candidate location data selected by the data selecting section;

a determination section for determining whether the user has reached the location of change, based on the current position derived by the position deriving section and the location of change designated by the location-change designating section; and

a navigation guidance section for guiding the user to the destination with a relatively detailed method, when the determination section determines that the user has arrived at the location of change, wherein

the location-change designating section includes a priority assigning section for assigning a priority to the location indicated by the candidate location data selected by the data selecting section,

an output section for outputting a location indicated by the candidate location data selected by the data selecting section in accordance with the priority assigned by the priority assigning section, and

a location-change selecting section for selecting one location of change based on a designation from the user.

2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the data selecting section selects, on the route represented by the route data, candidate location data indicating at least one location existing within a range having a predetermined distance extending from the current position derived by the position deriving section in the direction of the destination designated by the destination designating section.

5. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein

when the determination section determines that the user has arrived at the location of change, the navigation guidance section automatically changes a guiding method to a relatively detailed method.

6. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein

the navigation guidance section guides the user to the destination by voice.

7. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein

the navigation guidance section performs no process of the navigation guidance while the determination section determines that the user has not yet arrived at the location of change.

8. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein

the data selecting section selects the candidate location data immediately after the route receiving section generates the route data.

3-4. -4. (canceled)

9. A guiding method executed by a navigation device, the method comprising:

a destination designating step of designating a destination;

a position deriving step of deriving a current position of a user;

a route receiving step of receiving route data representing a route from the current position derived by the position deriving step to the destination designated by the destination designating step, by means of map data stored in the navigation device;

a data selecting step of selecting candidate location data indicating at least one location which exists on the route represented by the route data or in a vicinity of the route, and satisfies a predetermined condition, based on the route data received by the route receiving step and the map data stored in the navigation device;

a location-change designating step of designating a location of change at which a guiding method is to be changed, based on the candidate location data selected by the data selecting step;

a determination step of determining whether the user has reached the location of change, based on the current position derived by the position deriving step and the location of change designated by the location-change designating step; and

a navigation guidance step of guiding the user to the destination with a relatively detailed method when the determination step determines that the user has arrived at the location of change, wherein

the location-change designating step includes a priority assigning step for assigning a priority to the location indicated by the candidate location data selected by the data selecting step,

an output step for outputting a location indicated by the candidate location data selected by the data selecting step in accordance with the priority assigned by the priority assigning section, and

a location-change selecting step for selecting one location of change based on a designation from the user.

10. A computer program to be executed by a navigation device for guiding a user to a destination, the computer program comprising:

a destination designating step of designating a destination;

a position deriving step of deriving a current position of a user;

a route receiving step of receiving route data representing a route from the current position derived by the position deriving step to the destination designated by the destination designating step, by means of map data stored in the navigation device;

a data selecting step of selecting candidate location data indicating at least one location which exists on the route represented by the route data or in a vicinity of the route, and satisfies a predetermined condition, based on the route data received by the route receiving step and the map data stored in the navigation device;

a location-change designating step of designating a location of change at which a guiding method is to be changed, based on the candidate location data selected by the data selecting step;

a determination step of determining whether the user has reached the location of change, based on the current position derived by the position deriving step and the location of change designated by the location-change designating step; and

a navigation guidance step of guiding the user to the destination with a relatively detailed method when the determination step determines that the user has arrived at the location of change, wherein

the location-change designating step includes a priority assigning step for assigning a priority to the location indicated by the candidate location data selected by the data selecting step,

an output step for outputting a location indicated by the candidate location data selected by the data selecting step in accordance with the priority assigned by the priority assigning section, and

a location-change selecting step for selecting one location of change based on a designation from the user.

11. The computer program according to claim 10, recorded on a storage medium.