Route-selection-supporting device, method, and program

• US 20080228389A1
• Filed: 02/28/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Kano, Toshihiro, Igawa, Junichiro
• Application Number:
  US12/073,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20080228389A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/204
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3605 Destination input or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/091 Traffic information broadcasting broadcasting communication H04H

Abstract

Devices, methods, and programs display a map on a display. The devices, methods, and programs accept a selection of a continuous road route on the map as a planned travel route, the planned travel route having an endpoint. The devices, methods, and programs estimate an endpoint-arrival time, the endpoint-arrival time representing a time at which a vehicle traveling the planned travel route can reach the endpoint. The devices, methods, and programs obtain traffic information representing the state of traffic for travel beginning at the endpoint at the endpoint-arrival time, and display the obtained traffic information on the display.

Claims

1. A route-selection-supporting device comprising:

a display that displays a map; and

a controller that;

accepts a selection of a continuous road route on the map as a planned travel route, the planned travel route having an endpoint;

estimates an endpoint-arrival time, the endpoint-arrival time representing a time at which a vehicle traveling the planned travel route can reach the endpoint;

obtains traffic information representing a state of traffic for travel beginning at the endpoint at the endpoint-arrival time; and

displays the obtained traffic information on the display.

2. The route-selection-supporting device according to claim 1, wherein the controller:

detects a touching of a surface of the display; and

accepts the touching of the surface of the display as the selection of the continuous road route.

3. The route-selection-supporting device according to claim 1, wherein the controller:

refers to a storage medium storing estimated travel times, the estimated travel times being stored for time segments of links; and

adds the estimated travel times for time segments of links corresponding to the planned travel route to a starting time set in advance to obtain the endpoint-arrival time.

4. The route-selection-supporting device according to claim 3, further comprising the storage medium.

5. The route-selection-supporting device according to claim 1, wherein the controller:

obtains an arbitrary-road-arrival time, representing a time at which the vehicle will reach an arbitrary road if it travels to the arbitrary road from the endpoint; and

obtains traffic information representing a state of traffic on the arbitrary road at the arbitrary-road-arrival time.

6. The route-selection-supporting device according to claim 1, wherein the controller:

refers to a storage medium that stores at least one of;

an estimated travel distance per unit time for each time segment of each section set on the map; and

an estimated travel time for each of the time segments of each of the sections set on the map; and

obtains a time as an arbitrary-road-arrival time representing a time at which the vehicle will reach an arbitrary section of the map if it starts to travel to the arbitrary section from the endpoint at the endpoint-arrival time on the basis of the stored estimated travel distances or the stored estimated travel times.

7. The route-selection-supporting device according to claim 6, further comprising the storage medium.

8. The route-selection-supporting device according to claim 1, wherein the controller:

accepts an input of a destination; and

obtains traffic information for an arbitrary road located in a linear direction from the endpoint of the planned travel route to the destination.

9. A route-selection-supporting method comprising:

displaying a map on a display;

accepting a selection of a continuous road route on the map as a planned travel route, the planned travel route having an endpoint;

estimating an endpoint-arrival time, the endpoint-arrival time representing a time at which a vehicle traveling the planned travel route can reach the endpoint;

obtaining traffic information representing a state of traffic for travel beginning at the endpoint at the endpoint-arrival time; and

displaying the obtained traffic information on the display.

10. The route-selection-supporting method according to claim 9, further comprising:

detecting a touching of a surface of the display; and

accepting the touching of the surface of the display as the selection of the continuous road route.

11. The route-selection-supporting method according to claim 9, further comprising:

referring to a storage medium storing estimated travel times, the estimated travel times being stored for time segments of links; and

adding the estimated travel times for time segments of links corresponding to the planned travel route to a starting time set in advance to obtain the endpoint-arrival time.

12. The route-selection-supporting method according to claim 9, further comprising:

obtaining an arbitrary-road-arrival time, representing a time at which the vehicle will reach an arbitrary road if it travels to the arbitrary road from the endpoint; and

obtaining traffic information representing a state of traffic on the arbitrary road at the arbitrary-road-arrival time.

13. The route-selection-supporting method according to claim 9, further comprising:

referring to a storage medium that stores at least one of;

an estimated travel distance per unit time for each time segment of each section set on the map; and

an estimated travel time for each of the time segments of each of the sections set on the map; and

obtaining a time as an arbitrary-road-arrival time representing a time at which the vehicle will reach an arbitrary section of the map if it starts to travel to the arbitrary section from the endpoint at the endpoint-arrival time on the basis of the stored estimated travel distances or the stored estimated travel times.

14. The route-selection-supporting method according to claim 9, further comprising:

accepting an input of a destination; and

obtaining traffic information for an arbitrary road located in a linear direction from the endpoint of the planned travel route to the destination.

15. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer executable program usable to support route selection, the program comprising:

instructions for displaying a map on a display;

instructions for accepting a selection of a continuous road route on the map as a planned travel route, the planned travel route having an endpoint;

instructions for estimating an endpoint-arrival time, the endpoint-arrival time representing a time at which a vehicle traveling the planned travel route can reach the endpoint;

instructions for obtaining traffic information representing a state of traffic for travel beginning at the endpoint at the endpoint-arrival time; and

instructions for displaying the obtained traffic information on the display.