Navigation Device and Lane Guide Method

• US 20090024321A1
• Filed: 07/17/2008
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Inventors: BANDO, Mikio, Sakata, Masao
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,303 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/210
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A vehicle is guided to a lane that the vehicle should run, even if map data do not include lane information of a tollgate.

A navigation processing part 100 makes a vehicle running path calculation part 112 calculate a running path of the vehicle from a point of a prescribed distance from the tollgate until an ETC receipt signal receiving part 114 receives an ETC receipt signal. Then, the navigation processing part 100 calculates an approximate position of an ETC lane on the basis of the running path, and accumulates the calculated approximate position in a storage unit. Further, when the vehicle approaches to the tollgate within a prescribed distance from the tollgate, the navigation processing part 100 obtains the approximate position of the ETC lane of the tollgate from the storage unit, and displays the approximate position through a display processing part 106, to guide the user to the ETC lane.

Claims

1. A navigation device comprising:

a calculation part, which uses information on a traveling direction of a vehicle to calculate an approximate position of a lane of a prescribed kind with respect to the traveling direction;

a storage part, which stores the approximate position of the lane of the prescribed kind; and

an output part, which obtains the approximate position of the lane of the prescribed kind from the storage part, and outputs the obtained approximate position.

2. A navigation device of claim 1, wherein:

the navigation device further comprises an ETC signal receiving part, which receives an ETC signal indicating that the navigation device has communicated with an ETC system placed in an ETC lane;

the calculation part calculates an approximate position of the ETC lane on a basis of a position of the vehicle when the ETC signal is received; and

the output part obtains an approximate position of an ETC lane at a designate tollgate, and outputs the obtained approximate position.

3. A navigation device of claim 1, wherein:

the navigation device further comprises a traffic information receiving part, which receives information on traffic regulation of a road;

the calculation part calculates, on a basis of a position of the vehicle, an approximate position of a lane different from a regulated lane under traffic regulation, when the regulated lane exists among prescribed lanes of a road that the vehicle is running; and

the output part obtains the approximate position of the lane different from the regulated lane from the storage part, and outputs the obtained approximate position.

4. A navigation device of claim 1, wherein:

the approximate position is information including “

right”

or “

left”

.

5. A navigation device of claim 4, wherein:

the output part uses the approximate position of the lane to display a guide screen that indicates a traveling direction to the lane in question is right or left.

6. A navigation device of claim 5, wherein:

the output part display a guide screen that comprises lanes on right and left side with respect to the traveling direction and a figure for leading to a lane corresponding to the approximate position between the lanes.

7. A navigation device of claim 6, wherein:

the output part uses the approximate position of the lane to output voice for informing that a traveling direction to the lane in question is right or left.

8. A navigation device of claim 1, wherein:

information on the traveling direction of the vehicle is a running path obtained from a time course of a present location of the vehicle between specified points; and

the calculation part calculates the approximate position of the lane such that the approximate position is located in a direction in which the running path has deviated from a link corresponding to a road that the vehicle is running.

9. A navigation device comprising:

a calculation part, which uses information on a traveling direction of a vehicle to calculate an approximate position of a lane of a prescribed kind with respect to the traveling direction;

a lane position sending part, which sends the approximate position of the lane of the prescribed kind to a prescribed external apparatus;

a lane position receiving part, which receives an approximate position of the lane of the prescribed kind from the prescribed external apparatus;

a storage part, which stores the calculated approximate position of the lane of the prescribed kind and the received approximate position of the lane of the prescribed kind; and

an output part, which obtains the stored approximate position of the lane of the prescribed kind from the storage part, and outputs the obtained approximate position.

10. A lane guide method for a navigation device, wherein:

the navigation device performs;

a calculation step, in which information on a traveling direction of a vehicle is used for calculating an approximate position of a lane of a prescribed kind with respect to the traveling direction;

a storage step, in which the approximate position of the lane of the prescribed kind is stored; and

an output step, in which the approximate position of the lane of the prescribed kind, which is obtained in the storage step, is obtained and outputted.