Apparatus and program for navigation

• US 20090043500A1
• Filed: 07/29/2008
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Satoh, Taichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,180,502 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/210
• 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

A navigation apparatus defines a detection area for detecting a weather phenomenon as a predetermined range around a travel route that is designated as an area setting object. By referring to weather information acquired from external sources through communication, whether or not a weather warning exists in the detection area is determined. If the determination is affirmative, the weather phenomenon is considered as influential in the detection area, and the detection result is provided for a user. More practically, the travel route, the detection area and an affecting area of the weather warning are displayed on a display unit.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a travel route determination unit for determining a travel route of a vehicle;

a detection area defining unit for defining a detection area, wherein the detection area is defined as an area that is within a predetermined range from the travel route determined by the travel route determination unit, and wherein whether or not noteworthy weather phenomenon in the detection area affects the vehicle is detected;

a weather information obtaining unit for obtaining weather information that is set to a first sectional unit on a map; and

a determination unit for deciding whether or not an affecting area is at least partially existing in the detection area defined by the detection area defining unit with reference to the weather information, wherein the affecting area is made up of the first sectional unit to which the noteworthy weather phenomenon is set, and wherein the determination unit determines that the weather phenomenon corresponding to the affecting area is affecting when the affecting area is at least partially existing in the detection area.

2. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the detection area defining unit defines the detection area as an area that includes a predetermined distance from a current position of the vehicle.

3. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the detection area defining unit uses the detection area from a second sectional unit on the map.

4. The navigation apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the detection area defining unit defines the second sectional area for composing the detection area as a grid area divided by longitude and latitude.

5. The navigation apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the detection area defining unit defines the second sectional area for composing the detection area as a circular area.

6. The navigation apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the detection area defining unit defines the second sectional area for composing the detection area as a polygonal area.

7. The navigation apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the detection area defining unit defines the second sectional area for composing the detection area as a smaller area than the first sectional area for composing the affecting area.

8. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the detection area defining unit defines the detection area in accordance with a distance from the current position of the vehicle.

9. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the detection area defining unit defines the detection area in accordance with a travel time from the current position of the vehicle.

10. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the detection area defining unit defines the detection area that corresponds to a route point on the travel route in accordance with a size of the affecting area of the weather phenomenon.

11. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the detection area defining unit defines the detection area that corresponds to the current position of the vehicle in accordance with a predetermined speed of the vehicle when the vehicle has traveled for a predetermined period at a speed that is equal to or under the predetermined speed.

12. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the detection area defining unit defines the detection area that corresponds to the current position of the vehicle in accordance with a speed limit of the current position.

13. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the detection area defining unit defines the detection area that corresponds to a route point on the travel route in accordance with a type of the weather phenomenon.

14. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the detection area defining unit defines the detection area as a range that is centered around a waypoint on the travel route when the waypoint exists on the travel route.

15. The navigation apparatus of claim 14, wherein

the detection area defining unit defines the detection area according to a type of the waypoint.

16. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the detection area defining unit defines the detection area as a predetermined range that corresponds to a multi-pass point when the travel route having been searched has the multi-pass point that is traveled through at least twice by the vehicle.

17. The navigation apparatus of claim 16, wherein

the detection area defining unit re-defines the detection area that corresponds to the multi-pass point after the vehicle has passed the multi-pass point.

18. The navigation apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a display unit for displaying various information for a user;

a control unit for controlling the display unit to display determination information that the weather phenomenon is determined to be affecting by the determination unit when weather phenomenon has the affecting area that is at least partially existing in the detection area.

19. The navigation apparatus of claim 18, wherein

the control unit controls the display unit to display at least the travel route, the detection area and the affecting area as the determination information.

20. The navigation apparatus of claim 18 further comprising:

a map information obtaining unit for obtaining map information, wherein

the display unit is capable of displaying the map information obtained by the map information obtaining unit, and

the control unit controls the display unit to display the map based on the map information obtained by the map information obtaining unit, and controls the display unit to display the determination unit.

21. A program stored in a storage medium of a computer for controlling the computer to be serving as the detection area defining unit and the determination unit of the navigation apparatus of claim 1.

22. A program stored in a storage medium of a computer for controlling the computer to be serving as the detection area defining unit, the determination unit and the control unit of the navigation apparatus of claim 18.