Apparatus and program for route search

• US 20090082956A1
• Filed: 09/09/2008
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Hamaguchi, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,200,417 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

A route search apparatus stores a section of a route to a database when drowsiness of a driver is detected by a drowsiness detector in the section of the route. The route search apparatus refers to the database and determines whether route candidates include a drowsiness-detected route section when the apparatus searches for a route extending from a departure place to a destination. When the drowsiness-detected route section is included in the route candidates, an evaluation value of the drowsiness-detected route section is raised before re-searching the route extending from the departure place to the destination.

Claims

1. A route search apparatus equipped with a first route search unit computing the evaluation value of each section and retrieving a route by which a total evaluation value is minimized from among route candidates from a departure place to a destination, the route search apparatus comprising:

a drowsiness detecting unit detecting drowsiness of a driver;

a storage control unit storing in a storage unit a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected when the drowsiness of the driver is detected by the drowsiness detecting unit; and

a first determination unit referring to the storage unit and determining whether or not a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected is included in a route candidate from the departure place to the destination, wherein,

when it is determined by the first determination unit that a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected is included in a route candidate from the departure place to the destination, the first route search unit increases the evaluation value of the section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected and searches for a route from the departure place to the destination again.

2. The route search apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the storage control unit stores a period of time during which the drowsiness of the driver was detected together with a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected in the storage unit,

wherein the route search apparatus comprises:

a period of time computing unit computing a period of time during which the section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected in the route candidate is passed through when it is determined by the first determination unit that a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected is included in a route candidate from the departure place to the destination; and

a second determination unit referring to the storage unit and determining whether or not a period of time during which a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected in the route candidate is passed through and a period of time during which a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected was passed through match with each other, and

wherein, when it is determined by the second determination unit that a period of time during which a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected in the route candidate is passed through and a period of time during which a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected was passed through match with each other, the first route search unit increases the evaluation value of the section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected and searches for a route from the departure place to the destination again.

3. The route search apparatus of claim 2,

wherein the storage control unit stores the point of start of driving during which the drowsiness of the driver was detected in the storage unit together with the section where and the period of time during which the drowsiness of the driver was detected,

wherein the second determination unit refers to the storage unit and determines whether or not the point of start of driving during which the drowsiness of the driver was detected and the point of start of the present driving match with each other and whether or not the period of time during which the section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected is passed through and the period of time during which the section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected was passed through match with each other, and

wherein, when it is determined by the second determination unit that the point of start of driving during which the drowsiness of the driver was detected and the point of start of the present driving match with each other and the period of time during which the section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected is passed through and the period of time during which the section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected was passed through match with each other, the first route search unit increases the evaluation value of the section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected and searches for a route from the departure place to the destination again.

4. The route search apparatus of claim 1,

wherein, when a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected is included in a retrieved route, the first route search unit causes a displaying unit to display information indicating that a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected is included in the retrieved route.

5. A route search apparatus equipped with a second route search unit computing the evaluation value of each section and retrieving a route by which the total evaluation value is minimized from among route candidates from a departure place to a destination, the route search apparatus comprising:

a drowsiness detecting unit detecting drowsiness of a driver;

a storage control unit storing in a storage unit a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected and a frequency with which the drowsiness of the driver was detected in the section when the drowsiness of the driver is detected by the drowsiness detecting unit; and

a first determination unit referring to the storage unit and determining whether or not a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected is included in a route candidate from the departure place to the destination,

wherein, when it is determined by the first determination unit that a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected is included in a route candidate from the departure place to the destination, the second route search unit extracts the frequency of each section included in the route candidate with which the drowsiness of the driver was detected and searches for a route by which the total of the frequencies of the sections where the drowsiness of the driver was detected from among route candidates from the departure place to the destination is minimized.

6. The route search apparatus of claim 5,

wherein the storage control unit stores a period of time during which the drowsiness of the driver was detected together with the section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected in the storage unit,

wherein the route search apparatus comprises:

a period of time computing unit computing a period of time during which the section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected in the route candidate is passed through when it is determined by the first determination unit that a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected is included in a route candidate from the departure place to the destination; and

a second determination unit referring to the storage unit and determining whether or not a period of time during which a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected in the route candidate is passed through and a period of time during which a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected was passed through match with each other, and

wherein, when it is determined by the first determination unit that a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected is included in a route candidate from the departure place to the destination and it is determined by the second determination unit that the period of time during which a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected in the route candidate is passed through and the period of time during which a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected was passed through match with each other, the second route search unit extracts the frequency of each section included in the route candidate with which the drowsiness of the driver was detected and searches for a route by which the total of the frequencies of the sections with which the drowsiness of the driver was detected is minimized from among route candidates from the departure place to the destination.

7. The route search apparatus of claim 6,

wherein the storage control unit stores a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected, a period of time during which the drowsiness of the driver was detected, and the point of start of driving during which the drowsiness of the driver was detected in the storage unit,

wherein the second determination unit refers to the storage unit to determine whether or not the point of start in the route candidate and a present position match with each other and refers to the storage unit to determine whether or not a period of time during which a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected in the route candidate is passed through and a period of time during which a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected was passed through match with each other, and

wherein, when it is determined by the second determination unit that the point of start in the route candidate and the present position match with each other and the period of time during which the section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected in the route candidate is passed through and the period of time during which the section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected was passed through match with each other, the second route search unit extracts the frequency of each section included in the route candidate with which the drowsiness of the driver was detected and searches for a route by which the total of the frequencies of the sections with which the drowsiness of the driver was detected is minimized from among route candidates from the departure place to the destination.

8. The route search apparatus of claim 5,

wherein, when a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected is included in a retrieved route, the second route search unit causes a displaying unit to display information indicating that a section where the drowsiness of the driver was detected is included in the retrieved route.