NAVIGATION DEVICE AND NAVIGATION METHOD

• US 20090240426A1
• Filed: 06/12/2007
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kudoh, Takahiro, Akita, Takashi, Kindo, Tsuyoshi
• Application Number:
  US12/302,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20090240426A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/365 Guidance using head up displays or projectors, e.g. virtual vehicles or arrows projected on the windscreen or on the road itself
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A navigation device and the like capable of preventing a user from falsely recognizing an intersection to take a turn even when another intersection is present near a guidance target intersection. The navigation device that performs route navigation by displaying a guiding symbol superimposed on a photographed image includes: an adjacent intersection detection unit that calculates a distance between a guidance target intersection and an intersection adjacent to the guidance target intersection; and a guidance display control unit that controls guidance details to be displayed. The guidance display control unit sets timing for indicating a path to be taken at the guidance target intersection by using the guiding symbol based on the distance between intersections calculated by the adjacent intersection detection unit.

Claims

1. A navigation device which provides guidance along a route to a destination, said navigation device comprising:

a map information obtainment unit configured to obtain map information;

a guiding symbol determination unit configured to generate a guiding symbol for a road corresponding to a guidance route;

an adjacent intersection detection unit configured to calculate a distance between a guidance target intersection and an intersection adjacent to the guidance target intersection by using the obtained map information, the guidance target intersection being an intersection that is targeted by display of the guiding symbol; and

a guidance display control unit configured to determine a timing to start displaying the guiding symbol for the guidance target intersection to be delayed as the calculated distance between the intersections is shorter, and to display the guiding symbol at the determined timing on a windshield or, by superimposing the guiding symbol, on a projected image of a view volume in a traveling direction.

2. The navigation device according to claim 1,

wherein said adjacent intersection detection unit is further configured to judge that an adjacent intersection is present in the case where the calculated distance is shorter than a predetermined distance, and

said guidance display control unit is further configured to delay the timing to start displaying the guiding symbol for the guidance target intersection in the case where said adjacent intersection detection unit has judged that the adjacent intersection is present.

3. The navigation device according to claim 1,

wherein said guidance display control unit is further configured to determine the timing to start displaying the guiding symbol based on the distance calculated by said adjacent intersection detection unit and a time it takes for an own vehicle to reach the guidance target intersection.

4. The navigation device according to claim 1,

wherein said adjacent intersection detection unit is further configured to judge an other intersection as an adjacent intersection in the case where the other intersection is located within a predetermined distance, before or beyond the guidance target intersection, and

said guidance display control unit is further configured to set the timing to start displaying the guiding symbol for the guidance target intersection to the timing with which an own vehicle comes closer to the guidance target intersection in the case where said adjacent intersection detection unit has judged the other intersection as the adjacent intersection.

5. The navigation device according to claim 4,

wherein said adjacent intersection detection unit is further configured to judge whether the other intersection that has been judged as the adjacent intersection is located beyond the guidance target intersection or before the guidance target intersection, and

said guidance display control unit is further configured to set a later timing to indicate a path to be taken at the guidance target intersection in the case where the other intersection has been judged as being located before the guidance target intersection, than in the case where the other intersection has been judged as being located beyond the guidance target intersection.

6. The navigation device according to claim 4,

wherein said adjacent intersection detection unit is further configured to identify an intersection that is located closest to the own vehicle among other intersections judged as the adjacent intersection, and

said guidance display control unit is further configured to determine the timing to start displaying the guiding symbol for the guidance target intersection based on a distance between the own vehicle and the intersection that is located closest to the own vehicle among other intersections judged as the adjacent intersection.

7. The navigation device according to claim 1,

wherein said map information obtainment unit is further configured to obtain information indicating a degree of importance in association with each road, and

said guidance display control unit is further configured to compare the degree of importance of a road on which an own vehicle travels with the degree of importance of a road that crosses at an intersection, and to set the timing to start displaying the guiding symbol for the guidance target intersection to an earlier timing in the case where the degree of importance of the road that crosses the road on which the own vehicle travels at an intersection is lower than the road on which the own vehicle travels.

8. The navigation device according to claim 7, further comprising

a map DB in which map information regarding an area for navigation is stored,

wherein said map information obtainment unit is further configured to register the obtained map information in said map DB or to update a part of or all of the map information stored in advance in said map DB by using the obtained map information.

9. The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising

an image obtainment unit configured to obtain a projected image of a view volume in a traveling direction,

wherein the projected image of the view volume in the traveling direction obtained by said image obtainment unit includes a map image and a photographed image, and

said guidance display control unit is further configured to display the guiding symbol by superimposing the guiding symbol on the photographed image on a timing to start displaying the guiding symbol for the guidance target intersection.

10. A navigation method used for a navigation device that provides route navigation to a destination, said navigation method comprising:

obtaining map information;

generating a guiding symbol for a road that is a guide route;

calculating a distance between a guidance target intersection and an intersection adjacent to the guidance target intersection by using the obtained map information, the guidance target intersection being an intersection that is targeted by display of the guiding symbol; and

determining a timing to start displaying the guiding symbol for the guidance target intersection to be delayed as the calculated distance between the intersections is shorter, and displaying the guiding symbol at the determined timing on a windshield or, by superimposing the guiding symbol, on a projected image of a view volume in a traveling direction.

11. A program used for a navigation device which provides route navigation to a destination, said program causing a computer to execute:

obtaining map information;

generating a guiding symbol for a road that is a guide route;

calculating a distance between a guidance target intersection and an intersection adjacent to the guidance target intersection by using the obtained map information, the guidance target intersection being an intersection that is targeted by display of the guiding symbol; and

determining a timing to start displaying the guiding symbol for the guidance target intersection to be delayed as the calculated distance between the intersections is shorter, and displaying the guiding symbol at the determined timing on a windshield or, by superimposing the guiding symbol, on a projected image of a view volume in a traveling direction.