NAVIGATION APPARATUS

• US 20100063720A1
• Filed: 10/09/2007
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Machino, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,190,358 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3658 Lane guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096833 where different aspects are considered when computing the route

Abstract

A navigation apparatus includes a route searching unit 130 for, when including a road where a car pool lane is also provided in a recommended route at a time of searching for a route from a current position determined by a current position determining means to a destination inputted by an input unit on the basis of map data acquired by a map data acquiring means, calculating a distance to be traveled according to the number of lanes which are crossed at the time of an entry to the car pool lane and at the time of an exit from the car pool lane, and then determining the recommended route in such a way that the recommended route uses an entrance and an exit of the car pool lane each of which is located at a location dependent upon the calculated distance.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a map data acquiring means for acquiring map data including data about roads where a car pool lane is also provided;

a current position determining means for determining a current position;

an input unit for inputting a destination; and

a route searching unit for, when including a road where a car pool lane is also provided in a recommended route at a time of searching for a route from the current position determined by said current position determining means to the destination inputted by said input unit on a basis of the map data acquired by said map data acquiring means, calculating a distance to be traveled according to a number of lanes which are crossed at a time of an entry to said car pool lane and at a time of an exit from said car pool lane, and then determining the recommended route in such a way that the recommended route uses an entrance and an exit of the car pool lane each of which is located at a location dependent upon said calculated distance.

2. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that when including a road where a car pool lane is also provided in the recommended route, the route searching unit calculates the distance to be traveled according to a number of lanes which are crossed during travel from an entrance of said road to an entry to the car pool lane and a number of lanes which are crossed during travel from an exit from said car pool lane to an exit from an exit of said road, and determines the recommended route in such a way that the recommended route uses an entrance and an exit of the car pool lane each of which is located at a location dependent upon said calculated distance.

3. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that when including a road where a car pool lane is also provided in the recommended route, the route searching unit calculates the distance to be traveled according to a number of lanes which are crossed during travel from the current position on said road, which is determined by the current position determining means, to an entry to the car pool lane, and determines the recommended route in such a way that the recommended route uses an entrance of the car pool lane which is located at a location dependent upon said calculated distance.

4. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the navigation apparatus has a setting means for setting up a vehicle type, and, when including a road where a car pool lane is also provided in the recommended route, the route searching unit calculates the distance to be traveled according to the number of lanes which are crossed at the time of an entry to said car pool lane and at the time of an exit from said car pool lane and the vehicle type set up by said setting means, and determines the recommended route in such a way that the recommended route uses an entrance and an exit of the car pool lane each of which is located at a location dependent upon said calculated distance.

5. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the navigation apparatus has a setting means for setting up at least one of dates, days of week, a time zone, and, when including a road where a car pool lane is also provided in the recommended route, the route searching unit calculates the distance to be traveled according to the number of lanes which are crossed at the time of an entry to said car pool lane and at the time of an exit from said car pool lane and at least one of the dates, the days of week, the time zone which is set up by said setting means, and determines the recommended route in such a way that the recommended route uses an entrance and an exit of the car pool lane each of which is located at a location dependent upon said calculated distance.

6. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the navigation apparatus has a road information acquiring means for acquiring road information including congestion information, and, when including a road where a carpool lane is also provided in the recommended route, the route searching unit calculates the distance to be traveled according to the number of lanes which are crossed at the time of an entry to said car pool lane and at the time of an exit from said car pool lane and the road information acquired by said road information acquiring means, and determines the recommended route in such away that the recommended route uses an entrance and an exit of the car pool lane each of which is located at a location dependent upon said calculated distance.

7. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the navigation apparatus has a setting means for setting up a distance to be traveled at a time of an entry to a car pool lane and at a time of an exit from the car pool lane, and, when including a road where a car pool lane is also provided in the recommended route, the route searching unit determines the recommended route in such a way that the recommended route uses an entrance and an exit of the car pool lane each of which is located at a location dependent upon the distance set up by said setting means.