NAVIGATION DEVICE

• US 20100268453A1
• Filed: 11/19/2008
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Taguchi, Yuta, Otani, Kinya, Hirose, Naoki
• Application Number:
  US12/744,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20100268453A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/102 using electrical means

Abstract

A navigation device is provided with which output of a guidance voice is completed at an appropriate timing with respect to a reference point related to output of the guidance voice. The navigation device of the present invention includes position locating means 9 for locating a position of a vehicle, speed measurement means 13 for measuring a speed of the vehicle, audio output means 15 and 17 for outputting a guidance voice related to a guide point N on a guidance route leading to a destination, and a control means 1 for controlling output of the guidance voice by using as reference a reference point obtained by returning along the guidance route from the guide point by a prescribed reference distance. The control means 1, when the vehicle reaches an utterance start point obtained by returning along the guidance route from the guide point by an utterance start distance, causes the audio output means 15 and 17 to output the guidance voice. The utterance start distance is longer than the reference distance, and increases as an utterance time that is the duration of the guidance voice increases, and as the vehicle speed measured at the speed measurement point for the reference point increases.

Claims

1. A navigation device comprising:

position locating means for locating a position of a vehicle;

speed measurement means for measuring a speed of the vehicle;

audio output means for outputting a guidance voice related to a guide point on a guidance route leading to a destination; and

control means for controlling output of the guidance voice by using as reference a reference point obtained by returning along the guidance route from the guide point by a prescribed reference distance,

wherein the control means calculates an utterance start distance when the vehicle reaches a speed measurement point on the guidance route set with respect to the reference point, and causes the audio output means to output the guidance voice when the vehicle reaches an utterance start point obtained by returning along the guidance route from the guide point by the utterance start distance, and

the utterance start distance is longer than the reference distance, and increases as a duration of the guidance voice increases, and as the vehicle speed at the speed measurement point increases.

2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the utterance start distance is determined by an operation that includes adding the reference distance to a product of the duration of the guidance voice and the vehicle speed at the speed measurement point.

3. The navigation device according to claim 2, wherein the utterance start distance is a value obtained by adding the reference distance to a product of a sum of a prescribed adjustment value and the duration of the guidance voice and the vehicle speed at the speed measurement point.

4. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the reference distance in a case where the reference point is on an expressway is longer than the reference distance in a case where the reference point is on a road other than an expressway.

5. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the control means, in a case where the vehicle speed at the speed measurement point is faster than a prescribed reference speed, causes the audio output means to output the guidance voice at the speed measurement point.

6. The navigation device according to claim 5, wherein the reference speed in a case where the speed measurement point is on an expressway is faster than the reference speed in a case where the speed measurement point is on a road other than an expressway.

7. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the control means, in a case where the utterance start distance is equal to or longer than a distance from the speed measurement point to the guide point along the guidance route, causes the audio output means to output the guidance voice at the speed measurement point.

8. A navigation device comprising:

position locating means for locating a position of a vehicle;

speed measurement means for measuring a speed of the vehicle;

audio output means for outputting one or more guidance voices for a guide point on a guidance route leading from a start point to a destination; and

control means for controlling output of the one or more guidance voices based on the position of the vehicle and the speed of the vehicle,

wherein the one or more guidance voices are respectively related to one or more reference points on the side of the start point relative to the guide point on the guidance route,

one or more speed measurement points are respectively set for the one or more reference points, on the side of the start point relative to the guide point,

the control means, when the vehicle reaches each of the one or more speed measurement points, calculates an utterance start distance with use of the vehicle speed measured at the speed measurement point, and when the vehicle reaches an utterance start point obtained by returning along the guidance route from the guide point by the utterance start distance, causes the audio output means to output the guidance voice related to the reference point corresponding to the speed measurement point, and

the utterance start distance is longer than the reference distance from the reference point corresponding to the speed measurement point that the vehicle has reached to the guide point along the guidance route, and increases as a duration of the guidance voice related to the reference point increases and as the measured vehicle speed increases.

9. The navigation device according to claim 8, wherein except for a case in which the utterance start point is an utterance start point that is nearest to the guide point, a guidance voice including notification of the reference distance of the reference point corresponding to the speed measurement point where the vehicle speed used in calculating the utterance start distance was measured is output at the utterance start point.

10. The navigation device according to claim 8, wherein the utterance start distance is determined by an operation that includes adding the reference distance of the reference point corresponding to the speed measurement point where the vehicle speed used in calculating the utterance start distance was measured to a product of the duration of the guidance voice related to the reference point and the measured vehicle speed.

11. The navigation device according to any of claim 8, wherein the reference distance of each of the one or more reference points differs depending on whether or not the reference point is on an expressway, and the reference distance of the reference point if located on an expressway is longer than the reference distance of the reference point if located on a road other than an expressway.

12. The navigation device according to any of claim 8, wherein the control means, in a case where the vehicle speed measured at one of the one or more speed measurement points is faster than a prescribed reference speed, causes the audio output means to output the guidance voice related to the reference point corresponding to the speed measurement point at the speed measurement point.

13. The navigation device according to claim 12, wherein the reference speed is not the same for all of the one or more speed measurement points, and the reference speed for a speed measurement point that is nearest to the guide point is the slowest.

14. The navigation device according to claim 12, wherein the reference speed, for each of the one or more speed measurement points, differs depending on whether or not the speed measurement point is on an expressway, and the reference speed in the case where the speed measurement point is on an expressway is faster than the reference speed in the case where the speed measurement point is on a road other than an expressway.