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NAVIGATION APPARATUS

  • US 20110153200A1
  • Filed: 12/16/2010
  • Published: 06/23/2011
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2009
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A navigation apparatus in a vehicle traveling a predetermined road that includes, in an identical traffic direction, (i) a general lane having an exit into an other road and (ii) a special lane having no exit into an other road, the general lane and the special lane having a plurality of transfer permit points, at each of which the vehicle is only allowed to transfer between the general lane and the special lane,the navigation apparatus comprising:

  • an information storage section configured to store transfer permit point information which is associated with a node of a plurality of nodes, the transfer permit point information indicating (i) a number of transfer permit points, which are ahead of the node in the traffic direction and (ii) relative positional information indicating a positional relation between the transfer permit point and the node;

    a present position specification section configured to specify a present position of the vehicle;

    a guide section configured to provide a user with a navigational guide; and

    a control circuit configured to execute a predetermined navigation process based on the transfer permit point information stored in the information storage section and the present position specified by the present position specification section,the control circuit being further configured to, in the predetermined navigation process,(i) determine whether there is existing more than one transfer permit point ahead of the present position in the traffic direction between a nearest node, which is a node nearest from the present position, and a branch node, which is a node at which the vehicle exits from the predetermined road to an other road,(ii) calculate, when it is determined that there is existing more than one transfer permit point, an entry distance up to a nearest transfer permit point, which is a transfer permit point nearest to the present position among the more than one transfer permit point existing between the nearest node and the branch node, using the relative positional information corresponding to the nearest transfer permit point,(iii) determine whether the calculated entry distance is within a predetermined distance range, and(iv) provide information regarding the nearest transfer permit point via the guide section, when it is determined that the calculated entry distance is within the predetermined distance range.

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