ROUTE SEARCH DEVICE, ROUTE SEARCH METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20120035848A1
• Filed: 08/02/2011
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: YONEZAWA, Masanori, ISHIKAWA, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 8,918,279 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/414
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data

Abstract

Route search devices, methods, and programs acquire basic congestion information, the basic congestion information being congestion information for specific links. The systems, methods, and programs set a destination and search for a first travel route from a departure point to the set destination using the acquired basic congestion information. Based on the first travel route, the systems, methods, and programs determine, whether center traffic information is necessary to be acquired. Only when it is determined that the center traffic information is necessary, the systems, methods, and programs acquire the center traffic information, the center traffic information being congestion information of a link other than the specific links, and search for a second travel route from the departure point to the set destination using the acquired additional congestion information.

Claims

1. A route search device, comprising:

a controller that;

acquires basic congestion information, the basic congestion information being congestion information for specific links;

sets a destination;

searches for a first travel route from a departure point to the set destination using the acquired basic congestion information;

determines, based on the first travel route, whether center traffic information is necessary to be acquired;

only when it is determined that the center traffic information is necessary, acquires the center traffic information, the center traffic information being congestion information of a link other than the specific links, and searches for a second travel route from the departure point to the set destination using the acquired additional congestion information; and

communicates at least one of the first travel route and the second travel route to a user.

4. The route search device according to claim 1, wherein the controller:

acquires, as the basic congestion information, congestion information supplied by a vehicle information and communication system; and

acquires, as the center traffic information, traffic information that was collected as probe information and statistically processed.

5. A navigation device comprising the route search device of claim 1.

2. The route search device according to claim. I, wherein the controller:

determines whether the first travel route includes any link other than the specific links; and

determines that the center traffic information is not necessary when the first travel route does not include any link other than the specific links.

3. The route search device according to claim 2, wherein the controller:

when the first travel route includes the link other than the specific links, searches for a third travel route from the departure point to the set destination under an assumption that the link other than the specific links is congested;

determines whether the first travel route matches the third travel route; and

determines that the center traffic information is necessary when the first travel route does not match the third travel route.

6. A route search device, comprising:

a storage unit that stores additional congestion information that is congestion information of a link other than specific links; and

a controller that;

acquires basic congestion information from outside of a vehicle, the basic congestion information being congestion information of the specific links;

sets a destination;

searches for a first travel route from a departure point to the set destination using the acquired basic congestion information;

determines, based on the first travel route, whether the stored additional congestion information is necessary;

only when the stored additional congestion information is necessary, acquires the stored additional congestion information and searches for a second travel route from the departure point to the set destination using the acquired additional congestion information; and

communicates at least one of the first travel route and the second travel route to a user.

7. The route search device according to claim 6, wherein the controller:

determines whether the first travel route includes any link other than the specific links; and

determines that the additional congestion information is not necessary when the first travel route does not include any link other than the specific links.

8. The route search device according to claim 7, wherein the controller:

when the first travel route includes the link other than the specific links, searches for a third travel route from the departure point to the set destination under an assumption that the link other than the specific links is congested;

determines whether the first travel route matches the third travel route; and

determines that the additional congestion information is necessary when the first travel route does not match with the third travel route.

9. The route search device according to claim 6, wherein the controller:

acquires, as the basic congestion information, congestion information supplied by a vehicle information and communication system.

10. A navigation device comprising the route search device of claim 6.

11. A route search method, comprising:

acquiring basic congestion information, the basic congestion information being congestion information for specific links;

setting a destination;

searching for a first travel route from a departure point to the set destination using the acquired basic congestion information;

determining, based on the first travel route, whether center traffic information is necessary to be acquired;

only when it is determined that the center traffic information is necessary, acquiring the center traffic information, the center traffic information being congestion information of a link other than the specific links, and searching for a second travel route from the departure point to the set destination using the acquired additional congestion information; and

communicating at least one of the first travel route and the second travel route to a user.

12. The route search method according to claim 11, further comprising:

determining whether the first travel route includes any link other than the specific links; and

determining that the center traffic information is not necessary when the first travel route does not include any link other than the specific links.

13. The route search method according to claim 12, further comprising:

when the first travel route includes the link other than the specific links, searching for a third travel route from the departure point to the set destination under an assumption that the link other than the specific links is congested;

determining whether the first travel route matches the third travel route; and

determining that the center traffic information is necessary when the first travel route does not match the third travel route.

14. The route search method according to claim 11, further comprising:

acquiring, as the basic congestion information, congestion information supplied by a vehicle information and communication system; and

acquiring, as the center traffic information, traffic information that was collected as probe information and statistically processed.

15. A route search method, comprising:

acquiring basic congestion information from outside of a vehicle, the basic congestion information being congestion information of the specific links;

setting a destination;

searching for a first travel route from a departure point to the set destination using the acquired basic congestion information;

determining, based on the first travel route, whether additional congestion information is necessary, the additional traffic information being stored in a storage device;

only when the stored additional congestion information is necessary, acquiring the stored additional congestion information and searching for a second travel route from the departure point to the set destination using the acquired additional congestion information; and

communicating at least one of the first travel route and the second travel route to a user.

16. The route search method according to claim 15, further comprising:

determining whether the first travel route includes any link other than the specific links; and

determining that the additional congestion information is not necessary when the first travel route does not include any link other than the specific links.

17. The route search method according to claim 16, further comprising:

when the first travel route includes the link other than the specific links, searching for a third travel route from the departure point to the set destination under an assumption that the link other than the specific links is congested;

determining whether the first travel route matches the third travel route; and

determining that the additional congestion information is necessary when the first travel route does not match with the third travel route.

18. The route search method according to claim 15, further comprising:

acquiring, as the basic congestion information, congestion information supplied by a vehicle information and communication system.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable route search program, the program comprising:

instructions for acquiring basic congestion information, the basic congestion information being congestion information for specific links;

instructions for setting a destination;

instructions for searching for a first travel route from a departure point to the set destination using the acquired basic congestion information;

instructions for determining, based on the first travel route, whether center traffic information is necessary to be acquired;

instructions for, only when it is determined that the center traffic information is necessary, acquiring the center traffic information, the center traffic information being congestion information of a link other than the specific links, and searching for a second travel route from the departure point to the set destination using the acquired additional congestion information; and

instructions for communicating at least one of the first travel route and the second travel route to a user,

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable route search program, the program comprising:

instructions for acquiring basic congestion information from outside of a vehicle, the basic congestion information being congestion information of the specific links;

instructions for setting a destination;

instructions for searching for a first travel route from a departure point to the set destination using the acquired basic congestion information;

instructions for determining, based on the first travel route, whether additional congestion information is necessary, the additional traffic information being stored in a storage device;

instructions for, only when the stored additional congestion information is necessary, acquiring the stored additional congestion information and searching for a second travel route from the departure point to the set destination using the acquired additional congestion information; and

instructions for communicating at least one of the first travel route and the second travel route to a user.