NAVIGATION APPARATUS

• US 20130013194A1
• Filed: 06/29/2012
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kato, Seiji, Tsutsumi, Yuuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,825,386 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/430
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3815 Road data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3837 Data obtained from a single source
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3844 Data obtained from position sensors only, e.g. from inertial navigation

Abstract

A navigation apparatus having a road learning function includes a detector, a memory, an identifying device, a determination device, and a guidance device. The detector creates a learned road link connecting exit and return points in an existing link. The memory stores road information representing that the existing link forms a continuous road at an end of the learned road link. The identifying device identifies an entrance link into the end of the learned road link and an exit link from the end of the learned road link in a route. The road determination device determines whether the entrance and exit links form the continuous road. The guidance device prohibits the guidance on a direction to go at the end of the learned road link when the road determination device determines that the entrance and exit links form the continuous road.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus for providing guidance to guide a vehicle through a predetermined route to a destination, the navigation apparatus configured to learn a new road, which does not exist in a ready-made road data, based on a current position of the vehicle during running of the vehicle, the navigation apparatus comprising:

a learned road detector configured to create a learned road link connecting an exit point in a first existing link to a return point in a second existing link, the first and second existing links existing in the ready-made road data;

a road information storing device configured to store road information based on at least one of the first and second existing links, the road information representing that the at least one of the first and second existing links forms a continuous road at an end of the learned road link;

a link identifying device configured to identify an entrance link into the end of the learned road link and an exit link from the end of the learned road link in the route;

a road determination device configured to determine whether the entrance and exit links form the continuous road represented by the road information; and

a guidance device configured to prohibit the guidance on a direction to go at the end of the learned road link when the road determination device determines that the entrance and exit links form the continuous road represented by the road information.

2. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the learned road detector creates a first auxiliary link extending from a first end of a base link to the end of the learned road link and a second auxiliary link extending from a second end of the base link to the end of the learned road link, and

the base link is the at least one of the first and second existing links.

3. The navigation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the road information storing device stores an association between the base link and each of the first and second auxiliary links as the road information,

the link identifying device identifies the entrance and exit links by using the first and second auxiliary links, and

the road determination device determines that the entrance and exit links form the continuous road represented by the road information, when the entrance and exit links correspond to the same base link.

4. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the learned road detector creates a pair of new links by dividing the at least one of the first and second existing links at the end of the learned road link, and

the pair of new links replaces the at least one of the first and second existing links.

5. The navigation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the road information storing device stores the pair of new links as the road information, and

the road determination device determines that the entrance and exit links form the continuous road represented by the road information, when the entrance and exit links are identical to the pair of new links.

6. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the guidance device provides the guidance at the end of the learned road link when the road determination device does not determine that the entrance and exit links form the continuous road represented by the road information.