TRAVEL GUIDANCE SYSTEM, TRAVEL GUIDANCE APPARATUS, TRAVEL GUIDANCE METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20130166206A1
• Filed: 02/13/2012
• Published: 06/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Sato, Yuji
• Granted Patent: US 9,151,636 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/533
• 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

Abstract

A guidance prompt used for guidance for a guide branch point ahead of a movable object is selected from among a plurality of potential guidance prompts, based on whether a distance from a guidance starting point where guidance starts to a guidance ending point by which guidance is required to be finished is greater than a distance traveled by the movable object while guidance is being spoken. The selected guidance prompt is then set as the guidance prompt for the guide branch point, and guidance for the guide branch point by the set guidance prompt is performed when the movable object reaches the guidance starting point associated with the set guidance prompt.

Claims

1. A travel guidance system comprising:

a guide route setting unit that sets a guide route along which a movable object is guided, and a guide branch point on the guide route;

a branch point obtaining unit that obtains both a position of a first branch point that is closer to a point of departure of the guide route than the guide branch point, and a position of a second branch point that is closer to the point of departure than the first branch point;

a guidance setting unit that sets a guidance prompt for the guide branch point to a predetermined guidance prompt selected from among a plurality of potential guidance prompts; and

a branch point guidance unit that performs guidance for the guide branch point using the predetermined guidance prompt selected by the guidance setting unit, wherein

the guidance setting unit sets, for each of the plurality of potential guidance prompts, a guidance starting point that is a point where guidance starts to be spoken and a guidance ending point that is a point by which guidance is required to be finished being spoken;

the guidance starting point is defined by a position between the first branch point and the second branch point, based on one of the first branch point and the second branch point;

the guidance ending point is defined by a position based on one of the first branch point and the guide branch point;

the guidance setting unit determines, for each of the plurality of potential guidance prompts, whether a guidance distance that is a distance from the guidance starting point to the guidance ending point is greater than a speaking travel distance that is a distance traveled by the movable object while guidance is being spoken when performing guidance with the potential guidance prompt; and

the guidance setting unit selects the predetermined guidance prompt from among the plurality of potential guidance prompts, based on the determination result of whether the guidance distance of each potential guidance prompt is greater than the speaking travel distance.

2. The travel guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the guidance setting unit selects, as the predetermined guidance prompt, the potential guidance prompt for which it is determined that the guidance distance is greater than the speaking travel distance.

3. The travel guidance system according to claim 2, wherein the guidance setting unit preferentially selects, as the predetermined guidance prompt, the potential guidance prompt in which the guidance starting point is closer to the point of departure, when there are a plurality of potential guidance prompts for which it is determined that the guidance distance is greater than the speaking travel distance.

4. The travel guidance system according to claim 1, wherein, in the plurality of potential guidance prompts, the first branch point is used for performing the guidance for the guide branch point and phrases referring to the first branch point differ from one another.

5. The travel guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the guidance setting unit sets, as the guidance starting point, a point located a predetermined distance away from the one of the first branch point and the second branch point, for each of the plurality of potential guidance prompts.

6. The travel guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the guidance setting unit sets the guidance ending point that is closer to the guide branch point than the first branch point, for at least one of the potential guidance prompts, from among the plurality of potential guidance prompts, and sets the guidance ending point that is closer to the point of departure than the first branch point, for another potential guidance prompt other than the at least one potential guidance prompt, from among the plurality of potential guidance prompts.

7. The travel guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the guidance setting unit further sets a continued guidance required point between the guidance starting point and the guidance ending point, for a specific potential guidance prompt, from among the plurality of potential guidance prompts;

the guidance setting unit determines whether the guidance distance is greater than the speaking travel distance, and a distance from the guidance starting point to the continued guidance required point is less than the speaking travel distance; and

the guidance setting unit selects the specified potential guidance prompt as the predetermined guidance prompt when it is determined that the guidance distance is greater than the speaking travel distance, and the distance from the guidance starting point to the continued guidance required point is less than the speaking travel distance.

8. The travel guidance system according to claim 1, further comprising a traffic light information obtaining unit that obtains position information of a traffic light near the guide route, wherein

the position of the first branch point is defined by the traffic light near the first branch point;

the position of the second branch point is defined by the traffic light near the second branch point; and

the position of the guide branch point is defined by the traffic light near the guide branch point.

9. The travel guidance system according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of the potential guidance prompts identify at least one of the first branch point, the second branch point, and the guide branch point is identified using the traffic light.

10. A travel guidance apparatus comprising:

a guide route setting unit that sets a guide route along which a movable object is guided, and a guide branch point on the guide route;

a branch point obtaining unit that obtains both a position of a first branch point that is closer to a point of departure of the guide route than the guide branch point, and a position of a second branch point that is closer to the point of departure than the first branch point;

a guidance setting unit that sets a guidance prompt for the guide branch point to a predetermined guidance prompt selected from among a plurality of potential guidance prompts; and

a branch point guidance unit that performs guidance for the guide branch point using the predetermined guidance prompt selected by the guidance setting unit, wherein

the guidance setting unit sets, for each of the plurality of potential guidance prompts, a guidance starting point that is a point where guidance starts to be spoken and a guidance ending point that is a point by which guidance is required to be finished being spoken;

the guidance starting point is defined by a position between the first branch point and the second branch point, based on one of the first branch point and the second branch point;

the guidance ending point is defined by a position based on one of the first branch point and the guide branch point;

the guidance setting unit determines, for each of the plurality of potential guidance prompts, whether a guidance distance that is a distance from the guidance starting point to the guidance ending point is greater than a speaking travel distance that is a distance traveled by the movable object while guidance is being spoken when performing guidance with the potential guidance prompt; and

the guidance setting unit selects the predetermined guidance prompt from among the plurality of potential guidance prompts, based on the determination result of whether the guidance distance of each potential guidance prompt is greater than the speaking travel distance.

11. A travel guidance method comprising:

setting a guide route along which a movable object is guided, and a guide branch point on the guide route;

obtaining both a position of a first branch point that is closer to a point of departure of the guide route than the guide branch point, and a position of a second branch point that is closer to the point of departure than the first branch point;

setting a guidance starting point that is a point where guidance starts to be spoken and a guidance ending point that is a point by which guidance is required to be finished being spoken, for each of the plurality of potential guidance prompts;

determining whether a guidance distance that is a distance from the guidance starting point to the guidance ending point is greater than a speaking travel distance that is a distance traveled by the movable object while guidance is being spoken when performing guidance with the potential guidance prompt, for each of the plurality of potential guidance prompts;

setting a guidance prompt for the guide branch point to a predetermined guidance prompt selected from among a plurality of potential guidance prompts, based on the determination result of whether the guidance distance of each potential guidance prompt is greater than the speaking travel distance; and

performing guidance for the guide branch point using the predetermined guidance prompt, wherein

the guidance starting point is defined by a position between the first branch point and the second branch point, based on one of the first branch point and the second branch point, and the guidance ending point is defined by a position based on one of the first branch point and the guide branch point.

12. A computer program that is installed on a computer and that causes a processor to perform a travel guidance function, the travel guidance function comprising:

setting a guide route along which a movable object is guided, and a guide branch point on the guide route;

obtaining both a position of a first branch point that is closer to a point of departure of the guide route than the guide branch point, and a position of a second branch point that is closer to the point of departure than the first branch point;

setting a guidance starting point that is a point where guidance starts to be spoken and a guidance ending point that is a point by which guidance is required to be finished being spoken, for each of the plurality of potential guidance prompts;

determining whether a guidance distance that is a distance from the guidance starting point to the guidance ending point is greater than a speaking travel distance that is a distance traveled by the movable object while guidance is being spoken when performing guidance with the potential guidance prompt, for each of the plurality of potential guidance prompts;

setting a guidance prompt for the guide branch point to a predetermined guidance prompt selected from among a plurality of potential guidance prompts, based on the determination result of whether the guidance distance of each potential guidance prompt is greater than the speaking travel distance; and

performing guidance for the guide branch point using the predetermined guidance prompt, wherein

the guidance starting point is defined by a position between the first branch point and the second branch point, based on one of the first branch point and the second branch point, and the guidance ending point is defined by a position based on one of the first branch point and the guide branch point.